Wednesday Wickedness - Ronald Regan

The questions posed at Wednesday Wickedness this week are based on quotes from Ronald Regan. 

1. A tree's a tree. How many more do you need to look at? 
Are you concerned about mankind's intrusion into forests and jungles?

Yes and no. I do think some conservation is necessary and not for the usual reasons. I believe that God wants us to be good stewards of what He has given that including nature, forests, jungles, whatever. However, I do not agree with making land or environmental issues more important than people.

2. All great change in America begins at the dinner table. 
What is the biggest change that you've seen in your lifetime with the U.S?

Personal computers and the internet. When I was in high school we were allowed to take a "computer applications" course as an elective. We each needed a specific boot disk to start the computer. The internet was unheard of - not it's almost unheard of not to have one (or more) computers in your home or not be on the internet in some way, shape or form. I would say the second is the use of cell phones and how prevalent they have become as well. Technology continues to grow by leaps and bounds.

3. All the waste in a year from a nuclear power plant can be stored under a desk. 
Do you feel nuclear power is still the fuel of our future?

I honestly don't know enough about the topic to comment. 

4. But there are advantages to being elected President. The day after I was elected, I had my high school grades classified Top Secret. 
How did you do academically in high school?

I did well. Learning was easy for me. Although I didn't challenge myself as much as I could have. I did enough to earn the credits I needed to graduate, but I did take a lot of electives and a few honors classes. 

5. Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty. 
How closely have you followed the uprising in Egypt? Thoughts?

Not very closely, but I don't follow the news often as it is since we no longer have broadcast TV. I will say that we passed a church sign the other day that referenced Isaiah 19:1-4...

¹ A prophecy against Egypt:

   See, the LORD rides on a swift cloud 

   and is coming to Egypt. 

The idols of Egypt tremble before him, 

   and the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear.

 ² “I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian— 

   brother will fight against brother, 

   neighbor against neighbor, 

   city against city, 

   kingdom against kingdom. 

³ The Egyptians will lose heart, 

   and I will bring their plans to nothing; 

they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, 

   the mediums and the spiritists. 

⁴ I will hand the Egyptians over 

   to the power of a cruel master, 

and a fierce king will rule over them,” 

   declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.

6. Democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. 
Do you feel a political system is worth dying for?

This is a tough answer. I would say yes and no. Yes, I would die for democracy and I thank all the service men and women who ever have and ever will do that for the citizens of this great nation. However, I don't think other systems would be worth dying for. If that makes sense.

7. Don't be afraid to see what you see. 
What do you see that scares you?

My children growing up so very, very fast.

8. Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we've ever known. 
Tell us about an advance that you think we will see in our lifetimes that is not in existence.

Wow! Really? I have no idea. I'd love to say the cure for cancer or diabetes or other chronic illnesses, but sadly I think they are all too much of a money maker for too many people to ever see that happen. I honestly have no idea what will occur in my lifetime.

9. Facts are stubborn things. 
What is something that most think of as a fact that does not ring true to you?

There is no right or wrong - it's only what's "right for you." There is a right and wrong and we all know what that should be. Saying it's okay for someone else doesn't make it so.

10. Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged. 
What do you think of politicians that use religion as justification of their beliefs?

I was always taught never to speak about politics or religion and certainly never in the same sentence! However, I will end with this...true belief in God needs no justification.

Wednesday Wickedness - Mark Twain

I haven't done this one in a bit, but I thought I'd try it today. It's fun - as always. Today's questions are based on quotes from Mark Twain.

1. A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval. 
Do you let yourself off the hook easily?

It depends. I typically don't beat myself up over mistakes, but I will sometimes think about what I should have said or done for days after.

2. A man is never more truthful than when he acknowledges himself a liar.
Do you think everyone lies?
Yup. Even if they don't admit it. Small "white lies" are still lies. The only person I know of who never lied is Jesus. Hard to live up to that.

3. A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way. 
What was the last thing that you had to learn the hard way?

Yikes. Really? Um....let's see. I'd like to think I'm too old to have to learn the hard way. Ummm...I'm sure there is something and if I asked my hubby I'm sure he'd be able to tell me immediately what it was, but I can't think of something off the top of my head.

4. A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read. 
What types of things do you read?

Oh gosh - everything! I read the paper. Magazines. And books. I love books! LOVE books! I have lots and and constantly have a book going. Although I do prefer fiction over non-fiction. I have a hard time getting through non-fiction most of the time.

5. A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds. 
Have you ever thought about something that did not exist and later it was invented?

First, let me just say that I love this quote! LOL No, I have never thought of something and later had it invented. I have wished I had invented something! LOL

6. Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often. 
How well do you think that you observe people?
Overall pretty well. I sometimes appear oblivious (and sometimes I am) but something will strike me later. 

7. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand. 
Have you ever used humor to diffuse a difficult situation?
I am a mother of three boys. Absolutely!

8. Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. 
How important is your age to you? Do you ever lie about it or refuse to reveal it?

I believe that you are only as old as you believe yourself to be. That means I'm only about 25. Okay...okay...importance of age. It would depend on the situation. My age? No, not important. I do sometimes jokingly lie about my age or refuse to reveal, but I'm not shy about telling people. Oh wait? Is this where I'm suppose to tell you how old I am? Ummm....well..........(I'm 39...shhhhhhhhhhh!)

9. All you need is ignorance and confidence and the success is sure. 
How important do you think confidence is? Are you confident?

Confidence is something that comes with age I think so yes, I am far more confident today than I ever was at 18 or 25 or even 30. As to its importance, I think it depends on the situation, but yes, confidence is definitely something to be cultivated.

10. Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. 
Do you do everything you should to be healthy?

Again - love this quote! No, but it's something I've been working on for the last few months. This is my year to get in shape. I've shared my goals and struggles in my Hot 100 posts.

Wednesday Wickedness - George Steinbrenner

 (I'm probably going to get some tomatoes thrown at me for this since I live in Red Sox territory but I'm going for it. I like to live on the edge.....)

1. "But why shouldn't I speak out? Don't you speak out in this country?" Do you speak out as often as you should? Unfortunately no. A lot of time I hold in what I'd like to say and then kick myself for doing it. Although, the older I get the less I do that.

2. "I am tough. Sometimes I'm unreasonable. I have to catch myself every once in a while." Are you ever tough and unreasonable? I don't think so but my kids and hubby may disagree with that.

3. "I haven't always done a good job, and I haven't always been successful - but I know that I have tried." Do you believe that sometimes you learn more from a failure than a success? Absolutely! Just look at any child learning to walk. How many times do they fall first? I think failure is the best teacher out there. Ask any inventor.

4. "Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing. Breathing first, winning next." Do you feel that you always have to win? No, but I'd be lying if I didn't say it was fun!

5. "It is unbelievable to me that the highest-paid team in baseball would start the season in such a deep funk.” Do you think money always buys greatness? Nope. Not even close. Money is the root of all evil remember? Greatness is completely character-driven. And money can't buy that either.

6. "I take my last phone call at home at about 11pm." What time is too late to call you? If it's a weeknight, 10pm, but hubby is annoyed at calls after 9pm. If it's the weekend, probably 11pm. I never call after 9pm and usually 8pm unless I know the person really well or it's extremely important. 

7. "Don't talk to me about aesthetics or tradition. Talk to me about what sells and what's good right now." Do you think tradition matters? In a lot of things, yes. I know that my kids have a sense of self and safety based on the traditions we've established in our family. 

8. "And what the American people like is to think the underdog still has a chance." Do you tend to root for the underdog? Of course! It's always great to see the underdog win.

9. "I don't think I ever could exceed my father's successes. He was a completely satisfied man, he knew what he wanted to accomplish and he accomplished it. I did do a lot, though, to try to please him." Do you ever feel that you want to exceed your parents successes? Definitely. I think that is the definition of success in many ways. While I feel my parents did the best for me that they could, I do want to exceed that for myself and my own family.

10. "I'm really 95 percent Mr. Rogers, and only 5 percent Oscar the Grouch."In terms of cartoon characters, who are you like? Ugh. I hate these type of questions. Really. I do. Hmmmm....I'm probably most like....um......either Eeyore or Piglet I think. Eeyore at times because I can get really pessimistic about life and Piglet because sometimes I let my fears rule me.

 


Head on over to Wednesday Wickedness if you want to play along.

Wednesday Wickedness - Lady Gaga

I keep forgetting to participate in Wednesday Wickedness. Thankfully (???) I remembered today. Lady Gaga though? Really? I think she can sing, but wow, is she strange! Well, let's give this a go.

1. "Peace. it does not mean to be in a place where there is no trouble, noise, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart." Do you keep your cool no matter what is going on around you?  More often than not, no. I don't do well with the midst of chaos or crowds. Just ask hubby. Better yet, don't ask. I'm sure he could give you all kinds of examples.

2. "Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you're wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn't love you anymore." Do you feel that career should be more important than your love life? Nope. Your career isn't going to last forever no matter how good it is or how good you are. Your love life - especially if it is with your life partner - will last forever. It's better to work on your relationships at home than it is on anything else outside the home.

3. "You have to be unique, and different, and shine in your own way." In what way(s) do you feel that you are unique? I should share photos of my "style" from high school. I always wanted to be slightly different and unique from everyone else. And I just have to say, if this is Lady Gaga's philosophy she's nailed it! However, back to me. Since this is my blog. Unique...now a days I don't feel all that unique but I love myself all the same.

