Sunday Stealing Archives - Page 10 of 22

Sunday Stealing: The Book of Questions

Eating alone

This week’s Sunday Stealing is The Book of Questions.

1. When you tell a story, do you often exaggerate?

No, unless it’s SO obvious, generally for comedic purposes.

2. If a friend were almost always late, would you resent it or simply allow for it?

Interesting that the issue came up this very week. Many events were late because of a loving, but overly ambitious agenda. When they were disappointed that I had to leave before the last event was over, but 45 minutes after the event was supposed to be over, I felt bad. But I needed to be elsewhere.

3. Can you be counted on to be on time?

I did a whole post on this.

4. When did you last yell at someone? Why?

It wasn’t exactly yelling, but I was on a committee to work on a different event. There is one item that always ends that entity’s events. Someone thought the closing should be dropped because of the time. I was adamant that it should not be dropped. I knew the event’s founders felt as I did, but I was willing to play the bad cop.

Services, gratis

5. If you could have free, unlimited service for five years from an extremely good cook, chauffeur, housekeeper, masseuse, or personal secretary, which would you choose?

Personal secretary if it meant they would type stuff. I hate typing, and I’m poor at it. If they didn’t type, then a housekeeper for sure. But the others are also appealing.

6. Would you be willing to go to a slaughterhouse and kill a cow? Do you eat meat?

Nope. Sometimes, yes.

7. Do you feel ill at ease going alone to either dinner or a movie? What about going on a vacation by yourself?

I’ve dined alone. While I prefer going to the movies with another, I’ve seen at least three movies in 2023 by myself. I went on a vacation alone in 1998. I’d do it again given the right circumstances, perhaps visiting some Major League Baseball parks,, which are uninteresting to my wife and daughter.

8. Would you like to be famous? In what way?

You mean I’m not? Well, I would rather not.. The sniping on social media alone makes it undesirable.

9. Would you rather play a game with someone more or less talented than you?

About even. But given the duality, someone who is more talented.

Dreams

10. Is there something you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?

Go to Asia. Maybe I will in the next few years once I’ve saved up.

11. If you were at a friend’s house for Thanksgiving dinner and found a dead cockroach in your salad, what would you do?

I’d discreetly get the friend out of the room and tell them.

12. Would you accept $10,000 to shave your head and continue your normal activities sans hat or wig without explaining the reason for your haircut?

With my (lack of) hair? That’d be like free money.

13. If you were able to wake up tomorrow in the body of someone else, would you do so? Whom would you pick?

I would not. I’m having enough trouble being me.

14. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

I would not. It all shapes me, the good and the bad.

15. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?

There’s a cliche about tragedy, plus time equals comedy. So it may be a matter of timing. I think of Hogan’s Heroes and The Producers making fun of the Nazis in the 1960s, e.g.

Sunday Stealing: Songs

NOT Constantinople

This week’s Sunday Stealing is right up my alley: Songs—links to all.

1. A song with a food name.

Lady Marmalade – LaBelle: “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?”

2. A song with an animal in it.

A Horse With No Name – America. America played at my college in late 1971 or early 1972. The charge was fifty cents, but I didn’t go. Weeks later, the song was #1 on the pop charts.

3. A song about a bird

Three Little Birds – Bob Marley. “Every little thing is gonna be all right.”

4. A song about a dog

Hey Bulldog – The Beatles. From the Yellow Submarine film

5. A song mentioning a cat

Cat Food – King Crimson. I sing it to my cats each time I feed them.

6. A song listing a character from Wizard of Oz

If I Only Had A Brain – Domini Forster. This was from a YouTube search.

7. A late-night driving song

Keep On Running – the Spencer Davis Group. This running song has a driving feel.

City of Brotherly Love

8. A song from a movie

Philadelphia – Neil Young. Bruce Springsteen received an Oscar for his song from the movie Philadelphia, entitled Streets of Philadelphia. But the Neil song, right at the end of the film, always gets me, and Springsteen intimated that he thought Neil’s song was better in his acceptance speech.

9. A guilty pleasure song

Waterloo – ABBA. Truth to tell, I don’t believe in “guilty pleasure” music

10. A song about friends

Friends – Elton John. This could have been the movie song as well.

11. A song that is about summertime

Summertime Blues – Eddie Cochran. WAY back in 2006, I wrote a blog post about a mixed CD I made about summer. I own at least three versions of this song, including Blue Cheer and The Who.

