Questions . . .

[chelseagirl]

Since I seem to be better at responding than posting, I thought I'd do a Sunday morning questionnaire, borrowed from malinaldarose.

1. Are you named after anyone?

Yes. My great-great grandmother was Catharine, my great-aunt was Elizabeth Katherine, and I am Catherine.



2. When was the last time you cried?

Honestly? In sadness and frustration at the last 5 minutes of the latest season of The Alienist, and then with sentimental joy at the last 5 minutes of the last season of Agents of Shield. Which suggests I've been in lockdown (or semi-lockdown, by now) for too long.

3. Do you like your handwriting?

Eh. I think it's getting worse because I mostly type.

4. What is your favourite lunch meat?

Prosciutto. And smoked salmon.

5. Do you have children?

Married, no children.

6. If you were another person would you be friends with you?

Yes.

7. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

I do, but apparently I'm not good at it, as my deeply sarcastic spouse doesn't get that I'm being sarcastic.

8. Do you still have your tonsils?

Nope, but I had them out in my 20s. (Apparently it hurts a lot more that way.)

9. Would you bungee jump?

Absolutely not.

10. What is your favourite cereal?

I've been enjoying Cascadian Farms maple brown sugar granola, but I always return to Raisin Bran which, er, gets the job done.

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?

If they are that sort of shoes, absolutely. I haven't really worn anything but ballet flats since April, though.

12. Do you think you're strong?

Physically, not. Emotionally, I suppose I must be.

13. What is your favourite flavor of ice cream?

Dark chocolate gelato from Il Laboratorio di Gelato.

14. What is the first thing you notice about people?

Do they seem friendly?

15. Red or pink?

I just bought pink eyeglasses. So I guess pink. They suit my complexion, though they're slated to become my backup pair -- I was trying out Warby Parker and I figured I'd buy the backup ones first in case I didn't love them. Spoiler: yeah, now I'm going to order a pair of tortoiseshell brown from Warby.

16. What is the least favorite thing about yourself?

My tendency to self-sabotage, due to a profound lack of confidence.

17. There is no 17.

18. There is no 18.

19. What color pants and shoes are you wearing?

A blue and white dress, and no shoes since I'm in the apartment.

20. What was the last thing you ate?

Shhhh, brownies for breakfast. It's Sunday -- we'll have midday dinner and then I won't eat again, so I guess it evens out.

21. What are you listening to right now?

My partner is watching reruns of Las Vegas in the other room. And rain and cars passing by out the window.

22. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

Blue-green

23. Favourite smell?

Lavender. (Which is ironic, since I got this from malinaldarose, who has recently posted about her hatred of lavender.)

24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?

Mom. She's 86, she's not online, we speak on the phone almost every day.

25. Favourite sport to watch?

Er, um. Pass.

26. There is no 26.

27. Favourite band?

David Bowie. I know he's an artist, not a band, but. Actual band, The Clash. Actual still existing band where all members are still alive, Yo La Tengo.

28. Do you wear contacts?

No. My eyes kept telling me I did not, and then they started making cute glasses, so I started listening.

29. Favourite food?

Sushi. And Indian.

30. Scary movies or happy endings?

Scary movies with happy endings? ;-) Happy endings if they're earned.

31. Last movie you watched?

Is it sad that I've been having trouble committing to movies because they're too long? Pandemic lack of concentration syndrome.

32. What color shirt are you wearing?

Again, a blue and white dress. Assumptions, much?

33. Summer or winter?

Preferably spring or fall. But summer normally has its advantages as I'm not teaching on campus and can travel. When it's not a pandemic. And winter is okay because I can bundle on cozy clothing and since I live in the city I don't have to worry about driving or doing my own shoveling, and that's great when it's not a pandemic and therefore public transportation is not trying to kill me.

34. Hugs or kisses?

Hugs. They are more universally applicable -- social kissing is a bit weird, and I've been married for awhile now so makeout sessions are pretty much out the window.

