So for about three weeks at the end of the last school year everyone of my status updates was about the show "Felicity". Although it had been recommended to me by several people, it wasn't until I stumbled upon it while grading that I realized that Felicity is the girl of my dreams...this week, I'll be talking all about "Felicity".
#1. Who is your favourite character and why? Ben...most character growth, most layered. And, he gets some of the best lines!
#2. Who do you like better -- Noel & Felicity or Ben & Felicity? Why? Ben and Felicity...true love, following your heart, being patient and not living your life for someone else are all good lessons that we learn from these two, besides I love a good passionate bit of yearning. With Felicity and Noel where is the yearning...sure, Noel pines, but pining isn't yearning.
#3. Which couple, aside from Felicity & her loves, did you really like together? Why? Meghan and Sean...they make me so angry! Actually, they make me so angry is such a realistic way! Argh!
#4. Which guy did you like Felicity with besides Ben & Noel (ie Greg, David, Owen, etc)? um, none...what kind of question is that!?
#5. Which couple didn't you like together? Elena and Tracy...I liked Elena and Trevor, though...hmmm...
#6. Do you have a favourite episode? Which one(s)?
#1..."The Aretha Theory" #7. What is your favourite Felicity & Ben moment? "It's a time machine."
#8. What is your favourite Felicity & Noel moment? The Boggle Game
#9. Who is your favourite minor character (ie, characters only on for a short time, like Dr.Pavone, Guy, Molly, James, etc.)?
Molly
#10. Do you have a favourite quote from the show? Which one(s)? "Okie doke" Julie says it soooo much that it's become part of my lexicon.
#11. Do you have a least favourite episode? yes...um...any involving Noel and Felicity or any where Ben looks crushed and hurt... *tear* SPOILERS: especially the one when he finds out that he's about to have a kid!
#12. Do you have a favourite song that was featured on the show? (Either on the soundtrack or not) Which one(s)?
#13. If you could step inside an episode and be Felicity and change things around a bit, what would you change and why? nothing and here's why...life is embarrassing, we make brash decisions, we have to live with our mistakes and SPOILER: even if we can relive our moments and go back in time nothing big changes.
#14. Would you have liked Sean to end up with Julie instead of Meghan? Why or why not? no, because opposites are perfect for one another and Meghan cracks me up!
#15. What invention of Sean's did you think was the funniest? the Lact-Oh's...here are some more!
#16. What happened on the show that shocked you the most (ie Sean & Meghan getting together, Felicity cheating on Ben with Noel, etc)? SPOILERS besides Todd getting hit by a truck...Lauren actually being pregnant
#17. Do you think the show should've ended differently? How? no
#18. Who do you think was the best ACTOR on the show? Why? Scott Speedman, just watch any scene he's in...he's always in that moment and in that scene.
#19. What moment on the show made you really really happy? This whole entire montage really takes the cake!
#20. (final sum-up question) Why do you love the show so much? It's real and I see myself in Felicity...where's my Ben?
So, "The Today Show" had a poll today about crying in the workplace. I am admittedly against crying of any kind (yes, I know I have issues we can talk about them later), but I am especially against crying at school in front of people, especially when those people happen to be the students I'm teaching.
Now, I LOVE interacting with my students and can get off-track with the best of them, laughing at their jokes, learning the lingo, 'friending' them on FB or doing the good 'ole follow back on Twitter, but there is something private and vulnerable about letting them see me cry. I'm not sure I want my students to know me in this way. Then it hit me and is still hitting me as I type this...I have cried in front of students. During the course of my 14 (almost 15) years of teaching I have cried several times in front of students. There are several different reasons I cried and there are several appropriate reasons to cry at the workplace. I'm not sure that all of my reasons are the most appropriate, but they did let me get to know the students on a more personal and compassionate level.
Let's break it down...
Reasons to NEVER cry in front of students
1. When a kid makes you so upset and hurts your feelings so much you just lose it. To teach you have to have a tough shell and the students have to know that while you love them they are teenagers and you are an adult. When you let one of them hurt your feelings so much that you cry you have lost the audience. Sadder still that audience tells the world that so and so made you cry and you lose credibility for years. I've seen this happen to nice, sweet new teachers. My suggestion: cry during lunch break or go to the bathroom. Or, you can do what I did my first year of teaching and tell a kid, "I promise you, you will cry way before I do." Yipes! I was one tough broad.
