Taking stock

It's been a long week of work. My brain is being pulled in several different directions: Philips and Sint-Goedele in Brussels, Philips and Sint-Joriskerk in Antwerp, Philips and . . . well, you get my meaning. And so I am exercising my right as a doctoral student to do something complete brainless, pointless, and a complete waste of time. And to add insult to injury, I'm going to do it while watching a bad made-for-TV movie.

(A couple of weeks I did something similar with my best friends from high school. It was great fun! So just think of this as a little regression therapy . . .)

Have you ever written a song? When I was young and just beginning piano lessons, I took the theme to the TV-miniseries "Lonesome Dove," altered a couple of notes, and called it my own. I think I fooled my sixth-grade music teacher, Mr. Wang, but considering the kind of "musician" he was, this isn't too surprising.

Can you make change for a dollar right now? A dollar? No. A euro? Yes.

Have you ever been in the opposite sex's public toilet? Yes, only once. And I clearly remember thinking as I walked in: "Wouldn't it be funny if I accidentally walked into the . . . ?" Oooops.

Do you like ketchup on or beside your fries? Yes, definitely, and way more than the mayonnaise the Belgians put on theirs. Fat on top of more fat?

Have you ever been a boy/girl scout? I was a Campfire girl for a few years, and a Girl Scout for one. I like camping now more than I ever did then.

Are you superstitious? No.

What is your biggest pet peeve? I go CRAZY when highway drivers "hang out" in the passing lane.

Do you slurp your drink after it's gone? Never. In fact, I generally leave a little of my drink at the bottom of the cup. This is one of Z's biggest pet peeves.

Would you ever parachute out of a plane? No.

What's the most daring thing you've done? Once, in college, I rode on the back of a motorcycle with a guy I barely knew. We were literally flying down a country highway. I was wearing a helmet, he wasn't. Come to think of it, it wasn't daring. It was stupid.

Did you have a baby blanket? Yes, I loved it. It was blue, then gray, then it eventually disintegrated into nothingness.

Have you ever sleepwalked? Once when I was in high school I woke up, showered, got ready, ate breakfast, and walked out to the bus stop. I waited for about ten minutes. Not a single car drove by. Since I wasn't wearing a watch I went back to my house and looked at the clock. It was 1:30 AM.

What is your favorite cartoon of all time? Bloom County. My favorite character was Opus. I was so pleased to find out that Berkeley Breathed (pronounced BREATHE-ed) is from Iowa City.

Have you ever eaten a dog biscuit? Um, yes.

If so, would you eat another one? Um, no.

What is the last text you received on your cell? "Ik zal over 20min thuis zijn."

What one question would you add to this survey? "How has this survey improved your life?"

If you won a $5,000 shopping spree to any store, which store would you pick? Whoa, tough. Probably REI back in Seattle.

If you were to win a Grammy, what kind of music would it be for? Early music, of course! :)

Would you rather make your living as a singing cowboy or as one of the Simpsons voices? "Simpsons, dude."