Upside Down Things

The Birthday Meme by Sunday Stealing

Mimi blogging 2006

My answers will be short and sweet. The keyboard is sticking and I'm none amused.   I have to cut and paste letters. Fun times.

Have you ever
1. Broken a bone? Yes
2. Broken a window? Not on purpose 
3. Been on TV? Yes
4. Had a friend who shared the same birthday as you? Queen Mimi of Bloggingham. We're twins.
5. Locked your keys in the car?

Yes. For some reason my car magically locks itself. There are spooks in Bloggingham. I get stuck in there all the time.
6. Accidentally sent a text or email to the wrong person? Yes. Not my finest moment. Group texts can ruin your life!!
7. Sat in the back of a police car? No
8. Fallen asleep at work? Yes
9. Made a snow angel? Yes
10. Ridden in an ambulance Yes, but it was not a fun ride.
11. Worst household chore Dusting I break my nails.
12 .Worst colour Orange. For soooo many reasons...
13. Worst pizza topping Anchovies. Who puts fish on a pizza?
14. Worst weather Ice storms
15. Worst self-care job (e.g. dressing, washing, shaving, teeth, toe nails) None of the above. And mani/pedi days cure all
16. Worst game Plants vs. Zombies Really???
17. Worst school subject PE

Do you remember the President's Physical Fitness program you had to pass in the seventies? One of the requirements was hanging by a gymnastics bar for 30 seconds or so. I was so ridiculously skinny that I could just stay there for hours and hang around....have a latte..........do my homework.....file my nails. Everybody hated me. 

18. Worst animal Rats or mice
19. Worst season Election season
20. Worst TV show The Bachelor He should have sent himSELF home on the first day. 

That is all. I'm going for a walk in the global warming February weather. Two hours ago it was sunny. Now it's cold.  If I hurry I won't have to change clothes again.


Happy Birthday, Bev

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Life Is a Perfect Storm

Sunday Stealing with Bev Sykes Thought-Provoking questions
I love the meme this week. I'm going to try to answer without too much deliberation. We'll see how that goes...
 1. Is it more important to love or be loved? To love
2. If you had the chance to go back in time and change one thing would you do it?
Yes, and because the laws of the universe consistently demonstrate cause and effect, that one decision would change many more things in the blink of  an eye. 
3. If a doctor gave you five years to live, what would you try to accomplish? Doctors don't dictate life and death. I would ask God for a life sentence and carry on.

4. What is the difference between innocence and ignorance?
In the context of being judged, none.   If we could all learn to talk to each other without condemnation, the difference wouldn't matter.
5. What is the simplest truth you can express in words?
6. What gives your life meaning?


7. Can there be happiness without sadness?  Pleasure without pain?   Peace without war?
Yes to all three. 

8. What’s the one thing you’d like others to remember about you at the end of your life? That I loved them wholly and unconditionally
9. Is there such a thing as perfect?
No, because life is always fluctuating. Even the cells of our bodies rejuvenate and replace themselves every seven to ten years. The perfect storm is always moving. 
10. What do you love most about yourself?
My self-awareness and my sometimes eerie penchant for clairvoyance.  Friends call to tell me things and I'll say, "Yes, I  already know."  If it would only work for the stock market.  
11. Is it more important to do what you love or to love what you are doing?
Do what you love. I have a Bachelor of Music Education with a concentration in voice/piano and a minor in English.  I've taught music my entire life. Full time writing is my second career. This question is tricky because for me "doing what I love" was difficult to enjoy within the convoluted politics of public education. The work is stressful and exhausting and it drains the life right out of your first love.  While I'm proud of what my students accomplished, I cringe when I describe myself as classically trained. That sounds so restrictive and while I performed in opera as a coloratura/lyric soprano and sang German Lieder (because it was required) that's not really my preference.  So I did what I loved while doing some things I didn't love. Make sense? 
I'm ready now for the days when a piano and a boom mic fed my soul....when I'm singing just for me.  Somehow the real musician in me got lost in academia.  I need to find her again.

