Friday 5 for April 16: Faces

It's time for this week's Friday 5!

1) How’s your poker face?
Terrible. I can come up with elaborate deceptions, but when it comes to little things like that... I can't seem to hide it. Like when I think of a really good joke. I typically have to tell it twice because I laugh the whole first time.

2) When were you last red-faced?
Angry? Embarrassed? Probably yesterday. Had a bad day yesterday, got angry, and I was in my car and hot, so that could also have been a contribution.

3) When will it be time for you to face the music?
When I get to a point where I'm able to pay all of my bills instead of picking and choosing all the time.

4) What’s an issue about which you’ve done an about-face?
Capital punishment. I used to be whole-hock against it, but as I've gotten older, I can see the merit.

5) Who’s overdue for some face-time with you?
Mr. Ware Carlton-Ford. I haven't seen him since, like, last decade, and due to not having the money for gas, I haven't been able to make it down to Illinois, either.


There it is - another week, another 5.

I'll be posting every day next week with reduce, reuse and recycle entries for Earth Day! So many cool ideas, so little time.

Friday 5 for April 9: Multimedia

This week's topic is multimedia and, after looking at the questions, I think they mean in the traditional sense - music, movies, the paper, TV and the radio. All topics I'm all about.

1) What Rolling Stones song best summarizes the week you just had?
Hmm. Good one. Because I did have a birthday this week, and it's been a very productive and social week. Hmm.
Probably "Shattered" because it's catchy.

2) What movie reminds you most of your childhood?
Definitely "The Little Mermaid" or "Hook."

3) What part of the newspaper do you never (or almost never) read?
The Classified section or, honestly, the Front Page. I typically skip right on ahead to Local.

4) What television show is a lot better than you thought it would be?
Glee. I thought it looked like another stupid teeny-bopper show, but now I'm so hooked on it it's kind of ridiculous.

5) What station is the radio nearest you set on at this moment?
Thankfully, 89.3 The Current from MPR. Thanks again for the radio, Mom!

There you have it - another week, another 5!

Friday 5 for April 2: Baskets

This week's Friday 5 is in honor of this weekend's festivities, including, but not limited to, Easter. I'm also stoked about the Twins debut at Target Field, and the wonderful picnic weather! What's more fitting than a Friday 5 about baskets?


1) What is your laundry basket like?
Which one? I have 3 - one is from IKEA, and it's abused, ripped, and non-functioning for the time being. Then I have a tall one and a short and wide one filled with clean laundry and dirty laundry, respectively.

2) What in your life is threatening to go to hell in a handbasket?
Oh man, what isn't? Most of all, probably my financial situation. I owe a LOT to my student loans, I'm paying off a car, and I've been living paycheck-to-paycheck for like three years. It kind of blows, and any period of unemployment hurts me for MONTHS, but I'm working on it.

3) What was the occasion for your receiving your last gift basket, and what was in it?
My cousin, Kyle, got me one of those awesome red apple baskets full of fruit for Christmas. I think I'm going to turn it into incidental yarn storage. It's a really cute basket!

4) When could you last have been described as a basket case?
Um... only always.

5) How’s your bread basket?
Mmmm... hungry probably. According to the game of Operation, your bread basket's your belly, right? Mine's still got some winter weight on it, but I'm working on that.


So there it is - another week, another 5.

Coming next week! I turn 25, Easter recap, and a "how I made my own portfolio" tutorial. And Booth and Bones finally make out. I hope.

The Friday 5 of Sleep, and some geekdom gushing.

Oh man. Sleep. One of my favorite subjects. One I've had a lot of experience with, and a lot to say! Here goes:

1) How many hours’ sleep do you need in order to be at your best, and what’s the minimum you can get on a regular basis and still be functional?
On average, I need probably about 7 hours to be at my very best. However, I have had weeks where I stay up late, and can get by on about 4. Getting by is helped on by frequent napping during the day, including catnaps during commercials, and full-on sleeping through "Two and a Half Men."

2) What’s your favorite sleeping position?
For sleep-sleep? I'm definitely a side or belly sleeper.  For naps, I prefer sitting up or laying on my back.  It's how my brain separates the two.

3) What was the cause of your most recent difficulty sleeping?
An hour-and-a-half nap at about 8:30 to like 10 last night. I woke up feeling really refreshed... but dammit if I actually needed it then.

