Answer Me This, Vol. 22 - My Tongue Is Red, Shut Up & Dance!

Summer is here and Kendra over at Catholic All Year has done the entire internet a huge favor by bringing back probably my favorite link-up in the history of ever: Answer Me This! This is the last time for the foreseeable future we will answer 6 questions as asked by Kendra and link-up to share our answers. It's the internet's favorite cocktail party and I'm so happy it's back and so so sad that it's leaving.

1. What's your favorite grocery store splurge?
Hmmm... I don't really "splurge" at the grocery store but my most common impulse buys are donuts or ice cream - two things I'm generally not allowed to eat anymore because I have zero self-control. Seriously, Little Debbie's donettes are like kryptonite.


2. How's your penmanship?  

 

Superb, thankyouverymuch. I spent 2 years of high school Spanish perfecting my cursive because I hated my printing and admired my mom's handwriting. Since my Spanish teacher never actually "read" our homework - just checked to see that there was something written down - I filled my notebook with stories and artfully spaced my sentences to look like I was answering homework questions. My cursive has adapted a bit since then but I think it's very pretty to look at. The downside is that so many people can't read cursive anymore. 

Blurry picture is blurry. Sorry.

3. Do you have a "Summer Bucket List?"  
Meh, not really. I thought I would do a bunch of stuff this summer, like go to the beach and read 10 books and go on more dates but instead this summer has been a lot of late nights and crying and having no money and dealing with vehicular drama and daydreaming about Spain and not getting to go on vacation. The short version is: I started out in June with plans which were wrecked by the start of July. July has been rather unkind to me since.

4. What's the best thing on the radio right now?  
The "off" button. I hate the radio. Too much talking, too many commercials, too much playing the same 5 songs over and over again. I'd much rather listen to a CD.

If I must choose, it's this: Walk the Moon's "Shut Up and Dance With Me." It's a song I actually get excited to hear and it is so fun! I love how 80s it is and if you watch the video it's clear they had a ton of fun making it. I love it.
 

Also, "House Party" by Sam Hunt. He's had a bunch of hits on country radio and this is the latest. I think it's really sweet of a guy to throw a party for 2 in your living room when you want to have fun but don't want to go out. That's how I feel anyway. The music video isn't great but I dig the song.

5. Ice cream or frozen yogurt?  
 They are very, very different and cannot possibly be compared. I like ice cream when I want something really sweet and reliable and in a cone. I like froyo when I want something a little tart and in a bowl with tons of toppings and in exotic flavors. If I had to choose right this second, I'd say give me a Hawaiian shaved ice.

A Hawaiian shave ice place opened up the street from my house and oh sweet Saint James is it gooooood. You can have it the traditional Hawaiian way, with sweetened condensed milk and ice cream (YUCK!) or heathen-American style: ice and sugar syrup -  YUM. My fave flavors (so far) are definitely the watermelon, strawberry, Passion Orange Guava (POG) trio.

Photo credit: Jeff Barnhouse

 
My friend Karen has a husband named Jeff. We like Jeff. Jeff likes Hawaiian shaved ice. A lot. 

Jeff got mango, melon, and passion fruit but couldn't figure out which was which until, "I can feel the passion of the passion fruit." He may have said something after that but Karen and I were too busy laughing hysterically and trying to breathe to hear it. If you don't think it's quite that funny, clearly you weren't there.

That's it for this round of Answer Me This!  If you have a blog, answer the questions and link up with us over at Kendra's in this post. Don't have a blog but still want to play? That's okay because the whole thing is made up and the posts don't matter - leave your answers in the comments either at Kendra's post or right here! I'd love to hear from you!



love,
Willow




*Note: The Answer Me This logo image belongs to Kendra Tierney over at Catholic All Year and is used as part of a link-up only. All other images in this post are property of Whitney Miller.* 
 

Answer Me This, Vol. 21 - Books, Babies, and New Cars

Summer is here and Kendra over at Catholic All Year has done the entire internet a huge favor by bringing back probably my favorite link-up in the history of ever: Answer Me This! Every Sunday from now until August we will answer 6 questions as asked by Kendra and link-up to share our answers. It's the internet's favorite cocktail party and I'm so happy it's back.

1. What's currently on your To Do list?
All the things!
- get the AC in my new car fixed
- go shopping for new yoga pants/capris
- figure out Quickbooks at work
- deep clean the kitchen and bathroom this weekend while the Roommate is gone
- order new vacuum bags (???)
- get old textbooks listed online for sale or donate to library
- make a decision regarding the young man in Philadelphia (I hate making decisions)

Gratuitous picture of my "new" car... Internets, please meet Fiona, the 2009 Focus:

Poor darling Stefano finally met his end and will be reincarnated as somebody's race car. He will be missed. However, I must admit that Fiona gets much better mileage and is generally much more reliable. She's definitely got some cute factor going for her, as well.