12. A song that needs to be played more on the radio

Love In Them There Hills – the Pointer Sisters. That said, I don’t listen much to music on the radio.

13. A song about drugs or alcohol

Demon Alcohol – the Kinks, from the great Muswell Hiillbillies album

14. A song you would sing at karaoke

Take Me To The River – Talking Heads. I picked their version because I couldn’t do Cousin Al justice.

15. A song from the year you were born

Istanbul (Not Constantinople) – The Four Lads. This was famously covered by They Might Be Giants.

Sunday Stealing: League

a scar

This week’s Sunday Stealing is called League because it was stolen, once again, from the League of Extraordinary Penpals.

1. My favorite sources for delicious recipes

I have an old Betty Crocker cookbook. The one downside is that it calls for certain-sized cans or boxes, but shrinkflation has altered them. For instance, a lasagna recipe suggests 32-ounce cans of sauce, but now they come in 28 ounces.

2. If I had to repeat a day over & over, how I’d want it to go

It would involve writing, doing genealogy, reading, watching JEOPARDY, and going to choir.

3. Who or what has saved my life

Possibly this blog. It has allowed me to clarify my thoughts. But also the community of bloggers because writing this merely for my improvement would be boring.

4. Something I can never seem to start or finish

Cleaning my office, which would be evident if you saw it.

5. How my taste in food has changed over the years

As a kid, I hated almost all vegetables. I actually like broccoli and several others now. But I now despise most canned vegetables. I tried canned spinach a few years ago, which I would eat as a kid, probably hypnotized by Popeye, and I found it VILE. Give me fresh or if necessary, frozen.

6. The last time I cried

I was undoubtedly listening to music. But they weren’t sad tears; they were happy tears. Maybe it was As by Stevie Wonder.

7. The best parts of human nature

I think most people want to help if they can.

8. Concepts and ideas that bend my mind

I’ve been watching a lot about Artificial Intelligence and how it can be used for good. Or not. This 60 Minutes piece speaks to this.

9. What I’m most likely to ask for help with

Something technological

Tumble

10. The story behind one of my scars

When I was three years old, I fell down the stairs between my grandparents’ place and ours. There is a scar below my lower lip where facial hair refuses to grow.

11. I’ve never said this out loud…

And I probably won’t write it down here, either.

12. Times I’ve been the leader/the one people count on

Black History Month at my church for at least a decade, being the one in my Bible group to make sure we have the Zoom link. I was in charge of the mail order, balancing the checkbook, and making the bank deposit when I worked at FantaCo, a comic book store, in the 1980s. Undoubtedly other things.

13. Whenever I see these people, my heart lights up

The choir people

14. With my financial needs met, here’s how I’d spend my time

Travel, doing genealogy.

15. The people I talk to when I want the truth

My OLD friends, most of whom I have written about in this blog over the past nine months.

Sunday Stealing: Pinterest

555 feet

This Sunday Stealing cue comes from Pinterest. I have an account, but I never use it. BTW, the graphic came from Pinterest.

1. Would you rather trade some intelligence for looks or looks for intelligence?

Easy. I’ll always take intelligence. Looks are transitory. Intelligence is sexy.

2. If everything in your house had to be one color, what would it be?

I guess I’ll go with the obvious. There’s such a range in any color. Here are 134 Shades of Green Color With Names, Hex, RGB, CMYK Codes

3. What animal would be the most terrifying if it could speak?

Humans. Some of them say the damndest things.

4. How do you procrastinate?

I don’t see it as procrastination. I play backgammon, spades, and pinochle on my phone as a break from a given task.

5. If you had a warning label, what would yours say?

Prone to tell you some obscure fact that you have no interest in.

6. Would you rather go 30 days without your phone or life without dessert?

I could easily survive 30 days without my phone if I could commit my appointment to a paper calendar first. I’ve determined that others can’t deal with me not having a phone. Doctors’ offices. Anything involving two-step verification. THEY want me to have a phone.

7. If one animal was made the size of an elephant, which would be the scariest?

An ant. Have you ever looked at those mandibles?

Obelisk

8. If you were reincarnated as a famous landmark, which would it be?

The Washington Monument. At 555 feet, it has such a great view of history. (I didn’t have to look up the height; I told you I know obscure stuff.)

9. What celebrity chef would you like to make you dinner?

The first living one I could think of was Nigella Lawson because she seems genuine and not a schmuck. If we could resurrect Julia Child or Anthony Bourdain, then one of them.

