stolen goods

Here's one o' them thar polls, stolen from that editrixie:

1. Your name spelled backwards.
ffej
2. Where were your parents born?
Dad - suburb of Chicago; Mom - suburb of Milwaukee.
3. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer?
a hard-to-find Beck b-side.
4. What's your favorite restaurant?
"Too many to count!" She's right! Recently...Mexican at Xel-ha; the redoubtable Cafe Lulu; a new barbecue place called Q; Vivo; fish to die for at Roots; standby favorites Hooligan's and Comet Cafe (outside only - damned smokers)...I'll stop before I get too hungry and have to go eat.
5. Last time you swam in a pool?
Man, I've got no clue on that. I'm not a swimmer.
6. Have you ever been in a school play?
Yep, a few. I was in high-school productions of The Fantasticks, Pippin, and maybe one or two others.
7. How many kids do you want?
I will resist the temptation to make a Michael Jackson joke, and instead merely say: none.
8. Type of music you dislike most?
Amy said, "That highly synthetic neo 'soul' perpetuated by 'American Idol,'" and I wholeheartedly concur. In terms of styles, I just don't get metal: it always seems inherently ridiculous to me, a joke I'm either not getting or become instantly tired of. Oh, and you absolutely must see this.
9. Are you registered to vote?
Absolutely. Everyone should register to vote - unless you're voting for Bush, in which case, do us all a favor and stay home that day. Here's a suggested activity.
10. Do you have cable?
Yes...but I'm not sure why. We have the absolute most minimal package, mostly for reception. There are fewer and fewer shows I actually want to watch. I think once they're cancelled (except for The Simpsons which, as a review of Futurama in The Onion pointed out, will probably outlast civilization itself), I'll opt out.
11. Have you ever ridden on a moped?
I have moped, but I've never ridden on one.
12. Ever prank call anybody?
Not as an adult...but as a kid, oh yeah.
13. Ever get a parking ticket?
I lived for half a decade in Madison, Wisconsin: Q.E.D.
14. Would you go bungee jumping or skydiving?
No. I'm not fond of unenclosed heights, and I'm risk-averse. Activities in which one minor screw-up can kill you strike me as foolish and pointless.
15. Farthest place you ever traveled.
My mind, ma-aa-aa-aann... Uh, that would be San Diego, which is pretty pathetic (not San Diego - the fact of its being my most unhere location). Oh well.
16. Do you have a garden?
Technically, yes, in that the house Rose and I own has a garden. But it's wholly hers, since I believe in respecting nature and therefore leave it alone to live another day.
17. What's your favorite comic strip?
I used to like "Zippy the Pinhead," but it's been coasting. "Get Fuzzy"'s fun. And online, I'm really liking "Questionable Content."
18. Do you really know all the words to your national anthem?
The first verse, yes. No one knows all the words to the rest of it - the guy was drunk when he wrote it anyway. Check this out.
19. Bath or shower, morning or night?
Shower in the morning.
20. Best movie you've seen in the past month?
I see so few, I might as well list them all: Heaven (Tom Tykwer), Smoke Signals, Outfoxed, 25th Hour, and The Gospel According to Philip K. Dick (which is nowhere near as intriguing as it might sound to a PKD fan). I think I'd rank Heaven slightly at the top of that list.
21. Favorite pizza topping?
Oh, that varies highly. For traditional, I'm a traditionalist: Italian sausage or pepperoni. I'm pretty tolerant of what can go on a pizza, as long as the ingredients work well together.
22. Chips or popcorn?
(Brain:) Popcorn. (Stomach:) Chips
23. What color lipstick do you usually wear?
Oh, so this is a chick thing...! I can never find a shade that really brings out the best in my complexion, sorry.
24. Have you ever smoked peanut shells?
Goddamn juvenile delinquent elephants...
25. Have you ever been in a beauty pageant?
Again, resisting the temptation to make a stupid joke. There's a bit of a portrait above: I think that answers the question for you.
26. Orange juice or apple?
Orange juice at breakfast, apple otherwise
27. Who was the last person you went out to dinner with and where did you dine?
Rose, the above-mentioned Q, last night.
28. Favorite type of chocolate bar?
Not sure about brand, but I prefer a good dark chocolate to milk chocolate. I'd be a chocolate snob if I wanted to weigh 300 pounds...
29. When was the last time you voted at the polls?
State primary, April.
30. Last time you ate a homegrown tomato?
I think a pizza some friends made for us a couple months back at a visit featured homegrown tomatoes.
31. Have you ever won a trophy?
Probably. Softball as a kid? Piano? Dunno.
32. Are you a good cook?
Pretty good, yes, within a limited culinary range.
33. Do you know how to pump your own gas?
This is a weird question for me: around here, almost every gas station is at least half self-serve pumps, and some are exclusively so. It's hard for me to believe that anyone doesn't know how to do so - it ain't exactly rocket science!
34. Ever order an article from an infomercial?
For myself, or for someone else as a joke?
35. Sprite or 7-up?
Can't be arsed.
36. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to work?
Not since I quit the S&M gig (ba-dum shnnnng). Uh, yeah, working for a pizza place during college.
37. Last thing you bought at a pharmacy?
Hmm...lightbulbs maybe?
38. Ever throw up in public?
If public restrooms count, yeah - but not for decades.
39. Would you prefer being a millionaire or find true love?
Love - but I've already found that, so send me the million forthwith.
40. Do you believe in love at first sight?
I believe in lust at first sight.
41. Ever call a 1-900 number?
Nope.
42. Can exes be friends?
If they'd only drop those restraining orders, sure.
43. Who was the last person you visited in a hospital?
My mother-in-law, recovering from surgery.
44. Did you have a lot of hair when you were a baby?
I don't remember. Pictures don't strike me as being particularly Robin Williams-esque, however.
45. What message is on your answering machine?
I used to do "creative" answering-machine tapes...but I gave that up when I got bored with it, realizing that everyone else would get bored of it a lot sooner. Just a generic "we're not home right now" etc.
46. What's your all time favorite Saturday Night Live character?
???
47. What was the name of your first pet?
(childhood) Umbrella, a dog (named by four-year-old me - no idea why, and no, it wasn't raining). (adulthood) Spin, a cat.
48. What is in your purse?
Again with the female-centric questions...okay, in my wallet right now: $35 cash, two unrecorded debit-card receipts, DL, grocery store cards, debit card, some punch-card coupons, UWM staff ID, five credit cards, campus library copy machine card, two health-insurance ID cards, Onion discount card for various items, library card, art museum membership card, auto insurance and car info, video-store cards I no longer use (all hail Netflix).
49. Favorite thing to do before bedtime?
Uh, brush my teeth?
50. What is one thing you are grateful for today?
This place provides a forum for me to complain, sure - but on balance I really have to be grateful for how fortunate my life has been overall - particularly Rose, my family, and my friends. (Awwwww...) And see also this lovely benediction, courtesy Paula.