I envy those writers who never lack for ideas and material – those lucky writers who can sit down and the words just come.
That doesn’t always happen for me. It’s not really writer’s block; it’s more that I don’t feel the urge to write something. Some write because they need to write, but I typically write because I like it. I don’t feel an overwhelming need to put the words on paper, but I enjoy it when I do. The pressure to come up with interesting, humorous, or helpful material can stress me out, though, so I enjoy using prompts as a way to kick my butt into gear.
I particularly like random and slightly stupid prompts, so I’m joining Lisa and Rabia for another round of Random Questions. You can find my first round here, selected from the same 100 random questions that someone actually took the time to create.
1. Tell me something about you that most people don’t know.
I hate being in stores within thirty minutes of closing. It’s makes me anxious for some inexplicable reason. Barnes and Noble is the worst. They announce the impending closing on the loudspeaker, and I need to get out of there before I break out in hives.
2. How many rings before you answer the phone?
However many rings it takes for me to find the phone. Sometimes it’s actually in the cradle and I’ll answer after one ring. Sometimes every phone is hiding and I can’t locate a single one on time. When I finally do, the machine has already picked up and it’s a telemarketer who doesn’t leave a message.
3. What is your best childhood memory?
One of my favorites is spending the night at my grandparents’ apartment every New Year’s Eve. They pushed the two loveseats together and covered the four cushions with a queen sheet. We’d snack on pigs-in-a-blanket, Hebrew National salami, and m&m’s until midnight, and then my sister and I would crawl into our couch-fort and go to sleep.
One of the two love seats. Those couches ended up in my townhouse (slipcovered) over twenty years later.
4. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?
No thanks. I really have no desire to do either one. I like to try new things, but I’m not a huge thrill seeker.
5. Pick up the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.
I’ll give you the whole sentence. “It is traditional , I know, when describing these first encounters with loved ones to suggest that they emitted some special glow; ‘her face lit up the room’ or “I could not look away.'”
I’m reading Us, by David Nicholls. He also wrote One Fine Day, which was a much better book than it was a movie. If I like Us, you’ll see it in a future book review.
6. Do you like to dance?
I love it; I always have. Fortunately, Matt does too. We are that couple who stays on the dance floor until the party ends.
James’ bar mitzvah celebration
7. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?
“Do I have to get up or is it a weekend?” Then,
“Why do I go to bed so late?” Then,
“I would give my left pinky toe for another hour of sleep.”
8. Do you carry an organ donor card?
Yes – my driver’s license identifies me as an organ donor. It also identifies me as weighing what I weighed when I was 16 years old.
9. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer?
This photo, which I then added text to:
I’m working on make clickable graphics on my sidebar; now I just have to decide what posts would be appealing enough to make a new reader stick around. If you have a favorite and can remember it off the top of your head, let me know!
10. What are your best physical features?
Hmm. My eyes, and sometimes my hair, if it’s behaving. I don’t mind my shoulders or calves either.
Then I asked Matt, and he said my smile. When I told him what I said, he agreed with the eyes and arms. I guess my calves and hair don’t impress him.
What’s your best physical feature? Would you go bungee jumping? Have you changed your weight on your driver’s license since you got it?
I love that picture of you and your husband! Great shot.
Thanks! It reminds me of how much fun we have together.
I like the random questions! I’m like you. Not a thrill seeker and heights and these types of thrills actually would scare me. Hey. What can I say? I’m trying to stick around for my family! I think I actually did weigh what I weighed in high school two years ago when we got our Arizona licenses. We had to get new licenses since we had moved from NJ. Hubby was sitting right next to me when I was commenting so I asked him. Here is how the convo just went:
Me: Honey, what’s my favorite physical feature?
Harroll: (As he listens to me typing) You’re typing it?
Me: Yea. Why? What were you going to say?
Harroll: (chuckles) You have a lot of good physical features. Your butt.
He’s too funny! Hahaha!
That’s so sweet – he likes your butt 🙂 I texted Matt that question – I can’t see him rolling his eyes that way!
Random is fun! I totally understand the inability to write sometimes. I’ve got a few things that I really want to write about, but every time I sit down to do it, the words just aren’t there. I figure they’ll come when the time is right.
I hope that’s true – I have drafts of posts I’ve started that are over a year old. Some will never get written, but I suppose the ones that do are the ones that should be.
My weight is not on my driver’s license. My height is. It says I’m 5′. I tried to ask them to put 5’1/4″ but they wouldn’t. Meanies!
Not enough room for the fraction, I guess!
