Fun & Laughs

Questions and Answers

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Last Updated on July 16, 2016

I took Jeff’s challenge and posted an invitation for questions. Here are the ones I’ve received.

From Carly:

1. When is your birthday?
I’m all for starting things off with an easy question! November 23, which means I’m a Sagittarius. I share my birthday with President Franklin Peirce, who isn’t remembered for much of anything; and Boris Karloff, who is.

2. What’s your best “pick-up line?”
Honestly, I don’t have one…which is part of the reason I usually don’t have a date. (Not that I’m complaining.) When I meet someone and make small talk, I try to listen to all of the answers and play off of them. It makes conversation more of a challenge that way…so I don’t think it makes sense to have a single line that you use on everyone.

3. What constitutes a perfect day in Patrick Land?
First, sleeping late because I’m not a morning person. Then getting up in my own sweet time, walking to the bathroom scales and finding out that I’ve lost another half pound or more. Then meeting friends for a nice lunch (wherein I regain that half pound or more); then a bit of shopping including a visit to Coffee Beanery; then getting home to write a little more on the novel (and actually making progress with it for a change), getting a call from my best friend in Florida, and wrapping up the night with a nice movie while wedged between the two dogs on the couch.

From Annalisa:

1. Describe your most embarrassing moment.
Gee, it’s hard to come up with one that really stands out, which clearly means that I have too many to pull from. I think one of the earliest ones for me happened at a museum. I was probably seven or eight, and we were ushered into a small auditorium to watch a film on lasers or something like that. Only this wasn’t really a film written for the general public: it was a very technical film that seemed to have been written for science majors. So about ten minutes into it, I dozed off. I woke up just as the film was ending, apparently after being noticed napping during the film. Still half asleep, I blurted out, “I don’t understand it.” Several of the adults around me couldn’t stifle their laughter. It took me a second to figure out what the big joke was, then I was sorry I had.

2. Who were your childhood heroes, live AND fictional.
Going back to my love of game shows, Bob Barker, Gene Rayburn and Bill Cullen were literally heroes because they helped convince me that I wanted to work in television. My grandmother was a hero in a sense because she took care of me during the day while my parents were at work, so I learned a lot from her. For fictional heroes, I guess Captain Kirk and company on “Star Trek” would qualify. I was never much of a comic book fan, so the fictional heroes would probably have been on TV shows. I’d probably include the paramedics on “Emergency!” as fictional heroes, too. That was just a cool show.

3. What kind of woman attracts you and holds your attention.
Hmm…it’s been so long I forgot? But seriously folks…I think the number one thing is that she makes me laugh; I think all of the girls I’ve ever had a crush on were capable of that in a variety of ways. The second thing (a very close second), is the number one thing I look for in my close friends, which is that they are sincere and genuine, and are willing to be show me what’s beneath the surface of their personality.

From Penny:

1. What memory do you treasure most?
I have a lot of good memories, so picking the most treasured is almost impossible. I have a vivid one from a young age that first popped into my head when I read the question, and though it may not be the MOST treasured, I’ll run with it anyway.
I remember my fifth birthday party, the birthday cake with the big “five” on it, my parents, grandmother and a collection of aunts and uncles around me, and a respectable haul of gifts too. What I remember most, and it’s an odd thought process for a five year old, it seems to me, is that while I was in front of the cake, staring at the “5,” which was and is still my favorite number, (don’t ask me why!), I suddenly thought about the fact that I would soon be in kindergarten and that things were rapidly changing. I didn’t view this as bad, necessarily, butI distinctly recall thinking that changes were coming: I guess I looked at it with a bit of fear but a bit of excitement as well. It seems now a little too profound for a five-year-old, but I definitely recall feeling that way.
Yeah, I guess I was a weird kid.

2. If you saw someone commit a crime, what would you do?
If it was a friend of mine, I’d talk to them first about it and try to convince them to do the right thing. The serious nature of the crime would eventually put pressure to step in to find a way to make things right if he refused, but then again I’d hope it wouldn’t come to that because it would have dire consequences for the friendship itself. If it was a stranger, I’d call the police. (I might call one of the anonymous “Crimestoppers”-type hotlines, because besides being a sap at heart, I also have a yellow streak, but I’d definitely notify the authorities.)

3. What is your worst habit?
I have a few really bad habits. My worst one is procrastination. I like to put things off until they become daunting. I’m not this way with everything, but there are some things I put off when I really need to just get them over with.

Then, there’s Jeff, who is definitely a troublemaker. A cool troublemaker I think I’d enjoy hanging out with, but a troublemaker, nonetheless:

1. What’s your first memory?
I have a vivid memory that I described to my mom years ago. Basically, it’s along the lines of a glimpse of images, nothing lengthy or concrete, but it involves me at my grandmother’s house…I’m in a crib in her hall, which was, by her house’s design, a room itself that served as a sort of central chamber that opened to six different rooms. A man with short, light hair (maybe even a crew cut) picks me up and holds me. It pretty much blinks out there.
The interesting part is that after I described this, my mom told me that the first six months of my life, we were living at my grandmother’s house, and that my crib was in the hall. From pictures I have since seen of him taken at around that time, the man I seem to remember had to be her brother, my uncle. So my earliest memory must have been within the first six months. But that one isreally the only one I can claim from that far back.

2. What’s the proudest moment of your life?
I’ve already told a lengthy tale, thanks to John Scalzi’s “Weekend Assignment” about my visit to “The Price is Right” in 1997. I’m a big game show fan and have been from day one. Bob Barker is my “hero” in the entertainment industry, so getting to see the show in person and meet him was a big thrill for me.
What I didn’t mention in that entry was the fact that once the behind-the-scenes segment on the show had been completed (I wrote and edited it myself), I sent a copy to Barker personally. It was a silly thing to do, really, because I didn’t think he’d watch it. But he did, and he sent me a second card that thanked me for the tape. The last line read, “I congratulate you on a job well done.”
That was a good day.

3. What’s your number? (If you are confused by this question, turn it dirty, and you will see why I asked if you were up to this challenge.) I don’t actually expect you to answer that third question. Just enjoying the look on your face.
I’m wish you could see the look on my face! And to think I actually reminded you to ask your three!
Even without the parenthetical, I assumed he wasn’t asking for my telephone number. When I turned this question dirty, the meaning I imagined was quite different than what he actually intended. (Go back to his answers and read the belly button comment and you’ll be able to imagine what I thought he meant.)
After having the real intent explained to me, I tried to think of creative ways to answer the question. Then I recalled the words of a certain wise man: “What the hell!” Two. So there!
Jeff, you owe me a drink.

the authorPatrick
Patrick is a Christian with more than 30 years experience in professional writing, producing and marketing. His professional background also includes social media, reporting for broadcast television and the web, directing, videography and photography. He enjoys getting to know people over coffee and spending time with his dog.