Friday's Feast - July 18

Appetizer
When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed?

About a month ago and I have to say I did not like the job they did. Usually I am very happy but this time it sucks. Need to think about my next cut.


Soup
Name one thing you miss about being a child.

Hmm. I was a very anxious child so I remember a lot of angst. I think growing up in Greenwood, Nova Scotia the first time (we were posted there twice) - from grade 2 to midway through grade 5. It was a blast. Especially going to the HandyStand with 25 cents and picking out penny candy.


Salad
Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil.

Butter. I'll eat margarine but it wasn't something I suffered through as a child. I always marvelled at friends who had margarine. Yuck.

Main Course
If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why?

I think French. Its the "other" language. It would be cool to be able to be understood anywhere in Canada.


Dessert
Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be…

What a scary thought. I should be done my schooling and I guess leading a congregation? I just don't know.

Friday's Feast

For those of you how are faithful to the Friday's Feast site you know that the chef is on vacation so yes, this is an entry from earlier in May that I never used.

Appetizer

When someone smiles at you, do you smile back?


It depends. Sometimes I'm walking along and someone smiles and I notice too late. I love smiling back at children, especially the young ones because they just expect you to.


Soup

Describe the flooring in your home. Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix?


The floor is hardwood. The parts you can see. We only have a rug under the dining room table. The living room needs to be redone, we did it when we moved it and I think we maybe should have done a few more coats of treatment. I don't really want to do it again - sanding the wood down requires a completely empty room and takes a few days if you want to let the layers dry properly.

Salad

Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name.

The great thing about Friday's Feast unlike baby showers, lingerie parties and other uncomfortable settings is that I don't have to do things I don't want to.

Main Course

Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption?


My husband and his siblings were all adopted - from different parents. My dad was adopted. My good friend in high school gave up her baby for adoption.


Dessert

Name 2 blue things.


The first thing that springs into my mind are blue Smarties. I have a friend who believes that there should not be any processed blue food in the world and the blue smarties cause her problems. I tend to concur - the blue is a bit too bright.

Another blue thing - hmm, I guess the next answer that comes to my mind is the sky.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer

What is the nearest big city to your home?

I'm living in the biggest city!

Soup

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?

Hmm, I tell my husband almost everything. If I don't include him I'm probably a nine or a ten.


Main Course

What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow?

I'm courteous - I always let people in, am very gracious around new drivers. But, I can be aggressive if I am stressed and someone rides my butt, honks or cuts me off dangerously. Long before I get bitchy at home or irritable around others I get road rage in response to bad driving. I've learned that as soon as that happens its time to take stock of what's going on in ministry and at home. Its actually dangerous because when I get in that frame of mind I would have no problem getting out and telling someone off for their dangerous driving. Nowadays that can cost you your life!

Dessert

When was the last time you had a really bad week?

Hmm, I've had some weeks that just went from bad to worse. But I don't remember when - probably when I decided to leave my last job.

Friday's Feast May 2

Appetizer

What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child?

The family always watched Bugs Bunny together on Sunday evening - that was a lot of fun. I liked Bugs Bunny but I didn't really understand why my dad thought Wile E Coyote was hilarious - not until I was older. For Saturday cartoons I can't really remember most of them - but I do remember watching Scooby Doo pretty religiously.

Soup

Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it?


I'm a cat person. Not one of those crazy cat people - you know what I mean - the cat sweatshirts and lack of social skills... I like to get my cats from the shelter. We have Justice that we got from the shelter who was there almost a year. Beautiful cat with a nice disposition who was about 10 when we got her. And I was able to test her out at the shelter to see if I was allergic. As for names, you get stuck with what they have already named them. I like "cute" - we had a cat called "Clawdius" - he drooled alot. We also had Exador named after a really stupid character on Mork and Mindy. The last cat we had came named as "Button". The cat was too stocky to be a button so we changed his name to Winston. I read that as long as the syllables and the melody of the name are the same it really doesn't matter if you change the name. As we know, they don't come when you call unless they feel like it anyway.

Salad

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?


I used to love this. As I got older and fatter I got less excited. I like getting dressed up for Christmas parties because they tend to be evenings out for dinner where you can use more sparkly dresses and shoes and such.

Main Course

What kind of music do you listen to while you drive?


