The MeMe-iest thing I did today

A blogger friend of mine did this 5 question interview meme and I decided to take her up on it. I was very curious about what she would ask; her questions and my responses are below.

Here are the rules if you want to participate in 5 Questions.

1. Say ”Hey! Interview Me!” in the comments
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You can then answer the questions on your blog.
4. You should also post these rules along with an offer to interview anyone else who emails you wanting to be interviewed.
5. Anyone who asks to be interviewed should be sent 5 questions to answer on their blog. It would be nice if the questions were individualized for each blogger.

1. Is your house usually messy or tidy?

Messy! I am great at creating piles, and then piling up upon those piles. I am also fantastic at procrastinating about things like washing dishes, "Life is so short, let's go for a walk instead of washing dishes!".

I wish I could blame it all on my cluttered partner, but I am just as bad as him.

2. When was the last time you shaved your legs?

In September, for a friend's wedding. It is cold here! I need all the insulation I can get! Ha! Actually, here are my real excuses:

1. I have very sensitive skin and it hurts to shave it.
2. I am married.
3. I have super light blonde hair, no one can see it except my sister, she can always spot it and harass me about it.

3. If you could be queen of the world for 1 hour what would you do?

First I would see if there was any loophole to extend my hour of power to at least an afternoon.

Second, I would call Oprah and give her flack about not using her money to pay people to keep her fit and/or tell she should just share her some of her fitness/diet staff to work with less fortunate people with obesity/diabetes/etc problems. Sigh, Oprah. Seriously though, it is hard to struggle with weight. See my blog about trying to go to the gym...trying.

Third, I would somehow rule that banks had to forgive a certain percentage of peoples' debts, across the board. Not all of their debts, just some, like 30%. I believe we all have to be accountable for our choices, but it is pretty obvious that the world economy needs a boost, or some sort of new beginning or a sense of hope that there is a way to get out of the debt darkness. I am not sure what I would do with people who do not have any debt...but they deserve many kudos. I suppose this action would require a lot of planning and thinking, so I hope I get notice before I am given my power.

Fourth, I would start the ball rolling on requiring everyone to work in food service for at least 1 day of their lives. I think this could have a ripple effect to remind us all that service employees A. Are human too. B. Deserve respect and gratitude. C. Perform sometimes demeaning and/or messy jobs and that they are working hard for little.

Lastly, I would give all undocumented and legal immigrants the afternoon off- hopefully this would fall on a busy business day and other citizens would notice the absence of the immigrant population. This would be a reminder that they are hardworking and a vital part of all of our lives, and also that even though they may not speak English the best or have the most important of jobs, they are valuable and deserve respect and gratitude.

On a selfish note, I would try to work in a really nice meal with friends and maybe a pedicure or a shoe shine. And I would tip BIG with my own pre-power money.

4. When you have to make a dinner to impress someone what favorite dish do you prepare?

People always seem pleased with this salsa that I "make" (or mix) that consists of a can of corn, a jar of salsa, and a can of black beans. So, I would make that as an appetizer with blue corn chips. I would make some deviled eggs too, some with red pepper "horns". Ok, maybe something fancier. Who am I impressing here?

I would probably serve broiled pork chops as the main dish with steamed vegetables. I might season the chops with some Old Bay or this salt-free Spike that I have. I love to eat sauce, but I usually prepare foods myself as simple as possible- perhaps to make up for all the sauces I eat elsewhere? I would steam some broccoli and pea pods on the side and order the anti-pasta salad from Jakeeno's, because they make a fine salad and I would be busy cleaning, conversing or running behind. I would either back some rolls or serve some olive bread and multigrain bread from Rustica.

I would have some beautiful fruit too, maybe berries (a valued item in the north). The fruit and berries would be from Byerly's or Lund's, local upscale grocery stores where the fruits are so perfect that one barely needs to look at them before buying them. (Do they have upscale grocery chains by you? With carpeted floors, neatly stocked shelves ready to be photographed at anytime, plentiful samples and drive-up car loading? with baggers who know the fine art of bagging groceries? Note that in the Twin Cities bagging is not a customary grocery service and when places like Target bag your groceries, they do a crap job. I actually prefer to bag my own groceries.)

For dessert I would make this pudding/cake thing that I am not sure I am at liberty to share the recipe to,
but it is great with vanilla ice cream.

5. Who is the most obnoxious person you know?

Oh man. What if they read this blog?? What if it is me?? I talk A LOT! And I am not always entertaining to listen to!