4. "I want women -- and men -- to feel empowered by a deeper and more psychotic part of themselves. The part they're always trying desperately to hide. I want that to become something that they cherish." Do you feel that there is a part of you that you need to hide from most people? Of course. Doesn't everyone? Seriously. I feel that there is a part of everyone that they hold back. Just a little. Maybe it's because we don't want to be totally vulnerable to everyone we know. 

5. "Love is like a brick. You can build a house, or you can sink a dead body."Have you ever held on to a relationship even though you truly knew it was already over? When I was younger. I may share that story some day. It was before I met my hubby. I've also had a friendship once that was not good and held on to it for far too long. 

6. "Sometimes in life you don't always feel like a winner, but that doesn't mean you're not a winner, you want to be like yourself." Would your friends say that you are a winner in this game of life? I would hope so.

7. "A glamorous life is quite different to a life of luxury. I don’t need luxury. For years, I was practically broke but I was still very vain and glamorous. And I still am." Can you tell us about a time when you were broke and yet still happy? Um, today? Seriously. My hubby & I were married while we were still in college. It is not something I would recommend for the faint of heart. We were still getting to know each other. Our first semester back as a married couple my hubby was taking 21 credit hours in the engineering program. Needless to say that didn't leave much room for a job. That meant I was taking 15 credit hours plus working 30+ hours a week to support us. We weren't happy & it was hard. However, those hard times helped shape us. It took a lot of years for us not to feel that broke and we definitely had some happy times over the years.

8. "I’m single right now and I’ve chosen to be single because I don’t have the time to get to know anybody. So it’s okay not to have sex, it’s okay to get to know people. I’m celibate. Celibacy’s fine." Do you think staying celibate between relationships important? I think staying celibate until you are married - in a life long relationship - is very important.

9. "Fight and push harder for what you believe in, you'd be surprised, you are much stronger than you think." Tell us about an incident where you were stronger than you thought you were. Every single time I gave birth.

10. "I lie in bed and try to pray and breathe. I have a very overactive mind. I’m the sort of person who’d never take medication to calm myself. It’s maddening. But I love what comes out." Do you feel that you always have the ability to calm yourself? Yes, music always works. Caffeine helps funnily enough. Chocolate is a given right?

Want to play along? Head over to....

Wednesday Wickedness - Frank Sinatra

I was invited to try out this meme since The Random Dozen is on hiatus. It's similar in nature to The Random Dozen but it uses quotes from a famous person to get to the questions. Interesting concept I think!

Today we picked Frank Sinatra. Here's Wednesday Wickedness!

1. “I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.” How often do you drink alcohol?  

->Pretty much never. I may have something once a year but generally I don't drink.

2. “The best revenge is massive success.” Have you ever gloated or wanted to over success?

-> Absolutely. Hasn't everyone?

3. “You gotta love livin', baby, 'cause dyin' is a pain in the [butt].” What do enjoy most about your life?

-> My family. My husband. Most days - I love my life and all I have. I've truly been blessed beyond what I deserve.

4. “I'm not one of those complicated, mixed-up cats. I'm not looking for the secret to life.... I just go on from day to day, taking what comes.” Do you ever overthink a situation in your life?

-> Sometimes, but I typically am a "fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants" kind of gal and "it's-what-I-feel-is-best" too. Drives my engineering hubby bonkers.

5. “I would like to be remembered as a man who had a wonderful time living life, a man who had good friends, fine family - and I don't think I could ask for anything more than that, actually.” Tell us about your best friend.

-> I have two. My older sister. She is five years older and growing up she was a typical older sister. In her defense she wasn't all that crazy about having to take care of her two younger sisters - which she had to do a lot. Fast forward a lot of years. She moved out of state and went to college. Came home (some details intentionally being left vague) but over the course of time we realized we actually did like each other and had a lot in common. Now we rarely go a day or two without talking - unless she's working. 

My other great friend is someone I met about 7-8 years ago while scrapbooking. I used to host monthly "crops" at my church and she came with another friend. We sat next to each other and started talking. We clicked. We both homeschooled. Over the years we really hit it off. 

Now the three of us continue to get together monthly. Email a lot. Talk and always have a good time together.

6. “I like intelligent women. When you go out, it shouldn't be a staring contest.” How important is intelligence when picking (or having picked) a s/o to you? 

-> I married an engineer......;-)

7. “I drink to the confusion of our enemies.” What's the closest situation that you've had to dealing with an enemy?

-> Honestly. I can't think of anything huge. I've had tiffs and arguments and been really annoyed with people - but I've never had a true "enemy." At least if I have, I've been too clueless to realize it.

8. “Orange is the happiest color.” What's your favorite color?

-> Um, guess. And I had this font color picked out before I realized this question.

9. “Dare to wear the foolish clown face.” Are you ever a clown?

-> On occasion. I like to make people laugh. 

10. “Don't get even, get mad.” Have you ever tried getting even?

-> Not typically. Getting mad works better for me.