cherydactyl

So I'm a little late. So sue me.



1. Do you download music not from the popular genres of Top 40, pop, rock, rap, dance, R&B, or country?
When I have downloaded stuff, it has definitely been off the beaten track, so, yes.

2. Are there any musicians for whom you've downloaded a significant amount of their material yet own few or none of their albums?
Only one: Steve Burns. I have downloaded his debut album and very much enjoy it. I intend to buy it, and his forthcoming second album, but I haven't gotten around to it.

3. Have you ever enjoyed a downloaded album so much that you went and bought the physical album?
Yes.

4. How many different ways of playing music do you own (such as radio, stereo system, computer, Walkman/Discman, mp3 player, mp3-ready phone, etc.)?
Hm. It's not clear if this means different methods or different devices, but anyway, MP3 player/radio, PDA/phone, boom box, clock radio, kitchen under-cabinet radio/CD player, an old Discman, computer, car radio, van radio/CD/tape player, and my tv/dvd combo (technically, I can put a CD in there and play it, I'm pretty sure--I have never actually used it this way). So, lots. I am sure this is true for most people.

5. Do you still have and/or play a favorite vinyl album, cassette tape, or 8-track tape?
I still have some of our vinyl records. One of these days I may even try to transfer the rare things, but for now they are just being stored. One that I miss listening to is the Middlebury College a capella group album I have, the (Something-or-Other)-Eight. I wish I could remember. They performed at my high school. I was so enthralled that I bought their album on the spot. It includes a version of the Powdermilk Biscuit Theme (and I didn't know what Prairie Home Companion was until *years* later), a great version of Love Potion No. 9, and Blue Moon actually done as a ballad, well, for about two thirds of it anyway. I just love that album. I can hear that version of Love Potion No. 9 in my head right now.

1. If you could retroactively erase one TV show from the history of entertainment, which one would you choose?
Er, what? This is a pointless question

2. Are you more like your mother or your father?
Mother, physically and probably otherwise too.

3. If you could take a year-long vacation, what would you do?
Get yoga teacher certification. Read. Nap. Go to some concerts. Go to a lot of museums, including every one that is part of the Smithsonian, and some New York art museums. Go hiking in the Rockies, Canadian Rockies, and the Appalachians. Do yoga everywhere I go. See live tapings of "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me," "A Prarie Home Companion," and perhaps "Wha'd ya Know." Go to England and see some more museums and do more yoga. Go to a lot of game conventions.

4. Can you think of a reason not to answer this question?

5. What's the nicest thing you've ever done for someone?
It's not for me to judge. I just hope the answer is not the empty set.

It's been a while since I participated...

1. If you were a crayon, which color would you want to be?
Magenta. Er, Lime Green. Um, Fire Orange. Lavender. so many pretty colors. something purply-blue, maybe? Do they make iridescent crayons?

2. Which color do you think you would be regardless of what you wanted?
Cornflower Blue: pretty, not too showy.

3. Would you rather be used and get blunt, broken and lose your wrapper, or not be used and stay pristine?
Definitely want to be used to make many pretty and interesting pictures. Then you can melt the nubs down to make a rainbow crayon. :) Ooooh. Maybe I should be a rainbow crayon!

4. Would you rather be in a small set of crayons or a large set?
Large set. Variety is the spice, baby!

5. Would you rather be Crayola, or a different brand?
High-quality all the way! Rich, exotic color. Good texture. Some high-end arthaus brand? *shrugs* Crayolas are good. Just not RoseArt please, those are waxy and bleah.

A perrenial late night conversation starter....Superpowers. Talk about your regressive therapy!

1. If you could have a super power, which one would you have?
I find this amusing. I always wanted teleportation. And imagined it as line-of-sight teleportation, aka LIMITED. No overreaching for me, I was staying within my points budget. I used to fantaisize about which building I'd teleport to the top of and where to from there when I was walking to my college classes. It's so funny that I wouldn't just go with teleportation and had this need to limit it.

