The Wizard of All Hodgepodges

The Hodgepodge will get your blood pressure up and start you longing for home ... or flying monkeys.  Now you know you want to join in, don't you?

1. May is National Blood Pressure Month...what sends yours soaring, either literally or figuratively? What calms you down? When did you last have your bp checked?
Sometimes my blood pressure goes up just contemplating the Hodgepodge questions.

2. You just found $1-what do you spend it on? How about 10$ 100?
Whatever I found would probably go towards groceries. Four teenage boys in the house means we never have leftovers and we're always out of something. I finally had to restrict the boys to eating only four eggs a day. Each. They also eat all the cheese, and are continually reminding me that we're out of cereal. They've also gone through countless bottles of barbeque sauce. I haven't asked if they're eating all that together.

I don't want to know.

3. Mandatory labeling of genetically engineered (GE) food has been proposed, but not enacted in the US. How much attention do you give food labels before you buy? Are you in favor of labeling if it means an increase in food prices? Is this an issue you've been following and feel strongly about, or is this the first you've heard of the controversy?
If you read my last answer, you can probably guess that I don't want anything that raises the price of food. If it hasn't killed us by now, we're probably immune to it.

4. May 15th marks the birthdate of Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz. At this point in time, are you more in need of brains, courage, heart, or a trip back home? Explain.
I'm already home, but sometimes it takes all three (and more than I've got) to crawl out from under the covers in the morning.

5. "There's no place like home" is an oft repeated line from Baum's book. When was the last time you felt the truth of that statement?
Probably the last time I put on a pair of red shoes. Another story (along with Cinderella) which proves that a great pair of shoes can change your life.

6.  Steak...yes please or no thank you? What cut do you prefer and how do you like yours cooked? Sauce or no sauce? Besides your own kitchen, where's a place you like to go to get a great steak? 
I can't get a great steak in my own kitchen since my cooking skills can be summed up in one word:  mediocrity.

7. When was the last time you were in a genuine hurry?
Probably the last time I was trying to get my Hodgepodge answers linked up so that I didn't end up being the last one on the list.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
This week I was thinking of several different things I wanted to blog about--thinking about it and doing it are obviously two separate issues--but none of those thoughts were worth a whole blog post. Then it hit me! These are random thoughts! I could have an answer to #8 for a month or more! Of course, now I can't remember any of them.

On a more serious note, many of you have asked about a date for Stephanie's wedding. I'm not ignoring you, but I can't mention the date until after the fact. If you've read the post on her story, you probably realize that there are people from her past that she doesn't want involved in her future. For that reason, I won't be giving specifics until after the fact. 

There are two things you can be sure of: she will be married by the end of summer, and I will tell you more than you could possibly want to know after that.