Random Dozen

So here we are again with another Random Dozen.

1. I've always wondered why we were taught both printing and cursive. Do you prefer to print or write cursive? (Keyboard is not a choice.)

I will print when I'm filling out a form, but other than that I write cursive. I can make my cursive nice if I focus on it, but I usually don't. It's still readable. And I make my kids do cursive in their schoolwork. If they learned it, they're going to use it for pete's sake! (Except for Algebra, of course.)

2. Are you a dreamer or a realist?

I am a dreamer somewhat (I think I have to be as a fiction writer), but I'm also a realist. But hey, a lot of times if you put feet to your dreams, they can become reality.

3. Billy Joel or Elton John?

I've heard of them both and I'm sure I've heard some songs from both of them, but I wouldn't be able to identify them. Didn't Elton John write some of the music for The Lion King, and Billy Joel wrote some songs for Oliver and Company? Yeah, I liked Toy Story.

4. What is the scariest movie you've ever seen? Not just horror flicks but also ones where the tension or suspense is killer, for example, Flightplan (2005): A bereaved woman and her daughter are flying home from Berlin to America. At 30,000 feet the child vanishes and nobody admits she was ever on that plan.

I do not do horror. At all. Period. Never. But I do like suspense. Unfortunately, sometimes suspense crosses over into horror. I hate when that happens. Once I wanted to watch a movie (I don't remember the name of it) where a bunch of people were stranded at a small, dumpy motel, and then they start disappearing one by one. My husband didn't think it was a good idea, but I rented it anyway. When the first person disappeared, they found her head rolling around in a dryer. That's when I started to agree with my husband. I guess the scariest movie I can think of from this decade is probably Signs with Mel Gibson. Aliens freak me out.

5. Now what is the scariest real-life moment you've had?

Uganda, December of 2002. Terrorists who blew up a hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, on Thanksgiving Day ended up trickling into our little town on the border. My husband reported them and then we were told we needed to get out because the terrorists would be seeking revenge. The last night there my husband patrolled our compound all night, and among other things, some men tried to push in our gate. My husband backed our vehicle up against the gate and prayed for safety. I was inside, packing whatever I could fit into suitcases. I would pack a little and then throw up. Then I'd pack some more and cry and throw up. I don't do fear very well.

6. What word do you misspell without fail?

For the most part I am imminently cognizant of the spelling parameters (and I love big words), but I did have a lot of trouble with obsolescence until I figured out there were two s's and two c's. And the s's come first.

7. Name something you like to do but are not really talented or good at?

I like decorating and scrapbooking, but I'm severely limited in talent in both areas. I can copy other people's ideas, but I rarely come up with my own.

8. Do you get your emotional/mental batteries recharged by being around people or by having alone time?

It depends on why my batteries need recharging. And then sometimes I don't even know what I need in order to recharge. For instance, I may feel like being alone, but I end up with other people instead. Then when I head home I realize I got the recharging I thought I would get by being alone.

9. Have you ever been on TV?

Not since they canceled my sitcom. I'll only go for the big screen now.

10. Apple or pumpkin pie? (Don't be greedy.)

Definitely apple. But if there's something chocolate offered, that's what I go for first.

11. How many magazine subscriptions do you have?

I subscribe to Writer's Digest. In the past I've had subscriptions to Reader's Digest and Good Housekeeping, but I'm cutting back.

12. What lesson do you have to keep re-learning?

On the spiritual side I keep learning that God is in control and He's doing a good job at it even when I don't understand things. On the physical side I have to keep learning that, no matter how much time I think I have, I actually have less.

If you want to read other answers on random dozen, click the button at the top of my post to go to 2nd Cup of Coffee.