2. Over a boy. Or, girl for that matter. Keep your private life private. Now, this one I regretfully know from experience. Your kids know you better than you know them after all they get to study you for long periods of time every day. They know who you like, they know what you dislike and they know who you date...they've seen you out and about (this is especially true in a small town). So, when you and your man friend stop seeing one another, um, they know and when you start crying because you got to school late, burned your neck on your straight iron and just got off the phone with him before entering the building they know you are not crying because you can't figure out how to make your OHP work, it's because of said boy. Probably not a good idea that the kids know so much about you, am I right!? *looks away nervously* Cry in front of your friends instead...um... PS. I think it's OK to cry with your students if they are crying about a boy or a girl...I hate when girls make boys cry and usually also cry if a boy is crying in front of me.
Reasons where it is OK and should be encouraged to cry
1. When a student you know personally, or your students know personally, dies. In the past 14 (almost 15 years) 2 students died of cancer, there are been 4 suicides, a fatal accidental shooting, a murder and several car accidents where students I knew passed away. My heart breaks all over just thinking about these people who I loved so much-this is so tough. On days when things like this happen the show must go on, but you don't have to be a hard ass about it, trust me. I can remember so many times when kids have just stopped by my room while I was teaching to talk or to just find a quiet place after a tragedy happens. I didn't mind crying in the hallway or hugging or crying in front of a whole class at these moments. I also don't mind talking about how precious and wonderful each of them are to me, I don't mind talking to them about being safe because I love them...I don't mind crying a lot. "Why are you crying?" a student asked me one time, "You only met her once." I replied, "I am crying because I know you and you are hurting and that hurts me. I am sorry that I can't do more about it, but talk to you and cry with you." I meant that and still mean it.
2. When someone in your family is hurting or has passed away...I think this includes pets.I cried when my favorite cat died in the middle of the night and I had to go to school the next day. I cried several days before my aunt passed away and several days after I came back. When students asked why I was so upset I didn't mind telling them. Parents sent me flowers, students sent me flowers...even for the cat. I have never forgotten how kind these particular students were to me and I still see that kindness in them to this day (I think they're like 30 years old now!).
3. When something that you are teaching moves you. Every year I get a little misty-eyed when we read Our Town. I cannot help it. I love that play so much just talking about how important it is to live your boring life to its fullest, to talk about cherishing the stupid moments with family and friends so moves me that I can't help it. One year I especially lost it when a student talked about how much she enjoyed the bus ride to school because every morning she got to see the sunrise come up over the hills. What 15 year-old talks that way!? And, would I have gotten to experience such openness had I not already shared how much I love life via the reading of Our Town?
4. When the kids do something so AWESOME that you can't help it. Last year I had a particularly wonderful group of students I hated to see go. I got a little misty-eyed talking to them about how much I'd miss them. I've had students who never ace tests knock one out of the park...I couldn't help, but get misty-eyed talking about how cool that was. When kids are in shows that move me I'm so proud that I can't help but cry...sometimes I also squeal like a little girl especially when a student remembers what I like and buys said thing for me unexpectedly. Gosh I love my students so much!
OK, so I may have to take back what I said about crying in the workplace. I'd also like to apologize to the students that I cried in front of because of a 'boy' or two...and, if I could, I'd take back that venn diagram...you know which one I'm talking about...I was young, I'd like to say it won't happen again, but I'm still a bit impulsive at times.
Reader's Discussion Questions
I started Haruki Murakami's 1,000+ page novel on the 3rd of February and finished on Sunday. A book that long doesn't really get covered properly in one blog post, so I'm thinking this is going to be a week of 1Q84...lots of spoilers, lots of commentary, so be warned should you choose to read on. I thought I'd start out by answering the reader's guide questions, which can be found here, as I'm not really sure I can truly put my experience with the novel in my own words at the moment.
1. 1Q84 is a vast and intricate novel. What are the pleasures of reading such a long work, of staying with the same characters over such a long period of time?
This answer is simple the pleasure is that the people and places are so detailed that they become part of your person. Without meaning to and without your consent they change the way you think and feel because you spend so much time in the world the author has created. What's also interesting is that the author feels like a close-friend. This novel is no exception...I was sad to see the characters go, and if I met Mr. Murakami on the street I'd want to invite him for a cup of coffee.
2. Murakami has said he is a fan of the mystery writer Elmore Leonard. What elements of the mystery genre does 1Q84 employ? How does Murakami keep readers guessing about what will happen next? What are some of the book’s most surprising moments?