5. Favourite dessert?

chocolate ice cream/gelato. or key lime pie. or something cinnamon.

36. Favourite drink?

tea, seltzer, wine, hard cider. Honestly, of those seltzer is the one I drink most. And tea gives the greatest joy. We've also discovered Cutwater brand canned margaritas, but even one of those gets me fuzzy-headed, so they must be treated with great care.

37. Favourite hobby?

writing. Does it still count as a hobby now that I've had a book published? Actually, if you look at my earnings statements, I think it does. ;-)

38. What book are you reading?

I'm having trouble focusing lately, so: How to Be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman, Mrs. Sherlock Holmes by Brad Ricca, Mastering the Process by Elizabeth George, Opium and Absinthe by Lydia King. Jumping around a lot.

39. What is on your mouse pad?

I'm a laptop fan so no mouse pad.

40. What did you last watch on TV?

Er, The New Adventures of Monkey with M. My own choice? Frankie Drake Mysteries.

41. Favourite sound?

Cats purring. The voice of someone I like having a conversation with me -- usually, these days, over a screen or the phone.

42. Rolling Stones or Beatles?

Beatles. But David Bowie.

43. What is the farthest you have been from home?

Oslo, Norway.

44. Do you have a special talent?

I'd like to think writing, but I'm not sure. Suffering from Impostor Syndrome at the moment.

45. Where were you born?

Rome. Alas, that is Rome, NY, but it sounds better when I leave that part off. Also, my family is buried in Valhalla . . . NY.

Comments

[lunabee34]

We are lunch meat twins. I love smoked salmon and prosciutto so much.

[executrix]

Smoking salmon requires a smoker (...although bored people stuck at home can kludge up a stovetop smoker pretty easily...) but gravlax is easy, fast, and gluten-free!

[chelseagirl]

It's also not that difficult to purchase. ;-)

[executrix]

And very overpriced versus salmon filet in terms of the effort and ingredients required.

[chelseagirl]

You're talking to someone who is part of a couple with someone who's struggling with serious depression who's doing a physically exhausting job, and someone who under ordinary circumstances commutes a minimum of 2 1/2 hours daily. Please let us have our indulgences without shaming us.

[lunabee34]

Guess what Josh wants for his birthday?

We are going to have so much fun with a smoker. I can't wait.

[chelseagirl]

Honestly, the phrase lunch meat threw me because it makes me think of bologna and other do not wants. But obviously there is some I love.

[lunabee34]

Yeah, lunch meat is not how I would describe either of those things really.

I do not like bologna either.

But I do love ham and turkey from the deli. Boar's Head has some really good sandwich meat.

[chelseagirl]

I honestly don't really like any of that, although I'll eat it without kicking up a fuss.

[nyctanthes]

That is good gelato.

Re: movies, I'm the opposite these days. I find it hard to concentrate on shows (because once an episode is over there's another one and another one...) but am finding movies, esp. the ones less than two hours, just right.

[chelseagirl]

I think it's committing to sitting still that long. I have been bingeing TV less and saving an episode for my morning stationary bike ride more -- movement and watching tends to work better than either on its own.

[bethynyc]

ooo interesting! I may already have heard the story, but how was Norway?

[chelseagirl]

It was 1988. I was doing my post bar exam trip, but unlike a lot of my classmates, I didn't have a lot of money, so it got cut down to a week in England, and then a week in Denmark and Norway -- largely because a friend from my first job out of college had married a Dane and was living in Copenhagen, and a friend from my summer law firm job had gone home to Norway and was living with his girlfriend in Oslo. So it was the "let's go see friends in Europe!" trip. I don't remember that much about Oslo except that it was nice, and all the classical-style public buildings were painted yellow instead of white because there was snow on the ground so much of the year, but I was there in July or August. I bought one of those Norwegian sweaters and still have it. Oh and bookstores had half the books in Norwegian and half in English -- they said the market for Norwegian language books was small enough and everyone studied English (or German) so for economic reasons a lot of books were imported. I remember more about Copenhagen, but I was there longer.