Randomly Speaking

I'm finally clawing my way out of my hangover.

Not the kind you're thinking of. Fortunately, I've never had one of those, seeing as how I don't drink. Alcohol, that is.

But Wednesday night I inadvertently and unknowingly ate something with MSG in it, which I think is one of my many migraine triggers, and by the time I got home from dashing to two sets of classes at Parent Night, I thought my head would come apart. If you've ever had a migraine, you know the feeling - like someone is inside your skull with a pickax trying to hammer his way out.

This called for the Big Guns. Not only did I take my usual medicine, but I added another (prescribed) pill which 1) cuts the nausea 2) helps the other medicine work better, and 3) knocks me into a sound sleep. But the downside is it hangs on and makes a bit slow on the draw the next day, even at half the dose. It was pitiful how long it took me to write the post about the cookbook giveaway, and a couple of hours later I had to go back and clean up a bunch of mistakes and typos. That almost gave me another headache.

Anyway, since it was a random day, even though I'm a bit late, I have to post this week's Random Dozen from Lid's 2nd Cup of Coffee. Hopefully, being under the influence has mostly rubbed off by now!


1. What is something that you have changed your mind about either recently or over a number of years?

Blogging. I never thought I'd have anything to say. I'm sure some people think I still don't.

2. Choose either subject, but does your a) church b) job feel more like a dental chair experience or an easy chair (recliner) experience?

Well, my only sorta-job is Care Ministry Coordinator for our church, so both my church and job fall into the same category, which is easy chair most of the time. We are very blessed with a wonderful church family. But then, now that they changed the rules for heart murmurs and I don't have to take antibiotics and be horribly nauseated just to get my teeth cleaned, my dental chair experiences aren't too bad, either!

3. Kisses or hugs? I actually typed "huts," which might have been a more interesting question.

Hugs. I'm a big hugger. Kisses, not so much except for my man. And kisses on the cheek for and from my kids.

I'm not too crazy about huts. Sounds like they'd have too many mosquitos.

4. What do you think is the biggest threat to families today?

Lots of things come to mind, but it all stems from hearts ignoring/not right with God. Can't solve the issues until we take care of the root.

5. A day after you grocery shop, you open a perishable item that is horribly spoiled. Do you take your receipt back to the store to be reimbursed or just throw it away and forget about it?

Well, my receipt generally goes in the trash as soon as I get home, but unless it's a really small item, I'll usually take it back, and they're generally pretty accommodating.

6. What personality trait (feel free to address good or bad or both) do you notice yourself adopting from your parents?

I'm scared to even think about this one! My mom bequeathed her poor self-image to me. They both gave me a strong sense of needing to be in control and have it all together. On the good side - integrity, commitment, dry sense of humor. And I got my dad's sense of direction and love for weather.

7. How many slices of bread do you leave in the bottom of the bag when you throw it away? Two? Three? Just the heel? None? (I really want to know if you eat the heel.)

I generally throw away the heel unless my man's already eaten it. Sometimes I'll throw one or two of the bottom pieces before that if they're really dry, although now that school has started, that's less likely to happen.

8. What mispronunciation or usage error really irritates you?

I have to pick just one? Well, top of the list and like fingernail's on the chalkboard is when people use apostrophe's for plural's. (Instead of fingernails, apostrophes, plurals.) Apostrophes are for contractions and possessives! (Except the possessive its.)

And it especially makes me crazy when school teachers and administrators send home notes and letters/emails with incorrect spelling and punctuation!!!

9. In honor of the uniqueness of today's date, what does the numeral 9 mean to you? (Any special life moments attached to the 9th? Are you the 9th kid in your family? Can you count by 9s really fast? etc.)

Of course by now, 9/9/09 is long gone, but when I was a freshman in college at UT Austin, friends in the dorm from the "north" (as in Dallas) would make me count to ten so they could hear me say nine with my Southern accent. I don't know why they couldn't say it with two syllables!

10. Does the general color palette in your closet match the colors you chose to decorate your home with?

Mostly. I tend to gravitate toward the deeper colors that also look good on me.

11. When you're hanging out with friends in the kitchen, do you automatically ask to help, or do you sit there and chat until the host asks if you'd like to help? I'm not implying that the 2nd choice stems from rudeness or laziness, just not a first-response like it is for some people.

Guess I blow the birth-order theory out of the water. I'm the youngest but I definitely offer to help unless it's somewhere I'm highly uncomfortable and self-conscious. (And I just started typing unconscious. I'd say that generally keeps me from helping as well!)

12. Let's end on a pleasant note: What do you enjoy about September the most?
My boy's and my man's birthdays. And that our streak of triple digit temperatures is ending!

That's all my randomness for now. Don't forget about the cookbook giveaway!