...at least for me it is. It's Memorial Day Weekend, and I've taken the day off so that DH and I can go see Revenge of the Sith. I. Can't. Wait.

Anyway, here's the Friday Forum. Oh wait before you go - a couple of people have mentioned that they skip over the memes when they read my blog, but I wanted to address that before I post this meme...

Memes are a good way of asking someone questions and getting to know them through their answers. Sometimes my answers are short, sometimes they're books in progress. But in any case, they are a way to get to know me in a different sort of way. It may not be a topic that I think up for myself, but it digs into my preferences, experiences, and insights in a different sort of way.

Still, however, it's a meme. So I'm going to try to be a little more verbose in my memes (yes, I can hear the groans now) so that you have a little more detail instead of a quick yes or no, or single sentence answer.

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1) What is your earliest childhood memory? (If you can't think of one, tell us a story about something funny or crazy you did as a child!)

My earliest childhood memory has to do with a certain big black German Shepherd named Tobo. I was sitting in the front yard, giggling because he was so big and warm and fuzzy, just like a big stuffed animal. I had to be younger than 3 at the time, because that's when my parents gave Tobo away (for reasons that really aren't 100% clear to me even now). Anyway, it was spring, probably because it was warm outside, but not hot, and everything smelled fresh as if it were still growing, and not that worn out heated smell that things get after being in the sun for so long.

After my parents gave away Tobo, I never had another dog again, until Lucas (the Siberian Husky DH owned) sort of adopted me, and after Lucas was gone, we adopted Sasha. Love my doggie, and no, we didn't get her just because she was a German Shepherd - of course, she's nowhere as big as Tobo was, but remember, I was very small when I knew him, and everything's bigger than life when you're little.

2) Would you say that you have a good memory (or even perhaps a photographic one)? Do you tend to remember people's names and faces easily? Are you good at remembering facts, dates, etc.?

I would say that I have an excellent memory, excellent. I remember things from way way back. Obscure things. But sometimes I have issues with putting names and faces together. Names and phone numbers or names and email addresses? No problem whatsoever.

It used to be that I had the perfect student memory - I could read something once, form my opinion and file it away for future reference. Studying for finals? That was a cinch because I could remember things from months prior. This was a very handy skill when you have 5 honors classes, and 2 of those are AP classes. I think, however, all of that fried my brain before and during college, because I can't remember a darn thing I learned in high school. Or at least, I can't remember anything useful like Algebra (which A is starting to learn an elementary version of in third grade).

3) Memorial Day weekend is often considered the "kickoff" to summer. What are some of your best summer memories? Is there a particular summer that was the most special or memorable for you?

All my summers were usually spent reading, or doing things on my grandmother's farm. I think the best summer I had was the one where I had a part time job, and I used the funds on Fridays to go to the movies and hide in the movie theatre. It was a nice escape from the hosue, even though I was still staying inside all the time.

Oh, there was the summer that I lived with 3 other good friends between junior and senior year in college. I think that's got to be the best summer ever. We worked, we had fun, we cooked. It was fantastic.

4) Do you do anything to preserve your memories, such as taking lots of pictures, scrapbooking, journaling, etc.? If so, what ~ and how long have you been doing it?

I used to write a journal, longhand, for a couple of years. It mostly contains the chronology of the beginning of my relationship with DH among other things. Otherwise, I've never really been a chronicler of things, except for this blog. I have all the things I would want to put in scrapbooks for A & B, but I've just not gotten around to it yet. I really hope I do, because I'd like them to have these things when they get older.

5) Will you be remembering anyone special this Memorial Day?

Since I don't have any family members who were in the military service, or died as a result of it, I don't have anyone that I will personally remember on Memorial Day. But I will be thinking the best of thoughts for the college friend that I know is in Afghanistan, and for anyone else who has given their life in pursuit of liberty and peace for their country.

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Now that I've yakked your ears off about me, it's time to take a nice long rest. I'll see you on Tuesday because I'm taking Memorial Day off from blogging. Have a great weekend everyone!