A Meme from Eileen, who got it from Episcopollyanna

I filled up Eileen's Comments section to keep these semi-hidden, but I might as well stick 'em up here for entertainment. I never write anything on blog that can't go public, so here we go. Special thanks to Eileen.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My first name, mostly not, though my parents had a good friend named Jane and that may have influenced their choice; when I was young she was Big Jane and I was Little Jane. She died a few years ago — wonderful woman, a painter who loved cats. My middle name, yes: Carol, after my maternal great-grandmother, Karoline Hirsch Tokaji. My mother was very close to her grandmother. Also, my brother helped make the final decision about my name. He is reputed to have said “Jane Carol, that’s a nice Hollywood name.” He was nine and a half when I was born. My mother is Joan and when I was young we had an English au-pair named Jean for a while, so it got rather confusing at home. Then Jean went back to England and got married and named her firstborn after me (I’m serious) so the confusion went on and on.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? At the liturgy at Diocesan Convention last Friday when the bishop gave special awards 1) to a tiny congregation of dear, sweet, perfectly ordinary and perfectly saintly people who are quietly and steadily doing Godde’s work, feeding the hungry, tending to prisoners, and praying all the way and 2) to a woman now known as the “cake lady” (I’m not clear whether she is a member of a different congregation) because a while back she decided no foster child in her county should go without a birthday cake and proceeded to start baking and hasn’t stopped since. I couldn’t stop crying. I wasn’t the only one.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes, but sometimes I’m the only one who can read it.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Ick. Never touch the stuff.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? No biological children, but three godchildren, all in their early twenties (two daughters, one son), plus one international student whom I stood up for at baptism back when I was in campus ministry and who vanished off the radar and another one who is in her thirties and also vanished off the radar — long story and on the other side of the Atlantic. Also two nephews (my brother’s kids), both in their thirties.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Sure.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Not much. I don’t like it used in my direction so I avoid it — though there’s a fine line between sarcasm and irony and I use irony a lot. And humor.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yup.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Are you kidding? I’m a physical coward. No way. But giving a speech or sermon to a thousand people doesn’t bother me.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? The local granola, from an organic farm run by a nice older couple. It isn’t sweet (I hate overly sweet cereal or overly sweet anything –except for Turkish Delight, but I am digressing and it’s not cereal) and has pecans in it.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Depends what shoes I’m wearing.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? It depends. Personality, yes; muscular strength, currently not so good except legs, because I haven’t been weight-lifting; moral strength, probably okay but we’re all sinners and you never know how you’re going to meet the next challenge; psychological strength, depends on the situation, kind of a combo; stubbornness, high.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Italian. Not ice, not spumone. Gelato. Almost any flavor — just not heavy creamy American ice cream. Also French sorbet au cassis. (Blackcurrant sorbet.) So sue me. I’m a food snob.

There’s also this really good coffee ice cream from a small organic brand that I discovered last summer at the food co-op. Oh. My. Godde. I stopped buying it so I’d make sure to fit into my clothes.

Now you’ve got me thinking about ice cream.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Eyes, gaze, general demeanor and “vibe,” facial expression. (All together.)

15. RED OR PINK? Red, though I like Eileen’s answer. ("Yes.")

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My current weight and the fact that I can’t seem to meet writing deadlines these days.

17. WHOM DO YOU MISS THE MOST? A dear friend who died in the summer of ‘02. I say his name at Mass every Sunday during the Prayers when everyone can –silently or aloud or softly– name those who have died.

18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black pants. Pink Crocs, because I’m working at home till early afternoon. (Written yesterday, Thursday.)

19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? A teaspoonful of honey, while making tea in which I just put another spoonful. (Also Thursday.)

20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Beethoven Piano and Cello Sonatas CD my best buddy on the faculty lent me — played by Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma. But I just went through an obsessive “Guys and Dolls” revival phase. (See 3 most recent YouTubes on my blog.)

21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? No idea. Deep purple, maybe?

22. FAVORITE SMELLS? Mediterranean small town or country in summer (hot dust, rosemary, olive trees, pine), forest anywhere, Atlantic coast in New England, roasting chestnuts outdoors on street in Paris, all the white fragrant flowers like honeysuckle and paperwhites and sirynga (which I can’t spell), and six gazillion kinds of food smells. Probably a few others that don’t belong on a family blog ;-).

23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My father.

24. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? World Cup soccer and various winter Olympics, and my Red Sox boys, but mostly I don’t watch sports.

25. HAIR COLOR? Silvery grey with one remaining streak of black, toward the middle in front (which looks a little weird, but that’s how Mother Nature is coloring me).

26. EYE COLOR? Dark brown.

27. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No. Glasses though.

28. FAVORITE FOOD? (Eileen: “Yes.”) What Eileen said. Also, it depends on the season.

29. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings, definitely.

30. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Yeesh, I can’t remember.

31. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Red flannel plaid with grey, black, and white over a grey turtleneck. (It’s Friday after work now.)

32. SUMMER OR WINTER? Both.

33. HUGS OR KISSES? Yes.

34. FAVORITE DESSERT? Berries.

35. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? A stack of stuff for a theological thing I’m writing, mostly Third World women’s theologies plus a ton of things related to courses I'm teaching. And a little book by Walter Wink called Jesus and Nonviolence. I need a good mystery novel, it’s been at least a month since the last one. (I went through a stack of Robert Parker ones not too long ago.)

36. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Nothing. It’s plain grey.

37. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? A Law & Order: Criminal Intent rerun.

38. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Too many to name. Many musical ones. Current favorite: my cat’s purr. Oddball favorite from childhood: my father’s steady typing at his manual typewriter in the room next door.

39. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles. (Sorry, MP.)

40. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Depends which home. When I was little: New York, because I lived in Europe. Recently: Istanbul, because I live in the U.S.

41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Singing, writing when I can get my act together, preaching, spiritual direction, correcting papers while sitting in boring meetings and managing to pay attention to both.

42. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? American Hospital, Neuilly-sur-Seine (next to Paris), France.

I'm not tagging anyone, but if you want to play, all or in part, post to your blog and link it back to this one, or just answer in the Comments section here. Cheerio.