Okay, get your minds out of the gutter, first of all. At least I may have gotten your attention with my title. I got some good answers to yesterday’s question, which was:
Is change a good thing or a bad thing?
There seems to be quite a few variables involved with this question. Change just for the sake of changing in arenas such as politics to me is not always a good thing. Some people just want to bring about change because the status quo doesn’t work in their favor at this time. So we vote out the old, bring in the new with promises of great things, and sadly the machine keeps running the way it runs and we get nowhere. Then people want to go back to the way it was before the change. As my friend Jon stated in his answer, change just for the sake of doing something different without considering the consequences of the change seems to be the norm in the world today and it doesn’t always work out too well for the majority. I think when I was considering the question though, I was thinking more about personal change, whether its your job, your family, where you live, things of that nature. I know many people resist change of any kind at all, preferring to just keep going about life the same way, day in and day out, because its safe and comfortable. Do people want their routines challenged? I think for the most part, the answer is no. We’re all comfortable in our daily lives and like it that way. When something comes along to disrupt our routine, it throws us for a loop, we resist it. Some even refuse to go along with it. You can get away with that in some cases, but for the most part, I have found that, to quote REO Speedwagon you need to “roll with the changes.” You may not like what life throws at you at any particular moment, and it may be disruptive, but I think eventually we adapt to whatever the change in life is and incorporate it into our daily routine. That’s for change that is thrust upon us. Change that we choose in life can be much more exhilarating. Some like to shake up their lives simply by say, trying a new hair style, a new way of dressing, working out and eating right – small, cosmetic changes that can make a big difference as far as confidence and self-esteem, and maybe even propel you on to bigger change. Bigger changes may be quitting your job and starting a whole new career, going back to school or moving away to a new area and starting a new life. Sure it’s scary at first to try any of these things, but much like the change that is thrust upon us, this type of change quickly becomes part of our daily routine as well and what once may have seemed like a drastic change is now no different from any other day. I think the best answer then is the one that Sarah McLachlan provided to me on Twitter: change is simply inevitable.
Thanks to all those who took the time to answer and a special thanks to Sarah McLachlan for taking the time to answer me. Now on to today’s question. I had forgotten that it is National Candy Month (it seems they pretty much have a day and month for everything. I wonder when National Clam Chowder Day is?) so let’s do a fun, simple question today:
What is your favorite candy?
Everyone has one, whether it was something you enjoyed from your childhood or something you discovered later in life. It can be sweet, sour, chocolatey, chewy or gummy, it doesn’t really matter. Think of something that satisfies that sweet tooth craving and let me know. You can answer on here or on Facebook or Twitter. I’ll also ask some people on Twitter and see how they answer. I’ll post my answer tomorrow.
No, I didn’t forget about promising to post some fiction writing. I started typing up my handwriting and ended up writing about six extra pages in my notebook so now I have more to the story. I think it’s going pretty well and I do promise that I as soon as I get home from picking up Sean that I should have some time to post a piece of the story to get some feedback. Okay, maybe not as soon as I get home because I will have to stir the chili I am making (check onedadskitchen.com for that recipe) but right after that. Anyway, I’ll be back later to add some writing, for sure. Until then, enjoy your day and don’t forget to do something creative today (and buying a pack of gum or a candy bar doesn’t count as creative)!
Filed under: Change, Questions | 3 Comments
Tags: change, favorite candy, fiction writing, personal change, question of the day, social change
This, That and the Other Thing
No blog posts yesterday; Wednesday is my busy day where I don’t get much done on the computer, so I didn’t answer yesterday’s question on here. On the other hand, I did get some time to do some actual fiction writing, even though it was in one of my books and it is inspired by the question I asked Tuesday, which was:
It’s nighttime, you’re alone in the house and the power goes out. There’s a creepy noise coming from the basement. What do you do?
