Do you read or study best in silence or in a place with background noise? Why?

Joanne's favorite answer:
I have two dogs, a cat, a wife(just one , at least until I can convince her to go mormon :) ) and an 18 mnth old. I live in the second biggest city in NE. There is almost ALWAYS background noise. On the few occasions it's totally quiet I just fall asleep.

Joanne's answer:
I do usually like to have music playing in the background while I'm doing work. The volume of the music depends on how much I need to really concentrate on what I'm doing - if its a somewhat mindless task (like data entry), I can (and pretty much need) it to be pretty loud so I don't get bored. But if the task is more complicated - or if I have to do it in a rush - I need it to be quiet or with no music at all so I can really concentrate. I guess to strictly answer the question of READING or STUDYING, those two things do need to be done in silence (or with the most quiet music) - but for all other work, I gotta have my Rhapsody account playing. Just ask my ex-labmate, Rene - she loves to complain about the Brittney Spears song on my playlist!

And the other answers!

1. I need a certain degree of background noise. Not so much that I get distracted. But, enough so my mind doesn't wander.

2. I study best in complete silence or quiet noise. (Rarely can I even fall asleep with the TV or radio on.) My mind is always going in a million different directions and if I have to focus on one particular thing I need there to be no other distractions.

3. I don't read very well, although I read whenever I can and my reading is getting better. As a result, I need it to be quite for I can concentrate on what it is I'm reading.

4. i used to study with the tv or radio on in college. ifelt it helped me concentrate more in that i had to drown out the other noise to focus on what i HAD todo. does that even make sense? i guess i just hate quiet..really eerie.

5. Silence, with no one around.

6. If I'm doing math or stats, I'm okay with background noise. If I'm writing, I prefer complete silence.

7. Absolutely silence is the answer. I guess I'm too easily distracted (or nosy however you want to put it). If something else is going on I want to see what it is or listen to what it is.

8. I prefer a little background noise, but nothing too distracting. I used to study to classical music because there were no words to get stuck in my head. I find that studying in silence only accentuates the distraction, absolute silence is foreign and uncomfortable to me, and then near silence just makes the occosaional noise that much more of a disctaction. As you can see, I don't like disctractions. So why do I keep checking my email for the QOTD?

9. Must have silence... I'm Captain Easily-Distracted! OOh, look at that bright, shiny object!

10. Silence. And I sleep better in silence as well. I don't like noise.

11. I like to read or study in quiet. I don't mind a little soft classical music or jazz - or even the sound of rustling, dishes being done, or tv being watched (softly) from another room. White noise like that is okay, but the quieter the better.

12.

If he had been born in a different generation, would Jack Kerouac have a blog?

Joanne's favorite answer:
Yeah he would. And it'd be just as boring as his book.

Joanne's answer:
Naw, he wouldn't have a blog...but he would have a website in which he would run a monthly advice column, post random essays and stories, and feature a new picture of a beautiful girl every month on the homepage. He might even call the website www.thesiphon.com!

And the other answers!

1. Couldn't say. Don't know who he is.

2. All artsy, poet, writer types probably love to blog so i would say yes. In reply to this question .. Who cares?

3. Y not :-)

4. I'm leaning no. He wrote "On The Road" on one long scroll. That's too anti-tech to think he would go the blog route.

5. Don't know, but if he had been, I might know who the hell he is. Jack Kerouac??

6. Would Jack Kerouac have a blog - you bet your ass he would. Of course, he'd go through stretches where he'd keep up with it all the time and then wouldn't post for months at a time. But, he would absolutely have a blog.

Have you ever had any mystical/magical/unexplainable experiences? If so, what were they?

Joanne's favorite answer:
The only thing that comes to mind right now is that when I went to do a season of summer stock many years ago, I had a pretty unexplainable experience. I hit it off really well with my roommate, and that first night I had an incredibly vivid dream. It was a house, and a heavy set blonde woman was coming out of the house... When I woke up, I told my new roommate about the dream and described everything. She said, "Oh, my god - that's my house and that's my mother." I thought that was pretty weird, but things got even stanger. She then told me that she had had a dream about me - about a man who was too attached to me and what he was like. Her descriptions of the man and the situation were very accurate. I must note, at this point, that we had discussed none of this the previous day. Also, speaking of dreams, I once had a dream that an older co-worker (that I had a big crush on) was inconsolably sad...something had happened...something about his father. I told my co-worker about this the next day at work and he looked completely stricken. He told me that it was the anniversary of his father's death.

Joanne's answer:
As much as I totally believe in (and am petrified by) ghosts and the like, I've never really had any super mysterious things happen to me. The closest I've come was in Jr. High, my friend Hannah & I used to play with the Ouija board...I swear that I did not move it and she swears she didn't, but damn if it didn't move!! One morning, we were playing with it in her living room for a good long time - probably at least an hour - and there was no clock in the livingroom. We asked the Ouija board what time it was, and it answered, "11:14". Right away, we put the board down, ran into Hannah's room, and looked at her digital clock....which read none other than...11:14!!! That was pretty creepy.

And the other answers!

