Go to one random page in Explore Audio. What CD do you see that you're most interested in listening to?
From page 59, I'd like to listen to....
July 2006 Archives
What was one of your favorite characters or mascots as a child?
When I was a little kid the Frito Bandito was one of my favorite mascots. My fellow 2nd and 3rd graders and I collected the little Frito Bandito pencil toppers from Frito bags and compared our findings at the lunch table. And of course we would always sing the Frito Bandito jingle... Aye yi yi yi I am the Frito Bandito (etc). Poor leetle guy met an early demise, though, when it was determined he was not PC enough (even for 1968/69). Ah well. Watch the video and decide for yourself...
[sorry... video is no longer accessible]
Through the years I've liked (and loathed) other mascots...
- Tony the Tiger... tries a little too hard, kinda goofy.
- Speaking of tigers, there was the Esso Tiger... "Put a tiger in your tank!"
- Cap'n Crunch... dude's a little seafarin' freak. what's up with that hat?
- Pillsbury Dough Boy... I (seriously) felt sorry for him when I was little every time someone poked his little belly... ouch!
- Morris the Cat... arrogant poot! I would like to see him eat Cap'n Crunch.
- Charlie the Tuna... smug, self-absorbed, tuna that tastes good?... Morris can eat him, too.
- Mr. Whipple... hate him. he can HAVE the damn Charmin... worst TP ever.
- Sugar Bear... dorky, but cute cuz he can't get enough of that Super Sugar Crisp (now he's PC and goes by HoneyBear or something)
- Punchy... I'll give HIM a nice Hawaiian punch! He's just plain MEAN!
- Michelin Man... woke up screaming from a nightmare about him :-(
Fast forward to today's mascots...
- Charmin bear... cute, cute, cute! (still don't like the TP)
- Geico Gecko... he WAS cute... now he's getting on my nerves.
- Energizer Bunny... cuteness keeps going and going and going and going...
- Fruit of the Loom Band... awesome!! cuz you can't over-love your underwear!!
If you could open any sort of restaurant, what would it be like?
I would open an espresso pub. I would probably be really creative and call it "Kate's Espresso Pub" or "Kate's Espresso". My fantasy includes: free wifi for customers (but not freeloaders in the parking lot); local artists' art gallery; live entertainment on weekends and maybe even an open mic night; lots of bookshelves with BookCrossings books coming and going; and a meeting room where meetups and other small gatherings could take place. We would serve awesome fresh baked goods (no "food service" crap) all day and have a very simple soup/sandwich/salad menu for lunch and dinner, as well. But no egg salad, cuz it stinks. We would also serve blended drinks (coffee-based and fruit-based) and French and Italian sodas. We would have plenty of small tables with electrical outlets for our wifi users, as well as a few larger tables and a bar with pub stools. We would also have plenty of comfy chairs, a couple loveseats and couches for comfy seating. We would serve our coffee and espresso in real mugs... maybe even funky mugs. And last, but not least, our mondo (20 oz.) espresso would have FOUR espresso shots (not two measly shots like our competition).
Yep, that's my fantasy. :-)
Play any instrument or speak any language, which do you choose?
Well... I think music is a global language... it speaks across political boundaries, ethnic groups and cultures. Besides, WORDS are at an all time high these days... some days I've really had my fill of them. (my cynical self is oozing, sorry) So... I would choose to play an instrument. I already play the flute, so I would choose something new... something that would express my innards better than words can... which is why I would LOVE to be able to play CELTIC FIDDLE. If only it was as easy as a wish. *sigh*
Speaking of celtic fiddle, check out the wonderful Celtic Fiddle Festival...
Happy 18th Birthday to my dearest Spencer, the Princess of Quite-a-Lot.
I thank God for the privilege of being your mum. :-)
And illustrating the wonder that is "you", I submit evidence that you still like to play dress-up. ;-)
Happy 18th Birthday to my dear sweet Spencer. :-)
What's your favorite drink or cocktail? What's in it?
My favorite drink is a quad shot latte. Espresso and steamed milk... straight up. Joy.
My other favorite drink is water. Two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen. More joy. :-)
A long time ago in a galaxy far away... my favorite bar drink was Long Island Iced Tea and my favorite shooter was a B52. I behaved very badly when I drank them. No joy. :-\
What's the strongest association you have between a scent and a memory?
1976. White wine = Vomit. A lot of both. Still can't stand the smell of white wine. Even worse is smelling food cooked in it. Though the white wine went down chilled, it came up heated. You get the picture... or the odor... whatever. Bleh.
What are your three favorite album covers of all-time? Any honorable mentions?