4) When you can’t seem to drift off to sleep right away, what are some things you do to bring about sleep?
I have a CD in my old alarm clock that has my sleepytime music on it. Reading usually knocks me out. Failing that, I pull up my computer, open up Hulu or throw in a DVD. There's something about watching TV in bed that just lulls me to sleep. Also? I'll highly recommend going out and getting Hulu Desktop. It's pretty much the best program to have at your disposal for times like this.

5) When did you last doze off at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate place?
Probably yesterday. There was a lull in my work day, and I dozed for a little while. I'll admit it. Woke up feeling great, and kicked ass for the remainder of the day.

There it is - another week, another 5!


On to the geekery.
April is one of my favorite months of the year due to the end of the hockey season and the start of the baseball season, the sprouting of crocuses, the opening of windows and Farmer's Markets, and my birthday.  Now I have something else to look forward to: new episodes of Fringe.
Fringe has become one of my favorite shows, partially due to the fact that I've recently converted to JJ Abrams-ism, and mostly due to my deep and abiding affection for Joshua Jackson.  Any show that can, convincingly and perfectly, use "Single Ladies" as the backing track to a woman and her 9-year-old niece playing Operation is all right by me. 
But COMING APRIL 1!  We get to find out Peter's backstory.  It's been bugging Fringe viewers since mid-season 1, and the fact that they're putting it in Season 2 is awesome.  (As opposed to waiting 5 seasons and delivering it all in a vomit of backstory that washes over us in a wave and forces us to watch twice... LOST viewers you know what I'm talking about.  Seen "Ab Aeterno" yet?) 
What makes it more awesome is the casting of Orla Brady as Peter's mother and Walter's wife.  I've been wanting to know more about her (Mama Bishop) for a long time, and I love the actress.  She's both gorgeous and adorable - kind of like an Irish Audrey Hepburn.  Just timelessly pretty, with a voice like a viola.  And, as Colm Meaney's character in "The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns" says: "A figgur that'd make a monk cry."
Also, she's now the connecting link between Star Trek (TNG and DS9), The Mighty Ducks, Lord of the Rings and Nathional Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
/end geekery

Friday 5: Chit-Chat

This week, I will attempt to seriously answer the questions normal Americans usually cast no more than a passing comment at.

1) “Come here often?”
(assuming this happens at my local pub): "Every Sunday and Wednesday when I can afford it.  This place is my Cheers!" 
(Nod to Chatterbox Pub in Highland Park - karaoke twice a week from 8:30pm to 12:30 or whenever the manager asks us to leave.)

2) “What’s new?”
Not much, honestly.  Still attending karaoke every week, still living with a couple and their daughter, still making stuff with yarn and fabric. I'll be creating a few costumes for Urban Spectrum Theatre's dance and fashion production of "Alice in Wonderland"! I'm excited about it. The looks I'm working on will be on sale after the production, which is happening the weekend before the "Destination: Outer Space" premieres!
(No worries, blog followers! I'll keep you posted and let you know more in May!)

3) “[insert your recent weather condition here] enough for ya?”
Oh, we had a warm week!  I had my window open until last night when everything froze.  This is great!  It means the maple trees are running, and I'll have a quart of fresh syrup by Easter!

4) “How’s it hangin?”
Provided no one has knocked it down again? Well. I hope.

5) “How ’bout them [insert local sports team here]?”
Well, the Wild are doing okay, and the Twins are still in spring training. My sports brain turns "off" during March to avoid March Madness.


There you have it! Another week, another 5.

The Friday 5: Deadlines

It's finally Friday! Awesome. And, as a procrastinator, I'm going to be ashamed of my answers here, and I apologize to anyone who's had to put up with that.

1) When was the last time you had a serious deadline to make, and did you make it?
The last one I can think of is my Christmas dress. I made a dress to wear on Christmas Day and to midnight mass, so I had to have it done by the time I went to bed on the 23rd. I stayed up an extra hour after completion to re-make the collar because it was too high up on my neck. I ended up not going to bed until about 4am, but I finished the dress! And it looks amazing.

2) Do you generally plan for deadlines, or are they more likely to sneak up on you until you’re frantic?
More of the sneaking thing. I'm really not great with deadlines. And I feel like I disappoint folks when I do it, too.

