Colloquium » Friday’s Feast

Friday’s Feast #195

JHS — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:01:58 +0000

Friday’s Feast #195

Appetizer

What is the weather like today where you live?

Digusting. There are hundreds of wildfires burning throughout California and the smoke has been hanging in the air for days now. Aside from the aesthetic considerations, there is a tangible health and safety issue for anyone who, like me, has asthma or other respiratory conditions. Everyone has been advised to stay indoors as much as possible, so the air conditioner has been running for days even though it is not particularly warm and I would otherwise have the doors and windows open. I am getting very cranky because I haven’t been able to go to water aerobics — this is the time of year when I love to be in the outdoor pool, exercising and enjoying the sun. My eyes have been burning, so I have been unable to wear my contact lenses for as many hours as I normally do; my lips are chapped and my sinuses congested. Today, as I was driving home from the Bay Area, I was aghast when I traveled over the Antioch Bridge — a high structure — and looked down at the thick cloud of smoke covering the Central Valley. The hope is that the breezes will kick up this weekend and the smoke will dissipate. Unfortunately, wind complicates getting control of the fires. It’s a bad situation for California.

Soup

On a scale of 1–10 with 10 being highest, how career-minded are you?

15 +. My career defines me.

Salad

What type of window coverings do you have in your home? Blinds, curtains, shutters, etc.?

Blinds and curtains.

Main Course

Name something that instantly cheers you up.

Craig Ferguson. That’s probably why I am thoroughly addicted to The Late, Late Show.

Dessert

How many times do you hit the snooze button on a typical morning?

At least two. I am not a morning person (see “Main Course.”)

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Friday’s Feast #193

JHS — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:33:02 +0000

Friday’s Feast #193

Appetizer

Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist?

100% optimist, sometimes to my own detriment.

Soup

What is your favorite color of ink to write with?

Teal.

Salad

How often do you get a manicure or pedicure? Do you do them yourself or go to a salon and pay for them?

I have never had a pedicure in a salon and it has been many years since I went to a salon for a manicure. I went through a brief period when I wore acrylic nails. They were nice, but I could not spare the time to go to the salon for the fill-ins every couple of weeks. More importantly, it didn’t matter that they were not very long — they still clicked on the piano and organ keys. So one day I ripped them all off and that was the end of it.

Main Course

Have you ever won anything online? If so, what was it?

Last week, I won 200 Entrecard credits for correctly identifying the manufacturer of an antique vehicle at Worldwide Travel Blog.

Dessert

In which room in your house do you keep your home computer?

I turned the living room into a quasi-office and television room.

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Friday’ Feast #192

JHS — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:30:49 +0000

Friday’s Feast #192

Appetizer

When you drink soda/pop/coke, do you prefer to drink it from the bottle, a can, or after pouring it into a cup?

I always have a bottle of water, to which I add lemonade flavor Crystal Lite, with me. I keep it in the refrigerator, so it always starts out cold but warms up to room temperature. In the summer, when it is really, really hot I will put it in a glass with ice. I only drink Diet Pepsi (or Diet Coke, if necessary) when dining out or at a party. Otherwise, I steer clear of soft drinks.

Soup

What television show are you willing to stay up late to watch?

I am completely addicted to The Late, Late Show starring “TV’s Craig Ferguson. ” I adore him … he is the funniest man on television, as well as the best interviewer. Most nights, I stay up to watch, but record it, as well, just in case I am tired and fall asleep early.

Seriously, how can you help but love this guy?

I know!!!!! (My fellow Ferguson fans understand, right?)

Salad

Name one person, place, or thing you think of as brilliant.

Mattie-Boo, who is enjoying his first day of summer vacation today, after concluding his sophomore year by eloquently delivering the opening prayer in Spanish at last night’s graduation ceremony. Way to go!

Main Course

Would you be willing to work 4 10-hour days instead of 5 8-hour days in order to save gas?

I already work many 10-hour days … sometimes more. Lawyers don’t have set work hours. We work as much as is necessary to get the job done. If you take work-related travel into consideration, the number of hours devoted to our profession increases exponentially.

Dessert

If you were a superhero, what would you call yourself?

Equala, because I would use my super powers to insure and enforce equal rights for all Americans.

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Friday’s Feast #188

JHS — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:22:34 +0000

Friday’s Feast #188

Appetizer

Name something you would categorize as weird.

Peanut butter and tuna sandwiches. My oldest son used to eat them every day. In fact, for awhile, I had to make them and pack them in his lunch. Thank God he outgrew that phase!

Soup

What color was the last piece of food you ate?

Brownish-gold. The color of caramel.

Salad

On a scale of 1–10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy being alone?

15.