1. One "unexplainable" experience I had was when I lived in Japan with my husband who was in the Air Force at the time.. I will tell you up front that I truly believe I had a ghost that followed me around. But you be the decider of that. Here is one of my "ghost" stories: The car I had in Japan was a standard transmission. There was something wrong with the gears. Every now and then, you just never knew when it was going to happen, the gears would just go into neutral when shifting from 1st to 2nd and lock there. We, my husband and myself, would have to pull over to the side of the road so my husband could get under the hood and wiggle something and get it back into where it needed to be. Now when he did this, I could watch the gear shift lever moved up and down and listen to it click back into position. One day he was going to take me on a trip, it was to be a surprise. We went to the base to gas up and on our way out he was getting ready to pull over at the gate to get out of the car to ask directions so I couldn't hear where we were headed. He was slowing down at the gate when the gears slipped again. Since my husband was pulling over anyway, it was no big deal, he'd fix it when he got back to the car. Well, while he was gone I heard a clicking sound and watched the gear shift lever move up and down and click into place while my husband was across the street getting directions. When he returned, his mind was on the directions he has just received and completely forgot all about the gears locking. He just got in the car, put it in gear and off we went. I knew that the ghost was with us that day and had unlocked the gears when my husband was out of the car. I watched the lever move. That is only `1 ghost story in one place. I believe I've lived with two other ghosts at other times in my life and I have story after story.

2. Over the years Joanne ( as I grew up ) I can say there hasn't been any mystical happenings. I wish there had been..However for [my daughter's] wedding I wanted a particular dress for the Mother-of-the-Bride and I went to every store imaginable!!! You see for [my son's] wedding I had no choice in color and the Bride's mother wanted me to wear sequins on my dress. I found a dress that I had saved a picture of 5 years ago. I was elated to have found this dress. I was happy! Now comes [my daughter's] wedding and I do not want sequins this time! I wanted English soft Lace. I could not find any dress with that type of lace. I tried ever so hard. It was making me dream about it and in color too. I could actually see this dress! I drove to many different towns to go to many different Bridal Salons. No luck! Then one day I entered the very last store I could go into! Really! They had nothing...the lady there was soooo nice and offered me her books to look into. I looked with no ecpectations at all. After 3 pages I turned only to find myself looking at the very dress I saw in my dreams! Color and all!!!!! And I mean the VERY dress!!! I ordered it and it and wore it to [my daughter's] wedding and it hangs in my closet to this day. If I never wear it again I don't care. Let them put it on me when I die!!! Oh how I loved both dresses!

3. Three years ago when [my wife's] dad died I was at the funeral home before everyone else got there. I went over to see [my father-in-law] in his coffin and said a few prayers for him.When I got up to leave the coffin, I touched him on the shoulder to say goodbye and his shoulder seemed to move. It freaked me out, but I didn't say anything to [my wife] because of the circumstances.A few months later [my wife] and I were talking and I brought it up in the conversation. The real freaky part of the story is that the exact same thing happened to [my wife] when she touched her dad's shoulder a few minutes after me.

4. i sadly haven't had anything "unexplainable" happen inthe sense that you're referring to, but the nearest thing to magical/mystical was that even though [my boyfriend] and i were involved(not seriously in any sense of theword) with others,we both found that we were really into each other and have been together for close to a year now. i guess thats more like fate,or simple mutual attraction, but hey, its magical and mystical to me.

5. I woke up one night and there was a gray mist at the end of my bed. I knew it was my Dad. I said 'Hi Dad' I got a warm feeling and the mist disappeared. In another similar instance, this time a dream, my mother passed away while I was away from home and I hadn't had a chance to say good-bye. In the dream she came to me and kissed my cheek and said everything was OK. I woke up and the spot on my cheek where she has kissed me was warm.

What's something about yourself that you hope will never change?

Joanne's favorite answer:
Another fab question. I hope that my integrity, good memory, and ability to see the heart of most things does not change.I must give myself a little "wha-wha" (kudos) here... I used to have a hard time coming up with one thing I liked and didn't want to change about myself, but now I can't just name one... I've got three. Wahoo!!

Joanne's answer:
I hope that my "joie de vivre" - my enthusiasm about life/optimism/resilience - never changes.

And the other answers:

1. My heart beating 60 or 70 times a minute.

2. I was brought up to not lie....all lies get eventually found out anyway. I would never want to change my honesty! This is not a memorable favorite answer for you but its an HONEST one. lol

3. My sense of humor/hyperness, or as others call it"insanity" . It keeps me ignorant to all the shit going on in the world and allows things to never reallyaffect me. good times.

4. My faith in the Lord. I can't see how it could but I hope I never find out.

5. My witty charm...

6. I hope my curiosity never changes.

7. My hair color. I hope it doesn't turn gray. I haven'tdyed my hair yet, and I hope I don't have to. If myDad's hair (also red) is any indication, I might getthrough without any gray.

Using only one word per person, what was your first impression of each person you saw yesterday?

Joanne's favorite answer:
I will list the people I met as well since I am fairly sure that my tinfoil hat is blocking any telepathy you might try and employ. I will try and list them in chronological order.
[my wife] - naked
[my daughter] - adorable
Me- Poppinesque (practically perfect in every way)
Lady at tsougas farms who showed us how to tell if we were picking ripe peaches) - way too excited about peaches (I tried for a single word here, but I guess there isn't enough of a call for a single word to express that feeling. Which is kind of odd when you think about it, since according to all the random people we met there [who will be ignored by this list] peaches can be very exciting indeed.)
Mother in law- contented
Brother in law - bored
Father in law - idiot
brother-in-law's friend - stoned
Various people at our farm share - Hippuppies (hippy yuppy hybrid)
another brother-in-law - self-absorbed
cashier at Stop and P - victim
Of course these are only my impressions, they may be wildly inacurrate since I have neither a PhD in psychology nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn last night.

Joanne's answer:
Steven (roommate): qualified
Loren (assistant at work): cool
Colleen (manager): warm
Bryce (CEO): business-like
Angela (co-worker): odd

And the other answers!

1. I can't remember yesterday...so I will do today....so...happy; angry; bitter; wet; angry; goofy; tired (all the people at the gym)....back home...

