A day in the life of a day in my life
Ian and Wendy off on another excellent adventure
My friend and fellow blogger Wolfgirl (aka Kim) sent this my way, and being an obliging soul, I decided to complete it. Actually, it was kind of fun. And, at the end, like all memes, I have to tag five others, and I shall do that, too.
1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? Wife Wendy. We were discussing the perversities of her working for a bureaucracy and the boneheaded decisions made around our tax dollars.
2. What were you doing at 0800? Meeting my friend Bob for coffee (if the question refers to this morning. If it refers to 8 last evening I was watching ‘Pushing Daises’, which is a delightful newcomer to the ‘wasteland’ and has a lovely Tim Burtonish feel to it. It will likely be killed for that reason.)
3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Having that coffee with my friend, Bob, who is a HS teacher, so I patiently listen to his teacher woes, while not really giving all that much of a shit. I’m nice like that.
4. What happened to you in 2006? Many, many things. Some good, some less than good. However, the best was taking Wendy to Europe last October and November, since she’d never been. Three weeks in Grenoble, then a couple of days in Brussels, a ride on the Eurostar through the Chunnel, and then back to my old home town, Great Yarmouth, then to Bath to see dear cousin Angie and family, and finally three great days in London.
5. What was the last thing you said out loud? Medium dark roast and room for cream.
6. How many beverages did you have today? Five cups of coffee and a glass of milk.
7. What color is your hairbrush? Silver in hue, plastic in composition.
8. What was the last thing you paid for? Newspapers and a magazine.
9.Where were you last night? Home, watching TV with 18-year-old cat, Griffin. He didn’t like my viewing choices, and hasn't been the same about L&O since Jerry Orbach passed, so he went to sleep. He sleeps 23.75 hours out of the 24.
10. What color is your front door? White, highlighted by cat scratches.
11. Where do you keep your change? In my pocket.
12. What’s the weather like today? Overcast. Or, since this is coastal BC, normal. Overcast is the default weather.
13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? How bland of me, I know, but vanilla. Good vanilla. The best vanilla is Alex Campbell’s Special from Thrifty Foods. My true favorite, though one can never find it, is orange. Same with cherry custard. Both seem to have disappeared.
14. What excites you? Aside from the obvious, embarking on a trip. Especially a trip to somewhere warm if it’s during the ‘normal’ season. Kauai serves me in a heavenly manner, but Palm Springs is awfully nice, too, as is San Diego. Mind you, I also love Europe, and Europe does have its warmer climes.
15. Do you want to cut your hair? I’m a guy. I get monthly haircuts. Gives me an excuse to see my cute longtime hairdresser, Cindy.
16. Are you over the age of 25? Far too over the age of 25. But, would love to have known at 25 what I know now. Life would have been much sweeter.
17. Do you talk a lot? Depends on who I’m with. I think I’m a decent conversationalist, and I like people well enough that I enjoy good and intelligent interchanges. Generally (and for a score of reasons) I prefer speaking to females. Frankly, I think women are much better conversationlists. A situation in which I dislike conversing is on the telephone. If I cannot see the preson’s face then half of the communication is missing, I believe. That’s why telephone commnets are often misconstrued. “Was she happy, or was she angry when she said that?”
18. Do you watch the O.C.?Nope. Not even sure what it is other than a TV show.
19. Do you know anyone named Steven? Yes, ‘ceptin’ he goes by Steve.
20. Do you make up your own words? Regularly. Define the following: Schmeglie, hik-boo, grebeley, for example.
21. Are you a jealous person? I have been. I try to avoid it. It’s wasted emotional energy, much as is envy.
22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. Andy.
23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Kim, as in the one who gave me this meme, and a couple of other Kims, and I think there’s a Kathy in there.
24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? I have no such thing.
25. What does the last text message you received say? As a proud luddite, I have no such thing, nor do I want any such thing.
26. Do you chew on your straw? Real men don’t do straws.
7. Do you have curly hair? Nah. But, I did when I was a very little boy. I'm just thankful to have all my own hair.
28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? Hopefully Palm Springs in January or February, and Wendy wants to go Down Under next fall. We shall see.
29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? My former boss, before I took over his position. He is rude, obscene, intollerant, bigoted, crude, lewd, male chauvinistic and just about any other perjorative I could throw in his direction. He’s my exception to the rule which suggests you should foregive everybody. I don’t want to forgive him. It gives me pleasure to detest him.
30. What was the last thing you ate? A soft-boiled egg and toast with peanute butter.
31. Will you get married in the future?Puh-leeze! I’ve done it three times and am exquisitely happy with the third one. I have no desire to repeat the process ever in the future.
32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? On TCM, the 1962 flick ‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold’ (see pic above), which I’d never before seen in its entirety. A riveting tale of Cold War espionage which uses the always underused Richard Burton at his best, along with the lucious Claire Bloom and Oskar Werner.
34. When was the last time you did the dishes? Last evening.
35. Are you currently depressed? No more than usual. Really, I’m not depressed. Pissed off about some little things, but who isn’t. But, my state-of-mind is good.
