Friday's Feast One Hundred and Thirty-One

Appetizer: What sound, other than the normal ringing, would you like your telephone to make?
"You're fabulous!" would sure be neat, but I'd be happy with an old fashioned bell sound instead of the digitized 'chirp' they all have these days.

Soup Describe your usual disposition in meteorological terms (partly cloudy, sunny, stormy, etc.)
Sunny (disposition) with occassional dark (humoured) skies. I live in New England where they say the weather changes every 15 minutes. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Salad What specific subject do you feel you know better than any other subjects? In school or not? In school: In college, I was best at Greek Art/Architecture...but OVERALL I am pathetic to say I can take most people in Brady Bunch trivia

Main Course: Imagine you were given the ability to remember everything you read for one entire day. Which books/magazines/newspapers would you choose to read?
The Declaration of Independence, Shakespeare's sonnets, some of my old art history texts, and probably a cookbook or 2 so I could cook/bake recipes by heart

Dessert: If a popular candy maker contacted you to create their next confection, what would it be like and what would you name it?
I'd bring back Peter Paul "No-Jellys"

Friday's Feast One Hundred and Thirty

Appetizer - Have you been sick yet this winter? If so, what did you come down with?
Just your standard cold

Soup - What colors dominate your closet?
plaid in winter, madras in the summer (ok, ok, not 'colors' but I'm trying to be interesting)

Salad - How would you describe your personal "comfort zone"?
My favorite comfort zone occurs just as I'm drifting off to sleep in our comfy bed, and my husband's and my feet end up migrating towards each other....we may be facing opposite directions, the same direction....but no matter what, somehow we always seem to reach out and have our feet touching. A security blanket of sorts...

Main Course - On which reality show would you really like to be a contestant?
Amazing Race

Dessert - Which holiday would you consider to be your favorite
This is difficult. Thanksgiving ~vs~ Christmas..I think Thanksgiving may edge Christmas out because it's always at least 4 days off....my birthday falls usually on one of those 4 days....and it kicks off the beginning of the Christmas season, whereas by the time Christmas Day hits, I have a let down feeling that it's all over...(Did that make sense??! I'm admitting I LOVE Christmas, yet am choosing Thanksgiving?)
Oh ya, and Flag Day.

Dilbert Moment of the Day..

Background: My boss, whom I adore, is the Director of Marketing/Advertising at our company, and has announced recently that he'll be leaving come end of February. He's been here for about 30 years. Background to background: Reason behind the leave-- He & I recently got a new VP, 20 yrs his junior, who started here as head of Sales, and then recently was given not only a VP title, but also given our Marketing/Advertising department to run as well. It made a new layer between my boss and the President. All in all, my boss was made to feel outmoded, and out of synch with what the new VP wanted had planned for the Marketing/Advertising area.

My boss finally decided he's too old for this crap, so is hitting the road and bowing out gracefully.

So, back to the Dilbert moment: I was called into the VP office to discuss 07 print advertising and what new ads would focus on: brand or specific products...we talked about the pros and cons of each type of ad...and then the VP of Sales/Marketing & Advertising says to me:

"I don't know what the answer is here....(sigh)...I just wish I knew about advertising."

So I ask you: Did he think he was saying this to himself?! Does he realize he said that out loud to someone he needs to get to rally behind him?!!

It's like being in a plane, it's in trouble/turbulence has hit, and a pilot turns and says to the passengers, "gee I sure wish I knew how to fly a plane.."

Needless to say, on March 2nd, when my boss leaves, there I'll be hanging onto his legs, being dragged out the door trying to make him stay (or perhaps take me with him!)

Trying to keep the chin up and be a good soldier, but wow it's hard when you hear stuff like that. I officially put in a vote of no cofidence.

Birthday Presence

You were everywhere today... perhaps it's because we turned the page to February. The 1st of February was your birthday, and in a couple of weeks comes Presidents' Day weekend..that fateful, frightful weekend 9 years ago during which we found out something was "wrong." Something that we all thought was taken out of your body along with enough skin to leave a hefty scar across your back; what was called 'melanoma' in 1988 had over the decade quietly and fatally made its way into your brain...into your memories...It came back....Silently and with enough strength to bring us all to our knees in the latter part of February, and to take you away in early April.

Mom...

Funny...it was this time in '98 I was planning on buying my first brand new car....a Cavalier to replace the older Cavalier you drove and then gave to me after college. I remember driving it to hospice the day I bought it...April 6th I think. I'll be parting with it soon. It's done right by me, but I'm buying Brian's Passat--and I gotta say, I'm psyched! Leather seats/moon roof--and with more safety features than my Chevy (I know you're happy about that!) Big brother gets a corporate company car, so little sister is reaping the reward too

(Wait--somehow I'm sure you know all about this already...)

So as I was driving home in the new car (new to me anyway), and listened to a CD by Sting (ya, ya, I know, I know...And no Ma, nothing has changed much since you left us--I'm still playing Sting) the song Whenever I Say Your Name started playing....

Whenever I say your name; whenever I call to mind your face...

And something struck me (besides realizing how nice it is to have a right-front car speaker that works): This song, which always reminded me of my husband, all of a sudden took on a new interpretation. It was about you...

Whenever your memory feeds my soul, whatever got broken becomes whole

And there I was struck that one song could mean two such different emotions towards two totally different figures in my life.

Whenever I'm filled with doubts that we will be together...

Love and loss...they now are so wrapped up in each other when it comes to you. I can't feel one without the other. In your absence, I feel your presence. In your presence I feel a profound absense.

"Whenever I say your name, I'm already praying.."

Maybe for this year's birthday, you weren't the one getting the gifts. You decided that you'd give one to me. (That is SO your style...)

Whenever I say your name, no matter how long it takes
We will be together
Whenever I say your name, let there be no mistake
That day will last forever

Happy birthday, Mom. And thanks for the "presence."

Friday Feast One Hundred and Twenty Nine

Appetizer
What was one of the fashion fads when you were a teenager?
Madonna-type black bracelets; jeans purses; "jams" (for guys); Swatches; Liz Claiborne purses; Benetton rugby shirts (and Benetton perfume...Benetton bags...)

Soup
Name one thing you think people assume about you when they first meet you.
That I'm quiet/shy

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how hard do you work?
Depends on what I'm working on...but let's say....7

Main Course
If you were given a free 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl to sell anything you currently own, what would you advertise?
my car...


Dessert
Fill in the blank: I love to ________ when it is _________.
I love to gaze out the window from a comfy spot when it is snowing.

Fave Shows Part II

update for the 07 tv year!

Part I


Heroes-- nothing gets the email banter off on a Tues better than this show! By 10am I have an email, and about 3-4 replies from friends recapping and theorizing

Friday Night Lights--"The best show you're not watching" (so says me..)

Extras--sing it with me, "pudgy little fat man..." (Bowie was great in that scene!)