3) When did you last set a deadline for someone else, and did that person make it?
I rarely set deadlines for other people unless absolutely necessary. Usually, they don't meet them, so I don't give myself any expectations.

4) How flexible and understanding are you when it comes to other people meeting your deadlines?
If I set a deadline, I typically allow for them to not make it. It's easier that way to be flexible.

5) What were the circumstances the last time you hung up on someone in the middle of a phone call, or the last time someone hung up on you in the middle of a phone call?
This one's usually due to frustration or disconnection.

There you have it - another week, another 5!

The Friday 5: Staples

And not the office kind.

1) Of all the hundreds of sizes and shapes bread seems to come in, what is your favorite?
Hmm... A difficult question, especially since I worked in a bakery!  I'll have to go with... probably... a basket style loaf (kinda wide sandwich bread), or hallah, because it's typically all fancy and braided.

2) What’s your favorite thing to eat with rice?
Cheese. Okay, if rice isn't the main dish, then probably ring bologna and green beans, or chow mein.

3) What are your feelings about milk?
Love it.

4) What was wrapped in the tortilla you most recently ate?
Probably Chipotle.

5) How many staplers are there in your house and where are they?
I know I have one either in my room in the desk, or in the office in my box of misc. office supplies. And Brent probably has one on his desk, too.


So there you go - another week, another 5!

Friday 5: Comparisons

I get to compare myself to others this week. We'll see how this goes...

1) What’s something you do more quickly than most people?
Standardized tests for sure - I kind of fly through those.  That, and I tend to learn information and retain it at a pretty high level as well.

2) What’s something you do more carelessly than most people?
Talk.  I think I briefly covered this last week, but I frequently speak without really thinking about it.  As if my opinion matters 100% at that very moment.  It's off-putting for a lot of people - especially when I say something sarcastic or borderline offensive.  I really should check myself, but I don't.  Whoops!

3) What’s something you do more slowly than most people?
I eat pretty slow - especially with taco salad.  I'm pretty much always the last to leave the table.  It's driven my parents nuts for years.

4) What’s something you do more carefully than most people?
Write.  I'm quite critical of my writing.  I try to write how I talk, but it doesn't always work out that way, and I agonize over every word.  As a result, my writing (and text messaging!) is full of ellipses (...) and dashes.

5) In what contexts are you more patient than most people?
I'm pretty patient when it comes to people in general.  I do my best to, at the very least, tolerate everyone.  Comes in handy when I'm doing customer service, though in that case, I do have a tendancy to snap after a while.  But I snap in private.

You all can't tell, but these took a while to answer!  I don't often compare myself to others, so this was a very interesting, introspective and fun week!

Take a look at my Etsy team's blog at HandmadeMN.com - all local artists, and I'm soon to become a contributing writer!  Watch for my first article sometime this week.

Stay tuned for more - another week, another 5.

Friday 5 for February 19: Rules

Here we go! This week's Friday 5: Rules

1) Be honest: what are some rules you have for yourself that don’t really make much sense?
I always give people a second chance, no matter how they've wronged me in the past.  Chances are, they wrong me again.  It's a vicious cycle of betrayal, and I'm constantly open to it.

2) What rules of questionable sense did your parents have for you when you were young?
They didn't ground us.  Offering the "we're not going to ground our children" thing as a discipline tool really only worked one-third of the time.  Sorry, guys, but it's true.

3) What’s a rule most people (if not all people) seem never to obey?
Think before you speak.  I'm guilty of it, too, and it has gotten me into trouble.  But we live in a world where everything's expected to be instant; if you don't want to know, don't ask.

4) There are no rules governing the giving and receiving of Valentine’s Day gifts, but what rules should there be?
Two gifts must be purchased at Valentine's Day - one to be distributed on or near February 14th, and one to be distributed at a random point sometime during the year.  (That is to say: buy two things, and save one for when you need to apologize.)

5) If the Golden Rule says you should do unto others as you’d have others do unto you, what would the Silver and Bronze rules say?
I think I'll pull the Silver rule from an episode of Bones.  Booth's kid, Parker, keeps getting beat up by a girl, but he doesn't fight back because his dad taught him not to hit a girl.  He amends this teaching, and updates Bones: "I told him to walk away if it’s for himself, and to stand up and fight if it’s for someone else." (Season 4, "The Finger in the Nest")  Very good Silver Rule.
As for Bronze, I'll refer to #3 and say "Think before you speak."