10. How much would someone have to pay you to eat a spider?

The annual budget of the charity of my choosing.

11. If you joined a circus, what would your circus act be?

Cat tamer. I’m talking about domesticated felines.

12. Do you have any superstitions?

None come to mind.

13. What cheesy song do you have memorized?

The great thing about getting older is that if there were cheesy songs, I’d since forgotten them. Of course, it depends on the definition of “cheesy.” Okay, Be Kind To Your Parents, which my sister Leslie and I used to sing as kids.

14. What’s something weird that you recommend everyone tries at least once?

I don’t think it’s “weird,” but sitting quietly for at least five minutes daily.

15. What do you think is the most unpleasant-sounding word?

Schmuck. Or at least the worse one I’m willing to post online.

Sunday Stealing: Mantelligence?

ethical zoos

This Sunday Stealing is by someone called Mantelligence. He writes: “Why should everyone want to know random questions to ask that can be found in this post? Because random things to talk about work so well. They throw your audience off-balance in a discussion, often making people give more honest and genuine answers.” Occasionally, that’s true; other times, some of those folks shut down.

1. If You Had The World’s Attention For 30 Seconds, What Would You Say?

I don’t think there’s a thing I could say in 30 seconds that would be that significant. That’s true of most people unless they can change the trajectory of events. Declaring war, e.g.

2. If Your Food Is Bad At A Restaurant, Would You Say Something?

If “bad” means I didn’t enjoy it, then no. One of the recent times my wife and I went out to dinner, we didn’t think the food was all that good and overpriced. However, the host was delightful, and the waitstaff was efficient. Also, my meal was better reheated than as initially served. Weird.

If “bad” means the milk is sour or something unidentifiable in my soup, then yes.

3. What Is In Your Fridge Right Now?

Besides the usual items, leftovers from a different restaurant.

Not a car guy

4. What Are You Freakishly Bad At?

Identifying automobile makes and models. I’m pretty car blind. A good friend picked my wife and me when my wife had several medical procedures last fall. I could only identify the vehicle by the license plate number.

5. Where Do You Not Mind Waiting?

I’m good if I have something to read and preferably a place to sit. The DMV? No problem. Of course, I only go there every eight years to renew my ID.

6. What’s Something You’ve Tried, That You’ll Never, Ever Try Again?

Probably square dancing. I don’t hate it; it’s just that I’m horrible at it. There are steps that I can keep track of when the caller is giving them out. But when they stop… You don’t want me to do-si-do with you.

7. If You Could Dis-Invent One Thing, What Would It Be?

Obviously, war. I’ll go with any assault rifle (AK-47, AR-15, et al.)

8. If You Could Be A Member Of Any TV-Sitcom Family, Which Would It Be?

When I was a kid, it would have been The Dick Van Dyke Show.

9. What Would Be The Best Thing About Not Having A Sense Of Smell?

I’d avoid tobacco odor. I can smell a lit cigarette from ten meters when the wind direction is right.

10. Would You Rather Live (Permanently) In A Roller Coaster Park Or A Zoo?

A zoo, for sure. When I was growing up, zookeepers didn’t seem to know (or care) how to tend to some animals properly. Here’s a piece called Ethical Zoos: How to Determine the Good from the Bad

Tweet and retweet

11. When Scrolling Through Social Media, Do You Prefer Posts From Celebrities Or Your Best Friends?

I don’t care about celebrity musings. This is particularly true on Twitter when some “influencer” was speaking obliquely about… something I had not heard about, assuming that EVERYBODY already knew of it.

(Eventually, I discovered it was about Kid Rock – whose opinion about SO many things has proven tedious – and Travis Tritt boycotting Bud Light. Whatever.)

Also, I likely don’t know most “celebrities” who are under 35.

12. What Makes Someone A Hero?

Mostly, the opportunity to do what’s right when that is difficult to do. Then doing it.

13. What Is The Stupidest Thing You’ve Done Because Someone Dared You To?

A Halloween costume I wore many decades ago.

14. What Is The Stupidest Thing You’ve Done On Your Own Free Will?

I was swimming in the Susquehanna River in Binghamton by myself when I was in high school. I almost drowned.

15. Would You Rather Have Unlimited Sushi For Life Or Unlimited Tacos For Life?

Tacos, assuming they’re soft, and they come with a variety of options.