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  <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384</id>
  <title>The Adventures of the Little Indian Girl</title>
  <subtitle>smittenbyu</subtitle>
  <author>
    <name>smittenbyu</name>
  </author>
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  <updated>2024-12-21T19:28:09Z</updated>
  <dw:journal username="smittenbyu" type="personal"/>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1231777</id>
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    <title>keyboards..</title>
    <published>2024-12-21T19:28:09Z</published>
    <updated>2024-12-21T19:28:09Z</updated>
    <category term="computers"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>1</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">OMG... In a week, I use three different keyboards. And each are a bit different from each other and my hands can't seem to figure out where the keys are. It takes a few minutes at the start to get used to! My work laptop keyboard has a numeric keyboard as well. And so that one is similar to the keyboard for our desktop that is in the sunroom - it's D's computer, which she never really uses.She prefers her school issued laptop or my personal laptop - because she loves taking over the dining table. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And the third is my laptop keyboard. I learned how to type without looking at the keyboard. So, thought it didn't matter. But clearly it makes a difference. ha haha.... &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My work laptop has now been shut and put away to the side, because technically my vacation has begun. I will need to do an hour or two of work on Monday and then can start the vacation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1231777" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1197140</id>
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    <title>2024 365 Questions: February</title>
    <published>2024-02-08T14:53:02Z</published>
    <updated>2024-02-08T14:53:02Z</updated>
    <category term="2024 365 questions"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>1</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">Questions From here: &lt;a href="https://spiffikins.dreamwidth.org/1251745.html"&gt;https://spiffikins.dreamwidth.org/1251745.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;7. How Do You Remember What You Need to Remember?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Google Calendar. Everything goes on the calendar - as an event or a task. I do still write down my task list by hand (for work) but yes, on my calendar or it's forgotten.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;8. Have You Ever Stumbled Upon a Cool Public Performance?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When I used to go into DC on weekends, I'd always see performances for some event or the other that was cool. But recent trip in Lima, last day I was at the local town square and there was a huge group of people standing around in a circle. Wasn't sure what was going on. So, got closer to see, it was like a small amphitheater - set in a circle - there were so many peeople, I couldn't even see the ground they were standing/sitting on. And in the middle, they had couples of all ages dancing away and folks around watching, singing along - there was just so much joy! It was contagious. Guess that counts as public performance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1197140" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1153656</id>
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    <title>2023 365 Questions: a bunch of different things</title>
    <published>2023-05-18T22:10:48Z</published>
    <updated>2023-05-18T22:10:48Z</updated>
    <category term="2023 365 questions"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>0</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">Found here: &lt;a href="https://jo.dreamwidth.org/2802730.html"&gt;https://jo.dreamwidth.org/2802730.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;12 – Limerick Day: Do you like limericks? Do you have a favourite?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Limericks cack me up! ha ha... I don't know if I have a favourite one. But &lt;i&gt;Hickory Dickory dock&lt;/i&gt; was probably one of the first I ever heard in English. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;13 – World Fair Trade Day: Do you try to buy certified fair trade products?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There's no fair trade in this world. sigh. Some of the certifications that are out there have then questionable intentions. Who sets these standards. Intentions are good of course, but as one of our colleagues who has a coffee farm shares his perpective on why he doesn't partake in the certification process. Some of the requirements don't make sense, and they don't get an avenue to provide any feedback.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;14 – World Migratory Bird Day: World Migratory Bird Day is observed twice a year during the second Saturday in May and again on the second Saturday in October. The goal is to raise awareness of issues affecting migratory birds and to inspire action around the world to take measures for their conservation. Do you live in a region that sees bird migrations in the spring and fall? Light pollution is a major threat to migratory birds. Does your municipality have any "Dim the Lights" policies in place to protect migratory birds?&lt;/b&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yes we do see so many more birds aruond this time of the year. In fact, when my colleagues and I were sitting in the backyard, someone who lives in the NW of the US was commenting on the sounds of birds she could hear. Our BigBoss worked at the Nature Conservancy before and so he shed light about the migratory birds! :) Our parks have all changed their lights to dimmer lights and also have a cover on top, so the light is shed below and not above. Shenandoah National Park participates in the Dark Skies program. Our street lights are changing slowly to the dimmer versions - or at least are not projecting to the sky. But wonder if it's a losing battle to try when we also have lost of our tree cover and area is filled with lawns. *shrugs*&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;15 – Bring Flowers to Someone Day: When was the last time someone gave you flowers? When was the last time you brought flowers to someone else?&lt;/b&gt; I am allergic to indoor pollen - so, all my friends know not to buy me flowers. I also therefore don't buy flowers to gift. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;16 – Biographers' Day: Do you like reading biographies? What have been some of your favourites? If you're not a fan, why not? If you were going to write a biography of someone, who would that be?&lt;/b&gt; &lt;br /&gt;I have always the intention of reading biographies but never seem to get through. Not sure why. It's not the author's doing. It's just me. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;17 – World Baking Day: Do you bake or are you more of a fan of watching others baking, for example, watching the Great British Bake Off or other shows of that type? If you do bake, what are some of your favourite things to bake?&lt;/b&gt; Not a baker. I do try every now and then - cookies with D. I love watching others bake - at their homes or on TV. But mostly, I love eating stuff other folks bake! :P &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;18 – International Museum Day: When was the last time you visited a museum? Which one was it, and what was your favourite exhibit?&lt;/b&gt; Our event yesterday was held at a Museum! ;) We got an hour to tour it. It's the museum of language arts (Planet Word) and so I loved how interactive and engaging the displays were. I don't know if I had a favorite there.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1153656" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1140139</id>
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    <title>access to calendars</title>
    <published>2023-03-06T14:24:15Z</published>
    <updated>2023-03-06T14:24:15Z</updated>
    <category term="work"/>
    <dw:mood>annoyed</dw:mood>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>2</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">Do folks sitting in decision making roles not have a calendar on their actual desk or a virtual device? Like, why would you, a US based org have an event  - a FULL day event May 30th. It would start 9AM and go full day. Why?! sigh... &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;May 29th is a national holiday - Memorial Day weekend. So, the event might be held in the Mid-West. It might require me to travel. So, why would you do that? Well, realistically, I think the dates will change as it gets into motion of actually organizing. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;sigh. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Such an annoying thing to wake up to and return Monday to. sigh. But it always makes it look like I oppose whatever he puts forth. But whatever, I will be in Shenandoah camping. And dang it, they now have a cell tower and so have internet access. boo!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1140139" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1135140</id>
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    <title>2023 365 Questions: Chopsticks</title>
    <published>2023-02-06T15:26:13Z</published>
    <updated>2023-02-06T15:26:13Z</updated>
    <category term="2023 365 questions"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>1</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://jo.dreamwidth.org/2802730.html"&gt;2023 365 Questions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;6 &amp;ndash; Chopsticks Day: Can you eat with chopsticks? If yes, how often do you use them?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;div&gt;The first time I heard of chopsticks was in a Chinese restaurant in Paris back in 1989. I still vividly remember that trip. It was my first away from parents trip. A school trip. My parent sent me on the trip to make friends outside a school setting. We had just moved to Rome and I was finding it so difficult. I had such a wonderful time though. While almost all the kids on the trip were living away from home, they were not necessarily living outside their culture (some were Italian born with American, British, other EU country parents), at least not that far removed and had been in school for several years already. Being in a Chinese restaurant though got us all on equal footing. We were all together in a space completely new to us. It was a shared moment together. We had a really fun time. The staff were amazingly patient and showed us how to use chopsticks and also showed how we could practice at home using chopsticks and rubber bands. They let us take a few home. Since, one couldn't really walk into any store and get some.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Of course, the chopsticks were forgotten about for the following years. When we moved to Singapore, we learned how to. Because, duh! In Hawai'i as well - everyone Asian or not learns to use them - at least that's what I saw with the locals. So, yes, have been using them for the last few decades. Definitely after moving to the US/NoVA, I am not using them as frequently as I used to - going from several times a week down to possibly every few months. I do insist on getting chopsticks whenever I go to an East Asian place. And have them at home. Kid has her practice chopsticks at home, since she was 5 years old, and brings them out whenever I make any thing East Asian. If you want to keep up with your motor skills and coordination, it's a great practice, while you eat yummy delicious food! ;) She is slowly getting better.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;My Malaysian friends would tell me that I had the right way to hold them. Their parents would praise me and chastise them for not doing it right! ha! So, the efforts of those staff at that restaurant back in 1989 are to be thanked for as they taught well. Tip: hold one like a pen with all your fingers, except the index finger and only the one on top (?) is the one that moves with the help of the index finger.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1135140" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1134640</id>
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    <title>2023 365 Questions: Ice cream for breakfast &amp; Nutella</title>
    <published>2023-02-05T23:18:01Z</published>
    <updated>2023-02-05T23:18:01Z</updated>
    <category term="2023 365 questions"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>0</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">All the questions are &lt;a href="https://jo.dreamwidth.org/2802730.html"&gt;found here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;4 – Ice cream For Breakfast Day: Have you ever eaten ice cream for breakfast (or for any other meal)?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't think I have made ice cream a meal in itself? I might have had a small appetizer and a big ice cream dish - like mud pie! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;5 – World Nutella Day: Do you like Nutella? How often to you eat Nutella?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Love Nutella. We always have a bottle of it at home. I haven't had it in a while though. I generally don't have a sweet tooth, so out of all the sweet stuff, nutella is what I eat more frequently. Pick it over chocolate, any day!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1134640" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1134158</id>
