Connections

I found the following questions here on Anita’s blog. (Anita and I both have newspaper connections: she writes for the Fincastle Herald; I write the column for Smith Mountain Eagle. We're both members of the Roanoke Valley Pen Women.) I was amazed that many of her answers were doggone close to mine. (Her answers are in parentheses.)

Instead of Working

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not that I know of. My father wanted to name me Annie Pearl, after my maternal grandmother’s sister who died young, but for some reason they didn’t. My mother might have been inspired by Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. (Nope. But my uncle stole my name and his daughter, who is two years younger than I, has the same first name and middle initial as I do. My mother really did not like that.)

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? It’s been so long, I can’t remember. (Sometime earlier this year.)

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Nope. The older I get, the more illegible it is. I can’t even read some of what I handwrite. That goodness for computers! (No. It is nearly illegible, very tiny and cramped. It is getting worse as I age.)

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Sliced turkey. (Vienna Sausages.)

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Nope. (Nope.)

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yeah, but then I’m fond of brutally honest, sarcastic, nit-picky, out-spoken curmudgeonly individualists with a wicked sense of humor. (Probably. I don't know anyone else like me, though. Which probably says a lot, I'm just not sure what.)

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Heh, heh, heh. See previous answer. (Moi? Be sarcastic? Never!)

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep. They get larger every year. (No. I had them removed in 1994. I was supposed to be off from work for one day; I ended up being out sick for two weeks. There were complications.)

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No way! (Not now. Maybe when I was young. Back then I went up in a small plane. I've also been in a hot air balloon.)

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I don’t eat cereal. (Frosted Flakes. They're gre...at!)

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? I usually wear velcro-fastened sneakers. (Depends on the shoe.)

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Mentally, yes. Physically, I’m progressively getting weaker. (I am strong mentally but not physically.)

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Tie between Breyer’s strawberry cheesecake and chocolate with almonds. (I don't eat ice cream but I like Chocolate Obsession Soy dessert)

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Usually their eyes—unless they have some unusual feature, like a horn protruding from the forehead. (Their eyes.)

15. RED OR PINK? Depends upon the circumstances. (Pink.)

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Overweight. (I'm overweight.)

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My labradoodle who died about 15 years ago and my first border collie who died in 2004. They were both great dogs. (The people whom I never had.)

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No, but you might answer the questions yourself on your own blog. (No.)

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Jeans and white socks. I just took off my muddy white sneakers. (Jeans and white sneakers.)

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? An apple. I’m drinking coffee now. Does that count? (Raisins.)

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Birds singing; the sound of a manure spreader across the road. (Silence. Well, the air purifier. Plus the bell on the microwave keeps dinging to let me know the rice is done.)

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Blue (Blue.)

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Tie: Lilacs—the old-fashioned kind that actually have fragrance–and anything fresh-baked. Fresh coffee brewing is a close second. (Breakfast cooking.)

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Woman who (thank goodness!) calls about every two months to ask if I need my carpets cleaned. I generally do. (A person I was interviewing for an article.)

25. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Horse shows. (Women's tennis.)

26. HAIR COLOR? Light brown with lots of gray. (Brown with lots of white coming in.)

27. EYE COLOR? Hazel (Hazel)

28. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Glasses—tri-focals, actually. (Glasses.)

29. FAVORITE FOOD? Strawberry cheesecake. (Strawberry shortcake.)

30. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings. (Happy endings.)

31. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Dreamer—a couple of years ago. I rarely go to movies. (Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, for about the umpteenth time. I haven't been to the theater in so long I can't remember what I last saw.)

32. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Purple sweatshirt. (White with a logo on it.)

33. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer (Summer)

34. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs (Hugs)

35. FAVORITE DESSERT? Tie between cheesecake and most things chocolate. (Chocolate anything.)

36. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Just finished Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper, which was wonderful. Now I’m proofing More Peevish Advice. (I'm in between books.)

37. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don’t have one. My eMac’s Pro Mouse doesn’t require a mouse pad. (Go blog yourself. rosie.com.)

38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? The weather forecast. Then I slept through the 1:00 a.m. thunderstorm, or so my husband told me. (I didn't watch TV last night.)

39. FAVORITE SOUND? Nature noises. (Nature noises. The wind whistling, the frogs chirping, the birds singing.)

40. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles (Stones)

41. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Either Canada or the Florida Keys. I haven’t been to Europe. I figure my ancestors had good reasons for leaving it. (Spain and France. I guess that means France, I think it is further away.)

42. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Does writing redneck humor count? (I make my friends laugh.)

43. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? The old Lewis-Gale Hospital (torn down a couple of decades ago) in Roanoke. (In a hospital.)