Though I’ve got sky diving, one was enough, and I always knew I did NOT want to ever go bungee jumping. One of my best friends who loves these types of things and didn’t think sky diving was exhilarating enough found bungee jumping to be terrifying.
I’m like you with the writing. I enjoy it, but I don’t feel a *need* to write, and I sometimes need a good prompt to inspire me!
Good to know – if I have to pick one, I’ll go with skydiving! Bungee jumping just seems like it would hurt.
—-Dana,
how fun to read!
Love the photo of you dancing w/ hubs and the blue dress is FABULOUS!!
No bungee jumping for me!!
Thanks, Kim – it took me a long time to find that dress!
I love posts like this…I love getting glimpses..it satisfies my inner voyeur.
Me too, Michelle! Sometimes I wonder if these posts are boring, but I suppose if one does not have an inner voyeur, one can skip it.
Oh, #7 is so me! Morning always seems to come so early 🙂
I know! The best feeling in the world is when I wake up and realize that I can go back to sleep. Okay, maybe not the best feeling, but it’s pretty awesome.
I am with you! No bungee jumping or sky diving. Ever. And I am so jealous that your husband likes to dance!
Yep, he does. But he’s also content to sit back and relax if I’m with lots of girlfriends too. Not me – I can’t stand sitting and watching while other people dance!
I have that too – not writer’s block but not the urge to write. It’s hard.
And I hate being at a store when it’s near closing! My few days of retail have shown me how annoying it is. I’m always really aware of that!
And pigs-in-a-blanket, Hebrew National salami, and m&m’s sound amazing.
I am somewhat the same weight as I was when I was 17. Maybe ten pounds more. Not enough to change it! My best feature is my hair, I think, but it won’t last. It will go gray!
It will, but what can you do? I’ve made it this long without coloring, but when I do I’m going to have fun with it. I’m within ten pounds of my age 16 weight too, although I haven’t always been! Those damn m&m’s.
Loved the book question for a random line. That’s fun! I agree 100% that One Day was a way better book than movie. I loved the book and the movie was a SNORE and just strangely executed. I will hold off on US until I hear from you.
I don’t usually like to watch movies that I know are going to be sad, but I caught One Day on HBO anyway. Glad I read the book first. I’ll keep you posted on Us. It’s about a middle aged couple, which is nice for a change.
Your driver’s license has you weight on it?? Ours don’t. Not sure if I would love or hate always looking at what I weighed when I was 16. I have a lot of those same thoughts when I wake up in the morning & I feel almost exactly the same thing you described in the opening paragraph. Once in a while, I feel a need to write, but mostly I just like to when I have ideas. However, the pressure to come up with new posts can stress me out, so these kind of posts are fun!
They are fun, and low pressure. I’ve used all the good questions from that list now, though!
That picture of you and Matt dancing is awesome – and yes, you do have a great smile!!!
I used to think my calves were my best physical feature but then I worked really hard on my arms so I might pick them.
I would bungee jump, skydive whatever if I were on the Amazing Race. Otherwise I will pass!!!
I work on my arms and shoulders too – my calves are just fine the way they are. I’m really not sure why I named them – you’d think I was a runner! I’m not.
Fun! I also inexplicably panic when they announce the store’s closing. Also in supermarkets when they say the time for home delivery is ending even though I’m not getting home delivery. As for ringing phones it depends how long it takes for me to read who’s calling and decide if I really want to talk to my mother right now!
Reading Tell the Wolves I’m Home, which I think I heard about here first: “It was 4 o’clock and Greta was at play rehearsal.” And I wouldn’t even send a book bungee jumping or sky-diving.
I did review that book – hope you like it. If you don’t, you didn’t hear about it from me. Ah, that Greta. I did like that book – I wouldn’t send it sky-diving either.
One of my Facebook friends replied to a post with your “T-Rex arms” graphic. I wanted to ask if she got it from your blog or somewhere else! At least you had your website on it. 🙂
I love your childhood memory, and that photo of you and your sister is so sweet!
I feel almost famous! I’ll be prepared for the huge surge in blog traffic now. 🙂
I wish that my husband would stay out on the dance floor. He’s says I am embarrassing. Whatever. I look better when I’m drunk.
You have nice calves?
I wish that I did! I have big ones. Damn it.
I was grasping at straws, Kimberly – my calves are nothing you’d notice. Except when I’m dancing, because I never take off my shoes on the dance floor. Ruins the whole appearance of graceful and tall.
The way you feel about being in stores right be fore closing is how I feel about being in a restaurant near closing. When they start vacuuming around my feet it is time for me to drag my friends (who would be happy to stay until the bitter end) out the door!
