September 2023 Prompts - Part 2
1. Do you have a favorite memory from this summer? I did a lot of great travel this summer, so it’s hard to pick just one memory. Let’s go with going to the South Pole Inn in Anascaul, Ireland.
2. If you could spend three weeks traveling what would your ideal trip be? Three weeks isn’t really all that long. It would be sufficient for going to Indonesia, including Komodo Island.
3. What were some other names your parents were considering when they had you? My mother wanted “Margot” but my father, who was born in Germany and grew up in Lithuania, thought it was too common. They also talked about giving me the middle name “Honora,” but my mother worried that it was too likely that people would call me “Honey.” (My folks were pretty much anti-nickname.)
4. Where was the most remote location you've ever been to? I’ve been to a lot of remote places, including Svalbard, Saint Helena, and Timbuktu.
5. Have you given up on anything lately? I’ve admitted that I am not going to take up painting and given away some blank canvases.
6. Are there any childhood possessions you lost that you'd love to see again? My grandfather gave me a birthstone ring when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I somehow or other lost it when I was in my late 20’s.
7. Is there a piece of jewelry that holds any sentimental value to you? I have a necklace that my great-grandmother allegedly bought in Shanghai in the early 1900’s. And, yes, I do wear it from time to time.
8. If you were given the chance to be immortal, would you take it? Probably not. I’ve read too much fiction in which someone is given immortality but continues to age. Or does something that gets them a life sentence in prison.
9. Are there any colors you won’t wear? I’m not very big on pastels in general. And I particularly don’t do pink.
10. What is a risk you'd take if you knew you wouldn't fail? Writing a book and submitting it for publication.
11. What is something that's bothering you right now? There are a couple of things I’m looking for in my house and can’t find.
12. What was the last sporting event you attended? The baseball game at Globe Life Field I went to in mid-September.
13. Do you enjoy staying at hotels? It depends on the hotel. I’ve stayed at plenty of mediocre hotels, but I’ve also stayed at some fantastic ones.
14. What was in the last package you got? A book a friend sent.
15. Who is/was your favorite animated character? I probably relate the most to Lisa Simpson.
16. If you could move out of your home country permanently, would you? I could move to either Israel or Uruguay. Maybe England.
17. Do you play the lottery? I buy scratch-off tickets more or less monthly. I’ll buy a powerball ticket when the prizes get high enough. While the odds are about the same whether or not you play, they’re zero if you don’t have a ticket and I can afford the two bucks.
18. Do you shut off the water while you brush your teeth? I should, but I don’t always.
19. What was the last good news you received? That my relatives in Israel are okay.
20. Are there any projects or goals you’ve recently abandoned? See question #5. I decided not to take up painting.
21. What are your top five books? Choosing 5 is somewhat ridiculous, but let’s see. Alice’s Adventures Under Ground and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Dracula by Bram Stoker. Endurance by Alfred Lansing. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. Moby Dick by Herman Melville.
22. Would you ever sky dive? I don’t think so.
23. If you could "install" three complete languages in your brain what would you choose? Spanish, for practical reasons. Hebrew for religious reasons. And maybe Russian for genealogical reasons, though that would also have to include the ability to read old handwriting.
24. What holiday is your birthday closest to? Labor Day. Also, some years, Rosh Hashanah.
25. Do you use a wall calendar? I used to, but haven’t since I retired.
26. First foreign vacation? We went to Expo 67 in Montreal, Canada. The first one that involved flying was a trip to Israel in December 1973.
27. Do you watch any anime? I have watched some, though not often. Friends I used to play board games with introduced me to All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku, which is the tender tale of a boy, his cat, and a major weapons manufacturer.
28. Do you prefer to keep a clean workspace or are you somewhat messy? I generally have things spread all over my desk.
29. What portion of your day is typically spent outdoors? Way too little. In an ideal world, I’d get out for at least an hour walk every day, but the weather here, combined with my fundamental laziness, gets in the way.
30. Did you get an allowance as a child? Yes. How much and what it was for varied over the years. In elementary school, it was about 25 cents. By the time I was in high school, it had to cover my weekly train fare (LIRR and subway) for a Saturday science program I went to at Columbia University, as well as clothing, so was several dollars. Ten bucks if I remember correctly, but it might have been even more.
