Saturday 8 - Tryptophan highs, baby.
this week, we're talking turkey. well, except frederick, who lives in the UK and i'm assuming didn't celebrate turkey day... his questions are included, too.
1. so, how was thanksgiving for you this year? relaxing? fraught with tension? give us the scoop. (frederick - tell us how your week went since you're in the UK!)
2. did you give any of your money to Black Friday yesterday, either in-person or online? (again, frederick, sorry ... tell us if you're shopping this weekend)
3. with christmas and hanukkah being a few weeks away, do you have any holiday shopping done this year yet?
4. are you taking any trips this holiday season? where to, or why not?
5. i'm going to iceland in a few weeks where the weather is actually very temperate (30s). every time i tell someone i'm going there, i hear "iceland is green, and greenland is ice." seriously, it's getting aggravating and i feel like i'm just going to punch someone if i hear it again. what is someone (or people in general) doing/saying lately that is wearing on your last nerve?
6. today is the florida-florida state NCAA football game. The Husband is a florida alum, and i began my undergrad career at florida state (my undergrad and graduate alma maters have "questionable" - read: embarrassing - football teams). is there a rivalry that you are particularly interested in, whether it be NFL, NBA, NHL, british footie, equestrian showjumping, tanya harding vs. nancy kerrigan ... you get me.
7. my eldest child just poured 2 cups of water INTO my coffee maker, effectively giving me coloured water to drink. how important is morning coffee to you, if at all?
8. did you take a "turkey nap" on thursday? (frederick ... tell us the last time you had a turkey)
and my answers are :-
1. so, how was thanksgiving for you this year? relaxing? fraught with tension? give us the scoop. (frederick - tell us how your week went since you're in the UK!) Heya, special dispensation for lil' ol' me! I work for a US bank so my Thursdsay and Friday over here in UK was very VERY relaxed!!2. did you give any of your money to Black Friday yesterday, either in-person or online? (again, frederick, sorry ... tell us if you're shopping this weekend) Black Friday - what is this? I assume US take 2 days off, spend Thanksgiving celebrating and then spend Friday celebrating spending!! I went out this weekend for Xmas shopping but ended up buying stuff for myself. I alos bought a wicked HiFi for my 14 year old son as a room pressie ( I had just finished decorating his new room and I promised my 3 kids I would buy them a room ressie each once I was finished )3. with christmas and hanukkah being a few weeks away, do you have any holiday shopping done this year yet? Oops did that one already. My kids have made a gargantuan shopping list for Xmas ( TV, PSP, DS etc ) but I have no idea what my wife wants. I always seem to buy things that she needs to take back and swap for things she REALLY wants. 4. are you taking any trips this holiday season? where to, or why not? Xmas is being spent at home. My family is back up in Liverpool but I will see them in the New Year. I have 3 days off next week to take my motorbike test ( fingers double crossed )5. i'm going to iceland in a few weeks where the weather is actually very temperate (30s). every time i tell someone i'm going there, i hear "iceland is green, and greenland is ice." seriously, it's getting aggravating and i feel like i'm just going to punch someone if i hear it again. what is someone (or people in general) doing/saying lately that is wearing on your last nerve? "Can I have some money please?" - yes I am becoming a human bank.6. today is the florida-florida state NCAA football game. The Husband is a florida alum, and i began my undergrad career at florida state (my undergrad and graduate alma maters have "questionable" - read: embarrassing - football teams). is there a rivalry that you are particularly interested in, whether it be NFL, NBA, NHL, british footie, equestrian showjumping, tanya harding vs. nancy kerrigan ... you get me. Coming from Liverpool I grew up with the football rivalry between Liverpool vs Everton ( both teams come from Liverpool )..... the old joke being "there are 2 football teams that come from Liverpool.....Liverpool and Liverpool Reserves! All my family supported Liverpool apart from my sister Ju who supported the dreaded Blues of Everton. At the time I wasn't into football so didn't suport anyone. It was like being excommunicated. the only thing they agreed on was how much they hated Manchester Utd.7. my eldest child just poured 2 cups of water INTO my coffee maker, effectively giving me coloured water to drink. how important is morning coffee to you, if at all? My days liquid intake is divided into cups of coffee and a glass ( or 2 when I am feeling wicked ) of red wine. I get worried some time that I don't drink anything else. Maybe that should be a New Year's resolution ( do you have these in the US too? )8. did you take a "turkey nap" on thursday? (frederick ... tell us the last time you had a turkey) Mmmm... apart from the plastic turkey in my packed lunch sandwiches now and again I think the last real turkey was at Easter. Am I looking forward to Xmas Turkey!!! and stuffing, and chiploatas, and stuffing, and cranberry sauce, and sprouts, and roast potatoes, and peas, and parsnips......