And there you have it - another week, another 5.

The Friday 5: Warmth

That,s right; on time this week! Back on track. This week's topic is warmth - something we do not take for granted here in the great state of Minnesota. For serious - I always take a blanket with me wherever I go.

1) What is your favorite blanket like?
I have a blanket in my room that's relatively small and nondescript, but I made it with my own hands during a time of great stress and pain, and it gives me a lot of comfort.  It's a greenish blue aran-style blanket crocheted with a ripple pattern.  It's the perfect size to cover my shoulders when I'm reading in bed.  I started it at an orchestra concert, and made most of it while my grandmother was dying of cancer, and in the aftermath of that.  Seeing me work on it help to comfort my cousins, too, and since, a few of them have learned to crochet.

2) What was the last thing you baked?
Technically, I baked my dinner last night - dinosaur chicken nuggets and tater tots - but I don't really consider that "baking."  I made a batch of monster cookies a couple of weeks ago; I'm trying to perfect the recipe.  I think the secret is using pumpkin, and I'll have to try that next.

3) What television personality gets you most hot and bothered?
Jay Leno.  Man, I hate that guy.  Even before all of the crap his actions have put Conan O'Brien through.  He's not a funny comedian, and he's really condescending to his guests, and to the audience.  I haven't ever been able to watch his show without changing the channel after about five minutes.  The only times he's tolerable are when he's talking about his cars - I love classic cars, and he's really honest and real when he talks about them.  It's refreshing.  But any other time - ugh.

4) When did you last burn yourself?
I think I burned myself sometime this week - I just don't know when!  And every time I turn on the water in my bathroom, my hot water burns me a little.  It'd be nice to have some variable temperature control, but not so much, I guess.

5) What are your feelings about hot sauce?
Eh.  Don't really like it.  But cooking with it makes up for it being boring - especially when making Chinese food.  I'm a fan of Szechuan!

There you have it - another week, another five!

The Friday 5: Fried Day 5

Here we go again!

1) When you come home from a long day of whatever it is you do and your brain is totally fried, what therapy do you normally seek?
Napping in front of the television is the best kind of therapy that exists.

2) Of the myriad of desserts made primarily of fried dough, what is your favorite?
Honestly, not really a fan unless I'm at a Chinese restaurant, or I'm at the Minnesota State Fair.  Then, it's sugar donuts and deepfried candy bars, respectively.

3) Most fried foods are best right out of the fryer, but what’s a fried food that you enjoy cold?
The Monte Cristo.  See below.  When they're hot, you really can only eat half of it.

4) What’s the most unusual deep-fried food you’ve ever tried?
The Monte Cristo.  It's a ham and cheese sandwich.  Dipped in batter.  Deep-fried.  And dipped in strawberry topping.  It's pretty much the most fantastic thing on the planet.  And you really can only eat half at a time.

5) Where can you get really good French fries?
Wendy's, the Minnesota State Fair, or, up until a couple of years ago, "Minnesota Picnic" at the Mall of America.
And there you have it!  Another week, another 5!

Friday 5s: Hoops and Personal Adds

Sorry about the absence from the airwaves again, folks, but the job hunt continues and, as such, I have been neglectful of some areas of my life (such as blogging and personal hygiene).  So here's hoping I have a job soon, and a reason to put on pants in the morning.

On with the Friday 5!

Friday 5 from January 22nd: Personal Adds

What’s your favorite “just add water!” food?
That's a toss-up between condensed chicken noodle soup, ramen, and cheesecake pie filling.

What’s your favorite thing to add vinegar to?
Egg dying kits, and the water I use to spray my cat when she's being bad.

What’s something weird you’ve added to normal food?
My secret to making the perfect bowl of ramen is to throw in a few pine nuts.  Feels classier, somehow, and it really does add to the flavor.

What’s your favorite thing to add whipped cream to?
Pudding or pie.

What’s something you refuse to add anything to, even though most people add something?
CREAM CHEESE.  I really abhor flavored cream cheese.  It's gross.  Even the bacon and shallots schmear from Bruegger's, and I love bacon.  It's a delicious spread on its own!  Why add fake strawberry?!


aaaaand Friday 5 from January 29: Hoops

When did you last feel you were required to jump through meaningless hoops to get something you wanted?
The last time I applied for unemployment, or at one of my previous jobs.  A lot of meaningless tasks to do before gaining a paycheck.