Elements of a mystery novel: 1] A main character who has the information it takes to solve the problem with back-up characters who believable help the main character on the journey
In this case there are two main characters and we could argue day and night about which one has the most information, but let's not. There are two main characters (Aomame and Tengo) and these two characters are trapped in a world different from our own, destine to meet one another, and are part of a much large fight...a fight which is more/different than a fight between good and evil. While there are several characters who help and hinder along the way, the story is truly theirs. 2] A believable setting
While I have never been to Japan (my mother was born in Kyoto in 1947) I have never wanted to go more than I want to go after reading this book...that's how believable this setting is. The setting is more than just Japan though as we have Fuka-eri's story, the setting of Tengo and Aomame's stories, respectively and the setting of the world that is created when these stories crash and collide and split apart and come together again, and it's all believable. 3] A suspenseful plot
By creating a story that is told from the point-of-view of two characters in the first two books and three in the third, and final installment, we are successfully kept on our toes...I mean seriously I just read 400 of pages of near misses and almost meetings between two people who haven't seen one another in 20 years and I lapped up every word. Actually, by th end of the book I wanted there to be more...lots more, as Murakami answers lots of questions and poses lots more, some of which aren't meant to be answered by going back to the book. Which he tells us all along...if things can't be understood without explanation they really can't be understood at all. 4] A problem or problems to be solved
Um, let's see Aomame, an assassin of abusive men, enters a world unlike her own. However, it is in this world, and only this world, that she and a boy who has changed her life can be together. Problems...where is Tengo? who is the Leader? who are the Little People? what are good and evil? what is the 'question'? whose story is being told? who is Fuka-eri? 5] A believable solution to said problem or problems
Sure, not everything has to have answers to be believed. We become part of the story.
3. Why would Murakami choose to set his story in 1984, the year that would serve as the title for George Orwell’s famous novel about the dangers of Big Brother?
I don't know exactly, definitely reading that book again! But, I'm sure it has something to do with Big Brother watching...except in this novel Big Brother is Murakami, Big Brother is also the Leader, Tengo and finally Aomame, as she creates her own world and understands that she can write her own story. Oh, and then there's the obvious...it needed to be a time with technology, but without the internet...
4. The taxi driver in Chapter 1 warns Aomame that things are not what they seem, but he also tells her: “Don’t let appearances fool you. There’s always only one reality” (p. 9). Does this statement hold true throughout the novel? Is there only one reality, despite what appears to be a second reality that Aomame and Tengo enter?
What we perceive is what is true...so, the only reality is the one that is perceived which means there's only one story and this is the story of Tengo and Aomami. I love the idea that all of this (and, there's lots of this) occurs so two people, who wouldn't have tried otherwise, can be together.
5. Aomame tells Ayumi: “We think we’re choosing things for ourselves, but in fact we may not be choosing anything. It could be that everything's decided in advance and we pretend we’re making choices. Free will may be an illusion” (p. 192). Do the events in the novel seem fated or do the characters have free will?
Nothing is fated. We learn that we can choose to have free will. We learn that we write our own histories. We also learn that our hearts will write our stories when our minds are too full or convoluted and our muscles are too weak to run.
6. When Tamaru bids goodbye to Aomame, he says: “If you do go somewhere far away and I never see you again, I know I’ll feel a little sad. You’re a rare sort of character, a type I’ve seldom come across before” (p. 885). What type of person is Aomame? What qualities make her extraordinary?
Aomame is that perfect female character, she's sexy and thoughtful and passionate, and you believe she could willfully kill men with nothing but a make-shift, ever so sharp, ice-pick, have dirty sex with strangers and be totally head-over heels in love with a boy she never really talked to and hasn't seen in 20 years. She is a woman that is so angry over the death of her friend she becomes an assassin and, yet the reader totally believes she feels true tenderness for the baby growing inside of her. It is easy to believe what she believes, as she is so reasonable and rational and real.
7. The dowager insists, and Aomame agrees, that the killing they do is completely justified, that the men whom they kill deserve to die, that the legal system can’t touch them, and that more women will be victims if these men aren’t stopped. Is it true that Aomame and the dowager have done nothing wrong? Or are they simply rationalizing their anger and the desire for vengeance that arises from their own personal histories?
Of course, they are doing something wrong, although one might argue that they are putting balance in the world. It isn't until the night of the storm and the conversation with the Leader that either even recognize that they were so angry and that they might be doing what they were doing out of vegeance, as well as justice and safety.
8. Tengo realizes that rewriting Air Chrysalis is highly unethical and that Komatsu is asking him to participate in a scam that will very likely cause them both a great deal of trouble. Why does he agree to do it?
He is drawn to the story. He is compelled to rewrite it. He felt this way before meeting Fuka-eri and after meeting her he isdrawn in to the 'cat town', and must rewrite it in order to create his own story.