Saturday 8 - Morbidity?
1. my friend's dad refused to let him create a formal funeral for him. some people need to grieve with a such a ceremony. do you need a formal "goodbye" to properly grieve?
2. we're getting together with a huge BBQ and lots of alcohol, which was his request, in a few weeks to memorialise him. would you prefer this to a formal ceremony?
3. i plan on having a mausoleum to be buried in, full of fat little marble cherubs and a nice place for my kids to come and sit & talk to me after i go. what's your final resting place going to look like?
4. my friend is out of touch with everyone, which is understandable. however, he's not even ringing up his live-in girlfriend to keep her apprised of his plans. his mother, on the other hand, is on the phone nonstop talking to everyone. when you grieve, do you shut yourself away from friends/family, or do you need them there with you to help ease the pain?
5. the first pet i lost was a marmalade tom named herman. herman got eaten by an alligator (no, i'm serious). i remember being 5 yrs. old and my parents telling me that herman was seen getting gobbled up by an alligator. who was the first pet you lost as a child?
6. when i was about 9 years old, my friend and her brothers were killed in a drunk-driving accident. it was the first funeral i'd ever gone to. do you remember your first funeral?
7. for centuries, people have been buried in mass graves due to disease, convenience, or war crimes, etc. do you feel mass graves are ok because we're simply a mass of cells which can be broken down, or do you feel that every single person who dies deserves a solitary resting place with a marker, etc.?
8. OT question - i have a work semi-formal ceremony to go to tonight. are you the type that likes to go to company-sponsored lavish events where everyone dresses up to hit the open bar with free gourmet food, OR would you prefer something that's quiet and more reserved, like a "thank-you" lunch?
and my answers are :-
1. my friend's dad refused to let him create a formal funeral for him. some people need to grieve with a such a ceremony. do you need a formal "goodbye" to properly grieve? I don't think it needs to be particularly formal for people to properly grieve. There are 2 things tha I think you need. One is a body to say goodbye to. I have never properly grieved over my best friend becasue they never found his body. The second thing is presence. I have never really grieved for my Grandmother ( Nan ) as I never took the time to go home for the funeral. Boy I have regretted that on so many occasions and I just hope that her cremated body ended up further South than it started. Personally I don't want to be buried and would prefer to be cremated and get the chance to fly.2. we're getting together with a huge BBQ and lots of alcohol, which was his request, in a few weeks to memorialise him. would you prefer this to a formal ceremony? Like a lot of people, I would like to think that my friends and family will remember me with a smile on their face and a drink in their hand.
3. i plan on having a mausoleum to be buried in, full of fat little marble cherubs and a nice place for my kids to come and sit & talk to me after i go. what's your final resting place going to look like? The sky is the limit! I will never rest as my soul will live on within my kids. They know that I will always be there to answer their hardest questions or to help them decide what to do.4. my friend is out of touch with everyone, which is understandable. however, he's not even ringing up his live-in girlfriend to keep her apprised of his plans. his mother, on the other hand, is on the phone nonstop talking to everyone. when you grieve, do you shut yourself away from friends/family, or do you need them there with you to help ease the pain? Does it seem weird that, at my age ( 50 next year ) ,I haven't really had to grieve properly for anyone human ( see above ) but I have grieved for Ash, our Great Dane, who died in my arms. it was such a help to have Mum and Dad with me at the time. OK so me and Dad cracked up almost immediately but we both realised that things would be so much worse without Mum there to get us through those moments.
