Sunday Stealing

1. Which living person do you admire the most, and why?
Especially now, the Obamas, who led this country with grace and dignity despite overwhelming odds.  When I see what has happened in the last month, I miss them more than ever.  I used to be proud of our president.  The one we have now is an international laughing stock.  Also Dame Daphne Sheldrick, who runs the foundatioan in Kenya that saves orphaned elephants.

2. When were you the happiest?
Probably any time when we lived in a place where I had lots of friends around and I had friends to hang out with.  The five years working with the Lamplighters were some of my favorite too.

3. Besides property, automobile or furniture, what is the most expensive thing you have bought?
Hmmm....I guess my computer.

4. What is your most treasured possession?
I've answered this question several times.  This is it:

 

This is Delicate pooh, and I have told his story here
 

5. Where would you like to live?
If I were rich, I'd live in or near Santa Barbara so we could be closer to the grandchildren, but I'm happy living in Davis.  I have no desire to move to some exotic location.

6. Who would you get to play you in a film of your life?
Rosie O'Donnell or Melissa McCarthy

7. What is your favorite book?
This question again?  I always answer either "The Mother Tongue" by Bill Bryson or "Prince of Tides."  I might add the "Outlander" series now too.

8. What is your most unappealing habit?
Pick a habit, any habit. 

9. Twitter or Facebook? (Or if both share the differences in your opinion.)
I never really got into Twitter until recently (figuring it was self preservation to find out what the president was saying). I kinda sorta enjoy it, but I've been on Facebook for about 9 years and have made many casual friends there.

10. What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?
I never do costumes.  Last time I dressed in a costume was more than 40 years ago.  (I dressed as our friend Andrij Hornjatkewyc.)

11. What is your earliest memory?
I have two, and I don't know which is earliest.  When my sister was a baby, I wanted to find out what it was like to be in a crib drinking from a bottle.  I would have been 4.  I also have snippets of memory of a train trip I took with my mother to Pasadena.  I was probably younger than 4.

12. What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Any over the top sundae or milk shake from Fenton's Creamery.  Fortunately I rarely get there.

13. What do you owe your parents?
My sense of humor, my love of music, my love of San Francisco, and, from my father, my curly hair, from my mother my love of books.

14. To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?
Sigh.  This question again.  Peggy .... for whatever it was that I did.

15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My family.

16. What does love feel like to you?
Comfy as a pair of old slippers,  no drama.

17. What was the best kiss of your life?
No one kiss stands out.

18. Which words or phrases do you overuse?
They all have four letters.

19. What's the worst job you have done?
I worked for an attorney here in this town for awhile.  He was a most annoying man and the day I quit was one of the happiest of my life.  He later asked if I could come in and work for one day while he was in court.  He asked me to stop by his house to get instructions.  Turns out he wanted me to pretend to work and keep track of who talked instead of working while he was out of the office.  I said no.  He never called me again and I was happier for it.

20. If you could edit your past, what would you change?
One thing I wish I could change was advice I got when I was choosing courses in my first semester at UC Berkeley.  My roommate told me that Speech-1 was an "easy A" and I should take that.  So I did.  For someone terrified of public speaking, and somene who loves to write, taking that class set me up for failure from the beginning.  I might have finished college if I had taken an English class instead.

21. What is the closest you have come to death?
I almost drowned at a lake when I was a little kid.  I remember the lifeguard carrying me out to shore.

22. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Raising five kids to adulthood, seeing what good people they are, really liking them, and considering them some of my best friends.  Writing the Lamplighters history ranks up there too.

23. When did you cry last?
As I have said many times, I cry easily (my grandmother used to call me a "spitzmuller").  I cry at Hallmark commercials.  I cry if anything emotional comes on TV, even something as simple as a contestant winning a game show. 

24. How do you relax?
In my recliner, in front of the TV, with a laptop at my side to check e-mail.

25. What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
A different resident in the White House

26. What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
People you think are going to be your friends forever, won't.  (Char is hanging in there, though.)  Jobs that you give your all to, thinking you will be there forever, turn on you.  Never give up yourself for someone or something unless you really want to.