Main Course

Fill in the blank: I will _________ vote for ___________ in _______.

I will definitely not vote for Hilary Clinton in November 2008 (or ever).

Dessert

Describe your sleeping habits.

I don’t sleep a lot, but when I do, my television is always on. Always. All night long. I wake up, watch for a few minutes or a little while, and then go back to sleep. When I wake up on weekdays, I hear the television and am acclimated before I open my eyes. I can tell approximately what time it is by the newscaster’s voice. I also leave nightlights on in various locations around the house. I cannot tolerate ever being in a dark room.

I began leaving the television on all night while I was undergoing a series of surgeries for a detached retina. I was ordered to lie on my stomach for two and a half weeks following the first surgery. I could not get up except to use the bathroom, shower, and sit in a chair to eat. But even then, I had to keep my head down.

All I could do was lie there. I was bored out of my mind. So BigBob put the television on the floor by the bed, positioned so that I could keep my head at the right angle — with the left side of my face sort of buried in the pillow — and see the screen with my other eye. He also put the DVD player there, and brought me lots of movies. Since I couldn’t do anything all day, I wasn’t tired and got my days and nights all mixed up because I just napped sporadically.

My friends and colleagues were wonderful about calling and cheering me up. My good friend, Clint Ritchie, called me a lot and encouraged me with discussions about positive thinking and visualizing my eye completely healed.

BigBob had to take time off work to do everything around the house and, primarily, take care of the boys.

That surgery failed and I had another one soon after. That time, the surgeon inserted silicone oil into my eye and I had to sleep exclusively on my left side for nearly a year. The theory is that the oil is a dense, heavy substance. When you lie on the side opposite the site of the retinal tear, the oil pushes against the retina and helps it adhere. It did — the retina has not detached again.

Unfortunately, the oil destroys the eye’s lens. I had the most unbelievable cataract! When my eye was dilated, there was a huge white dot right in the center, making me look like a creature from a science fiction movie. Because the cataract was so bad, my left eye quit working and my brain adapted by directing my right eye to take over completely which meant that my eyes were not tracking together. I was very self-conscious about the fact that my left eye wandered. In fact, when I look at a picture of myself today, I can still detect that my eyes are not perfectly aligned / coordinated. They never will be. But that’s all right … I’m just thankful that I can see anything.

Another surgery to remove the oil and allow the vitreous humor to regenerate was followed by cataract surgery a few months later. But the oil also created a secondary cataract, so the last step, a few months after that, was a laser procedure to destroy the lens holder once they were sure that the lens was securely implanted.

Essentially, I never reverted to a normal sleep life following that period in my life. Small price to pay, though. I don’t complain.

What caused the retinal detachment? Stress. Six years spent litigating Conservatorship of Wendland, to be exact. When I say “I could never handle another case like that,” I mean it.

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Friday’s Feast Special Edition

JHS — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 06:59:33 +0000

Friday’s Feast Special Edition

The questions this week are courtesy of Stone Girl at Musings of a Cynical Optimist.

Appetizer

What is your favourite vacation spot in the United States?

It might be a place I haven’t gone yet! Odds are it has a beach and I’m longing to return to Hawaii, but also have a long list of places I haven’t yet visited, but intend to, including Alaska.

Soup

If someone else (friend, co-worker, family) brings up a religious or political topic, how likely are you to join the conversation, on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = not likely, 10=very likely).

The answer depends upon where the conversation takes place and whether we’re talking about a friend who has no connection to my professional activities or a colleague. If I’m talking with friends away from the workplace, the answer is 10. If we’re talking about my coworkers or superiors initiating a discussion of personal religious beliefs, my response is 0. As to politics, my answer is 10 if I have an opportunity to hear or tell a joke about George W. Bush, but I also make it my practice not to have serious, in-depth conversations or debates about politics at work.

Salad

What song do you listen to when you feel very sad?

It depends upon what I’m sad about and how motivated I am to feel better quickly. Also, there are certain songs that I never want to hear again because I associate them with very sad events or situations, so I actively strive never to hear them again and try to extract myself from any situation in which I might or actually do hear them. One such tune is “Taps” which was played at my father’s funeral. As the saying goes, “if I never hear it again, it will be too soon.”

Main Course

Someone you really admire is coming over for a home-cooked dinner. What do you serve him/her?

Something purchased from one of the several fine catering services here in town, most likely Mexican dishes.

Dessert

If the only form of transportation left in the world is by animal (horse, mule, camel), where would you live?

Lodi. Right here in the homestead.

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Friday’s Feast #185

JHS — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 03:44:46 +0000

Friday’s Feast #183

Appetizer

What does the color dark green make you think of?

The beautiful green hills of Northern California.

Soup

How many cousins do you have?

