you’ll just stand there, and people will love you

1. What’s the best birthday party you’ve ever had? 

    a couple of years ago, maybe during COVID? It was just me and then-bf. He gave me an outstanding card (listing on the inside some of the many things he loves about me) and a personal gift that made me cry. We watched a movie, played a board game, he grilled out, and I felt especially, particularly, fantastically loved.

 

2. Where is your favorite place you’ve ever visited? 

    besides those I've mentioned a dozen times already . . . there's a weird little town (population 3400) about 40 minutes away. College BFF's mom was born nearby. We go there periodically, maybe 3 or 4 times a year. There is a terrific furniture store—with furniture way out of my price range—that also sells 'decor' pieces that are sometimes surprisingly affordable. It's usually holiday-themed stuff, generally Easter or Christmas, but sometimes with an animal theme that suits. I've gotten some of my favorite little treasures there. (I'd love to actually buy furniture there someday, too.)

    We usually go to one or two other shops in town. One used to be primarily household stuff but has transitioned to 90% clothing that suits neither of us, but with the occasional awesome other thing that feels like a rare find. There's also what I would call a five-and-dime store. A lot, maybe the majority, of what they sell is crap (weird and often useless items at low prices), but they also have some rare finds that are well worth both the drive and the cost. 

    The funny thing about this little town is that it sometimes appears almost uninhabited, and has the feel of a ghost town. I don't think we've ever eaten there except to grab a cone at the DQ or maybe coffee at the chain store. There is a convenience store of the ubiquitous local brand, but more than once I've been there at a 'normal' time of day and they're closed. We usually eat in one of a handful of nearby towns and then "walk it off" in the shops.

 

3. How do you like to spend your free time? 

    besides the ways I've written about before . . . the all-online-selling edition:

        •  maintain the eBay database, updating and improving listings and reality-checking pricing to remain competitive

        •  go through the closet housing [reusable] packing-materials to sort and organize, streamline, and recycle/discard as needed

        •  pick a closet or drawer or shelf, seeking out items to sell in the future. There is currently a section in a storage area, fairly well organized, of stuff to list. Once it's generally nicer weather (and my temporary roommate has returned home) I will start pulling things out, taking pictures and making notes, and adding them to the thousand-plus in my "store."

 

4. What is the cutest animal you’ve ever seen in person? 

    I do love a good meerkat 

 

5. What’s one of your favorite bands? 

    FM

 

6. What's one of the first concerts you ever went to? 

    I saw the Nylons at the smallish (5000-seat) venue to the southeast while in high school, with a friend from the grocery store. Though I'd heard of them, I was not very familiar before the event. Had a great time and got really into a capella/show music for a while, particularly with a boyfriend from that era who featured prominently in his high school's show choir. (He was also an actor, starring as Conrad in a quality amateur performance run of Bye Bye Birdie.) A few of those Nylons songs still run through my head from time to time.

 

7. How would you describe your style? 

    reluctantly

11. What’s the stupidest movie or TV show you’ve ever seen? 

    there are 49 titles that I've rated with 1 star in my IMDB. That's all the play I'm willing to give to things I did not enjoy.

    (A post about that rating situation is upcoming, by the way.) 

 

13. What are your biggest pet peeves? 

    at the moment:     

        • overuse of the word 'piece' in corporate settings, as if projects or business can be separated into "pieces"

        • Hold music. In the ideal world, it would be optional, not mandatory, and if one is happier without it then it wouldn't need to intensify the discomfort of the Hold experience

        • hardwood floors. They're hard to care for, uncomfortable to walk on, and revealing of flaws in construction and design.

        • people misspelling others' names for no good reason, such as in the response to an email showing the name spelled correctly. My last boss at the financial place did this, and was even known to say "whatever" or "close enough" about it. Disregard for a person's identity is arrogant and callous. There is actually a difference between Anne/Ann, Sean/Shawn, Bob/Rob...

        • pointless communication. I just received a letter (US Mail) from the prescriptions wing of my medical insurance company, encouraging me to take advantage of their counseling option—solely in order to remember to take the migraine shot, and to take it correctly. I've been taking this stuff for about 4 years, so if I can't handle the above, it would have failed already. Also, I am a functional adult with insurance through my employer, so why would this even need to be sent something like this? It's a waste of time and energy and postage.

        • crust slices that are too thin to toast, instead just curling and burning

        • shoelaces that will not stay tied. They have only one job!

 

14. Are you more into brains or looks? 

    I prefer that people have both.

 

[from here; the title quotation is from Bye Bye Birdie]