A lot of people who answered said they would just leave the house. It’s an honest answer; you’re afraid, you can’t see, it could be anyone or anything, why take a chance. Michelle said she would go see what it is. I have to be honest, I would probably be a little scared, but I would have to go and check it out to see what was making the noise. My fear level might be determined by what exactly the noise sounded like. If it sounded like voices, I might make a run for it. If it was some undefinable noise, I think I would have to go and check it out. Now as far as a fictional answer would go, that kind of leads me into what I have been writing the last two days. I have been working on the build up to the noise in the basement, I just haven’t quite gotten there yet. Once I have some of it typed up, I will post it on here today so you can at least see the start of it. I don’t have a title for it yet, but I hope to come up with one soon, or maybe someone can suggest one for me. Anyway, you can check it out in a couple of hours because it will be up on here, I promise.
Thanks to all who took the time to answer and a special thanks to Amy Adams, who answered me on Twitter with a resounding answer (you can check Tuesday’s comments here if you want to see it). As for today’s question, I thought I would run this by everyone and see what their response is:
Is change a good thing or a bad thing?
Lately, (okay maybe for the last 3 years or so), everything seems to be in complete flux and upheaval around here. There’s always something happening, something going on, something changing or about to change, and I was wondering, is it a good thing or a bad thing? It’s not something we always have control over, which I think figures into how you would answer the question. There’s also a huge middle ground here where it’s hard to determine if certain changes will be good or bad, but what is that determines that for us? Is it the way we approach the change or the way the change approaches us? I’ll leave it for you to decide for yourselves. Think about it and let me know. You can answer on here, or on Facebook or Twitter. I’ll also post the question to some people on Twitter and see how they answer. I’ll post my answer tomorrow.
Okay, if I want to be able to post some story bits, I have to get back to it so I can type up what I have written already. It seems the ideas flowed better for me on this if I was actually writing instead of typing, so that’s how I am going to keep it up for a while. I have a lot written so far, so I’m not sure how much I’ll post of it right away, but there will be something. Check back later and see what it’s like. Until then, enjoy your day and don’t forget to do something creative today!
Filed under: Fiction, Questions | 1 Comment
Tags: change, fiction writing, noise in the basement, question of the day
Today seems as dreary as yesterday! Hopefully this rain will clear out soon and we can get back to nice sunny days here. As for yesterday’s question, which was:
Do you consider yourself a morning person or an evening person? Why?
It seems to me that the most of the people I know consider themselves evening people. Both Michelle and Sean said they were night people, and they are. Both would rather stay up until all hours of the night and do things instead of getting up in the morning and doing them. For me, I think I have developed into a morning person. Years ago, I would have said I was a night person, staying up late and doing things and not wanting to even see the morning. I think that has changed along the way for me. Now, I would much rather get up really early in the morning. I enjoy the quiet of the morning and seem to be much more productive in the morning than I am as the day wears on. I typically get up between 5 and 6 AM, exercise a little bit and then get to work, start some laundry, write some articles, make Sean and Michelle’s lunches for the day, straighten up. I think I get more done before 8 AM than I do for the afternoon hours, which invariably get interrupted by the telephone, the computer and other interruptions. I also like to enjoy the morning quiet, sit with my cup of coffee and just reflect on the day, look out the back door and watch the sun come up; to me, it is very peaceful and relaxing. By 10 PM, I am ready for the day to be over and go to bed, and not just because the medication I take makes me tired. other people find they are most productive in the quiet of the night while I find myself just the opposite. I am pretty sure I am going to stay a morning person for a while.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer the question. For today’s question, I thought I would try something to get your creative spirit moving a bit (and mine as well). I am a big horror movie watcher and horror fiction reader, and I do write some stories along that vein, so I thought I would try a question to see how you would deal with a typical horror situation:
It’s nighttime, you are alone in the house, and the power goes out. You hear a noise coming from the basement, like someone or something moving around. What do you do?
Try not to take this too seriously and have some fun with it. You can answer however you want; create your own situation and play it out. It could be creepy, it could be funny, it could just be you left the window open and the wind is blowing things around. It could be Barry Manilow stubbing his toe in the dark looking for his piano. Use your imagination and see what you can come up with and let me know. You can answer here, or on Facebook or Twitter. I’ll ask a few people on Twitter and see if they answer. I’ll post my answer tomorrow.
That should give you something to ponder for a bit. I’ll see what kind of answer I can come up with. Maybe one of your answers will inspire me to use something in a story. Maybe it will inspire you to do a story of your own. I’ll have to make sure I ask Sean to see what he can come up with. So, until tomorrow, enjoy the rest of your day and don’t forget to do something creative today!
