Monsoon Blogging

It's Monday, it's wet, and I've got nothing. (I'm even recycling the amaryllis.) Luckily I seem not to be alone in this predicament; the lovely Carole not only found this meme but invited people to steal it. I can't pass up a deal like that.

20 Questions

1. Explain what ended your last relationship?
   Bear in mind that we're talking 32 years ago here, and that my memory is not what it used to be. It depends what you call a relationship; as best I recall my last... um... thing BG (before Grant) didn't so much end as stop happening. Not that much was happening to begin with.
   
2. When was the last time you shaved?
   Again, this is archived data. I am not at all hairy, so I can get away with very little shaving; it was last spring/summer sometime, but I can't narrow it down more than that.
   
3. What were you doing this morning at 8 a.m.?
   Eating my morning oatmeal. I am currently on yet another round of bulge-battling, so I've replaced my usual two slices of toast with oatmeal and have decided it's a really nice way to start the day.
   
4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?
   Looking out a fifth-floor conference-room window, scanning the surrounding landscape for pairs of animals.
   
5. Some things you are excited about?
   My daughter's school musical comes off this weekend and next; the homeward commute may be quite an adventure, depending on how many low-lying roads we have to use; spring is coming.
   
6. What is your favorite flavor of JELL-O?
   Jello, ew.
   
7. Your prom night, what do you remember about it?
   I didn't have one, because my school didn't have a prom.
   
8. Do you have any famous ancestors?
   My father told us on a family trip to Provincetown when we were kids that we were related to Thomas Rogers, one of the Mayflower pilgrims listed on a stone memorial there. He said his father had told him this, having heard it from his father. As best I've been able to tell just poking around on free Web sites, this story is of dubious historicity: Rogers is my father's name, but the male line from Thomas Rogers seems to have died out within a few generations. My paternal grandmother's name was Nickerson, and there are scads of Nickersons descended from Mayflower folk (indeed they seem to have intermarried with Rogers much farther up the line than my grandparents), so it's possible, but it's more likely that my ancestors came over a good long time ago, but much more quietly and less memorably.
   (There are some quite wealthy Yankee Nickersons, but I'm not related to them, or at any rate not closely enough.)
   
9. Last thing received in the mail?
   A reminder for Taz's upcoming checkup at the Dana-Farber. Not very interesting, I know.
   
10. How many different beverages have you had today?
    Water, water and water.
    
11. Do you ever leave messages on people’s answering machine?
    Yes, of course, but not if I know they have caller ID, because those people will call me back whether I leave a message or not.
    
12. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
    I can't even remember the last time I went to the (ocean) beach. When/if I do go, I generally stick to small and highly amateurish sandcastles if I play in the sand at all.
    
13. Any plans for Friday night?
    Friday night is family night out; our local Applebee's recently closed, so now we have to think about where to go. (No need to expound upon the mediocrity of Applebee's food: we know this, but we got into the habit of going there and liked how "everybody knew our name.")
    
14. Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?
    Not especially -- anything, even salt, that gives my hair body is a good thing, but having it all coarse and stuck together is bad. I love playing in the waves, so I do go in the water.
    
15. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different popcorns?
    I think so. I think we ended up throwing most of it out.
    
16. Do you re-use towels after you shower?
    Yes. I’m not a fan of daily laundry. (This is Carole's answer, upon which I can't improve.)
    
17. Describe your keychain(s)?
    I don't really have one, just a ring with all my keys on it — unless you count my tiny Swiss Army knife, which has proved useful many times.
    
18. Where do you keep your change?
    In my pockets. I've tried a change purse but hate fishing for it in my bag and fumbling to get it open. Change also tends to end up on the floor of our vehicles; this extremely poor money management has occasionally come in handy, once provoking a successful speed mini treasure hunt for meter fodder at the train station.
    
19. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group of people?
    How large? I asked a question during a meeting of 20 or so people a week ago. In a former work life I used to train groups of 5 to 15 people. If you want me up at the front of a room before 100+ people you have to go back to high school.
    
20. What kind of winter coat do you own?
    I have several. This year I've been wearing a purple wool cape I bought during my first pregnancy (see #3 above). I had forgotten how much I like it, even if it does make me look fat. (Yes, it is possible that the fault lies not in the coat, Horatio....)