2. strong (my husband); naked (my granddaughter); thin (my granddaughter); short (my daughter); busy (my son-in-law); clueless (the lady behind the desk at the hotel we stayed at)

3. first impression ofwho i saw yesterday...hmm..[my boyfriend] :love; bartender at the bar we went to to watchthe 49'ersgame:full of himself/full of shit; bar patrons:white-trash drunks(but we all wer ethere,so it's no insult,just an impression.); waiter at Boardwalk where we went after the game for quesedillas and buffalo wings:nice guy who couldnt wait to get outta work and get home.

4. Cute, The Mother, Prodigy, and The Father. I went and saw [my granddaughter], [my step-daughter], [my granddaughter] and [my son-in-law].

5. hard working: my dad; funny: my brother; cool: my other brother; loud : my sister May; adorable: my boyfriend; inspiring: [my boyfriend]'s dad; laid back: some guy at Living Spaces that talked to us; cute: my doggie; voracious: me!

6. Love - Husband; Happy - a friend doing a triathalon; Relief - her boyfriend, brother & dog;
nothing - All the strangers at the event and the shopping afterward. - to many people to name

7. Ted: hardworking; Stacey: well intended; Jamesa: disrespectful; Ibrahim: privledged; Yolcie: dependable

What or who inspires you to be all that you can be?

Joanne's favorite answer:
My mom. She's a fantastic woman who taught me to fight and overcome hardships and forgive others. She's the most amazing woman I know.

Joanne's answer:
When I see other people accomplishing goals that I would like to accomplish, I become inspired - such as when my (now ex-)roommate started going to the gym almost every day, I became motivated to go more often. Also, having an un-moveable deadline definitely inspires me, like having to write my dissertation in 5 weeks in order to defend by the time my sister & mom came out for graduation last year. And finally, people believing in my ability to do something a bit more than I believe in myself - and will not let me give up too easily - tends to inspire me to do things I would never normally do....like jumping a fence to go see an 'at capacity' latin rock concert!!

And the other answers!

1. My height. Since I a spent 60+ years vertically challenged I realized early I had to do more to be equal. Kind of got used to that and it's second nature now. I just want all vertically challenged folks to know you can 'be all that you can be' - Gee you would think I had been in the Army and not the Air Force. Now that I think about it it could have been being a woman making it in a man's world. That to has made me be all that I can be but I guess the bottom line of it is my Mother and Father - through whatever means and I guarantee I don't know what they were - inspired me to do and be my best - not perfect - just my best.

2. A lot of things inspire me. My parents were very smart, educated people and I am inspired by them even though they are no longer with me. My need to live above the poverty line inspires me to get up and go to work every day. My need not to live in a dump inspires me to clean on the weekends. My faith in The Lord inspires me to be a good Christian. I lived the first almost 30 years leaving it up to other people to take care of me and that made me weak of character. Once I learned to stand on my own two feet and earn a good living working hard I got proud of me, something I hadn't been. So now I stand straight and like who I am and I have my parents, siblings and The Lord to thank for that.

3. The Army...

4. I'm not.

5. G.I. J.O.E. Think about it, that cartoon covered all of the military branches and almost every little boy, and some girls, played with GI JOE. The military is always daring you to be all that you can be, and GI JOE started working on people while they were kids.

6. Great question! I get inspired by passionate people. God inspires me as well to be the best i can be, and to be content with my life. My family is also always an inspiration to me... i would feel lost without them. And my doggie always inspires me to smile and be thankful for all that i am and all that i have. :)

7. As far as people go, there are really only two people in my adult life who have ever caused me to reach for something more - you and [my ex-boyfriend]. When you graduated from college, it inspired me to go back and get my degree. But, on an on going basis, [my ex-boyfriend] has the ability to stir the right mix of confidence, insecurity, ambition, fear, enthusiasm, and that je ne sais quoi to get my ass back in front of the blank page. He is truly a fan of my writing and seems to feel not just disappointed, but totally ripped off, if I'm not working. He actually gets upset. Not to mention that he knows how to push all of my buttons, and no doubt takes great pleasure in doing so. In a sense, [my daughter] inspires me as well. I would never want her to be any less than everything she could be, and I don't want her to grow up and be disappointed in me. I want her, as a woman, to look at me and feel that I am a vibrant, intelligent, fun, caring and generous person. I want her, above all others, to be proud of me. So, that is motivation. Of course, for all of this, you need support. And, although [my husband] is not always big on the cheerleading, he would never tell me that I couldn't do something and would always work to find a way to support anything that he knew was important to me. Like - he stays home with [my daughter] while I dance or meet with [my ex-boyfriend]. And, when I volunteered to read/record a book for the blind, it is/was [my husband] who sets me up every night with his computer and mic set up.

How are you different now than you were before September 11, 2001?

Joanne's favorite answer:
Well, let's see.... Since then, I moved to Iowa, switched careers, got married, bought a house, and had a child. Not much has changed really.

Joanne's answer:
Well, in the spirit of my favorite answer...since then, I have taught college classes, gotten a Ph.D., fallen in and out of love, visited Hawaii, became an aunt, moved to Northern California, and watched the Red Sox win the world series. But of course, the question really seems to be asking how 9/11 has affected me...and I'm sort of sad to say that it hasn't really changed me a whole heck of a lot. At first, I feel like people were brought closer together - there was a lot more patriotism, people were friendlier to each other...but that sort of thing wore off after a while. I may be slightly more aware/distrustful of people from the middle east, although not really even much. I do get a little more nervous when I see a low-flying plane post-9/11 (whereas before I never would have thought much of it), and I suppose I'm a little less naive about the realities of war and the possibilities of violence...but really, that's about it.

And the other answers!