What kinds of hula hoop memories do you have?
Hula hoops make my think of my best friend's little sister, Ruby.  The first time I met her, she had a hula hoop.   And a trampoline.  Either that, or it makes me think of learning to do fire hooping sometime.

How do you feel about basketball?
Eh.  I played for a few years in elementary school, and I sucked at it.  I think college hoops needs to get more acclaim because people learn to play as a team and not as individuals, and that's how the game should be... but it's not.

What do you think of hoop earrings?
It really depends on who they're on, and what size.  Because they can make a person look classy or like trash, dependent on the application.

What’s your favorite Whoopi Goldberg movie?
"Ghost."  Which, by the way, WAAAAAY funnier when you're watching it the day after Swayze died, like my sister and I did.  We've developed really morbid senses of humor since our grandmother passed, and it prompted things like, "Hey, do you think Whoopi keeps waking up to 'I'm Henry the Eighth I Am' now that Swayze's actually a ghost?"

That's all for now, folks!
Coming soon: my thoughts on what's left to cover in the final season of LOST, more on what it's like finding a job in a recession, my thoughts regarding the recent actions of NBC, and my thoughts on the restaurant moto-i in Minneapolis.  But for now, another Friday, another 5.

The Friday5: Misses

What’s something you frequently misplace?
My gloves, my phone, and occasionally, my motivation.

For whom are you often mistaken?
My sister, sometimes.

When were you last misinformed about something important?
I can't think of a time I was misinformed about something important.  Though a previous employer did hire me with one pay rate in mind, and tried to short-change me when they ran my first pay check.  That was frustrating.

Where in your home do you have a seemingly random collection of miscellanea?
Either the hutch drawers, or my headboard, and possibly my dresser.

Upon meeting someone for the first time, what qualities in the other person are likely to cause you to misjudge him or her?
The bumper stickers on or in their car, and possibly even Facebook groups and whatnot.

Catching up! The Tuesday10: Newness and Last Resorts from Friday5s past!

2010 has come, all, and as such... I've started my year as a procrastinator and run behind on my Friday 5s.  Here's a double dose of what we all missed!

January 1: Newness


1) What’s something that’s better when the newness has worn off?
Sewing machines.  When mine was new, all I wanted to do was play with all the cool new features and whatnot.  But now that I've had it a couple of years, I know how everything works, and I use the features a little more wisely now.

2) What’s something you already own that could stand to be replaced by the newer version?
Guitar Hero.  Yeah, I have version 3, which rocks, but I could stand to have Rock Band.

3) What’s something that was better before someone made it “new and improved?”
iTunes.  You used to be able to cut songs and create ringtones without having to pay like $2, and not all songs had the dastardly DRM... or did they?

4) Of geographic locations whose names begin with the word “new,” which seems like the most interesting place to visit?
I'll go with the obvious here - New York City.  I was only there once, for a weekend in the eighth grade, and really only got to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island due to excessive cloud cover.  There's so much more to the city, and I want to see it!

5) On what date will 2010 no longer feel like the new year?
Probably my birthday - April 6th.  Or whenever I get my taxes back.


January 8: Last Resorts

1) What’s something you wear only when you’re just about out of clean clothes?
Laura's old jeans (because they're too big) and my oversized tees... and typically nice button-ups and skirts.  It's either the bottom of the barrel, or the part that makes me look like I'm from Wall Street.

2) Who’s someone you hang out with only if nobody else is available?
Eh, if I want to go out and no one is available, I'll either stay at home or go to Chatterbox.  I'd rather drop in on those guys than invite a burden upon myself.

3) What’s something you eat only when the budget is really, really tight?
I'd love to say ramen, but eating ramen occurs when I'm lazy and don't really want to cook.  Egg noodles with summer sausage last a while and are delicious together with a little parmesan cheese and butter, or I dig out whatever's in the back of the freezer and fry it up.  Last resort would probably be whatever's in the back of my PARENT'S freezer.  (And yes, I'll be making a stew out of the ham bones from Christmas dinner.)

4) Who’s someone you call for help only if you absolutely must?
Anyone, really.  I hate calling for help.  I have a phone with GPS and a car with four-wheel drive.  I hope to not need it.  But if family's gone, and assuming Laura doesn't answer her phone, and my roommates are passed out in bed with their phones in the living room, then probably... Alisa.  She's first alphabetically, and typically pretty reliable.