2. Better type of superhero: magic/radioactive powers? Or trauma/gadgets/hard work?
Trauma that leads to cool powers, like Daredevil or even Captain America. I like Tony Stark/Ironman a lot, but I despise Batman (I know, it's strange) but I feel like Ironman is a lot more interesting and entertaining whereas Batman seems incapable of having a good time - so serious. I'm not too wild about heroes like Superman or even Thor with their magic/otherworldly powers because that feels a bit like they have cheat codes, but I don't like Spiderman either because he's whiny and a radioactive spider bite? Really? Laaaaaaame. (Can you tell I have weird, double-standard-riddled taste in superheroes? Can we talk about villains next time? There I have opinions!)

3. Finding out if baby is a boy or a girl before birth: Good idea? Bad idea?
I'm a planner, so I feel like I would want to know but at the same time... I know for my first babe I don't want to know - full on surprise there. For the subsequent ones I may want to know and keep it a secret from everyone else just for fun (and to make my mother crazy). Truthfully I feel like this is one of those "to each their own" situations, but I think it's way more interesting to not know. (Also, for the record: I'm betting Kendra's having another girl!)

4. Have you ever appeared on a stadium jumbotron?
Nope! I actually got really lucky that I was on an awkward date at a college volleyball game and got up to go get a bottle of water when they turned on the Kiss Cam. At a volleyball game! Who does that???

5. Are you more book smart or more street smart?
I am definitely book smart. I can quote Herodotus and Thucydides and tell you all about the Neoclassical painting and sculpture that swept through France in the 1800s; I can carry on a brilliant conversation about just about any literature pre-1900 and I'm well-versed in Catholic Catechism and apologetics, but none of that would help me much if I wound up stranded in Queens, NY.

See my most pretentious books (not all of them by far, just the most "intellectual" ones that are currently shelved): 

 Can you tell I studied the Classics?

If "street smart" means "good with streets" then I'm good, because as we've discussed before, I'm pretty good with directions.

That's it for this round of Answer Me This!  If you have a blog, answer the questions and link up with us over at Kendra's in this post Don't have a blog but still want to play? That's okay because the whole thing is made up and the posts don't matter - leave your answers in the comments either at Kendra's post or right here! I'd love to hear from you!



love,
Willow




*Note: The Answer Me This logo image belongs to Kendra Tierney over at Catholic All Year and is used as part of a link-up only. All other images in this post are property of Whitney Miller.* 
 

Answer Me This, Vol. 20 - Ice, Ice, Slushie

Summer is here and Kendra over at Catholic All Year has done the entire internet a huge favor by bringing back probably my favorite link-up in the history of ever: Answer Me This! Every Sunday from now until August we will answer 6 questions as asked by Kendra and link-up to share our answers. It's the internet's favorite cocktail party and I'm so happy it's back.

1. At what temperature do you keep the thermostat set? Summer, winter, day, night?

I try to be conservative with energy but I have a very small house so it doesn't take a lot to change the temperature. In the winter I'll usually only turn the heater on at night to about 68F since heat rises and bedrooms are upstairs. In the summer when the temperatures get above 88 we turn the AC on and leave it at 76. The nice thing is that since during the day our house is mostly shady it doesn't kick on until the afternoon when my roommate and I are getting home and then when it shuts off in the cool of the evening we open up the windows. The heat wave that was killing us for a few weeks has finally abated and we can start doing that because we've had the AC on nonstop since it's been hovering in the 90s.

2. What is your favorite frozen beverage?

ICEEs, no question. I looooove ICEES. I cannot go to a movie without one in my hand, and I like it to be mixed red and blue. Note that it doesn't need to be an "ICEE" in particular; any slushie-type drink is fabulous as long as it isn't Coca-Cola flavored. Soft drink flavors and crushed ice in a blender don't mix.

I'm also a big fan of a frozen strawberry daquiri. Because delicious and rum. 

Efforts were made to secure a photo of me with a delicious ICEE. No such luck was had since Saturday was "Free Slurpee Day" at 7-11 and mine turned out to be awful. Never again, 7-11. Never. Again.

3. Where do you keep your keys?

In a basket by the front door. I put this pretty little end table to good use as kind of an "entry way/landing zone" so I have a basket for my keys (I have multiple sets for various things - it's nutty) and a basket for my glasses (too much eyewear!) as well as Gatsby's leash (yes, I walk my cat). Sometimes I have to clear away the clutter but it's been highly effective in preventing loss of keys and glasses, both necessary for driving. My purse and shoes get stashed underneath it with the cat carrier. 

 

4. Have you ever really been lost?

In life? Absolutely. Please refer to 3-4 years ago when I was a total hot mess of "lost."

