1. Are you usually late, early, or right on time?
Early or on time.  Married to a man on “middle eastern time”.  That’s (one of the reasons) why I love singing in our parish choir….I go an hour and a half before mass to practice so we take separate vehicles, and I’m always on time.  Let’s not talk about going to the movies.

2. What is your middle name?
Elizabeth

3. What are the last 4 digits of your cell phone number?
2721.  I actually have a very cool cellphone number (which you can’t tell from just the last four digits), but trust me on this.

4. How big is your bed?
A queen.  I’ve been hankering for a king, but my main squeeze tells me that we may as well get separate beds as move to a king.  He likes proximity.  I like….space.

5. What are you allergic to?
Possibly erythromycin.  It’s not certain, but I had a weird reaction when taking it once years ago for a sinus infection.  Doc wasn’t sure whether it was an allergic reaction or just a product of the infection itself.  I just stay away from it.

6. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Decide whether I like the song on the radio (do I turn it off or not?), take my blood pressure, grab glass of water and head to the bathroom.

7. What was your favorite TV show growing up?
I used to watch Bewitched

and Hogan’s Heroes

after school a lot, so probably one of those.  I also loved Doctor in the House

, a British comedy about silly doctors that our parents (who were doctors) hated us to watch.

8. Will you, or did you, go to your 10 year high school reunion?
No.  And it was 28 22 years ago.  [edited:  don’t know how I made that arithmetic mistake]

9. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it still make a sound?
There is no sound unless there is a receiver.  It’s just sound waves.

10. What, in your opinion, is the greatest invention? (You know, since sliced bread…)
Definitely, the Interwebz.  Before sliced bread, it would have to be fire.

1. What was the last concert you’ve been to?
The last concert was October 21st:   Naturally 7 with opening act Justin Hines at the gorgeous new Koerner Hall here in Toronto.  I haven’t counted the two operas and live performance of Sound of Music that I have seen since that one.

2. Is it easy to make you cry?
Not really, although certain pieces of music or movie themes can do it.  I have occasionally cried with frustration over my teenage sons.

3. Do you ever feel like people underestimate you?
Yes.  Particularly since I became a stay-at-home mom.  But the great thing about being in mid-life is that I simply don’t care.

4. Name 7 completely random things that you like:

1. Lebanese food
2. Getting a massage
3. Reading and napping on the sofa
4. My new chandelier in the living room
5. Walking my dog and listening to BBC podcasts.
6. A glass of wine at 4 pm.
7. Having my sons thank me or tell me they miss me.

5. What’s your favorite reality TV show and why?
The Amazing Race – I like seeing the different countries and how the contestants cope with uncertainty.  And how their relationships develop during the stresses.

6. What is your favorite hair care product?
L’Oreal tecni.art Hairmix Supreme Smooth.  I have frizzy hair and this keeps it smooth and shiny.

7. What’s your favorite song at the moment?
Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong singing “Gone Fishin'”….’cause my son keeps playing it in the car.  He’s newly into jazz and music of that era, and he loves this!

8. What’s the number one thing on your Christmas wishlist?
An iPhone.

9. Have you ever lost your cell phone?
Nope, at least not for more than 10 minutes.

10. Did you attack the hordes of shoppers for Black Friday?
We don’t really do Black Friday here in Canada, but even if we did, you couldn’t pay me enough to shop that day.

1. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A math teacher.  Isn’t it every little girl’s dream?

2. Name 3 of your irrational fears.

You know, I don’t think I have any.  I don’t really like okra.  But I’m a big girl and am allowed to not eat everything I’m served.  I’m not big on competitive sports, particularly one involving a racket or bat or club.  So if I ever had to impress someone in a business situation with my golf game, or a tennis match, I’d be pretty frightened.

3. If you had a $200 gift card to any store, what would you want it to be? (Nothing responsible allowed. Can’t be used for groceries or anything)

My first impulse was to say amazon.ca, but I am on a book-buying moratorium until I can clear some shelf space.  So let’s say Sephora.  I have a lot of outdated makeup that is probably oozing with bacteria and I’d have no qualms about tossing it all for new stuff.  And I’d like a bottle of Miracle by Lancome.

