Hodgepodge: Shakespeare, Sleep, and Sadness

I haven't fallen victim of a tragedy--Shakespeare's or otherwise,  but if you've wondered wherefore art I've been, read the post below this one.  It's had something do with "art," actually.

This delightful meme called the Hodgepodge comes with a complete set of eight prompts every week, and all you have to do is supply the answers.  It's not hard if you're familiar with yourself.
Thanks, Joyce (From This Side of the Pond) ,for being the brains behind this brawny exercise.  I could be wrong., but I do believe we've collectively written more volumes than the Bard himself.


1. William Shakespeare's birthday is celebrated on April 23rd...when did you last read Shakespeare? What's your favorite Shakespeare play? Last time I read Shakespeare was probably was several years ago when I was asked to consider teaching high school literature at our homeschool co-op. After all, I was an English major, right? Right. And because I was, I was forced in college (by the desire to get to A's) to read a whole expanse of literature I didn't especially like. Don't get me wrong; Shakespeare was a genius and I love his poetry. His sonnets are hard to beat. I also appreciate the comedies and can quote things like, "whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or ( ...yada yada about taking up arms...) and by opposing, end them?" I enjoy Shakespeare on stage when it's well done. I've seen A Midsummer Night's Dream, Taming of the Shrew -- (my fave), Hamlet, and MacBeth. Actually my hubby and I saw Christopher Plummer on stage at the Lyric in Baltimore for our first wedding anniversary. Suprise tickets from  him. I still remember Lady MacBeth's hem getting caught on and ripped by a nail in the stage riser. She stayed right in character when she heard the rip. "Oh, FYE on it!" she yelled, the funniest line of the whole play, ad libbed. But to sit down and read Shakespeare? No thanks. To discuss him with a class? Bigger no thanks.

2. What food(s) would you recommend a foreign visitor try when they visit your home country? Well, the United States certainly could offer at least 50 different yummables to a foreigner, couldn't she? Since I'm partial to Maryland and her cuisine, I would say you gotta try the crabs. I enjoy showing "foreigners" (from as nearby as Kansas and as far away as Birobidzhan) how to use a crab mallet to crack the claws open, how to remove the apron and the yucky yellow guts and lungs, and pick all the jumbo lump crab meat out that's just absolutely fantabulous with Old Bay. Folks who think Red Lobster has tasty crabs need a real education. Only Maryland's blue crabs with Old Bay seasoning are worth trying in America. If you just really couldn't stomach eating a crab after peeling its legs and shell off, then do try a crabcake. In my own little town is Baltimore's best. If you're ever in the area, I'll join you for lunch.

3. What's a lie you often tell yourself? I'll be thin again without contracting a disease.

4. What's something you're good at that might surprise us? Remember this is a family friendly blog! Oh, Joyce, you had to add that last part. Too funny. You might not know I can do ventriloquism. And I can do magic; my husband says he has never seen anyone who can make money disappear as fast as I can.

5. Who is your favorite animal character from a book? So many to choose from. But just the other day something made me think of Wilbur, the talking pig, from Charlotte's Web. Oh, I remember what made me think of it. A discussion on the sale of Mark Zuckerberg's "baby"--Facebook. I thought "Zuckerberg's Famous Pig: F-A-C-E-B-O-O-K." Talk about bringing home the blue ribbon AND the bacon!!

6. April showers bring May flowers...do you have a green thumb? I used to be better about keeping things growing. Now I can't even get my thumbNAILS to grow. But as for flowers--I keep buying them and keep getting reminded they need at least water to live.

7. Speaking of rainy days...which one of the following activities would you most want to spend time doing on a rainy day- sort photos and create albums bake cookies read a good book hold an all-day movie marathon organize closets, cupboards, or bookshelves try a new recipe fix something that needs fixing Hmmm, I scanned the list for the one missing--napping. Nothing I like better. Rain zaps my energy, so the organize thing would not even make the cut. Sometimes I'm inspired by cold rain to heat up the kitchen with a new recipe. Or tweaking an old one. But the other things would induce sleep on a rainy day, so I still stay my favorite activity would involve a whole of inactivity.

8. Insert your own random thought here. Sadly, my sister lost the baby over the weekend, so I won't be an aunt this Thanksgiving after all.