1. I don't know that I am very different - just angry. I Don't know how to stop the insanity but sure wish someone could figure out how.

2. I'm different in the way of think of life - the safe life - here in the United States. Terrorism was something that other countries lived with, day in and day out, but we were always safe from that sort of thing here. Now we know we too can be blown up without notice. Outside forces caught us sleeping - literally - at Pearl Harbor and history, if not learned from will repeat itself and, sure enough, "they" caught us sleeping again. And if we don't stay alert and fall asleep it will happen again. I pray a lot more for the safety and well being of loved ones than I did before.

3. i'm even more aware how messed up people are in this world. regardless of their "motives"',it ultimatley resulted in many deaths and thats just fucked. and i've learned to live life now,because i may not be able to in the future.i moved out to Cali and i'm loving it out here. i'm allowing myself to be happy in the decisions i make,and very appreciative of God for allowing me to have what i do have. i don't take as many things for granted anymore, it's made me more aware of how lucky i am in life.

4. I am WAY more suspicious of our govenment and WAY more distrustful of the current administration. My feelings towards them have changed much more than my feelings towards terrorism.

5. Before 9/11: I was an international student from Japan. After 9/11: I am a non-resident alien who has an equal chance of being a terrorist or stealing someone else's job in the U.S.

6. I now have a distrust for most if not all Muslims, even though I know that is irrational. Then again, many Muslims are hell bent on destroying western civilization, and hate all Christians and Jews. I never thought about that before 9/11. I also hate the way many of our freedoms have eroded with the Patriot Act, although without it, there would have been many more attacks on our country. The recent capture of potential plane bombers from London was a direct result of the (potentially illegal)wiretaps by our government.

7. i'm a few years older

8. I am more disgusted with our government than ever before.

Are people trustworthy? Explain your answer.

Most "in-depth" answer:
Thats unanswerable!! Everyone is different! Individual Differences in the person to be trusted: In general, I think you can trust that most peope are not going to try to bring physical harm to you or go out of their way to screw you over.However, most people will do something to negatively affect you if it brings them ENOUGH benefit. The benefit factor is the crux. Also, most people will only do something to negatively affect you if they think you will never find out about it. If they think you'll find out,usually the benefit has to be pretty darn high for them to follow through with the "bad deed." Properties of behaviors that break trust: Usually people can be trusted to not do things that will bring you visible harm. i.e. blackeyes, trip you, or "pants" you (remember that from middle school?). But they will do things to bring you non-visible pain... again, only if there is enough benefit and you won't find out. For example, people will say bad things about you behind your back to make themselves look better or to make themsleves look interesting... but only if theythink you won't find out. Individual differences in the person doing the trusting: some people trust everyone, while others don't trust anyone. Usually both these extremes attract the least trustworthy people, for reasons that I don't understand.

Joanne's answer:
I think that most people are pretty trustworthy, given the right situation. For example, studies have shown that if you ask a stranger to watch your bag or your purse for a few minutes while you go do something, in most cases, that stranger will not only NOT steal your bag but will actively pursue/say something/chase down anyone who DOES try to steal it! Of course, the flip side of that is if you put most people in a situation where they are very motivated to break your trust (i.e., if they don't steal your purse, they won't have enough money to take the bus home) and you give them at least some sense of security that they will not be caught, I would bet that most people would go ahead and steal. Never underestimate the power of the situation, my friends!

And the other answers:

1. Some are. sadly it takes a while to determine the depth of the info you can trust with someone. i usually keep things superficial at work. no one needs to know mybusiness. as for those i keep as friends, i believe and trust in them all.

2. I think that people are inherently trustworthy. While there are obviously deceitful people, I think that they are more of the exception than the rule. Of course, I get burned quite often (not so much anymore, but in the past), so...either my philosophy is way off, or I have just met many of those few exceptions.

3. Some are and some are not. It's as simple as that.

4. Not entirely. I trust people to a certain extent, but I don't handout keys to my house.

5. I think they want to be for the most part but it's becomes such "it's-all-about-me" that I don't think so anymore. Used to be a handshake was all that was needed - now you have to have an office full of lawyers just to be sure you are covered.

6. I feel most people are trustworthy most of the time, and everyone is untrustworthy some of the time.

7. Well, that kind of depends on how you mean "trustworthy". I know people who can be trusted with a life, or just a secret, or people who can be trusted simply to look after their own moment-to-moment interests. I think that trust has a lot to do with expectations. As far as trusting people to do what they SAY they are going to do - I would say that most people would be trustworthy around 75% of the time. I say that because I believe that most people have more-or-less good intentions (at least as far as they see things). But, some people are more successful than others when it comes to acting on those intentions. Even the best of us fall short sometimes.

If you could go back in time, what year would you visit? Why?

Joanne's favorite answer:
1984: to kill Sarah Connor

Joanne's answer:
I would go back to whatever year had the largest lottery prize and buy a ticket with the winning numbers! Why? So I could have more than -$600 in my checking account!!

And the other answers!

1. Since the year is strictly a visit...I would love to go back in the years of the 1800's. However I would NOT want to be poor. My visit would also have to be a person who is comfortable and in a castle with servants....Life was very tough for those who had nothing and I surely having read about them would NEVER want to be one of them. Being wealthy then, you would have a very interesting life. It was so pretty and the clothes were soooooooooo beautiful! So...oops excuse me...my buggy ride is awaiting...just leave your card and my courier will bring you my answer in the afternoon...about the "BALL". that is.

