Patrick's Saturday Six

1. What store do you associate most with your childhood in terms of happy memories and why? I grew up in a small college town in Minnesota in the 1960's, and a block from our house there was a one-room, Mom & Pop grocery store called "Leone & Lloyd's", coincidentally owned and operated by Leone and Lloyd. I visited that store at least once a day most weekdays from the time I was 10 (when we moved into the neighborhood) until I was 15 or 16. I'd stop in after school for a bag of chips, or my mom would send me to pick up a loaf of bread, or my older brother, who was 15 when I was 10, would send me to pick up cigarettes. He smoked Lucky Strikes and later, Pall Malls, each of which cost 25 cents a pack, and I'd charge him a nickel tip for running the errand for him. Yep, they sold cigarettes to minors back then, in the dark ages. I loved going there because Leone was almost always cooking some wonderful, fragrant soup in the back of the store, and I liked hanging around and sniffing and trying to guess the ingredients. Also, I was a talker and Leone and Lloyd had no kids, and maybe because of that they were patient with my chatter. Those were different times; I remember that Leone kept boxes of Kotex modestly wrapped in plain brown paper, which seemed a rather pointless endeavor to me even when I was 10, as nothing else in the store was wrapped up and everyone knew what you were buying when you walked up to the register with one of those boxes. The store is long gone, as are the 60's, and Lloyd, and Leone.
2. What song makes you the most emotional and why? Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton, for all the obvious reasons.
3. Take the Quiz: What year were you born under, and what year should you have been born under?
According to the Quiz, I was born under the Year of the Ox: You are solid, methodical, and you do things right the first time. Uh-huh, sure, could you tell that to my former boss, and while you're at it, to my ex? Even when no one else does, you always believe in yourself. Actually, being 6th of 7 kids, I have to admit I'm prone to self-doubt...LOTS of self-doubt. You tend to see the world in black and white, right or wrong. Sheesh, I have a graduate degree in PSYCHOLOGY, for Chrissake! I spend all my time looking at various nuances and infinite shades of grey... A good memory and eye for details means you tend to thrive at near impossible tasks. This is true; no need to go into detail here but this should also be mentioned to my former boss and my ex. You are most compatible with a snake or rooster. Um, I think this is supposed to read that I'm most compatible with those born under the year of the snake or rooster - see, there's that eye-for-detail thing rearing it's ugly head...)
According to the Quiz, I should have been born under the Year of the Ram: Your (sic) most comfortable inside your head (wtf? as opposed to outside my body?!?!?) and often daydream the day away. Alright, alright, guilty as charged - and btw, I've been accused of this (by my former boss and ex). You have an artistic temperament that makes you seem creative to some (e.g., friends and family) eccentric to others (e.g., former boss and ex). You avoid conflict at all costs, and you have a difficult time with relationships. Who, me? Um, dunno if it means anything, but I think I've gotten this same message multiple times in various fortune cookies. Attractive and with good manners, you tend to shine in social situations. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are most compatible with a Pig or Rabbit. Wellllll, I've been with my share of Pigs, thank you very much, and as for Rabbits...is that Rabbit, as in Rabbit, run?
4. What time do you typically wake up each day? Aaaaarrrggghhh, left to my own devices, for the past few months I've had the luxury of waking at about 8:30 each morning, and I like it. What is the latest you're normally able to sleep? 10:30, and I feel like an absolute slug when I do - unless I'm not alone, in which case, like a pig in clover, I'm pretty happy about it! ;p - but I have to admit that hasn't happened since January. How many hours of sleep do you get in an average night? 6.
5. What frightens you the most about getting older? The thought of becoming dependent on others.
6. Reader's Choice Question #56 from Debit: If you found the house of your dreams, right price, then discovered that a murder or suicide had taken place in the house, would you still consider buying the house? No way.