Directionally? I have a pretty good sense of direction and don't get lost easily. I have, however, been lost at Target (mom almost left me there!) and I once got spectacularly lost on the other side of my hometown when I was 16 trying to find a gas station. I ran out of gas on the side of the road and had to call my dad in tears while my mother berated me for being stupid on the other end of the line. It was wholly unpleasant and I have since been really really contentious about having the directions for places in my head before setting out and having directions printed. I hate being lost and like knowing where I'm headed.

5. What is the last movie you saw in the theaters?

Ummmm...... I really don't want to say that it was The Fault in Our Stars last June but... I'm pretty sure it's officially been over a year since I sat in a movie theater with my ubiquitous Icee (it's become a ritual - can't see a movie without one anymore). I know my roommate really wants to see Me and Earl and The Dying Girl, an indie film that won some pretty big awards at Sundance (it looks like a good story, too) and I definitely plan on seeing Paper Towns when it comes out in about 2 weeks. Maybe I'll go see a movie when my Roommate is gone this weekend...
 

That's it for this round of Answer Me This!  If you have a blog, answer the questions and link up with us over at Kendra's in this post. Don't have a blog but still want to play? That's okay because the whole thing is made up and the posts don't matter - leave your answers in the comments either at Kendra's post or right here! I'd love to hear from you!



love,
Willow




*Note: The Answer Me This logo image belongs to Kendra Tierney over at Catholic All Year and is used as part of a link-up only. All other images in this post are property of Whitney Miller.* 
 

Answer Me This, Vol. 19 - Freedom, Treason, and Ketchup

Summer is here and Kendra over at Catholic All Year has done the entire internet a huge favor by bringing back probably my favorite link-up in the history of ever: Answer Me This! Every Sunday from now until August we will answer 6 questions as asked by Kendra and link-up to share our answers. It's the internet's favorite cocktail party and I'm so happy it's back.

Seriously, I seem to be having the hardest time keeping it together with the blogging lately. I'm trying, people, I'm trying...

1. How did you celebrate the 4th of July? (Or, for you international types . . . Do anything fun this weekend?)
I actually participated in 4th of July-ness for a change! (It's a holiday I'm not overly enthusiastic about, but I seem to be warming up to it...) My roommate and I had a proper American breakfast of bacon and eggs and watched Yankee Doodle Dandy which was surprisingly interesting. Then we went to my parents' house and spent a few hours in the pool with my sisters, cousins, and niece and nephew. There was food and hilarity and I got plenty of Vitamin D. Then the roommate and I went back home to change/shower and then my family joined us and we walked down to the street for fireworks, which were frighteningly close and low-flying. I'm surprised the fire department didn't shut it down....

Pinterest

2. Do you sunburn easily?
Yes and no. If I don't wear sunscreen I'm doomed. Dooooooooomed. But if I do, I'll be fine. I might even get a little bit of color. Especially if I use this stuff (or just plain coconut oil) which my sister-in-law swears by:

Since I live in my office I'm pretty appallingly pale - for someone who used to get really, really tan in the summer - so I'm hoping that with the pool at my parents' house now I can get a bit of color back into my skin.

3. Hot dogs. Yay or nay?
I'm with Kendra on this: meh. I will eat a real, beef hot dog quite happily, but that weird stuff they feed small children? No thanks! I like my hot dogs with ketchup and mustard, sometimes sweet onions but usually not. My dad made really yummy hot dogs for the 4th and everyone had seconds.

4. Have you ever personally set off fireworks?
I had a great-uncle who was infamous (in the family at least) for going to Mexico and bringing back completely illegal fireworks for us. Not just cherry bombs and sparklers but things that didn't even have real names and full on rockets. He has since passed away but I have fond memories of running around with sparklers and firecrackers with the neighborhood kids. This was back in the 90s, though, when kids were allowed to have fun and learn consequences of recklessness on their own. (I'm looking at you, modern parents...)

5. Have you ever jumped off the high dive?  
Nope. I'm mildly afraid of heights. Don't get me wrong - I love skyscrapers and flying and roller coasters and all of that. In those situations you're either strapped in or have something to hold on to. High dives just leave you standing up high with nothing to do but fall and that freaks me out. I'm perfectly happy down in the water, thank you.

6. Do you do anything weird in your sleep? 
I've been known to sleepwalk, but not for a long time. I know that I sometimes talk in my sleep but not much. The weirdest thing I do is have really vivid dreams. When I was in college my roommates would gather around the kitchen table to listen to me recount my dreams of the previous night over coffee and breakfast.

My roommate sings in her sleep, though. It's kinda funny.

