pass the damn ham, please

1 Do you believe there is life more intelligent than humans in the universe? 

     no, but with the caveat that there sure as Hell could be, and in fact so much more intelligent that they're not going to bother with humanity. We're like a feisty but stupid species of bird that I recently read about, that tends to get into fights too often, over territory and mating, to successfully feed or reproduce. That's pretty dumb. They've managed to survive but only barely, and only because some of their ranks are strong introverts who prioritize planning and cooperation over fancy feathers and squawking. We have a lot to learn from those bozos.

 

2 What childhood belief (lost in adulthood) is most special? 

     snow days! When I was growing up, winters were harsh and borderline dangerous. Fun was severely limited by cold. The one thing that we looked forward to, and sometimes seemed to live for, was The Snow Day. A deep thread of excitement, dread, and impatience wove through those mornings when there was "enough" snow to even get an inkling that it would happen. We three would listen to the radio with the intensity and focus that we rarely gave to anything else. The announcer would work through the names of schools and businesses that were closed (because this was the time before late-start as an option). The town where I grew up starts with a letter near the end of the alphabet so the waiting seemed interminable. 

    This was also the time before weather forecasting had reached the heights (or ubiquity) that it's at now. There were still surprise storms that seemed to come straight from heaven. 

    We could see pretty far around the area from our house's vantage point just slightly uphill, which meant we could track the progress of our school bus as it made the early rounds. One of us would be stationed at the living room window, hoping that no orange would come into view. Another would be glued to the radio, while the third would (reluctantly) start getting ready for school. When that one was set, the teams would rotate. 

    When the bus hadn't been spotted by the usual time, excitement would ramp up. Once the closure was confirmed by the radio, mayhem would break loose. If we were young enough, we'd all bound back to the bedrooms to change into outdoor gear. If we were old enough, we'd all bound back to the bedrooms to try and decrease our pounding blood pressure enough to get back to sleep. 

    It was heaven. More than anything about being a kid, I miss those occasional holidays from responsibility. A snowman built on a snow day is ten thousand times better than one built on a weekend.

 

3 If you could choose the view from your office, what would you like it to be? 

     looking out on a river or other body of water, preferably one that moves. A very quiet scene, in the country. Something like this photo. I love the idea of being able to look out on nature, see it flowing by, and recognize my place in the world.

    

4 Have you ever slid down a banister? When was the last time? 

     no, I have never done that. The first 18 years of my life was lived in a one-story home, and after age 18 I think I was outside the target audience for this question.

    Anyway—slivers are bad!!

 

5 If you had spare cash to buy something just for fun today, what would you buy? 

    a book. It's been a while since I've just walked into a bookstore and bought a story that I wanted to read, or a set of poems that I want to bring into my heart. I miss the way bookstores feel, how they smell, and the way people who love them behave in them. I miss the comfortable silence. I miss the respectful, gracious way that people move around each other, not getting in each others' line of vision. Those conversations with people who are looking at the same authors or genres. The wonder of intending to get one thing and leaving with five but feeling no guilt at all. 

 

6 Other than a bath, what was the last thing you dipped your toes into? 

     hot wax, though that's been a while now. I used to have and use a paraffin wax machine all winter long, both for hands and feet (and sometimes elbows), but the one that I had blew out—the temperature control went wonky and it started heating way too hot for human comfort!—and then I moved to the current place, whereupon I realized there is not a good space in this house to have it heating where it won't be either in the way or in danger of screwing with the surface upon which it rests. (What do I know about hardwood floors anyway? There's another post brewing around that subject, by the way.) In the end, I decided to sell the new waxer that I'd bought before I even took it out of the box. It's listed on eBay.

 

7 Before going to sleep tonight, what three things about today will you be most grateful for?
    • grilled ham and cheese. I don't eat them very often, but a really good grilled cheese with ham is among the most delicious and comforting things in life.

    • Whose Line is it Anyway? I think the show is stomach-achingly funny, and often laugh so hard I'm crying.

    • my family. As time goes on, I realize ever more how grateful I am for my normal, kind, thoughtful, considerate, supportive, decent closest relatives.

 

[from 3000 Unique Questions about Me; the title quotation is by Harper Lee, from To Kill a Mockingbird]