Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Beer Barrel Polka

1) Have you ever danced the polka? They made us dance the polka as part of PE in junior high school. Square dancing, too. It was horrific.

2) Frankie Yankovic was a stellar accordion player. What instrument have you mastered, or would like to learn? I wanted to learn the guitar, but my fingers are stubby and I had a bitch of a time reaching around the frets.
 
3) When Frankie died in 1998, his obituary proclaimed him as "America's Polka King." Lucille Ball was "The Queen of Comedy" and Michael Jackson was "The King of Pop." What royal title do you deserve? I like Queen of All She Surveys.
 

4) Do you like light beer? Yes, especially Miller Lite. My subjects love me because I'm a simple monarch with common tastes.

5) In 1901, daredevil Annie Taylor successfully went over Niagara Falls in a barrel. She was badly bruised but otherwise fine. How much money would it take for you do to do something that dangerous? I'm entirely too old for such nonsense. Though I suspect there was a time when I might be tempted to do something dangerous/stupid.

6) When was the last time you visited a pet store? Last week. And I'll return over the weekend. Regular kibble run.

 
7) What's your favorite salad dressing? French
 

8)  Sam Winters is crazy about her smart phone. She uses it to take pictures, record videos, listen to tunes, answer emails and surf the net and, oh yeah, she even uses it to make calls. How indispensable is your mobile phone in your day-to-day life? I'm notorious among my friends for seldom even having my phone on. It calls out, it takes calls, and I can access email and texts. That's more than enough.
 

9) "Kocham cię" is "I love you" in Polish. Can you say "I love you" in a language other than English (and Polish)? Te amo. Te adoro.

 

Good news!

Lately, when it comes to finances, I haven't had much good news. But today's mail did make me smile.

First I got word from the bank that my property taxes will be going up, and therefore there's a projected shortfall of $1261 in my escrow account. BOO!

But then I opened a check from MetLife. It wasn't easy, but I was finally granted $2083 from my mother's estate. YEA!

We still won't be out of my mom's house until mid-January at the soonest, but let's not think about that right now. Let's just be happy that I can pay off my unexpected escrow bill and have money left over.

An award!

I have been blogging for a million years now (give or take) and it still surprises me and warms my heart that I have readers and cyberfriends. That's why I'm grateful for this award from Pearl. If you get a moment, go over and check out her blog. 

I already went the full nine yards with this particular award a few months ago, so I'm not going to tag others. But to celebrate Pearl naming me, I'm going to give six things about myself and answer her 11 questions.


6 Things About Myself:

1.  I don't know why I'm fascinated by true crime shows, but I am. Right now I'm watching the new ID channel. (At least it's new to my cable company.)

2.  Today's payday, so this is top of mind: I pay many of my bills online, and yet I'm resistant to going completely paperless and eliminating the monthly bills. I don't know why. Loyalty to the United States Postal Service?

3.  I miss baseball.

4.  I suffer from very dry skin in winter.

5.  My worst quality is my laziness.

6.  My best quality is that I think fast on my feet.


And here are my answers to Pearl's questions:

1.  Sunny, Rainy, or Snowy? Sunny. But I also enjoying seeing the sun glint off the snow.
2.  Is the glass half-full or half empty? Half full

3.  Have you gone on a leisurely trip this year?  Where would you like to travel next? I'm going to Key West to see my dear friends in just a few weeks. We ring in the new year together. I can't wait to see them!

4.  Do you love your job? I like my job. In this economy, I'm grateful for it, too.

5.  What's your most treasured material possession in the world? I have a silver-plated ring, a band with an engraved lotus design. It's hardly fine jewelry, less than $100 new. But it's pretty and it fits perfectly and I feel naked without it.

6.  What's your favorite reading material? Your favorite author? I love books. Old school books. I haven't moved onto e-readers yet. One of my favorite authors is Robert B. Parker. I felt terrible when he passed away almost 3 years ago.

7.  Do you cook?  What's your favorite food (the one food you can't live without)? I'm the world's most inept cook! And I have a fondness for steak.

8.  Which do you prefer, shopping online or at the mall? Yes! I love retail in all its forms.

9.  Do you exercise? How often?  What's your favorite form of exercise? I try to exercise 3 times/week. And over the past four months I have failed miserably. At any rate, I like cardio. I have to make myself work out with weights.

10.  Christmas tree: plastic or real tree? Plastic. I worry about a real tree drying out and being a fire hazard.

11.  Do you like to watch news?  What's your favorite news program? I'm a news junkie! My favorite show is Morning Joe on MSNBC. The host is a former congressman, a conservative Republican, and his co-host is a progressive Democrat. I enjoy the civility of their conversations and how much I learn from hearing them interview guests from all across the political spectrum.