Because I’m Bored…

Friday’s Feast:

What is the last thing you had to have repaired?
Actually I need to have something repaired right now – my winter coat. When I bought it two years ago I had a tailor move the buttons over an inch or so (because it was a bit tight around the middle) but now that I’ve lost the weight it pooches out in front. So I need to have them moved back.

If someone gave you $2,000 with the stipulation that you had to spend half of it on yourself and give the rest to charity, where would you spend the $1,000 and which charity would receive your remaining $1,000?
I’d drop half that grand on a gym membership ASAP and then spend the rest on new clothes. (I told you: SHOPAHOLIC NOW.) As for the charity, I’d probably give it to the Cat Protection Society of New South Wales. I know there are probably more worthwhile groups in terms of immediate human needs, but the CPS has had the most impact on me in the past few years. I volunteered to work a few shifts in their Op Shop before but nowadays I don’t have the heart to do more retail on my days off. It’d be nice to help them out a bit.

What is one of your favorite songs from the 1980s?
“Islands in the Stream” by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. I love that song.

You enter a pet store. Which section do you go to first?
Do I need to answer that? Kitties! Although bunnies are cute too.

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how athletic are you?
Well, it depends. How low is the 1? Is 1 for the people that never exercise? Then I’d say I’m a 3 or a 4. I’m more fit than I was a year ago, but I still wouldn’t say that I “love” exercise. While I’m doing it, I pretty much actively hate it. And it still hasn’t become a real habit with me; I have to force myself to do it. So not too high.

Five on Friday: Bookworm

What was the last book you read?
Do comic books count? Yesterday I DEVOURED New X-Men Vol 3: New Worlds. I’ve got to start pacing myself though; I’m going through these at an alarming rate.

What book(s) are you reading now?
I’ve got quite a stack on my bedside table. I’m about halfway through both Peter Carey’s True History of the Kelly Gang and Jeffery Steingarten’s The Man Who Ate Everything. Next up are The Sandman Vol 4: Season of Mists, a re-read of Little Women, and then Geraldine Brooks’s award-winning March.

Do you have a library card? Do you use it?
Yeah, I got a library card a few years ago, mostly so I could read the Lemony Snicket books without having to pay for them. I haven’t used it in years though. The Newtown library had a woeful selection (and an ill-tempered dwarf) and I doubt the closest one to me in Chinatown is much better. Plus I’m a bit of a hoarder when it comes to books. I like to own them.

How do you choose a new book to read?
I go by other peoples’ recommendations a lot. I picked up March because Mary-Helen raved about it. I started reading comic books because John sent me Joss Whedon’s Fray and got me hooked. Sometimes I read books because the Snook thinks I’ll like them. I don’t have the time to be completely non-discriminating with my book selections these days, so knowing that someone whose opinion I respect has recommended a title saves me a lot of effort.

We all had to read books in school. Which was your favorite? Your least favorite? Do you think you would feel differently about them if you read them now?
I loooved To Kill a Mockingbird. I read it in one night. I actually liked Silas Marner too. Somehow I didn’t enjoy Great Expectations very much, though I love certain parts of it now. (Mostly Wemmick and the Aged P.) Beowulf was okay (Hollywood Gossip! My brother-in-law Dan Carbo is working on the forthcoming animated version!) and The Canterbury Tales didn’t suck. You know who does suck? Stephen Crane. I hated The Red Badge of Courage with the fire of a thousand suns. *shudder* I’m still ruined for Civil War literature to this day.