36. Did you cry today? Why would I do that? I haven’t seen 'Old Yeller' in years.
37. Why did you answer and post this? Because Kim asked me to, and she’s a friend and a fellow writer. I think I'm supposed to pass this along to five people, so I'll pick Geewits, Angela, Jazz, Voyager and Get Off My Lawn.
They may respond if they choose.
Labels: another damn meme
posted by Ian Lidster at
2:38 PM
14 Comments:
Really enjoyed the meme!
It can be quite tricky passing them on- a lot of people dont like them, but I dont mind one now & then.
Very enjoyable, Ian. I especially appreciate that you feel no compunction to forgive your detestable former boss, whom you replaced. Maybe such people come into our lives as examples of what we don't want to be.
For a second, I looked at the photo and thought, "Hmmm, Ian looks a lot like Richard Burton -- and Wendy is gorgeous." Which I'm sure she is, even if she doesn't resemble Claire Bloom.
Your "Old Yeller" comment hit home. I always cry when the dog dies ...
My goodness that meme was a lot of work but as usual you have your own take on things.
10. What color is your front door? White, highlighted by cat scratches
Ours is white with dog scratches. Note to self, must paint front door. Dog has been gone two years now.
I'll do this one later, but I have to tease you on your 0800 comment. 8:00pm would not be 0800, it would be 2000 (or twenty hundred). Didn't you watch M*A*S*H?
I enjoyed this. And I'll do it, and as Geewits pointed out, 0800 has to be the morning.
And, I knew that, too. Damn. Should read more carefully. When I ran the rehab we operated on a 24 hour clock, so I should be familiar. Duh, to me.
Well THAT was interesting! I'm going to do this one, too. What fun!
(some strange questions though, "is there anyone you like"? Maybe it means "is there anyone you have a crush on" that makes much more sense.)
Your 2006 was filled with travel and adventure!
Gosh, that was a long one, wasn't it! But very interesting. Love the photo of the two of you.
Lovely
Your answer and Jmb's about the door had me laughing. Also it is sooo nice to know someone else who doesn't have all the modern conveniences (aka -junk) in their house. :) Good answers to this meme Ian.
Love the black and white photo.
Very atmospheric ... Were you a film star in another life? Aha. I knew it ... its the brooding good looks. Dead giveaway.
i enjoyed reading this also. i think i'll do this meme for my next post.
That picture says a lot so I thought I'd create a story from it.
It is the 1950's. Ian and Wendy are in England to discover the whereabouts of their friend. They had just received news days earlier that he had died. Ian, having suspicions of something ominous at work, decides to investigate. They take the nearest plane to London.
After settling down in their hotel, they go to their friend's apartment the next morning. Using a key he had given them for safekeeping, they enter the apartment. They notice that the place has not been occupied for a long time. It just feels empty and untouched, for the most part. There are signs that their friend had returned, but only for a short while. A suitcase is open on top of his bed. There are a few items inside. A necktie, a bottle of cologne, and a black leather appointment book. Ian opens the book and peruses its contents. It is filled with the usual activities of his friend. He turns to the page of October 11th, the day his friend was reported to be dead. The day before they found his fresh body in a river near his country home. The friend was supposed to meet a business partner for a meeting that day, according to the book. Ian turns the pages backward to see what his friend was up to before then. On October 10th, his friend had visited a supplier to check an order. On October 8th, he had spoken to an accountant about his finances. On October 7th, he had visited a friend to have a beer. Flipping back to the beginning, Ian found that his friend had just returned from a long stay in the countryside and that he had only been in London a few days before his death. But his body was found in a river next to his country house, Ian remembers.
He and Wendy decide to go to the house to investigate. They search all around the apartment for the key until Wendy finds a box in the bedroom with several keys in it. Surely, one of them would contain the key to the house, they thought. They take the box and the appointment book and leave the apartment. Then, they rent a car and drive to the address listed in the book.
By the time they arrive, it is early afternoon. They had heard of this place from their friend, but had never visited it themselves. The area is somewhat remote, near a bed and breakfast. Besides the home and the two bed and breakfast buildings, there is nothing else in sight except for the greenery of the English countryside and the farm behind the home.
Ian and Wendy park their car in front of the house. It is a big stone structure almost the size of a mansion. In the back, there is a barn with several chickens. After wandering for a while, they walk to the door. Wendy tries each key, until she gets to the third one and the door opens. "Hello?" Ian calls, looking for the presence of anyone inside. There is no answer. Ian and Wendy go into each room looking for anything that can give them a lead into their friend's death. They gather notes, letters, cards, anything that could give them information about their friend's whereabouts. After hours of searching, Ian finally comes upon a diary. He puts that in a box with the rest of their findings. They search a little more and decide that they have enough material, at least for now. They gather their things and lock the door. It is 8 o'clock at night.
As they walk to their car, they hear a shuffling somewhere in the back of the house. It sounds like someone is there. Ian puts down the box and carefully walks over as Wendy follows. The shuffling stops. They both stand in their tracks looking into the distance. Whatever it is, it feels ominous and menacing. Ian and Wendy are scared.
(Feel free to continue the story.)
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