9. How does rewriting Air Chrysalis change Tengo as a writer? How does it affect the course of his life?
He gets inspired to create his own story involving the same setting only he writes Aomame into the story. Rewriting the story gives him the courage to write his own story and it gives him the basis for said story. Without Fuka-eri and Air Chrysalis he wouldn't have reconciled with his father, made true friends, understood where he belong and found Aomame.
10. How do the events that occur on the night of the huge thunderstorm alter the fates of Aomame, Tengo, Fuka-Eri, and the dowager? Why do Aomame and the dowager let go of their anger after the storm?
After the night of the storm Fuka-Eri becomes a secondary character. The dowager is no longer mysterious, or as powerful as she seemed in the beginning. It is no longer her story we are living. It is also after this night that Tengo and Aomame are tied together and it is because of what happens this night that the lives of all those involved is spared. The storm releases so much tension that even the book seems lighter after it. The characters become vehicles whose jobs are to draw Tengo and Aomame together. We are fully in Tengo's story and he must learn that he doesn't have to have all the answers. Then there's that strange NHK ghost man and because of Ushikawa we learn that there are others who can see the two moons; we learn that this story has more than one possible ending.
11. At first, Ushikawa is a creepy, totally unlikable character. How does Murakami make him more sympathetic as the novel progresses? How do you respond to his death?
He becomes a character with his own story. He, too, can see the two moons and he is only beginning to become aware of the fact that he can write his own story and change his fate. I didn't mind that he died, I just didn't like how he died...unable to speak, unable to share his story.
12. Near the end of the novel, Aomame declares: “From now on, things will be different. Nobody else’s will is going to control me anymore. From now on, I’m going to do things based on one principle alone: my own will” (p. 885). How does Aomame arrive at such a firm resolve? In what ways is the novel about overcoming the feeling of powerlessness that at various times paralyzes Aomame, Ayumi, Tengo, Fuka-Eri, and all the women who are abused by their husbands? What enables Aomame to come into her own power?
She realizes that, while she was kind of tricked into going to 1Q84, she belongs there in that story (the story that Tengo has created is just as much her's as it is his) and because she belongs there she can also figure out how to get out and she knows that she possesses all the power to do so. We overcome our feeling of powerlessness by understanding that at any time we can change our paths, leave 'the cat town', write our stories and use our personal histories to make us stronger. Aomame realizes that she is not alone that she has love...the love of the little person growing inside her and the love of a guy who'd been searching for her and wanted to be with her as much as she wanted and searched for him.
13. What does the novel as a whole seem to say about fringe religious groups? How does growing up in the Society of Witnesses affect Aomame? How does growing up in Sakigake cult affect Fuka-Eri? Does Leader appear to be a true spiritual master?
Fringe religious groups have good in them, just as any religious group does, it's the people who screw it up. Faith comes from the heart, not from rules and ritual. The Society turned Aomame away from God because she thought God was how the Society perceived Him to be. She didn't realize that God wanted to help her and thought she was beautiful, that he was present even without being called and He would be there to help, not hinder. Fuka-Eri is literally split in two because of Sakigake...she is separated from the best part of her and even at the end they are not back together and we assume they never will be. And, finally, I think the Leader wanted to be a true spiritual master but the religion got in the way; it always does--darned people and their need to hear voices to fill the void.
14. What is the appeal of the fantastic elements in the novel—the little people, maza and dohta, the air chrysalis, two moons in the sky, alternate worlds, etc.? What do they add to the story? In what ways does the novel question the nature of reality and the boundaries between what is possible and not possible?
The appeal for me is that all of those science fiction elements drew me in and I spent the novel wrapped up in the aspects of this story that reminded me of Infinite Jest, Dune and the Matrix. These elements keep us, the reader, outside of the novel while also making us part of the story in the novel. If anything this novel shows us that the novels we read, the shows and movies we watch are part of us and become part of our story. We are influenced by what we see and read and, well, nothing is impossible if we are willing and ready to believe.
15. What makes the love story of Tengo and Aomame so compelling? What obstacles must they overcome to be together? Why was the moment when Aomame grasped Tengo’s hand in grade school so significant?
Because in the end all we really want is a good love story and, in some ways, we like to imagine that the first person who rocked our world will come back around when the time is right. There are many obstacles that Tengo and Aomame must overcome, but they have created all the obstacles. When they learn this fact it is easy for them to find each other and because the love one another it is easy for 20 years of questioning and yearning, loneliness and searching can all washaway. We learn that when Aomame held his hand she gave Tengo a package that held them and their worlds together.
16. In what ways does 1Q84 question and complicate conventional ideas of authorship? How does it blur the line between fictional reality and ordinary reality?
