If you believe in Heaven, what do you think it will be like?

Joanne's FAVORITE answer:
I hope there is a heaven and I have no clue what it might be like. IF I get to go there, I hope they have canolis. And fast internet access.

Joanne's answer:
I think I believe in some sort of heaven, but damned if I have any idea what it would be like (pun intended!). Lots of angels running around playing the harp, I guess? No but seriously, I guess I expect that we will be reunited with loved ones who have died and I think that maybe, at all times, we will feel that feeling that you feel when you know someone loves you so much and you love them back just as much.

And the other answers!

Two words: OFFICE. MAX.

No Liberals.

Yes, I believe in an afterlife (Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory), but I also don't believe any man, woman, or child will know what the afore mentioned arenas are like until we get there. Hope to see you before we get there. LOL

It is more beautiful than any of us can imagine

I definitely believe in heaven and I think it is going to be awesome! It has to be because I need something to make up for the difficulty level of this life! I certainly don't believe in the whole 'we'll all be angels floating on fluffy white clouds and playing harps' thing. I think we'll be who we are and like what we like and we will get to be with our family and friends and, who knows, there might even be work for us to do there like here, but it has got to be better! In so many ways!

Whatever anyone imagines is the best thing in the world is what it will be like. It would be different for me as it would be for you.

Angel Stadium in October of 2002... ah, the glory days...

I do believe in heaven. However, I’m clearly not headed there. I do have big plans for how I’ll set up the (far) south wing of hell though… My suite is going to be pimped out, AC and all!! Most of my friends will be my neighbors. We’re tight with Satan.

5 Patriots Superbowl victories in a row!

I do believe in heaven - or at least another dimension. I can't even think what it might be like except that I expect to see those who have gone before me. And that I will see everything that goes on here in this dimension. The closest I can come to telling you want I think it will be like, is to have you watch the movie "What Dreams May Come" with Robin Williams. Someone else must have my idea of "the after-life" to come up with that movie.

First of all if there was a heaven; I would always be at my ideal weight. I would always have an endless supply of champagne, fried chicken and lemon tart. Other than that a girl could get by with some winged cabana boys and call it a day.

On a sail boat in Hawaii.

I do not believe in a "heaven" per se.

What would you try if you had no fear?

Joanne's FAVORITE answer:
Surfing! Screw you, sharks!

Joanne's answer:
I would go horseback riding! I've always wanted to do it, but the knowledge that I'm bound to fall off at some point is too scary.

And the other answers!

If I had no fear? This is an easy one - EVERYTHING!

My grandmother's cooking if she was still around to make it.

I would love to try parachuting - I have a huge fear of heights. I totally feel that would be the only way of getting rid of that fear---by jumping in to it!!!

Ummm, robbing a bank? Nah, I would climb Mount Everest!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttz5oPpF1Js . Enough said.

I would put the "no fear" sticker on the back of my truck.

If I had no fear I would invent a line of t-shirts called "No Fear" with cool designs that people would love! It would be awesome!

Asking out Milla Jovovich.

I tried SCUBA diving even though I'm claustraphobic and I had a GIANT panic attack ten feet underwater. I think I'm done testing my limits.

Hang gliding, a giant roller coaster, a very big ferris wheel - just about anything that took me very high with a quick fall without the hard, quick stop at the end.

Have a 2nd child???

Something from the air to the ground.

If by no fear you also mean no desire for income or a roof over my head, I would move to New York and try to have a career as a Broadway singer.

What's the worst gift you've ever received and ever given?

Joanne's FAVORITE answer:
Given - I once started dating a girl about a month before Christmas but due to her work schedule, we were only hanging out once a week. Not knowing her all that well, and not having spent all that much time together, I was stumped on what to get her for Christmas, if anything at all. One day wandering through the mall, I ran into a friend of hers that I only met once, and for only 10 or so minutes. Thankfully, she remembered me and I asked her what I should get her friend for Christmas. She told me that she liked frogs, anything frogs... So I went to a store and bought a collection of little porcelain frogs. What the hell do I know? I wrapped them up, got a card, and was quite proud of myself. I gave it to said girlfriend on Christmas Eve and she freaked out. Not only did she not like the present, but it turned out that she was somewhat deathly afraid of frogs. The friend had set me up. I told her that I ran into her friend and she told me to get them, the friend denied it, so I looked like the idiot. I think it goes without saying that we did not date for much longer after that.
Received - Anything from my sister. Ever.

