Sunday Stealing: The Ace Meme (Part II)

**Note--I started this last night, but I ended up getting sick. I was still sick this morning but, because I'm evidently a masochist, went to work anyway. I came home sick from work today (TMI, but I needed to be in close proximity to a bathroom which isn't feasible in my classroom), so I'm posting it now. I should call it "Monday Mooching" instead of Sunday Stealing ;)
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Okay, so this is Part II of III, and no, I didn't do Part I ;) If you're not on the Sunday Stealing bandwagon, give it a shot ... a lot of fun stuff comes out this way : )

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF YOUR HOME COUNTRY?
Only to those non-home countries that are within driving distance since I'm petrified of flying (I'm flying to Florida in April ... there will no doubt be a great deal of posts about my freaking out about this as the month approaches)

35. WEAKNESSES?
Naivete. Impulsivity. Procrastination. Disorganization. Monthly crankiness ;)

37. FIRST JOB?
Water Country, a nearby water park. Great fun : )

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?
Of course! My brother was the master, and he egged my sister and I on quite a bit ...

39. DO YOU THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS A SOUL MATE?
See this post. Jury's out ... I'd like to think so, but I'm starting to feel like I'm cursed or something.

40. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU DID STEALING?
Talking to people on Facebook. I have a pathetic life sometimes.

41. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY?
Yup, appendectomy, T and A (tonsils and adenoids, you sickos!), and an extensive collection of endoscopy procedures for the dreaded liver/pancreas sitch.

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?
Eyes, smile, personality ;)

43. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES?
Yup. Thanks, Mommy :D

44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?
Not sure ...

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT AND WHAT DO YOU WANT THEIR NAMES TO BE? (OR IF YOU HAVE KIDS, TELL US ABOUT THEM.)
I have two daughters, "Addie" (16) and "Belle" (7). They are funny, sweet, smart, and well-behaved. I have no idea how I got so lucky ...

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Yup, a great aunt.

47. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST TURN OFF OF THE SEX(ES) YOU'RE ATTRACTED TO?
No teeth. Oral hygiene is pretty key.

48. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU LIKED ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL?
English class, of course :)

49. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE?
I don't know, this weird-sounding shampoo that Addie learned about from my sister. It comes in a green bottle and smells good.

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
I have bipolar handwriting--the teacher handwriting, which is impeccable, and the everyday handwriting, which is illegible (well, I can read it :-))

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Roast beef.

52. ANY BAD HABITS?
Many. Too many.

53. ARE YOU A JEALOUS PERSON?
Nope, not as long as everyone is honest and forthcoming.

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Sure, I'm a good time ;)

55. DO YOU AGREE WITH FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS?
Sure. Kind of a win/win, right? Let me refer you back once again to this post.

56. DO LOOKS MATTER?
Hygiene matters. Health matters. I'm beyond the, "Man, he looks like Orlando Bloom" thing.

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?
I cry, I write, I get grouchy and impatient.

58. WOULD YOU RATHER GAIN 58 POUNDS OR LOSE 58 POUNDS?
Lose 58 pounds ... although that probably wouldn't look so great, either ...

59. WHAT'S YOUR MAIN GOAL IN LIFE?
For the world to be better, in some small way, because I was here.

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?
My brother and I had an extensive collection of Star Wars stuff. Good times :)

61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?
Too many :-) And not because I'm cool or anything, just because my phone decided to add the numbers of my Facebook friends without asking me if I wanted it first. So, yeah, if you're my friend on Facebook and I butt-dial you ... sorry ;)

62. WERE YOU A FAN OF BARNEY AS A LITTLE KID?
Nah, Barney didn't make the scene until I was too old to appreciate his purple majesty.

63. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Neverrrrrrrrrrr :-)

64. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE?
Mashed potatoes.

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A LOVER?
What is this, eHarmony or something?

66. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES?
Katie (short for Katherine), KLo, K-Loud, Loud, Spencer, K to the Lo. You get some strange names when you teach adolescents for a living ... :-)

67. FAVORITE SUPER POWER?
Being able to fly with just the aid of a cape would be cool.

Sunday Stealing: A Fourteen Question Meme That's Making the Rounds ;-)

You do find some odd things out there when you're sitting at home on a Saturday night ... check out "Sunday Stealing" here for a thorough explanation (or to join the fun ;-)).