Anything I can sing to (unless I have passengers) which would tend to be soundtracks (Jesus Christ Superstar, Ragtime) or Genesis/Phil Collins or a mix tape with tons of everything. Most often I have 102.1 CFNY (I switch it off when I'm ferrying Christians around) or CBC radio on though.

Dessert

When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it?


The last clock I bought was for Calvary Baptist's office. It was nice but under 10 bucks so wasn't the most accurate - I had to keep updating the time every month or so. I don't wear watches or use clocks - I tend to use the computer or tv for the time. When I'm out I check the time on my cell phone or on public telephones or on receipts I get at the stores. Its not that I'm cheap - just not disciplined enough to put one on my arm everyday.

Friday's Feast April 18th

Appetizer

Name a color you find soothing.

There's a colour that is a mix of blue with a bit of green that I love - I can't really describe it.

Soup

Using 20 or less words, describe your first driving experience.

I don't remember my absolute first - I just remember my dad chain smoking sprawled out in the passenger seat. He made me tense.

Salad

What material is your favorite item of clothing made out of?

Raw silk is my absolute favourite - if I could have afforded it, I would have had my wedding dress made out of it. Check out the picture - the way the silk has texture and a bit of stiffness makes the dresses fancy without all that fluff.

Main Course

Who is a great singer or musician who, if they were to come to your town for a concert, you would spend the night outside waiting for tickets to see?

If I had a good friend come to town and the only way I could see them was to sit outiside overnight I would do it. I love tons of music - but there is so much great music that I can't think of any particular musician I would wait up for!

Dessert

What is the most frequent letter of the alphabet in your whole name (first, middle, maiden, last, etc.)?

5 i's ! I can't give my name though, my blog is anonymous! For professional reasons.

Friday's Feast - April

Appetizer
Invent a new flower; give it a name and describe it.

Okay, I can't do this. I'm not creative enough to do this with words, not sure I could do it with drawings either.

Soup
Name someone whom you think has a wonderful voice.

EK in my church has an amazing voice. Doesn't help those of you who don't know her! You'll have to come with me to church so you can find out.


Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how clean do you keep your car?

Ha, at first I thought this said "cat" and I thought why the H would I have to do that? I can honestly say its a mess. My brother gets very irritated whenever he opens the trunk. I finally got rid of the dried out palm leaves - they were starting to smell very much like wet hay. As for the outside, I don't believe in washing it. I don't get washing a car, its just gonna get dirty and it seems like a waste of money. Cliff takes it through the wash now and then. I prefer to do it myself in those do it yourself stalls. I miss the good old days doing it in the driveway but my hose doesn't reach.

Main Course
How do you feel about poetry?

Can't stand it. Don't get it. There were a few poems that I liked in first year English but I think that was as much the passion of the prof.

Dessert
What was the last person/place/thing you took a picture of?

I have no idea. Probably the kids. We haven't been on a vacation for a long time and that is where we normally take photos.

Friday's Feast March 14

Appetizer

On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how much do you like your own handwriting?

No more than a 4 - I can't write very neatly unless I really take time and I can't write in a straight line without ruled paper.

Soup

Do you prefer baths or showers?

Showers are the best - except when staying overnight at a hotel - then baths are the best because I usually have time and they have those neat little bottles o' stuff.

Salad

What was the last bad movie you watched?


Bad as in porn or bad as in lousy? I guess I shouldn't need to ask - I know there was one on TV a few weeks ago that was so awful but I can't remember what it was - I just remember Cliff and I commenting that it was sooo bad.

Main Course

Name something you are addicted to and describe how it affects your life.


I guess in a way I am still addicted to cigarettes. I dream about having a smoke and the only reason I eat dessert in a restaurant is because it replaces my after dinner smoke. I have been cigarette free for 20 years and the smell makes me sick but there is still something about it. I can almost feel the way that I can flick the dead ash off and the ....oh forget it, I just can't talk about this anymore..., I need a smoke ;)
Dessert

Which instrument is your favorite to listen to?


Drums are great, but not on their own. I guess piano for a lack of an imaginative answer. Worst has to be bagpipes. When I lived in NS there was a guy down the street that practiced outside. It got tiring real quick.

Friday's Feast March 7

Appetizer

If you could be any current celebrity for one whole week, who would you want to be?