Filed under: Questions | 2 Comments
Tags: evening person, morning person, mornings vs. evenings, question of the day
With apologies to The Carpenters, it is a pretty blah type day here in New York, and a Monday to boot, which makes it even worse. On days like this, you don’t feel like doing anything or seeing anybody. You just want to crawl back into bed and sleep the whole day away and start fresh on Tuesday. unfortunately, most of us can’t do that, so we work ourselves through the day somehow and come out the other side. It was a busy weekend so I didn’t really get any writing in. We went to a barbecue Saturday and Michelle wasn’t feeling good yesterday so I took Sean out of the house for the day so she could relax for a bit. Sean went swimming most of the day (thank you Hausers for taking us in for the afternoon) and we came home, ate dinner, and that was it, so I didn’t really get anything done this weekend and have some work to do now that I keep stalling on. I get up at 5 AM and start working, so I do get a lot done between 5 and 9 so I can do other things in the morning, like this. So let’s get back to Saturday’s question, which was:
What’s a nice thing that you have done for someone recently? Is there something you have done to “pay it forward” recently?
It was a pretty simple question really. I think, for most people, something happens pretty much every day where you do something nice for someone, whether you realize it or not. A lot of times it can be as simple as saying “thank you” to a delivery person or the person at a store, holding a door open for someone or just smiling at somebody as you pass them by. All it takes is something small to do a nice thing for somebody and maybe make their day a little better than it was. Sadly, I think politeness and niceness is something that is really getting lost in the shuffle in today’s world. Everywhere I go, it seems there are more and more people who act and behave rudely and unkind towards others. We have turned into such a rushed society; everyone is in a hurry to get someplace that they think is life or death and they want you to move out of their way so they can get there faster. You see it all the times in stores. People will push you out of the way or past you to get the last box of something off the shelf or push past you in the aisle without saying “excuse me” or apologizing. I don’t know what happened or when it happened along the way, but people seem to have forgotten how to be nice. I was talking about this with my friend Chrissy yesterday, and we both seem to think that over the last 20 years or so people have come to the conclusion that they are entitled to certain things in life, that they don’t have to earn their way, it should be given to them without them having to ask or work for it. We see it a lot with kids and young adults these days, where they aren’t nice to elders or their peers. When I was young, we were always taught to be respectful and polite to everyone, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Is it just that this is something that isn’t stressed in families anymore? I know we always stress it to Sean. Sean and I were in the store yesterday and he bumped into another shopper’s cart (which happens a lot with Sean with his vision) and he immediately apologized and said “I am so sorry Ma’am.” The woman looked at him like he had two heads (I am thinking because he said Ma’am, something she probably doesn’t hear very often) and just moved on, but I was proud that he did that. I have always stressed politeness and respect with him, because it was always stressed with me. I was so glad that one of things all of his teachers have said to me is that he is so polite and respectful to them and to others. It’s really a simple thing to do every day, doesn’t really take much effort and doesn’t impede your day at all. I really can’t understand why people don’t do it more. I have no problem with letting someone who has 1 or 2 items in the shopping line go ahead of me, or someone at the bank (do people still go to the bank anyway?) or post office. In the days before EZ Pass, I have paid the toll of the person behind me. I have helped out someone who didn’t have enough change at the cash register. The philosophy of “pay it forward” I think is a good one. I really do think that doing a nice thing for someone else does it make likely that they will turn around and do something for someone else that day. A nicety done to you changes your attitude and makes you feel like “yes, there really are good people in the world and maybe I can be one of them too and help somebody.” It doesn’t have to be a big , charitable act; I think it’s the small things that really add up. I hope that gentleman I let go ahead of me at the barbershop went and did something nice for someone else after he left. I really do live by the idea now that life is too short to rush around everywhere you go and too short to pass the opportunity to help someone. All the niceties I received in the forms of prayers, visits, smiles and anything else anyone did to help me while I was in the hospital helped save my life, so a little effort on my part isn’t much to ask at all, in my opinion. Try to do something nice like that every day. I know it sounds cliché, but I really do think it can change your life and the life of someone else.
