49 posts tagged “qotd”
Would you rather go back in time or visit the future?
Submitted by Auds.
Since I've sort of answered this question before, l'll just link to this post. As far as future or past travel, that's an easy one -- the past all the way.
What's the most klutzy thing you've ever done?
Submitted by Jecka.
Like NBC's Must-See TV slogan for repeats from years back, if you haven't seen it, it's new to you. Well, if you haven't read it, it's new to you. Here's my klutz story from dollarshort.
--
Everyone has that one story, the story that they have told countless times. They'll recount in vivid detail to most anyone who is around to listen. It's the story they'll tell for the rest of their life.
Many of these stories occur in childhood.
My dad's oft told tale involves being locked in an accordion case. You're probably are asking yourself how does that happen? Well, in a way similar to children locking themselves in old refrigerators. Hide-n-seek gone horribly amiss.
Luckily my grandmother found him in the nick of time.
Unfortunately, I'm my father's daughter and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
One of the first signs that my family is dysfunctional is that my dad, at 45 years old, still goes by the name Junior. For that reason alone, Ben has adamantly stated that we will not, under any circumstances, name our child Benjamin. I say, different middle name and the child can't possibly be a "junior." He says he never wants to take that risk.
Side note: I learned the hard way that Junior wasn't my dad's given name when, one day, I called his work (a law firm) and asked the receptionist if I could speak to Junior.
So, my story involves my mom, "Junior" and me at a Waldenbooks circa 1987. I was ten at the time and actively involved in gymnastics. "Actively involved," in my case means being horribly uncoordinated and enrolled in a gymnastics class. Actively involved also means that, everywhere I went, I was constantly turning pathetic off-balanced cartwheels or trying to do, or rather, mangle the splits.
The second indicator of familial dysfunction is that my father, whenever we're at a store or public forum, will wander off. No, he's not "special." He just gets distracted easily and is always looking for something interesting to do or see. When he wanders off, you'll usually find him at a candy vending machine or looking at magazines.
Like I said, I'm my father's daughter and, on that day, in that Waldenbooks, I wandered over to a bookcase -- probably 5 feet high -- containing cassette tapes. While checking out their selection limited to oldies and classical music, I found myself slipping into an awkward splits position. Of course, not being acquainted with balance, I grabbed, for support, the first and biggest thing I saw: the bookcase.
Yet another side note: This was also the year of the Boots. They were a pair of white leather, rhinestone-studded, calf-high boots that I lived in for the most part of 1987. They were gaudy and I loved them. On this fateful day, I, of course, was wearing them.
The details are sketchy, so I only recall a horrible loud noise, the falling of cassette tapes and a feeling of unimaginable panic. When I gained consciousness, I realized that I had been pinned down beneath the bookcase.
As I lay trapped under the case, in a state of shock induced by embarrassment, rather than pain, I decided that I would rather have people think that I was injured, or better yet, dead, than acknowledge the mess I just caused. My plans were soon interrupted by the shriek of my mother:
"Oh my God, Junior! It's Mena!"
Before this revelation, my mother had observed the aftermath with a sense of pity for the poor child and her parents. When she saw my little white boots peaking out on either side of the case, her disconnected pity soon turned into a very personal and visible sense of horror.
Junior soon came running from the back of the store and he and a clerk lifted the bookcase off my mortified frame. After realizing that I was shaken, but not hurt, my dad helped me up and out of the path of destruction. People were gathered around, displaying mixed looks of confusion and disgust.
I don't blame them.
I mean, what grown man goes by the name of Junior?
Did you dress up today? See any good costumes?
This was a very last minute costume, but luckily I have enough ugly clothes to pull it off. I'm Mary Kate Olsen's body image!
In honor of Vox's launch tomorrow, what's your favorite feature or aspect of Vox?
I can't resist answering this question even though I'm probably slightly biased. The aspect that makes me love Vox most is really the overall feeling that blogging can be fun again. I feel like I did when I just started in 2001. When we first started thinking about Vox, we never imagined that our friends would embrace it like they have. So of course our vision of Vox was more family or non-web friend centric. I think that we've been able to create a space that works for both groups of friends.