I'm not a big fan of celebrities (I guess that isn't a pun?) so its hard for me to pick. Maybe Brittany - I would check myself into rehab for a week and get my stuff together to give her a head start!

Soup

On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you enjoy talking on the phone?

I much prefer emailing or in person. I like talking on the phone and can do it for a long time but I hate calling people that I'm not the best of friends with because I always picture me disturbing them. Email allows me to contact the person at their convenience - I just wish everyone liked using email the way I do.



Salad

Name a charitable organization to which you have donated (or would like to).


For Erik and Minke's wedding we contributed to Doctors Without Borders and another one that I can't remember. We have also donated to our church, the World Day of Prayer, United Way and some cancer runs.

Main Course

What is a food you like so much you could eat it every single day for a month?

Dessert

This is embarrasing but I love McDonald cheeseburgers. I think its the only food I could tolerate every day. I am a picky eater - one day I really crave something and the next I'm not interested.

Have you or anyone in your family had the flu this year?


My husband and I both had illnesses over Christmas but I don't think it was the flu. We both get a flu shot every year.

Friday's Feast -

Appetizer

Who was the last person you hugged?

My last intentional hug - that is go and do it was for a fellow classmate who preached for the first time to the class. She was really nervous and did very well - you couldn't even tell she was nervous - she seemed very much in control. I'm not a hugger normally but this seemed appropriate - that's a very "Vicki" comment isn't it? Analysing when a hug is appropriate!

Soup

Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.

If you put lip gloss over your lipstick apply it only in the "pouty" section of your lips - it makes them fuller.

Salad

What does the color yellow make you think of?

Sunshine and pee. I don't know why. Daffodils too I suppose but that makes me think of cancer. I guess yellow just isn't my thing.

Main Course

If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?

Now this is interesting because I was just talking about this tonight with someone. I don't like posed photos but I do like ones that catch people in their natural environment. I love ballet - a very girly thing I know but I love black and white photos of dancers en pointe. I also have always loved country churches - there are lots of them in Nova Scotia and I always wanted to learn how to paint them.

Dessert

What was the longest book you ever read?

I think Vanity Fair is pretty long. A lot of Dickens is long too. Some books have sadly been short but just seemed to take forever!

Friday's Feast Feb 1

Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of cereal?

Ooh, I love Corn Pops. I also love Fruit Loops but only once in awhile.

Soup
When was the last time you purchased something for your home, what was it, and in which room did it go?

Hmm. Okay, I bought sheets a few weeks ago. They are still in the hall but they will obviously go on the bed. We are saving up for a queen sized bed - the double is great in the winter but in the summer I can't stand sleeping next to the human furnace that is my husband.



Salad
What is the funniest commercial you’ve ever seen?

I don't remember. But does anyone remember the Groaning Board. It had a small buffet and then you went into a room where they showed the world's funniest commercials. We went there for my husband's 30th birthday and I still remember fighting off the cockroaches.


Main Course
Make up a name for a company by using a spice and an animal (example: Cinnamon Monkey).

Basil Bear


Dessert
Fill in the blank: I haven’t ______ since ______.

I haven't cried in the Pickle Barrel since last year. Private joke for my PB companion.

Friday's Feast - Jan 11 2008

January 11th, 2008 | Category: The Feasts, 2008

Appetizer
What is your middle name? Would you change any of your names if you could? If so, what would you like to be called?

My middle name is Catherine. First thing I would change is how it is spelled. I like "Katherine" with a "K". I would change my last name but to what? I don't mind my first name but can't stand "Vicki" - I'm not sure why. I don't mind if people who know me call me that but as a rule I don't like strangers using it. I don't like the hard k sound in it.


Soup
If you were a fashion designer, which fabrics, colors, and styles would you probably use the most?

Raw silk is a favourite of mine and the colours would be rich creams and beiges and pewter. I like fitted with an emphasized waist. Also little jackets that just skim the hips.

Salad
What is your least favorite chore, and why?

How on earth do I pick just one. Has to be cleaning the bathroom - can't do it and we agreed when we got married that I wouldn't be doing it. Yuck.

Main Course
What is something that really frightens you, and can you trace it back to an event in your life?