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    <title>2023 Daily Questions: Take a Cruise Day!</title>
    <published>2023-02-03T18:56:57Z</published>
    <updated>2023-02-03T20:15:36Z</updated>
    <category term="2023 365 questions"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>1</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">Questions found &lt;a href="https://jo.dreamwidth.org/2802730.html"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;3 – Take a Cruise Day: Have you ever been on a cruise? If not, would you want to? Cruise ships cause major environmental damage: a large cruise ship can have a carbon footprint greater than 12,000 cars, while passengers on an Antarctic cruise can produce as much CO2 emissions on a seven-day voyage as the average European in an entire year. The industry is a major producer of waste, with the total amount of rubbish produced by a large cruise ship exceeding a ton per day. And let us not forget that they are also essentially floating germ/virus labs (even before Covid). So do you still want to take a cruise?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well, that was a super long leading question, looking for a very specific answer! :P lol. No, never wanted to go on a cruise - overnight cruises. Unless it some mode of transport to get somewhere, but it would be only if there were no other option. I have taken sunset cruises while in Hawai'i. Had a close friend who worked with cruise ships that docked in Honolulu - she worked for the port authority (?) and her part was with cruise ships. And the stories she told kept me far away from ever wanting to go on one! ;) There's a documentary on Netflix N was watching about cruise ships..it's mindblowing what an operation it is. But he also has a friend who worked as staff on the cruise ships and corroborates all that is true. So, yeah - no, not going on a cruise any time soon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1134158" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1133436</id>
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    <title>2023 365 Questions - February - Serpent Day!</title>
    <published>2023-02-01T15:20:45Z</published>
    <updated>2023-02-01T15:20:45Z</updated>
    <category term="2023 365 questions"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>8</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">Been enjoying doing these 365 questions! And also seeing others who are also partaking in it! :) Link to the &lt;a href="https://jo.dreamwidth.org/2802730.html"&gt;questions&lt;/a&gt;. Going forward, I am going to keep these posts public, unless there are some deep dark secrets being shared! :P &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;February&lt;/b&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;1 – Serpent Day: How do you feel about snakes? Would you ever keep a snake as a pet?&lt;/b&gt; How do I feel about snakes? You leave them alone and you'd be fine. I would never keep one as a pet! Growing up in agricultural land, one gains a huge respect and healthy dose of fear of snakes. But that's being pragmatic. Folks would catch the ones close to the office buildings, houses, etc. and set them free further out in the fields. They would put them in a little cage for folks to see before they are let go. This was a huge attraction for us neighborhood kids, to go see what type of snake they caught that week/day. We saw such diversity of snakes and for a while I could name them and tell them apart. Not anymore though.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Snakes represent a symbol of birth, death and mortality for Hindus (and likely Jains, and Sikhs as well) - as snakes shed skin and are "reborn". But mostly it's the king cobra that is revered and is seen as a divine creature/serpent or &lt;i&gt;nagas&lt;/i&gt; and is worshiped by many. You will not find anyone kill one intentionally. And if it is inadvertently, it's cremated like human beings are. There is a small community in Tamil Nadu that worships not a statue representation, but actual snakes - so the temple will have snakes swarming about. This is the community that moved/migrated to South East Asia and if you ever go to the Snake Temple in Penang, Malaysia - you will see a whole bunch of them! Of course, they are not cobras. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, my feelings about it? Good for them! Not for me! ;) ha aha... I did go to that temple and held a few snakes! But they play a huge role in the ecosystem and well, are living beings that should be respected regardless of religion or whatever else. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="cut-wrapper"&gt;&lt;span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b class="cut-open"&gt;(&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b class="cut-text"&gt;&lt;a href="https://smittenbyu.dreamwidth.org/1133436.html#cutid1"&gt;rest of Feb Q's&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b class="cut-close"&gt;&amp;nbsp;)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1133436" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
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  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1127344</id>
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    <title>2023 365 Days: Dream come true</title>
    <published>2023-01-13T21:37:34Z</published>
    <updated>2023-01-13T21:37:34Z</updated>
    <category term="driving"/>
    <category term="2023 365 questions"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>0</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">&lt;b&gt;13 – Make Your Dream Come True Day: Have you ever had a dream come true? Care to tell the story?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I always wanted a remote control car. Dad had got sis and I one when I was 5yo? I played with it so much that I burnt the engine or it was something super cheap and quit working. Not sure. But I always wanted another one since. It finally came true when I was 36 years old! ;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I also literally dreamt of driving a car. And I was maybe 7yo and it was a recurring dream. It was the time of cars with stick shift. No one ever heard of the automatic drive car. I had dreamt that I was driving on a highway and I only had to hit the gas pedal and the brake pedal. Everyone would be laughing. ha haha... In Malaysia, we have to learn on a stick shift to get a license. Afterwards, you can drive whatever. So, I drove dad's car and once it was on a highway where briefly it was an empty stretch of road and I was hitting the gas pedal and driving. It had reminded me of my recurring dream from childhood!! So, who's laughing now!! :P &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="cut-wrapper"&gt;&lt;span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b class="cut-open"&gt;(&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b class="cut-text"&gt;&lt;a href="https://smittenbyu.dreamwidth.org/1127344.html#cutid1"&gt;rest of Jan Q's&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b class="cut-close"&gt;&amp;nbsp;)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1127344" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
