Hiya, and welcome to another edition of Answer Me This, the internet’s favorite virtual cocktail party, where we all answer the same six random questions and get to know each other a little better.
And “virtual” cocktail party is going to have to do it for me. Usually that’s no biggie, but today is the last day of the 2015 Edel Gathering, a weekend of fun and fellowship for Catholic moms in Charleston (this year) that I was very much looking forward to attending until it turned out that I was going to be 38 weeks pregnant and all the way on the other side of the country in Los Angeles this weekend.
So . . . I kind feel like this:
While also, of course, being very happy for everyone who did get to go. If you do the social media thing, check out #edel15 to see all your favorite Catholic bloggers and Catholic blog readers having a fabulous time in Charleston. And check out #insteadofedel to find out what the best of the rest of us have been up to this weekend.
And now for THIS WEEK’S questions, to answer THIS WEEK . . .
1. At what temperature do you keep the thermostat set? Summer, winter, day, night?
This question is here as a result of a discussion in a Facebook group I’m in. It’s amazing to me how much variance there is in what people consider an ideal indoor temperature.
Since we are in California, it almost always cools down enough to open the windows in the evening and overnight. But since there is a mountain range between our house and the beach it is almost always really REALLY hot during the day (in the summer). It’s pretty routinely above ninety here, and occasionally it gets above 110. Before there was air conditioning pretty much the only people tough enough to live in the San Fernando Valley were American Indians and Jesuits.
Most of the year the outside temperature is quite pleasant. But for a couple of months in the summer, we need the AC, and for a couple of months in the winter we need the heat. We keep the thermostat set to 78 in the summer and 68 in the winter, day and night.
2. What is your favorite frozen beverage?
Being in my third trimester in the aforementioned Valley temperatures means that I have been drinking a LOT of frozen beverages. We often have smoothies for breakfast (using THIS foolproof recipe). Instead of my usual daily hot chai latte, when it’s hot, I’ll make a blended frozen one using crushed ice, milk, powdered chai tea, and my immersion blender.
Jack and I were just having a discussion about the merits of Slurpees vs Icees, and we are in agreement that while Icees have a superior, tangy flavor, they are mostly air. So, Slurpees are the better investment.
And if we’re talking GROWN UP frozen beverages, I’m all about a frozen, blended Pina Colada. I’ve even had one in Puerto Rico at the restaurant that claims to have made them up. I believe them. They seemed really trustworthy, especially after a couple Pina Coladas.
3. Where do you keep your keys?
Someday I’d like to have a cute little key hook thingy in an entryway/mudroom. That would be great. For now though, we have two slightly disheveled looking key dishes on a bookshelf in the kitchen. One for daily use-type keys, and one for other keys we need, but don’t want to have to dig through to find the car keys.
4. Have you ever really been lost?
I’m a little bit lost pretty much every time I try to drive anywhere. I have zero sense of direction. But mostly, I can just go where the GPS tells me to go and be fine. But the kids know better than to try to talk to me when I’m trying to figure out which way to go on an on ramp.
But pre-GPS, on the husband and my first trip to Lourdes (the one with the miracle) we were pretty much Hansel-and-Gretel-lost in the French countryside, trying to find a bed and breakfast we were going to stay in for a night. We were weaving through all these little villages, and street names kept changing, and NO ONE spoke any English or would recognize the name of the town we were trying to say in French.
We perhaps did not look quite THIS fabulous:
Or in any way like Elizabeth Taylor and Sean Connery. AND we had a very unhappy five month old strapped into a car seat with us for many, many hours. But the husband eventually found our way to where we were going with nothing but a not-particularly-reliable-map, and I’ve always looked back with a bit of pride on that crazy day, because I’ve figured ever since that if our marriage could survive the stress of a day of being lost in the French countryside with a screaming baby, we’re pretty much good to go.
5. What is the last movie you saw in the theaters?
I’ve seen two movies in the theater lately. I didn’t think either deserved a whole write up on the blog, but for different reasons.
Betty and I went to see Inside Out, and neither of us much liked it. I know I’m in the minority opinion here, critics and bloggers alike are raving about it. But I found it to be awkward, and to feel like I was seeing something that should be private, and I thought it was just generally a bummer.
Then Jack and I went to see Jurassic World. Jack thought it was The. Best. movie he’s ever seen. I didn’t feel QUITE that enthusiastic about it, but I did enjoy it. I just didn’t really see an angle on it worth writing about. It was fun. Chris Pratt was great, as always. But it was really just a fighting monsters movie. Grrr.
Want to play along? Answer THIS WEEK’s questions in the comments, or
on your blog and link it up below! Please include a link to this post on
your blog. The linkup will be open from now through close of business
Tuesday.
Now for NEXT WEEK’s questions, to answer NEXT WEEK . . .
1. What’s currently on your To Do list?
2. Better type of superhero: magic/radioactive powers? Or trauma/gadgets/hard work?
3. Finding out if baby is a boy or a girl before birth: Good idea? Bad idea?
4. Have you ever appeared on a stadium jumbotron?
5. Are you more book smart or more street smart?
6. Have you had that baby yet? (Feel free to skip this one if it’s not applicable to you.)
The overdressed lady gazing adoringly at air con made me chuckle. A lot đ
I need a brontosaurus in heels. This is a must.
The Starving Inspired
The Starving Inspired
Hehehe I really love your dinosaur graphic.
