5 Questions

I've been tagged in a blog meme by my internet friend, an American Muslim convert living in England who shares my name and my home state.

She asked me to answer the following 5 questions:

1) What is your favourite book of all time?

My first response would be A Tale of Two Cities, a book that I have claimed to be my favorite since high school.  I can't wait to reread it with my daughter in a few years. But I recently read The Outsiders again and I love, love, loved it. I really love reading, especially young adult novels, so it is really hard to pick an all time favorite. I went through a phase after college and when I had little babies that I didn't read much. I think I got overloaded with my college reading and then I got "mommy brain" and could barely concentrate long enough to read a magazine article.  I am glad that my dear husband encouraged me to start reading again.


2) What is your idea of the perfect day?

My perfect day would include a fun family activity in the morning (but not too early...) like going to the beach or a museum or hiking.  Afternoon would involve a delicious lunch that I didn't have to prepare or clean up after. A nap would be part of a perfect day. The evening would be spent going out to eat with my hubby, probably to Vino's where I recently ate the best meal of my life (the kids would miraculously be fed...).  Then after dinner I would spend some...um... quality time with my hubby. Also, somehow during this ideal day, my house would stay perfectly clean.

3) If you weren’t homeschooling, what sort of career would you have?

Well, my dream job would be to be an actress (stage, screen, TV, whatever) Once when I was in college my best friend and I made a timeline of our lives.  I have pretty much followed the timeline except that I haven't been in a made-for television movie, yet :) In reality (because an acting career would not exactly be the best job to combine with motherhood - and I would chose motherhood over acting every time), I would probably be a teacher. In fact, I am looking into what it would take for me to be able to teach English 101 classes at the university that my husband works at. I am thinking it would be a great job for me when the kids are older and definitely after they have flown the coop.

4) If you had the chance, what one famous person would you meet and why?

This was a hard question for me. I don't really get caught up in famous people, especially celebrities .  It seems to me that they are just regular people that took a certain life path. Although it was kind of fun to meet Josh Holloway... Anyway, I can't think of just one person that I am dying to meet.  I decided that I would arranged a dinner party with the following historical figures: Cleopatra, Michaelangelo, William Shakespeare, Vincent Van Gogh, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Eva Peron, Martin Luther King Jr., and Albert Einstein... and maybe Josh Holloway...just kidding... or not, it could be fun to add a nice southern boy to this motley cast of characters.


5) If you could possess one talent (singing, painting, writing, etc) and be truly proficient in it, what would it be?
This one is easy.  I was just telling my hubby that I wished that I could sing like Kristin Chenoweth. There are many things that I am not good at (drawing, cooking, remembering things from one minute to the next), but if I could snap my fingers and have one talent that I currently don't, I would pick singing.

OK, I am supposed to tag 5 people and give them 5 questions to answer.

Here are my 5 people:

Dori's Diner

Heidiopolis

A Honu World

mostly fluff, this dandelion life

The Life and Times of Mrs.Blimes

And here are my 5 questions:

1. If you had one super power to wish for (X-ray vision, invisibility etc.), what would it be and why?

2. What is your favourite book of all time?

3. What is your idea of the perfect day?

4. If you had the chance, what one famous person would you meet and why?

5. If you could possess one talent (singing, painting, writing, etc) and be truly proficient in it, what would it be?

25 years later and I still love this book

Man, I love this book!  I first read this book when I was 11 years old.  Coincidentally, the movie came out around that same time.  And yes, I was a bit obsessed with all of the actors in the movie. Ralph Macchio was my favorite.

I just finished reading it again because I am having my almost 12 year old read it for school. I am pretty sure I love it more now than I did then.  I intended to read one chapter and go to sleep, but I ended up reading the rest of the book.

It is just such a timeless book.  It was written over 40 years ago and it is still applicable today. I just want to gather up all the boys from the wrong side of the track and tell them that there is still good in the world and make them watch the sunset.

*update:  apparently the picture from Amazon doesn't show up in google reader.  I guess you will just have to click through to the site to see what book I am talking about  ;)

My Trial

OK, so I feel a little embarrassed sharing this. It is really such a little thing. And it really doesn't matter that much. It is not a serious trial like losing a baby or being in a plane crash, but it is my trial so I am going to claim it. I will probably never buy a house of my own.

