Sunday Stealing

THOUGHT-PROVOKING QUESTIONS

1. When was the last time you tried something new? On Saturday, I added arugula to my ham and cheddar omelette. That was a first for me. Usually I have spinach. I admit I could taste no difference, but that's not the point, is it? I tried something new.

2. Who do you sometimes compare yourself to? Everyone, all the time. My oldest friend quotes her shrink to me all the time, "Compare and despair." It's a lesson I still haven't learned.

3. What’s the most sensible thing you’ve ever heard someone say? See Q2.

4. What gets you excited about life? All kinds of things! I'm doing good work for my client these days. That makes me happy. And baseball starts this week. GO, CUBS, GO! My vacation is coming up -- I can't wait! And little things, like my cats being all sweet or a lovely blue sky, they excite me, too.

5. What life lesson did you learn the hard way? "He didn't mean it," is a lie tell myself. If someone treats me unkindly on a regular basis, he's an unkind person, he does mean it, and I should flee.

6. What do you wish you spent more time doing five years ago? Being serious about money.

7. Do you ask enough questions or do you settle for what you know? I am a naturally curious person.

8. Who do you love and what are you doing about it? I am not in love with anyone right now.

9. What’s a belief that you hold with which many people disagree? My approach to Christianity seems to be out of vogue in Trump's Evangelical America. Humility, kindness, acceptance ... these things are mocked today. Christians are "tough" now. We think it's perfectly OK for our President to imitate the disabled, pay off porn stars and lie about it, to make fun of POWs, oh, I could go on but it makes me sad.

10. What can you do today that you were not capable of a year ago? I'm sorry, but I got nothing for this one.

11. Do you think crying is a sign of weakness or strength? I don't think it's weak or strong. I think it's personal.

12. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you? I'd dress for myself.

13. Do you celebrate the things you do have? That's my goal for 2019. My OneWord is "gratitude."

14. What is the difference between living and existing? Engagement.

15. If not now, then when? Ok, I'll bite. When?

16. Have you done anything lately worth remembering? I'm going to remember that, while it harms no one, arugula really adds nothing to an omelette.

17. What does your joy look like today?

18. Is it possible to lie without saying a word? Yes

19. If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow this person to be your friend? I admit sometimes I'm harder on myself than I am with others. I try to treat people as I wish to be treated. I should treat myself the same way.

20. Which activities make you lose track of time? Watching the news, farting around on the internet.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Young and Beautiful (2013)
 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.


1) Lana Del Rey wrote this song for the soundtrack of The Great Gatsby. She wanted it to reflect the feelings of Daisy Buchanan. Have you read The Great Gatsby? More than once. It was my favorite book for a while there. Gatsby epitomized "the ends don't justify the means," yet I admired his optimism. Never could stand Daisy, though. I remember the first time I read what Nick said to Gatsby, "You're worth the whole damn bunch of them put together!" I was all like, "Bravo, Nick!"




2) In the 1970s, Robert Redford portrayed Jay Gatsby. In the 2013 version, Leonardo di Caprio played the part. In real life, both "Gatsbys" have helped raised funds for the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). Are you careful about recycling and conserving water/electricity? I'm a handy little recycler and, since redoing my bathroom, I'm better with water. I do keep forgetting about shutting off lights, though.

I preferred Redford as Gatsby. Leo seemed too naive.

3) Lana Del Rey admits that she dropped out of college because she simply could not get the required math credits. When confronted with basic addition, subtraction, multiplication or division, do you do it in your head? Reach for pencil and paper? Or do you take advantage of the calculator that's on your desktop or phone? I have an old-school Office Max calculator that I use a lot. I get frustrated with the one on my phone. Fat fingers, dontchaknow.

4) She enjoys Kurt Cobain, Eminem, Elvis and Sinatra. Which of those four gentlemen did you listen to most recently? I never listen to the first two, but I adore the last two. It's close, but I'll say Elvis.

5) Speaking of Sinatras, she has described her high maintenance look -- big hair, long nails, elaborate eye makeup, full lips -- as "Gangster Nancy Sinatra." How long does it take you, on an average day, to prepare to face the world? This is hard to answer because I get so distracted during the process. I'll go into the bedroom to get my brow pencil and remember I haven't chosen my day's blouse yet. And then I'll take the lint brush to my chosen blouse (cat fur, always cat fur!) and I'll catch sight of myself in the mirror and say, "Oh! Makeup!" and grab the pencil and head back into the bathroom. If I was to concentrate on the task at hand -- pencil, shadow, mascara, and tinted moisturizer -- I say at most 15 minutes.

6) She's a big soccer fan, and her favorite team is Liverpool FC. Here in the US, college basketball fans are currently obsessed with March Madness. What's the last sporting event that you watched? I haven't watched any sports in a while. BUT BASEBALL STARTS NEXT WEEK!

7) Her younger sister, Caroline, studied photography and is responsible for some of Lana's publicity pictures. Have you ever gotten a job because of a relative? Nope

8) In 2013, when this song came out, Pope Francis became the first pope from a Latin American country. Latin America generally includes Mexico, most of Central and South America, and in the Caribbean, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. What's the farthest south that you've ever traveled? Honolulu.




9) Random question -- What button would you prefer your life to have: rewind, fast forward or a pause? Fast forward. Where will I be living on 12/31/19? A real estate agent is coming over tomorrow to assess selling our building.