Remember those viral questionnaires teenagers used to email back and forth to each other in the early 2000s? (Maybe they still do.) They’re a ridiculous waste of time, but I always loved them. So today I’m harking back to my teens and hacking someone else’s meme with some totally random answers to some totally random questions.
My challenge to you, should you care to accept it: Add any and all of the questions to your own blog and link back to it in the comments.
Where do you go to decompress from the world?
As a raging introvert, the simplest answer is: anywhere with no people. On a daily basis, I need my reading time at night to settle my Internet-revved brain and relax into my happy place.
If given $10,000, what would you do with it?
Exciting answer: add it to the vacation fund and take my entire family somewhere amazing. More realistic boring answer: save it.
What is one major renovation you would love to make on your house?
Bathroom. One of these days I’m going to have a dream bathroom if it kills me. And a maid to clean the mildew.
What is one movie that you love and didn’t expect to love?
These are always my favorite movies. I love it when they come out of left field and blindside me. There are actually quite a few I can think of, but the all-time winner has definitely got to be Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim. I was entirely un-enamored with the trailers and only went to the theater because my brother invited me. I walked out shell-shocked by how much I loved it. Speaking of which, I should probably do a re-watch here sometime soon…
What is the oldest knick-knack you own and what is its sentimental value?
I guess that would have to be Elmer the shelf horse, from way back in my horse-crazy teenage years. I don’t know that he has much sentimental value, so much as he’s just darned cute.
Do you own any books you keep out of obligation, but actually hate?
Never. The only books I keep are those I love enough to reread.
How many countries have you visited outside of the one you live in now?
Just Australia. Visited my uncle when I was seventeen. At the time, he lived on the property where part of A Man From Snow River was filmed. “Magical” doesn’t begin to cover it.
Have you ever read only part of a book, but claimed you’ve read the whole thing?
In my pursuit of the classics, I let myself skip Robinson Crusoe on the argument that I read it in high school — even though I’m pretty sure it was a severely abbreviated version…
Have you ever spent a lot of money on something? What was it?
When I turned twenty, I bought a racing ATV. Crashed it. Cracked my skull and two vertebrae in my back. Sold it.
If you could change your name, what would it be?
I’ve never liked “Katie.” Aside from the fact that any gathering of anyone in my age group is certain to have the same name (inspiring the always awkward urging by one of us, “You can call me Kate”), it just always seemed too cutesie. Still, it’s better than “Wendy Weiland” — which I almost ended up as. But as for what I’d change it to? Not sure.
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Ouch! Sorry about the cracked vertebrae and head n’ all.
Movie I didn’t expect to love: Spotlight. I thought going into it, “No matter how beautifully they dramatize this story, we All know it’s a blatant attempt to milk a Horrific story we all know for all it’s worth!” My foot tasted great. This is a story that deserved to be told. They focused on one little known aspect of this tragedy and treated it with intelligence and empathy. Hats off to the writers.
I’m a lot of good things about that one. Great cast too!
Re: ur name – at the risk of sounding pretentious, you’re more of a Kat.
Yeah, I can see that–even though I don’t really like Kat. 😛
The only country I’ve visited is Australia, my partner won a Neighbors (Australian Soap opera) competition so she invited me to come. Naturally, being my first flight to anywhere I was terrified but the experience was brilliant. Not to to forget that the Kangaroos were a delight to feed.
Kangaroos are crazy. They’d come up on my uncle’s lawn. So bizarre to see them–and casually everyone there felt about them, of course.
I’m lucky enough to love in the bush, so its nothing unusual to have them sleeping in my garden. At one stage the female that lives here was sleeping behind my dogs pen each night. I’m sure she did it just to upset my dogs. 🙂
Hah. Lots of barking that night? 😛
If I could change my name, (although I like it pretty well), it would be to something that people have heard of and can spell. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been called Brenda, Brianna, and Briann. Some people have even said Emma or Renna. My favorite story is one time when someone read my name tag and said, “Hi, Breena!” Really? Since when is a single e pronounced that way?
It’s tough having a rare name. 🙂
It’s a pretty name though!
Thanks! It’s of Gaelic origin. I found that out a few years ago.
Wow, I can’t believe you cracked your skull and fractured vertabrae. Yikes. I’m glad you’re still with us! Someone was definitely looking out for you that day.
I like all of your questions, hard to pick one. I’ve been to India, Ireland and the UK. Are were very nice. Felt the most out of my element in India though. Which was a great experience.
I’d definitely like to go to at least Ireland the UK someday.
Have you ever read only part of a book, but claimed you’ve read the whole thing?
Doctor Zhivago. I chose it from the “difficult” reading list my senior year in high school. I tried and tried to finish it but just couldn’t slog my way through the dry prose. I finally ended up watching the movie in order to complete my book report. (Ever mindful of Hollywood’s tendency to change endings, however, I made sure that my book report focused on major plot points and only vaguely referenced the ending.)
Uh-oh. That’s not good to hear. I’m going to be reading Dr. Zhivago here soon…
Hmm….. A movie that I went to go see just to spend time with my dad was Jurassic World. I loved it and the next week I watched all the originals.