5) What’s something you’ll watch on television only because it’s slightly better than watching nothing?
Montel.  Las Vegas.  Pretty much anything on networks during the daytime.  And especially... the "news."  I can learn more about what's going on in the world with a five-minute RSS feed troll than I can watching the news.  But watch it I do... when there's nothing else on.

The Friday Five: Gifts

Yeah, it's the Friday 5, a couple days late.  Sorry folks!  And, of course, it's apropos of Christmastime: Gifts.

1) How likely are you to return or exchange a gift you don’t like?
It really depends on the gift.  If it's something I can regift or recycle, I may keep it, and I always keep books, too (even Twilight).  If I can't use it, I return it or find it another home.

2) Who is the most gifted person you know?
Hmm.  I'd love to say "myself" here, but how much do you know yourself, you know?  Probably my best friend, Ware, because he's a circus performer / writer / editor / actor / barista / renaissance man and can pretty much do anything with some degree of proficiency.  Most handy, though, is changing light bulbs with stilts on.

3) Of gifts you gave this year, which was really the closest to perfect for the recipient?
Definitely what I got my Mom: a hand-turned crochet hook and a hank of hand-dyed yarn in the same colors as my sister's wedding.

4) What’s your favorite kind of gift to receive?
Either something I'll use daily, or something I'll never use that's just for fun (a pair of jeans vs. a 5 foot RC airplane that can land on water).

5) What’s your favorite kind of gift to give?
Something perfect; something the recipient has always wanted, or never knew they needed.  My mom's always wanted a wooden hook, so I got her one.  My dad's Favorite Movie of All Time is the Wizard of Oz, so he got the 70th Anniversary edition this year on Blu-Ray, complete with digital copy.  A couple of years ago, I commissioned a cake for Ware for his birthday because he had a history of baking, and had always wanted to bake with scotch.

There you have it - another week, another five.

The Friday Five: Wrapping

This week's topic - wrapping (of the "gift" variety) - is very apropos to how I spent half of my night last night.  Here goes:

1) How seriously do you take gift-wrapping when you give gifts?
It really depends on the recipient.  I know that my mom's kind of picky and has high expectations when it comes to gift wrap because of her own perfectionism with it (she's seriously good at wrapping presents).  My dad, however, sucks at wrapping presents, admits to that fact every year, and typically gets something from me in a bag form (this year it's pretty, though, and carefully wrapped in green paper).
My thought is as long as you can't tell what it is - or it's really, really obvious (like Peyton Manning giving that guy a football on that one commercial) - it doesn't matter how it's done.  I wrapped my roommates' presents last night in one of their own shirts, a tote bag, and a Christmas-y gift bag.  It takes all kinds.

2) Do you save gift-wrapping to re-use later?
If it's extra-pretty, and it's a large gift, I've been known to.  I'll also be really careful in unwrapping when the gift giver is really, really excited to see me open it.  Schadenfreude.
Of course, you can wrap in fabric so that there is something to re-use later; a recent article on Etsy's blog, The Storque, explores those options in the form of Furoshiki.  Of course, use of fabric negates chances for wrapping paper battles, like what inevitably happens with my dad's side of the family.

3) How picky are you when it comes to selecting wrapping paper?
Not really, actually.  I like that Victorian stylings are coming back, because it means my fancy-ass green striped wrapping paper with subtle pattern is good all year.  I don't like really excessively patterned stuff, and I try to get paper I can use year-round.  I'll dress up the present for Christmas with a Sharpie-markered tree on the card usually.  That or holly berries.  Or a SCUBA mask with mistletoe hanging from it.

4) How much attention do you pay to the way gifts you receive are wrapped?
Not much, really.  I know my brother will typically bag it, my sister and my mom will wrap it VERY. CAREFULLY. (and the paper will most often match the rest of the presents under the tree from that person - Mom and Katie typically use the "wrap everything at once, and from the same roll" method).  And you can tell my dad's because my mom wrapped it.

5) Among people you know, who is the most talented at wrapping gifts?
Definitely my mom.  She does all the different foldy-junk - how you fold over the edge that's going to be exposed so it's a clean line, and how there's a different way to fold for books than for boxes, etc.  She's very meticulous and very zen about it.  And now has so many nieces and nephews to buy books for that she's graduated them all to bags.