2. There are lots of years I'd like to visit:
1923 - in the middle of the time of the flapper, Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, bath tub gin to see what life was really like back then. I tend to be a romantic of that time
1930 - at the beginning of the depression to see life then as it was. Although my time in the Japaneese rice patties must have been close to it.
1948 - to visit the year I was born
1974 - the year I was in my first house with my first daughter it was a wonderful time
1976 - I was in my second house with two daughters now and I felt like I was in the middle of my universe.
Life since then has been a series of ups and downs - very high up and horribly down that I couldn't pick out just one year - a day here or there maybe but a whole year? maybe not.

3. 33 A.D. I'd try and catch the Sermon on the Mount. That would be sooo cool.

4. I will definitely go back to 1985, or any year between 1983 to 1987. I wanna experience the height of the whole 80s culture, and when new wave and one-hit wonders ruled the airwaves; when fashion was crazy, glamorous and colorful; when i was still a kid with the fanned bangs and a really high pony tail. :)

5. I would go back to anywhere between 2000-2005, when I had awesome friends in Riverside to hang out with. But wait, I would avoid going back to the year when we had to take quals. Back then, life seemed pretty busy with school and all back in Riverside, but when I started working, I realized that grad school was a piece of cake; And now that I'm so far away from those people I enjoyed hanging out with back in Riverside, I am deeply appreciative of the fact that it wouldn't have been a piece of cake if it weren't for great friends like you, JoJo!

6. I would like to JUST VISIT the Victorian age.....

What photos do you cherish from the past? Where do you keep them now?

Joanne's favorite answer:
I am not a big photo guy...but there is a picture of me and [my wife] taken about a month after we started dating. To my knowledge it is the first picture taken of us (or at least the first that we kept...maybe that was because we looked soooo goooood). The picture was framed and we keep it by the coffee pot. That way I can look at it each morning and think "wow I was pretty hot 10 years ago...what happened? Oh well...I am going to grab some coffee and a donut..."

Joanne's answer:
I don't really know if there are *particular* photos that I cherish - but in general, the ones that I care about the most are pictures in which it is just me with one other person - be it a relative, a friend, a boyfriend, whatever - where I look really happy to be with that person (and where we both look good, of course!!). I feel like pictures like this sort of capture the joy that I get (or got) from that particular friendship/relationship, especially when you can see in my face how happy I am to be with the person. I do have quite a few pictures like this...a lot of them are in frames in my bedroom, some of them are in frames in the trunk of my car (because they *were* in my office in Riverside and I just have yet to really unpack my office boxes), and the rest are in photo albums in my apartment.

And the other answers!

1. I cherish ALL the old photos of my children...everywhere!!!

2. There would be three sets of photos that I cherish for entirely different reasons. First, I have two pictures of me and my father when I was very young. One was taken at the beach and the other was taken at a house we used to live in. They are the only pictures that I have of my father. And, since I was so young when he passed away, they help me to remember him. That is why I cherish them. Second, are the pictures of me the summer I met [my husband]. No, not because it was the summer I met [my husbad]. Instead, it is because I lost a lot of weight that summer due to a bout with bronchitis and being very active. It is the only time I remember being really satisfied with my body. So, that is why I cherish them. Third, are my wedding pictures. It was such a happy day filled with so many great moments and people we love. Looking at the pictures helps me re-live how great that day was. And, since it is the only wedding I will ever have (at least, I hope), that is why I cherish them. Where do I keep them? The first two are in a small photo album, the second set is separated between an album and a box, and the third set is in my wedding album and online.

3. I have photos all over my house... my family, mydaughter, but the specials ones right now are the onesof me and my dad (who passed away last year). Thereis one of us at an Angels game on Father's Day from afew years ago and I display right by the door so I cansee it every time I leave the house.

4. My college days, they're in a basket in the basement...

5. i have a bunch of photos from high school and collegeand beyond. some are in frames, others are in acollage frame and some on the fridge..those are myfavorites..the others are in a photo album box.

6. I cherish ALL my photos from the past. It's the only way I can hold on to time that has gone and will never return. I keep them all over the place - some on the walls, some in the desk, some in albums I can get to quickly and some in envelopes that are stored away and some in a cedar chest at the foot of my bed.

7. Need I tell you what photos I cherish the most?? Walk into my living room and
you will see them all. From the time [my son] was about one month old until his graduation pictures. And of course, the grandkids!!

8. It's everywhere - check the attachment, is there anything more beautifulthan that? Really, anywhere? [Enclosed is a photo of the author of this answer with the Red Sox World Series trophy].

9. I love photos of all kinds and now I love to scrapbook. I just did one of my "courtship" with [my husband]. I love looking at it. Since I don't have a wedding album I love to look at the pictures of us through the years.

10. Family phots - particularly those that have passed away. If I have a good one it is displayed somewhere (wall, desk, end table).

11. Photos - I like pictures from when I was really small, old pictures of family members who aren't married to eachother - or even alive any more, I like my wedding pictures, pictures from when I was pregnant, all pictures of [my daughter], pictures from when I was performing... I pretty much just like pictures! I have lately been keeping the majority of all my photos on one bookshelf in my house downstairs. Mostly, their all mixed up and out of order, but sifting through them and seeing what kind of photo will be in the pile next is part of the fun for me. :)

Which do you prefer: the hustle and bustle of city life or the quiet and serenity of country life? Why?

Joanne's favorite answer:
I like the country in the middle of nowhere with a house with a driveway so long that when a city girl gets to a bend in the driveway, she will ask her mother "Which way, left or right?" and the mother replies "Left, Joanne, we are still in the driveway." That's the kind of place I like.

Joanne's answer:
I'm definitely a city girl. I love the energy of the city...the people, the sights, the culture, the excitement. I love the "big-ness" of it - seems to be filled with unending possibilities. The country is a nice place to visit...but I wouldn't want to live there.

And the other answers!