Pinterest

That's it for this round of Answer Me This!  If you have a blog, answer the questions and link up with us over at Kendra's in this post. Don't have a blog but still want to play? That's okay because the whole thing is made up and the posts don't matter - leave your answers in the comments either at Kendra's post or right here! I'd love to hear from you!



love,
Willow




*Note: The Answer Me This logo image belongs to Kendra Tierney over at Catholic All Year and is used as part of a link-up only. The "Union Jack" and "Minion" images are from Pinterest and have been sourced to.  All other images in this post are property of Whitney Miller.* 
 

Answer Me This, Vol. 18 - Home is Where My Appendix Isn't

Summer is here and Kendra over at Catholic All Year has done the entire internet a huge favor by bringing back probably my favorite link-up in the history of ever: Answer Me This! Every Sunday from now until August we will answer 6 questions as asked by Kendra and link-up to share our answers. It's the internet's favorite cocktail party and I'm so happy it's back.

Posting late this week, sorry. I got dragged to the middle of nowhere in Eastern Nevada last week and it feels like I'm still catching up on life, let alone the blog. On to the questions!
 
1. How long have you lived in your current home?
I have lived on Jacaranda Lane (not the real name of my street, but might as well be) for 4 years now. I have yet to really finish "unpacking" or learn the names of more than my absolute immediate neighbors. This doesn't bother me, though, because the not-immediate neighbors are way more transient and short-stayed than I am it seems. I've thought about moving out many, many times in the past, but ever since my uncle moved out and I realized that I actually like it here, I've been okay with staying. This is not my for-ever home, though, but it's a good for-now home.

  2. How do you find out about news and current events?
This is shameful: Twitter. I get Tweets from certain celebrities, actors, and public figures sent straight to my phone so sometimes I wake up in the morning and there's a dozen or more tweets about the same thing. Also Facebook tells me things sometimes, too. If neither of those is quick enough on the draw, I know my roommate will fill me in when I get home. I actually like hearing news from her because she's able to tell me really awful things without making me super sad about them because that's why I avoid news in general: I'm trying to keep the sadness at bay.

3. Would you be able to make change for a twenty right now? For a dollar?
Nope. I'm that typical millennial who almost never carries cash. I have plenty stashed at home for emergencies, but I feel really vulnerable if I'm carrying around lots of cash. It's like, "Hey, muggers, please come steal my purse!" and I'm just not a fan of that. I have recently started carrying smaller bills (tens, fives, and ones) because I feel silly going to Del Taco or something for a $1 burrito and using my debit card to pay for it. That's kind of dumb.

4. What's the craziest food you've ever eaten?
I'm not the most adventurous eater (not picky, just not super adventurous) but I had some really gamey venison in Germany several years ago (like, really gamey) which was a bit much for me, and I've had squid and octopus and the usual "exotic" foods grown-ups scare 5th graders with. I also ate catfish in New Orleans (I never thought I'd actually eat catfish) and it was one of the most delicious things I've ever consumed. I'm working towards being more adventurous and not always getting "the usual" when I go out to eat. I'm pretty good at eating like the locals when I travel, though.

5. Which of the commonly removed parts have you had removed? (tonsils, wisdom teeth, appendix, etc.)
I am currently (not) missing:
Wisdom teeth - all of them - from the summer before I started college. Extremely painful, came out of anesthesia hysterically crying and disoriented, and couldn't take the Vicodin because it made me violently ill and threatened to undo my stitches. Also, I couldn't kiss my boyfriend for 2 weeks. When you're 18, two weeks is an eternity.

Source

Appendix - removed 3 years ago this past April. I went to urgent care thinking it was an abdominal infection or something (this had happened twice before mind you, and both times they said it 'probably wasn't as bad as you said it was' and gave me a shot of antibiotics and sent me home. I hate doctors). After a pregnancy test and lots of vomiting they let me go to the ER where I took two more pregnancy tests before they determined it was clinical appendicitis and gave me morphine and scheduled surgery. You can read all the details of how awful that whole experience was HERE. (Warning: I was under the influence of a lot of painkillers and cabin fever so there's quite a bit of swearing in that post - sorry.)

6. What's your favorite sport to watch on TV? 
Basketball. Lakers' basketball. Otherwise, I don't like watching sports on TV. I'll attend a volleyball game or watch a minor league baseball game if I have people around me to talk to between interesting things. Generally speaking, though, I'm not a sports watcher or enjoyer. At all.

Pinterest

That's it for this round of Answer Me This!  If you have a blog, answer the questions and link up with us over at Kendra's in this post. Don't have a blog but still want to play? That's okay because the whole thing is made up and the posts don't matter - leave your answers in the comments either at Kendra's post or right here! I'd love to hear from you!



love,
Willow





*Note: The Answer Me This logo image belongs to Kendra Tierney over at Catholic All Year and is used as part of a link-up only. The "Evil Appendix" comic is from Awkward Yeti and is used with permission. The "Basketball Season" t-shirt image has been sourced. All other images in this post are property of Whitney Miller.* 

Answer Me This, Vol. 17 - The Return of the Best Link-Up Ever

Summer is here and Kendra over at Catholic All Year has done the entire internet a huge favor by bringing back probably my favorite link-up in the history of ever: Answer Me This! Every Sunday from now until August we will answer 6 questions as asked by Kendra and link-up to share our answers. It's the internet's favorite cocktail party and I'm so happy it's back.