2. What would be your supername?
Er. Do I have to have one? Why do I have to be a superhero if I have a power? Can't I just hide? (still the me that wants a LIMITED superpower talking here.)

3. Who would be your arch-nemesis and what would be their superpower?
Nope. Don't want one. But if I had to, it would be somebody mean and nasty who hurt my feelings.
Insenitivity, I guess. We could call them The Bull. As in bull-in-a-china-shop, and/or bully.

4. Who would be your sidekick and would they have a superpower?
nope...I'm not important enough to have a sidekick. Though I could imagine BEING one.

5. What would be your motto?
*Erk*

As you can see, I was too scared to be a super hero....
I think I just found my meditation subject for a while, actually.

1) This is the 1st of September, what do you want to accomplish by the 31st?
Not mess up at my new job. Be used to getting up early, get there on time every day, and do a good job for the school. It's an intstitution I really believe in, which is why I'm so thrilled to be working there.

2) What does September make you think about or feel?
I have a long history of September anxiety...bad dreams before school starts of being required to be in two or three places at once and fulfill other impossible requirements while eveybody seems to have no idea why it's a problem.... On the other hand, I love September weather. Cool in the morning, but warm enough for shorts later in the day.

3) September is the ninth month; can you name nine memories so far from this year?
Holding my nephew, on New Year's Day, when he was less than a day old.
Visiting the Jiffy Mix tour at the Chelsea Milling Company in Chelsea, Michigan with my older daughter.
Holding my younger daughter when she came out of ear tube surgery and was groggy and cranky.
Holding my niece, the first one related to me by blood, not marriage.
Being beaten in the Ticket to Ride Final at Origins by my husband. Barely. He got lucky. ;-)
Running crazily around my house when I found out that Howard Jones would be holding a concert at a venue only an hour from my house.
Being thrilled to be hired at my daughter's school.
Helping my summer camp students perform the sign language version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears for their parents.
Going to see Cars at the first show on the first day with my older daughter.

4) What does September have in common with three other months and can you name them?
Is this a brain-teaser type question? To me, it's a transition month so it has parallels in January and June...but maybe that's too University of Michigan centric, since those are when the terms start. On the brainteaser side, it's one of the misnumbered months (Sept = 7) that resulted from the historical changing of the calendar. Once upon a time March was considered the start of the year, so September, October, November and December used to be the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th months, as is reflected in their names. (Octa = 8, Nov = 9, Deca = 10) This actually screws me up every year. For some reason I always start writing October dates with "8/." I know exactly why, but it's still kinda embarassing.

5) The first weekend in September signals the end of summer for many even though it doesn’t really end for weeks. When does summer end for you?
All the seasons don't so much end as give way to the next. September is partly Summer and partly Autumn. Summer 'ends' for me after the last bought of hot weather, or so-called "Indian Summer," which is often in late September around here, but varies.

1. Are you named after anyone? If so, explain.
My mother. It's her middle name. Sigh.

2. Do you have your children's names picked out already? If so, is there any significance?
Um, yeah. They are 7 and 3, respectively. Their names are ones I liked, from books and other sources, plus from my mother-in-law's first name.

3. If you were born a member of the opposite sex what would your name have been?
I have no idea. Interesting question, though.

4. If you could re-name yourself what name would you pick and why?
...

5. Are there any mispronunciations/typos that people do w/ your name constantly?
I always seem to type Cheyrl...does that count? Now, my last name attracts weirdness all the time...

1. What about you makes you unique? Um, what doesn't? My DNA, my life experiences are both unique to me.

2. What aspect of your physical appearance do you think makes you stick out from the crowd? I'm told I have nice eyes and nice legs, and sometimes a nice behind.