Joanne's answer:
To be honest, I love getting gifts and just the fact that someone has gotten me something is very exciting in and of itself, and I really can't recall a time that I was markedly disappointed with any gift I've received. That being said, if I MUST pick something, the one thing that does come to mind is when I was in highschool, my boyfriend at the time (Scott) bought me (among other things) a t-shirt with an airbrushed picture of some cartoon character on it. The thing that made it a weird gift was that the character was from a show I totally didn't watch and had never talked about before (and basically, just had zero opinion about)...it just seemed like such a weird gift and didn't at all reflect my interests. Thumbs down on that one, Scott! And the worst gift I've ever given? I think that must be a set of cat PJ's that I bought for Rene for her bday one year. I thought this would be the most fabulous gift because she loves cats to a totally unhealthy degree...but as it turns out, she does not love PJs nor does she love any clothing with cats on it (due to her desire to hide her cat craziness, I guess!). She never once wore them. Ever. Damn her!

And the other answers:

I fancy myself a good gift giver. I am pretty certain I have never regifted anything! However, I always seem to get screwed over on those white elephant parties. Last year I got a $10 gift card to Blockbuster, and when I went to redeem it, there was nothing on it! So that really sucked, esp. since I had brought a nice gift to give! And movie rentals are now $5! No more of those parties for me!

The worst gift I ever got was from a Yankess swap, at a school Christmas party. I opened it and it was a Donald Duck Chia Pet. I turned around and gave it to Peter that same year as a gag gift. He then sold it to my dad to for 10 dollars and my dad wrapped it for our family yankee swap. However, charma came back to get my dad b/c he won it back in the Yankee swap! It did return the following year...my dad rewrapped it the next year for our Family Yankee swap. So...needless to say it was many people's worse gift! :-)

Worst received, a chair for my 15th birthday from my mom. (http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/comfortstore_2028_28774436). I don't give bad gifts.

If it came from the heart, then it can't be a bad gift, right? However, one year I told my husband I wanted flowers for Christmas. What does he come home with? A POINSETTA! In my mind, a poinsetta was certainly not a flower and didn't count. Needless to say I wasn't very excited about it and, of course, my husband was completely offended. We got into a huge argument about it, and it was many years (3-4!) before I got any flowers from him. Now we laugh about it anytime we see a poinsetta. I guess all women have a certain flower they dislike - kind of like Charlotte's disdain for carnations on Sex and the City.

The worst gift that I ever gave or received was nothing. I felt like I was telling the person that they meant so little to me that they weren't even worth a little bobble or trinket. I felt the same way with the receiving at times also. These days, I at least send a card.

Nothing comes directly to mind but I'm sure if I had hours to think about this I would come up with something. And I'm sure whatever it was, I turned around and "re-gifted" it as quickly as possible so that would answer the second part of the question.

Herpes

I had this boyfriend who was an A$$ - lets just get that out of the way. He was an avid golfer. I would often find his tournament prizes under the Christmas tree as MY presents.

This included but was not limited to: A purple velour golf sweater that was a mens XXL. A cheap gold putter even though I owned a $200 ping putter. And I won't get started on the used engagement ring he bought from a friend who's relationship ended for $50 bucks and tried to pass it off as an "antique". He is one of the many reason why I don't celebrate my birthday or ask for gifts of any kind for those uncelebrated birthdays and christmas.

I can’t say that I have ever received a bad enough gift to warrant mentioning on the QOTD. But, my husband has received some pretty bad ones from his brother. He once got a Mr. Potato head and a “Legends of Zelda” t-shirt. Those aren’t necessarily bad gifts – for a child. Too bad my husband was in his 20s. His brother also gave him this bendy magnet thing one year. It was actually a pretty cool gift. Too bad that they both got the same thing a year before…from their mom. Yup, his bro re-gifted. It was pretty bad considering that his family, including his mom, was there when he opened it. So, his brother offended my husband and his mom by re-gifting. A little piece of advice for those that want to re-gift…make sure you don’t re-gift to someone who would know that it was a re-gift. By the way, we no longer exchange gifts with my husband’s brother and his wife.

What do you miss most about your childhood?

Joanne's FAVORITE answer:
It's hard to pick just one thing I can think of so many things I miss. I miss eating whatever I wanted and gaining height to account for my weight. I miss my healthy body, knees, shoulders and elbows that never ached unless I had fallen off my bike. I think what I miss most are my childhood friends, hanging out at one of our houses, going to the mall, the movies, skating, swimming, and dreaming of being adults so that we can do what ever we want. And now that I am 45, I now realize what I miss most about my childhood is being able to do what ever I want.