1) Any big plans for the summer?
Not really. Mostly I plan on working on the blog (I really need to update the template and header - it's sad) and organizing the office so that our current storage solutions are more useful and efficient. Boring? Yes. Necessary? Also yes.

I'm probably going up to Salem sometime in July, which should be nice.

There may also be a young man involved at some point this summer, but I'm going to play that one a little close to the chest for now and give you an update if  I have news in the next few weeks.

2) What is the strangest thing you believed as a child?
I believed a lot of things as a kid, partly because I was gullible and naive and partly because I had a wild imagination. I could be totally cynical right now and say the strangest thing I believed was that grown-ups actually know what they're doing (in reality I'm learning that we're all just making it up). However, I sincerely believed there were fairies in our garden until I was about 7.

3) What is your favorite amusement park ride? (can be a specific one at a specific park or just a type of ride)
I'm a big fan of roller coasters, as long as they aren't made of wood (Ghostrider at Knott's Berry Farm freaks me out - feels like it's going to come apart!). I love the kind that have vertical corkscrews the best.

4) What's on your summer reading list?
I should really dedicate an entire post to my summer reading goals (and I may still do that) but for now the current list includes the following:

Finish reading To the Field of Stars
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (re-read)
The Book Thief (re-read)
Emma
Sense & Sensibility
Start reading The Sparrow and try to get about halfway through it.
Penumbra's and Book Thief should go quickly because I've technically already "read" them because I listened to the audiobooks this past winter. The reason I'm reading the paperbacks is because I know that my comprehension is better when I see it and I want to be able to underline quotations for reviews here on the blog. You can read more about my reading goals for this year in this post.

For some reason I can't find my standalone copy of Emma so I may have to read it out of my Austen anthology. I don't mind though; it's a beautiful book.

5) Have you ever fallen asleep in public?
Several times, but the only time that really sticks out in my memory was also the most embarrassing. It was the spring of sophomore year and toward the end of the year in my drama class (sophomores could take art or drama as an elective - since I draw bad stick people, it was an obvious choice) in the afternoon. We didn't have much to do so we had a free period/study hall. I fell asleep and according to people sitting next to me, I began to snore. I was also having a strange dream and wound up falling out of my chair which woke me up. Thankfully the people I went to school with weren't mean because it could've been a source of harassment but instead it just became a good story.

6) What is your favorite smell?
This is hard because I really love the smell of jasmine and I also love my mom's perfume, but then there's also the smell of evenings after it's rained, when you can taste the metallic tang of moisture in the air and everything is clear and cool and fresh. And petrichor.

Source

That's it for this round of Answer Me This!  If you have a blog, answer the questions and link up with us over at Kendra's in this post. Don't have a blog but still want to play? That's okay because the whole thing is made up and the posts don't matter - leave your answers in the comments either at Kendra's post or right here! I'd love to hear from you!



love,
Willow





*Note: The Answer Me This logo image belongs to Kendra Tierney over at Catholic All Year and is used as part of a link-up only. All other images in this post are property of Whitney Miller with the exception of the "Petrichor" image, the source of which I have linked to.* 

Answer Me This, Vol. 16 - SuperWhoLock and 90s TV

Welcome to Answer Me This! The Q&A style linkup hosted by Kendra over at Catholic All Year. It's the internet's favorite cocktail party!

1.  What is your favorite room in the house?
I spend most of my time in the living room, but now that I think about it I don't really have a favorite room. This is mostly because I don't like where I live and with whom I live and why I live there. Hopefully soon I'll be moving into a two bedroom place and I'll be able to convert the second bedroom into an office/library/study type of room with my desk and papers in it. Ideally I'll be able to put a futon or something in there as well to be able to convert it into a kind of guest room if necessary. (I know, I can barely afford where I'm living now so thinking I'll be able to live in a 2 bedroom place by myself is crazy but I can dream, you know!)

2. Do you subscribe to any magazines or periodicals?
I do! I have a subscription to The New Yorker which I plan on cancelling (I thought it would be intellectually stimulating but instead it's just taking up tons of space). I subscribe to Poets & Writers as well as Writer's Digest and The Sun. Those three I quite enjoy.

3. How do you feel about the sign of peace in Mass? Enriching? Awkward? Overdone? Just right? Some combination of the above?

Source

Because I usually attend the teen mass, I find it excessive and overdone as the teens form a mob and try to hug every.single.person. It's great that they're filled with love and I think that's important but they mistake it for social hour. I enjoy the Saturday night vigil mass when I can make it because it's still very warm and welcoming and joyful, but still more restrained and reverent. I love that the sign of peace is still part of our liturgy but there's a distinct disruption of the reverence accorded to the consecrated Eucharist when people are running around in the aisles to hug people in other pews. Give a hug or a kiss or shake hands and smile but remember that Jesus is sitting up there.