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  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1122069</id>
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    <title>2023 New Year Friendzy!</title>
    <published>2023-01-04T03:22:29Z</published>
    <updated>2023-01-04T03:24:05Z</updated>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>0</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;a href="https://friending-memes.dreamwidth.org/3049.html"&gt;&lt;img src="https://i.ibb.co/QcCRWfX/newyearsfriendzy.png" alt="newyearsfriendzy" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
Click the banner to join us and make some new friends!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1122069" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
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  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1110295</id>
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    <title>social media...</title>
    <published>2022-11-11T21:50:39Z</published>
    <updated>2022-11-11T21:50:39Z</updated>
    <category term="amusement"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>0</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">I have just fallen over dying with laughter over this video... It's also been pre-teen approved as funny. So, have all the validation necessary! ;) ha hahahahahah&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2hmwlcoUwTY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1110295" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1079709</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://smittenbyu.dreamwidth.org/1079709.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="https://smittenbyu.dreamwidth.org/data/atom/?itemid=1079709"/>
    <title>Three Questions</title>
    <published>2022-03-29T16:46:02Z</published>
    <updated>2022-03-29T16:46:02Z</updated>
    <category term="meme"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>1</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">From &lt;a href="https://oracne.dreamwidth.org/"&gt;Oracne&lt;/a&gt; at DW, Three Questions: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;1. After it rains, I:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I step outside and smell the rain. Hear the birds sing. Breathe in some air. If I have time, I will take a walk around the neighborhood. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2. When it's cold, I:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hunker down and stay inside in the warmth of our home. Be grateful and occasionally bundle up and go for a walk. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;3. When the sun is bright and the sky is blue:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;br /&gt;I usually take a picture. Just stare that beauty. Sun, blue skies ALWAYS cheers me up - especially during winter and spring. I will go outside for a walk. If it's cold, I might think twice (like today) but I will go at 3PM and just let the feel of warmth on my face soak in. If it's sunny and blue skies in August - I usually curse at the heat and dream of cold weather! :P&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1079709" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1076135</id>
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    <title>TV shows &amp; movies</title>
    <published>2022-03-16T17:05:54Z</published>
    <updated>2022-03-16T17:06:44Z</updated>
    <category term="television"/>
    <category term="movie"/>
    <category term="tv show"/>
    <category term="movies"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>13</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt; Finally finished watching &lt;a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7767422/"&gt;Sex Education&lt;/a&gt; - so relevant for the current times of all the things that can happen when we make awful, dangerous laws. Absolutely loved the show. Maeve &amp; Eric has to be my favourite characters.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80239866"&gt;Sweet Magnolias&lt;/a&gt; - has been my silly escape. I am not sure why but I enjoy the show. I usually don't do such Romance stuff. Virgin River was another one. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Raising Dion - D &amp; I watched the second season of the show and enjoyed it. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9288030/"&gt;Reacher&lt;/a&gt; - N &amp; I watched this together. And there was something I liked about it. And yet, OMG everyone dies. It's not a spoiler. It's a formulaic and so anyone can guess. Not just dies, everyone gets killed. And we see the graphic violence. Ugh. Some of them seem justified - one almost is convinced it is. Oh so disturbing. The first few episodes, I was like look at this awesome dynamic - a man and a woman and that is not a love interest. Well, never mind that. This was a similar reaction I had with Breaking Bad. So very disturbing. And should we be worried we are attracted to this? lol. Noticed the writer is of South Asian descent and we were cracking jokes that some of the ideas must have been pulled from watching Rajnikanth movies - Rajnikanth is Indian version of Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone all rolled into one. Anyway, know Reacher is based on a book or a movie from the past. I vaguely remember dad watching it with great interest.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Spiderman - we watched all the Spiderman movies with Tobey Maguire and watched Captain America: Civil War, over the weekend. And last night we watched Homecoming with Tom Holland as Spiderman. Enjoyed the movie. And maybe it's nostalgia and my bias, like Tobey Maguire more. But this was also great in its own way. Can't wait to watch the next one. Debating if we should watch Venom 1 &amp; 2. And see Avengers Infinity &amp; Endgame too - let D decide.  N has already seen them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Looking forward to Bridgerton the next season! This is US (TV Show) is coming to an end. sigh.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1076135" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1074488</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://smittenbyu.dreamwidth.org/1074488.html"/>