5. the first pet i lost was a marmalade tom named herman. herman got eaten by an alligator (no, i'm serious). i remember being 5 yrs. old and my parents telling me that herman was seen getting gobbled up by an alligator. who was the first pet you lost as a child? I never had any pets of my own when I was young but we did have family pets. The first I can remember is our cat ( Tammy? ) being run over outside our house.
6. when i was about 9 years old, my friend and her brothers were killed in a drunk-driving accident. it was the first funeral i'd ever gone to. do you remember your first funeral? The first proper funeral I attended was for my mother-in-law. I thought I could control my emotions but I think its being surrounded with people who are suffering so much that also affected me.
7. for centuries, people have been buried in mass graves due to disease, convenience, or war crimes, etc. do you feel mass graves are ok because we're simply a mass of cells which can be broken down, or do you feel that every single person who dies deserves a solitary resting place with a marker, etc.? I don't agree with markers. We are such an insignifcant part of the whole thing that is the Universe and we still feel as if we know and own everything. Better to just become cells and reincarnated into other things.
8. OT question - i have a work semi-formal ceremony to go to tonight. are you the type that likes to go to company-sponsored lavish events where everyone dresses up to hit the open bar with free gourmet food, OR would you prefer something that's quiet and more reserved, like a "thank-you" lunch? I hate discos or lavish events. I quite like dressing up but feel much happier in a small group or even 1-1. In larger groups I feel completely inadequate and inferior and not able to hold a proper conversation. These are the times I would prefer to be a hermit!
Birmingham - Ice Princess
Liverpool - The Return Journey
Can you blame me for being afraid sharing the car with this fiend.
Be very afraid!
Ok time to fill the tank ready for the journey ahead.
Liverpool - The Leaving of
"Please don't go Scarlett" ( woof woof )
Scarlett showing us that there are still green fields just outside Liverpool
Liverpool - Day 2 #1
"It's my puppy dog"
"I'm not usually this fat and showing my bits to everyone, it just looks like it!
Liverpool - Evening #7
I think it was the photographer not the camera that spoilt this one.
I don't want the evening to end.
" Looky I am still up and its how late??!"
Liverpool - Evening #3
"Oh maybe just one more bottle"
Boohoo - out of focus!
Liverpool - Evening #2
"If you think you're going to take a picture of me with that........."
".......then the least I can do is put my smiley face on!"
"I say, this is my nonchalant, sauve and sophisticated look"
Liverpool - Day 1 #2
"Hello Gelsey, I am Scarlett. I am your friend and you do want to sit on my lap and be cuddled"
"Gelsey, smile to the camera and remember that you want to sit on my lap and be hugged to bits"
"See I told you so"
Liverpool - Day 1 #1
Yes folks it does happen. This is no media newspaper trick by putting 2 separate photos together. Kia caught in the act of holding an iron and using it.
Scarlett looking very chilled out ( watching Finding Nemo I think )
Ju didn't find the idea of Stuart having her in stitches over his corny jokes..... in case the real stitches came apart! Notice the photograph caught Gelsey with her head still !!
Saturday 8 - Hodge Podge Week
1. speaking of "hodgepodge," what's a word that always sounds strange or "off" to you, even though it's an accepted and functional member of the english language?
2. help!!! do you ask for help if you need it, or do you simply go down in flames refusing to ask for it due to your pride (or some other psychological construct)?
3. bills! what is the last bill you had to pay?
4. holiday music! there are some radio stations that play holiday music nonstop from 1 december until practically new year's day. do you love holiday music, or would you rather jab a screwdriver in your ear?
5. i have a friend that seriously, i CANNOT COMMUNICATE REQUESTS/COMMANDS WITH. he seems to have this issue with others as well. whether it be email or phone convos, if i ask him to do something for me, he doesn't understand. if he asks me a question or to do something for him, i have no idea what the hell he's talking about. do you know (or knew) someone who has a communication wall around them?