Simply Perfect:
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Bad Company - Bad Company
Beatles - White Album
Other Favorites:
Kansas - Leftoverture
Elton John - Goodbye Yellowbrick Road
Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy (and others)
Heart - Little Queen
Jethro Tull - Songs from the Wood
Beatles - Seargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Steve Miller Band - Book of Dreams
Just for Fun:
Joe Walsh - So What
ZZTop - Tres Hombres
What was your most memorable or favorite school field trip?
We had so many great field trips when I was a kid. Virginia and DC have no end of cool places to visit, BUT I would have to say my most memorable field trip was in 5th grade when we went ventured all the way to Gettysburg to see the battlefield. We had been learning about the Civil War and memorized some of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and this was the fieldtrip that would "seal" the historic events into our minds. Sadly, while I did learn and beneift from fieldtrips, I saw them as more of a social event than an opportunity for learning. The details are fuzzy (it was SO long ago), but I remember getting goofy and acting like a total clown pretending to give a speech on a giant rock when... riiiiiiip... I split out the backside of my trendy red "scooter skirt" in front of the small crowd around me. Boy was my face red. Thankfully, someone lent me their windbreaker so I wrapped it around my behind and tried to behave more modestly for the rest of the trip. :-/
This photo was taken in 1998 on our first digital camera. It went back to the store for a REFUND a couple days later. The photo quality was AWFUL, lovely subject notwithstanding. ;-)
What's an interesting experience that you've had meeting people in real-life that you first knew online? Was it awkward, surreal, or the best thing ever?
Meeting online friends in real-life has been all of the above. It is very interesting to spend a lot of time communicating online with a person (without even seeing a photograph of them) and then eventually meet them IRL. Through the course of our online friendship/communication I definitely create an "image" of the person in my mind. Meeting them and connecting the online persona (and my mental image of them) with the real deal human being can be a little awkward and surreal. And yet it IS the best thing ever!!!
I have been very, very blessed by online friends who have inspired me, challenged me to be a better person, been there for me through trials in a way that my real-life friends couldn't be (not a bad thing, just the way it was at the time), sent me care packages via snail mail, and made me laugh a lot.
I don't think any of my IRL meetings would qualify as interesting to anyone but me, but I have met several online friends. My favorite meeting was with a friend from halfway across the country who made time to meet me when she was passing through my area. We had known each other several years online as sysops on the same CompuServe forum. She had been a great source of encouragement through a devastating loss in my life. With less than two hours to visit, but we had a wonderful time talking through the brief awkwardness until we felt like we seen each other a thousand times, and went on to have a wonderful, heartwarming time together.
Serving Those Who Serve Us
http://www.sewmuchcomfort.org/
What are the best fireworks you've ever seen?
The Independence Day fireworks in Washington, DC are the best I've ever seen. I am not adventurous enough to view them from the National Mall, but have preferred to watch them from just across the Potomac River at Gravelly Point and once from a short way down the river at Bolling AFB/Naval Research Lab. The fireworks are so very pretty with the monuments in view. Very festive and fun, especially when you listen to the NPR simulcast of the NSO concert at the Capitol. That said, I will be happily enjoying this year's DC festivities my very favorite way... via cable TV in my air-conditioned, traffic-free living room. ;-)
The most entertaining fireworks by far, though, were at a 4th of July celebration in a small town in the Shenandoah Valley... I dubbed them "Cletus and Bubba's Backyard Fireworks". They were the town's official fireworks display, but I suspect they just sent Cletus and Bubba down to South of the Border (all you I-95 NC/SC travelers KNOW what I'm talking about!) to find the biggest bang-em-up variety pack available. Well, it was some kind of show... not amazing as fireworks go, but certainly entertaining... and we all had a good time ooh-ing and aah-ing at the homegrown display.
Did you know this year is the 225th anniversary of the 1781 Washington-Rochambeau march to Yorktown, Virginia? That would be THE Yorktown... the splendid siege and victory that finally won the American colonies their independence from Britain! (no worries! we still love the Brits! *grin*) The W3R site (beware, this site was created by reenactors, NOT web designers *sigh*) has lots of information about the Yorktown anniversary events being held up and down the east coast (from Rhode Island to Virginia) along the 600 mile route that Rochambeau, Washington and company marched.
March to Yorktown is an amazing event unfolding now in "realtime"... a reenactment of the 1781 march along the original route (or as close as possible to it, where need be). This reenactment commenced in March 2006 and will end in October 2006. The reenactors are blogging the daily march and they also have a detailed schedule of the march dates and destinations posted. Perhaps they'll be marching through your neck of the woods and you will be able to cheer them on. Please do if you have the opportunity.
I can't wait until they get to Virginia. There are so many events planned around us AND my girls and I have been invited by General Washington, himself, to participate as interpreters at one or more of them. Huzzah!!
