...and I'm just catching up with the memes...

First, last week's Friday Five...

1) What's your favorite sport (to watch or participate in)? How often do you play it/watch it? Do you take part in any competitions in this sport, and how important is this sport to you?

Baseball and hockey. Hands down those are the favorites to watch – I don’t participate in any sports anymore. It used to be rugby, but it’s hard to catch a decent rugby game on television without waking up at 3 in the morning to do it.

But baseball… I watch baseball rather irregularly in the last two years – it’s been when the spirit moves me, but I expect this year I’ll be watching a lot more, especially as A starts her grade school baseball career.

2) Do you feel that your favorite sport has a lot of positive influences/rewards? Are there any negative ones? Were you encouraged to become active in athletics as a child?

Well, considering the big scandal out there with steroids, (or should I call them “performance enhancers”) there doesn’t seem to be a lot of positive things in baseball anymore.

And no, I wasn’t encouraged to be active in sports (at least not by my family) because everyone was afraid that I would hurt myself.

3) Do you have an idol, a symbol, and/or a motto that helps you through rough times when you are competing in this sport? Or, when you are working out/exercising, do you have a method of keeping your emotions high in order to motivate yourself? (Could be music, reading a book while working out, setting goals for yourself, etc.)

Nope. I don’t have any of that other than the end goal of knowing that exercise is good for me, and I will be better for it.

4) Which "extreme" sport would you like to try (or would have already tried) if you weren't afraid of doing it?

Is there extreme stitching? I’d participate in *that*. Nothing else really moves me. Of course there is that new show, Craft Corner Deathmatch. This is NOT a joke people, the show really exists on the Style Network. So, maybe extreme stitching will exist. I can just see it now...

I bet I can Koster block faster than you!
Oh yeah? Well, let's see if your double wrapped hemstitch can hold a candle to mine...

5) Do you get caught up in "March Madness" (i.e., the NCAA basketball tournament)? Which team(s) do you like? Are you a basketball fan? Will you enter any tournament pools? Who do you predict will win?

Eh. Hate basketball.

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...and the latest Friday Five...

1) How is your master bedroom decorated? (Tell us about the wall color, your bedding, wall hangings, what type of furniture you have, etc.) How did you decide on your bedroom decor? (Feel free to share a photo with us if you'd like.)

My master bedroom is pretty sparse. White walls, extra large room, blonde oak/maple furniture. The only thing that doesn't match the rest of that is the headboard of the bed (it's cheap, from when I was living by myself, post college). We just sort of threw the room together piece by piece over time.

2) What size bed do you have? Is it a waterbed or a regular bed? Do you prefer lots and lots of pillows, or do you have just a few? What's lurking underneath your bed? Do you have anything at the foot of your bed?

Would you believe we have a full size bed for two people? We're relatively thin people, and we like to snuggle. It does get a little trying when we're both tossing and turning (or if one of us is), and if someone rolls into the middle, you might be hanging off the edge hoping you don't fall off the bed. We are planning to upgrade to a queen size eventually.

We don't do the lots and lots of pillows thing. I like a good sturdy pillow that's supportive, but the whole decorative pillow thing just doesn't work for us.

Under the bed? Dust. Foot of the bed? Laundry basket.

3) Do you normally fall asleep quickly, or does it take you a while? Do you like to fall asleep to some kind of background noise, or do you prefer an absolutely quiet room? How did you sleep last night? Do you prefer a completely dark room or some kind of nightlight?

This one depends. If I'm tired enough, like last night, I'll fall asleep within seconds of hitting the pillow. I like a dark room, and sometimes the radio on. Last night? I slept GREAT!

4) Do you have any pets who sleep with you? Do you find that you move around a lot during the night, or do you tend to sleep in the same spot? Do you have a preferred position for sleeping (i.e., on your stomach, on your left side, on your back)?

Sasha doesn't sleep in the room with us anymore. No pets other than the dust bunnies under the bed. As for sleeping, well, it depends. I like sleeping curled up on my side, but I've been known to move around a lot or not move at all. I think it depends on what my subconscious is doing at the time.

5) Would you say that your bedroom closet, dresser, etc. are organized? Do you fold/hang up your clothes in any certain order/system? Do you have anything other than clothes and shoes in your bedroom closet? (Feel free to snap a picture if you'd like!)

My closet's a mess. Nuff said.

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And then there's the Sunday Brunch...

"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." -Harry Vaughan

1) What is your favorite kitchen appliance?

Hey, didn't I answer this in another Friday Forum a little while ago? Well, yes, I did, in Question 5. I LOVE my Kitchen-Aid mixer. But if I had a toaster oven, I think I'd love that more.

2) What kind of cookware do you have?

I have mostly Revere-Ware (copper bottomed) and a few select pieces of Caphalon. I love my Caphalon.

3) What color are your countertops and cabinets?

Cabinets are blond maple, counters are Corian... Aurora was the color if I'm not mistaken on the name.

4) Name one kitchen appliance or gadget that you wish you had.

Ah, I did that. In question 1. A Toaster Oven. What I wouldn't give for a toaster oven...

5) Describe your dream kitchen.

I already own it. Go back and read question 5 from this blog entry and you'll get a slight idea of my kitchen. Heck, go read the whole blog entry, as it was a good one.

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That's it for today. Have a wonderful weekend, and I hope the weather is pretty enough to go outside and enjoy it.