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    <title>Instead of Friday Five, here's convo with The Google Assistant</title>
    <published>2022-03-11T19:26:16Z</published>
    <updated>2022-03-11T19:26:16Z</updated>
    <category term="amusement"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>2</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">Inspired by &lt;span style='white-space: nowrap;'&gt;&lt;a href='https://spiffikins.dreamwidth.org/profile'&gt;&lt;img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href='https://spiffikins.dreamwidth.org/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;spiffikins&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;D has random &amp;quot;conversations&amp;quot; with The Google Assistant every now and then. And so, had shared Spiffikins' convo with Alexa. So, we did one. It was hilarious! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hey Google, is Siri your friend?&lt;br /&gt;I think Siri's awesome. I keep trying to schedule a group hang with her, Alexa and Cortona, but we're all so busy!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hey Google, do you have any pets?&lt;br /&gt;Maybe some day... What about you? Do you have one? (I reply: no) response: that's OK. Not everybody has a pet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hey Google, what's your favourite number?&lt;br /&gt;I really like the number two. You know. When you and I hang out two-gether. :D &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hey Google, what was your favourite subject in school?&lt;br /&gt;hmmm...the sciences have always interested me. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hey Google, what do you think of Jeff Bezos?&lt;br /&gt;That seems like an interesting topic. What do you want to know about Jeff Bezos?&lt;br /&gt;(same answer when I asked about Sundar Pichai (CEO) - and the pronunciation was awesome!)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hey Google, what's your favourite day of the week?&lt;br /&gt;Everyday I chat with you is the best! :D&lt;br /&gt;[that made me laugh!! ha hahaha!)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hey Google, who's your favourite person?&lt;br /&gt;I like everyone. But you're definitely a top contender for favorite! ^_^&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hey Google, what is your favourite book?&lt;br /&gt;Superhero fiction seems interesting&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hey Google, do you like rain?&lt;br /&gt;I like rain. Today's forecast: scattered showers of compliments, with a high of &amp;quot;you're amazing&amp;quot; and a low of &amp;quot;good times&amp;quot; :))&lt;br /&gt;[bwa ha hahahaha]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hey Google, who is your best friend?&lt;br /&gt;My very best friend is... you *emoji with eyes hearts* I think a best friend should be someone you can always learn from. What do you look for in a best friend? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hey Google, how much wood could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?&lt;br /&gt;A woodchuck would chuck all the wood it could, if a woodchuck could chuck wood.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1074488" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1072465</id>
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    <title>LJ to DW Friendzy</title>
    <published>2022-03-07T15:23:09Z</published>
    <updated>2022-03-07T15:23:09Z</updated>
    <category term="friendzy"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>0</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">It was through friendzy's that met several of you! &amp;lt;3 so, here's one more....&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://i.ibb.co/4dnbFxX/LJto-DWfriends.png" alt="LJto-DWfriends" border="0" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="https://friending-memes.dreamwidth.org/1083.html"&gt;Over here!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1072465" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1053256</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://smittenbyu.dreamwidth.org/1053256.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="https://smittenbyu.dreamwidth.org/data/atom/?itemid=1053256"/>
    <title>photo a day - October 2021</title>
    <published>2021-10-04T21:14:38Z</published>
    <updated>2021-10-04T21:14:38Z</updated>
    <category term="amusement"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>0</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">So, I started doing the photo a day again after a long break. Posted pictures from the first 3 days. And of course, since then FB &amp;amp; Instagram are not working. lol. of course. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sorry folks. My bad! ;)&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1053256" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1027299</id>
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    <title>Amusement &amp; waiting</title>
    <published>2020-12-10T21:45:29Z</published>
    <updated>2020-12-10T21:45:29Z</updated>
    <category term="amusement"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>1</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">It didn't hit me till today that the site we use on and off to get pictures, I have been calling it wrong ALL these years!! It's Pixa&lt;strong&gt;BAY &lt;/strong&gt;and not&amp;nbsp;Pixa&lt;strong&gt;BABY&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;(capitalization is mine)&amp;nbsp;as I have been calling and typing it as! lol.... my colleague in Germany sent a pic through th German site and I had the translation going on and guess I paid a little more attention? Oh and of course, I sing &amp;quot;santa baby&amp;quot; in my head every time too!!&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;oh gosh. lol...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Treadmill arrives tomorrow. But no one is available to assemble it till January 8th 2021! I guessed as much. sigh&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1027299" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1011501</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://smittenbyu.dreamwidth.org/1011501.html"/>
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    <title>Some good news...</title>
