The marathon friday five

Blogger wouldn't let me get this posted earlier.
In honor of all of the marathon shows on cable channels, here is the marathon Friday Five.

Friday, January 12, 2007
Friday Five: Countdown Edition
Last night my TV Boyfriend Keith Olbermann made some comments I really appreciated, and it got me thinking about what makes one person admire another. In the spirit of Keith's show on MSNBC, welcome to the Friday Five Countdown Edition.

Please count down five living people you admire and tell us a little something about why they make your list. These could be famous people or people you know personally.

5. Magda Williams (only she's remarried and I don't remember her current last name) Magda had more impact on my life than she probably realizes. She heard what I didn't say when I thought no one was listening or paying attention.
4.Pennye for intentionally entering into the pain of children and making a difference for their safety
3. Mike for being willing to be a Mentor, officially and unofficially, and caring about me after the assignment was completed
2. Pat who realized she was planning her days around soap operas and decided to go back to college at 52 finished her bachelor's and then did a masters
1. J.K. Rowling for being a great author who didn't let life circumstances stop her imagination


Friday, January 05, 2007
Friday Five: Birthday, Redux
Yours truly had a birthday this week, and while we've done the birthday thing before, I'm going to do my best to come up with new questions...

1. "It's my party and I'll [blank] if I want to..."
Favorite way to celebrate your birthday (dinner with family? party with friends? a day in solitude?) The more people the better and devil's food cake with chocolate icing.

2. "You say it's your birthday... it's my birthday too, yeah..."
Do you share your birthday with someone famous? (Click here to find out!)
I share with Hillary Clinton, Mahalia Jackson, Pat Sajak, Cary Elwes, Jon Heder, Lauren Tewes, Jacklyn Smith, Bob Hoskins, and Jackie Coogan and my 7th grade math teacher and two people at my last church. At least my youngest was not born on my birthday, but she could've been.

3. "Lordy Lordy look who's forty..."
Milestone birthdays:
a) just like any other birthday--they're just numbers, people.
b) a good opportunity to look back/take stock
c) enjoy the black balloons--I'll be hiding under a pile of coats until the day is over
d) some combination of the above, or something else entirely.
Bring on the party, I'm making up for all those crappy birthdays as a kid. Give me a hard time, I don't care just be sure you're there to party with me.

4. "Happy birthday, dear... Customer..."
Have you ever been sung to in a restaurant? Fun or cringe-worthy?
I have never been sung to in a restaurant but I would actually love it.

5. "Take my birthday--please"
Tell me one advantage and one disadvantage about your particular birthday (e.g. birthday in the summer--never had to go to school; birthday near Christmas--the dreaded joint presents)
EDITED TO ADD: This could also simply be something you like/dislike about your birthday (e.g. I like sharing a birthday with my best friend, etc.).
There have been several years when I have received an extra hour on my birthday, that's cool. But it's a little close to Halloween when it comes to decorating.


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Friday, December 29, 2006
Friday Five: Dream a Little Dream

"In the Last Days," God says,
"I will pour out my Spirit
on every kind of people:
Your sons will prophesy,
also your daughters;
Your young men will see visions,
your old men dream dreams.
When the time comes,
I'll pour out my Spirit
On those who serve me, men and women both,
and they'll prophesy."
(Acts 2:17-18, The Message)

On this final Friday of 2006, it seems appropriate to speak of dreams. A very important dream about a lighthouse played a role in my journey towards ordained ministry, and mine last night were vivid and included a flying church.

Please feel as untethered yourself in responding to this Friday Five.

Tell us all about:

1) a dream you remember from childhood
I remember sitting on my mother's lap in the brown plaid chair that is now in my den. We were both asleep and it was pouring down rain. I dreamed that the Three Bears came to our house. The momma bear had my mommy's umbrella. They were kind of scary to me but they didn't hurt anything.

2) a recurring or significant dream
I don't have a recurring dream anymore. When I was a teenager, I desperately wanted a white firebird trans am until I dreamed that I was driving one and rolled it.

3) a nightmare
The most recent one was someone breaking into the house and killing my kids. yuck

4) a favorite daydream
Preaching at Annual Conference ordination service.

5) a dream for the New Year
Finishing coursework and passing comps so I can move on to dissertation

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Festive Foods Friday Five
Well friends, we've covered advent, music, and movies/TV--but we here at F5 HQ would be remiss if we did not acknowledge that quintessential holiday topic... fooooooooood.

1. Favorite cookie/candy/baked good without which, it's just not Christmas.
My best friend's sugar cookies.

2. Do you do a fancy dinner on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, both, or neither? (Optional: with whom will you gather around the table this year?)
The fancy dinner happens on the designated family day for celebrating. Christmas Eve after the earlier evening service, we eat with a group from church. We almost never have the celebration food on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

3. Evaluate one or more of the holiday beverage trifecta: hot chocolate, wassail, egg nog.
Hot chocolate all the way. We found some really rich hot chocolate at the local hardware store (don't laugh it's REALLY good).

4. Candy canes: do you like all the new-fangled flavors or are you a peppermint purist?
I really don't like peppermint so bring on the other flavors.

5. Have you ever actually had figgy pudding? And is it really so good that people will refuse to leave until they are served it?
I have never had figgy pudding and don't care to try it either.

Edited to add: Well, I am APPALLED with myself that I forgot to include a question about the crown prince of holiday foods--the fruitcake.
Fruitcake is just nasty especially when made my teetotalers.

Feel free to add your thoughts on this most polarizing holiday confection.

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And finally--may Christ be born anew in your hearts this Christmas.

Merry Christmas!!!!


Friday, December 15, 2006
Friday Five: Yuletide Favorites



For this mid-December Friday Five, let's explore some Yuletide favorites.

1) It's a Wonderful Life--Is it? Do you remember seeing it for the first time?
I was married before I saw it the first time. It's okay.

2) Miracle on 34th Street--old version or new?
Absolutely the old one.

3) Do you have a favorite incarnation of Mr. Scrooge?
The musical version followed by Muppets.

4) Why should it be a problem for an elf to be a dentist? I've been watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for years now, and I still don't get it.
Because an elf would need a stool to reach someone's mouth leading to the possibility of slippage followed by extra holes.

5) Who's the scariest character in Christmas specials/movies?
• The Bumble
• The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Muppet Version
• That Mean Magician Who Tries to Melt Frosty
• Your Nomination
The mean neighbor in The Bells of St Mary's
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