1. How many AOL J-landers have you actually met in person? Just 1 so far; Mrs. L, who dated my ex before I ever met him. We finally met in the late 80's or early 90's, I think, when Mrs. L came to Dallas for a business trip. I was a little trepidatious about meeting her because for years I'd heard, from both my ex and his younger brother, as well as from a mutual friend, Ked (of the Tapas Bar) how funny, beautiful, smart, talented, etc., Mrs. L was (and IS). I needn't have worried, though; in addition to all those adjectives (which are accurate) she has genuine warmth, and I liked her immediately and yep, I feel lucky to have her as a friend. 2. How many photos that you have taken yourself are hanging on display in your home in a size of 8x10 or larger? (The print, not the frame!) SIX - including the one above, that I took in Chicago in 1982. I used to keep a roll of seamless paper hanging from the ceiling in my dining room, and I pulled that down one rainy afternoon and got the above shot of Alex and Katharine, then ages 6 and 3.
3. How far do you live from your job? What is your commute time like? Has the distance prompted you to consider alternative transportation because of gas prices? I'm currently unemployed, but my son, Christopher, has begun taking public transportation in Dallas because of the high price of gas.
4. Take this Quiz:What decade does your personality live in? Aaaarrrggghhh, I'm not cool; I live in the 70's!
5. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #70 from Kris: What is the funniest, most original Halloween costume you've ever seen? I’ll have to think about that, butin the meantime...a few years ago I came into work one Friday and noticed that one of my co-workers, who often wore outfits that were right on the edge, seemed to be dressed as a streetwalker. I thought she’d finally, totally lost it, and I couldn’t believe no one had said anything to her. I was having a little private laugh at her expense until I realized the laugh was on me: it was Halloween!
6. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #71 from Courtenay: What is your favorite paragraph in a literary work? This might be a thought, or a message, or a descriptive passage which has remained in your consciousness throughout the years. Be sure to post the name of the book and author. One of my absolute favorites is from a poem by W.H. Auden, called Lullaby:
Lay your sleeping head, my love,
Human on my faithless arm
Time and fevers burn away
Individual beauty from
Thoughtful children, and the grave
Proves the child ephemeral
But in my arms till break of day
Let the living creature lie,
Mortal, guilty, but to me
The entirely beautiful.
