Blog a Day May: Day 25: The Random 15 Meme

It's Sunday night, which means it's meme night. As always, the Meme has been provided by Sunday Stealing as I'm really not in the mood to talk about my lovely weekend away or what is going on in my head at the moment. Memes are safe. Memes don't send your emotions into a quandry. Memes let you do jobs between questions which is a very good thing.

So these questions are fairly innocuous and a bit fun. So here we go.

1. How old is the oldest pair of shoes in your closet? 

I have an old pair of 16 hole Doc Martens in the cupboard. These were bought at Camden in the early 90s on a day when a bomb went off down Camden High Street - I remember this as I went to see my then boyfriend who was working at a pub in Camden and I passed. Which means I can date them to being bought on the 28th of February 1993. I still wear them - often to concerts or recently, to demonstrations. Anywhere when I don't want to get my feet stomped on. They're great for that - I see them as my protectors.

(Shopping is now put away)

2. Did you buy Girl Scout cookies this year? If so, what variety? 

As I'm in Australia and we don't have a girl scout cookie culture like they do in the States. They used to do these wonderful plain biscuits but I haven't seen them in years. I have in the last year bought charity pens and the odd pin of the diggers on Remembrance and ANZAC Days. 

(Unpacked my bag)

3. Do you know how to ballroom dance? 

No. I don't dance. Okay I'll rephrase that, I don't dance in public unless I have half a skinful and then I do the uncoordinated swaying stomp movements that are found in those who were teenagers of the eighties. Partner dancing scares me more than anything else on the planet. I know about this dance phobia - never had the time or gumption to fix it.

(Couch found under a pile of paper)

4. Were you a responsible child/teenager? 

Being raised on a farm for most of my childhood, I had chores - in particular animals to feed. I was the one who had to feed the calves before school. My mother still mentions that I'm the one in the family you give little things to look after. So yes, I was a responsible child. My homework was done on time, the jobs got done without too much grizzling, I went to Sunday School when told and wagged very few days of school. When you're taken to school on a bus it's hard to slip off on the way in or out. So responsible, yes. Mature, emotionally stable, confident, popular - no, but I was pretty responsible. I'm still known as somebody who is nice to animals, children and old people. 

(Load of washing is on)

5. How many of this year's Oscar-nominated movies did you see? 

Quite a few of them:

From the list last year I've seen:

American Hustle (which I think is just a touch over rated, though Bradley Cooper's perm needs a mention)
Dallas Buyers Club (and I can see why Matthew McConnaughy and Jared Leto got their gongs)
Her (fell asleep in places, but otherwise a great concept)
The Wolf of Wall Street (Loved it - others didn't)
Philomena (Cried buckets)
12 Years a Slave (Harrowing)
Blue Jasmine (A neurotic Cate Blanchett at her best)
August Osage County (Families, can't kill em, can't bury them in the garden)

I still want to see Nebraska, as I love Bruce Dern. I'll get to Gravity one of these days. 

(Ironing started)

6. If you're going to have a medical procedure done, such as having blood drawn, is it easier for you to watch someone else having the procedure done or have it done yourself? 

Hospitals don't bother me too much and I love "Embarrassing Bodies", so I'm happy to watch things get done, just as I'm okay having medical procedures done to me - unless it involves puke. I'm not great with vomit. 

(Washing hung out, whites are now in the machine)

7. What is your favorite day of the week and why? 

I love Sunday. It's a free day. If I'm home, I go to pump and have breakfast with the girls from the gym and go and see Blarney and the boys and anything else that my heart desires. It's nice to have a day off and do nothing for a change. 

(A bit more ironing done. Bag is packed for tomorrow)

8. What’s the best compliment you've ever received?

Compliments aren't something I get that often, though they do happen and they are accepted with as much grace as I can muster. There are only two that come to mind. One was from an old friend, a business man, very sharp, spoke six languages who said I was the kindest and most intelligent person he knew. That floored me.

The second was from somebody I'm no longer in contact with. I was due up in the Dandenongs and going for a ride on Puffing Billy. He said that I was like a steam train - other worldly, effusive and strangely beautiful. And here I was thinking he was going to say large, bulky and full of hot air.

9. Do hospitals make you queasy? 

Not that I like them that much, but no. My mother was a nurse and my father spent a lot of time in hospital when I was a kid - you get used to them.

10. At which store would you like to max-out your credit card? 

Hmm, another hard one as I'm on a conscious economy drive. However, if I was allowed to max out my cards, I reckon I'd go into the Flight Centre and book myself three months away - ah, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, go book the Camino... I had a great conversation with the guy sitting next to me on the plane today- we talked travel all the way back from Sydney. It appears that I come out as well traveled.

(Second round of washing hung out. More ironing done)

11. Are you true to the brand names of products/items? 

Not really, though there is no substitute for Heinz Baked Beans, ever. 
I prefer to fly Qantas when I fly within Australia.
I've been with my bank since I was a child.

I will say that when I find something I like I do tend to stick to it. So I have an Apple iPhone and iPad, not an Android model - and I have a PC not a Mac.

Other things, I'm happy to shop around.

12. Which is more difficult: looking into someone’s eyes when you are telling someone how you feel, or looking into someone’s eyes when he/she is telling you how he/she feels? 

This is a loaded question - but I am going to say the latter, it can be very hard looking into somebody'eyes when they are telling you how they feel about you. Found this out the other night. You don't know where to look. There's no escape.

13. What’s one thing you’re deeply proud of — but would never put on your résumé? 

Oh, that one is easy. I lived in England for six years without a visa, working for most of that time at a now defunct American Investment Bank. That I got away with it without being deported, that is something I've very proud of, in a , please, do not even think about trying this today... or ever. You could do stuff like that in the 80s and 90s. Not now. Most of my friends are aware of this, but it's not widely publicised.

The few half marathons that I've run make a line on the last page of my CV.

(Everything's ready for tomorrow)

14. What’s the most out-of-character choice you've ever made? 

2003. I pitched my job in and went and worked on a Greek Island for a few months. That was pretty out of character, as at the time I was pretty risk averse. 

Going back to internet dating a few years ago. Out of character.(and a bad move)

Most people would say that when I took up running a few years ago, that was very out of character - turned out to be one of the best things I've ever done.

15. What’s your personal anthem or theme song?

This runs on from the last questions.

I'd say my theme song is "Reckless" by Australian Crawl.

Sometimes it feels like this:

And then there are times when it feels like this:

And there are times when it feels like this:

But generally, it's the Australian Crawl song.

Right, off to bed. 45 minutes to spare.