TheFriday Five: Remorse

Bet you can't guess what today means... that's right, it's the Friday 5!
Okay, okay, I haven't been posting here long enough to have a real pattern to it, but I certainly am trying. 

This week's topic from Friday5.org fits in brilliantly with the week I've had: Remorse.  Here goes...

1) When did you last experience emailer’s remorse?
And these are supposed to be honest answers, right?  Crap.  Well then... pretty much any time I e-mail my dad's side of the family.  I try to get in on whatever the joke is, and then no replies show up.  I suspect I get taken off of the list for future correspondance that way.

2) When did you last experience diner’s remorse?
I don't often have diner's remorse.  I love food.  Perhaps too much. 
But if there's any one place that I regret practically every time I go there, it's the Taco Bell in Cottage Grove.  Ugh.  That place...
WAIT.  I have another.  DELICIOUS food at Khan's Mongolian Barbecue, but I spent the next three days in bed after that one.  Double ugh.

3) When did you last experience movie-goer’s remorse?
Easy: Nicholas Cage, "Ghost Rider."  Went with my brother, and we couldn't even come up with sarcastic comments for entertainment.  Both of us fell asleep.  What a waste of a movie ticket.

4) When did you last experience caring friend’s remorse?
I honestly can't remember.  I know it happens often, though, because I'm a pretty empathetic person, and I can pretty easily tell when people are having a rough go.  It usually follows that if someone I care about is feeling remorse, then I just might, too, and not know why.

5) When did you last experience lover’s remorse?
February 2007.  Whew.  An easy one.  That's when my ex-fiancee and I for real-real called it the quits, after I'd been on the fence about it / holding out hope for a good outcome since approximately the previous October.  The real bitch of it was that I had come to rely on his friends - had developed relationships with them, helped them through tough times, etc - and therefore had almost no one to turn to when the shit really hit the fan.  I had to re-forge relationships with my own friends before turning to them for a shoulder to cry on, and that was a rough road.

alternate question in case that last one was too personal:
6) When did you last experience function-attender’s remorse?
I don't often go to something without a reason, or without finding something good about it.  Even if I'm super-awkward, I try to find the good.  If nothing else, at least I got out of the house that day!

There you have it!  Another week, another 5.

The Friday Five: The Middle

In the interest of having some sort of continuity on this here bloggeroni, I'm thinkin' Fridays will be dedicated to following along with Friday5.org!

This week's theme is "The Middle."  Here goes:

1) What film have you seen in the past year that’s completely average?
I watch a lot of movies - a LOT of movies - but I'll try to stick with contenders from 2009.  I will judge "completely average" as meaning I didn't feel like I wanted to see it again about halfway through.  This year brought us a lot of bad movies (Transformers, Wolverine), but those puppies are my bread and butter. 
I'm going with Knowing, the blockbuster foible starring Nicholas Cage.  The film toes the line between being a disaster film, and an in-depth science-versus-faith discussion.  In trying to do both, it can't do either.  While quite pretty in a visual sense, I felt pretty "eh" about it overall.

2) Who’s the most average-looking person you know?
In the interest of fairness, I'll go with myself.  I can look damn good, let me tell you, but I came in to work this morning and didn't realize until after my coffee that my hair looked nigh upon identical to Jon Bon Jovi's during the late-'90s "It's My Life" tour.  Enter ponytail, and myself in this category.

3) In what area of your life are you performing just well enough?
Cleaning.  I am just good enough at cleaning.  I have fits where I can't help but clear off every horizontal surface in my path, but those fits rarely hit the bedroom.
(Can't help but hear the following "How I Met Your Mother" exchange:  "Yeah, you did."  "Had to."  "Totally.")

4) A new radio station features music you neither like nor dislike! What are three songs you’re likely to hear on it?
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" - the Beatles
"Brick" - Ben Folds Five
"Run" - Snow Patrol

5) What game or sport are you just okay in?
Swimming.  I swam competitively for 9 years, so I'm a better swimmer than a lot of people, however, I did not win a whole lot of races, and generally ended up in the middle to the end of the pack.
 
And there you have it for this week's Friday Five!  Agree?  Disagree?  Want to start a fight in my comment section?  All are welcome.