Oh, you’re right – I feel that way too. But it doesn’t bother me as much as a store for some reason.
*horrified* Your driver’s licence lists your WEIGHT!!!! EEEEEEKKKKKK *knows she will never, ever, ever, EVER drive in the US*
*shudders*
I’m glad that you and Matt agreed on your eyes and your smile. They’re two of my favourite things about how you look, but I DO also like your hair. You have great hair 🙂
I would skydive before I would bungee jump, but I expect you could have taken an educated guess at that.
And you KNOW that my favourite is where you promise to never let go first 🙂 That should DEFINITELY be there.
It will be:) And the weight on the license must vary by state, because Kristi said hers doesn’t have it.
Thanks for the lovely compliments – you are good for my ego, Lizzi. And my soul. And for the record, your smile is pretty damn awesome too. I can’t wait until we can smile together and take a picture!!!
A smiley picture with my hope-holder, fabulously-shod, awesome-haired friend. That. Will. Be. Wonderful.
And okay, I just won’t drive in YOUR state 😉
(and yay for your post which should most definitely be featured on your sidebar and everywhere else)
Love, Love, Love all of the article. I’m not much of a daredevil either. No jumping of any sort for me. The New Year’s Eve story is so cute. On New Year’s Eve, we used to listen to old LP’s when our kids were young. It developed a taste for “oldies” music in one of our children.
How fun! That’s why I like the oldies too – I listened to my parents’ music. We try to do the same for our kids – they were pleasantly surprised to like Queen and Styx!
Love the dress in the dancing photo. The New Year’s Eve tradition sounds great- did you do it with your own kids? Maybe you will with your grandkids!
No – my kids are always with us on New Year’s. We get together with other families, so we get adult time but we also get to hug our kids at midnight. And I’m over the partying that night anyway.
I don’t understand people who jump out of a perfectly functioning airplane. I think they need retail therapy, but definitely NOT within 30 minutes of a store closing. I always feel rude when I hear the “last call” of the store. I forget that the cashiers are actually getting paid and I am not holding them back from doing something more exciting.
I know – I feel that way too. But I’m sure they have to stay past closing. Maybe I have a buried deep fear of being locked in the store? Who knows. My brain works in odd ways.
Love love the photo of you and Matt dancing! You glow! And my driver’s license doesn’t have a weight on it anymore. VA must’ve felt sorry for me. For posts in your sidebar – why don’t you consider doing pages of categories and then linking to those? So one could be family, one could be humor, one could be your love lists, one could be book reviews and recommendations – what do you think? And you HAVE to have Always Let Go Last in there. Must. Also, I’ve been sky diving like 7 or 8 times. I’ll probably never go again. Momness now, ya know?
No weight on VA licenses? Cool. I could do categories – I already have the book reviews and love list. Maybe a link to a page of favorites in each category. Some of my humor is definitely better than others. Sky diving – how cool to say you did it. You should write about it so I can live vicariously through you. While safe on the ground.
I love the picture of you guys dancing! I absolutely love dancing with my husband and we’re out there all night long too!!
One of my favorite posts of yours was about your front door debacle and then was another really sweet one about your son growing up! Of course, I’m partial to the ones about your son and how time goes by too fast. It reminds me to relish these days where, as I type, my son is whining for me to make him waffles!
And NO to bungee jumping. I’m all set.
That’s vote #2 for the front door fail. And I like that one about James too. And you don’t have to relish the whining for waffles – mine still does that!
I am with you on not going bungee jumping. I always think of the scene from the Aerosmith video, crying with Alicia Silverstone when I was a teen and admit as cool as it looked not a fan of heights so wouldn’t happen here!
I forgot about that video! I’m not afraid of heights, but I just have no interest in paying for the privilege of jumping off an airplane.
This whole thing just made me smile. I LOVE the photo of you two dancing, the look on your face is fantastic. I don’t know that its what you want for a clickable graphic but your story (-ies, actually) about the front door, the black doors, and the stairs – oh my goodness, they make me laugh. That being said, I’m going to be doing some black doors soon and I was totally inspired by you. I’m also working on our stairs, using your “after” as a reference. Maybe you should just come here and do them with me? And I just told a friend about your photo hanging/picture collection tutorial (I’m forgetting what it’s called, a collage maybe?) and that she needs to check your instructions. So maybe, after all that, I should suggest a DIY clickable graphic.
I hope you’re inspired by my finished project, and not by the messy and expensive way I got there! Please share pics when you are done. And thanks for the suggestions – maybe a “DIY done wrong” graphic? I’ll keep that in mind, Steph! Btw, I miss you.