Okay, that’s my sermon for the day. Thanks to everyone who answered and special thanks to Jamie Lynn Siegler for answering me on Twitter (she seemed very nice about and even sent me a little note later on in the day). Now on to the next question. I have been thinking up a bunch of questions over the last week or so and writing them down and now I am trying to figure out which one would be the best to use. I get ideas from lots of places: things I happen to read, see or hear, catch on the news or read on friends’ pages on Facebook or Twitter and try to use them for ideas of things to write about it. I have been able to get a few ideas over the last few days that I hope to use this week, some are fun, some are more, well let’s say thought-provoking, to make it sound more interesting. Today, since it’s kind dreary and it’s Monday, it made me think about how I feel getting up in the morning, so let’s go with this one today:
Do you consider yourself a morning person or an evening person? Why?
It seems everyone is one or the other. I myself have gone through phases in my life where I was one or the other, but I think I am clearly defined as one now in my life. So do you like getting up with the sunrise (or earlier) or do you prefer staying up until the wee hours of the morning? What are the benefits of being one way over the other? I am curious as to what some answers might be and why some people feel better about mornings over evenings and vice versa. Think about it and let me know. You can leave an answer on here, or on Facebook or Twitter. I’ll pose the question to some people on Twitter too and see if they respond. I’ll post my answer tomorrow.
Alright, I rattled on enough today, ranting about being polite, so I’ll be polite now and let you get back to your business and me back to mine. Hopefully the rest of the day gets better for everyone. To my family enjoying the sun in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I hope you are having a great time! Until tomorrow, don’t forget to do something creative today!
Filed under: Manners, Questions | 1 Comment
Tags: manners, mornings vs. evenings, niceness, pay it forward, politeness, question of the day
Thanks to all the answers to yesterday’s question. it was fun to see what everyone would pick. In case you missed it, here was yesterday’s question:
What is your favorite donut?
Since yesterday was National Donut Day, I figured why not ask. it seems we have a national day for something just about every day, but at least this was something I could get behind. if you know me, you know I love donuts. I know they aren’t good for me to eat, but I don’t care – they are GOOD to eat, that’s all I need. I am sure I could eat them all day long if I wouldn’t die in the process. There are so many different kinds that I really like. I can remember back when I was a kid and we lived with my grandparents in Brooklyn that my grandfather would go to the bakery every Sunday and get hard rolls and jelly donuts and leave them by the door for us in a white paper bag and say gremlins had left donuts for us. Jelly donuts I think are really the only kind of filling donuts I like. I am not a big fan of cream filled donuts or chocolate covered donuts. I do enjoy just a plain donut, but I do like some that have frosting or some kind of flavoring. I fell in love with the Fractured Prune, a donut shop in Delaware that we frequent when we visit family in Delaware. They make their donuts as you order them, using the same basic donut but putting all different kinds of toppings on them. They make a banana one that is out of this world. If there was a store like that here, I would be there every day. Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme each make good donuts too, though we only have Dunkin Donuts around here (it seems there is one about every mile around here now). When it comes to my absolute favorite, I would have to go with the apple fritter. It is just plain delicious with the crunchy outside and the apple filling, yum yum. Dunkin Donuts makes one, but they only sell it certain in shops. Adams Farms makes their own around here and they are wonderful, but they are about the size of my head they are so big, so I don’t get them very often. We have a small deep fryer that Michelle and Sean bought me a while back and we have made our own apple fritters; I think those were the best. Sean is still waiting for us to make the maple bacon donut he wants; that will have to be next to try.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to post their own personal choices and a special thank you to Christopher Kimball and Scott Conant for providing their own answers on Twitter. For today’s question, I thought I would ask something that crossed my mind as I was getting my hair cut this week. A gentleman came into the shop while I was sitting there, it was early in the morning and I was the only person waiting, and there was just one barber working at the time. He said another barber would be in this morning, but he wasn’t sure of the time. The gentleman was in a hurry and had a meeting in 45 minutes (why he waited until then to decide on a haircut, I don’t know, but that’s another issue). The barber finished up and I told the gentleman to go ahead of me since he was in a rush. He seemed taken aback that I would let him go in front of me, but I didn’t have any place I had to be in, so it was no big deal to me. When he was done, he thanked me for giving up my spot and left. I went and sat for my hair cut and the barber remarked to me that it was nice of me to do what I did. That got me thinking about this question:
“What’s a nice thing that you have done for someone recently? Is there something you have done to “pay it forward” recently?
