House Meme

Another meme. I got this one from Rachel Finch.

1. When you walk in your front door, which room do you enter?
   A small lobby. It has a coat closet, which does not have room for many coats. There is also a chair in the lobby so we can sit and remove our outdoor shoes.
2. Do you have a dishwasher?
   Yes. There are only 2 of us, but it seems to be running all the time.
3. Is your living room carpeted or does it have hardwood floors?
   Oak floors. We took up the carpet soon after we moved in.
4. Do you keep your kitchen knives on the counter or in a
   drawer?
   Knives are in wooden knife rack on the work peninsula.
5. House, apartment, duplex or trailer?
   House.
6. How many bedrooms is it?
   Technically, 3, but we both use one each as home offices, so we really only have one bedroom.
7. Gas stove or electric?
   Dual fuel Viking. Gas top, Electric oven.
8. Do you have a yard?
   Yes. Had it landscaped and a patio laid. Great to sit out in the summer and barbecue.
9. What size TV is in the living room?
   There is no TV in the living room
10. Are your plates in the same cupboard as your cups?
    Yes. All crockery all together at all times.
11. Is there a coffee maker sitting on your kitchen counter?
    1 French press, 1 stovetop espresso pot. Those are Richard’s. There is 1 teapot for me.
12. What room is your computer in?
    The room that I use as an office. I’ve got £500 and a room of my own.
13. Are there pictures hanging in your living room?
    Yes. 3. 2 are cat faces by Marin county artist, Elly Simmons and one is a woodblock of ‘the tree of life’ that we bought soon after we were married in 1973. We have more pictures that we bought in local art galleries, but we have no idea where we put them. They are all of cats.
14. Are there any themes found in your home?
    Yes. The house was built in 1929 and we’ve tried hard to keep as many of the original features as possible, even though we’ve had extensive remodelling. The lath and plaster walls in the living and dining rooms definitely have an earthquake theme. The cracks are a feature, not a bug.
15. What kind of laundry detergent do you use?
    Any brand that is fragrance free and is on sale.
16. Do you use dryer sheets?
    No. They did not agree with my dryer and the Miele technician told me to stop using them.
17. Do you have any curtains in your home?
    Yes. In the living room, which takes the brunt of the afternoon sun. I insist that the bushes in front of the window be kept bushy. I want to get a Japanese screen for sun protection. It’s on the ‘to do’ list.
18. What color is your fridge?
    Stainless steel
19. Is your house clean?
    We do not live in squalor, but we are realistic and we do clean the house. We also have a monthly cleaning service.
20. What room is the most neglected?
    Richard’s office. That is completely off-limits and a duster or vacuum never ventures there.
21. Are the dishes in your sink/dishwasher clean or dirty?
    Dirty in dishwasher, clean in sink
22. How long have you lived in your home?
    20 years
23. Where did you live before?
    In USA, apartments in Berkeley. In UK, house in Cambridge.
24. Do you have one of those fluffy toilet lid covers on your toilet?
    No, but I used to know people who did and they also had frilly toilet roll covers.
25. Do you have a scale anywhere in your house?
    I assume this means scales to weigh myself. Yes. In my office and used daily.
26. How many mirrors are in your house?
    4. One in my office. We bought this one in Robert Sayle’s in Cambridge, when we bought our house in 1975. I can see all of myself in this one. Three in the bathroom: one over the sink, a full length one on the door of the floor to ceiling medicine cabinet and a magnifying mirror. I never like what I see in that one, but it is necessary. One in the dining room. It’s small, with a decorated border. It was a gift from a friend who lives in Peru.
27. Look up. What do you see?
    Cubbyholes and cupboards of my roll top desk that doesn’t have a roll top. My Cromarty Granny had a splendid roll top desk and I hoped to inherit it. But when that time came, I was already in USA and it wasn’t a good idea to import a desk with woodworm passengers. I had a desk made in the style of a roll top, with all the drawers, pullouts and drawers and the only photo I have of Granny sits on it.
28. Do you have a garage?
    No. There was one when we bought the house, but we replaced it with a designer shed. It’s really the Tardis and goes “WHEE WHEE WHEE!”

Meme (from Susan Ito)

A meme is “an idea that gets propagated.” I got this one from Susan Ito.

