Thursday, April 12, 2007

Meme too, with questions (and answers)

Even though I was most tardy in completing the music meme, Alpha DogMa was kind enough to interview me for this very cool meme. Her questions are fab so read on....

ADM:
What is the ugliest present you've ever received, and who gave it to you?

R&PG: Here's the deal - even hinting at an answer could potentially hurt someone and I really don't want to do that. I will give you this tidbit though, the strangest gift I received was two Christmas's ago my sister-in-law's boyfriend (grown man as SIL is older than Hubby) gave me KY Warming Massage Oil. I think it was meant to be a joke and he mentioned something about the clever commercials and since I was in marketing I would appreciate it. Huh?! It still makes me wonder sometimes.

ADM: What mammal is your most
favourite?

R&PG: I am a classic dolphin girl. I love them and water and being an Aquarius it all just fits. When I was younger I always felt you could divide up girls by those who liked horses versus those who like dolphins. Personally, horses never did a thing for me and all those horse books like Sleeping Beauty were awful in my opinion. Funny thing is that now Hubby works with a client that is all about horses and he is so well versed it isn't even funny. He has taken Papoosie girl along on a couple of events and she is showing great interest, I must work harder to get her in front of the dolphins.

And just so you are thoroughly sick of this I based my honeymoon on a place where I could swim with dolphins. Our resort had a saltwater lagoon and you could visit the dolphins anytime you wanted. It was partly for the guests and a learning facility as well and we saw several school groups visiting early in the morning. Hubby being not a comfortable swimmer meant we did a shallow water experience, but it was amazing and I still smile when I think about it. The swimming with dolphins experience was on a lottery basis for adults (all kids automatically got in during their stay) since there were so many people wanting to get in. I was so obsessed I called from the airport before we even checked in to get my name on the next days list. I dutifully checked on the hotel TV to see if our name had come up for the next day and since it didn't we headed down to breakfast in this tropical paradise. Right after breakfast we started walking around the grounds and ended up a the lagoon. They were calling the names of the people coming to the session and while we are busy admiring the view etc. I kept hearing a name that sounded like it could be ours, but pronounced all wrong. I walked over and long story short it was us, but they could not put our name on the hotel TV since our room number had not been assigned in time. They had been calling and looking for us! Could we be back in our suits in 10 minutes? Yes!!!! What a great beginning to our honeymoon. Fate I say.

So, yeah, dolphins.


ADM: Recipes: hard and fast instructions from which you do not deviate OR basic guidelines that you readily and successfully alter?

R&PG: You are assuming I cook stuff I guess. Well, I think I am a bit of both. For example, I often make stew which I love. When I make my version I add in any veggies I find and simmer for as long as I think. I rarely follow any recipe anymore and even if I pull it out to check I hardly ever look at it. Recently I decided to try a new recipe for stew made in the oven (I usually make mine on the stove or slow cooker) so I tried it. The recipe said you must leave it in the oven or 3 hours and you cannot peak at all or it ruins it. This went against my logic, but it said no peaking or deviating so I followed it to the letter. Let's just say the stew was well-done and barely worth eating. Generally, if I am trying something new I stick to the recipe but, once I have done it once I am on my own.

ADM: Describe your ideal Friday night (can be as fanciful or as real as you wish).

R&PG: Hmmn. With or without kids? I will answer this twice based on with kids or without.

No kids (Fanciful)
Hubby comes home early with plane tickets for a weekend romp to a tropical island somewhere. We spend the weekend frolicking around the surf, eating and watching the stars. His choice would be Paris though, he has been lobbying hard for a weekend in Paris someday.

No kids (Real life)
Hubby comes home early and we go out for a lovely dinner at The Keg and watch a funny and smart movie that is my choice while someone else feeds my girls dinner and puts them to bed. Alternatively, we could skip the movie and and grab a coffee at Starbucks and wander around Chapters for a few hours.

With kids (Fanciful)
Hubby comes home early and we take off for a surprise weekend away at a really cool hotel with a great pool. We spend the weekend frolicking around the hotel pool, eating and lounging around our hotel room together.

With kids (Real life)
Hubby comes home early and we have time to have a nice dinner together and time to play outside together or take a trip to the park together to feed the ducks. Come home and have time for a game with the girls before bed. They fall asleep and we watch Survivor from the PVR. Sounds perfect.

ADM: People sometimes ask if we will try for a third child and hope for a daughter - do you get the reverse question an how do you respond?

R&PG: People do ask us sometimes if we are planning to try for a boy, usually looking at me of course. Um, talk to Hubby he's got the goods not me for making a boy - is my standard type answer. My general disdain for these types of questions is the assumption that we somehow have a choice and that there is a wrong way for a family to be, so insulting in the first place.