Of all the users we have on Vox, I have to say that my favorite so far has been my best friend who've I known since we were thirteen. She's using Vox to post photos of her two children for friends and family only. I haven't tried to convince her to "blog," just to share her life with a couple people who care about her. She even invited her brother and sister and friend to Vox! That's a major indicator of success for me.
Are there any snacks, food or candy that are no longer made that you desperately miss?
When I told Krissy my answer to this question, she laughed. Partially because it's such a sad snack and partially because it just doesn't sound that appetizing. But I have to say that I so miss Orville Redenbacher's Sour Cream & Onion Microwave Popcorn.
Basically, you make a bag of microwaveable popcorn and then dump in a packet of dried sour cream and onion flavoring. Seal the bag again and shake. Voila! You have sour cream & onion popcorn! This was popular in my house during a short period in my childhood. And then, it stopped being made and I was sad.
The worst part of the snack is that I loved sour cream & onion so much I'd eat straight from the seasoning pack. It was some sort of twisted lik a stik. Anyway, this is the food I miss most.
Others: Fruit Wrinkles -- the OG fruit snack and Fun Fruits before they were all themed with sharks and shit.
What albums are in heavy rotation for you right now?
Tilly and the Wall gets its second shout-out in a week. Wild Like Children and Bottoms of Barrels is on constant rotation on my computer at work. Additionally, Devotchka and Beirut both serve my depressing Eastern European fix. The second half of Cabaret and the rise of Nazi Germany helps with that fix too. High Fidelity, Kill Vill Volume 2 and Cat Power's The Greatest sneak in as the old heavy rotation stand-bys.
Tell us a little something about your first car. Do you have any photos you can share?
Submitted by tamara.
Five years ago -- on the eve of purchasing our current car (a Honda Civic), I wrote this little piece about my first car.
Can it be that it was all so simple then?
From dollarshort.org, June 29, 2001
We're purchasing a new car Saturday.
Something wild and flashy. Maybe a Honda Civic or an Accord. Definitely a sedan.
And we've already planned all the places we aren't going to drive it.
We're not going to take it to The City on Saturday.
Certainly not to work on Monday.
Oh, and our trip to Los Angeles? Forget about it.
We're not new car people. We like the comfort of an old car, one where scratches and dings don't mean much. A new car brings the anxiety of ownership -- the constant worry of chipped paint, a dinged bumper or a stolen hubcap.
I've been driving my current car, a 1992 Ford Tempo, since I was a junior in high school. It's been a good car. It's been a reliable car. Sure, the brakes are about to give out and the air conditioner has been broken for years, but that's just part of it's charm.
The worst thing about this new purchase is that my Tempo doesn't even see the trade-in coming.
We'll get in the car on Saturday and it'll be like "Oh, I wonder where we are going. Maybe the beach, or the mall? Maybe to visit family? I'll take you there and wait until you're ready to come home. I love you guys."
And then, we'll betray the one constant in my last seven years.
Maybe instead of anthropomorphizing my car and making it my best friend, I should give the Tempo a darker, more sinister side.
"Yeah, get in ... I've got no airbags. You're going to get hurt. And my trunk? That's mold, baby! You hear my engine sputtering? Oh, don't mind that. You'll know soon enough what's wrong."
Who am I kidding? That's not my beloved Tempo talking.
Really, it's not personal.
When you were younger, were there any game shows that you religiously watched and wanted to be a contestant on
I would have to say that Double Dare, by far, was the show that I was most addicted to as a child. I remember it would be on after school, probably around the same time as Duck Tales. I don't think I watched a single episode of Double Dare without thinking "how can I get on this show?" But alas, it was filmed in Florida, not Los Angeles and I didn't have a sibling or a close friend that I could have even gone on the program with.
I was trying to remember all the challenges that they'd do during the final obstacle course. Off the top of my head:
- Find flag in pie
- Find flag up the nose (hated this one)
- Fill some sort of bucket on head with water or slime
- Go down some sort of slide
- Find flag in a ball pit
- Climb something covered in some sort of slime or food
Thinking about all of this, I'm not sure why I wanted to be on this show so much. I guess it was just a kid thing.
I also loved The Price is Right and wanted my own Plinko board. And, showcases at the end rocked (at least the one that was really themed and had a boat or something at the end). The other showcase with the dining room table? Not so much.
Yay! Double Dare Video on YouTube! Kids were much more innocent back then.
