Chris on 
The Oscar nominations were announced recently. Shawn Sullivan called them a travishamockery. Since I saw very few, if any, movies this year, I didn’t pay much attention. I watch the Academy Awards just to look at the pretty dresses. Life is funny that way. I have two kids, a husband, a job, hobbies, an avid intellect, but I still have the same cheap thrills as I did when I was a little girl: a fascination with red carpet fashion and an insane devotion to Mike and Ikes. Here are some questions to kick off your weekend.
1. My husband and I often have long conversations inspired purely by bumper stickers we see while driving. The latest one, “Real Catholics Don’t Vote Pro-Abortion,” lasted two hours. Some stickers are funny, some are crude, some are hopeful, some are political. What bumper stickers are memorable for you? Do you have bumper stickers on your vehicle? Have you ever?
2. In the driving theme, I’m curious about something. What do you all do in the car on a trip of an hour or more? We listen to audiobooks. My sister and I would sing along with the radio at the top of our lungs. When I was little, I would play the license plate game (the shining glory of my collection was a plate from Hawaii). What do you do?
3. My husband and Dino have challenged each other to a Biggest Loser contest over the next six weeks. The weigh-in is on Monday. I am an unofficial participant. This morning, I had no problem getting up the energy to exercise, but I had a mighty craving for donuts afterwards. What do you find more difficult? Eating healthy or exercising on a regular basis?
4. For a segment of the population this week, patriotism has been flying high. In honor of the inauguration of a new president, here’s a political question. What do you think the American dream is today versus what it was in 1776?
1) Bumper stickers always interest me. They may not inspire two hour conversations, but a quick smile is always welcome. A local kid has an excellent one, “You cannot be pro-life and anti-zombie.” It blends the politico-moral and the ridiculous in a way that I find very funny. I do not have a bumper sticker on my vehicle.
2)I smoke. Not a music listener or a book listener, more of a talker. Conversation starters abound when driving someplace new or different. If it happens to be a well-trod path, then I will sit in silence and try to appear pensive.
3) Eating healthy is fairly easy if you have a calorie number in mind. I avoid sodium and try to stay at or below 2,000 calories per day. All this social norming of exercise and “healthy lifestyles” clap-trap really has nothing to do with me. This movement has just made the herd of humanity that much sweatier and no less attractive.
4)This question really should be it’s own thread. The American dream seems like it should apply equally to us all and should not be relative to time,place, or social circumstance. Has it changed since 1776? I think that the American Dream is the same–live free of oppression and be allowed self-determination.
It’s either that or something to do with guns and pornography.
1. Because I often have people following me around when showing rental properties, I try to avoid bumper stickers on my vehicles… If the person following me to their possibly new apartment doesn’t get the joke or is offended by it.. that isn’t going to help business. So, the stickers I put on are my VFW or UW Alumi Assoc stickers. However some of my favorites that I have but haven’t put on include: My Cat is Smarter than Your Honor Student, I Break For No Apparant Reason, and my all time favorite: Do I Look like a F______ People Person?
2. I drive.. and that’s pretty much it. Sometimes the radio is on…. sometimes it isn’t. I think. I do some of my best thinking while driving. One of the biggest downsides to moving to Wausau from Knowlton a few years ago was that I lost my 20 minute drive in to work and my 20 minute drive home. 20 minutes that were used to plan out the day (or at least the morning) or to ponder about problems that arose that day. “Mrs Rent” rode with me on the 14 hour drive from OK to WI a couple of times, and it drove her nuts that all I do is drive.. I really don’t even like talking that much on the drive.
3. Exercising on a regular basis is much harder to do. I pretty much eat what is put in front of me, so all that has to happen for me to eat healthy is to put healthy stuff in front of me. I have no sense of smell so to be honest, it all tastes the same.
4. The comment was made this should be it’s own topic, hell this could be its own blog.
1. My recent favorite: “We childproofed our house, but they keep getting in!” This one really makes me laugh out loud, as I have young adult sons who tend to move in and out. I do not have, nor have I ever had, a bumper sticker on any of my vehicles because my father DRILLED it into my head as a teenager that they RUINED your car.
2. When I’m alone I listen to talk radio, usually ESPN Sports. When my husband is driving I usually read, and we talk. Once, when newly married, I sang Christmas carols to him for the entire length of the Turner Turnpike (about 100 miles.) Each holiday season I threaten to do it again!
3. I’m an all-or-nothing type of gal; I’m either all in with the eating healthy and exercising, or all out with going from one fast food restaurant to another. We have done well this year; I have been both eating right AND exercising this month. Kinda’ “in the zone” and it feels very right.
4. I don’t think I want to get started on this one.