friday five, take 3

yeah, it’s been quite awhile, but rarely do i remember what day it is during the week, much less that it is friday and even less that these five questions might be worth the five or ten minutes it takes to answer. that being said and the day being remembered, here you go:

when was the last time you…
1. …sent a handwritten letter? hmm. that has been awhile, and i am guessing that the postcards i sent at various points through last year don’t count. did it have to be postmarked? i wrote a rather lengthy couple of letters back during the winter, but they were typed and not by-hand. it has probably been about four years since the last time i put pen to paper for a prolonged period of personal pontification.

2. …baked something from scratch or made something by hand? i cook whenever i can. stir-fry is probably my signature dish now, with good vegetables and ginger curry sauce, but i never bake. meals i do. desserts i don’t. and it has been ages since i attempted a decent pan of lasagna. made something? mix CDs probably don’t count, so it has probably been quite awhile. probably last spring, contributing some manual labor to the set of romeo & juliet.

3. …camped in a tent? i know this one. probably the early spring of 1997, i think. i know it was a little chilly in the morning, perfect campfire weather at night. we camped on an island in the middle of lake allatoona. somebody brought a bottle of ouzo.

4. …volunteered your time to church, school, or community? these days, i am volunteering my time to theatre in one way or another, something that gives more satisfaction these days as i am working with a not-for-profit group. in august, i will volunteer for the third time at dragoncon, though i am not sure just how one could consider that a charity. i was terribly active in the methodist church on in to my twenties, even spending a few years as a youth minister.

5. …helped a stranger? every chance i get.

what about you?

June 28, 2002 – 1:58 pm | By Thomas | Posted in Distractions | Comments (7)
  • JO

    1. I sent a handwritten letter a week ago to SSI only because my printer is not hooked up. A personal handwritten letter. December but I never sent it.
    2. 1 week ago I made my own oil scent. Cook well I do that all THE TIME.
    3. Never camped in a tent. I am afraid of the dark.
    4. Volunteering humm… Does comic relief at goverment facilities throughout the state of GA count? I guess it would it’s for the community. I often volunteer my time to newbies that acquire MS. I wouldn’t count Dragon Con..because my payment is a pass.
    5. I don’t have the power to help strangers. I feel God puts whoever he wants in my way. If my mouth opens and a stranger hears maybe it means somthing to them. If I see a begger on the street. I try even though (I am waffling on the border of homelessness) to help with xtra food and such. MONEY NEVER! example the guy off the 10th avenue exit 75 south or sometimes north ave ext. “Why lie I need a beer.” That guy has been there since I was able to drive. It was only funny the first year.. Now I can’t stop myself when I say “Why lie you need help.” OK that is the end of my ponderific answering.

  • http://www.changingthestory.com Janice

    #1. I diligently hand wrote letters to my friend Hunter while he was in the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan. I would say it’s probably been a year.

    #2. Baked something from scratch about 2 months ago – made cookies for a friend as a “Thank You” for VIP treatment at a premiere party (and then the other 2 batches went to an engagement party) – I make something by hand pretty much every day of my life.

    #3. My first (and LAST) time camping in a tent was when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I woke up damp and cold because of the condensation inside the tent – and lets not even talk about the spiders.

    #4. I honestly don’t remember the last time I volunteered – I used to read to kids as part of a summer program at my local library – but that was probably a decade ago. I barely have enough time for me these days let alone to share with so many others.

    #5. I’d like to think that I help strangers every day. I give people directions all the time – and I try to smile and be friendly to everyone I meet – if that’s not helpful – I don’t know what is.

  • Nikki

    1. Last summer I handwrote several letters from Britain. And I have a whole handwritten journal from then . . I suppose as letters to myself in the future from the past, those count.

    2. I cook all the time but I don’t think that counts as “making from scratch.” Gazpacho, maybe.

    3. Last time I was camping in a tent . . . probably when I was very small, and still thought that you should return fish you caught to a “safe haven.”

    4. Volunteered . . . probably sometime in the last four years, but I’m honest enough to say I don’t really remember.

    5. It’s the little things I think – holding doors for the elderly or keeping your neighbors’ kids from getting hit in the parking lot.

  • Amanda

    1. …sent a handwritten letter?
    God knows. Probably at least five years ago. Even before I had internet access I tended to use the computer for writing. I can type a lot faster than I can write.
    2. …baked something from scratch?
    Four days ago. I had rotten bananas, so I made banana bread, but I fell asleep while it was baking and so it burned. The smoke alarm woke me up. Does that count? I am usually very good at banana bread, but I only make it when I have overripe bananas I have to use up.
    3. …camped in a tent?
    Why would I want to do that? Mankind has spent thousands of years creating civilization, and I intend to stay in it.
    4. …volunteered your time to church, school, or community?
    I donate money when I can, but I’m not so good at donating time. I gave blood last summer; I need to do that again.
    5. …helped a stranger?
    All the time, whether I want to or not.

  • Darrell

    1. Wrote a Letter?
    Are you crazy? This is the 21st Century. Why step back in time? Who wants to go analog again?

    2.Made something by hand?
    Dinner a couple of weeks ago. Unless you count mixing a drink.

    3.Camped in a tent?
    Never been much of a camper. About 7 years ago. In Kentucky, frighteningly enough.

    4. Volunteered?
    I volunteered my time as a stagehand (my normal job, anyway) to the New York City Ballet in December for a special performance of _Nutcracker_ for families of 9/11 victims.

    5. Helped a stranger?
    I occasionally give change to the homeless. I hold doors for others, especially people with strollers. I check to make sure tourists know where they’re going. I need all the good karma I can get.

  • Sara

    1. I profoundly disagree with Darrell. I think putting pen to paper is a qualitatively different experience than putting fingers to keyboard, and certainly the act of sending mail is more meaningful and requires more effort than sending an email. I miss really writing letters. I make periodic resolutions to start writing them again, but keep failing to follow up. The last real letter I sent was probably to my then-future (now ex) girlfriend in 1996.

    2. made cookies sometime over the winter, repotted a plant this weekend, probably since the late 90s that i actually built something.

    3. April, Grand Canyon.

    4. tutored a high school student through the end of the school year – late May.

    5. it’s what i do for a living really, but on a non-job-related level, gave directions to someone in my ‘hood last night.

  • Evey

    1. . . .sent a handwritten letter? Does it count if I write and edit a letter in longhand, then type it before sending so that the recipient did not have to read my hieroglyphs? If so, it would be October 27, 2000. If not, college.

    2. . . .made something from scratch? I made a broccoli casserole using my grandmother’s recipe last month. Stir-fry and other veggie dishes are common for me, though.

    3. . . .camped in a tent? I went lake kayaking in Lake Hartwell with a friend of mine, Keefe, back in ’91 on a Ga. State trip. Very relaxing, I had a great time, and I love the memories of it. But I got the worst sunburn of my life.

    4. . . .volunteered time? Rebuilding Together Atlanta, end of April, this year. Actually a great organization: They rebuild/repair houses for the elderly and/or impoverished. It’s like Habitat without all the prayer. (Yes, this is a plug, but it’s a good group, so they deserve it.)

    5. . . .I’ve recently taken up a part time retail job, so I help strangers there, but I’m not sure I should get credit for that.