It sas that the author is only one part of the story...the characters are the other part and they do what they must do. We are the story and within our world there are worlds being created.
17. References to the song “Paper Moon” appear several times in the novel. How do those lyrics relate to 1Q84?
If we have love and we believe and we have people who love and believe in us everything is real and nothing is impossible.
18. What role does belief play in the novel? Why does Murakami end the book with the image of Tengo and Aomame gazing at the moon until it becomes “nothing more than a gray paper moon, hanging in the sky” (p. 925)?
Belief can tear down walls and open up worlds. Belief can save you and your loved ones. The paper moon signifies that this story continues, that their worlds and ours all tie together and that we determine what is real and what is fantastic.
If you are interested in reading the book, Reading the Chunksters has started it come join in on the conversation here!
Who doesn't enjoy a
lovely vintage postcard? [Source]
So, my sister was born on Halloween and I've spent most of my life thinking of Halloween as being a time of crazy celebration...I mean ice cream, cake and candy...what more could someone ask for?
I found the questions below at So Many Books and thought they'd be fun to answer.
Which urban legend ghost scared the bejeesuz out of you when you were a kid?
Well, the one about the boy who collects moths and butterflies and he enjoys putting them in the jars and killing them and one night these moths and butterflies come and get him and drag him across the swamp and in the end he is pinned to a tree deep in the forest. I think our librarian read it from Tales From the Midnight Hour.
Which horror movie has the best premise?
Gothika "Ghost story in which a repressed female psychiatrist wakes up as a patient in the very asylum where she worked with no memory of why she is there and what she has done."...There's something so scary about deserted psych wards full of ghosts.
What is the most disappointing “treat” to receive in your bag on Halloween night?
Well, anything that wasn't professionally wrapped because we had to wait for Mom to expect it and more often than not we weren't allowed to eat it...
What’s the best non-candy item to receive?
Stickers, I am, and will always be a sucker for stickers.
Did a monster live in your closet when you were a child?
Nah, I was never really scared of monsters. Of course, it probably helped that the closet door was always opened and its light was always on.
Which supernatural creature sent chills up your spine when you were ten and still does?
Zombies. They are not cool undead, like vampires and they spend their whole existence trying to find you and attack you so you turn into a zombie or even worse they try to eat your brains out and the only thing that stops them is the daylight...zombies are frightening and real.
Which supernatural creature makes you yawn?
Vampires, they're a little overdone now and it seems that they don't really want to suck your blood, they just want to suck face and be mopey. Thanks for ruining a really scary creature there, Stephenie Meyer, with your sparkly, moody vamps.
What’s your favorite Halloween decoration?
Any really, I love that people are decorating their houses in the same manner that they would for Christmas...I love scarecrows and pumpkins and purple lights...sigh...
If you could be anywhere on Halloween night, where would you be?
I always enjoy going out on Halloween, not to dress up in costume, but to see others dressed up in costume...pretty cool, well except for the Borat wrestling costumes...not cool at all.
What’s the scariest book you’ve read so far this year?
Um, I don't really like to read things that scare me. I have a tendency to read something so very fast if I read something scary. The closest I've gotten to scary is Horns, but then...not so scary really.
Haunted houses or haunted hayrides?
Haunted houses scare the crap out of me...seriously, I've only been to one and one is enough.
Which Stephen King novel/movie would you least like to find yourself trapped in?
Pet Sematary. I would not want to be killed by my undead toddler. Sometimes I hear "No Daddy, no" in my head for no reason at all. Killer children are evil and scary. They rank right up there with killer dolls. Gahhhh! I'm going to have nightmares just thinking about them.
Which is creepiest: evil dolls, evil pets, evil children?
Evil children, first *insert cold chill* and then evil dolls...all dolls, especially those porcelain ones with the heads that can spin and have smiles that never reach their cold, dead eyes...and then pets.
So, today is the last day for teachers and tonight is graduation. We 'get' to go to graduation this evening...we 'get' to go every year which got me to thinking about my graduation from high school. I found this questionnaire and narrowed it down to the essential questions (because I 'get' to watch seniors graduate tonight I'm answering it from the perspective of my senior year of high school not college, although college would be way more fun!)...and thought I'd answer them below, if you would like to answer the whole questionnaire click here:
Graduation Meme
Here is a survey for the seniors to take. Feel free to answer the questions here in the comments or on your own blog.