I adore Jurassic Park. It’s a masterpiece. I don’t think Jurassic World touches it, but I *did* enjoy it. Best theater movie I saw last year.
If someone gave me $10,000 I would a) convert it into pounds, and b) use it to hire an editor and proofreader, and to pay for a cover designer. 🙂 And to go to the Keswick Convention. 😀
Movie I love but didn’t expect to: “The American President” – never been a big fan of Michael Douglas, but the witty script and fabulous supporting cast make it something really special. 🙂
I do own some books that I hate. Some were given to me by kind and well meaning people, and I wouldn’t want to hurt their feelings. Others, I don’t want to give away or sell because I don’t think that reading them would do ANYONE any good (we’re talking things with toxic misogyny and stuff like that), but I can’t bring myself to just throw them away or destroy them, because destroying books feels like sacrilege. o.O Oh well. :/
Pffft. Let’s convert it to yen while we’re at it. 😉
Visited countries…. oh. Let’s see…
Norway, Denmark, Finland, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, The Vatican, Spain.
I think that’s it.
Show off. 😛
Of course. Have to grab the opportunity when it presents itself 🙂
(and it does help to live in Europe – I’m in Sweden -, where we don’t have to travel all that far to get to another country…)
True. 😉 I’m planning to hit Canada this summer and want to do Iceland next year. We’ll see!
I never use my ‘proper’ name, always go by Mandy – however given the option I would love to be called Francesca. I loved Francesca Annis in all her roles.
Yeah, she’s great–especially in Wives & Daughters. I usually end by wanting to strangle her. 😛
If you could change your name, what would it be?
I already have changed my name and I am SO glad I did. After the divorce I needed to delete hubby’s last name which is rare and recognizable… and I didn’t want any lawsuits related to what I write.
Changed my surname to Grandma’s name – she was the sunshine of my life.
Changed my middle name to Ellen, after my best best best friend.
It’s very empowering to change one’s name, to actually choose what people call you!
Mary
I know in some cultures it’s normal for adults to change their names at different parts of their lives. I’ve always rather liked that, since we’re different people at different times of our lives.
All right, Kate. Now we know not to call you that other name (even if you do sign your emails that way). Perhaps Kathryn, Katherine, Kathleen or some derivation of that would work better. You are in charge of that.
I have been to Australia as well. I visited in 1973 when I was in the Navy. We were coming back to the states after being on Guam for a year or more. I loved it.
Maybe I should just change it to Kim. I get called that all the time. :p
how many countries have I visited? 18
So, do u prefer KM over variations of your name?
Only people who call me KM are those who don’t yet know my name. 😉
Ok, I’m guessing you prefer Kate. Unless there’s some other nickname.
I love to come up with names. It’s SO fun. If you like K’s, maybe kassandra, kayla, karen, k-rock, kaleen. In high school I briefly wanted to change my name to Stanley named after a comic book I made about a mosquito. By the way my real name is Neil, Benjamin is is a pen name. Maybe I should change it to something more suitable, like Dunkleberry Bluepants. Not bad huh?
I could see you as a Stanley!
I live in Australia and have never visited anywhere else. Unless I listen to the people who claim Tasmania is a separte country.
I have a book a friend gave me last yea, which I doubt I will ever reread. She would probably never know if I chucked it, but I can’t be bothered.
I am really looking foward to the day when My family builds a big room on the back of our house.
I use a pen name, but I actually like my real name. It’s just misspelled slightly too often.
I’d really love to come to Australia. So much more to see!
Absolutely loved reading this post! It was so fun to get some behind-the-scenes little known facts about you. 🙂 I would never have guessed the ATV one–you ARE an adventurer! I’m glad you’re safe and sound and giving us so many good books to read. 🙂
I never cared for Robinson Crusoe. I’ve read that book two or three times, and have to force myself to finish it. I’m not sure why…The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne, though much more technical, seemed to be also much more fun at the adventure parts.
~Schuyler
Yeah, well, my adventurous days got significantly less adventurous after that little mishap. 😛
I’ve only ever visited one other country, and that was at an age where I don’t remember the experience. But my family moved house within Canada seven times before I hit age 20. 🙂
Whoa. That’s a lot of moving!
Where do you go to decompress from the world?
I decompress from the world either in the woods, with my faithful dog (who’s almost as cute as Elmer), or at home… and I cheat all the time, because I work from home. Here’s to us, raging introverts!
Oh come on, nobody’s as a cute as Elmer. 😉
Major renovation on my house? Bathroom – I would love to have a separate walk-in shower designed in marble tile with a dual shower head. Next to the shower would be the jacuzzi tub.
Yes. I would totally take that!
One major renovation I’d like to make to my house is…. the whole house. I currently have a 40 year old ugly 2 bedroom house with a gorgeous view. I’ve love to renovate the house bit by bit till I have a two or three-storey house that can take full advantage of the view.
The view is half the worth of any house! So you’ve got a good start on something awesome.
Where do you compress from the world? Under a blanket pretty much anywhere; by a campfire, in front the tv, or behind the pages of good book. As long as I have my blankie I’m good.
The rest of the answers can be found on my blog, http://www.ksbrixey.com
Fun! Thanks for joining in! 🙂