Thanking our Veterans, Gilmore Girls, and avoiding the 'empty' subway car

1. We celebrate Veteran's Day in the US of A on November 11th. When did you last interact with a member of the armed forces (either currently serving or retired)? Have you ever written a letter to a soldier, bought a meal or coffee for a solider, said an unprompted thank you to a soldier you encountered out and about somewhere? If you're not in the US, comment on a similar holiday in your own country.

I really don't have anyone close to me who is a veteran, but I send messages to those I know on Facebook on Veterans Day. And, yesterday, the Delta flight crew we had returning from Tampa made a big announcement and applauded those on board who might be or have once served us in the military. That was nice.

2. You can have fifty pounds of anything at all (except money)...what would you choose?

I've no idea, good thing no one is really offering? I might say something like 50 pounds of weight loss, but that seems a bit extreme. Maybe 50 pounds of apples? Or perhaps bananas. Fruit is obviously a big motivator in my life.

3. When did you last receive an invitation in the 'real' mail? What was it for and did you attend? When it comes to RSVP-ing, are you an 'early responder' or a 'last minute, barely-under-the-wire' kind of guest?

I am a 'early responder' but, my husband is a last minute person. We got an invite to a special dessert talk with Ken Ham, when he came to Long Island a few months ago. And despite having this invite a month in advance, he forgot it, and then the night before wrote an email asking if we could still go. No reply was sent back, not surprisingly. In general, my husband handles his own appointments, but anything that pertains to me goes into Google, with an invite to Tom, with email reminders set up for us 3 days in advance, 1 day in advance, and a text 6 hours before.

4. What's something you really don't like to waste?

Shampoo/conditioner/soap in the shower. We have a refillable wall dispenser, and when a bottle is almost gone, I spend about 20 minutes trying to get every drop into the wall dispenser. Any benefit given by the wall dispensor is probably overshadowed by my efforts of getting all the product out of the bottle.

5. Cheers, Friends, MASH, Seinfeld...of the ones listed, your favorite long-running sitcom?

Can I say non of the above? I am currently going through Gilmore Girls on Netflix, and have always loved King of Queens. Do those count as 'long-running'?

6. What decision are you glad you made?

Um, today I am glad that I chose to give up my seat on the subway when that person came on and cleared the car out. An empty subway car is empty for a reason.

7. In this month of 'Thanksgiving' what is one thing that's different today than it was a year ago that you're grateful for?

This Thanksgiving Tom and I will have been married 1.5 years, and have definitely grown much closer. Also, last year this time we were still 'winging' it, trying to figure out a routine and how to live with someone else. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I year ago today (the day after Veterans Day) I started working my morning split shift. 6-9am, from home in my pjs, answering phone calls and sending emails. I then have the late-morning to afternoon off, and commute into the office from 2-7pm. This has been the best thing to have happened to my job, since it allows me time to be caught up on all the household chores, make us breakfast and spend time with Tom watching the news. Weekday mornings, incidentally, have been the best part of my day since starting this shift.

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