If your Vox Neighborhood had a potluck dinner tonight, what dish, drink or dessert would you bring?
I wouldn't go... I'd make my favorite corn, bean and mango salad and stay home!
For a full sit-down dinner with several guests, would you rather be the one cooking or do you prefer to just show up and eat?
I don't like full sit-down dinners, ever! I don't even like "parties" so I have to say this question doesn't apply. But I wonder how many people are as "group averse" as I am?
What did you do as a child that you feel guilty about even to this day?
My brother had taken a small toy of mine -- a paper doll and hidden it in his toybox. When I found it by accident, looking for a truck or something, I took it back. He was sad and upset. I didn't realize then that he also needed pretty things. I have thought about it for years. If I had it to do over, I would like to think I would give him permission to play with my toys whenever he asked... so that he could play with them, and I wouldn't think I had lost them.
What is your favorite dish on the Thanksgiving table?
Submitted by Kadeeae.
bread stuffing. definitely. with oysters or chestnuts as part of the blend; celery for a bit of crunch...
mmmm.
What's been your worst experience at a restaurant?
My favorite "chinese" restaurant put beef in their eggrolls last February instead of pork. Even though I didn't swallow and took a large dose of antihistamine immediately, within five minutes my tongue and mouth were swollen and after twenty minutes (and we were already headed out the door as soon as I realized what had happened) my feet didn't fit in my shoes.
I have had gross things (hair in food) and disappointing things (waiting nearly half an hour after being setated to even have the server take our order) -- but that eggroll incident was about the worst I can imagine.
Allergies stink.
Which person from your past, who you've lost touch with, do you wonder about the most?
Submitted by ancora impara.
I often wonder about a man who was a year behind me in high school. We were good friends, and worked on a "pan-dimensional" theory together. I still have the notes somewhere. We met up again a few years later when I returned to college after a brief hiatus. Now, he was a year ahead of me in school, but we picked up our friendship like we had not been apart. We lost track when he went off to teach English in Japan... He was a fun, smart, creative person. I hope he is living his dreams still.
What's the best late-night TV talk show?
I really like Jon Stewart for being intellectually interesting, though Letterman gets the variety award. And though Craig Ferguson is crazy (and on way past my usual bedtime...) I think his is about the funniest show on TV.
Its Breast Cancer Awareness Month. How many people do you know that have been touched by the disease?
Submitted by Karen.
Several. Surprisingly, no one actually close to me though -- knock wood. I think/hope that the campaign to let women know what to look for and where to go for help is working.
Dr. Randy Pausch, diagnosed with terminal cancer, delivered a last lecture on life lessons that has been viewed online over a million times. What would be in your life lessons lecture?
- People are more important than anything. Take care of your relationships with people.
- Not all people are worth cultivating relationships with... if a person hurts you (persistently, repeatedly and/or with intent) then that person doesn't need to be part of your life. You deserve to be with kind people! Spend your energies with people who bring you up and make you feel whole.
- Family comes first. My job may be interesting or important, but my family is more so. There will be times that the tasks at hand for your job are more urgent or need priority, but family should be the driving force behind your decisions. [Children do need to learn that sometimes other people have to come first - but don't make them feel that other people ALWAYS come first!]
- Plan and save for the future, but LIVE in the here and now. Some opportunities may never come again. Take the afternoon off when you have a stunning autumn afternoon and go for a walk. Use some of your savings to invest in making memories on a family vacation (even a trip to a concert or museum or park!). Notice the interesting things your children are involved in today rather than pushing them to be ready for a future career. The career will happen, today's joys are gone so fast.
- Time flies. Stop sometimes and just notice what you have, and be grateful.
- Be grateful. Be thankful for the times you have to spend with people you love. Enjoy the times you have to do the things you love (for me, art, garden, reading...). Appreciate the kind things others do for you.
- Don't wait to take care of your health. Maintaining a good quality of life into the future depends on staying healthy now. A simple annual check-up could catch things early -- before they become life threatening or disabling.
- Smile. Laugh. Love. Play. Be.
Follow your bliss, as Joseph Campbell would say...
What's your cure for the common cold?
Time. Lots of tea with honey, a few echinacea, and extra naps....
