The Questionnaire

Number 2 pencils only, please

I suppose this post could be considered a cop-out post but after this week, I think something fairly light and fluffy will suffice.

My cousin Keli posted one of those questionnaires that we used to get in emails and migrated over to Facebook. Here are the answers to these basic concepts. Now, you copy and paste, but put your own answers in.

So, for Keli, I decided to play along here. Of course, me being me, the answers will be perhaps more involved.

Play along! I'm sure we have a copy of the home edition as a parting gift, along with a case of Rice-A-Roni®!

▪️First job - As I recall, my first job was keeping the shelves organized at the local grocery store, Shopwell. It was located in Mahopac in the same shopping center where there's now an Acme at the opposite end. I worked there for most of 1985. 

▪️Dream Job - Play-by-play announcer! Yeah, I'm basically doing it. I suppose the dream might have been to call multiple World Series or Super Bowls but, when things are right, I don't really have any complaints where I'm working. There's a much more nuanced answer as to this of course.

▪️Favorite foot attire - That's a tough one. The bottom line is comfort. I have brown suede mocs from LL Bean that I like a lot (probably my second or third pair from them in over 15 years or so). But I also like a comfortable casual shoe. I like to look...er...OK, I guess. I even prefer my sneakers to look decent (that doesn't always go well).

▪️Favorite candy - Oh, wait, before I answer that, let me grab this root beer barrel. I'm sorry, now what were you asking? I'm not a huge chocoholic (that's my son) but I do love me a Kit Kat. Plus there's a chocolate bar from England called Lion that I liked. Then there's gum -- Trident. Wintergreen. But, mostly, hard candy is my favorite. Candy canes can be seasonally dangerous also.

▪️Favorite Ice Cream - I had a reputation for being, ahem, vanilla. Thus, I'm divorced. Your mileage on that sentence may vary (but, hopefully, you laughed). Once I discovered the zest of life that is chocolate chip cookie dough, all bets were off. 

▪️What are you currently doing - Well, the easiest answer is to say that I'm doing this. But I was watching the Knicks before and finished dinner (chicken cutlets courtesy of Susan and, I kid you not, Rice-A-Roni®). Oh, and I watched Alex Trebek's final "Jeopardy." Plus I worked all day from here in the home office. Yet, currently, I'm writing this post before I chill out.

▪️Favorite Pizza - I have so many that I do love. Many. Some are local. Some are in not. Some are in Connecticut. Some are in New York City (props to Staten Island). But, my truest love is the one that involves regular slices and maybe a Sicilian slice as well from Sal's in Mamaroneck, NY. It's been my favorite for probably 30 years at this point and I'm overdue to visit.

▪️Favorite Movie - Ferris Bueller's Day Off? Bull Durham? Anchorman? Others? You mean I have to pick one?

▪️Favorite TV show - I don't know that I ever really had one. "M*A*S*H" and "All in the Family" and "Seinfeld" and "The Big Bang Theory" all immediately spring to mind but of course there's "The Sopranos" and so on. 

▪️Favorite day of the week - It's probably Friday (night) because the weekend is fresh. But Saturday is a solid answer. Just so long as I don't have a case of the Mondays. And, of course, Thursdays. I could never get the hang of Thursdays (I'm sucking up to Susan. I admit it.)

▪️Favorite flower - Hmmm...I sort of like sunflowers but I think my actual answer is any flower that stays out of my way, especially while I'm mowing the lawn.

▪️Tattoos – Wait. Is this a real question? You want to know how many tattoos I have? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Zero. Zip. Nada. None. Nought. Nul. 零. صِفْرٌ. 

Seriously, I've literally never ever EVER EVER considered a tattoo. Someone's name? Er...no. The Yankees? Nah. Steelers? I don't think so. Waffle House? Well...

No, seriously, I'm a lame (remember: vanilla) throwback. 

▪️Piercings – This answer is virtually identical to tattoos. See, it might even be more definitive than tattoos. 

I really am lame. I own it. I wear it like a white bread badge of honor.

▪️Like to cook?  I dabble in the kitchen (again, I had Rice-A-Roni® as part of my dinner). But, in truth, I can use a microwave. I can barely handle making an egg and cheese sandwich. So, the true answer is probably "no."

▪️Favorite color – I grew up loving green. I became more about blue as I got older. The truth is in the middle.

▪️Gold or silver - Er...is aluminum an option? OK, I kid. Back when I slightly cared about jewelry (such as my Yankees necklace, before anyone was wearing one), I preferred silver.

▪️Do you like vegetables? - What was my answer to "tattoos" and "piercings?" Yeah. No. I should mention Keli's mom, because she busted my chops for being a picky eater, even though she had more than enough eating quirks to meet (or "meat") my match!

▪️Do you wear glasses - Yes. I struggled to hit a baseball throughout a full season in Mahopac when I was nine. Then I got taken for an eye exam. My lead batting eye (my right) was off. I got a hit in my first at-bat next season and my father took me for a special iron-on T-shirt as congratulations at Tom Kat in Mahopac, which was a big deal. Eventually, I went over to contacts and, about six years ago, I switched back to glasses. In truth, I constantly take my glasses off. There's a much longer post here.

▪️Favorite season - Every time I want to say it's fall, I flip to spring. Then I think about summer. The easiest answer? I hate winter.

▪️Dream travel destination - My dream places to go are sort of places I've already been to. I want to go back to London and Scotland. I've never been to France and Italy and Germany. Those would be great. Domestically, I've never been to, well, a lot. Alaska and Hawaii and Seattle. But I want to go see more of San Francisco and get back to Florida and Maine and I always enjoy Boston and maybe Niagara Falls and Canada would be great again and...let's face it, I like to travel.

This was fun. I don't mind doing these occasionally because it's a fairly innocuous way to open up a bit.

Some simple joy for a Friday night.

Before we depart, we've acknowledged Alex Trebek here before, but tonight felt like the final goodbye. A whole lot of grace and class departed. We're blessed to have the replays.