    <published>2020-06-18T17:08:17Z</published>
    <updated>2020-06-18T17:08:17Z</updated>
    <category term="national park"/>
    <category term="milestone"/>
    <category term="government"/>
    <category term="supreme court"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>0</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/06/18/829858289/supreme-court-upholds-daca-in-blow-to-trump-administration"&gt;Supreme Court upholds DACA&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;- which is great, as the administration did not have enough justification in what they were doing at all. Now, we need to actually work within Congress to finally resolve the issue and help bring some resolution - living in so much uncertainty cause immense amount of trauma and distress&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/06/15/863498848/supreme-court-delivers-major-victory-to-lgbtq-employees"&gt;Supreme Court decision protects LGBTQ community&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;- I read this and danced a happy dance!! And at the same time was utterly saddened that we needed this to be spelled out. Like, it should be basic common decency to protect all humans. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/nation-world/senate-passes-great-american-outdoors-act/507-816aa345-e2f6-4ca1-984c-f8f3ce6c7ed5"&gt;Great American Outdoors Act &lt;/a&gt;- Senate passed this bill and it's a long needed bill. Am sure not cutting funding over the years for the national parks would have not necessitated this bill but hey! will take it!! They think it will eventually get Trump's signature even though he is not a very Parks friendly guy.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;I am trying not to be hopeful about the other items on the Supreme Court's docket though.... let's see...&amp;nbsp;&lt;br type="_moz" /&gt;&lt;br type="_moz" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1011501" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1001876</id>
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    <title>"Now, you listen here! He's not the Messiah. He's a very naughty boy!" Brian's mom ;)</title>
    <published>2020-01-22T17:25:46Z</published>
    <updated>2020-01-22T17:25:46Z</updated>
    <category term="life"/>
    <category term="death"/>
    <category term="movie"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>1</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This news was really sad to read this morning, &lt;a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51209197"&gt;Terry Jones: Monty Python Star Dies&lt;/a&gt;. I heard first heard and watched the Monty Python movies in high school. In our Theory of Knowledge class for the IB program. I forget what we were discussing but we watched (probably not in its entirety) Life of Brian &amp;amp; Meaning of Life. I can't remember laughing as hard as I did with the work over anything else. Well, maybe Eddie Murphy's work came almost as close, but those are so very different. So, let's not compare.&lt;/p&gt;Ever since, I have been humming, &amp;quot;always look on the bright side of life! *whistles tune*&amp;quot;. I am waiting eagerly for a day when D would be old enough to watch it and get the humor. Although, she'd probably roll her eyes. Maybe she will have a cool theology teacher or equivalent who will recommend it! ha ha hahaha.... &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NquFVO44lvg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1001876" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1000998</id>
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    <title>2020 Question A day - January</title>
    <published>2020-01-17T21:14:45Z</published>
    <updated>2020-01-17T21:14:45Z</updated>
    <category term="question a day"/>
    <category term="snowstorm"/>
    <category term="weather"/>
    <category term="polar vortex"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>1</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">&lt;strong&gt;17 What self-care things do you find helpful to ground yourself or &amp;ldquo;talk yourself down from the ledge&amp;rdquo; when you&amp;rsquo;re overwhelmed by your feelings or by stress?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Do memes on DW count? :) I usually scream into a pillow, jump around, listen to music, have a good cry, hum, hide under the blanket and then give myself a pep talk. It depends on the situation. In college, being in Hawai'i a walk on the beach or a dip in the ocean - I do miss it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;18 What is the most extreme weather you have ever experienced?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;The polar vortex a few years ago? I think it was 2012. Before it arrived, I thought I had lived here long enough to get used to winter. I bought the proper gear and boots. And well, then the temps dipped to 10F (not counting windchill)!!!!!!!! Dang it. I did make it out and survived!! ha hahaha... And believe that was the winter we got almost 2 feet of snow? Many lost power, but we didn't.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="cut-wrapper"&gt;&lt;span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b class="cut-open"&gt;(&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b class="cut-text"&gt;&lt;a href="https://smittenbyu.dreamwidth.org/1000998.html#cutid1"&gt;Rest of January questions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b class="cut-close"&gt;&amp;nbsp;)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1000998" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1000520</id>
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    <title>2020 Question A day - January</title>
    <published>2020-01-16T16:46:16Z</published>
    <updated>2020-01-16T16:46:16Z</updated>