4. What is your least favorite sound?
Nails on a chalkboard.

Also the strangled cat noises that fill the house when my uncle decides to "sing" in the shower. I usually have to check and make sure he isn't actually strangling the cat.

Source

5. What was your favorite TV show (or shows) growing up?
My "I grew up in the 90s and was a teen in the 2000s" is about to show in a really big way...

I loved Recess and Boy Meets World and Lizzie McGuire and As Told by Ginger. They were just so good. I feel like they were actually about friendship and family and the stuff that's really important without being obnoxious and obvious about it because they were still really entertaining.  Once I got into middle school I stopped watching as much TV and by the time I was in high school, the internet almost completely replaced it. However, I still have very fond memories of watching those shows and talking about them with my friends at school the next day.

6. What are your favorite TV shows now? 
Currently on air? Supernatural, Doctor Who, Sherlock (BBC), and Top Gear: UK. Otherwise, I don't really watch TV on a television. I watch shows that ended ages ago on Netflix. I'm currently on season 7 of House: M.D. 

*If you find yourself suffering from SuperWhoLock Syndrome, please consult your local fanbase on Tumblr or Pinterest for support.*


So that's it for this round of Answer Me This! If you have a blog, answer the questions and link up with us over at Kendra's in this post. Don't have a blog but still want to play? That's okay because this whole thing is made up and the posts don't matter - leave your answers in the comments either at Kendra's post or right here! I'd love to hear from you.

love,
Willow


 
*Author's Note: The "Answer Me This" logo image belongs to Kendra Tierney over at Catholic All Year. None of the other images in this post are my property. They belong to very talented, hard-to-track-down artists on the internet. I have given credit as best as I could where I was able. Thank you for not suing.*

Answer Me This, Vol. 15 - Summer, Pie, and Libraries

Welcome to Answer Me This! The Q&A style linkup hosted by Kendra over at Catholic All Year which is super fun and easier than coming up with my own content. It's also known as the internet's favorite virtual cocktail party! (in my opinion, at least)

1.  What do you still want to do this summer?
 All the things! I really want to take a long weekend and go to a hotel by the beach, but that probably won't happen. I want to ride my bike a bit more and I want to continue cleaning up my room. There are only 4 weeks left of summer technically, and I'm spending most of them at the office. I do want to polish at least one of my poems to start submitting to lit mags by fall deadlines, though. So that's my wishy-hopey for the next 4 weeks.

2. What's your favorite kind of pie?
 Apple. I love to make it and I looooove to eat it. I'm also a big fan of cheesecake, even though it's technically not a pie.

This is technically a cherry pie. I love making cherry pies, but I won't eat them.

3. How much sleep do you need each day? How much do you get?
 I've learned over the last several months that I actually require about 9-10 hours of sleep. I usually get about 8, which is great (I guess?) but it sucks right now because I'm in super night owl mode so I'm not falling asleep until 1:30/2am which means I'm naturally waking up at 10am. Do you see how this is screwing with my work schedule? I'm trying really hard this week to be better about getting to bed and doing sleepy things like drinking tea and not watching House on Netflix...

Source

4. Do you prefer to swim in a pool, lake, river, or ocean?
I like to do my swimming in pools and lakes, thanks. Rivers are not really my friend and the ocean is a bit yucky and has sharks in it. Pools and lakes are clean and cool and refreshing and so nice.

5. Do you know any poems by heart?
Blueberry Girl, by Neil Gaiman. It's technically a picture book but it's told in inverse and has a very lyrical quality to it. Also, when my Blueberry Girl was little she would insist that I chant it over and over again while pushing her on the swings, so it stuck in my head.

I'm also very familiar with In Flanders Fields and Because I Could Not Stop for Death--. I also know Jabberwocky and assorted Shel Silverstein poems.

6. Do you use the public library?
 No.  Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of libraries and the institution that is the Public Library and libraries and librarians are wonderful and do great good in our world and I absolutely support and promote the use of the library, but I do not use the library myself. I wish I did and I wish I could but there are several reasons why I don't.

a) The public libraries in my area are dark, dingy, scary places with terrible lighting and a very limited selection of books I'd be interested in reading.

b) Because I work all the freaking time I either take a 1 1/2 months to read a book or I binge read 3 in one weekend. Library due dates do not seem to understand this.

Source

c) I often find a lot of markings, dog-eared pages, mysterious stains and smells as well as sticky spots in library books. This makes me sad, angry, and frustrated and generally ruins my reading experience.

d) My To-Read pile is staggering on both my Kindle and my nightstand. I don't need to go to the library when I'm still trying to get through all of these books I already own.

There are some really beautiful libraries out there and there are fabulous librarians in them. I simply don't have the privilege of living near any of them right now.

