Manic's MeMe or The One Where She Gets The Q and A

My friendthatIhavenevermetyet Manic Mariah is doing this Q&A thingy-do. She sent me a list of questions and I am to provide the answers. Here goes:

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

This is where I should be a really good sport and say something like 'there is no worst gift when it is given out of love...' or some shit like that - but there really are some not-so- terrific gifts. I would have to say the worst gift I ever got is the gift that I never got.

2) What song evokes the strongest memories for you?
This is actually toughie for me. There are so many songs that bring up very vivid visual images in my head...I have always loved music and it has always been a huge part of my life. When we were kids, my parents were friends with someone whose daughter worked at Bose Equipment. My brother and I had amazing Bose 360 Stereo systems with kickin' speakers, tuner, and turntable. (for those of you readers who were born in the 80's or later, a turntable is an antique piece of stereo equipment on which a moulded vinyl disc would spin at certain rpms while a diamond needle would scratch over the grooved surface and somehow music would come out of it). Anyway - I had tons of record albums (and I still have most of them...and if I go out to the garage and open the box right now, I could probably scrounge up a doobie or two from the double album sets that made for great rolling trays)...sorry to have strayed off topic here - flashbacks are a bitch.

Okay - a few songs that evoke the strongest memories for me are:

We Are Family by Sister Sledge and Celebrate by Kool and the Gang : I can see my wonderful dad's white- man's -overbite -while- he -dances expression as I write. All I need to hear is the first few notes of We are Family and I go into a blithering bawl.

Funeral For a Friend /Love Lies Bleeding - Elton John: Again, this in one of my dad's favorites ...this reminds me of long family road trips and the old 8 track in the Lincoln., each family member honing in on one instrument and singing only that instrument, stopping at Rein's deli somewhere in Connecticut for lunch. Yum.

Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen: I saw Bruce at the Boston Garden in 1981. 5th row center on the floor. I even remember that I was wearing an off white velour v-neck with a collar. Why that tidbit is important other than the fact that I was ensconced in velour...I don't know. I am pretty sure , that despite the fact that I wasn't really sure what was going on at the time, when he sang that song right at me...and only for me...I experienced my first orgasm at that concert. And I wasn't touching myself at the time either. And although I was one of 15 thousand other people, the only ones who really knew what I was feeeling ...were me and Bruce. And Clarence, right?

3) What is so great about your favorite underwear and / or bra? I don't really have a favorite pair. I despise panty lines, so I've been a thong wearer for year. I figure if I am going to spend half my day pulling it out of my ass , I may as well start with it up there in the first place. So goodbye granny panties, bucket-o-undies, big uglies...whatever you call them. And, no - there are not really 'comfortable' in the true sense of the word, but I forgo comfort for no V.P.L. anyday.

4) Is justice or forgiveness more important? Would you forgive me if I said justice over forgiveness? Forgiveness is a copout. It has become as politicized and normalizing. And one gigantic excuse for everything from cheating on your spouse, to bilking investors, 'oh there just being children'. I may forgive , but I don't forget.

5) Who would you like to tradeplaces with for a month?
I don't think I'd want to change places with anyone for a month. I have come to realize that what we see and think we want is not always reality. Appearances are very deceiving, right? Not that I wouldn't mind being George Clooney's arm candy for a few weeks, and then maybe I'd like to be Oprah just long enough to embezzle do some good with all that green (not to mention the shopping and )...So I guess I have to say that I'd like to be me with Oprah's money and ...well, just George Clooney.

So there it is...forgive me.

**and let's send some good internet waves over to Kat's husband Michael who just suffered an aneurysm over the weekend. shit...