A Jar of Balloons Survey, Volume 5

1.) Which chemicals’ smells do you like?
I like the smell of furniture polish. The kind my grandmother uses. Also, Febreeze. And the weird one for me is sulfur. I got so used to the smell in the lab where I used to work it doesn’t bother me at all and it brings about some pleasant memories.

2.) During which phase of life did you acquire the bulk of your friends?
I would have to say high school. I’m not really friends with a lot of people though. I’ve got a few close ones.

3.) Gray or grey?
Gray. I prefer this spelling. USA! USA! (I’m keeping james ensor’s answer)

4.) Who most often terminates your telephone conversations, you or the person to whom you’ve been speaking?
Usually me.

5.) Is your signature legible? Would it stand up to a schoolteacher’s scrutiny?
My signature is legible. But, it wouldn’t stand up to scrutiny because I mix cursive with standard.

6.) Have you ever ridden in a limousine?
No, I have not. I should remedy that. I road in a hearse to prom though. Yeah, we were dorks like that.

7.) Is your bed up against a wall, or does it sit in the center of a room, accessible from both sides?
My bed is accessible from both sides. The way my bedroom is shaped, there’s really only one spot good for the bed.

8.) What’s your favorite cuss word?
Good old fashioned “Fuck.” If I’m near kids or older people, I switch to my favorite variation of “Screw.”

9.) What colors have you painted rooms?
Crayon blue for Evan’s room. Kenny’s room is yellow. I have a pink bathroom. I used to have a lime green bathroom, but I never finished painting it because I HATED the color – that bathroom is now a lovely light denim blue.

10.) When eating out, do you prefer, in general, to face the crowd or the wall?
I face the crowd. People watching is one of my favorite past times.

11.) Are you a person who has certain items that are unequivocally yours (a coffee mug, a side of the bed, a chair, a place at the table)?
Yes. I have a side of the bed. I also have a special glass that I sometimes let the boys use, but rarely.

12.) Can you describe to me your most frequent freak-out fantasy, or do the particulars of your situations vary so that it’s always a new table you’re overturning or bus window you’re punching out?
The particulars of my situation always affect the way my freak-out fantasies play out.

13.) In which of these opposing cliches ("absence makes the heart grow fonder" or "out of sight, out of mind") do you find more truth?
For a love life? Absence makes the heart grow fonder. For just any part of life? Out of sight, out of mind. I am FOREVER forgetting things if I can’t see them.

14.) Where, in your calendar year, have the birthdays you celebrate tended to cluster?
It used to be May. My mom had 4 kids in a 10 day span (May 20th (twins), May 22nd (brother), May 30th (older sister)). But now that my family has grown, we are busy with most of the birthdays from April through August.

15.) How do you occupy your time when in a waiting room or on a train? Books, magazines, music, or just looking at people then looking away?
If I’m in a waiting room, usually a book or a video on my iPod. If I’m on a train, I can’t do that because motion sickness kicks in. So, I listen to music and people watch.

16.) What physical skills have you lost? Can you still touch your toes? As a child, were you able to turn a cartwheel?
My legs have always been too long. I’ve never been able to touch my toes. I couldn’t turn a cartwheel. I’m not that coordinated. But, I’m slower than I used to be and my balance has gone to shit.

17.) Are you a member anywhere, of anything, as of a group of people that meets at a certain time and at a certain place?
Nope.

18.) Do you find it beautiful when sidewalks begin to freckle with rain?
I like to watch the sidewalk get wet, but I wouldn’t say it’s beautiful. I find myself trying to count the spots or making pictures out of them.

19.) When dealing with a knot, are you more likely to pass the knot to another, sigh and say "Can you get this?" or to take the knot from another and say, "I can get this"?
I like to undo knots. The puzzle is fun for me.

20.) How many people have you called your best friend?
Three. Wendy was my best friend from 4th grade through 7th. In the 8th grade she got really weird and pretty much dropped me as a friend. If I had known she was being abused, I would have tried harder to stay her friend. We’re friends again now. My best friend Marilyn from junior high who moved away was my second best friend. We found each other on facebook and she came to visit last summer. It’s nice to have her as a friend again. And my twin sister is now my best friend. We didn’t get along very well as kids, but put half a country between us and we’re great! LOL! We can take being together in chunks of time.

21.) Does your alarm clock wake you with noise or radio?
Radio. I’m a light sleeper these days, it doesn’t take much to wake me.

22.) At what age did you reach your present height?
I’m pretty sure it was my junior year in high school.

23.) What type of food have you eaten the most of, would you guess? Pizza? Chicken?
I’d have to say probably spaghetti. When you grow up poor, it’s a cheap option that can be made into SEVERAL meals.

24.) Have you given much thought as to what you’d eat for your last meal?
Arkansas ham (from the farm), real mashed potatoes with ham gravy, green beans with real bacon slices in it, a spinach salad with vinaigrette dressing. Some pinot noir wine. And for dessert, chocolate cake with chocolate icing. And a glass of milk.

25.) What movies haven’t you seen that most people have?
I haven’t seen Avatar all the way through. And the 3rd Matrix film too.