I'm phobic of snakes but I can't remember any particular reason. I used to be scared of spiders and snakes and then one day I was so terrified of snakes I couldn't look at them even in the museum. I used to be fascinated by the large python in the ROM and now I can't go in the room. I sometimes try to do it because its so silly but I have an anxiety attack that I can't control. It pisses me off. It also prevents picnics, walking in the long grass and many days when I can't make it to the dock at the cottage because of the long grassy path to get there. I thought about getting treatment but it seems so stupid I hate to waste the money.

Dessert
Where are you sitting right now? Name 3 things you can see at this moment.

I'm sitting in the spare room which is also an office. I can see tons of junk - my grades from Tyndale - an A- for both Greek and OT Theology, coupons for Quiznos subs - now I'm hungry and gift catalogues from different churches. I'm going to a wedding where they would like donations in lieu of gifts.

Friday's Feast - Nov

Appetizer
What was your first “real” job?

Okay, my first real job was answering telephones at this place where people were calling in for "make money in your own home". It was truly awful. I had a script to read at a large table with a group of people with telephones. The calls came from the States seemed like Florida and the South. The caller would be told that they could sell film from the privacy of their own home. I would walk them through how much they could make just by selling 60 rolls and such. I think there was a start up cost but I can't remember. This was before the Internet - I was 19 and it was my first job ever and I hated every minute of it. It was obvious that I was smarter than the average caller and that they had no idea just what they were gettign into. They were basically given a phone list of people in their area and they bought the film from us. I remember one call where the woman was desperate to make money to help her family. Everytime you made a sale you had to ring a bell. The guy next to me oozed charm and made many sales. Finally my supervisor called me in and fired me. She said I looked miserable and she knew that I would never quit on my own accord - she was doing me a favour. Boy was I relieved - she was right, I would never have quit that job. After that I went and counted inventory - a really odd job for someone who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I actually got promoted in that one!

Soup
Where would you go if you wanted to spark your creativity?

I don't think I have any creativity. I do my best thinking in the cemetery because its dead quiet (hee hee).

Salad
Complete this sentence: I am embarrassed when…

I think I'm talking to Cliff in the store and realise he has wandered off. I really hate that.

Main Course
What values did your parents instill in you?

The biggest value has to be to tell the truth. My mother hated when people lied and I can't stand it either. They also instilled trust - they used to leave money lying around and it never occured to me to lift any of it - my friends were always surprised to see a ten sitting on a table. Of course once my smoking habit got into full swing and smokes went up to over 2 bucks I did nick a few quarters here and there - but never bills!

Dessert
Name 3 fads from your teenage years.

1) Early teen years - hate to admit it by me and my two friends each had a satin shirt. Mine was magenta. This was the age of disco. I still remember us all planning to wear our shirts on a Friday night. We had no where to go either.

2) Short rabbit fur coats. Short lived fad and I remember desperately wanting one for Christmas - they had them at Fairweathers. I showed them to my Dad who said absolutely not. I thought it was the price, he told me I would look like a hooker in one. I didn't know it then but he was right - they did look like hooker jackets.

3) Nikes - white with a black swirl or white with a blue swirl. The occasional red swirl but where I came from you tried to avoid those unless you were a jock.

Friday's Feast - Random questions

Appetizer
How many pieces of jewelry do you wear most days?

I only wear my wedding band and my anniversary band. I used to wear my wedding ring but it has some delicate spots on it and I worry about damaging it. I sometimes were a broach, a cross or earrings.

Soup
What is your favorite instrumental song?

How many do I actually know? Probably Classical Gas.


Salad
Who has a last name that you like?

Okay, with my last name I have thought about this already. I love the names: Victoria "Cookson", Victoria "Roberts", Victoria "Shaw". My choices if I were to revert to a family name are my original name of Collins (people can not spell it), mother's of Robertshaw (people think its two words). My grandmothers was a better bet and I can't remember for the life of me what it was - Meekes? I remember it started with an "M" because it went with where she was from - Micklefield.

Main Course
Name a popular movie you’ve never seen.

I wish, like my friend, I could proudly boast that I have never seen Star Wars. But my father insisted we go and line up for this movie because it was going to be a real experience. Didn't like it and have never felt the need to try to like it.

