Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Wednesday Hodge Podge 11/9




1. Of all the tools and gadgets you own which do you most enjoy using?

I refused to get the iPhone for quite some time. Then, one day, my Samsung Fascinate just went wacky and stopped working. I was going on a trip the next day, so I went into the Verizon store and told them to just give me the iPhone. And they did. Everyone who knows me knows I love to talk, so I have always loved phones. But, I find myself hardly talking on this phone. I am fascinated by all of its capabilities! I can take photos, listen to music, have my texts written out for me, play Words with Friends, not lose my sense of direction which is awesome because I am navigationally challenged, find a new place to eat, check email and Facebook....and Facebook again...and again. The list goes on and on. There are so many things to do other than talk on this phone. Dare I say this gadget might have the ability to make me mute? ;-)
2. When (if ever) is impatience a virtue? 
 
I really wish impatience was a virtue. I have been impatient my whole life. I was born 3.5 months early. See, I don't even have enough patience to stay in the womb! But, I'd like to think that most of my impatience comes when I am excited or want to get a jump start on something. I make an effort to be patient with people. 
God knows patience is hard for me so He makes me practice it a lot. As I type this, I am sitting in the same chair I have been sitting in for the last 3 weeks with at least 3 more weeks to go. My right leg is in a cast and I am not able to walk or do anything for myself. This recovery is certainly humbling and an act of patience and reliance on God. Patience is one of the fruits of the spirit. So, while I would love impatience to be a virtue, in my life, that's a negative.
3. What temperature do you keep your thermostat set to in winter? Do you have another way to heat your house besides a furnace of some type? 
This is a battle my parents and I have had since I can remember. My mom and I are always cold while my dad feels like he is basking in the sun on a tropical island in his own house! An agreeable temperature is 71. At my condo, the thermostat goes up and down like a roller coaster until I get the heating bill! Yikes! I think I might stick with 71 from now on.

4. Do/did you have a close relationship with any of your grandparents?

My closest relationship was with my maternal grandma.  She and her husband Austin, who I called "Grandpa", lived in Houston, TX but would come to visit my family every summer.  We would celebrate my half-birthday, go shopping, go out to eat and chase after bunnies and bugs when I was little. She nick-named me "Killer Jessica" because I loved to kill the bugs that would end up inside the screened in porch. Don't judge! When Grandpa died she moved to Virginia to be close to us. That was a lot of fun because I got to see her almost every day. Grandma loved the color pink and spaghetti. She hated things to be untidy and dirty. She was also the most fashionable and beautiful elderly woman I knew.  We had a lot of fun together!
5. When did you last have a family portrait taken?

I love family portraits, but my parents and I do not share the same sentiments. Our last family portrait was taken in 2000, right after I graduated from high school. I had begged my parents to take a portrait before I went off to school. It just so happens they won a portrait session at my school's auction! So, voila! A "pre-college portrait session" was a must! I've kept my mouth shut about how it has been 11 years since our last official family portrait! (Hear that, Mom!)  I do love looking at my friends' family portraits and dream of many portraits sessions with my own little family in the future. 
We don't take professional portraits, but we are close- knit and take lots of photos together. This will have to do for now:

6. What does the word patriotism mean to you?
This is a tough one. Not because I don't know how to answer it, but because it means SO much. My dad worked for the Federal Government for 40 years. I feared I may have lost him in the attack on the Pentagon on 9/11. Praise the Lord he is still here and was not harmed at all. I now work for the Government. I live just outside of Washington, DC and DC is one of my favorite cities in the whole world. I think about patriotism everyday. The daily view of the Capitol never gets old. I love all of the monuments. I tear up at the National Anthem and sing it proudly ever time I hear it. Oh, random question, is the US the only country that places their hand over their heart when the anthem is being played? I love America. I hate that the city I hold so dear is a terrorist target. Patriotism to me is pride in your country and what we stand for. I see palpable and visual demonstrations of this every anniversary of 9/11. I only pray that it wouldn't be reserved for holidays and the anniversary of such a tragedy, but everyday.

7. Do you like to play cards and if so, what's your favorite card game? 
My grandpa loved to play cards. The summers that he came to visit we would play every night. He was a card shark and poker was his favorite. I never quite grasped poker, but I can play a mean hand of Blackjack or Gin Rummy. I also really like to play Uno. Sadly, I haven't played any of these games in so long, I am rusty at best.  Card games do bring back fun summer memories, though.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 
 
I love cupcakes!




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