It's about time...

It's Tuesday, so it's Hodgepodge question day.  I answer the questions here on my blog and share them on Facebook, and also on host Joyce's blog site on Wednesday.  I enjoy reading all the other bloggers' responses.

Here we go...

1.  What's your worst food memory?  How about one of your best? 

My worst childhood food memory is when I was on a camping vacation with my family as a child.  We used to travel in a 16 foot Shasta trailer and stayed at parks and campgrounds.  Our family had gone out to dinner and I ordered and ate ALL of a large plate of fried onion rings.  It took awhile for them to sit in my stomach and then decide to come back up -  so it happened during the night.  Since I was the youngest/smallest in the family I slept in a hammock that hung over my parents bed, and my brother slept in a hammock beside me.  Camping trailers are pretty tight!   As I began to get sick my brother reached from his hammock into the kitchen cabinet and pulled out bowls for me to use...since I couldn't get out of my tight hammock spot and had my poor parents underneath me.  It took me a long, long time to eat onion rings again!

A good food memory?   I've had SO many!!!  But, when hubby and I were first married we lived in Norfolk, VA and would go to a wonderful pizza place called Orpax's on Friday night after work.  It had the best pizza I had ever tasted!  There was always a long line out of people waiting to be seated because it was so tasty, and so popular!  Hubby and I were in our late 20's so we could "gorge" on many slices and we truly had a pizza fest!  This was the first place I ever saw pizza with real tomato slices baked right into the pie.   It was deeeeelicious!

2.  Do you appreciate people telling it like it is, or would you rather a speaker temper his/her words and maybe beat around the bush a little?  How about when you're the one communicating?  

Oh, what a good question!   I do NOT appreciate people being blunt and often cruel when communicating.  There are ways to express an opinion or to tell someone something with finesse and kindness.  I don't know if I would call it "beating around the bush" but more just having a sense of how to serve it up without being forceful and sounding holier than thou.  Can you tell this is something that gets to me?   ha!   It does!   As for me, I do my best to avoid controversy and to be accepting of everyone, so yes, I temper my words whenever I can.

3.  What's your favorite place to hang out? 

Dorothy said it best:   "There's no place like home!"

4.  When do you feel like a slave to time? 

I rarely feel like I'm on a tight time schedule these days.  I know, I'm blessed.   In the past I felt like a slave to time when I was a mother and chauffeur to my daughters, especially during the middle & high school years.  I worked my schedule around when and where they needed to be...for music lessons, church meetings, and school activities.  I was happy to do it!!  Don't get me wrong.  This was the time when I discovered it made sense to bring a book with me everywhere I went.  I did a lot of sitting and waiting - and reading!

5.  What was the last concert you attended?  Who'd you go with?  Was it good? 

The last concert was to see Peter Noone (of  Herman's Hermits fame) in concert at Hoover Auditorium in Lakeside, Ohio.  It was about a month ago and I was there with my family, on our annual reunion/vacation together.  Lakeside is a chatauqua town and has daily and night family entertainment during the summer season.  They often get musical acts from an earlier era - but that's okay.  They are still wonderful!  I always enjoy going to a concert!

6.  Reality TV...harmful or harmless?  What's your guilty pleasure when it comes to reality TV? 

I think reality TV can be both.  There are some reality shows that are just silly, and then there are some that are into showing people disagreeing & fighting, or doing stupid things.  My favorite reality show right now is "Duck Dynasty" because it truly is about a family that gets along, that makes jokes, and that cares about their children.  I love that they end each show having a family meal together and praying.   If I'm flipping channels and come across "Say Yes to the Dress" I'll watch it too.  I'm pretty tired of all the Housewives shows.

7.  What's something you think is overrated? 

Starbucks.  Give me Dunkin Donuts anytime!

8. My random thought. 

With so many schools starting this week I just want to take a minute and thank the teachers out there!  I know a few on Facebook and I see some pinning ideas on Pinterest, and I just love the devotion so many teachers have for their students!  I know teachers put up with a lot of paperwork and other stuff that gets in the way of caring for the kids and teaching them what really counts.  So cheers to the teachers out there who start the school year off with hope and enthusiasm - and are in the profession to make a difference!!!  I applaud you!