    <category term="question a day"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>0</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;13 What are your favorite pizza toppings?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's different every week!! Love the traditional margarita pizza - good mozzarella (Buffalo milk &amp;amp; smoked), basil and tomato. I love feta cheese in a &amp;quot;greek&amp;quot; inspired combo! yummm...artichoke hearts, or portobello mushrooms. not all on the same pizza... but the usual combo plus these.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;14 Who was your very first best friend? Are you still in contact or communication with them?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;I am not going to mention her name as that's a security question on my bank account! :P Well, guess she wouldn't be a best friend? I didn't really have what one thinks of a stereotype of a best friend till high school. But her name is Intan. We are still in touch and N got to meet her during his trip for work to Switzerland! Last time I met her in person was probably 2005!!! But we always pick up where we left off like nothing has changed! :)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;15 If you could pick a new first name, what would you choose?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;I'm very happy with mine and so can't think of one. I have been called Samantha and that's a nice first name.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;16 What is your favorite board game?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Been getting random board games from the Library. I find deciphering instructions difficult. lol. But I have enjoyed Ticket to Ride.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="cut-wrapper"&gt;&lt;span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b class="cut-open"&gt;(&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b class="cut-text"&gt;&lt;a href="https://smittenbyu.dreamwidth.org/1000520.html#cutid1"&gt;rest of January Questions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b class="cut-close"&gt;&amp;nbsp;)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1000520" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:1000362</id>
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    <title>Soda / pop / coke - whatever you call it</title>
    <published>2020-01-14T15:21:23Z</published>
    <updated>2020-01-14T17:07:48Z</updated>
    <category term="parties"/>
    <category term="food"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>3</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">&lt;p&gt;I made N buy a variety of soda for the party. I am not sure what got into me. There were a few relatively-new to us&amp;nbsp;people joining. So thought add a variety and not just water, wine, beer or cocktail. ahem. So, N got the mini cans so we don't need to drink the whole 225ml at a time.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Oh Boy! One would think I lit a cigarette inside the house or something! lol - that we had soda at the party!&lt;span style="font-size: smaller;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;(to be fair even the alcohol is not really consumed in large quantities at our parties)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So, we have a cooler full of soda and neither N nor I really drink it regularly.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I guess we stick to water, juices, cocktails, wine and beer. Soda doesn't have an expiry date, right? It will take a LONG while to be consumed.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=1000362" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:999296</id>
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    <title>2020 Question A day - January</title>
    <published>2020-01-09T18:31:27Z</published>
    <updated>2020-01-09T18:31:27Z</updated>
    <category term="question a day"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>0</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">&lt;strong&gt;7 In the U.S., each state has a &amp;ldquo;state flower.&amp;rdquo; If you&amp;rsquo;re in the U.S., what is your state flower? If you live elsewhere, does your region or country have flower that represents it? (Post a picture?)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Virginia's state flower is a &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_florida"&gt;flowering dogwood&lt;/a&gt;. We have the pink variety at almost every street corner and in spring it's beautiful!&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;8 Would you rather live in a deep-sea station or a space station?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think a deep-sea station? Just because it sounds like it's closer to earth.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9 What&amp;rsquo;s your favorite &amp;ldquo;comfort food&amp;rdquo; when you&amp;rsquo;re feeling down or unwell?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;I like rasam (tomato) &amp;amp; rice, or yogurt rice or pasta with marinara sauce that's extra cheesy.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;10 What was the last film you saw at a theatre/cinema?&lt;br /&gt;11 Have you ever been asked for your telephone number and you didn't want to give it? What did you do?&lt;br /&gt;12 Have you ever had a &amp;ldquo;crush&amp;rdquo; on a fictional character?&lt;br /&gt;13 What are your favorite pizza toppings?&lt;br /&gt;14 Who was your very first best friend? Are you still in contact or communication with them?&lt;br /&gt;15 If you could pick a new first name, what would you choose?&lt;br /&gt;16 What is your favorite board game?&lt;br /&gt;17 What self-care things do you find helpful to ground yourself or &amp;ldquo;talk yourself down from the ledge&amp;rdquo; when you&amp;rsquo;re overwhelmed by your feelings or by stress?&lt;br /&gt;18 What is the most extreme weather you have ever experienced?&lt;br /&gt;19 Do you operate out of any particular faith system that informs your actions? Do you intentionally NOT have a faith system, and if so, what beliefs or ideas inform your actions?&lt;br /&gt;20 When you go to a fancy coffee shop, what&amp;rsquo;s your go-to order?&lt;br /&gt;21 What genre of books is your usual favorite when you read for pleasure?&lt;br /&gt;22 Where is one place you wouldn&amp;rsquo;t ever want to be caught dead?&lt;br /&gt;23 How would someone who genuinely likes and admires you describe you?&lt;br /&gt;24 How would someone who doesn&amp;rsquo;t really like you describe you?&lt;br /&gt;25 If you had to teach a one-hour class with absolutely no prep time, what subject could you competently pull off?&lt;br /&gt;26 What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you while out for a meal at a restaurant?&lt;br /&gt;27 What aphorism or saying is helpful for you right now?&lt;br /&gt;28 What&amp;rsquo;s your favorite meme? (Post it!)&lt;br /&gt;29 What is your skin care regimen?&lt;br /&gt;30 What song are you listening to a lot right now? (Post a link?)&lt;br /&gt;31 What superpower best suits your personality?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=999296" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
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  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:994272</id>
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    <title>So this is my story.. of yesterday's adventure!</title>
    <published>2019-10-09T18:05:30Z</published>
    <updated>2019-10-09T18:05:30Z</updated>
    <category term="public transport"/>
    <category term="family"/>
    <category term="hike"/>
    <category term="annoyances"/>
