Meme Girl

This describes me, at the office…

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(Thanks to Sunday Stealing for the meme and The New Yorker for the ‘toon)

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• Which TV character do you think you are most like?

Peggy Olsen of Mad Men

•  What time do you go to bed?

When I’m tired – that’s usually around 10:00 p.m., like clockwork.

•  What was the last meal you made from scratch?

Spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, parsley and red pepper flakes. A relatively quick and delicious meal, especially with lots of locatelli romano cheese, and easy to prepare after work.

•  What is your favorite type of music?

Savoy Family Band

I like ALL types of music. I especially love cajun (Savoy Family Band) and zydeco (Beausoleil), classical (Beethoven), swing (Benny Goodman), Doo Wop, Led Zeppelin and  the Blues (Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, old Stones, John Lee Hooker).

•  In what position do you sleep?

Lying down.

•  What is your first memory?

My two-year old birthday party in Brooklyn when I fell in the toilet bowl (I was a very skinny kid) and had to scream for my grandmother to get me out.

•  What is your least favorite smell?

Bad breath. Makes me gag. I once worked with this woman named Gert who had denture breath. It was beyond horrible. Like dead body smell.

• It’s your round at the pub and your friends asked you to surprise them. What drink would you buy and why?

Adult Hot Chocolate

1 1/2 oz peppermint schnapps
6 oz hot chocolate
1/2 – 1 oz whipped cream

Warm your mug first. Put the schnapps into your mug, and fill it with hot chocolate. Top with whipped cream, and chocolate shavings.

(I’m not a big drinker; I’m satisfied with one drink of whatever – wine, beer or a cocktail. Besides, I love hot chocolate or coffee — with a kick).

•  What was the last thing you read/watched that made you cry?

Sad-eyed, timid, listless doggies that were bred in a puppy mill and up for adoption on CBS news this morning.

•  They say that you learn something new every day. What was the last thing you have learned?

This morning, I began reading “New York Diaries (1609 to 2009),” a birthday gift from a good friend. It’s a compilation of random diary excerpts from famous and not so famous individuals, ranging from 9/11/1609 to 9/11/2009, and it’s just fascinating. This morning, I read this particular entry:

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January 17, 1934: Went to that Gypsy Tea Room for lunch at Fifth Ave. and 38th…They sit with their teacups already overturned waiting for a gypsy to sit down at their table…A cat roams about and a kettle hangs on three sticks.

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I was intrigued to learn that this Gypsy Tea Room, which I remember exactly as described above and which I frequented in the 1980s to have my tarot cards read, had been around as far back as 1934! (Not there anymore but I found a listing for a Gypsy Tea Room on 20th Street in Chelsea!)

•  Which Literary love interests would you snog, marry and avoid.

Snog: Heathcliff

Marry: Atticus Finch

Avoid: Howard Roark

•  What is your oldest memory?

Back in Brooklyn again. In the bedroom I shared with my sister. One night, my mother draped a piece of red cloth over our lamp to dim the glow and create a sort of nightlight. It caught fire. Somehow, I awoke in time to see the flames and called out for my mother, who came to the rescue.

•  Paperback, Hardback or Kindle? Which of these is your favorite reading format and why?

Mostly paperback (trade fiction size), easier to hold on the subway. But I have been thinking of the Kindle lately. A foreign associate we use at work (from England) just published an e-book through Amazon – a political thriller with dry British humor (called The Schmetterling Effect). One of the characters (like the author) is a patent attorney. I read a few short chapters this morning, free of charge. It’s pretty darn good! I’d like to read the entire book. It’s for sale for 99 cents on Amazon–but only if you own  a Kindle.

• If you could bring back any canceled TV series for another run what would you pick and why?

I’m afraid one of my favorites, Southland,

a great police drama, strong characters, excellent writing — which we download on iTunes — might be canceled! It’s highly rated by the critics, but it doesn’t make enough millions of dollars, apparently, for TNT’s very hungry coffers.

Hey, TNT: Life is short; Art is long.

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What T.V. character are you like? I’d love to know…