As for a popular movie - Titanic. As soon as I good wind of the love story I lost all interest. Though the rest of the film may have been historically accurate the whole love story was pretty far fetched for the time and social class system. It wasn't just that people did not marry beneath them, but there was a lot of disparaging things said about some one who married up - from people in her own class. A man could marry up - provided he was already upper class. But a woman wouldn't go from being a servant to having servants and it was understood that this was the way it was. We might not like it and certainly Americans may feel they escaped that system but in 1912 it was still the way it went.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: Nothing makes me ___________ like ____________.

Nothing makes me frustrated like people sampling at the Bulk Barn and in the fruit aisle. Don't get me started!

Friday's Feast - Friday 13th

Appetizer:

When you were a child, which crayon color was your favorite?

Well, that depends. How can I narrow it down when it is clear that most colours are needed for something. I was lucky to have the huge box of crayons with built in sharpener. I gravitated to the pinks, purples and blues. Of course the gold and silver were special too. But you can't colour leaves any colour but green so even the "ugly" colours had a purpose. And I coloured everything - not just the good parts of the picture. A lot of rules to this!

Soup On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest), how likely would you be to change jobs if it required you to move?

Not a chance, Cliff is happy and paying the bills for us so moving is out of the question. I would be willing to live part time in Bancroft if ministry took me out to that area of the province but that would be the extent of it - the gas to and from Bancroft to the church and to Toronto would eat any pay so Cliff would still have to work overtime!

Of course that's taking God out of the picture. Once you put God in the conversation its impossible to nail anything down because it could be Cliff that decides he has been called to move on to somewhere else!

Salad Take all the numbers in your birthday and your phone number and add them up, one by one. What’s the total?

See, I can't answer that - is the 13 in my birthday 1+3 or 13?

Main Course Have you ever “re-gifted” anything? If so, what was it and who did you pass it on to?

Obviously if I ever regifted anything I couldn't talk about it here. I can't say that I have. The closest I came was giving away a book that I loved to someone in ministry because I couldn't find a new copy but I later replaced it and the original copy was in great condition. But that isn't really the same thing because the book was sooo good and I hoped useful. I did watch crib sheets I bought for my sister-in-law get regifted to another sister-in-law at a shower with the comment that they got too much of this stuff and didn't bother using it - she had forgotten they came from us - at least I think she forgot! I suppose its okay but I wished I had bought something more useful.

Dessert Name something you need from the store.

The questions are really vague this time around aren't they! Milk, eggs, TP? I'm looking for a cream to beige coloured skirt for the fall - semi-formal - tea length or shorter. Need - not really!

Friday's Feast - August 11

Appetizer
Tell about a toy you remember from your childhood.

The Fisher Price Castle. Complete with drawbridge, thrones, royal family, dungeon and secret doors. Oh yeah, it also had a carriage and horses. I loved it. I also love my Miss America dress up set that I got when I turned 7. I carefully put it on walked around the room in it and then took it off - it was too good to play with. My toys were in pristine condition! As a matter of fact back when I was about 5 or 6 the Barbie Camper was all the rage. Just the perfect accessory for Suntan Barbie. We lived on Vancouver Island and the toy was sold out. One of the ladies on the street went over to the mainland with 4 orders for campers for kids in the neighbourhood - mine was the only one still in one piece months after Christmas.

Soup
If you could make one thing in the world absolutely free for everyone, what would it be?

Medications. Even in Canada there are people who can not afford medications. Especially for children.


Salad
Approximately how many times per day do you think about your significant other?

I'm not even sure. He comes across my mind a lot. Not always for good reasons - see my moving violation entry.


Main Course
What is something you believe in 100%?

Too easy. Jesus Christ as God's plan for redeeming the world.



Dessert
Name one thing you have done this week that you would consider a "good deed."

Set up! After the answer above I'm going to look like a typical hypocritical Christian if I have nothing to answer. Hmm. I'm looking into getting the pastor that has been taking care of my internship a ticket to a conference on the Arts. Its a gift rather than a deed but I am going to trouble to do it - maybe that counts. And I picked up three ballet outfits from a store for three little girls that I know would love them - they weren't expensive but I think that counts. And I've got some donations of paper and binders for our Food Bank for back to school. Everything I do seems to be around money! I do a lot of babysitting for my friend but wasn't need last week!