What part does the Sunday newspaper play in your life?
Coupons. I stack up the papers for recycling after I get my coupons. I don't even look at the rest of the paper, frankly. I buy four papers a week - that sounds crazy, but my coupon have enabled my family to eat the same foods we ate before, try many new things, and cut my average grocery bill from $70 a week to about $30-$40 - and I'm still learning the art of coupons.
Next on my list is buying local veggies and meat.
What was your last injury?
It was self-inflicted, per usual. I tried to jokingly kick a co-worker and I tripped over a trash can instead.
Story of my life.
What did you do as a child that you feel guilty about even to this day?
I was five, my brother was one. I stuck my foot out and tripped him. He fell against the china cabinet and bit through his lip. He still bears the scar and loves to remind me.
He also has a scar on his nose, the result of my dropping a large metal table leg on his face during a camping trip. He likes to remind me of that one, too.
This is the same brother, by the way, who I left behind when I set the kitchen on fire.
It doesn't matter how much I love him... he'll never, ever let me forget.
What's been your worst experience at a restaurant?
This is actually my mother's story but it's too funny not to share. Let me preface by saying that mom used to be a server in a restaurant and understand the importance of tips.
She and a coworker went to a local restaurant for lunch. The service was so bad that to say it was "terrible" would frankly be a compliment. She chose not to leave a tip. Apparently she left a penny on the table inadvertantly.
As she and her coworker left, the server ran out after them, screaming, "you forgot somthing!" and threw the penny at them.
Needless to say, we don't frequent that restaurant any longer.
]]>What are five things that most people don't know about you?
Submitted by mika.
I am a klutz. Well, many people know that. I've descended from klutzes - my dad had a belt sander eat his shirt. My mom hit a factory once with her car - she swears to this day that it jumped out in front of her. I have managed to break the passenger-side mirrors off three different cars. I'm really not a bad driver - I just have bad luck. I also tried to learn to roller blade - broke my leg and spent seven months on disability. That's talent.
I am a geek. People in real life know this - I don't know that I've blogged much about it in recent memory. I got my first computer when I was 11 - an Atari 800xl. I taught myself to program BASIC on it. I want to memorize Pi (not all of it obviously, but a good-sized chunk of it). I met my husband at a late-night gamer geek session - Magic: the Gathering and Vampire: the Masquerade. He kicked my butt at Magic and I knew he was the one.
I love trivia. I'm nowhere near the god-like level of Hotrod and Dabysan, but random trivia is just the best. A local radio station once had an "impossible trivia" contest. I made an enemy for life when I called with the answer before the DJ had even finished asking the question. He was so certain no one would know the answer that he hadn't even chosen a prize yet.
I played the clarinet for eight years. Turns out I learned to play it wrong. Maybe that's why I had so much trouble in marching band. We had mock awards at our annual band banquet every year. In high school, I earned the "happy wanderer" award three years out of four. I had a lot of fun at band camp - though there were no sexual shenanigans involving musical instruments. Or, if there were, nobody invited me. There were allegedly underwear marches on the guys' end of camp. They had a ukulele. That's got to count for something.
I guess there are only four things. I initially created this entry back in July but couldn't think of an interesting fifth item so I never finished and made it public. But what the heck... here are four things about me. :)
Did you see the Harry Potter movie this weekend? Are you going to read the new book?
I'm so behind on the movies. I don't even remember which ones I have and haven't seen... but frankly, I like the books better anyway.
After church yesterday, my brother and sister-in-law and I were discussing the book. He and I both have it arriving on release day, via Amazon. He was considering ordering a second copy for my sister-in-law so she could read it at the same time. She commented rightly that the way he reads, she'd get it so quickly that it wouldn't really matter. I told her that really, since it's a Saturday release, I could probably bring it to her on Sunday.
I like that both my brother and I got our natural speed-reading ability from our father. Of course it helps that it's a kids book and thus a super-easy read anyway. :)
If you could eat only 3 foods for the rest of your life, what would they be?
Submitted by formance.
The ultimate comfort foods: pot pies, chicken soup, and macaroni and cheese. All homemade by somebody who cooks better than me, please. No crappy stuff from a box or a can... I'll eat 'em in a pinch but not for the rest of my life.
If there are the only things I can eat forever, can we also pretend they won't make me fat?
What clothing item do you wish could be banned?
Submitted by Mike E.
I worked in an amusement park for two summers, so I consider myself a bit of an expert on this subject.
Jeff Foxworthy did a skit about scary people at the county fair. I wish I could find it. That was the closest I've ever coming to someone else explaining the stuff I used to see every day.
]]>How many discount cards do you carry in your wallet and where are they from?
Submitted by danatmedog.
In an effort to have less stuff, I mercilessly cleaned out my purse recently. I have a little card case with my business cards, my insurance cards, a few gift cards that still need spending, and just two discount cards: Petsmart and Staples. I even ditched the Kroger card, which was technically my mom's... if I haven't shopped there in over a year, there's not much point carrying the card, is there?
What set you apart from the rest of the kids at school?
Submitted by jks.
I was the only kid to get in trouble for reading in reading class. I read constantly, and it was always upsetting my teachers... I'd read ahead, I'd finish the book and go read something else... it varied, but my reading got me in trouble.
I also had a large vocabulary that I didn't have the sense to use wisely. I had a teacher mock me in front of a class for using the word "prosaic" to describe her class. I guess a smart-ass kid saying her class was unimaginative and dull was a bit more than she was willing to take.