It doesn’t have to be something that you think is a big deal, it could be something small like helping someone pick up some papers that fell, holding a door open for someone, giving someone some extra change when they were short for a cup of coffee, whatever you can think of that may have brightened someone’s day a little bit, or perhaps enough that they too might have gone one to do something nice for someone. We seem to have forgotten a lot about politeness and the niceties of life, but I won’t get too much into that right now since it will be part of my answer tomorrow. Think about your answer and let me know. You can either leave your answer here, on Facebook or on Twitter. I’ll also ask some people on Twitter and see if they respond. I’ll post my answer tomorrow.
Okay, that’s all I have today. I am off to a barbecue now (we pass 2 or 3 Dunkin Donuts on the way there, depending on how we go, but I’ll resist the urge) so enjoy the rest of your day and don’t forget to do something creative today (or something nice for someone so you can answer the question)!
Filed under: Food, Questions | 1 Comment
Tags: donuts, favorite donut, national donut day, question of the day
Great answers to yesterday’s question. I am glad to see that so many people feel that they have something to be proud of in their lives. In case you missed it, here is yesterday’s question:
What is something that you have done in your life that you are particularly proud of?
There were a lot of answers (more on that in a minute), and a lot of people seem to agree that the thing to be most proud of is being a parent or your children. I’m not going to be modest for a minute – I do feel I have a lot to be proud of in my life. I got a good education, got my Master’s degree, taught students, managed a business that had over a million dollars in sales, I was able to beat doctor’s odds on being able to walk and breathe on my own again, but the one thing I think I can say I am most proud of is that I, with a lot of help from Michelle, have helped to raise a child who has turned out to be a pretty good kid. I always hear nothing but good things about Sean and how friendly and respectful he is to other kids and adults, and I don’t think anything can make me feel prouder than that. Just knowing that he has learned thing in life that have made him not only friendly and polite, but an intelligent, well-rounded individual who can think for himself and make the right choices (about as often as any eleven year-old can anyway) does make me smile and believe that we have done a good job raising him. I do think that we have given him the confidence to feel like he can accomplish things on his own and that he knows about personal responsibility. I am so proud that he willingly gives of his time to do charitable works like spending time helping senior citizens play bingo or doing road clean up work for the community. I’m proud that he has spending his weekends doing odd jobs and work so he can earn some money so he can do things this summer, and I am proud that he wants to take summer enrichment classes in cooking and in digital animation this year so he can learn more and do more. We never forced him to do anything; he always approached us and asked if he could do it. I do agree with my cousin Jessica, who was proud that her experiences of hard work when she was young have made her the person she is today. I think the same will be true with Sean, and it makes me proud to think that I have played a part in him turning out this way. Michelle and I have always stressed the importance of working at hard not just in school but at life is important for him and we have tried to educate him to be a well-rounded, well-informed individual – the key being individual, and not just part of the crowd, and I think he is that way (and if you know Sean, then you know he certainly is individual and one of a kind!).
Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer the question and a special thanks to Troy Aikman, who took the time to answer, sort of. he said he couldn’t really think of anything to be proud of, which I think indicates some modesty on his part since he accomplished a lot in his career but also in his charity work and I am sure with his family, but his answer (or non-answer) spurred quite a few answers from his Twitter followers, which in turn turned a lot of them towards me since he attached my name to his answer. Most were friendly and said nice things about Troy Aikman, or answered the question themselves (many said the same things, they were proud of raising a family, military accomplishments, etc.) and some were a little put out that I even asked him such a question or annoyed that he didn’t mention the Super Bowl. Anyway, it was quite a to-do for a bit, but thanks Troy! Now on to today’s question:
Since today is National Donut Day, what is your favorite donut?
Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about donuts. I know, they aren’t good for you, but who cares, I think they are delicious, and if they are willing to designate a day as Donut Day, I am all for it and everyone should participate! Do you have a favorite donut or donut type? There has to be one that you like to buy or make at home or get from friend who makes them. There are plenty to choose from, so see if you can come up with one and let me know. You can answer on here, or on Facebook or Twitter. I’ll also ask some people on Twitter and see if they respond. I’ll post my answer tomorrow.
