Close to You and to Insanity in the Hodgepodge

Thanks, Joyce, for coming up with yet another fun Wednesday Hodgepodge. 

If you happen to be reading here for the first time, click here for the hostess's blog. Then join us, won't you? 


1. Did you watch The Oscars? How many of the Best Picture nominees have you seen? (American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, Selma, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash)

Do you think actors should use their acceptance speeches as an opportunity to promote their political and/or social agenda? Does that sort of speech make you more or less inclined to change the channel?

Yes, I watched the Oscars, but not all the way to the end.   I think I actually changed it while Patricia Arquette was yammering on and on and on about equal rights for women in her acceptance speech/political tirade.  How rude! I was embarrassed for her and wondered if she'll ever get another Oscar because of how she performed at the Academies.

Of the Best Pictures, I've only seen Boyhood, which Patricia Arquette starred in. Grrr. The movie was well acted, but boy it went on and on and on.  Do you see a theme here?

2. Speaking of the movies... are you comfortable going to a movie alone? How about dinner in a restaurant (not fast food, but an actual restaurant)? The second half of this question was posed by Carrie who blogs over at It's Not Easy Being Queen. Thanks Carrie! 

Hi, Carrie!  I've never been to a movie alone, not because I'd be uncomfortable, but because I want someone there to share laughter, tears, share a bucket of popcorn and to clarify things I might not have heard correctly. 

As for dinner alone, I've done that a few times when I've been exceptionally hungry and craving something specific., and wanted ambience. Several weeks ago I ventured into Bertucci's because I  was already out, really wanted lasagna, their rolls, some hot tea, and the cozy warmth of a fire in the brick oven pizza. 

3. What's the last home repair or home improvement project you had to pay someone to complete? In hindsight was this a project you could have done yourself? 

Some landscaping in June last year. We paid my daughter's ex-boyfriend a little bit (he didn't ask for it) to remove some bushes and replant new ones that were lower maintenance.  It was his  Father's Day gift to hubby,  but actually  the dude didn't do it alone. My daughter helped, and eventually everyone pitched in because it was such a big job on a sweltering hot day in June. We could have done it ourselves. We are DIY people about 90% of the time.

4. Have you ever had Indian food? Like it or no? If you're a fan, what's your favorite dish? Have you ever prepared this yourself at home? Is there an Indian restaurant in your current hometown? 

I love Indian food. Chicken Vindaloo might be my favorite. I 've never tried to make Indian food at home; maybe it's time I tried. There's an Indian restaurant within five minutes of my house. I would not go there alone; the service is slow and the portions are huge. 

5. A song that reminds you of your parents? 

Close to You  (by the Carpenters) reminds me of their relationship. I can picture Daddy singing to Mama:

Why do birds, suddenly appear?
Every time you are near
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you

Why do stars, fall down from the sky?
Every time you walk by
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you

On the day that you were born, the angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true....

6. The 26th of February is National Tell A Fairy Tale Day. What's your favorite, or one of your favorite, fairy tales? Do you have any childhood memories associated with a particular fairy tale? 

I liked Cinderella as a child, mostly because I loved the picture of her getting to ride in a horse-drawn, pumpkin-shaped carriage while wearing a beautiful blue dress and glass high heels. (What was I thinking?)  

Childhood memory--yes, indeedy. I got to play the lead role in Rumpelstiltskin in our fourth grade class play.  My part was to make some funny sound, repeated here and there.I don't remember the speaking lines, but I remember loving to make the audience laugh.

7. What's a problem you solved yesterday? 

When I read this question in the early part of the day, there were (amazingly, happily) no problems to solve. The whole day went swimmingly until 10:30 pm when I was having a meltdown over explaining plagiarism to my son. 

"You can't just change a few words here and there and call it your own," I repeated (24 times at least).  You have to take the information, understand it, and rewrite it completely in your own vocabulary and style, and cite your source.  I get on a very tall soapbox when it comes to plagiarism. "It's stealing intellectual property!" I ended up yelling. Not a shining moment for me in the problem-solving department. We ended up, painstakingly, writing his research in his own words.

He told me I was a "literature, grammar nazi."

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I hate science fairs.  As I said on Facebook, they suck the fun out of science.  I can't wait to have Friday night OVER and DONE with. That might be terrible grammar, but his literture-grammar nazi doesn't give a riff.