1. Where you lived freshman year? Mansfield, Missouri on Jennifer street
2. Did you attend concerts/comedians/sports? Loads of Christian rock concerts and the occassional trip to St. Louis or Columbia to see the Cardinals and the Tigers play
3. Best Senior Prom moment? Being crowned prom queen and then realizing that my friend Torrie (a junior) and I had on the same dress...different cut, but same navy blue material and we laughed and laughed and laughed...
4. Worst class? I didn't have a class I didn't like, especially my Senior year when the morning was taken up with open hours and the afternoon was taken up with yearbook and newspaper...if I had to pick one it would be Calculus...I hate math!
5. First heartbreak? Senior year...almost didn't have a date for prom...not a bad memory, just a sad, real one...and, that is all I'm going to say about that!
6. most embarrassing moment?
Ok, so I am never on time for anything and we were bussed to our prom (about an hour away, we're a small school and for prom we go BIG!) and I still needed shoes, my mom was pulling into the parking lot when the bus began to pull out and my dress caught on something and ripped up the back to the zipper. I yelled at my friend to stop the bus as my mother and I grabbed the back of my dress...hopped back in the car and drove home, where my mother (who always has safety pins handy) safety pinned my dress, raced back to the bus and had a great prom!
7. Play any sports?
Um...no...I was a stat girl and a manager and such for sports (which gets you a sports letter, by the way)
8. Your 18th birthday?
was fantastic and held in conjunction with my friend who turned 18 three days after me!
9. Sunday nights?
were spent doing homework or hanging with friends, going to church
10. What do you miss the most about your days at high school?
the amount of freedom that I didn't know I had!
What are you reading now?
I'm still working on Loving Frank and will always be reading Vanity Fair, but at least I'm farther along on both of them. Vanity Fair is sooooo uninteresting that I'm having a hard time and I know how Loving Frank is going to end and am not ready to be that sad, and, reading it has made me melancholy. I've picked up another book (S)mythology by Jeremy Tarr and illustrated by Katy Smail. I won it on GoodReads and will definitely have it finished before finishing these other two, as it is nonsensical like Alice in Wonderland, which I love.
Do you have any idea what you'll read when you're done with that?
I'll review a book from NetGalley (on Sunday) and start reading the book that was sent to me to review for Free Press; review due on the 24th...which is also my birthday!
What's the worst thing you were ever forced to read?
Ironically *smirk* it's still The Sound and the Fury...I will never finish it, but here's the thing WHEN I finish (and, I'm only finishing it because I am in a group and feel compelled by this fact) Vanity Fair, I think it may surpass The Sound and Fury...WOW!
What's one book you always recommend to just about anyone?
Here lately it's been Cinderella Ate My Daughter, as I have been in the mood to talk people about raising my daughter and want feedback.
Admit it, sadly the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don't they?
The librarian at the high school does...hello! Some librarians in the town library do, not all of them.
Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don't like it at all?
People seem scared by Ayn Rand...although I love her books, especially The Fountainhead.
Do you read books while you eat?
Loads.
While you bathe?
Everytime. There is nothing better in the world than a bubble bath, some candles and a good book.
While you watch movies or tv?
Yes, during the commericals ALWAYS...and, during movies my husband picks as they are "man" movies.
While you listen to music?
Yes. Rarely is it quiet while I read.
While you're on the computer?
Yes, and this is a new thing for me. I read most of my answer to #1 on my computer.
When you were little did other children tease you about your reading habits?
Yes, mostly because I was reading books like Great Expectations and Watership Down in 4th Grade.
What's the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn't put it down?
Last night. I am really liking that (S)mythology book...and, it fills my head with wonderful visions, while I dream.
Have any books made you cry?
Yes, I don't want to talk about it...as it will make me cry.
I found another lovely reading questionnaire at I Read to Relax. Feel free to answer these questions below, on FB or on your own blog.
Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack:
I think I used to snack, but, now, when I read I have to distract a tiny tot...eating snacks would just draw her to me, unless of course, she were trapped in her chair eating the same snack...*hmmm...?*
What is your favorite drink while reading?
Mtn. Dew...unless I'm feeling like I don't need the caffeine and then juice (of any kind). On winter mornings I enjoy a lovely cup of tea while reading and, of course, coffee is always good while reading.
Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
Depends on what kind of book I'm reading, if I am reading a book and I am REALLY in it, I can't help but write in it. I also like what Mortimer Adler says about marking up books. I enjoy reading my marks years later and seeing what I was like then and seeing if I've changed.
How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
Remember the page #. If I know that isn't going to happen anything can become a bookmark...I've found a $100 bill in one of my books before. I also have what I like to call my "Hugh mark" it is a picture of Hugh Grant that I laminated when I worked at Wal-Mart...he is my favorite bookmark.