Thanks again to everyone who keeps participating in this little experiment/project/whatever you want to call this blog. I am having fun doing it and I hope you’re having fun reading it. If you ever have anything you want to contribute, leave a comment or drop me a note on Facebook or Twitter or via e-mail at IguanaFlats@msn.com. Enjoy the rest of your donut-filled day and don’t forget to do something creative today (maybe make some donuts?)!
Filed under: Questions | 2 Comments
Tags: donuts, proud accomplishments, question of the day
What’s Going on in the Basement?
Well, yesterday’s question did quite well. Some people enjoyed remembering back and others didn’t really want to remember at all! Either way is okay, it was fun to just ask, and I am sure it got you thinking back to that time in your life even if you didn’t submit an answer. In case you missed it, yesterday’s question was:
Who was your first kiss?
Lots of people enjoyed the memory of thinking back upon it, and a lot of you were a lot younger than me when I had my first kiss (shame on you! 🙂 ). My first kiss happened when I was 11 and it was the girl who lived across the street from us in Ozone Park. Her name was Trina Chiarelli and I think she was a year older than me at the time if I remember correctly. We were in the basement of her parents’ house (I can’t remember why) and I know I had a crush on her at the time. I ca n’t even remember exactly what we were doing at the moment, but at one point she turned to me and said “If you’re going to kiss me, you better do it fast before someone else comes down here,” and so I did. It lasted a little bit, then it was over and we left the basement. I do remember kissing her a few times after that on other days and hanging out with her, but I think that it wasn’t long after that my family moved away to Monroe. I’ll never forget the kiss though. It was something completely new to me and I remember feeling that this was pretty wonderful and it made me feel good, but I guess that was probably pretty normal for an eleven year-old boy. Anyway, Trina, if you are out there somewhere, thank you for that first kiss. You may not remember it in the grand scheme of your life, but I sure do.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer. I really enjoyed everyone’s answers and I hope it brought back some good memories for you. A special thank you to Ann Curry, Debi Mazar and Martha Plimpton for taking the time to answer me on Twitter as well. For today’s question, we’ll try to tackle a little more serious topic, but it’s still one that should make you feel good about yourself and who you are. So here it is:
What is something that you have done in your life that you are particularly proud of?
I think this is a pretty open-ended question. It could really be anything that you have done in your life; it doesn’t have to be a business accomplishment or an education accomplishment, although it certainly can be if that’s what you feel most proud of doing. Try to think of something that you have done that when you look back on it, you say to yourself “wow, I really did a good job with that.” It’s not time to be modest, people. We are allowed to pat ourselves on the back now and then. It doesn’t have to be something that has benefited you directly either; it can be something that helped others more than you. It can be an event or happening that may seem really small in the eyes of some but had a huge impact on yourself or someone else. Think about and get back to me and let me know. You can answer on here, or on Facebook or Twitter. I’ll also pose the question to some people on Twitter and see what kind of response I get. I’ll post my answer tomorrow.
I think that gives us enough to think about for today, don’t you? I have to say I am very happy that people seem to be responding well to the blog and interest is holding. I enjoy writing it and gives me a little glimpse into your life and you get a big one into mine. It gives me an excuse to keep writing, and occasionally a place to rant and vent (I apologize for those days in advance, but sometimes I just have to do it. Trust me, it will happen). Thanks to all who have been participating whether it’s on here, or Facebook, or Twitter or by e-mail, and feel free to participate and comment on anything at any time. I love the comments and the sharing and it feeds my ideas for other writing. I have little pads and books all over the house now and in the car so I can write ideas down. Anyway, back to work, think about your answer, and don’t forget to do something creative today! (It could turn out to be the thing you are most proud of!)
Filed under: Love, Memories, Questions | 2 Comments
Tags: first kiss, first kiss memories, proud accomplishments, question of the day
I am feeling better today and in a good mood although I didn’t really get much sleep last night between the humidity, the dog not wanting to sleep and some foot issues, but for some reason I feel in really good spirits today, so hopefully that’s a good sign. It did make me change the direction I was going to go today and since I am feeling a little more lighthearted, I think I will keep that direction with today’s question. But first, let’s not forget about yesterday’s question. There were lots of good answers and everyone seems to have met some pretty interesting people along the way. Yesterday’s question was:
What celebrity that you have met left you feeling starstruck?
