Ten on Tuesday (Take Nine)

Welcome back, friends! The play was a smashing success, despite some bumps in the road (one cast member ended up in the E.R., I lost my voice for a day, and we had to fight tooth and nail to get the A/C turned on in the performance hall despite temps of 90 degrees...). It was incredible amounts of fun, and I'll post pictures soon. For now, I'm fighting off a gluten-attack, so all I can muster is a simple "Ten on Tuesday."

Again, courtesy of Roots & Rings.

1.  What book, movie or song has made you want to travel to a particular place?
I've always been intrigued by Italy after reading The Agony and the Ecstasy. Yes, I know Michelangelo no longer lives there, but still... Steinbeck's East of Eden made me curious about California's Salinas Valley, which I'd still love to visit. When Daryl starts getting homesick he listens to Randy Newman's "I Love L.A.," which makes me long for the palm-tree-strewn streets of SoCal. As a grade schooler I was proud to live in Wisconsin because of Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Little House in the Big Woods. I rarely don't fall in love with places I read about.

2. Aside from your significant other, who would you want to take with you on a dream trip?
I have very, very fond memories of traveling through England with my friend Sharece. She was a great travel partner - laid-back, funny, up for anything, and was equally happy chatting and journaling. I love traveling with people who aren't afraid of asking odd questions or making special requests. When we got stranded because the trains in England are, well, unreliable would be a kind way of describing it, she just shrugged and we went to a pub and drank copious amounts of tea and ate fish and chips and laughed about England's England-ness. When we got stranded in another train station, Sharece grabbed a station attendant and sweet-talked her way into a free 2-person sleeping car complete with tea and breakfast. And when we (eventually) made it home, we had a great story to tell.

I love traveling with my parents and sisters, too, and I've had some great trips with Daryl's former DSG (Discipleship Small Group) guys Chris and Steven and Chris's wife Stephanie. We make a fun fivesome, and enjoy equal parts heavy conversation (our last big conversation topic was baptism - infant or adult or both? - and we went at it for hours), laughter, and cooking great food.

3. Where would said dream trip be to?
Is it wrong that what bothers me most about this question is that it ends the question with a preposition? Ugh. What times these are in which we live! I gave my students a mini-lecture the other day about not ending sentences with a preposition and I got 29 blank stares. One student actually knew what I was talking about, and even listed off about 30 prepositions for the class. I don't know who her high school English teacher was, but he/she deserves a medal. And a raise.

The place to which I would travel would probably be Europe. I haven't been back since 2004 and I miss all of the cathedrals and museums and amazing food and cafés. I'd love to take Daryl to Germany and Austria (he's never been and he's been learning German for years), to travel back to Britain or France, or to explore new places I haven't visited like Italy and Spain.

4. If you were hosting guests or providing tips, what three things would you show visitors to your hometown? (be it where you live now or where you grew up)
In Princeton the three best things to see are 1) Grounds for Sculpture (an outdoor sculpture garden/museum in Hamilton, NJ), 2) Einstein's house (sadly, you can't go in it - it's always occupied with a professor + family because the University uses it to lure in new faculty), and 3) Nassau Street. On Nassau you have the glorious Thomas Sweet's (ice cream! mmm...), the Bent Spoon (amazing gelato for all you non-gf-ers), and Halo Pub (locally made ice cream! mmm...). Can you see that my life has a theme? It's a good thing I'm not allergic to dairy, too...

5. If you had a long weekend ahead of you, where you head – beach, city or country/mountains?
I'm currently at the tail end of a nasty gluten-attack (it's poison! pooooiiiissssoooonnn!!!!), so all I can think of right now is going to sleep. And then maybe waking up and eating some fruit. Then, more sleep.

6. Do you have a passport? If so, did you get it for a particular trip or just to have, in case?
I do indeed. I first got a passport when I was in junior high and our family traveled to Europe (yes, it was awesome, and yes, that makes me sound a little bit hoity-toity, but do remember that the dollar was really strong back then, so all of Europe was pretty much a half-off sale). I had blonde hair down to the middle of my back and a silly pink sweater from Old Navy on in the photo. I was pretty happy when it expired and I had to get a new one.

7. Are there any travel souvenirs you collect? If not, is there something else you collect?
No, I'm not really a collector. I have lots of great novels, but I usually don't have them for long  because I give them away to people who I know would love them. I sent my mom home this weekend with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. If I didn't like the book, I won't pass it on.

Example: I just read the highly rated novel The Elegance of the Hedgehog. It had potential, and occasionally brilliant moments, but on the whole it was really fussy. I don't like fussy books. You don't have to impress me by constantly proving to me how smart you are and how many words you know - just tell a brilliant story.

8. If you could name a paint color, what color would it be and what would you call it?
It would be a soft gray and I would call it "Eliot Kitty Whiskers."

Ask a silly question, get a silly answer.

9. If you were heading away for a weekend break solo, where would you go? (forget about practicality here and flight times, assume you can get to any city in the world for the weekend)
I would love to go somewhere with a sandy beach and that ridiculous teal-aqua-turquoise colored water to nap, read, and drink cherry cokes with those little umbrellas. This is my finals-week self talking. Ask me again when I'm rested and my answer will be more adventurous.

10. Is there a song or a smell or something that you strongly associate with a particular holiday/place/time, such that it always takes you back?
The Jars of Clay song "Liquid" always reminds me of the beginning of high school (specifically sitting in a car with my friends Amy and Jeff on the way to some youth group activity in the late spring).

The smell of certain soap reminds me of Honey Rock Camp, since they use that to wipe down the tables in the dining hall.

The smell of Gillette shaving cream reminds me of Daryl. Sometimes when I really miss him, I'll use that to shave my legs so that I smell like him all day.

The taste of maple syrup (the real stuff!) reminds me of boiling sap at my friend Tonia's family's home in Wisconsin. The air gets so sugary you can practically eat it. It's amazing.