3. What do you always have with you while out in public? (for example, earrings, purse, wallet, watch, etc.) Wallet, cell phone, asthma inhaler, keys, wedding & engagement rings

4. Is there anything about your body that you think isn't normal? Yes. But define 'normal' anyway.

5. What are you complimented on (looks, smarts, anything) the most? Why do you think that's the case? Often my legs. Occasionaly for kindness or attentiveness or intelligence or creativity. Because I try to be kind, and true kindness requires one to pay attention, and think anylytically or creatively to help other people. It's all related. The legs are good genes and lots of walking.

1. What is (or would be) your dream vacation?
Right now, a full week away *without kids*, somewhere I can visit friends or people interested in some of the things I am. Perhaps a yoga or meditation or spa retreat, a long game convention where I could play train games, or even just a week on my own during which I can sleep, read, do yoga, and gad about as I please without being responsible for anyone but myself. Heavenly. Oh, add a Howard Jones concert and a half-marathon, please, while we are in dream mode.

2. What's one thing no vacation can do without?
A new-to-me good ripping adventure-y, mystery, science fiction, or fantasy book. Something like a new Harry Potter book, a new Eve Dallas novel, a new Tim Powers, a new Laurel K. Hamilton, a new Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett, oh, or something new or unknown to me by several other authors I can think of. I can buy a new tooth brush practically anywhere; the hotel or b-n-b will have shampoo; but shopping for reading material whilst on vacation is often pathetic. Though I *have* picked up some fun trashy thrillers that way, it can be hit and miss.

3. What has been the best trip of your life so far?
Our recent, impromptu Memorial Weekend. We were only away two nights, but we had a good time at the zoo and Meijer garden on the west side of the state. Good food, not stressful. I could have used more sleep. The kids did not want to go to bed. Most of our trips seem to end up as stress-fests, but this one went smooth as silk.

Second place goes to the last vacation we took when I was pregnant with our first. We were suppposed to do D.C. and such for half a week then visit friends in Charlottesville, but the friends ended up cancelling so we did a B and B on the Del-Mar instead. Williamsburg, The Smithsonian, frolicking in the Atlantic, fantastic seafood dinners at that restaurant that was far too far away from our BnB for walking.

Third place to our trip to Estes Park Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park. I love hiking!

4. Who was with you on that trip and what is the role of that person in your life?
My family: husband and kids.

5. What's the worst thing that can happen during a vacation?
Getting sick. With stomach flu. Happened to me and my husband both on our Disneyland trip about a year and a half ago. Just awful. And then having sick kids on the (two-day) train ride back to Michigan sucked pretty bad. Nothing like knowing your kid has a fever and there is very little to do for her but give her tylenol from the rapidly dwindling supply on hand, while thanking whatever powers there be that you at least packed that much.

If you knew you were going to die on at specific day at a specific time, what's the last...
1. song you would listen to? The Wedding Song, by (who else) Howard Jones
2. book you would read? some cool new fiction, something with a provocative or scandalous title, but I have no idea what exactly
3. person you would talk to? My children
4. food you would eat? berries
5. goal you would accomplish? Make sure my will was in order!

1. Who was your first kiss (your mom does not count)? Dan. Wow. (9th grade.) Wow. Wowowowowowowowow.
I should say I am not counting the little peck in 6th grade from Greg. I was doing first real kiss with passion. And tongue.

2. What is your idea of the perfect date? One with some conversation tucked in somewhere. Extra points for cuddling and conversation. Bonus for adult language and sexual situations. 8^D

3. What music needs to be on when you are “getting your thang on”? I want to say something silly. Bow chicki bow bow... Though I don't think it translates in the written word. Actually, it kind of depends. Sorry, kind of a non-answer.

4. What is the most amazing experience you’ve ever shared with a partner? I'm sorry, my blog is rated PG-13, not X.

5. Sex is best saved for: love, marriage, alcohol, days that end in “y”? Days that end in Y sounds good. Not that I'm getting very close to that ideal right now. I suppose if I actually did get there I might want to dial it back down a notch.