7 posts tagged “qotd”

Are you going to tune in to today's Super Bowl game? If so, where and with whom will you be watching? Who are you rooting for?

Let me first say that I have no malice or ill will toward any Super Bowl fans. I just want that to be clear, because I always feel like I'm being blasphemous when I say that I can't think of anything that interests me less than football. I have only ever tuned in to the Super Bowl once--in 2004--and I don't remember a thing about it, except that it was the year of Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction, and I don't even remember that part. I only remember the big deal it became in the days following. 

Having said that, it's been a really good day. You can assume by now that I am not going to tune in to the game. In fact, it's probably on right at this very minute. But even though I am not watching, I was a part of a festive environment. At the country club where I work as a server, we had a tailgate party for our members. I was not scheduled to work the party; I was at my regular spot in the restaurant for breakfast and lunch, but my manager gave all the food/bev staff a little Super Bowl bling (plastic bead necklaces with footballs on them) to wear for the day, and we helped with the preparations for the party. The festive air, along with my coworkers who are always fun to be with, made the day a success. And I am in the know enough that I can report which teams are playing (The Cardinals and the Steelers, thank you very much), which is not always the case. That's good enough for me.

What do you do when you get a crush on someone?
Submitted by Desi.

Oh man. Of course this question would come up now, just as I am thinking about the people I have crushes on. Here's the thing. I pretty much always have a crush, and it's not unlike me to have more than one. I think I've hit a record right now, though. At 23 I've never had a boyfriend, and school was pretty much my life up until just a few months ago. I graduated and got a new job, one where there are several young men around my age. I've never really had an easy time of talking to people, especially boys, so maybe I'm just overwhelmed by all the testosterone in the air. Either way, there are a few guys I can think of who, if they asked me out on a date, I would say yes. But on to the question at hand.

I am a pretty quiet person, and when I have a crush, guess what? I'm still quiet. I think it all depends on how the crush develops. One of the people on my list is absolutely gorgeous, and I thought so from the very first time I saw him. So when I'm around him and I'm thinking about how beautiful he is, I tend to clam up. Yesterday I was at work and he happened to be nearby, and I was doing my thing, struggling very hard not to grin like an idiot. Other times, though, and I've noticed that this is the case when the conversation is impromptu and I haven't had time to think of a way to seem cool, I find it much easier to make conversation. Thank goodness for that.

All of the other people on my list are people I've grown to like after having spoken to them first, and there are varying degrees of "crush-hood," if you will. A couple of them I can say right out that I want them to want to hang out with me (I would not, however, be the type to see both at once, so don't worry about that. I'm not a jerk.). To the others, I would say yes if asked on a date, but if they never get around to it, it's no biggie. With all of these people, I don't really act very different from my normal self. They're easy to talk to, and I don't feel awkward around them. Again, thank goodness for that.

I really think all of this is just me learning to be comfortable with myself. The more I feel okay with my quirks (and believe me, I have a few of them), the more comfortable I'll be with talking to people and especially potential mates. I am kind of a late bloomer in the social arena, so I've got some catching up to do. But to all you boys out there, and especially to the ones with whom I work, don't be afraid to look my way. Even if we end up as friends and nothing more. Yes, I'm quiet, but I think you've got potential to help me break out of my shell.

What fictional character do you relate to most and why?

When I read Shopgirl, I felt like I could relate to a lot of what Mirabelle, the main character, felt. She and I are about the same age. The difference between her and me is that she was actually in a relationship while I, on the other hand, have never had one. However, her significant other was older, and I've previously thought to myself that I won't be completely surprised if I am ever in a relationship with an older man. I read this book a couple years ago, and I like to think that I am at least slightly more confident now than I was then, but every so often I do get to thinking about her and how she and I are a lot alike.

I have a journal where I keep memorable passages from books I read. Here are some of the ones from Shopgirl that I related to most:

"She knows she needs new friends but introductions are hard to come by when your natural state is shyness."

"In spite of her depression, Mirabelle likes to think of herself as humorous. She can, when the occasion calls, become a wisecracker and buoyant party girl. This mood, Mirabelle thinks, sometimes makes her the center of attention at parties and gatherings. The truth is that these episodes of gaiety merely raise her to normal, but for Mirabelle the feeling is so exceptional that she believes herself to be standing out."

"A girl who is willing to give every ounce of herself to someone, who could never betray her lover, who never suspects maliciousness of anyone, and whose sexuality sleeps in her, waiting to be stirred [...] What Mirabelle needs is some omniscient voice to illuminate and spotlight her, and to inform everyone that this one has value, this one over here, the one sitting in the bar by herself, and then to find her counterpart and bring him to her."

