Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - , 22 comments

Hodgepodge

 Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond hosts this Wednesday meme that have some interesting questions. This is my second week, and I'm having fun playing along. Do you want to play?



1. George Washington-Abraham Lincoln-Thomas Jefferson...who would you most like to meet and why?

I think that I'd pick Thomas Jefferson. I would like to meet the person who wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was also a man of very diverse interests. It would (could) be interesting. He was not a perfect man. He did not live up to the ideals expressed in the Declaration (in some pretty appalling ways), but who of us do, really?





2. What's your favorite chain restaurant?

Chili's hands down. One of the reasons that I knew that I couldn't stay in Charleston, SC permanently was they didn't have one. I waited five long years. They never came, so I left. ;)

3. When you look back on your life, do you imagine you'll think about the goals you failed to meet with regret? Or will you look at what you accomplished and say: it was good? (Question borrowed from Bears at Home.)


One of my favorite fictional characters is Mame Dennis as portrayed by Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame. I took her motto to heart. "Live! Live! Live! Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death."

If I felt strongly about following a life path, I have put all of my effort into doing it. Whether it was ballroom dancing, moving to Texas, or going to seminary. I could have had a nice house with a stable job, but I came to a point in that job when I couldn't face it anymore.

One of my greatest fears is of wondering "what might have been" if I didn't give it a shot. Not everything has worked out "as planned," but it has been an adventure. I'm still waiting for my romantic lead to show up, but you know, I don't think that aspect would have been any different if I had played it safe.

4. Grapefruit-take 'em or leave 'em? Given the choice between an orange and a grapefruit which would you choose? Would you prefer it served as is or squeezed into juice?

Grapefruit can smell nice, and it can look pretty, but I think that I would starve if it were my only food option. May I have a well chilled sectioned orange, please?

5. When was the last time you cleaned out a closet? Is there a closet in your home that currently needs cleaning? What are you waiting for?

When I packed it up to move. The only problem now is that my closet isn't arranged the way I'd like, but it's functional. I say "good enough." lol

6. You get to have lunch with three famous people...who would you like to see round your table?

I gave this a lot of thought because it's not just the interesting people. If all four of us are having lunch together, there has to be some compatibility among the others too. I really had to work keep my Anglophile tendencies in check. I was not entirely successful.  Here's who I came up with. They may not all be immediately recognizable as "famous" to you, but they would be in my circles.
  • N.T. (Tom) Wright: He is a retired Anglican bishop who is now a professor, but he is my favorite Christian author. He will play an important role in my story of how I became a Christian (my Thursday blog series) through his book The Original Jesus: The Life and Vision of a Revolutionary. But, more than anything, he has a writing style and a way of thinking that effortlessly connects with me.
  • Desmond Tutu: You might have heard of him. :) Despite that he rose to the position of Archbishop in the Anglican Church, every time I see him being interviewed, and everything that I've heard about him, indicates that he is a really down to earth fellow. The way that he went through Apartheid South Africa and helped to guide Truth and Reconciliation there after the government change. To have seen the suffering and the violence and come through the other side as a man who can smile and giggle and appear as such a gentle soul. Lord knows, he could not have been that way with all the parties through that process. I would love to meet this person.
Now, with these two Anglican preachers, you might wonder why I'm not an Anglican or at least an Episcopalian, which basically the American form. Understandably, after the American Revolution, the former colonists weren't eager to remain part of the Anglican Church. Also, the Anglican clergy were required to swear allegiance to the king of England. That was kind of frowned upon in the new North American country. lol  The truth is that it's more a luck of the draw. Theologically, they're not that different, and in fact, the founder of the Methodist Church, John Wesley, was an Anglican priest too. He actually had no intention of starting a new denomination, so it's not so surprising really.
  • For my third choice, I tried to expand my circle, and my choice is Benazir Bhutto, the first female prime minister of Pakistan. How is it possible that a woman could do that in a country, where we perceive great sexual discrimination, when a woman hasn't been able to be elected president here in the United States? If she had not been assassinated (2007), it was likely that she would have won the election that was upcoming at the time (2008). She was not a perfect ruler. There were charges of corruption. Nevertheless, I am in awe of her accomplishments. I remember when she first took office in 1988 (yes, 1988), I was astounded. I'm still astounded.
That would be my lunch party though I think that we would have to stay there for a week to ten days. ;)

7. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your ability to parallel park?

Currently, about a 7.5 because I don't have to do it on a regular basis anymore. The day I drove my mother's Tahoe around Washington D.C., a 10. I was stupendous if I do say so myself. :D

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Have you ever sat back in an executive desk chair facing the ceiling with your eyes closed and spun around? It's almost as good as a ride at Disneyland (or insert your favorite amusement park).

22 comments:

I agree with your random thought. It is a lot of fun, but these days it makes me way, way dizzy so I don't do that anymore.

Have a great week!

Look at your famous people dinner... impressive. I tend to go the entertainment route :)

I get too motion sickness to watch ceiling fans, but I do love a good, lay back & look up & relax moment :)

& to make you gasp - I've never ate at Chili's... ever...

I have several 'lunch bunches' on my wish list. Yours sounds interesting! I smiled at your parking comment. Many a day I wanted to pat myself on the back for parking my car in a super tight spot with the mirrors intact : )

I've wondered what sitting and whirling around in an office desk chair felt like haha. And Chili's is definitely an awesome choice :)

Interesting lunch guests. Very interesting choices. Your thoughts must run deep.

MY LINK: DOWNTOWN PARK [you'll need to scroll down below my photo shares to read if you chose to stop by to visit!!]

I love Chilis!! We have one less than a mile from my house. I recently discovered that the restaurant offers a black bean burger!! The salsa there rocks too!!

Yeah, you have to be careful not to eat right before. lol

Perish the thought! lol If you've neglected Chili's due to oversight, then I wouldn't hesitate. But ... if it's just not your cup of tea, I understand completely. :)

I've enjoyed seeing other people's groupings. They've had so many fantastic ideas. If I'm asked the question again, I have so many different directions to go. :)

I certainly couldn't have gotten more random than that. Next week the bar will be terribly high ... or low, depending on your perspective. lol

I obviously gave it too much thought. lol Now, I'm thinking of some of the hosts from HGTV. :)

I'm not surprised. That's why I love you so much! :)

You lucky duck! I am blessed to have one in my town too. :)

I find grapefruit to be nasty, so I'll join you in some orange wedges.

And Chilli's rocks!

You're random thought was very random! Cracked me up. I guess I could picture it!
Very thought provoking for #'s 3 and 6. Thanks for the interesting history.

LOVE your answer to #3. I think I might take that quote and put it up on my bathroom mirror!

Thank you! I worked very hard to make my thought as random as possible. :D

It's a great quote and a great film. A real female empowerment message in a film from the 1950s.

Thank you for stopping by :) I am following you now...sorry you do not have Fudruckers any longer

Blessings
Gina

I guess I'll just have to make my own. lol That's probably what I like best about Fudruckers. They're more like homemade. :)

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