Now, I personally haven’t met a lot of celebrities. I have met a lot of baseball players from going to card shows, conventions and ball games, and I don’t think I ever felt in awe of any of them, although when I met Felix Millan when I was just a kid in Queens that was a pretty big deal. I’ve met guys like Whitey Ford (Michelle can tell you about that one, he was kind of a jerk) Bob Feller (who was super nice), Don Larsen, Moose Skowron, Bucky Dent, and on and on, and most of them were very nice guys who were happy to see their fans. As far as other types of celebrities, I really haven’t met very many. I talked to Ross Perot on the phone once, and I can’t say I was particularly impressed by him before or after our conversation. I passed the Amazing Kreskin in the hallway of a hotel (is he a celebrity? maybe not). It’s really only through my years working at West Point that I have met anyone that other people might know. We had several dignitaries come into the shop, but unless your into military history or politics, you probably wouldn’t care who they were. The only person I can think of who I met personally who I found impressive was Norman Schwarzkopf. The shop was handling his class reunion for merchandise and he had ordered a few things, and I guess he also came into the shop and was looking for me for some information on a speech he had given and I wasn’t in, so he left a note with his name and number on my desk. Someone else had taken care of the speech for him so I never got to call him, but I was at his class reunion and got to meet him when he picked up his merchandise from me. It was impressive to meet someone of his historical significance and he was very nice and friendly, and had a firm handshake too :). That’s about the only person I can think of who I met who left an impression like that on me.
Thank you to everyone who answered yesterday’s question and a special thank you to Molly Ringwald and Debra Messing for answering me on Twitter as well. On to today’s question! As I wrote earlier, I had planned to ask some thought-provoking question today, but I was reading while my buddy Liam was falling asleep a bit ago and something in the story I am reading sparked me to answer something much lighter and more fun, something that hopefully will give you a smile and a good memory to think back on. It’s quite a simple question:
Who was your first kiss?
The kisses you get from your grandmothers and aunts don’t count; you know what I am talking about, people. The first real kiss that had some type of romance involved in it. Okay maybe not romance, but when you were young what felt like romance to you, even if it seems silly to you now. Everyone always says you remember your first kiss, so there’s no excuse for anyone not answering. Think about it and let me know. You can answer on here, on Facebook or on Twitter. I’ll also ask some people on Twitter and see if they respond. I’ll post my answer tomorrow.
That’s it for now everyone. I have to try to get some work done while Liam sleeps, so that’s all I have time for today. I look forward to your answers and any comments you decide to leave, good, bad or indifferent, are always welcome. Suggestions are welcome too! Until next time, don’t forget to do something creative today!
Filed under: Celebrities, Questions | 7 Comments
Tags: brush with greatness, first kiss, meeting a celebrity, question of the day
I took another day off yesterday to relax with some friends, although the heat and my medication got the better of me for a little bit, we still had a very fun day (Thank you Hauser family!). Back on Sunday, I asked everyone this question:
When you go out to a bar or restaurant, what is your go-to cocktail?
I got lots of answers, and a lot of people chose different types of wines, although Chardonnay seems to be a particular favorite and quite a few of the ladies said a cosmopolitan. If you have ever been out with me at a restaurant or bar or at a party, you know that while I generally drink beer, if I want a cocktail, I am going for a vodka martini. If I have my choice, it’s Grey Goose Vodka, just a hint of vermouth, some good green olives, and I do like it on the rocks. I know, I know, the ice dilutes the flavor of the drink, but that’s the way I like it best, so sue me. I made the mistake of letting be known that I liked a Grey Goose martini one year and ended up with 4 or 5 bottles of Grey Goose for Christmas, which I think I finally just finished about a month or so ago after about 4 years. I do like to have one when we go out to dinner and sometimes at a bar if it looks like the bartender can make a good one. Some put in way too much vermouth or too much vodka and it just doesn’t taste the same. Michelle makes a really good one at home, so I do get to enjoy one once in a while.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer the question, and a special thanks to Boomer Esiason, Kristin Chenowith and Todd English, who took the time to answer me on Twitter. That leads me into today’s question. I thought I would keep things light today since I plan to get into some heavier topics later in the week. So here’s today’s question:
What celebrity have you met that made you feel starstruck?