2. If you could spend three weeks traveling what would your ideal trip be? Three weeks isn’t really all that long. It would be sufficient for going to Indonesia, including Komodo Island.
3. What were some other names your parents were considering when they had you? My mother wanted “Margot” but my father, who was born in Germany and grew up in Lithuania, thought it was too common. They also talked about giving me the middle name “Honora,” but my mother worried that it was too likely that people would call me “Honey.” (My folks were pretty much anti-nickname.)
4. Where was the most remote location you've ever been to? I’ve been to a lot of remote places, including Svalbard, Saint Helena, and Timbuktu.
5. Have you given up on anything lately? I’ve admitted that I am not going to take up painting and given away some blank canvases.
6. Are there any childhood possessions you lost that you'd love to see again? My grandfather gave me a birthstone ring when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I somehow or other lost it when I was in my late 20’s.
7. Is there a piece of jewelry that holds any sentimental value to you? I have a necklace that my great-grandmother allegedly bought in Shanghai in the early 1900’s. And, yes, I do wear it from time to time.
8. If you were given the chance to be immortal, would you take it? Probably not. I’ve read too much fiction in which someone is given immortality but continues to age. Or does something that gets them a life sentence in prison.
9. Are there any colors you won’t wear? I’m not very big on pastels in general. And I particularly don’t do pink.
10. What is a risk you'd take if you knew you wouldn't fail? Writing a book and submitting it for publication.
11. What is something that's bothering you right now? There are a couple of things I’m looking for in my house and can’t find.
12. What was the last sporting event you attended? The baseball game at Globe Life Field I went to in mid-September.
13. Do you enjoy staying at hotels? It depends on the hotel. I’ve stayed at plenty of mediocre hotels, but I’ve also stayed at some fantastic ones.
14. What was in the last package you got? A book a friend sent.
15. Who is/was your favorite animated character? I probably relate the most to Lisa Simpson.
16. If you could move out of your home country permanently, would you? I could move to either Israel or Uruguay. Maybe England.
17. Do you play the lottery? I buy scratch-off tickets more or less monthly. I’ll buy a powerball ticket when the prizes get high enough. While the odds are about the same whether or not you play, they’re zero if you don’t have a ticket and I can afford the two bucks.
18. Do you shut off the water while you brush your teeth? I should, but I don’t always.
19. What was the last good news you received? That my relatives in Israel are okay.
20. Are there any projects or goals you’ve recently abandoned? See question #5. I decided not to take up painting.
21. What are your top five books? Choosing 5 is somewhat ridiculous, but let’s see. Alice’s Adventures Under Ground and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Dracula by Bram Stoker. Endurance by Alfred Lansing. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. Moby Dick by Herman Melville.
22. Would you ever sky dive? I don’t think so.
23. If you could "install" three complete languages in your brain what would you choose? Spanish, for practical reasons. Hebrew for religious reasons. And maybe Russian for genealogical reasons, though that would also have to include the ability to read old handwriting.
24. What holiday is your birthday closest to? Labor Day. Also, some years, Rosh Hashanah.
25. Do you use a wall calendar? I used to, but haven’t since I retired.
26. First foreign vacation? We went to Expo 67 in Montreal, Canada. The first one that involved flying was a trip to Israel in December 1973.
27. Do you watch any anime? I have watched some, though not often. Friends I used to play board games with introduced me to All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku, which is the tender tale of a boy, his cat, and a major weapons manufacturer.
28. Do you prefer to keep a clean workspace or are you somewhat messy? I generally have things spread all over my desk.
29. What portion of your day is typically spent outdoors? Way too little. In an ideal world, I’d get out for at least an hour walk every day, but the weather here, combined with my fundamental laziness, gets in the way.
30. Did you get an allowance as a child? Yes. How much and what it was for varied over the years. In elementary school, it was about 25 cents. By the time I was in high school, it had to cover my weekly train fare (LIRR and subway) for a Saturday science program I went to at Columbia University, as well as clothing, so was several dollars. Ten bucks if I remember correctly, but it might have been even more.