24 posts tagged “qotd”

What would you like to do more of?

Sewing, making music, writing, exercise...in that order.

What was the most embarrassing hobby you've ever had? 
Submitted by Billie Fable. That's an easy one. It would be playing in the SCA, of course. Granted, I'm not titled, or an officer, or even a card-holding member. I'm mostly in it for the big fancy dress party that it is.

What did you dream about last night?  Funny you should ask. Last night I dreamt that I was taking a bus to Minnesota. The strange thing about this is that I've never taken a bus for a long distance like that (I've never ridden Greyhound or anything like that), and I have no idea why I was going to Minnesota. The bus was weird, too. It was seven seats across with two aisles down the center, like a large airplane. And, there were flight  attendants. However, the front was open, like a bus, and you could see the pilot bus driver at the steering wheel. I couldn't see outside, though. I had no idea the thing was even moving. I remember a map marking the route, and making progress and stops along the way...and then we stopped for a rest at a department store, which is a recurring locale in my dreams. This department store is completely made up in my head, and I've been going there in my dreams for some time now. I woke up before we got to Minnesota, or I figured out what the point was.

Who taught you how to ride a bike?

My dad, who also taught me how to drive stick (manual). 

Have you ever met any celebrities? Any interesting stories?
Submitted by Tasha.

As a matter of fact, I just met one this past Saturday...I went to see Voltaire play at The Brew House and went to an after party on the South Side where most of the performers from the show were invited. I didn't actually get to speak much with Voltaire, but he's definitely an interesting fellow. The show really rawked, btw.

How do you pass the time during a flight?  What do you bring in your carry-on?

Knitting or a crochet project, and maybe a book or some magazines. I haven't had any trouble taking the knitting on board, as long as the needles were plastic or wood. They still don't allow scissors or any type of cutting blade, so that goes into my checked bag. Problem with books is, I can't read too long or I'll get motion sickness, but knitting doesn't effect me that way. I also take my laptop, which has a DVD player, and I promised myself the next time that I would remember to bring a good movie to watch.

Have you ever been cheated on? Ever cheated? 
Submitted by Joe. 

Yes indeedy, I have been cheated on, multiple times, and in such a matter that it caused me great pain and distress. I have never cheated on anyone myself (and that's with the disclaimer that when I was in an open relationship with someone, there was full disclosure about activities occurring outside the relationship, with consent, and with conformance to all the previously agreed-upon rules.) To those of you who cheat, I think you should have a warning label tattooed upon your forehead. And that's the nicest thing I can say about you.

What are your top 5 movies/DVDs of 2006?

...and I totally forgot to mention Borat--I just saw it last night and it is one of the most shocking and hilarious movies I ever saw. It was non-stop jaw dropping.

What I missed while it was in theaters, and I'll have to see it when it comes out on DVD is The Fountain.

What are your top 5 movies/DVDs of 2006?

Not in any particular order (and some of these are older movies that I just saw this year):

The Devil and Daniel Johnston: didn't know much about this singer/songwriter until I saw him as the musical guest on The Henry Rollins show. His performance was so raw and unique that I had to go see this film documentary about his life. Apparently, he has struggled with mental illness throughout his life.

Memoirs of a Geisha: a sad story (with happy ending) told in a beautiful film.

The Corporation: This documentary takes an interesting perspective on the impact that corporations have on our lives, and it's free for download.

Kinsey: this is one that the boyfriend and I have actually re-watched a couple times this year. Liam Neeson did an excellent job at portraying this remarkable man.

Super Size Me: confirmed what I already knew about fast food, but was still very enlightening.

Honorable mentions:

Walk the Line. I was surprised by how well executed this film was. I found it touching and entertaining.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - I didn't see many films in the theatre this year, but this was one of them, and yes it was a good time.

What are the things in life that you're truly passionate about? 
Submitted by Jess.

Music, art, dancing...I'm passionate about life. I'm a passionate person.

I've loved music from an early age. One of my favorite toys was a little toy piano. I expressed an interest very young to play an instrument. Luckily, in my public school system, kids with musical aptitude are invited to learn an instrument in 2nd grade, and are provided with a rental instrument and lessons. However, they choose the instrument for you, and piano wasn't an option, so they gave me a violin. I studied violin from that time on through high school, and played in my high school orchestra, which had a reputation for excellence and won many competitions. We even traveled to Toronto once for a competition, which we won. We played Dvorak's New World Symphony. I was concert master (1st chair violin) during my senior year. I didn't choose to study music in college or pursue it as a career, though. I was even discouraged by my teachers because they said it was so hard to make a living in music, and I excelled in other areas (I graduated 6th in my class). My teachers and guidance counselor probably would have liked to see me go into pre-med, law, or engineering.

Despite that fact, my second passion growing up was fine art in it's many visual forms. I spent most of my spare time as a kid drawing and filling up sketchbooks. I loved painting, and photography. I won contests in high school for that, too. Needless to say, this was not an area that anyone encouraged me to pursue further.

My senior year in high school ended up getting totally screwed up by my father's sudden death. It couldn't have happened at a worse time--the week before my audition for the College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University, where I was competing against 1000 or so applicants for 100 positions...long story short, I did not get in, and ended up scrambling at the last minute for any other local college that would accept me. Oh, I probably should mention that I was accepted to NYU, but decided not to go because "my family needed me."  I went to Point Park College's orientation, undecided, and then ended up majoring in Journalism and Communications, later changing to Psychology, and ended up with two BAs at the end of five years. Not that it makes much difference considering that I now work in IT, and my official title, in name only, is "Software Engineer." Talk about irony.

My passion for dancing developed much, much later in my life. As a kid, I was told that I was ungraceful and uncoordinated. I was not a huge fan of any physical activity.  I was very uncomfortable and self-conscious about my body, until just six years ago when I became interested in bellydancing. It took me a whole year before I finally attended a class, but after that I was sold. I have stuck with it since then, and I've been teaching dance for the past couple of years. Many of my students are around my age or older, and they start out thinking they can't do it, but I convince them otherwise. If I can do it, you can too, no matter what your age, size, or shape, and you will look beautiful. That is what I try to impart to all of my students.