Knitting in the Shadows: The Birthday Meme

Yep, it's not a Monday, but there's a meme anyway. I've been hoarding it for quite a while, since it seems more appropriate to post it in proximity to my birthday. Under the "rules" of this Birthday Meme, I've been bidden to name three (3) events, two (2) births, and one (1) holiday that took place on my birthday (October 20). As you can see, I'm not very good at restricting myself. I couldn't even keep the events list down to three.

Events: The date of my birth marked the beginning of a war (the War of Austrian Succession in 1740), the signing of the Patent of Toleration (providing limited freedom of worship in Hapsburg monarchy in 1781) a wedding (Jacqueline Kennedy to Ari Onassis in 1968), and (just one more... ) the publication of one of my favorite books (Return of the King in 1955).

Births: Not surprisingly, given the number of people currently on the planet (and the many more who have died over the centuries) there are many many people with whom I share a birthday. Most I've not heard of. There are far too many footballers (English, French, Greek, Ecuadorian, Puerto Rican, Saudi, and Welsh); some politically significant figures (including the Empress of Japan and The Báb, Persian founder of the Bábí Faith (1819), and, on the very date of my birth (year and everything), Konstantin Aseev, the Russian chess player was born. The two births that are much more interesting to me, however, are these: my Revelry buddy Barbara shares my birthday (but I don't know what year she was born); and, likely more interesting to all my readers, Viggo Mortenson was born on my birthday in 1958 (or perhaps I should say I was born on his birthday, since he's older than I am).

Holiday: Though there are two Religious holidays (Christian - feast day of St. Andrew of Crete (martyr), and the Bábí holiday celebrating Báb's birth), the only secular holiday I've found is Sweetest Day, which sometimes falls on my birthday; this year appears to be one of those times. Now, on the French Republican Calendar, which seems to have a function for every single day -- my birthday is Barley Day (the day before is Tomato Day and the day after is Barrel Day). Not sure what one does on Barley day, but I'm unlikely to add lots of barley to my birthday meal ... perhaps it's 'cause I'm not French (and likely also because my community is sadly lacking in French restaurants). Even if you wind your way back through my ancestors, you'll go a few centuries without finding any French folks (which of course explains why the only non-English language I speak at all is French, and why French cuisine is my favorite). So is there some magic drink made of Barley of which I'm currently unaware? I could drink that in celebration of Barley Day. (For the record,in Wales, Barley Saturday is celebrated in April.)

Having covered that one... in honor of my birthday being really so much more about ME than about all those other people and events and things, I'm going to do one of those questionnaires that tend to be emailed around and around, but which found it's way to Dawn's blog a while ago.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Yes, through my middle name, I'm named after my mother's favorite Chemistry professor/mentor from Newcomb College (now part of Tulane University).

2. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Yes

3. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I think I would. Assuming of course that I'd ever met me.

4. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Never ... well, not on Tuesdays

5. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS
Yes, and they still hate me.

6. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
If it were safer than not jumping, sure (say to avoid an oncoming train).

7. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Hmmmm, Kashi Go Lean Crunch? Multi-bran Chex? oatmeal?

8. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
I rarely wear shoes that tie often (preferring clogs and cowboy boots); but when I do, I untie them before I take them off.

9. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
I'm stronger than I look; not as strong as I once was; and weak as hell when it comes to temptation.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Godiva Belgian Dark Chocolate

11. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Hmmmm, that's a tough one. The first thing I register is likely hair; the first thing I pay attention to is eyes. Unless there's something very obviously freaky about them, like black teeth or a tattoo on their nose or pink hair....

12. RED OR PINK?

Here I go with the "it depends" thing again. I mean what are we talkin' here? Wine? definitely red. Clothing? Which SHADE of red or pink? I mean technically, fuchsia is a shade of pink, and it's vastly preferable to tomato red; but deep true blood red trumps sweet pastel pink every time. The color of my daughter's throat? pink, definitely pink -- red would be bad -- red would be strep throat and more antibiotics.

13. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?

14. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
As Dawn said, "Oh yes please! I don't get nearly enough mail these days!". Wait no... just post it on your own blogs please. Sending it back would mean the comments on this silly post would be completely out of control. I know what some of you would write!

15. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Black and no shoes. Who wears shoes in the house?

16. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE ?
Ate? as in solid food that you chew? or consumed, as in put nutrients in my body. Cause I had a smoothie for breakfast, full of protein and vitamins etc (OJ, banana, blueberries, soy protein powder); but the last time my teeth were involved it was a single Dove Dark Chocolate Promise after dinner (of tilapia, rice, asparagus and salad).

17. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
the hum of my computer..... otherwise, silence. Of course, this afternoon it was Toni Amos

18. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Well, am I one of those new washable crayons? and which brand? Cause Crayola's really are better than Rose-Art. And why crayon.... oh, wait... color, right... um....probably one of those newfangled ones that actually have multiple colors in them. Or maybe a glitter crayon?

19. FAVORITE SMELLS?

Clean laundry
The barest hint of good perfume or cologne
Rain
Fresh bread baking
From Scratch Cookies just out of the oven
Freshly ground coffee
New leather
Ocean
Pizza
Real Vanilla
Campfires
Chocolate
A new book
A really OLD book
The forest after it rains

20. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
David, whom I've loved for over 20 years, and whose wife is now one of my good friends, and who moved in just three blocks away this summer after living 3,000 miles away for what seems like ever.

21. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Well, she didn't exactly SEND it to me. She likely doesn't even have a clue that I swiped it from her blog. And... I don't really know her, I'm just one of thousands who read her blog -- which I enjoy.

22. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Sports? watching sports? um..... Olympic Gymnastics and Figure Skating. (see, I do watch sports -- regularly even -- just with long intervals in between).

23. HAIR COLOR?
When? when I was a child before any dye-stuffs ever found it? Now, if you exclude any dyestuffs that may be in there obscuring our view to reality? or now, including the dyestuffs?

Brown -- fits all three of the above; mix in some silvery gray and you get the second bit, and blend in some purple and you get the last bit.

24. EYE COLOR?
Blue

25. FAVORITE FOOD?
Again with the singular question! I can't DO these things!

I love chocolate and raspberries and Papa Del's Pizza (but not his sausage) and broccoli, and asparagus, and a tasty filet, and fresh was-in-the-ocean-this-morning lobster, and well prepared tilapia, and catfish the way they do it in New Orleans, and Basmati rice and Jasmine rice, and a good baked potato, and Cheetos (the crunchy ones), and crisp apples, and just ripe enough bananas, and Triscuits (reduced fat) with Cheddar or Dubliner cheese, and good liver pate, and cream cheese (especially in my omelets), and fresh warm bread, and rich chocolate ice cream, and Daiquiri Ice sherbet and my mother's meat loaf, and goat cheese, and creme brulee, and fresh baby spinach and baby brussel sprouts and herb encrusted salmon and..... (better stop, I'm getting hungry).

26. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

That's not mutually exclusive. You can have a scary movie WITH a happy ending. Those are fun. Movies can be scary, as long as they're not just gory or full of chase scenes. Suspense is good, blood and guts, not so much so.

27. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Well shit. I know I saw Ratatouille this summer. And I know DH and I actually WENT to a movie recently (but I've forgotten what it was!) and I know I've watch some flick on the TV since then, but I don't know what that was either. My mind is a sieve.

28. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
teal blue

29. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Well, I think it's fall although it's been taking its own sweet time about dropping the temps.

30. HUGS OR KISSES?
Kisses - they're chocolate.

31. FAVORITE DESSERT?
One with chocolate in it: Really good Chocolate Mousse (like they once served at Marion Street Grille, and I think currently serve at SunSinger; or rich dark chocolate creme brulee like they sometimes serve at the Art Institute, or Belgian Dark Chocolate Ice Cream. Or perhaps Pears Helene (which includes only a bit of chocolate sauce, but it's key).

32. WHAT BOOK( s) ARE YOU READING NOW?
Dark Harbor

33. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
uh... my mouse? duh. and a nice soft gel wrist support.

34. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
I got no TV time at all last night, but I did watch a Crossing Jordan rerun yesterday afternoon.

35. FAVORITE SOUND?
moving water, or silence, or beautifully performed chamber music, or A Capella voices singing in exquisite harmony, or fires crackling, or children laughing in the next room, or cats purring .....

36. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles, mostly.

37. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Hmmm... Cardiff Wales? or maybe Vezalez, France. I'm pretty sure they;re farther than Bermuda or Belize or even the Dominican Republic (not sure about that one though). If we're talking as an adult, it'd have to be the D.R. or Belize.

38. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I can solve other peoples knitting problems 90% of the time. I can usually find a win/win solution to most problems by restructuring them.

There, enough about me for a few minutes. I now plan to celebrate ME by going out to dinner and enjoying libations and desserts that wholly ignore my return to diet-land.