I truly do not know because I have never met most of them and have no contact with any of them.

Salad

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how honest are you?

9.5, as evidenced by my truthful Soup.

Main Course

Name something that is truly free.

Spirituality.

Dessert

Using the letters in the word SPRING, write a sentence.

Spring previews radiant irises now growing.

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Friday’s Feast #183

JHS — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 04:01:35 +0000

Friday’s Feast #183

Appetizer

On a scale of 1–10 (with 10 as highest), how much do you like your own handwriting?

I don’t write much any more, so it isn’t as neat as it used to be. But I have a forgery-proof signature. Took me years to perfect it, too!

Soup

Do you prefer baths or showers?

I can’t even remember the last time I took a bath. My house has three bathrooms — two have showers and one has a bathtub that no one has used for years. Most of the time, it ends up being a temporary extra clothes hamper. I tend to throw my items that need to be dry cleaned in it so that I remember to drop them off at the dry cleaner.

Salad

What was the last bad movie you watched?

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. It made absolutely no sense, so I gave up and sent the DVD back to Netflix.

Main Course

Name something you are addicted to and describe how it affects your life.

Food. I’ve posted photos of myself here. No further explanation needed.

Dessert

Which instrument is your favorite to listen to?

Since I’m a musician, I can’t answer that question. I love them all!

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Friday’s Feast #182

JHS — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 06:24:09 +0000

Friday’s Feast #182

Appetizer

If you could be any current celebrity for one whole week, who would you want to be?

Sarah Jessica Parker. I’d like to know what it feels like to be that petite and able to run in heels that high. On “Sex and the City,” she was constantly running around New York City in her Manolos. Having walked around that fabulous city many times, I just don’t understand how she did it.

Soup

On a scale of 1–10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you enjoy talking on the phone?

6: I get tired of talking on the phone because I still, even with email and a Blackberry, spend a lot of time doing it.

Salad

Name a charitable organization to which you have donated (or would like to).

The American Cancer Society. My sister is a colon cancer survivor and I donate in her name. We have also donated over the years in memory of my father-in-law who died of pancreatic and liver cancer.

Main Course

What is a food you like so much you could eat it every single day for a month?

Mexican food. I could live on it exclusively.

Dessert

Have you or anyone in your family had the flu this year?

Flirted with it, but shook it off quickly, unlike so many folks around me. Colleagues have been out of the office for weeks.

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Friday’s Feast #181

JHS — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:01:43 +0000

Friday’s Feast #180

Appetizer

Who was the last person you hugged?

Last night I had a dream about a person who once meant a great deal to me, but I haven’t seen for many years. We hugged … and then I woke up.

Soup

Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.

Drink plenty of water.

Salad

What does the color yellow make you think of?

Funny Lady (1975)

Main Course

If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?

The ocean.

Dessert

What was the longest book you ever read?

Probably one of the required texts in law school … perhaps Constitutional Law. I don’t remember.

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Friday’s Feast #180

JHS — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 05:01:37 +0000

Friday’s Feast #180

Appetizer

Have you ever played a practical joke on anyone? If so, what did you do and who was your victim?

Wow, I can’t remember playing a practical joke on anyone for a long, long time. One of the most memorable ones I ever played was many years ago. My friend Jackie was in town for a visit so we took her to Fanny Anne’s Saloon in Old Sacramento. The bathroom doors have old-fashioned signs on them similar to this one.

It’s a local tradition to take visitors there and then watch them try to decide which restroom to use. The correct one is not the one bearing the word associated with your gender. The correct room is the one to which the finger is pointing. So the men’s room door actually bears the sign that says “women” and vice versa.

We watched Jackie as, sure enough, she went into the men’s room where there is a collection of license plates from all the states hanging on the walls. As she was standing there admiring them, a gentleman came in and politely pointed out that she was in the wrong room. Being a New Yorker, she wasn’t having it — until she looked down and saw the urinals. When she came out quickly, looking totally mortified, we were right there whooping and laughing.

Soup

What do your salt and pepper shakers look like?

They match the dishes so I have several different sets.

Salad

Where is the next place you plan to visit (on vacation or business)?

Fresno again tomorrow night for a band concert.

Main Course

What kind of lotion or cream do you use to keep your hands from getting too dry?

I rarely use hand cream or lotion, but if I do, it will be one of the zillions of travel-sized bottles I’ve collected in various hotels. I usually have one in my purse. Currently, I believe it’s Nutrogena, but I don’t remember which hotel provided it.

Dessert

Make up a dessert, tell us its ingredients, and give it a name.

On a warm summer night when I want to splurge, I pour some Bailey’s Irish Cream into a tall glass of ice and add club soda. It’s delicious and refreshing!

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