Wanna know the perfect way to avoid embarrassment in the wake of an upcoming family reunion? Ignore your Internet friends and their attempts to draw intriguing information from the depths of your very soul.
In my defense, I had five AMC episodes to watch, one bowl of spinach dip to devour, and a shake-n-bake chicken dinner to make in celebration of Luke's return from Alabama (two meals in one week; I am on FIRE, baby!). Any remaining time was spent singing the lyrics to "Soul Provider," which is a pretty good indication of my future intentions regarding Celebrity Duets.
Luke and I are presently in Merrillville, having just returned from said reunion, and his parents have gone to bed, so I figured now would be a good time to bore you out of your skull.
Stacey asks:
What is your favorite book from your childhood?
The Pigman by Paul Zindel. I got it for Christmas when I was ten and finished it in one day. It's about two teenagers who befriend a lonely old man and learn important lessons about Life and Love. It also features a really cool anecdote about a woman who cheats on her husband with a sleazeball who lives on the other side of town and is faced with a dilemma when one night she has no payment for the return ferry home and the alternate route is patrolled by a homicidal maniac and her lover refuses to lend her the money and the ferryman refuses to float her a loan. Does she spend the night with her lover and risk public humiliation and divorce or brave the public road and face death at the hands of the highwayman? The woman chooses the alternate route and consequently death, and the Pigman asks John and Lorraine to rank the order in which each individual in the story is responsible for her death. The answers are supposed to reveal intimate aspects of each character's personality. Kind of like those quizzes in Seventeen.
Roxanne wants to know:
1. If you could be any famous person, who would it be? And why?
This one's tough, because while I've admired a number of celebrities, and imagined what life would be like as a celebrity, I've never put myself in anyone's shoes. If we were basing this answer solely on looks, I'd say Rachel McAdams because she looked gorgeous in Wedding Crashers. How I admire any woman who call pull off dark hair, fair skin, and red lips! However, with a little more thought, I'd say Jennifer Garner, who seems to be the Queen of Just Right. She's not the hottest woman in Hollywood, but she's very pretty in a normal, accessible way, and pulls off potentially troublesome side bangs with admirable ease. She's not A-list but manages a successful career with little hassle from the tabloids. I saw her on Oprah once with her mom and sisters and they seemed like a fun bunch, plus she scored herself a hunky husband and sweet little baby girl. I never would've named my daughter after a "chewing gum fanatic" who picks her nose in Gene Wilder's candy factory, but all those other things equal a life definitely worth stealing.
2. If you were stranded on a deserted island, which dessert would you want to have with you (can only pick one)?
Ice cream. Is that specific enough, or do I have to pick a flavor?
3. Do you buy generic or name-brand groceries (when there's a choice of both)?
Depends on what's being purchased. In my opinon, canned fruit tastes the same whether the label is Dole or Target's beloved Market Pantry, so I'll usually gravitate towards the cheapest brand on the shelf. However, generic cereal makes my skin crawl and I will NEVER buy it, not ever. Growing up, the type of cereal boxes in our pantry spoke volumes of our current financial situation; Fruit Loops equalled L.A. Gear gym shoes and happy mornings at the breakfast table, while Fruity O's meant white Keds from Payless and hours in the kitchen, poking at stale, rainbow-colored pieces of cardboard with passionate disgust. Generic cereal: Just Another Way For The Man To Stomp On The Human Spirit.
I'm going to stop here, partly because it's almost midnight, partly because I'm not sure if anyone's even checking blogs over Labor Day weekend, and partly because Silly Hily asked some thought-provoking questions that deserve my undivided attention. However, for Mrs. S., who asked for the low-down of how Luke and I fell in love: click here.
Hi Frema, I bet lots of us are checking blogs.I read the story of you and Luke and I love it.The picture is so cute. Have a great time at the reunion.
Posted by: debi | September 03, 2006 at 03:57 AM
I'm going to have to read that book...your description makes it sound very interesting!
