It’s Friday!

 

For the most part, Friday isn’t a big reason to celebrate for me.  I mean, I’m currently unemployed, so it’s not the end of my work week.  And, even when I was working, I usually had to work weekends, so the truth is, it’s rarely been the end of my work week.  But, these days, the final weekday does mark something else on the calendar, and I’m so glad I didn’t miss it this week . . . Five Question Friday!

Thanks again to Mama M for the inspiration.  I encourage folks to drop by her blog and play along.  Just click the icon to get there, and you might read a bit while you’re there, too; it’s always entertaining.

So, without further ado, here we go . . .

1.  What were you scared of as a kid?

Being home alone, and especially going home alone.  Man, I hated walking into an empty house.  I have had this life-long certainty that sadistic lunatics are so popular in the movies and TV because they actually exist in real life.  I don’t ever want to find one hiding in my closet.  Anyway, when I would get home and no one else was there, I would systematically search through every room in the house, just to make sure I was truly alone.  Only then would I be able to sit down and watch TV or do homework or whatever I was going to do.

This phobia continued on into my adulthood, and it was only when I became a mother and didn’t want to pass it on to my son (I got my fear from my mom, who also hated being alone) that I tried to deliberately squash it down.  I haven’t entirely beaten it—just this morning I went outside for a while, and a loud noise coming from the front of the house when I was in the back yard caused me to have to search when I went back inside—but I am better.  We have an alarm system now, and that helps.

2. Do you sleep well in a hotel?

Almost always, even if I’m alone.  There aren’t too many places for a sadistic lunatic to hide in a hotel room (at least not the kind I can afford), so my phobia doesn’t kick in.  And I love to travel, so when I’m in a hotel, I’m usually in a really good mood, which makes sleeping easier.  Sometimes they have bad pillows, and that can be a deal-breaker for me.  It’s not unheard of that I make a trip to Wal-Mart for something inexpensive but acceptable from the pillow aisle, and then leave it behind when it’s time to check out.  And if I’ve driven to wherever I’m staying (rather than flying), I bring along my own pillow, just in case.

3. If you could meet any celebrity, dead or alive, who and why?

I bet I’ve answered this question dozens of times in various and sundry ice-breaker type sessions and such, and I think I probably give a different answer every time.  There are so many people I’d like to say hello to, it’s hard to choose.  But today, I think the answer would be John Kennedy.  Do presidents count as celebrities?  I hope so.  Anyway, he’s not a new choice—he’s always in my top ten—but I think when it’s election year he’s more in the forefront of my mind.  Quite simply, I think he was probably the best American president of my lifetime (if you can count the first three months of my life as falling within my lifetime, from a political point of view).  While I am certain that his assassination has caused history to be kinder to him than it might otherwise have done, I am also certain that he was a man of conviction, intelligence, and compassion, and that’s sort of who I think we need leading our country.  I’d like to be able to say hello to someone like that.

4. It's a hot summer day. Do you prefer to be pool side or at the beach?

Beach!  Odds are, I’m not going to be swimming either way—I’m one of those folks who enjoys really warm water, and you don’t find that too many places.  (Though I still have fond memories of Galveston, TX, and their gulf water that was about 90°. That was great!)  So if you take the swimming out of the equation, it’s all about the ambience.  And in that regard, I think sand and crashing waves beats concrete decks and gurgling pumps, hands down.  I’m lucky enough to have a pool in my yard, and I would still gladly drive to a beach every day, if only we had one here.  Plus, as I mentioned, I love to travel, and since we don’t have an ocean nearby, a beach always means travel, which is just another plus in my book.

5. What is your favorite summer dish?

Is watermelon a dish?  Because it’s my favorite summer-time food, no question.  It might be messy, but it’s sweet, and juicy, and good for you; that’s a winning combination in my book.  Of course, it’s best if it’s ice-cold (literally; it’s always better if it’s been swimming in a tub of ice water than if it’s been chilling in the fridge), but one of my best watermelon memories is going out to my Grandpa Joe’s garden, pulling a melon off the vine, and eating it right then and there.  It might’ve been warm, but it was still the best watermelon I’ve ever eaten.

 

So that’s it for this week, and I’m so impressed with myself for actually getting it done on Friday; yay me! 

I’ll be back later with the first entry for Photo A Day, June Edition, but if you’d like to know how others feel about these five questions, not to worry—it’s a blog hop!  I invite you to browse around, and, of course, add your own.