4. What is your most (blog-friendly) embarrassing moment?

Waiting in a restaurant for a table in a then-fashionable drop-waisted dress.  A woman came up to me, rubbed my tummy and asked me when I was due.  I wasn’t. Due.  I guess she should have been the embarrassed one, but I was mortified.

5. If you were only allowed to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

This is too evil to contemplate.  Can I choose a food group?  Fruit?  Cheese?

6. What was your favorite toy growing up?

Spirograph.  My favorite toy that I NEVER GOT, EVEN THOUGH I BEGGED SANTA was an EasyBake Oven.  Apparently, there are lots of grown women who have never forgiven Santa for this, and a lot of their parents who blithely said “You can just use the regular oven, anytime.  I can help you.”  Yeah, right.

7. Do you have a “go to” outfit? What is it?

For dressy occasions:  Black velvet pencil skirt, some kind of dressy top.

For every day:  Black cords or jeans, v-neck long or 3/4 sleeve top.  Leather jacket.  Oh look.  That’s what I have on today.

8. Who was the best teacher you ever had?

Mr. Cook in Grade 7 and part off Grade 8.  I was in an enriched class and he was terrific.  I can’t exactly remember why, but when they switched him out in Grade 8 for another teacher, we all cried.  Okay, maybe just the girls.

9. If you could buy any car right now (something at least SORT OF within the realm of reality…so, you know, a Rolls Royce may not qualify), what would it be?

I like the Nissan Cube, but my family doesn’t.  Could it be because they are men?  And this is a car targeted at women? But this is my fantasy, so that’d be it.

10. How do you reckon that Chelsea comes up with 10 of these questions every week? It was hard! What’s your theory on how she’s so creative? Are you going to help her?

Chelsea is clearly brilliant.  Anyone who would research toilet paper the way she did shouldn’t be stymied by coming up with ten questions every week.  But yes, I may help out.

1. What are some of your family traditions?
We celebrate Saints days with dinner out for both our boys.  We have family dinners every night except for Friday. We eat lamb at Easter.  Everyone gets a Christmas stocking, and everyone buys at least one item for everyone else’s stocking.  We have a fave sushi place three blocks from home that we eat at every couple of weeks.

3. Do you subscribe to any magazines? What are your favorites?
When we moved two years ago, we gave up most of our subscriptions because we were overwhelmed with stuff.  My favorite magazine, to which I subscribed for over 20 years, is The New Yorker.  I also like Vanity Fair.  These days, I get two daily newspapers (local and national) plus a weekly Catholic paper. Most of my magazine type reading is done online via my RSS reader.

4. What are your top three favorite office supply items? (If you don’t share the love of office supplies with me or if you are male, you may skip this question.)
My label-maker, good pens (my husband spots them and brings them home), planners of different sizes.

5. Are you a good public speaker?
Yes, I think so.  In fact, I was complimented by a nun after my theology class today on my articulate speech in a tense discussion during class.  I used to be very nervous, and then I took a Presentation Skills course at work where they videotaped us.  I looked so confident, that I never felt nervous again.

6. How do you feel about acronyms?
I worked in telecom for 17 years, and it’s all about acronyms.  So I’m comfortable with them. I love it that Rachel Ray refers to EVOO in her cooking show.

7. What’s the most creative things you’ve ever done? (Bloggers, feel free to include pictures!)
This is a hard one as I am a crafter, but I am very proud of the floor cushions I made out of old skateboarding t-shirts, incorporating the labels into the seams.  I also made a quilt for my older son out of old jeans.

8. I’d rather jam a pen in my eye than…
…watch the American Idol auditions.  I cannot bear to hear people sing off key.  I cannot bear to see people who have no clue that they don’t have talent.

9. What company has the best advertising?
Apple.

10. When is your birthday?
July 9, 1960.   The big one approaches!

Another fun set of questions from Chelsea over at Roots and Rings.

1. What gift are you most proud of giving?

1. What animal should cease to exist? (Not including bugs. That’s too obvious.)
Turkey vultures.  Because they are so ugly.  I can’t find my photos of the turkey vultures that hung out around our first house in suburban Atlanta, but I swear, I had never seen such hideous creatures in my life.

Cinema Serenade

 with Itzhak Perlman, John Williams and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.  I woke up to it every morning for years.

7. What was the most surprising thing about college?