Now get to the juicy, thought provoking questions! :)
Posted by: Stacey | September 03, 2006 at 11:31 AM
It has been a long time since I read the Pigman, but wasn't there some significance about the zoo, gorilla, and old man's relationship. I think the main parts I remember is his death, their prank calls, and the gorilla. My memory is getting fuzzy or its this cold in my ears and nose that make my head mix past books I have read together.
Posted by: PJ Librarian | September 03, 2006 at 03:52 PM
It just so happens that the day I decide to check your blog is over Labor Day weekend when you are in town. I can't wait to see you! ;)
Anyway, your answers to your questions are so cute! ;) By the way, I just happen to LOVE Rachel McAdams and when I talk about her, Dan refers to her as "my girl". If you liked her in Wedding Crashers, also check out Red Eye, The Notebook, The Family Stone and Mean Girls! ;) Can you tell I'm a fan?
Posted by: Sambo V. | September 03, 2006 at 07:09 PM
I loved Paul Zindel when I was in junior high! My favorite was "Pardon Me, You're Stepping on My Eyeball."
Posted by: Lisa | September 04, 2006 at 01:20 PM
All I ever buy is generic cereal! I go to Aldi's it so cheap. I think that they taste the same if not better.
Posted by: Brooke | September 04, 2006 at 08:12 PM
For the record, that was potentially one of the SWEETEST "how we got together" stories EVER. I got all misty... of course, that happens a lot lately, with the hormones and such, but really! It would have happened even if I wasn't pregnant! I swear!
Posted by: Mrs. S | September 04, 2006 at 10:13 PM
I LOVED The Pigman! I had completely forgotten about that book. Wasn't there a sequel entitled The Pigman And Me as well? As a kid I loved the idea that it was 2 kids swapping time on the typewriter to tell the story.
Posted by: David McNelis | September 05, 2006 at 02:54 PM
Lisa: I never read that one! Maybe I'll search for it at the library sometime soon.
David: Actually, the sequel is The Pigman's Legacy, which is very good but not AS good as the first (what sequel is?). The Pigman and Me was a nonfiction piece. I never read it, though, so I couldn't tell you what it was about.
Posted by: Frema | September 05, 2006 at 03:40 PM
Good answers on the celebrity thing. I love them both.
As for generic cereal, don't hate me but I recently bougth generic Lucky Charms (I think it's the Kroger brand) and they were *shocker* actually good. It's the first time I've ever been able to handle a generic cereal.
Posted by: Silly Hily | September 05, 2006 at 04:02 PM
Ok, ok, I know I'm late, but I thought of a question:
What are some habits (quirky or non) that you and Luke have developed as a couple?
For example, Cody and I share a glass of ice water every night before we go to bed, and we put the empty glass in the bathroom, so we always have about five glasses lined up on the bathroom counter.
Now... on to the post... I love what you said about the name Violet. Jen obviously didn't put much thought into it, did she? J/K And I love both Rachel McAdams and Jennifer Garner. They are both beautiful, but not cardboard cut-out beautiful. Does that make sense?
Hope you're family reunion was enjoyable! I'm off to read your love story now...
Posted by: Britt | September 05, 2006 at 08:22 PM
This is fun! I love the description of Fruit Loops versus Fruity-O's. I will try to keep that in mind for my own kids, wink wink.
I have questions for you...
1. What is the current color on your toenails?
2. If not a writer or a SAHM, what's your next career choice?
3. In a perfect world, if Erica Kane could marry any man and live happily ever after, who would that man be?
4. What do you cook well?
5. Who let the dogs out? (Who? Who? Who? Who?)
Posted by: Lost A Sock | September 06, 2006 at 02:05 AM
You don't love the cheap cold cereals?? Man, I was raised on that crap. We always called them "Fruit Poops" and were happy with them.
That being said, I would die before I even got near a box of generic Mac and Cheese!!
Posted by: Isabel | September 11, 2006 at 11:55 AM