Sunday Stealing: The 40 Meme

This week’s meme comes from Lady Nina at live a strong life | fight a good fight. She discovered it at My Semi Charmed Kind of Life.

The 40 Meme

1. My uncle once gave me his badge by which to remember him. I was a teenager at the time. He was an Assistant Chief of Police in a small Midwestern town.

2. Never in my life have I desired to live in a place with a climate that includes snow.

3. When I was seventeen “At Seventeen” by Janis Ian was a big hit.

4. High School was “something you do once,” as my good friend Jackie says.

5. I will never forget how relieved I felt when I learned that I passed the California Bar Exam. If I had been forced to take that exam a second time … I don’t think I would have been able to do it.

6. I once met Henry Winkler. He was one of the nicest celebrities I have ever encountered — very gracious and modest.

7. There’s this girl I know who found me on Facebook. I wish she hadn’t.

8. Once, at a bar I sang “Walk Right Back” in an alcohol-induced karaoke moment.

9. By noon, I’m usually read for a break and in need of lunch.

10. Last night I did several loads of laundry and watched “Grey Gardens” on HBO starring Jessica Lange, who has long been one of my favorite actresses, and Drew Barrymore. It was very well done and I highly recommend it.

11. If only I had known the things I know now when I was 19 years old. My choices would have been very different.

12. Next time I go to church will probably be Christmas Eve.

13. Susan Boyle has a beautiful, natural voice and I hope she enjoys a long, successful career.

14. What worries me most is the prospect of something happening to my one fully functional eye which would preclude me from reading, driving, etc.

15. When I turn my head left, I see the morning sun shining behind the living room curtains.

16. When I turn my head right, I see the local news being broadcast on my parents’ RCA XL 100 television that they purchased in 1977. It still works perfectly!

17. You know I’m lying when my lips are moving, according to the old lawyer joke.

18. What I miss most about the eighties is my parents being with us and very active. By that time, we had developed a good relationship and they were still young and vital enough that we had a lot of fun.

19. If I was a character in Shakespeare, I’d be … I have no idea.

20. By this time next year Matthew will be entering the last quarter of his senior high school year.

21. A better name for me would be “Moi,” according to BigBob. That’s what he has called me since 1985, even though it makes no sense.

22. I have a hard time understanding people who have no work ethic and think that “the world owes them a living,” as my father used to put it.

23. If I ever go back to school, I’ll need a psychiatrist because I have sworn never to do that.

24. You know I like you if I acknowledge your existence.

25. If I ever won an award, the first person I’d thank would be dependent upon what type of award is being bestowed upon me.

26. When I compare ’80’s rock to ’90’s rock, it’s like comparing fake music to real music. The ’80’s were all about synthesizers and sounds that are not found anywhere in nature. Musicians began taking control of the available technology in the ’90’s.

27. Take my advice, never get pregnant in the middle of law school or, for that matter, any graduate program.

28. My ideal breakfast is a nonfat white mocha (no whipped cream) and a cinnamon-raisin bagel with nonfat cream cheese.

29. A song I love, but do not own is a catchy little tune I keep hearing on a specific commercial. I have been unable to find out the name of the tune or artist. When I do, I’m going to look for it on iTunes.

30. If you visit my hometown, I suggest you book a room at Wine and Roses if you want to relax in luxurious surroundings and enjoy gourmet food.

31. My favorite Beatle is Paul McCartney.

32. Why won’t people practice tolerance and acceptance of each other’s divergent beliefs, especially on the issue of sexual orientation and the right of all persons to marry the individual they deem right for them? I am so ashamed that California is currently denying the right to marry to all of its citizens on an equal basis.

33. If you spend the night at my house, you will not spend the entire night alone. You will spend at least part of it sleeping with Sophie as she “makes her rounds.” And yes, she sleeps wherever she wants, whenever she wants. If that’s an issue for you, Lodi has several nice hotels and I would be happy to make a couple of recommendations. (Another thing I don’t understand, by the way, is people who adopt a dog or cat and then require it to live in a crate or cage. My dogs are my two additional children. Yes, they jump up on the furniture. Yes, Sophie sleeps on all of our beds. Buddy can’t jump up on the bed, so he does not sleep there. He has his own bed on the floor right next to our bed.)

34. I’d stop my wedding for an animal in crisis.

35. The world could do without the incessant focus on celebrities and their activities. Seriously … why do people care?

36. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than have to sit in a room and watch another lawyer litigate a case with which I am familiar. I could never be employed as a “litigation manager.”

37. My favorite blonde is Meryl Streep. I’ve been a fan since her first big movie role in “The Seduction of Joe Tynan.”

38. Paper clips are more useful than many people I know.

39. If I do anything well, it’s my professional pursuits. After so many years, I have reached a level of confidence and security, even though I never stop learning. There is something new to be discovered, a previously un-asked question to be answered every day.

40. And by the way, tickets are on sale now for the Lodi Community Band’s upcoming concerts on May 3, 2009, with the Herald Trumpets, the “President’s Own.” It will be an honor and privilege to play with such outstanding musicians and under the direction of their conductor, Captain David Paroby.  This is a rare opportunity for California audiences to enjoy their talent.  The last time they performed on the West Coast was at the Hollywood Bowl in 2002.