So that's it for this round of Answer Me This! If you have a blog, answer the questions and link up with us over at Kendra's in this post. Don't have a blog but still want to play? That's okay because this whole thing is made up and the posts don't matter - leave your answers in the comments either at Kendra's post or right here! I'd love to hear from you.

love,
Willow


 
*Author's Note: The "Answer me This" logo image belongs to Kendra Tierney over at Catholic All Year. The first two images in the "favorite quotes" part of this post are my property - if you wish to use them, please ask. The rest of the images in this post belong to very talented, hard-to-track-down artists on the internet. I have given credit as best as I could where I was able, thank you for not suing.*

Answer Me This, Vol. 14 - Quotable Summer

Welcome to Answer Me This! The Q&A style linkup hosted by Kendra over at Catholic All Year which is super fun and easier than coming up with my own content. It's also known as the internet's favorite virtual cocktail party! (in my opinion, at least)

1. When driving, are you more likely to listen to the radio, to CDs or an iPod, or nothing at all?
I really don't like the radio because very rarely is there every anything good on, so I find myself constantly flipping through my pre-sets. So generally I listen to mix CDs (my car is one of those that came out just before iPod connectivity to car stereos became the norm).

Source

2. Do you prefer window or aisle?
Window seat. I like being able to look out. I don't necessarily need to be able to get up and stretch my legs or use the lavatory on airplanes (unless it's a trans-Atlantic flight because any more than 6 hours on a plane is just too long to stay seated). Plus, window seat gets to lean against the side of the plane to sleep.

3. Do you fall asleep on your side, back, or stomach? What position are you in when you wake up?
I usually fall asleep with my head on the far right side of my bed and my toes pointing at the bottom left corner, on my side, almost on my stomach. (I can't sleep all the way on my stomach because that's just too uncomfy.) I wake up on my other side on the other side of the bed, because my alarm goes off, I roll over to turn it off, and stay put because sleepy. And somehow my little cat wedges himself behind my knees at some point after I've rolled over in my sleep and takes up more than half the bed in that position. But I generally take up the whole bed to start with and then flip during the night. According to this handy Doghouse Diaries Infographic, I'm a combo of The Side-Sleeper and The Fortress Sleeper, because I also really like having a zillion pillows surrounding me.

Source

(*Dear Future Husband: A thousand apologies, but it is going to take me a looooooong time to get used to sharing, since I can currently pick up and move my current bedmate, the cat. Sorry in advance for being difficult!*)

4. When is the last time you attended a zoo, circus, carnival, county fair or parade?
Ummm..... the zoo and the circus were both when my sisters were little, so probably (at least) 10 years ago. A carnival? Probably 3 years ago when I went to our parish festival/fiesta thing for an hour because I was supposed to make an appearance. County fair? It's been about 8 or 9 years. But I attend my hometown Western Days' Parade every October. I've missed it twice in something like 15 years (probably more) and there were extenuating circumstances including a scheduling conflict.

found on Etsy

It looks like I'm really not a fun person, but I generally don't like that kind of stuff. Too many people.

5. Do you have a favorite quote or inspirational saying?
I looooooooove me some quotes!

 

That was basically my mantra while I was in college. I was blessed with some really good friends while I was there who reminded me regularly that it wasn't over until everything was right. I'd forgotten all about it until I started writing this post.

This one is so, so true and so hard to remember. I may print out this graphic (I made it on PicMonkey all my myself!) and set it as a screensaver on my glasses for the times when my uncle is really annoying....

My mother and I say this quite often, because it seems like something always, always, always goes wrong on family vacations. Always. SO we call it an adventure and carry on. It's especially important when you miss your train, or your hotel room has been double booked, or you lose your keys, or the baby has decided to have a major tantrum right in the middle of an already bad situation.  Call it an adventure and make it so.

Also, this one. Shine on, snowflake. Shine on.


6. What's the best thing about summer? 
The heat, the fresh fruit, and the long, lazy evenings that last for hours.

I used to love summer because it meant getting a break, an easier schedule, going on trips, extra money in my pocket, swimming by the pool and being outside all the time, seeing friends I hadn't seen for months... But in the last 3 years all of that has changed. I work in an office full-time - no Christmas or summer breaks - and summer is spent inside instead of poolside. I'll go out of town with the family maybe once, but they'll leave me behind multiple times to go to the lake or take my sisters to girl scout camp or something else. I'm trying to remember that this is a temporary season of my life and that someday - sooner than I think - I'll be able to take the time off and do the things that refresh and relax me. It just isn't today or this week or this summer.



