Wednesday, February 6, 2013

I'm Playing Today...the Wednesday Hodgepodge

This is a rare day in that I am hooking up with Joyce's Wednesday Hodgepodge and playing along in her weekly random question game. I should do this more often....she makes you think and laugh a little too.


1.  Chinese New Year will be celebrated on February 10th, and 2013 is the year of the snake. When did you last see a snake?  Are you okay around snakes or do they give you the shivers? 

This is the last snake I saw, coiled around my son's neck, on Tuesday. He volunteers weekly at a local nature center cleaning reptile enclosures and feeding various lower life forms. Through our visits to the nature center, I have gotten comfortable enough to touch the snakes there. But if I stumble upon one in the wild or my backyard, I will scream and move my feet quicker than you can say heebie-jeebies!


2. The color red in Chinese culture usually means good luck.  Do you believe in luck? 

For lack of any other explanation, I will attribute things to luck. But when it comes down to it, I am not sure luck really exists and that there isn't something greater at work. There are certain people who seem to "have all the luck" and others who are always "down on their luck". When I think of it in big picture terms like that, I believe there is a higher purpose at play. But on a smaller scale, sometimes you do just get lucky.

3. sledding-ice skating-building a snowman...if given a choice, which activity would you choose?  Which of the three have you done most recently?  

If I must chose one of those cold weather activities, I would choose sledding mainly because I wouldn't choose either of the other activities. Building a snowman is like work so that's not something I consider fun. Although I love when my kids make them. Keeps them busy and they like it. Ice skating looks fun but I don't have very good balance for that activity. The risk of a cracked tailbone keeps me off skates. The last time I attached something to my feet  it was roller blades and I promptly fell on my rear. I've got nothing to prove on any kind of skate. So, sledding it is. And sledding is fun. If by "have done recently" you mean sitting in the warm van taking pictures with my phone of the kids sledding, then I sledded as recently as two winters ago.



4.  Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited as saying, "The years teach much which the days never knew."  Where have you seen this quote played out in your own life?  

Ralph...you were so wise.  I would say this quote applies to my life in that my years have taught me even the toughest day will pass and a new one will dawn. On a dark day, I may feel that my sorrow or strife knows no end, but a new day arrives and my load has eased. I also interpret this quote by knowing that I move through my days living the moments, great and ordinary, but not always appreciating them. Only when I stack my years up in review can I fully appreciate the gift of time and life.

5. When was the last time you ate a cupcake?  

Speaking of appreciation...my sweet niece brought us delicious cupcakes from Fraiche Cupcakery in Bethesda a few months ago. My favorite was the gingerbread.

6. What's something you can't say no to?  

There used to be many things I couldn't say no to: chocolate, coffee, dessert, someone asking a favor, volunteer opportunities. I guess you might call it maturity, wisdom or self-control, but I can say no to all of those things now when I need to. I still say yes to them all very often but not to my detriment...usually.

7.  Are you a doodler?  

I used to doodle when I was much younger and pens were in hand more often than phones. Now, I don't doodle as in absent-mindedly drawing little cartoonish scenes on the margins of my paper. But I doodle down lists of things to do all day. I wish I were a true doodler though. I guess you have to be less task-oriented that I am to be a doodler. Or not be holding a phone.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.  

I am generally disgusted by what happens in our nation's capitol so you think the last thing I would be interested in is watching a television series about fictitious (are they really?) disgusting things that happen in our nation's capitol. But I am hooked on Netflix's House of Cards. I loved West Wing back in the day. This is West Wing gone rotten. Yes!




5 comments:

  1. So happy that you've joined us today! I love to go sledding, but the problem is that I don't get that opportunity very often living here in Georgia. Your son is one brave soul! I'm your newest follower! :)

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  2. I have a similar snake picture on my blog today. Don't let it fool you though I am much more spastic that I appear and I suspect my cousin is a lot more brave. Glad you enjoyed the cupcakes... now I think I need to go there and pick some up after work.

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  3. Your cupcakes sound scrumptious. Makes me want one now.

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  4. Good response on what to say no too. I agree I used to always say yes to many of those but have learned that I'd better say no every once in awhile or else I'll be in trouble.

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  5. West Wing gone rotten? So it's a reality show? We just added Netflix so I'll check it out.

    Your niece is pretty sweet : ) Glad you played along today!

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