Fiction, non-fiction, or both?
I lean towards fiction, but can read non-fiction and enjoy it.
Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I can stop anywhere or will press on if I want to...I like to get to the end of a scene at least.
Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
No, but I am the kind of person who will talk about it to ANYONE who will listen. Especially if the book irritates me and I don't see any reason why the book had to end/have that character/have that scene et cetera.
If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
Yes, and then I write the definition in the margin.
What is the last book you bought?
I just bought the tiny tot three used books (I love used books)...Songs of Black, Dinosaurs and Cats.
Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
I learned in college how to read more than one book at a time. It's a great skill, almost worthy of being a superpower.
Do you have a favorite time/place to read?
Early in the morning when I am the only one awake. I've tried reading at night, but it just fills my head with 'thinking' when I should be 'sleeping', and also I can't stay up very late. I'm a weakling at that!
Do you prefer series books or stand alones?
Stand alones or books in a series that can stand alone and are only enhanced should you read the series.
Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
Michael Ondaatje, I love his books...love, love, love.
How do you organize your books? (by genre, title, author's last name, etc.)By size, keeping series together (as I buy series in the same size, from the same publishing year, so they match...James Bond not withstanding as my Bond books come in different sizes, copyright years and pictures).
I love doing surveys and questionnaires. I love reading peoples answers to surveys and questionnaires. They are a weakness of mine, and in looking for topics for my blog to make it easier for me to post everyday once school started...I found this. So, Fridays we're taking a break from talking about reading and books and words to answer silly surveys and questionnaires. Feel free to post your answers below, on your own blog, or both!!! Ideas from Friday5.org
Condiments
What’s something that demands ketchup?
What’s the best thing to do with the leftover packets of cheese and red-pepper flakes you get with pizza delivery?
What’s something (besides salad) that’s good with salad dressing?
What’s a condiment you’re especially brand-loyal to?
What’s the weirdest use of condiments you’ve seen by other people?
Answers
McDonald's french fries.
Stuff them in the fridge until the little container on the side of the door gets too full and then throw them away, only to start all over again...it's a fun game.
Pizza, especially if it's Mazzio's ranch salad dressing.
Heinz ketchup, wait is peanut butter a condiment? If so, Peter Pan PB, too!
Ketchup on pancakes...*gag* or, as Lila Jane would say, "Ew, icky..."
I love doing surveys and questionnaires. I love reading peoples answers to surveys and questionnaires. They are a weakness of mine, and in looking for topics for my blog to make it easier for me to post everyday once school started...I found this. So, Fridays we're taking a break from talking about reading and books and words to answer silly surveys and questionnaires. Feel free to post your answers below, on your own blog, or both!!! Ideas from Friday5.org
A Little Drizzle
What’s your favorite thing to put chocolate syrup on?
What’s the best thing to sprinkle cinnamon on?
What’s something that is made superb by a few drops of hot sauce?
What’s something you do with honey?
Besides a sandwich, what’s something you put peanut butter on?
Answers
Um, ice cream...er...I don't really like chocolate syrup.
Ice cream (for real this time), toast with butter and sugar, rice pudding.
Nothing...I adhor all things spicy...maybe on an oyster with a squeeze of lemon...maybe.
Mix it with peanut butter, add it to lemon and hot water when I have a sore throat, put it on a biscuit with butter
EVERYTHING...it goes with everything REALLY...pancakes and crackers and bananas, in milkshakes, with cheese (I was just talking yesterday with a handful of students about how peanut butter and cheese strangely go together--like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a glass of milk, and cheese puffs or cheese and peanut butter crackers that you buy at the gas station), on celery, with an apple, on a hamburger (hoorah for Goober Burgers)...seriously, I could not live without peanut butter.
I love doing surveys and questionnaires. I love reading peoples answers to surveys and questionnaires. They are a weakness of mine, and in looking for topics for my blog to make it easier for me to post everyday once school started...I found this. So, Fridays we're taking a break from talking about reading and books and words to answer silly surveys and questionnaires. Feel free to post your answers below, on your own blog, or both!!! Ideas from Friday5.org
Sing of Happy
What’s your favorite song about growing up?
What’s your favorite song about cars or driving?
What’s your favorite song whose title is a person’s name?
I love doing surveys and questionnaires. I love reading peoples answers to surveys and questionnaires. They are a weakness of mine, and in looking for topics for my blog to make it easier for me to post everyday once school started...I found this. So, Fridays we're taking a break from talking about reading and books and words to answer silly surveys and questionnaires. Feel free to post your answers below, on your own blog, or both!!! Ideas from Friday5.org
Connections
Nowadays, just about everyone knows a couple who first met online. Among couples you know, who has the best story?