1. What do you consider your hometown to be?
Dover, New Hampshire. I lived there for most of my life, and I hope to return there sooner rather than later.

2. What’s the hardest part of your average day?
Waking up in the morning. I have extensive fogginess (and a lack of ability to do anything, pretty much) until at least the second cup of coffee. This has been exacerbated lately by the alarm on my new phone, which I can't get to make noise. It just vibrates annoyingly, then the 3/4 asleep me turns it off, and then ... well, yeah, you can see where that goes.

3. The easiest? Why?
Doing Belle's nightly reading with her, an activity that gives both of us a great deal of pleasure. Observing a six-year-old develop as a reader is cool enough, but being part of it? Freaking amazing :-) We have it down to a pretty cool science now ... she'll read a couple of books to me (her teacher sends her home with a "just right" book for her reading level every night or she'll read her library book or grab one from her bookshelf), then I'll read the next section of the chapter book we're working on (it's James and the Giant Peach at the moment).

4. What beverage do you reach for to quench your thirst?
Barq's root beer.

5. What is one not-so-secret goal you have for your life? I’ll let you keep your secret ones to yourself.
To be a published novelist.

6. What physical pain do you fear most? For example, I’m trying to decide how bad my jaw pain needs to get before I risk a potential needle from my dentist. So, for me, throbbing is preferable to jabbing.
I fear pancreatitis pain, which is rather unfortunate since I'm having a pancreatitis flare-up at the moment. I've had root canals, a tonsillectomy, a broken wrist, a ruptured appendix, two childbirth experiences, and a lot of other things I can't think of right now ... but none of them came remotely close to pancreatitis. At all.

7. Where do you find solace?
Writing, reading, or walking on the beach.

8. What makes you the saddest when you read/see the news?
I'm saddened by violence (recently the Steven Spader trial in New Hampshire) and by ignorance (the crazy woman who somehow thinks her husband's suspicious death IN MEXICO reflects on Barack Obama's immigration policy, for example, or the Tea Party).

9. What do you eat for a favorite snack?
Clementine oranges ... or Cheetos lol.

10. What movie could you/would you watch more than two or three times and still enjoy just as much as the first time?
The Star Wars movies. It's a longtime addiction based in childhood that has always been with me.

11. What boy/girl first made you cry?
I'm going to take the easy route here and say my brother was the first boy to make me cry and my sister was the first girl to make me cry. Obviously I'm just pretending that my reading comprehension fails.

12. What brand of coffee/tea do you drink most often?
Dunkin' Donuts. If I don't have my Dunk's coffee every morning, the entire day is a nightmare.

13. Dig in the dirt with or without garden gloves?
Without ... I like the way that dirt feels and the things you notice that you never would if you were wearing gloves.

14. James Taylor or Carly Simon?
James Taylor (although I like Carly Simon too)

Random Story Shared for Reasons Unknown

I went into Rite-Aid this evening to get a bottle of wine for my mother. It took just a second, and I was pleased to see that there was only one person ahead of me in line. Oh, if only I'd known ...

I guess Rite-Aid has those newspaper circulars with coupons in them right when you walk in. Well, the woman in front of me was one of those coupon ladies. Like, hard core! And then the worst part was, most of what she was buying were multiples and the coupons could only be used once. The customer was a good sport, actually (she had a Louis Vuitton bag, so I'm sure the coupons weren't necessary ... or maybe that's how she got her Louis Vuitton bag, by clipping coupons). Anyway ...

The cashier seemed rather excited to get in on saving this woman big bucks. She went and grabbed a stack of the circulars. And then--I swear this is true--took out a pair of scissors and started cutting out each coupon the woman needed and said, "I'll just ring them all in separately."

Now, this woman had a cart full of stuff. Full! I'm standing there with a bottle of wine that isn't even for me, and this is clearly going to be a lengthy procedure ... But then the customer, who seemed to find the whole thing amusing, said to the cashier, "Why don't you let the lady behind me go? It looks like she's had a long day." (I might have groaned a bit at the arrival of the scissors ... maybe that's what she was referring to)

Anyway, I bought the wine (twenty-eight seconds start to finish--yes, I counted) and went home.

I don't know why I'm posting about this, but I have a very strong urge to. It's odd. Is it because the customer was so decent? The cashier so dim? I don't know ... what do you think? What about this little exchange made me feel compelled to share it?