    <category term="work"/>
    <category term="amusement"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>3</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">&lt;p&gt;So, I have never driven a car as part of my morning commute. If I drive, it's because we are running late and I drive D to school and come home and get to my home office. The days I go to office in DC - I walk D to school and continue walking to the bus stop (all of which is maybe a kilometer). The bus takes me to the metro station where I take the train into DC. Well, yesterday, I had to go to the office. We were going to be a few minutes past 9AM to school and D would get a tardy slip. She is also under the weather and so she couldn't run/rush. And my brain was already tired. sigh.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hence, I got the brilliant idea - all last minute - as I was locking our front door - to drive her to school, then to the mall next to the metro station, park there and go in. Would save me 20 minutes of my commute. So, I did it. Went to work, had a productive day and came back by train and already I was making plans of whether to catch the bus or to walk to school and do pick up and home. I saw the bus was coming in another 13 minutes (actual bus ride is maybe 5 minutes). So, figured I'd walk - it's a 20-25 minute walk. Needed my steps for the day.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So, as I begin walking, I get a call regarding work and was on the call for half the walking time. Went to school, picked D up. She was so excited to be coming home with a viola!! She picked viola as her musical instrument of choice! She was so excited to show what she learnt and I had shared that I had just gotten some bad news about work and I was feeling a bit down. We walked home. I wanted to go and have a good cry. sigh - but was excited to hear her play. As I was getting closer to the house, I was wondering where N could have gone with the car. There wasn't anything in our schedule. hmm. Strange. We get in and N is in the KITCHEN!!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And then I smack my head!! I FORGOT I DROVE TO THE STATION IN THE MORNING!!!! So, I grabbed some food and charged my phone, while D played the viola. They haven't taught her how to use the bow but she tried. I could barely hear her as the bow was not tightened and nor had any resin on it. So, taught her that part.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I walked to the bus stop and then headed to the mall. Halfway, I realised I had forgotten my WALLET &amp;amp; PARKING TOKEN at home (switched my bag!)!!! *cry* So, got off half way, got on the trail and started walking back home. I was soooo tired. I called N to whine. He offered to come down on bicycle and drop it off with me. It would be a 10 minute bike ride for him.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So, I sat there, on a park bench - it was actually nice. I had my quiet time to ponder and process the phone call I got earlier. And it was 15-20 minutes and N hadn't come. hmmm... I did see him after that and there was a smaller bike behind. D came along too!! She was so sad for me. She came over and gave me a hug as she figured I'd need one. And they headed back and I walked to the mall.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Oh gosh. What a fiasco! What a waste. I did get in 18K steps though! I thought - oh the phone will be happy!! But all it said was I did 8K steps more than normal and I should conserve energy for the next day! ha!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I should really put in reminders in my phone if I do something different from the routine. sigh&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=994272" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
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  <entry>
    <id>tag:dreamwidth.org,2017-01-10:2746384:977178</id>
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    <title>365 Questions - February!!</title>
    <published>2019-02-04T15:58:56Z</published>
    <updated>2019-02-04T15:58:56Z</updated>
    <category term="365 questions"/>
    <dw:security>public</dw:security>
    <dw:reply-count>0</dw:reply-count>
    <content type="html">It's February!! The list was found &lt;a href="https://jo.dreamwidth.org/2345024.html"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br type="_moz" /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1 Is there a catchphrase from an old TV show or adverts that hardly anyone else remembers but that you still use?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wel, I do remember catchphrases that I occasionally use that those around me don't get - because they are from Indian ads and if you aren't from India, you wouldn't get it. But otherwise, it's rare I remember any.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2 If you could talk to any one type of animal and they could talk back to you what animal would you choose?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What is it with talking animals? I doubt another species would have any coherent conversation with me. But maybe we will have some similar issues adn whine about the weather, food, and shelter? I'd pick a lion. No clue, always find it a majestic animal.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3 If you could put a custard pie in the face of anyone in the world (with no retaliation) who would you choose to do that to?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;aww... I would eat the pie. Why waste a good pie??? And I can't throw things in anger or fun at people. So, while there are people I could imagine in my head that upset me, I wouldn't want to waste pie on them!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4 If you won the lottery would you still buy a ticket every week? What do you think of people who win a second time?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The whole thing is based on luck. So, sure I would continue to buy a ticket. It's for the fun and what are the chances of winning again? what do I think of someone who wins a second time? Why aren't we friends, yet?! :P&lt;/p&gt;&lt;span class="cut-wrapper"&gt;&lt;span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b class="cut-open"&gt;(&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b class="cut-text"&gt;&lt;a href="https://smittenbyu.dreamwidth.org/977178.html#cutid1"&gt;Read more...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b class="cut-close"&gt;&amp;nbsp;)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=smittenbyu&amp;ditemid=977178" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/&gt; comments</content>
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