1. I don't like the extreme of each,but the mixture of both.

2. I prefer the beach town I now live in. We have no traffic problems and there is only 1 (Blinking at that) red light in the town.

3. If I HAD to pick just one, it would be the country. I'm really kind of a loner and the country life allows me to spend quiet time with just me or me and my husband. I do like to go spend time in the city but I'm much happier being in the quiet.

4. MUST HAVE LIFE! I'll take a city over the country any and every day of the week. The country is somethingto look at from 30,000 feet while flying to another city...

5. This is an easy one: I'd chuck it all and move up to a small town in the mountains any old day of the week. I wouldn't miss minimalls, gas stations, or Denny's in the slightest (I might miss Starbucks... a little). But you knew that: in my darker grad school hours, I've considered going off to be a forest ranger. Too funny.

6. Country for sure. Hustle and bustle puts too much strain on my remaining nerve.

7. Give me suburbia, the best of both. I like the pace of country living with the culture of the big city. So plant me 45 minutes outside of a major metro area, and I'll be happy.

8. To live - Neither extreme - I'd prefer somewhere in between. Kind of like a cross between NYC and Dover, DE :-)

9. More often than not, I prefer the quiet and serenity of country life. I have always grooved on natural beauty and find that things are clearer in my mind when I do not have the distractions of the city. That's good for someone who wants to write. HOWEVER, I also love New York City. In a way, I feel like I grew up there and I have fond (or at least meaningful) memories in just about every neighborhood. I love that you can't shake a stick without hitting a great place to eat, a cultural institution, or an interesting character. I like walking fast in the city, like the subway, like the energy, and like that feeling that anything could happen at any moment. Ideally, I'd like to live in Upstate New York (Hudson River Valley). That way I could still be reasonable close to everything good from both worlds.

10. City, of course!

11. My idea of "country" is anything outside the Rte 128 circle. Actualcountry life? like with farms an' shit? Goddamn I'd be scared stiff! you know they have chickens and cows that just run around freelyaccosting people? UFOs regularly kidnap people and probe theiranuses... anusi... butts. And you could travel 100 miles in anydirection without coming across a Dunkin Donuts, a movie theatre, oreven an office park! Hell, You can go that far without bumping intoyour next door neighbor!

12. I much prefer the country life. I love trees and woods and grass and water. I couldn't live happily without woods and water around me. I grew up on a lake in the woods of Maine so I think it is in my blood. You can take the girl out of the woods, but you can't take the woods out of the girl. I dislike hustle and bustle as a general rule and crowds make me very uncomfortable. I would rather spend the day with a tree than share a dance floor with throngs of sweating bodies....unlike some folks I know.

13. Duh

14. Depends when you ask me. Right now I’m preferring the quiet and serenity of country life but that’s probably b/c I have no idea what quiet and serenity are!

What's something about yourself that you hope will change, but that probably never will?

Joanne's favorite answer:
My desire to be rich and thin, and oh ya, live forever.

Joanne's answer:
I guess I would have to go with unrealisticly hoping that "being overweight" will change for me. BUT I have lost 3 whole pounds since moving to NorCal so at least its going in the right direction! =)

And the other answers!

1. My procrastination. Whenever I procrastinate on a particular task and end up doing things at the last minute (which is all the time), I always kick myself and say, "Next time, I am not going to do this." But, I never listen to myself. I am a perpetual procrastinator and don't think that will ever change. I have accepted that about myself.

2. It's a toss up - stop smoking - but probably never will and/or lose 30 pounds but I probably won't to that either.

3. Get a firm reasonable diet, exercise regularly and lose weight.

4. I would like to be able to determine better what is worth worrying about from what is not. I would also like to take better care ofmyself (i.e. what I eat and how I dress). No one should go to school everyday with no make-up and sweats, but I do it anyway.

5. I really hope that I get less really really reallygood looking as I get older... but that probably willnever happen...

6. i would love to be out of debt,but im sure once i even out, i'll get an apartment/house or new vehicle and"hello new debt". but, at least i'd have money on my credit cards and not worry about creditors breaking my fingers,etc.

7. Personality-wise, I would like to be more self-motivated (aka driven to burn the midnight oil to work on my writing, inspired to go and do charity work, etc.). I wish I weren't still somewhat subject to mood swings, wish I were better at making friends. It would also probably be better for me if I weren't still so emotionally attached to [my ex-boyfriend] - he goes from being inspiring to being a disappointment and back again so quickly and so unexpectedly. Physically, I would like a more tone body (as if I weren't in charge of this). Wouldn't mind a better nose and skin that didn't get blotchy at the drop of a hat. Oh, and hair that was an awesome color all by itself that I never had to color! Yeah! And, boobs like I had 10 years ago...

8. I wish I enjoyed working...

9. My sensitive feelings. I wish I didn't take things so personal, but I don't think that will change....plus I wish I didn't blush!

What's something you intended to do yesterday but didn't? Why not?

Joanne's favorite answer:
Have sex with my wife... no wait... I DID do that! YES!!!!!

Joanne's answer:
I intended to send out checks to the research participants in my Grad School Exam study who recently finished up with the study. Why didn't I do it? Partly because I got roped into watching "Big Brother" with my roommate, and partly because then I ended up on the phone with my ex-roommate for 3 hours after that!

And the other answers!

1. Had a conflict with someone...and then had to make-up.

2. Something I wanted to do yesterday but did not...Hmmmmm...Go to the bank and change the names on who can get into my bank box if something happens to me. I didn't because I ran out of time...