I think we have all had “brushes with greatness” at one point or another, whether it happened when we were kids or as an adult. I have had a few, but I think I can narrow this one down pretty easily. So who have you met that you were really impressed by, that may have left you speechless or feeling all giddy? It could be anyone, it doesn’t have to be someone who is super-famous or anything, maybe just someone who was on local television or something. Someone that left a “Wow!” feeling when you met them. Think about and let me know. You can answer on here, or on Facebook or Twitter. I’ll ask some people on Twitter as well and see what kind response I get. I’ll post my answer tomorrow.
I don’t have a lot to write about today, although I have a lot things swimming around in my head. Yesterday stirred some things up that I have to deal with now and again, and in a way, it’s good that they come up because I vent about them, but in a way it’s bad because I hate to burden people with all that stuff, but at some point I guess I have to let it out in some way. I am hoping that I can use this for some of that, so I apologize in advance if I start rattling on or complaining. Anyway, let’s get on with the rest of the day and see what tomorrow brings. Until then, don’t forget to do something creative today!
Filed under: Food, Questions | 4 Comments
Tags: brush with greatness, favorite drink, grey goose vodka, question of the day
I took the day off yesterday (actually I spent most of the day cooking, and I’ll have the recipes I made on my other blog at www.onedadskitchen.com late on today) and played some basketball with Sean so I didn’t do any blogging at all yesterday. Thanks to everyone who answered Friday’s question of:
If you were going on a picnic and could go anywhere you wanted, where would you go and what would you bring?
I got some interesting answers, but most of them seem to tend towards the same thing of a nice, quiet backyard-type setting with lots of grass, lots of shade and lots of good food. There are so many places to choose to go for a nice picnic, I don’t know that I could pick an exact place. I can say that I too would like a nice quiet, grassy setting, someplace shaded by trees but enough so that some sun can break through and give you the nice warm feeling on your face now and then. There are probably settings like this all over, in any park or mountain hideaway. it would have to be somewhere where it wouldn’t get too hot, maybe near a lake that you could take a quick dip or do some fishing before you picnic. As for what I would bring, I would take a nice picnic basket with a comfy blanket to sit on or lay on. There would have to be some fresh fruit involved, maybe a fruit salad or just a mix of some berries and melon. I would want to make some chicken salad sandwiches, or maybe even better some peppery bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado sandwiches on some nice fresh ciabatta bread, some really fresh half sour pickles and some fresh, homemade potato salad. I could even go lighter and just bring a fresh loaf of crunchy french bread, some really fresh, off the vine tomatoes, a little salt, some arugula and some good extra-virgin olive oil and just have some sliced tomato and pieces of bread with a little bit of the oil, yum yum. Of course we would have to have a bottle of wine, something light I think, probably a white that you would have chilled to serve with your picnic. I think that would be great.
Thanks again to everyone who answered and a special thank you to Geoffrey Zakarian, Scott Conant, Gael Greene and MyLastBite.com for offering up their answers. For today’s question, I thought I would stick with the relaxing, fun weekend theme and try this question:
When you go out for a drink to a bar or restaurant, what is your go-to cocktail?
Everyone has a drink that they choose when they go out, something special that you really like to have. It can be anything you want at all, something you really enjoy the taste of, relaxes you or is just a fun drink to have. Think about it and let me know. You can answer on here, on Facebook or on Twitter. I’ll also ask some people on Twitter and see if they respond. I’ll post my answer tomorrow.
I think that’s all I have for now. I am working on something that I may post later if you feel like checking back to see what it is. It woke me up in the middle of the night last night, and I wrote some of it down, so we’ll see if I can finish it today. Until then, I hope everyone is enjoying a relaxing weekend and don’t forget to do something creative today!
Filed under: Food, Questions | 3 Comments
Tags: favorite picnic spot, going on a picnic, picnic basket, question of the day
The Office of Iguana Flats 