Hehehe I really love your dinosaur graphic.
#5 I didn't think it was equal to the Toy Story Trilogy.
Spoiler: When she at the bus station all I could think about in real life how a pimp would approach a REAL runaway!
The concept of child brain development and how stress affects our memories felt wasted on the story. I didn't care about the girl at all, Disney Princesses deal with more trauma then her. I'm no lefty, but the girl's issues felt too "privileged". Might be terrible for a seven year old to emotionally cope with, but not an eleven year old deal with. Was she that sheltered???
Pixar in UP did an infertility/miscarriage scene with a fatherless chold seamlessly, so I don't know… Not sure if the girl was a brat or emotionally stunted by her need to be the perfect child for her parents. I was no fan of the parents for some reason.
Love your graphics! I hope you are feeling well at 38 weeks! This is my first "Answer Me This." I am glad I found it; it's a fun little link-up! God bless your Sunday!
This is a philosopher's critical review of inside out. Thought you might find interesting
http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2015/07/05/419727485/the-awkward-synthesis-that-is-inside-out
It's funny, because I often think of CA & FL as being the same, but it does NOT get cool enough in the evenings to open the windows, that's for sure!
That lady really does look overdressed to stare longingly at her a/c unit. I'm thinking if she just wore shorts she might not be so hot đ
My husband is seriously ADHD so we keep our keys on a hook right by the front door. Anything else = lost keys on a regular basis.
I manage to get fantastically lost almost every time I drive anywhere. Seriously, it's embarrassing. But I'm used to it so I always leave 30 minutes extra "lost" time whenever I go anywhere that I haven't been at least 3 times. Luckily I gave birth to a 7 year old human GPS and he's awesome! Since he was 4 he could tell me where to go, roads and everything. I'd lend him to you sometime if you didn't live so far away đ
Also, I really want to see Jurassic World! I loved Jurassic Park (and have read the books) and for some reason a good old-fashioned dinosaurs-eating-people kinda movie sounds right about my intellectual level right now at 5 billion months pregnant. I was wondering if you were going to see and review it but I totally understand how there's not really tons of stuff to write about there. Glad you and Jack enjoyed it though.
We live in the Midwest, so we have very varying weather. We also live in an old house, so heating and cooling can be pricy if we're not careful. So in the winter, we set it for 65F when we're in the house (mornings and evenings), 62F during the day when most people are out at school or work, and 60F overnight. In the summer, we try not to use the air conditioner unless it's going to be 90F or more outside for a few days in a row.. We open up the house at night, draw in cool air, and have ceiling fans to help circulation. If we give in and turn on the air, it's set at 78F (It used to be 80F but we have too many people in the house now and the upstairs rooms just won't cool off otherwise). After a few days of AC, I start getting a little antsy for fresh air though.
My favorite frozen beverage is a bottle of Diet Coke, left in the freezer until the sides just begin to ice up. It's like a homemade icee without the sugar.
We have a small basket with keys in a kitchen drawer. However, small toddlers have gotten taller, and think I need to find a new spot.
Theon e time that I was really lost was on the way to my grandmother's funeral. (Pre-GPS era) My dad had given me directions but had omitted a connecting road between to major highways. By the time my sister , bother-in-law, and I realized we were lost, we had gotten pretty off track. (In NJ of all places!). Also, I had cleaned out my car recently and forgotten to replace my maps. So we finally pulled off at a gas station, bought a map, located where we were and were we should be, and got to the funeral mass after communion. Sorry Grandma! I always carry maps of all states I'm travelling in with me now.
I'm not much of a movie goer, but I did see the Hobbit : Battle of Five Armies in Dec. A sister and her family was visiting from Canada, and it was a great evening. My sister and I made sotto voce comments to each other, and everyone else could watch in peace.
I hope you and your baby have a healthy last few weeks of pregnancy!
1. We live in Atlanta, so the AC runs about 3/4 of the year. We keep the thermostat set at 75 during the day and drop the downstairs to 74 at night – our room is downstairs and my husband is always hot. I freak out more about the electric bill, so that's our compromise. He would set the AC at about 72 if I would let him! In the winter, we keep the heat at 68 during the day and 65 at night.
2. I'm not a huge frozen beverage fan, but I like a frozen coffee drink on occasion, or a margarita. I do make smoothies at home also.
3. We have a hanging hook thingy on the wall as you come in from the garage to the kitchen. We've had it for years and it works well. It also holds bills that need to be paid, and it's probably the one organizational item that has lasted our whole marriage. Functional and easy.
4. I don't get lost very often. I read maps pretty well and can easily follow directions. My husband is in the military and has an innate sense of direction, so he's is NEVER lost. So I can't think of a time when I was really lost.
5. The last movie I saw in the theater was also Jurassic World. Definitely campy, but I totally loved it! I'm a fan of all the Jurassic movies and one of the first movie dates I went on with my husband when we were dating was the original Jurassic Park, so I have a special fondness for them. We don't go out to the movies very often because it's expensive and we are usually busy with family activities, so this was a special treat.
That picture is from my favorite version of Hansel & Gretel!
Totally random question.. Was looking around on Google and then saw this tab open and thoight I'd ask you! Does your husband happen to wear a Miraculous medal/medal of the Immaculate Conception? Any recs for one that doesn't look dainty and feminine? In the end, I'm sure it's not a big thing and any will be okay, but figured couldn't hurt to check around. :]