Sunday Stealing: The Imaginary Meme

This is Part VI of a longer meme, but since I haven't blogged forever (other than my random iPhone contemplation on roadkill, where I learned that IOS doesn't give a rat's derriere about paragraphs...), I figured this was a good way to ease back in.  Check out Sunday Stealing, if you get a chance ... always an interesting read :-)

101. Name 4 things you always have with you.

iPhone (it's a combination extra appendage and crack), coffee, keys, and ... hmmm, underwear???? 

102. How many SERIOUS exes do you have?

Serious exes ... hmm, sounds a touch oxymoronic ;-)  Probably four.

103. What causes you to you admire people?

Honesty, humor, and ... well, a willingness to do interesting things.

104. Do you like sports?

I do.  I like to watch baseball and football on TV, and I enjoy playing random "non-sports" like badminton, ladder golf, beach volleyball, and such.  And I'm a swimming maniac.

105. Would you have sex after marriage? Why or why not?

Nah, marriage takes all the fun out of it ;-)

106. What is your favorite male name?

Roran

107. Do animals go to Heaven?

They'd better, because many animals I've known are more deserving than most people.

108. Last time you had a great time with your dad?

Some Christmas Eve event at his house.  It's usually a good time, with lots of music and beer and reminiscing.  

109. What is your favorite hair style?

I am very low-maintenance.  My hair just is.  The idea of all the work that goes into it keeps me from really enjoying any other hair styles.

110. Do you like your name?

Sure.  I mean, it's a little over-common, but it's much better than Prunella or Apple or whatever.

111. When was the last time that you quit your job?

2008.  Geez, time flies ...

112. When you wake up, what is the first thing you think?

"Put the dogs out", since I usually wake up to a black lab climbing all over me and a golden retriever relentlessly licking my face.

113. Have you ever pulled an all-niter?

In my wayward youth, many times.  It's been awhile ...

114. What is the perfect day for you?

Any day where I get to spend extensive time with my daughters.  And cheeseburgers.

115. Last time you cleaned the bathroom?

Hmmm, when you can't answer that question off the top of your head, I guess you know it's time to clean the bathroom.  Guess I know what I'm doing when I finish this ...

116. Have you ever failed a grade? Why?

I never failed a grade, but I did fail Algebra I.  Twice.  

My parents got divorced when I was in sixth grade, so suffice it to say that I didn't care a whole lot about school at that time (it was a pretty bad scene).  As a result, I ended up tracked in low classes when I went into junior high.  My eighth grade English teacher wanted me to take the placement test for Honors English when we were doing course selections for high school, and they decided to take me, for some reason.  

The problem was, the school would not allow me to take Honors English and Pre-Algebra (back then, if you were exceptionally smart in one area, you could theoretically be exceptionally smart in all areas).  I had to make a choice.  Well, my mother had to make a choice.

Long story short, I walked into Algebra I thinking that "X" meant multiply.  It went downhill from there ...

117. Have you met anyone online?

Haha, yup.

118. Have you ever smoked?

Yup...dirty, filthy, disgusting habit :-(

119. Do you like celebrities?

I do, in fact, have a minor obsession with celebrities.  When I was in high school, I kept scrapbooks of different celebrities that were always in the news, and even now I can tell you random celebrity gossip facts that are completely pointless.  I own the celebrity category of Trivial Pursuit ;-)

120. Do you like traveling?

Actually, I love traveling.  Unfortunately, I have a deathly fear of airplanes, so my options are a bit limited.  I do the best I can with what I have :-)

Not so "Deer"

What are your thoughts on hunting? I'm not anti-meat and I understand that a pork chop or a haddock filet doesn't show up on my plate out of the clear blue sky, but I guess the idea of killing animals for entertainment is just not something I can get my mind around.

I work in a rural school (like, a very rural school), and hunting is a popular pasttime for many of my students. I mean, in a way I can see getting pleasure in the concept of hunting. Going out into the woods, enjoying the peace and quiet, spending some quality time with friends and family also into being outdoors ... yeah, that sounds great.

It's the killing part that gets me.

I was talking to a friend the other day, and he was telling me about a piglet that he and his friend Todd bought with the intention of eventually slaughtering for meat. When the time came, neither one of them could do it easily, and nobody enjoyed the meat from that particular pig. I think that's how I'd feel as well--I mean, after feeding and raising a pig from babyhood to adult-sized, there'd have to be some sort of connection, I would think.

I understand that many people that hunt use (and in a number of cases actually need) the meat they catch. I have no problem with that at all. You do what you have to do.

What I don't get is, what is the point of hunting just so you can say, "Hey, I got a ten point stag last weekend"? (Note--I don't know if a "ten point stag" is the right terminology). There are uncountable ways to get thrills, adrenaline rushes, and accomplishments in ways that don't involve shooting a deer in the middle of a forest then following the blood trail to come upon it injured, suffering, and dying.

Couldn't you just play laser tag or paintball? Can anyone explain this to me?