12. What do you imagine yourself doing ten years from now? Doing what I love with someone I love
13. What small act of kindness were you once shown that you will never forget?
There have been many kindnesses through the years, but I want to talk  about this one: When my dad was dying, he sent me to the hospital cafeteria to get some real food for him. He was craving a hotdog with all the trimmings.  I placed my order with a quivering voice and tears streaming down my face. 
"I want you to make the best hotdog you've ever made in your life," I told him. I knew it would be the last time he would be able to have one.  He said, "I'm honored to make this for your father." The cook came out from behind the counter, handed it to me and gave me a hug.  "Now you go give this to him and tell him to enjoy it."  I will never forget that kindness because of the look of compassion in his eyes.   Daddy loved every bite. These are the moments that matter in the world. Not your bank account, not your car, not your house, not your job. But hotdogs and hugs and kindnesses.
14. To what degree have you controlled the course your life has taken?  In reality, perhaps 50%. This is probably true for most baby boomers. I'm learning as I get older that no matter how carefully I plan, life keeps throwing me curve balls. But I'm wise enough to know that this time I will do what makes me happy.   
15. If you looked into the heart of your enemy, what do you think you would find that is different from what is in your own heart?
Strange the meme should ask. The past year, enemies sprang up like dandelions in a field of deceitful daisies. "The mouth speaks what the heart is full of" or so I've heard.

Which brings me back to question #7...happiness, pain, and peace.   Peace love and understanding is too much to ask for all at once. That phrase is tired and backwards.  So, I'll just aim to keep myself in check.  Start with unconditional love, move to empathy,  Peace will come. Even with enemies Images: Pixabay Follow Me

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Something Fishy

Sunday Stealing~ Another Food Meme
I did not know there could be so many questions about food.  A food meme should make you hungry, right? Nope. It just helped me make a grocery list. Thanks Sunday Stealing!

1. How do you like your eggs?     
2. How do you take your coffee/tea?     Cream only and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Did you know that this spice is good for many      common ailments? It's a mood stabilizer and tasty too.   I'm not a morning person. Spices keep me spicy!
3. Favorite breakfast foods     Oatmeal with blueberries and Ceylon cinnamon.  More spice!! Second only to a cheese omelette with onions.
4. Peanut butter: smooth or crunchy?
Smooth like Santana      
5. What kind of dressing on your salad?      O & V or Newman's Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette

6.  Coke or Pepsi?      I love Coke but it's not on my very strict diet. Did you know that Coke will rust your stomach right out of your body???!!! Just like a car engine...I read that on the Internet.
But I do keep one on hand in case of migraines. If you drink some caffeine right away, it will usually stop the headache. I haven't had a bad migraine in a very long time.












7.  You feel like cooking. What do you make?      A fajita with turmeric spice, pepper, red beans, onions, garlic, hummus and cheese. 
8. You're feeling lazy. What do you make?      Peanut butter and mustard crackers. Sometimes I join the birds in the forest. They've had a rough time in Bloggingham lately.


9. You're feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order?    

10. If there a food you refuse to eat?       Mussels and sushi
   No, just no.


11. Favorite fruit & vegetable       

12. Favorite junk food      
....with French Onion dip

13. Favorite between meal snack       Are we eating all day??!!!  OK. I'll bite.
14. Do you have any weird food habits      I don't think so.
15. You're on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on?               I'm always on a diet. This is my go-to snack attack food.... 
Dill pickles will lower your blood pressure...IF you can get the jar open.

16. How spicy do you order Indian/Thai?    
   It's spicy enough without extra spice. Did I mention that curry is good for you? Lowers your blood sugar, treats inflammation, boosts bone health, helps Alzheimer's and even cancer prevention and treatment. Sprinkle some in your dishes! 

17. The perfect nightcap?        A hot bath with lavender.  But since the meme asked...

Tea Goodnight.



Images: Pixabay Follow Me

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