by Terry VanOrder on May 29th, 2009
1. The other day, a 22-year-old girl asked me if I thought she should get married. She and her boyfriend have been talking about it, and she is having that hormonal urge to nest and procreate. So, what do you think? Is 22 too young or just about right to take that big step? What is a good age to enter into that legal binding commitment? Or is there no good age?
2. I know that technology is a huge part of our lives, and the computer has become like an appendage to us. First thing every morning I’m signing on to check the weather report, the news, and the latest word from friends. But, could you give up any use of, and contact with, your computer for, let’s say, a month? (Work does not count.) On a scale from 1 (being a piece of cake) to 10 (drive you stark raving loony), where would you fall?
3. Speaking of stark raving loony, do you like nuts? They happen to be one of my favorite snacks, and cashews are my favorite. What (or maybe who) is your favorite nut?
4. Is it really true that dog is man’s best friend? Or is something or someone else man’s best friend? And what is woman’s best friend?
5. Cactus (or is that cacti?) give me the creeps. They’re prickly and they don’t flutter in the wind like a plant should. And they just look mean. And I read once (I think in the National Enquirer) that a woman discovered snakes living in her cactus that she got through mail order. Yikes! Do you like cactus?
by Terry VanOrder on February 13th, 2009
1. The subject of this question is Valentine’s Day and chocolate. You know those heart shaped boxes that, if you’re in a relationship this time of year, you’re almost required by law to buy for your sweetheart? Some of them have the little cheat- sheet guide telling you what each piece of chocolate is, but some don’t. Personally, I like the surprise – the guide takes the fun out of it. So, if life is like a box of chocolates, like Forrest Gump’s mom says, do you want the cheat sheet, or do you want to take your chances and be surprised by what filling you get?
2. And speaking of psychics, have you ever gone to one? Or had your aura read? Or had your astrological chart done? Do you believe in that stuff? Can anybody see the future for you?
3. I have a navy blue work smock that has an embroidered picture of a tow motor and the name “Woody.” I bought it at an estate sale because it spoke to me for some unknown reason. I’ve never worn it but I find contentment in owning it. What is the strangest article of clothing that you own? Do you wear it?
4. How much would someone have to pay you to eat a spider — let’s say a Daddy Longlegs — I mean your absolute minimum price? Would your price go down if you could put ketchup or mayo on it?
5. Serious question. We have a new president of our country, and our country is struggling. I’m a little concerned about us, and I hope he knows what he’s doing. If you, an average citizen, had five minutes with him, would you have some advice or direction for him? What would that be?
by Terry VanOrder on January 30th, 2009
1. I’ve been wondering about hickies. Maybe hickies are only a social make-out thing from my generation. Maybe no one under 50 or 40 even knows what a hickey is. Dictionary.com defines a hickey as “a reddish mark left on the skin by a passionate kiss.” In school, if we saw anybody wearing a turtleneck shirt, we knew they were hiding the evidence, and they were immediately more popular than pre-turtleneck, because if they had a hickey, they must be a real party-animal. (We never considered that the turtleneck was just what their mom picked out for them to wear.) Are hickies still alive and well in this generation or has it been discovered they cause some dread disease or social anarchy? Do you have any hickey stories you’d care to share?
2. I love my flannel sheets. I crawl into bed on these cold nights and they are like a warm little cocoon keeping me all comfy and cozy. They even look warm and welcoming with their plaids and mooses and pine trees. What do you prefer in sheets? Flannel, silk, cotton? Is thread count important?
3. We live life really fast these days and we’re always busy, rushing, doing, scurrying, planning. When you finally have time to relax and to de-fuse, what is your downtime of choice? What de-stresses you? What rejuvenates you? How do you cope to do it all over again tomorrow?
4. Simple question: Can you sew on a button? Do you have needle and thread?
5. A true “citizen of Wausau” type question. Community is a great thing. Wausau, Weston, Rothschild, etc. all make up our community, and we participate in things that work towards the bonding of that community feeling of all being in this together. That’s a great thing. But my question is, on a smaller, closer, more personal scale, do you know the names of your next door neighbors right there on your street? Do you talk to them? Are you friends or at least wave if you’re both outside at the same time? Do you interact?
6. Are you scared of peanut butter now? What’s the next food item that will be tainted? If it’s chocolate, I’m eating it anyway.
by Terry VanOrder on January 16th, 2009
1. The subject of the first question is tattoos, and I’m curious about them. I’m of the older generation where most of the tattoos are on guys who served in the military and got a tattoo as a rite of passage. But there are many other people, from all generations and walks of life, who had a specific reason for choosing to have permanent signage on their body. Personally, I’m intrigued by tattoos; the choice of design and the meaningfulness of such, the location of the tattoo (hidden or in plain sight), and the psychology of the desire to mark the body with a specific graphic. So, what do you think? Do you have one? If so, what is it, and what does it mean to you? And if you don’t have one, is it still in your future perhaps, or would you never, ever get one?
2. My husband and I go out to eat a lot, but we’re stuck in a rut. We go to the same places over and over again, creatures of habit. I’m not very experimental when it comes to food. I’m just a simple girl who grew up on meat and mashed potatoes, and in my childhood home, gravy was considered an entire food group. As grown-ups, we try to eat relatively healthy (gravy is now evil), but we’re getting bored. So what’s out there? Do you have any recommendations that we should try? Where is your favorite dining out place in the Wausau area?
3. I collect quotes. When I find one that speaks to me, I ingest it and use it as a guide as I conduct my everyday life. One of my favorites is “I am a part of all that I have met” by Alfred Lord Tennyson. I firmly believe in those words. I also like humorous quotes to remind me not to take life too seriously. So, do you have a favorite quote that means something to you? If you do, what does it mean to you?
4. As I’ve said somewhere back in a previous post, I don’t do New Year’s resolutions, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to change anything. Resolutions usually have to do with changing something about yourself … lose weight, quit smoking, do more reading, etc. But one thing I want to do in 2009 is effect a change in the world around me: give to someone who needs something I can give. Save an animal from the shelter? Feed someone who is hungry? Teach someone to read? Go greener? Plant a tree? Smile at strangers? Introduce someone to a new hobby? If you could do something to change the world around you this year, what would that be?
5. I don’t like my name. My given first and middle name (Terry Louise) means “battle maiden” in the name-your-baby books. Ugh. I’m partial to the name Laura, and I also like Lucy. Do you like your name and does it fit your perception of yourself? If you had to re-name yourself, what would it be?