3. Lose 100 pounds in a day.

4. Yesterday I intended to paint some of the mud room where I had taped off the day before but I did not do it. Why? Because the electrician was coming today and by tonight I could paint by the light in the room instead of a flashlight. And now that the lights are in the mud room, I plan on painting in there tonight. :-)

5. Buy a much needed car, but didn't feel like it. Prices are way out of reach for what I want......

6. I intended to work yesterday, honestly I really did. But, when I gotthere I received the news that my position had been eliminated!

7. I kind of intended to write - or at least get an idea in my mind of the next thing I will be writing - but, this was not to be. I will chalk it up to not feeling well. Got a little cold - fogs the brain.

8. well, i woke up with Aaron when he had to get up forwork yesterday(7:30am) which is like a punishment tothe nightshift worker,as i am.i usually go back to bedfor a little bit and then take off,but i was awake at that time and decided to head home because i had a lot of stuff to do at the apartment and the gym.i did all of that and moved my living room around,but what i didnt do was go to the "middleman agency" i work for to sign up for "per diem" work.pretty much,i sign up and this agency will contact me if a neighboring hospital needs an extra nurse for the night and i can go in and make $$$.didnt do that because it takesabout 3-4 hours to fill out the paper work and i was"on call" for my job and wanted to relax in case theyneeded me to work overnight,seeing as how i was up at 730am.

9. I had intended to catch up on all the q's of the day.

What is your most prized or sentimental possession? Explain.

Joanne's favorite answer:
My most sentimental possession is a tiny pewter heart and key. I got it, along with a bunch of other junk jewlery on my 9th birthday. I thought that it looked romantic and decided that when I grew up I would give it to the man I fell in love with. Well, it was in the possession of two different men at various times in my life. To make a long story short, before I met my husband I learned the unromantic, but still beautiful, lesson that you don't, you can't, give your heart away. It's yours. It's always yours. You just give people room in it. When they leave you, yes, a large part of your heart is empty. But, it's still your heart. It breaks, it heals, it expands, it contracts - but it's always yours. My husband has never been given the heart. When I married him, though, I wore it on my garter under my dress. I had my whole heart with me when I said, "I Do."

Joanne's answer:
I guess I would have to say my photo albums, journals, and valentine's day poems. I don't know if they really count as "sentimental possessions", but they are probably the only things that I own that are truly irreplacable and I would feel sick about if they were lost or destroyed. I have some jewlery that I am a bit sentimental about, like my grandmother's class ring and a ring from my "first love", but I definitely care about my albums/journals/poems more. One funny thing that I have had since the summer that I graduated high school - which has moved with me from Boston to LA to Riverside to San Fran - is this goofy little piece of chainmail from when my friends in Natick used to do NERO (a live role-playing thing). I never much got into NERO myself, but I had this awesome group of friends who did - a lot of the group still hangs out together and I see them when I go home for Christmas and stuff, but the first summer that we were all friends - the summer after I graduated from high school - we all hung out every day and it was such a fun summer .... I have some really good memories of that friend group, and I guess my little piece of chainmail sort of represents that. I still have it in my room, it currently sits on top of my stereo. =)

And the other answers!

1. Probably my Les Paul Guitar. It's so pretty and it sounds good too.

2. My car keys - ESCAPE.

3. My most prized possessions are my grandparents' high school class rings. My g'ma's is from 1930 and my g'pa's is from 1926.

4. My most prized and sentimental possession was stolen from me - my grandmother's ring. It was in a platinum setting with a diamond in the middle of two sapphires. The diamond part of the ring was the stone her father gave her when she graduated high school. When she became engaged to my grandfather she took the diamond her father gave her off, so as not to wear two diamond rings. My grandfather took the ring to the jewelers and had it put in a setting that required two more stones. He said he wanted sapphires because they were blue to match her eyes. (all of the jewelery he got her was diamonds and sapphires). She used to let me wear the ring around the house when I went to visit her and when I graduated high school, she gave it to me. Since the diamond of it was given to her for her graduation, she thought it would be an appropriate time to give me the ring. But it was stolen along with most of my jewelery many years ago and it broke my heart. Since then I find it hard to become attached to anything that can get lost, stolen or destroyed. The closest thing now would be the pictures of my children as they were growing up.

5. My mother's engagement and wedding rings from my father. My father passed away suddenly when I was 6, so they are very special to me. They are actually the only things that I really have to remind me of him. Anyway, I always loved them growing up. Once in a while, my mom would let me put them on my finger and I felt so special (of course, they were way too big for me, but I didn't care). When I graduated HS, my mom gave them to me as a graduation gift. It was the best gift I ever received, and will always cherish them.

6. My cell phone...i'd be lost without it. Its mylifeline.

What's the most serious illness or injury you've ever faced?

Joanne's favorite answer:
The most serious illness I have had to face is, by far, my husband's thalassemia. In a nutshell, it is a genetic disorder that affects the production of his hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying component of the red blood cell. Because of that, he cannot produce his own red blood cells (or, the ones he does produce are misshapen and can't be used). Therefore, he has had to get blood transfusions since birth - he gets three bags of blood every three weeks, a process which takes about 6 hours in a hospital. With this comes a host of all other problems, such as heart and liver failure due to iron overload. To combat this, he does chelation therapy (to remove the iron from vital organs) religiously (24 hours a day/ 5 days a week). The chlation therapy is similar the insulin therapy of diabetes patients. A few years back, his liver was so damaged it resembled the liver of an alcoholic. But, due to the intensive chelation therapy, his liver is in much better shape. And, luckily, his heart has never been affected. Plus, he is immuno-compromised, which means that a cold is a pretty serious thing. I have had to rush him to emergency care several times because a small "bug" that may have caught from someone turned into a 102 degree fever. Fortunately, he has been incredibly lucky and has not had to deal with many of the things other Thalassemia patients have to face. But, this is the most serious thing I have had to face because it isn't a one-time illness. It is a continuous illness that will affects daily. To find out more info, please visit: www.helpthals.org. It is a website for the non-profit organization that we co-founded for other people affected with Thalassemia. And, please pass it along - the more people that know about this, the better. And, if you have any questions, let us know (mtamburo@hotmail.com) - we are more than happy to discuss Paul's story to inform people.

