Random Dozen -- the Wednesday meme

Here are this week's questions in the Random Dozen, thanks to Lid over at 2nd cup of coffee. If you want to play along, copy the questions to your blog, answer them, then go to 2nd Cup of Coffee and use the Mr. Linky thing at the end of the Random Dozen post -- you can link in your blog with everyone else's blog and also use that feature to read the answers of others (which is quite fun).



1. If you could master one sport, what would it be?

Horseback riding. I am the world’s worst rider, but I truly love my horses.

2. When you make a major purchase, do you go with your gut instinct, or do you do research to make an informed decision?

Research first (love the Internet!). Then, if I still have trouble deciding, my gut.

3. There is an old kids' game that says you can find out what your movie star name would be by using your middle name as your first name and the name of the street you grew up on as your last. What is your movie star name?

Elizabeth State Highway. Not very glamorous or cool, I'm afraid. (Actually, it should be Elizabeth State Highway 35. But that is just weird.)

4. Would you rather give up your favorite music or your favorite food?

Hmmm….. depends on what mood I’m in. But probably, I’d be less likely to want to give up my favorite food (I always have music playing in my brain anyway -- can't shut it off).

5. There are two types of banana preferences. One is pristine yellow, almost to the point of being green; the other is spotty and more ripe. Which is your preference?

Neither. Raw bananas (at any stage) give me a hellish stomach ache, so I don’t ever eat them.

6. Your favorite tree is?

Red maple (for the fall foliage, of course).

7. On a scale of 1-10, how tech savvy are you?

A 7, I think. I can’t do much with network administration, but I can work through quite a few problems on my computer, I can edit and upload photographs and documents, and I can use a webcam and VoIP software (how about that for tech savvy!).

8. Has H1N1 touched your family?

Both husband and youngest son had it at the same time in October. I have escaped thus far.

9. Are you an analytical person, or do you just accept things the way they are without questioning or scrutinizing?

Depends on the issue. Some things are too overwhelming to try to analyze, so I don’t even bother. But, overall, I suppose my tendency would be to think it through if I can.

10. Is your personality more like that of a dog, cat, or Koala?

I have the loyalty of a dog but (sometimes) the aloofness of a cat, so that’s another toss up among my answers today. (Koalas, from what I understand, are not as cuddly as they look and can be quite ferocious if cornered in the wild -- I really do like to think I'm not that.)

11. Do you keep in touch with friends you made years ago?

Absolutely! There is one friend with whom I’ve never lost touch – we graduated to email when it became readily available to both of us in the late 90s. I stay in touch with other old friends (whom I’ve recently found again) through Facebook.

12. You are checking out at a grocery store. In the express lane, there are more people than the regular lanes, but of course, their load is less than those in the regular lanes. Which lane do you choose (assuming you qualify for the express lane) and why?

I’d choose the scan-it-yourself ("u-scan") lanes, of which my local grocery stores have at least four in each store. Those lanes tend to move pretty quickly, even when the store is crowded. But if “u-scan” isn’t an option, then I’d choose the conventional Express lane because the line does keep moving with the smaller orders. It drives me a wee bit crazy, when I’ve got a small order, to stand for a long time behind someone who has a week’s worth of their family’s groceries on the belt. At least you have the illusion of fairly speedy progress in the Express lanes, even if your actual time in line isn’t cut down.


- Catherine