When we decided to move to Hawaii, I knew that not being able to buy a house was part of the deal. But I was getting to move to Hawaii, so I figured it was a good trade. But every once in a while that little girl who used to look through the JcPenney's catalog and decide how she wanted her house to look feels a bit sad.

It's not that I don't get to decorate. I have had lots of practice decorating all of our rental houses, but it has always been temporary, so I never wanted to put that much time and money into it. Maybe I am thinking about this right now because we are stuck in temporary housing until some faculty housing opens up.

I have to admit that it is more than a little frustrating not to know when or where we will be moving. I mean, it is one thing to accept that we will never buy a house, but not to be able to choose what the house looks like or where it is located! It has taken every ounce of my patience to continue waiting for housing to come available and even more inner strength to give up control over what and where our housing will be.

I know in my mind that we are probably better off not buying a house. There are lots of other things I would rather spend money on than a new water heater. And once we move into more permanent housing, I will feel more settled in and will once again be OK with never buying a house. I think the waiting and wondering are just getting the best of me.

I've returned from the dead

Yes, really. I was a zombie last week. Here's the story:

Last week I got my wisdom teeth taken out. As I left the oral surgeon's office, I caught a look at myself in a mirror. Both sides of my face were puffy and numb. One side of my lip was hanging down lower than the other. I knew I looked a bit ridiculous, but bravely made my way to the elevator and down to the street. After all, I had just let the dentist rip 4 teeth out of my mouth. I could be brave.

I had to wait a few minutes for Rand to pick me up (he and the girls were hanging out in Waikiki during the procedure - nice huh?) So, I put on my sunglasses and tried to act casual as I waited on the downtown Honolulu street. Eventually, Rand picked me up. Little did I know, while I was waiting, some blood had started dripping down my lip.

I got into the car and the girls took one look at me and screamed. I looked in the mirror and saw the blood. I was so numb I couldn't even feel it. It must have been there for a while because it had started to dry. Rand told me I looked like a zombie with my glassy eyes, puffy face, and blood dripping out of my mouth. The fact that I started laughing hysterically added to the zombieness. And my tongue was numb, so I couldn't talk. I tried, but the garbled sound just made it all more horrific.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), there is no picture evidence of this event. Rand tried to take a picture, but it didn't work for some reason. By the time we realized it, I had already wiped the blood off, so the effect wouldn't have been the same. So you will all just have to visualize how I looked on... The Day I was a Zombie.

You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

35

I turn 35 today. A few months ago when I thought about this impending birthday, I felt good about it. I felt like I had come to a point in my life where I feel good about myself, I know who I am, and where I am going. I have known women in their 40's that seem so confident and sure of themselves, flaws and all. I was starting to feel like I was getting to that point in my own life. Sure, I have started to notice a few wrinkles in the last year or 2 and I am still 15 lbs over my pre -baby weight even though my baby is 5 years old, but I haven't found any gray hairs, yet, and attractiveness is 3/4 confidence anyway, right?

But then I went to the mall...

If you are over 30, I do not recommend shopping for clothing at the mall. I haven't shopped at the mall for years. I figured I couldn't afford the clothes there. But we just moved and I wanted to check out mall here and I had birthday money to spend. So Saturday, I went to the mall. Now, I gave up shopping in the juniors section when I was 29, but what I didn't realize is that the mall (except the department stores) is one big junior's section. When I came home crying - yes, I really did cry, I guess I am not quite as self actualized as I thought - my dh pointed out that, of course the mall is a bad place for a 35 year old to shop, the mall is designed for 13 - 21 year olds to hang out at... Duh!

But here is my dilemma. Where do women in their 30's shop? The cute clothing at the mall and in the junior's section is not cut to fit a woman in her 30's, skinny or not. Nor is most of it really appropriate either. I have been looking for graphic t- shirts, but I don't think a 35 year old mother of 3 should run around in a shirt that says," I kissed a girl and I liked it." I was also looking for a lace bottomed tank to wear under stuff, but apparently if you have short waist, the lace will hit you about mid thigh and that is just not attractive at all. But I don't want to wear old lady clothes, now or ever really.

So I have resigned myself to plain colored t- shirts and jeans. And until I get nominated for "What Not to Wear," I will be shopping at Target, Ross, Marshall's, and Macy's (sale rack and store brand) And carefully avoiding the junior's section.

Maybe next year I will become the confident middle aged - ack! - woman that I dream of becoming...