Joanne's answer:
For me, my most serious injury happened the summer after my first year in grad school - I was living in L.A., down the hall from my boyfriend at the time, Kevin. We were getting ready to do apartment shopping in Riverside and we were running late, so I ran home to take a really fast shower. The tub had a pretty slow drain (which I had not bothered to fix) and so when I showered, the tub would fill up with about an inch or so of soapy water, making the tub pretty slippery. Well, in my hurry to take a fast shower, I slipped backwards and fell down in the tub - but not before hitting - and breaking - the ceramic soapdish with my backside on the way down! I didn't really realize what had happened after I fell - I was pretty sure I had cut myself badly but I was too afraid to look - I was afraid of passing out, actually - so I called Kevin and told him he had to come over right away! He came over, took one look at my cut, and said, as calmly as possibe, "Okay, so, we'll be going to the emergency room now!". I ended up needing about 20 staples in my butt and I looked the bride of frankenstein, it was not pretty!! The worst part was that they insisted on giving me a tentus shot at the hospital....and I don't know if you recall ever having gotten a tentus shot, but they make your arm really sore for a few days, as if someone had punched you really hard in the arm. Well, my cut was on the left side of me, and the nurse put the shot in my right arm...so when I tried to sleep, I couldn't sleep on my left side OR my right side...which pretty much meant I couldn't sleep at all! My little accident happened only a couple of days before 9/11 - so for the whole next week, I would give up on sleeping by about 4 or 5 in the morning, go to the living room, and watch CNN's 9/11 news coverage for hours before getting up and going to work. Not good times!!

And the rest of the answers!

1. I have two injuries that are tied for the worst.One was when I climbed a REALLY high tree and got to the top andpassed out -- I woke up in the hospital with amnesia, a broken pelvicbone, and a concussion. The worst part was the amnesia -- it onlylasted a day but for that day, I kept forgetting that my pelvis wasbroken I would try to get up and walk around only to be reminded bythe pain that I could not walk.The second was when I was constipated for so long that my step dad hadto carry me to the hospital (cuz I couldn't walk). The guy takingx-rays had no sensitivity to the amount of pain I was in and kepttrying to make me stand up, and finally, when he forced me to stand, Ithrew up all over him. I was laying on an emergency room bed for hourscrying and telling the doctor that I wanted to die. It was so scary!Glad those times are passed!

2. I've been ill and I've been injured but nothing I had to "face", nothing life threatening.

3. I guess breaking my collar bone.

4. When was 5 years old I was wrestling with my dad on my bed. I tried to dive on top of him but missed. I went through the second floor window and nearly fell 2 story's to the ground. The only6 thing that saved me is I got stuck on the broken window glass and it held me from following to a certain death on the concrete driveway belowThe doctor said if I wasn't so overweight, my left lung would have been torn open and I would have died for sure.

5. i was sick in the hospital last year with who knows what. got sick saturday night into sunday,went home from work early.couldnt stop throwing and going,then just dry heaving till afternoon sunday.excruciatingpain,went to the ER.more dry heaving.got iv fluids,labs drawn,pain and nausea meds,sent home.crackers andsoup for 3 days.tried to go to work and ended back inthe ER and admitted.more iv fluids and potassium,pain and nausea meds,ultrasound(US) and nothing definitiveon the labs or US.all i know is,i was sick on cinco de mayo and missed seeing Maroon 5 in concert.

6. I've been fortunate enough not to have any really serious illness or injuries in my life. I fell out of a tree when I was 6 and broke my elbow, but the doctors were able to set it straight without having to do surgery. Then when I was a senior in high school I gave blood for the first time and completely passed-out afterwards while I was sitting on the gurney and landed on my neck on the gym floor. They said if I hadn't been so flexible (as a gymnast for 7 years), that I might have broken my neck!!! Yikes! What a different life I'd now be living.

7. Faced? Death. Suffered myself? Knocked unconscious by AdamFernandes' lunchbox.

8. The most serious illness that I have ALMOST faced is when I had two cervical biopsies over the course of six months. I was pretty sure that I was looking at cancer and was afraid that even if I was able to survive it would mean a lot of suffering and that it might mean that I would never be able to have children. I also had a situation where my doctor felt lumps in my breasts and sent me for a breast ultrasound. Turns out that they were just cysts (that apparently don't need to be removed), but that was kind of nerve-wracking, too. Note: This past exam - about a month ago - he considered sending me for a second breast ultrasound as there were more and/or larger lumps, but decided that it could wait until next year. So, it looks like that might be an on-going situation. But, the most serious ACTUAL sickness or injury I've ever faced? I don't know - does childbirth count? If so, I pick that. My broken foot was also pretty sucky.

9. Depression is a common illness looming at my door. But I don't think I have ever had a bad illness or anything.....

Welcome to Joanne's QOTD Blog!

I've received a couple of requests to post ALL of my answers to the QOTD (not just my favorite). I'll still be keeping the email the same format (sharing my favorite answer and special notes), but I'll also post all of the responses I get up on this blog for those of you who are interested in reading them. You can even vote for YOUR favorite by posting a comment! As with my favorite answer, I'll do my best to keep the author's identify confidential by removing identifying information (e.g., names) -- also, if you have an answer that you don't want shared with everyone, just let me know and I'll be happy to leave it off. Hope you enjoy the blog!