Joanne's answer:
You mean I'm not still a child? Okay but seriously, I miss getting lots and lots of presents on my birthday! =)

And the other answers!

I miss my mom taking care of me when I'm sick! And, of course, I miss summers off from school!

My foreskin....and the ability to run around naked without being labeled as a social deviant.

Telling my mom I was sick and didn't want to go to school - when all I really wanted to do was eat cold pizza and watch The Price is Right. I would love to try that out on my students - "why didn't you teach today?" they would ask, I would say "bro - The the game show network is having a Price is Right marathon, I have some two day old Pizza Hut in the fridge; you really wanted me to prep and lecture with that option on the table?!?"

Innocence

Not having a care in the world. That and the 66 mustang I used to have.

What do I miss about childhood? All the things I hated about childhood when I was child! Not having any responsibilities, not having to make any important decisions, not getting to do "what I wanted to do" all of the time, having to take directions from my parents and other adults, and so on. All of the things that I really couldn't wait for as an adult are all of the things that are now relatively difficult about adulthood -- adults are rarely able to "do what we want to do" and we still take directions from other people, but now they are now our employers instead of our parents! Ah, childhood... that was the life!

Wow - I really don't miss much about my childhood. I liked playing puff, push-a-petal, olympic balance beam around Dad's bed, and the choreography and songs we used to do together. I liked sitting close by the fireplace at night. I liked Christmas. I think back very fondly on some things - but, I don't miss childhood one bit.

Being a child!!!

I miss the relationship I had with my sister. Nothing else. My childhood was a nightmare. Only Jesus and my sister made it bearable.

So many things - not having any real responsibilities is probably at the top of the list though. Also being able to spend time with my siblings every day. And being naturally skinny no matter what I ate!

My Grandparents. And...the innocence that goes along with childhood. It was a lot simpler when the toughest decision to make was - "Do I go play in the sandbox or jump in the pool?" Transitioning from childhood to teen years... That's an entire chapter all by itself!

The innocence of it all.

More than anything I miss being able to run with wild abandon. Now I have to worry about my knees, my back, my breath, keeping pace and looking stupid. I never worried about looking stupid when I was young. And I miss wonder woman.

Not worrying about things. Oh wait... I worried as a child too, but about less substantial issues.

Lack of responsibility

I still have my old diaries from grade school and when I read them I'm amazed at how much attention and analysis was devoted to my crushes. One in particular, which last for 4 years or so. I was so devoted to him, despite the fact that my love was totally unrequited. This seems like a weird thing to be nostalgic for...it was painful at the time. But I do wonder when I shifted from having obsessive crushes to having very little interest at all in anyone. I have thought that my life would be more fun with crushes, but somehow I just never seem to find any, which is why I often just want to go to work in sweats!

Free room and board!!! :)

i had so much more energy back then...playing and being a dork (much like today) just without the pep.....

Pissing the bed. It was so nice and warm for the first couple of minutes. Oh, and eating boogers.

Having an excuse for being immature.

Not having to worry about anything substantial. Then again, when we were kids, we thought they were pretty substantial, so the worry was probably the same. So....I'll have to go with, "Not having to pay bills, for $200, Joanne!"

Thinking George Lucas was cool.

I miss the lack of existential angst. Also soccer, playing outside, snow days, and living with my siblings.

Do you enjoy a good debate or do you prefer keeping the peace?

Joanne's FAVORITE answer:
A good disareeement is better than contemplating your navel any day.Talking with someone who agrees with all the time is the quickest way to learn nothing.

Joanne's answer:
Hmmmm, I guess it really depends. I do like hearing other people's opinions of things (with the possible exception of their opinion of the decisions I make in my life!) and I do tend to find it difficult to keep my own opinions to myself...but the term "debate" almost necessarily implies "conflict" and "an attempt to change the mind of others" and I'm not sure I love doing those things. Well, actually, who am I kidding? I love to debate! Rene and I spend hours debating the most inane things, from the pros and cons of generic drugs to what kind of job/commuting behaviors we think are best for people that we barely even know to the true meaning of an "interaction"! We constantly find ourselves saying - after hours of ridiculous conversation - "Why are we even arguing about this?!". Ya, good times. =)

And the other answers!

As long as I win it doesn't matter.

