A Questionable Birthday

Alrighty, I promised I'd answer your questions, so here we go! I'm going to take this in sections, just for the sheer practicality of it.

Today I'm taking on the random stuff that doesn't go with anything else

Would you rather be too hot or too cold? Why? Given the choice, I'd rather be too cold. When it's cold, you can always put on another layer of clothing or blankets, when it's too hot, well, there comes a point where you can no longer take anything off.

Please share one embarrassing moment you've had in your life. You know, I know I must have some whoppers. It's odd though, because whenever I try to think of one to tell, there is only one I can remember. I was 11, and at a friend's birthday party. I knew her from band, but most of her other friends were from her church group, so they all knew each other, while I knew no one. I was pretty shy to boot. We were standing around the back yard eating dinner, and (if I recall correctly) someone went to get another hot dog. Someone else asked "is that your second or third?" and she said "second." The questioner said "oh good, cuz otherwise you would be..." She left it hanging...and I blurted out "fat!" (For what it's worth, the girl in question was not heavy at all...) I was mortified, although I think everyone else forgot quickly, I felt like an outsider the rest of the night.

Who pays the bills in your house? Hubby earns the money and I write the checks (or, more realistically, click the mouse to make the online payments).

What is the meaning of life? Well, the answer to life, the universe, and everything is 42. C'mon, if you're a friend of mine surely you know that! On a more serious note, I believe that the purpose of life is to learn to love and be unselfish; to learn to control (or cast out) the selfish, sinful parts of ourselves, and to love our fellow man. And the meaning? Well, honestly, I'm not sure I know how to define that. But perhaps I have roughly answered what you meant?

Do you live in the moment? Sometimes. I am an over-planner to a fault (and I still forget things more often than I'd like to admit). I prefer things to be planned, and actually often struggle with spontaneity. This has been a point of some frustration for Hubby because he likes to be very spontaneous...we have been able to find a middle ground by planning to be spontaneous! For example, I'll plan a date for Friday night at 5 and get a babysitter arranged...but when Friday rolls around we do whatever pops into his head at the moment. That said, while I don't usually ACT in the moment, I do APPRECIATE the little moments in life all the time...the faces of my children sleeping, Wolf's giggle, Bear's dancing, the perfect brownie...yes, I DO enjoy the little moments.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be? Scandinavia (specifically Norway and Sweden), because I've already been to London, Rome, Switzerland and Germany, which were my other top places to go.

Have you ever had a real-life meeting of someone you only knew through the internet? Yes. My husband. Although I've told that here before. Also about 20 other people, most recently I met someone last week.

Do you have regrets? Not truly. Little moments where I think about the 'what-ifs'? Sure. But no real regrets. Some parts of my life have not gone the way I might have imagined or planned, but I don't have regrets about what I have done with the time I've been given. Carpe Diem!

What do you think is the most important movie made in your lifetime. Dang, that is a hard question! The most important movie for me as a person? Or for society? And it has to have been made in my lifetime? You realize that rules out a LOT of great films, right? Well, I guess I should start with what I think makes a movie important...I don't think it's about movie stars or plot lines or popularity; I think it's about making change in either the feelings or actions of the viewers. I think a number of recent war movies qualify as important for that reason, and I'm going to pick the one that moves me every time I see it: Life is Beautiful (which I prefer in the original Italian with subtitles, rather than dubbed.) Movies have the ability to remind us of where we have been and what we have done, but also what we are capable of. Life is Beautiful does all three, and I love the message that no matter where we are, or what happens to us, we can still choose how we respond to it.

Well, that was insightful, don't you think? Don't worry, over the coming week or so I will get to all the other questions!

(two brownie points if you can point out the two movies/books I quoted, or, at least referenced, since I didn't quote either one exactly)