Who among your real-life acquaintances might you never have been friends with if you hadn’t gotten to know each other online first?
Of people you know online only, who would you most like to meet in real life?
In the past 365 days, what’s the longest you’ve gone without connecting in any way to the Internet, including email?
Who is the least-connected person you know in real life?
Answers
I only know one couple who met online and their story is very cute.
I have not met any people online and then met them in person...
All the people I know who follow this blog :) and, I've also gotten to know several people better through FB
Well...we only got the internet at the house in November so...the whole month of July
Feel free to post your answers below, on your own blog, or both!!! Ideas from Proust.
Your most marked characteristic?
My sarcasm The quality you most like in a man?
Think I already answered this last time, now if I waited 7 years to answer this maybe my answers would have changed, but well, it's only been 7 days-ish sooo... The quality you most like in a woman?
Please see above answer... What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty and a willingness to accept me the way that I am
What is your principle defect?
Tardiness
What is your favorite occupation?
Answering this one a little different...my favorite occupation is the job that I do...teaching, I love it really...
Side note: being a mother and a wife are not occupations they are who I am! What is your dream of happiness?
I am living my dream of happiness... What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?
Not being able to do what I love What would you like to be?
I am what I would like to be...oh, wait! I'd like to be a little more patient
In what country would you like to live?
While I love the USA, I would love to live in England
What is your favorite color?
Red...although it seems like brown...and blue...
What is your favorite flower?
TULIPS!!! What is your favorite bird?
One time when I was a little and staying with my aunt I found a baby robin and fed it and fed it and fed it, but it wouldn't eat and I cried...it died anyway...I hate birds! However, my favorite bird is the extinct dodo bird and the archaeopteryx (which is a dinosaur bird I learned about from "Dinosaur Train") Who are your favorite prose writers?
Ondaatje, Fitzgerald, Fleming, LM Montgomery, Martin Amis, Atwood, Bradbury, Vonnegut, Rand, Morrison, Lewis, James, Tan, Hardy, Hawthorne, Mansfield, Austen, Smiley, L'Engle, Bronte, Woolf, Cunningham, Minot Who are your favoite poets?
Rich, cummings, Olds, Giovanni, Cullen, Dunbar, Hughes, Poe Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Please see the answer to #2
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Hester Prynne, Emily Webb, Mrs. Dalloway Who are your favorite composers?
Puccini, Mozart Who are your favorite painters?
Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Jackson Pollock
Who are your heroes in real life?
Please see the answer to #2
Who are your favorite heroines of history?
Gloria Steinem, Ruth from the Bible What are your favorite names?
Lila, Olivia, Libby, Abbie, Tallulah
Braden, Hayden, Shad, Henry What is it you most dislike?
a person's need to obliterate something from existence just because they don't like it... What historical figures do you most despise?
Andrew Jackson, Aaron Burr What event in military history do you most admire?
The Emancipation Proclamation...er...that was military sorta
D-Day :) What reform do you most admire?
A sincere, thoughtful one...these do not exist! What natural gift would you most like to possess?
Looking organized...I am organized, but I don't look it! How would you like to die?
Living life to the fullest What is your present state of mind?
Positive and ready to take on the world To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
My need to be late and sleep What is your motto?
"I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing." ~Agatha Christie
Side Note: Last time I did this I was sick, now the tiny tot is...
I love doing surveys and questionnaires. I love reading peoples answers to surveys and questionnaires. They are a weakness of mine, and in looking for topics for my blog to make it easier for me to post everyday once school started...I found this. So, Fridays we're taking a break from talking about reading and books and words to answer silly surveys and questionnaires. Feel free to post your answers below, on your own blog, or both!!! Ideas from Friday5.org
Late Nights
What’s the best thing about being awake when the rest of the world seems to be sleeping?
Where can you go when you get a case of the late-night munchies?
What open-all-night establishment has saved you from catastrophe, and what were the circumstances?
What’s the worst thing about being awake when the rest of the world seems to be sleeping?
When you are up all night at home for whatever reason, what’s most likely to be on the television to keep you company?
Answers
Getting to hang out with myself/blog/watch whatever I want to watch/read a book...all of the above...
Well, while we live about 4 miles out of town, there is a gas station right across the highway. It closed for a little bit, but is now back in business...grape soda here I come!
In college, Kinko's was my best friend, I remember going there LATE night to finish up presentations and to print work for my classes
Um, having to watch the TV really low, or watching shows on Hulu with head-phones