I guess I would say it is a person, or people, who lack empathy, thoughtfulness, and generosity. They complain a lot over things that no one can fix: like the past and the weather. They complain and do not offer suggestions or take action to make change. They are more self-centered and selfish. They do things like nickle and dime things like splitting the bill between 7 people even though we all spent roughly the same amount, the difference between tabs is mere cents, and it would be SO much easier just to split it evenly. They also are poor tippers and like to tell me that I am tipping too much in a smug way, as if I am some sort of tipping chump being taken for a ride by a greedy server.

The perfect matchiest thing I saw today.

Look who else was climbing Crazy Horse:

This cute very elderly couple (I am guessing mid-80's) wearing totally matching outfits!

Yeah, I am not very good at drawing elderly people, so just bear with me. Imagine some more wrinkles and their bodies a little frail looking.

These two were walking arm and arm through the woods in their darling matching duds. Insoirational love and commitment!

The Keystone Cop-iest Thing I Saw Today: Part 4

And we're back!

This series really challenged my stick figure art ability. Two new people joined the scene. I was still watching all of this from my car waiting in the airport baggage claim pickup zone.

The final set is to come.

I hope they all did their stretches before this....

The Truly Commited-est thing I saw today

I work in and around a huge medical center that is laid out in a way that resembles a Jackson Pollack painting.

I saw a darling couple the other day trying to navigate around together. Truly together.



They were both struggling to walk and leaning on one another. They were both patiently discussing their next move. They were smiling despite the challenge and both laughed at their situation when I offered to help them.

They warmed my heart.

The Dog is my Co-Pilot-est thing I saw today.

Walking through the neighborhood, I saw a loyal pet owner taking his best friend and some other guy on a drive:


The Some other guy had to sit in the back seat. Apparently the dog is a better navigator.

The Age-inappropriatest thing I saw today.

I really need to learn to draw the elderly (among other things).

Today I saw a nice senior gentleman, probably hanging around 80 years old, get on the bus with this flashy hat:


He is living the good retired life apparently. Or perhaps, like my grandfather, he suffers from macular degeneration?

I wonder if my grandfather would hang with this guy? Would yours?

The Bathing Beautiest thing I saw at the Minnesota State Fair!

***Special Minnesota State Fair Edition***

The state fair has THE best people watching around. Everyone flocks to Saint Paul to be themselves and eat deep fried food on a stick.

I could just sit on a bench all day and watch the humanity go by! Some people go every day to take it all in!.

I have gone to the fair two evenings this year and I took notes on things to draw for you people. Here is the first installment:

At the fair, I saw dairy princess Princess Kay of the Milky Way and her head carved in butter.

I also saw Ms. Brooklyn Park 2006 walking about with a Pronto Pup in her best evening wear making Brooklyn Park proud! (Jesse Ventura was once the Mayor of Brooklyn Park, so goodness knows they need the good press!)



She was without any escort or entourage, so I was tempted to ask for an autograph. I chose to let her be; being a local celebrity can be very taxing, I'm sure.

I hope that Ms. Brooklyn Park is an age 55+ competition, otherwise the stress of the role is really showing on this beauty queen!

The Darling-est thing I saw today.

Over the weekend my husband and I made a stop at Happy's Drive-In Burgers in Onamia, Minnesota.

Amid the bustle of families taking in a bite to eat on their way back to "the cities", we saw a cute elderly lady who must love Happy's. Why else would she have shown up in her nightgown, robe, and house slippers?



She was there with her family and she had pretty pjs! She was really enjoying watching all the kids run around on the playground.

The sweetest thing I saw today.

This was witnessed in two parts by my husband and I. We were going through package pick-up at Dayton’s (spelled MACY’S) and these two lovely ladies were waiting for their ride and chit chatting. They looked to be your average senior citizens- one was on oxygen and they both had cute little carefully matched outfits- but we found out they were open minded and hip to the kids today.

That’s right, these ladies were preparing to visit our local Pride festival. They went on to discuss a friend of theirs and how they were not fond of his new boyfriend. They thought he could find someone more kind and gentle. Turns out they were also looking forward to seeing a friend’s band perform at the festival.

I was very impressed. Pride is grand but is also very crowded and hot. I am not sure I would have the guts to go if I were hooked up to an oxygen tank. Plus, my grandparents probably would never have thought of attending Pride- I wouldn’t even think of asking them.

I wonder what they ended up wearing to Pride.