Random Dozen

It's Wednesday and time to join Lid at 2nd Cup of Coffee for another Random Dozen. Which brings to mind this picture of Winnie the Pooh thinking. Which is how I sometimes feel with these questions! But it's a very good thing to think. Because as Pooh said,

People who don't Think probably don't have Brains;
rather, they have grey fluff that's blown
into their heads by mistake.”

So lest someone think the grey hairs fluff on the outside of my head leaked from the inside, here are my "thinks."

1. I've always wondered why we were taught both printing and cursive. Do you prefer to print or write cursive? (Keyboard is not a choice.)

Well, I obviously print on forms, but my writing is sort of a combination of print and cursive. Because I hate the way my cursive "b" and "f" and "r" look. But you gotta have cursive for the signature. People who have been here awhile may remember the story of my boy signing his name for his learning permit. I noticed last Saturday at the passport appointment the clerk instructed him (unnecessarily!) (ahem!) to sign his application in cursive (and first and last name as well!).

2. Are you a dreamer or a realist?

A realist. (But once I dreamed I wasn't!)

3. Billy Joel or Elton John?

Neither, really. But if I have to pick, Billy Joel. Especially Just the Way You Are.

4. What is the scariest movie you've ever seen? Not limited to horror flicks but also includes ones where the tension or suspense is killer, for example, Flightplan (2005): A bereaved woman and her daughter are flying home from Berlin to America. At 30,000 feet the child vanishes and nobody admits she was ever on that plan.

I avoid scary movies like the plague. It was a major deal for me to finally watch Halloween at a friend's house when I was in college. No way was I going to watch it on a movie screen.

And although it's one of my favorite movies, when I was a kid, two places in Mary Poppins always scared me to death: the run on the bank and when Jane & Michael were fleeing and ran through the gloomy alley (and ran into Bert but didn't know who he was for a minute), and the Board Meeting where they fired Mr. Banks.

5. Now what is the scariest real-life moment you've had?

The year I was 7, we were burglarized twice. The first time was a Sunday night while we were at church. I was scared, but my dad was there and took care of everything. The second time was in the summer, and it was just my sisters and my mom and I coming home from the pool. They were either in the house when we drove up and ran out the front door as we drove up in the back (we had a long driveway) or else they were just kids, 'cause they didn't take anything that time. I went into absolute hysterics and could hardly be comforted. I was scared to go in the bathroom or bedroom to change my clothes, even after the police had been there and checked it all out. I had bad dreams for years.

6. What word do you misspell without fail?

I've always been a great speller, but for some reason, I always have trouble with persevere. I always want to stick an extra "r" before the "v" (perservere). I think it's from living in the south where people tended to add an "r" to so many words (although it's usually at the end, like idear and Anitar.

7. Name something you like to do but are not really talented or good at.

Social functions. I am horrible at small talk and chit-chat. I am so thankful my man doesn't have a job that requires us to attend "cocktail parties".

8. Do you get your emotional/mental batteries recharged by being around people or by having alone time?

I'm a weird combo of both. If I'm alone too much, I have to be around people. If I'm around people too much, I have to have my alone time.

9. Have you ever been on TV?

Yes. The church we used to go to was televised and I sang in the choir.

10. Apple or pumpkin pie? (Don't be greedy.)

No-brainer. APPLE! If pumpkin anything dropped off the face of the earth, I wouldn't even notice.

11. How many magazine subscriptions do you have?

Personally, I think 5: Fine Cooking, Southern Living, Games, World of Puzzles (those two are primarily word puzzle magazines), and I'm waiting for the never-ending Better Homes and Gardens subscription to finally expire. There are others that come to the house for the kids and my man, but those are for ME!

12. What lesson do you have to keep re-learning?

Being judgmental.

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
(Romans 2:1-4)

Head on over to Lid's to see some other folks' answers. Even better, join us and give us a peek at your random thoughts!