6. we were talking about logical fallacies the other day (red herring, straw man, ad hominem, etc.), and the discussion led to superstitions. what superstition are you a victim of in your life, or just follow?
7. do you have any leftover hallowe'en candy in your abode right now?
8. a mini scavenger hunt ... go to
IMDB's day search, enter your birthday in the left-hand column, and tell us what famous film/television people share your special day
and my answers are :-
1. speaking of "hodgepodge," what's a word that always sounds strange or "off" to you, even though it's an accepted and functional member of the english language? Idiosyncratic2. help!!! do you ask for help if you need it, or do you simply go down in flames refusing to ask for it due to your pride (or some other psychological construct)? At work I am very good at asking for help because, in Information Technology most people are specialists and I have learnt through costly mistakes that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing!3. bills! what is the last bill you had to pay? I have just paid gerzillions to book our Virgin FlyDrive in Florida next August. So I had to fork out the deposit for that and, for those who dont know me, that was a very painful few moments indeed!4. holiday music! there are some radio stations that play holiday music nonstop from 1 december until practically new year's day. do you love holiday music, or would you rather jab a screwdriver in your ear? I don't like holiday music and I don't like piped lift music. But if it's a choice between that and a screwdriver in the ear then.......Hey Viva Espana.....5. i have a friend that seriously, i CANNOT COMMUNICATE REQUESTS/COMMANDS WITH. he seems to have this issue with others as well. whether it be email or phone convos, if i ask him to do something for me, he doesn't understand. if he asks me a question or to do something for him, i have no idea what the hell he's talking about. do you know (or knew) someone who has a communication wall around them? There is someone at the last swimming club that my son was at who seems to completely ignore the lady members of our society. I think he came from the Armed Forces and is OK as long as he has complete control and power over people, but give him a woman to talk to and he sees an invisible space.6. we were talking about logical fallacies the other day (red herring, straw man, ad hominem, etc.), and the discussion led to superstitions. what superstition are you a victim of in your life, or just follow? I never go under ladders. I am not superstitious but I would rather not tempt fate either.7. do you have any leftover hallowe'en candy in your abode right now? You must be joking!!! We bought loads of small sweet packets but did not get 1 visit on Halloween ( not sure about this import from the U.S. ! I preferred apple bobbing myself)8. a mini scavenger hunt ... go to IMDB's day search, enter your birthday in the left-hand column, and tell us what famous film/television people share your special day Sullivan Sweeten and his twin brother Sawyer ( of "Everybody Loves Raymond" fame )
Fill-In-The-Blanks
I love people who _______ because they _____.
I hate/intensely dislike people who ______ because they ______.
I listen to the advice given by ______ because he/she/they ______.
I have never liked ______ because he/she/they/it ______.
I know that it's unfair to change anyone for me, but sometimes I wish ______ would be more ______ because ______.
And I also know that I can't change my past, but maybe life would be much happier if ______ because _____.
I hope I can see myself ______ in 5 years from now because ______.
After I'm gone, I want to be remembered for ______ because _____.see you next week!
And my answers are :-
I love people who love unconditionally because they have no hidden agenda.
I hate/intensely dislike people who have no manners because they teach their kids the same lack of courtesy.
I listen to the advice given by golf professionals because he/she/they cost too much to ignore them.
I have never liked discos because he/she/they/it is such a false environment.
I know that it's unfair to change anyone for me, but sometimes I wish people over 75 who drive cars in front of me would be more cavalier with their 20 mph driving because they wouldn't make me so angry when I am following them at the weekend.
And I also know that I can't change my past, but maybe life would be much happier if I hadn't had such a well paid job because I wouldn't have such a hard job living up to the standard of living.
I hope I can see myself alive in 5 years from now because I want to enjoy myself.
After I'm gone, I want to be remembered for being a good enough Dad to allow my kids to make good decisions in life because there are a lot of bad people around.