I’m definitely a pacifist and, therefore, prefer keeping the peace. I find that much like many of my fellow liberals, I don’t know the specifics of the stance I take on things and am prone to slightly alter my views when I feel so inclined… That being said, when I do engage in a debate, particularly with conservatives, I rely upon human rights as my argument to make up for my lack of knowledge of the details of either side… I find I usually win based on passionately proving the lack of compassion and civility those damn conservatives demonstrate in their arguments! And by so clearly being right all the time, no further debate is necessary and I, therefore, am back to keeping the peace.

I am a liberal Democrat married to a Republican - of course I love a good debate. But, only when the person is well informed, or at least open-minded (my husband fits both of those categories). Otherwise, it is like talking to a brick wall and is a huge waste of time and energy. In those cases, I just like to smile and nod. I have to do this quite often with some of my in-laws who think that most issues are black-and-white. With them, and others like them, there is no use in debating. So, I just try and bite my tongue and keep the peace.

If its something im strongly opinionated about,i like a good debate....not to the point of a full on riot,i try to keep it peaceful..but i like to express my opinions when needed...

I love to debate. I know I’m always right.

A "good" debate would be enjoyable but most debates are not "good" and not fun so therefore I'd rather keep the peace and walk away. That is not to say that I won't get into a heated debate if I find the cause is right and I think I know what I'm talking about.

Keeping peace at all costs. There's enough debate in the world to create a 'hazardous noise area'.

Peace! I become a crybaby with any form of debate, argument, or confrontation.

A good debate *includes* keeping the peace. If someone thinks that debating means raising their voices and slamming doors then they are sadly misinformed.

I'm much more of a "Keep the Peace" person. I find that debates almost never succeed in changing anyone's mind, and instead serve only to deepen tensions. The exception to that is my husband - he has managed to change my mind about some things through debate and vice versa.

I enjoy a good debate.

I don’t mind a debate unless the individual I am debating with only speaks up to have a debate. In that case… always debating can be very annoying. A good healthy debate shouldn’t be every conversation that is struck up.

I love a good debate! I get a bit of a thrill out of trampling another person's argument into the ground. I can usually talk in circles around anyone and make them feel as if they aren't even sure what their original position was. It is a special skill (and my husband HATES it!).

DEBATE!

In what situations are you most likely to procrastinate?

Joanne's FAVORITE answer:
I think the real question is, in what situations are you most likely NOT to procrastinate… In which case, my answer would be far shorter. Procrastinating is fun! Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? Or better yet, a month from now!! I procrastinated responding to this e-mail. Now I’m procrastinating tasks I don’t feel like completing at work in order to answer the question at hand. I even took a break just now to go grab food. I’ve been awake for over 4 hours and hadn’t gotten around to eating yet. Of course before I put forth the effort to walk to get food, I had to decide exactly what to get and if it was worth the walk… Then I “reflected” on my choices once there. Have I procrastinated in answering the question long enough? Wait. I must reread it first… Hmmm… There are NO situations in which I’m likely to NOT procrastinate. Or I guess to answer the original question, I am likely to procrastinate in every situation I’m allowed to… or I can get away with… I wonder what is going on in the world of facebook? Work can wait.

Joanne's answer:
Much like my favorite answer, I agree that the question is more like what do I NOT procrastinate on? I still haven't finished writing my lecture for this afternoon, I've never returned a movie on time in my life, my mailbox got too full so many times that the mailman literally stopped delivering our mail in the last apartment I lived in, and I procrastinated going to the gym for so long on Sunday that by the time I got there, they were closing in 20 minutes! I guess that one thing I DON'T procrastinate on is anything related to dating...well, except for the breaking up part - I procrastinate on that one probably worse than all others!

And the other answers!

Anything that involves paperwork...its way too annoying!!

I thought about replying later...

Most likely any situation that doesn't include sleeping -- laundry, dishes, vacuuming, working, homework, etc. My procrastination technique IS usually sleeping, actually.

None, Procrastination is bad, very very bad. The early bird catches the worm.

When time comes to go on a diet

Apparently, I procrastinate in situations where my hair is growing too long. Still haven't gotten that (sorely needed) haircut!

Starting a diet.

In any situation involving a deadline my procrastination will vary depending on how much I dislike what has to be done. The more tedious, boring or annoying the task, the longer I will procrastinate doing it. Dusting my home, for example, is high up there on my procrastination list!

Blow drying this hair… takes WAY too long.

Basically whenever there's something that I don't freakin' feel like doing! Or... if I WANT to do it, but deem it too difficult.

I'll get around to answering this latest question later, ok?