"By appealing to his absolute worst side, Lisa eventually dominates him, and later the Artist/Hero is seen taking her phone number. Mirabelle is not affected by a man's failure to approach her, as her own self-deprecating attitude never allows the idea that he would in the first place."

"Catherine collapsed, then fought, then resurrected the marriage with a quiet power and sophistication that had not shown at any other time in her life or has ever shown again. The one who was broken, who did not recover, who did not understand, and who saw the image of her father crack and shatter, was Mirabelle."

"Mirabelle's mind blackens. The blackness is not a thought, but if it could be pressed into a thought, if a chemical from a dropper could be dripped onto it causing its color and essence to become visible, it would take the shape of this sentence: Why does no one want me?"

For a full sit-down dinner with several guests, would you rather be the one cooking or do you prefer to just show up and eat?

I was just thinking about this. I have always been a guest for Thanksgiving, and as I was looking around my grandpa's house today, I thought about how I know the whole family was probably cleaning up and making sure everything looked nice for all the guests.

I'm not very social usually, but for something like today or Christmas, I would love to cook. I would love to host something at my house, because I've never had a "normal" life in that sense. When I was a little girl, my dad used to barbecue and invite friends over once in a while. It was so much fun, and while he cooked outside, my mom made potato salad and other stuff inside. Sometimes my dad's friend Greg would play outside with me while we waited for the food to be ready.

As we've gotten older, my dad has lost touch with some of those friends, and there are others he just doesn't get to talk to as often, partly because everyone's busy and partly because our living situation is different from what it was fifteen years ago, so it's difficult to have people over. His health has deteriorated some, and my mom has had to work six days a week for the last ten years or so. Everyone's life has gotten busier and more stressful.

Someday I will have my own house and someday, hopefully, I will have a husband and a kid or two. We will spend the day cleaning and cooking, preparing for the arrival of our guests for a full sit-down dinner. It will be stressful, and it will be hectic, but it will be worth it to enjoy the company of our friends, especially if food is involved. And when the meal is over, when everybody has gone home, we will relax on the couch, happy that everyone had a good time and went home satisfied.

My life, in the near future, is going to undergo major changes. Things are a lot more stressful and uncertain than usual (I'm sure I'll recount the details at some point, in another entry). I am dreading what's to come, but little fantasies like the one above keep me hopeful.

Where do you consider home?  Is it the place you grew up; the place you're currently living?  Why is it home?
Submitted by uncagedbird. 

Once I started thinking about this question, I realized how difficult it would be for me to answer. My home for seventeen years was my childhood home, where I lived from the time I was born until five and a half years ago. Then we had to move, and we moved in with my aunt and cousins. Neither she nor my parents make very much money, so our two households kind of help each other out that way, by living under one roof.

The past four years of my life have been spent going back and forth between home and school, because I started college and moved into the dorms. I think my idea of home is split between the two places, although it doesn't feel completely right to describe either of them as such. They are where I am most comfortable, yet they both feel very temporary. When we moved in with my aunt, it was supposed to be "just for now," and a few months turned into a few years. When I went away to school, my living space was confined to one room, so I didn't reallly consider that home, either, especially since I was trying to get used to living without my parents. It feels even less like home now because when school starts again it will be my last semester and I'm going to have to leave. Circumstances are going to be a little different because I got a single room this time--no roommate for me--and I am quite looking forward to it, but at the same time I don't want to get too attached since I'll only have it for four months.

When I graduate this year, I'll be moving back in with my parents and my aunt and cousins for a couple of years before I head off to grad school. Then I'll move out again for two years. After that? Who knows. I'm afraid to think that far ahead.

Today's QotD is pretty thought-provoking for me. I don't know that I can identify "home," and that makes me sad. Don't get me wrong, my life is by no means miserable, but I think home for me means somewhere permanent, and I don't really have anything like that right now. I can tell you one thing: I am really, really looking forward to having my own place. My ultimate dream right now is to be done with school, financially independent and living on my own in a place that I love.

Someday. 

If you could eat only 3 foods for the rest of your life, what would they be?
Submitted by formance.

Easy:

Cheese. Pasta. Potatoes.

I love me my dairy, and I love me my carbs.

I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

How have people mispronounced your name?  How is it supposed to sound? 
Submitted by Lorie.   

My name is Georgia. Like the state. Or the country (yes, it's a country too). But there are always people who make it difficult. I've been called "jor-jee-ah," Georgette, Georgina, Gloria, and Jordan. No, folks. It's Georgia.

Georgia.