So that's it for this round of Answer Me This! If you have a blog, answer the questions and link up with us over at Kendra's in this post. Don't have a blog but still want to play? That's okay because this whole thing is made up and the posts don't matter - leave your answers in the comments either at Kendra's post or right here! I'd love to hear from you.

love,
Willow


 
*Author's Note: The "Answer me This" logo image belongs to Kendra Tierney over at Catholic All Year. The first two images in the "favorite quotes" part of this post are my property - if you wish to use them, please ask. The rest of the images in this post belong to very talented, hard-to-track-down artists on the internet. I have given credit as best as I could where I was able, thank you for not suing.*

Answer Me This, Vol. 13 - iTube, YouTube

Welcome to Answer Me This! The Q&A style linkup hosted by Kendra over at Catholic All Year which is super fun and easier than coming up with my own content. It's also known as the internet's favorite virtual cocktail party! (in my opinion, at least)

1. What's your favorite thing on Youtube?
So there's this thing, called Nerdfighteria, and it was started by these brothers who are now known as the Vlogbrothers, and their channel is pretty much my favorite thing ever. They've introduced me to so many other youtubers, it's crazy.

A close second is the "Letters to July" series. Go watch it. Now. (Seriously, I'll wait for you. Go on.)

2. Who taught you to drive?
 My dad. I was 15, we had just bought the Volkswagon which was meant to be my vehicle, and I had no idea how to drive stick shift. My mom helped, too, because she explained to me how the heck you're supposed to keep your car in the middle of the lane when you're sitting on the far left side of it.

Not my exact vehicle - this is a '65 and mine was a '72 - but it was yellow!

3. What's your favorite thing to cook?
Christmas. Cookies, cakes, breads, jam, tarts, pies, candy, chex mix, tamales.... Basically if it involves a family tradition of making it, I'm down. I also really love putting together Dirt Cake because I get to crush cookies with a mallet - how cool is that!?

4. Are you a hugger or a non-hugger? Why?
I'm definitely a hugger. Like, professionally.

My very first day with my very first sign.
Autumn, 2006

I started Free Hugging in high school after seeing the video on Youtube one night. It had such a profound effect on me that I just had to go and try it. I felt like I had been given a sacred mission to make the world feel better. I know very well what it's like to be hurting and lonely and sad and feel like no one in the world cares. We live in a disconnected world that makes physical touch something strictly sexual or aggressive rather than friendly or necessary for our psychological well-being. Sometimes all we need is a simple hug but it's so, so hard to ask for that - so I started offering them instead.  I asked my friends if they would come with me and that first Saturday afternoon was incredible. After that it was really just me. I gained quite a reputation and I took my sign with me to college where I became a small-time campus celebrity.

April, 2009 - The College Years

When I left school I continued hugging but because I was broken, it wasn't the same. I wasn't as brave as I used to be and the stares and catcalls and hurtful words actually affected me when they used to never even touch me. There have been quite a few weekends I've thought about going back out there and trying again but it hasn't happened just yet. It's one of my Someday-Maybes.




5. Where do you pray best?
I've really never thought about this. When I was saying a rosary every night (religiously - no pun intended), that was my best praying: in bed, falling asleep. For a while I found great comfort and solace and ease in my parish's Perpetual Adoration Chapel. Now, it's at home late at night in front of my prayer table when the house is still and quiet. It's peaceful.

Candles, statue of Our Lady, rosary collection, prayer book (usually have my Bible out, too),
pictures of those I love and those I've loved and lost. Left to right: My father's
stepfather, my father's mother, my nephew, my uncle K.C., my niece,
my mother's father and my uncle Russel.

6. When is the last time you saw/spoke to your grandparents? 

Mom's Mom: Oma
Saw her about a month ago when she stopped by the office before we moved everything and before we went to New Orleans. She stops by on her way home from her doctor's appointments and we talk about crochet and cooking and family history.
Mom's Dad: Opa
Saw him about 10 years ago right before he died, I think. I know I saw him at his funeral, but there was a lot of family drama going on and I was only 14 or so and don't quite remember.

Dad's Mom: Lulu
Saw her about 2 1/2 years before she died, the summer I turned 17 (or maybe it was the summer before I went to college, so I could have been 18; I'll have to ask my mother). We went up to visit because her health was really bad and obviously my parents wanted my sisters and I to see her one last time. She rallied, though, and lasted a while longer. I spent an entire day with her, watching game shows and reading and chatting about my friends and going to college. It was a really nice day.
Dad's Dad: Sonny
Saw him last winter when he came to visit because my dad had the Fairlane in the HotRod Magazine Homecoming Show. He was ornery and ungrateful and generally unpleasant, as he always is. I avoided him (he was staying with my uncle and I) and spent extra time at work or otherwise "out." Needless to say he's not my favorite person in the world.


So that's it for this round of Answer Me This! If you have a blog, answer the questions and link up with us over at Kendra's in this post. Don't have a blog but still want to play? That's okay because this whole thing is made up and the posts don't matter - leave your answers in the comments either at Kendra's post or right here! I'd love to hear from you.

love,
Willow


 
*Author's Note: The "Answer me This" logo image belongs to Kendra Tierney over at Catholic All Year. Most of the other images in this post are my property - if you wish to use them, please ask.*