I procrastinate regularly. I don't get my haircut until it looks like a bad wig. I've never paid a bill on time in my life. I recently started showing up to work on time but that's because I finally found something I like to do. I even procrastinate thinking about things. I guess you can call me Scarlett O'Hara.

I don't think of myself as a procrastinator, but in reality I tend to procrastinate in situations that I think will be too difficult or on tasks that I don't think I understand. Basically - anything that is overwhelming!

Whenever there is a challenging task, or one that I don't want to do. Kinda explains why I am attempting to finish my dissertation in one quarter.

when it comes to cleaning my house, especially my office. but after 3 1/2 years I think it will be cleaned by Christmas. =)

How many days would you last in solitary confinement? How would you do it?

Joanne's FAVORITE answer:
Indefinitely! Are you kidding? I have four kids! Solitary confinement sounds awesome! Alone time to think and not hear, "Mom, Mom, Mom" over and over all day long - no problem!

Joanne's answer:
What an odd question. If I am in solitary confinement, it is certainly not of my own free will, which means its really not up to me how long I would "last". I mean, I would last until someone let me out...what is my alternative? But to ask it another way, how long would I last before I wanted to gauge my eyes out and wish for death? Well, we are all a lot more resilient than we think we are, so that's really hard to say...but I suspect I would not last nearly as long as some people. Even more than a couple of days is starting to sound unbearable. I remember once, in college, taking a bus ride (by myself) from Boston to upstate New York to visit my friend Isaac, and I remember thinking by the end of the trip, "OMG I haven't spoke to another person in like 8 hours" and thinking how I could hardly go on without talking to someone soon! But I digress....to finish answering the question...How would I do it? A lot of singing to myself would be involved...and surely talking to myself...and I'd sleep as much as possible...and maybe try to do some exercise, like push ups or something. If I could actually do a push up.

And the other answers!

SOLITARY CONFINEMENT!!!!!!!!!!! Yikes..............that would be like being in jail!!! Nope.......I LOVE people...........confinement is NOT for me!!!!!!

"Last" as in live? Or "last" as in be sane. I think I could be sane for maybe a week, but if they keep feeding me I could live for years. I guess that's why it sucks!!

Since I have never been in a true solitary confinement I couldn't begin to tell you how long I would "last" or what I'd do. It's a scary thing to think hard about. But I have been in a sort of solitary confinement and it lasted over six years. And what got me thru it was my faith. The Lord was with me the whole time and a great companion He is.

I could go till death. If you could pleasure yourself to death.

I would last until they let me out. What other choice would I have?

I could probably make it for a good chunk of time...im a simple creature and therefore pretty good at amusing myself,and im sadly really good at isolating, so im thinking it may be easy....as long as i have some books or my ipod, im good to go....

Solitary confinement - never happen!!!! (who would I talk to) (better yet - who would listen)????

I could do without people (and the talking that comes with the people) for a good two weeks before the absence of people (and the physical contact that comes with the people) would start to cause me real concern. Severe distress would probably set in at a month or two. How would I cope? I think I would do a lot of sleeping. As someone who has had exactly one good nights sleep in the last seven or eight months, I might not even notice the time passing for the first week or so as I caught up on sleep. If I had pen and paper in this solitary confinement, I would spend my time working on the creative writing projects I never have the time or the brain space for. I would meditate. I would sing. Wait...where can I get my hands on some of this solitary confinement that you speak of?

None. I would have bounced off the walls too many times that even the prison system would want to let me out.

Days? I would say indefinately.Being alone is a learned skill, and unfortunately I was conditioned at a young age for solitude.So much so that I NEED solitary time now and then or I start getting anxious and get in a general bad mood.

That would have to be zero days! I like to read, email, watch TV, and talk way too much! I could maybe last a half a day or so. And, the only way I'd survive that would be to sleep the whole time.

I could last forever in there, as I am a very solitary person. Also, my mind is a beautiful place to escape to. Sometimes OCD has it's advantages.

I would probably do very well in solitary confinement. Deep down I do think I'm my own best company, I'm funnier than anyone else and everyone else is stupid. I wouldn't fair too well once released because, I've put myself in solitary confinement before and could barely open the door without blowing away the pizza guy.

I could last in solitary confinement pretty long with a stack of good books. With 50 books, I could probably last 50 to 100 days...

Solitary confinement, um...I could prob last awhile. Just give me a bunch of books or even my steno machine! I don't altogether mind being alone, but I will prob get claustrophobic at some point.

I already work in a cubicle. Same diff.