I have said this before that I really wanted a daughter and was thrilled when Papoosie Girl was born. This was based on my very limited experience with small boys. I will admit I love the clothes and long hair and the general girlishness of it all. That doesn't answer the question does it? So, yes we are asked and usually I just make some flip remark, sometimes nice and sometimes not. It depends on who is asking, for example, when my mother-in-law hints around I tell her for about $30,000 we could do gender sorting and ask if she is interested. Usually, stops the questions. And to be fair her questions are usually very tame, more like anytime I don't feel like coffee, I get the excited, "are you pregnant?" That reminds me of something else I once said when asked and it was something like, "I had better not be since Hubby has been working such long hours it could not be his".

Since we truly are still on the fence and have not decided either way if we are going to have another child the question does come up. Many of our friends say to us you know when you are done and many have, uh, permanently taken care of this decision. My dearest friend is currently pregnant with number three and while I am thrilled I (we) just are not sure yet. Our big trip this past summer gave us a taste of freedom of travel and movement and we keep seeing the light at the end of the tunnel getting brighter. It is not to say we don't wonder about another child. More love of course is high up there, another sibling for the girls another, but really we have no clue. So I guess we will have questions for a while longer. One more thing, Hubby is so fulfilled with the girls and does all kinds of "boy" things with them he is probably the only one who thinks trying for a boy is ridiculous. A deep part of me though would love to give him a son. Lame maybe, but the honest-to-God truth. Hubby is a deep, complex combination of "man's man" and "sensitive male". Put it this way, he knows more about crystal and china than I do and went to the Super Bowl last year to watch his team win. A part of me wonders just what kind of boy we would have?

I hope that covers it all. These are beginning to be fun. I think this is the part where I am supposed to offer someone else the chance to be interviewed - so if there is anyone who has not done this yet and is interested let me know.


*Hi Hubby, welcome to your grand debut!





6 comments:

Beck said...

The worst presents for me always come from my mother-in-law who has decided for SOME reason that I need more haircare appliances. Crimper, anyone?
When we had our second child (and we go, in case you don't know, girl-boy-girl), many MANY people told us that we know had the perfect family and weren't we lucky to not "need" to have anymore children? People are so freakin' stupid.

N. said...

Thanks for doing the meme, R&PG!

Sexual lubricants should never be gifted by anyone other than sexual partners. Uhhhh. I guess bride and groom cat sculptures are not so bad afterall.

I am so freakin' jealous about the dolphins. I love your dolphin vs. horse theory. I'm 100% pro-dolphin, and have been since I had my first horse exposure at Brownie camp. Where I was assigned a horse with a flaky skin condition and a puss-filled eyeball. Yeah. Real glamourous.

We're done with kids - although the Omega Man needs to get snipped inorder to seal the deal - and are quite happy to have 2 healthy children regardless of gender.

Sometimes I get looks and words of sympathy for my lack of daughters. This seems to be a big issue for my girlfriends who've immigrated from countries with more rigid rules of gender division (ie my neighbour from Columbia). I compensate for my lack of daughters by buying outrageously pink and sparkly presents for their daughters. I gotta get my fix somedays.

Bea said...

I'm glad Alpha DogMa got her questions out first - because I was totally going to ask you if you would like to have a son. At least I know I'm being obnoxious when I do it. (Or is that worse? 'Cause I know it's obnoxious and then I do it anyway?)

Jenifer said...

Beck-A hair crimper, very odd. Gosh I wish I could share some more of my weird gifts, but I totally have a connection that could work it's way back to this person.

I get what you are saying about the kids. It is like people are saying, "better luck next time" and we are thinking we kind of like her you know, were not sad about this!

ADM-Thanks again for the questions, this was fun! I agree, cat sculptures would have been better in either case. I get my boy fix with our friend's kids too, lots of trucks, and things that change from one thing to another. Those aisles contain lots of cool stuff.

B&P-In this case I shamelessly asked (oops..realizing only after I had done it) both of you for questions - so any question you might have come up with would have been fair game. Nothing obnoxious about that. I would not consider a friend's (bloggy or otherwise) obnoxious - it is well meaning, you have a history. It is usually well-meaning distant family who ask anyway. Friends know where we stand.

The funny thing is as much as my godson and friend's son's have been such a joy for me to get to know - it has been Bub, and Danger Boy and Dr. Know too that have made me wonder more. Hearing all these great stories about sweet and gifted little sons certainly tugs on you.

Melanie D. said...

The KY thing would have freaked me out a little, not sure what that was about!!! Ah well - I hope at least you put it to good use. ;-)

Great answers - love the picture! I was a horse girl, only because we are completely land locked and there were many horseback riding opportunities growing up. Given the choice of dolphins - I'd pick dolphins. They honestly didn't really occur to me. Really landlocked, just check out a map! We Nebraskans are deprived of water - good thing I'm an air sign.

Mimi said...

Great answers. KY warming jelly? Yikes. Your fantasy / reality takes on ideal Friday nights really resonated with me: when we get a chance, Pynchon and I usually go out to Chapters/Starbucks and walk around, feeling free, and drinking fancy stuff. Woo.

Lovely, lovely dolphin photo!