Stolen! And at just the right time!

Cheerfully ripped off from my buddy, Zoe's, blog. Couldn't have been better timing because I have had such a quiet, uneventful day that I was gonna have to skip a day here.

What was the last...

1) ... gift that someone gave you? Was it for a special occasion or just out of the blue? What's the last gift that you have given to someone else, and why? Did they like it?

The last gift I received was a goody box from my bestest pal, Moll. It was one of her famous Christmas/birthday/Valentine's Day boxes and it was fabulous. Lots and lots of paperback books that she's passed on to me, sugar free treats, delicious lemon poppyseed muffin mix, Cheeky Monkey slippers and really, really terrific kitchen gadgets from Williams-Sonoma, including the famous ass-kicking apple slicer.

The last gift I gave was a birthday gift to my MIL. I gave her a Fossil watch and a vanilla scented candle that I'd rolled in a 50 € bill and placed inside a pretty glass votive candle holder - the 50 € was to pay for a pair of sandles she'd ordered for herself. I also gave her a flower arrangement.

2) ... time that you took a walk? Where did you go? Did you walk with someone or go alone? Did you see anything interesting along the way? Do you enjoy walking as a form of exercise?

If I have to go anywhere and I don't take my car (which is 98% of the time) I walk...or take a streetcar and even then I walk to the streetcar stop. I also walk my dog most days - it's a job split between me and my MIL.

I don't often think of walking as a form of exercise - it more or less just is what it is...a way to get me from here to there. The only time I'm walking for just the sake of walking is when I walk the dog.

And if I see anything interesting, I'll let you know right here.

3) ... thing that you thought of before going to bed last night? Why was it on your mind? Did you sleep well last night? Did you have any dreams?

I was thinking about the new Pope just before going to bed, mostly because it was the last thing I saw on CNN before I turned off the TV.

I slept very well last night. Mostly because I was again (!!) dreaming about my beloved Sacred.

4) ... day of high school like for you? What were your feelings on that day? Do you still keep in touch with any high school friends?

Let me dig back twenty-five years into my memory...

I remember it being a fun day. No more sweating studying and the only pressure I was under was trying to find everyone I knew to sign my yearbook. And I remember the night before commencement - driving around aimlessly in my parents' car with my friends Kris and Elaine. I wonder why I didn't see my boyfriend that night? Can't remember now.

I only keep up with one friend from school, Susan - a girl who lived across the street from me. And I did briefly email with Elaine about five years ago but that's been it.

5) ... phone call you made? To whom, and how long did you talk? Are you on the phone often? How many phones do you have at home?

The last phone call I made was last night to Moll but I was only able to leave her a voicemail. The last phone call I made where I talked with a person was to my mother and we talked for nearly an hour.

I very seldom use the phone. I make maybe three phone calls a week - all to the U.S. I never answer the phone at home - that's B's job - and I never call someone in Germany. I really hate speaking German on the phone. It's much more difficult than speaking German face-to-face.

We have one landline phone and one cell phone.