1. Spell my name as it sounds. Margrit (If you watch ‘Little Britain’ on BBC America, this is usually followed by “Do we have any books?”
2. Am I a worrier? Yes. I’m probably also paranoid.
3. What’s my favorite CD? Any music composed by Handel or sung by Kathleen Ferrier.
4. Favorite colour(s)? Shades of red for clothes and Provencal blue, because I like it as a colour.
5. Does my home have an attic? Yes, but I am not tall enough to reach the trap door to open it. I’ve never been in the attic.
6. Have I ever been to Canada? Yes. Twice. Once to visit relatives in Toronto and Niagara Falls. Second visit was when R attended a conference in Montreal. I know that is in Quebec. If we had emigrated to Canada, I’d be a Canadian Scot, but I’m happy to be a Scot in America.
7. Have I ever gone fishing? Yes. In a cobbly, in Loch Buie, Mull, West coast of Scotland, fishing for mackerel, at night. I grew up in a Herring Fishing family, but never went on my Dad’s boat. Women on boats was taboo.
8. Have I ever seen a celebrity? Yes. I saw Tom Conti in a phone box in Cambridge, UK. (He was appearing in a play at the Cambridge Rep.)
9. Have I ever been on a motorcycle? Not really, but we had a Lambretta. It was turquoise and we had yellow helmets. We fell off once when we skidded on the ice.
10. How much money do I have on me right now? Probably $70. I’m not going to count it.
11. How many cars have I owned? I’ve never owned a car in my life, yet I get plagued by telephone solicitors who want to sell me car insurance.
12. How many jobs have I had? Prefer not to remember. The only one that was satisfactory was in the Churchill College Archives.
13. How tall am I? 5′ 2”, but I’m probably shrinking.
14. Last person to call me. Someone from Alta Imaging to remind me of my annual mammogram appointment.
15. Last thing I yelled out loud. “Oh My God! Sale pending.” On an overpriced grotty little house up the street.
16. Last person I was in a car with. R.
17. Last time I ate at McDonald’s. October 2007 and I wish I had not.
18. Last thing I bought. Groceries from Andronicos in North Berkeley.
19. Last person I saw. R.
20. Last time I cried. January 26, 2008, while listening to Andy Mack’s Burn’s show. Bluewater radio.
21. Last time I laughed. January 26, 2008, at something R said about Aesop’s Fables.
22. What is the temperature outside? It’s nae het.
23. What time of the day did I get married? 1pm.
24. What did I do two nights ago? Bosied wi Richard, who’d come home from a week in Washington, DC.
25. Who’s birthday is coming up next? My sister-in-law, in May.
26. What time did I go to bed last night? No idea.
27. What was the first thing I thought this morning? I’m going to the gym.
28. What are my plans for this weekend? Hurry up and catch up on last week.
29. Lemonade or iced tea? Limeade and Green Tea.
30. What do I dislike at this moment? The dreich weather we’ve had.
31. What did I dream about last night? Quarks.
32. What’s the last TV show I watched? Casino Royale on BBC America.
33. What is my favorite piece of jewelry? My collection of jet from Whitby, North Yorkshire.
34. Am I a dancer? Yes! I’m a fantastic dancer, in my head, tango, jigs, slow foxtrots, reels , scottishes. But with cerebtral palsy and arthritis, it’s all in the mind.
35. Have I ever cut my own hair? Yes. When I was four years old I took a scissors to my ringlets.
36. What is my favorite treat? The People’s Friend and sharing fish’n'chips with R.
37. How many piercings/tattoos do I have? 2 sets of holes in each ear which were done outdoors on Telegraph Ave, Berkeley.
38. Where’s my favorite place to be? In my house.
39. Is there someone I haven’t seen in a while and miss? All my relatives and friends in Scotland.
40. Who was the last text I sent to? I do not send texts.
41. Do I care what strangers think about me? No more than strangers care about what I think about them.
42. Last person I talked to on Instant Messenger. Don’t remember.
43. Last person to make me cry. John Cairney doing the ‘Immortal Memory’ to Robert Burns.
44. Who can I tell anything to? I have nothing to tell.
45. What am I doing tomorrow? Doing what I didn’t get done today.
46. Do I have alcohol in my home? Och yes! A bottle of aged single malt for special occasions. My aunt, in the Highlands, calls it, “The glorified yellow water.” Also chardonnay from Bevmo.
47. Do I like ketchup? Only on chips and I don’t eat so many chips.
48. Do I think I will be on a vacation this summer? I hope not! I have no reason to sleep in any bed other than my own.
49. What colour is my master bathroom? White. Towels are heather and white, but there are a few other colours that I bought on sale for the good value, so the colour scheme is a wee bit off.
50. Do I wear a bikini at the beach? Am I getting on for my Old Age Pension?
51. Have I ever been to the Grand Canyon? No. I don’t want to go, It’s too big and I’d get dizzy looking at it.
52. What is my favorite fruit? Raspberries, but only if they’re Scottish.
53. What did I really want to do today? Go to the gym, go to the Farmers’ Market, collect the watch I’d put for repair, buy new sandals. I only went to the gym.
54. Am I always cold? Not a lot. I wear socks and a jumper.
55. Does it annoy me when someone says they’ll call or text, but don’t? No, everyone is busy and I don’t notice.