WTIT: The Blog

To join in click here.

Sunday Stealing: Shannon’s Moments Meme, Part One

1. Do you like blue cheese? This is not a question that you’d expect me to start with even though it was the first question on the actual meme. I always dislike yes or no questions and also questions where you pick something, say like your favorite spice. But I left it alone because there was so much to rework in this meme that was originally called “44 Things You Don’t Know About Me” I left it as a “place holder”. I figured I’d substitute a question later. But then the whole irony thing made me laugh. I’d worked so hard trying to make this fucker unique, I decided to leave the bloody question in. Oh and the answer is yes, I love bleu cheese. (It was hard not to correct the spelling as well!)

2. Have you ever smoked cigarettes? If yes, how did you quit? Yes. I smoke from age 12 till 20 or so. A nurse I was dating told me of a patient who lost his voice to throat cancer and with me wanting to be a DJ it seemed the obvious choice. I quit by staying a weekend with a pot dealer friend of mine, Hunt Winklee. I smoke weed at the urge to smoke  and slept a lot. But by Monday with the nicotine gone, I thought I smoked my last one. But after my first divorce I spent much time at bars where smoking was still allowed in the 90s. I smoked occasionally until dating someone who smoke and there I was again smoking two packs a day. Some ten years later I was diagnosed with heart disease and quit for good in 2004. I quit cold turkey. No pot dealer or the like.

3. Do you own a gun? How are your feelings about gun control/2nd amendment rights? This amendment was passed to enable folks to defend themselves against an invasion or the return of the English. I feel it’s out served its purpose and would be fine without guns. I hope that gun control becomes a mainstream desire.

4. What is your favorite flavor of water or liquor flavors? I hate flavored liquors except for Smirnoff Sour Apple. But I don’t drink it for that reason. I drink a ton of flavored water and cherry is my favorite.

5. Do you get nervous before a doctor visit? Why? No. Why? Cuz I don’t.

6. How do you like your hot dogs? Chili if it’s done right. But I like them with just mustard and relish as well.

7. Although it’s been asked a lot, tell us about a favorite movie that you haven’t shared before. “Monty python and the Holy Grail” is not my little secret, but I love it.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Diet Coke.

9. In a dating situation, have you ever misrepresented yourself to seem cooler or hipper? (Yes we know for most of you it was long ago…) I don’t think so. I may have avoided a question or answered with one. After my first marriage I was only 39. I was asked by women on a first date constantly, “I know you have four children, would you have another with me?” First fucking date. It baffled me at first until a woman that I worked with said that I had to come up with a better answer so that I could move forward. Tammy said, “What’s the odds that you gonna marry the bitch anyway? Just lie.” She had a point. So I found myself responding to this asinine question by responding, “I have four children because I love children. Why wouldn’t I have another one with you?” And she was correct. But I didn’t even have to lie. I just asked the question back to her. (Whoever “her” was at the time…) Although I was married twice more, both women did not want a child with me or anyone else.

10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? Why? My wedding ring. I hate wearing jewelry. But I do wear my wedding ring. Otherwise, what’s the point?

11. Favorite hobby? Tell us about it so we understand it. WTIT. You’d never understand it.

Unless you’ve sat around the table. New DJs seem to take a couple of sessions to get their role in it. And it’s the role they themselves create. We don’t say, “be silly” or “be cerebral”. They find it themselves, unless they don’t care. At which point we toss them.

12. Do you have A.D.D., or have you suspected it? Yes. I could not figure out why it took me so long to figure out my job. So recently they are trying a med out on me. It seems to help a bit, but I think I need a stronger dose. I go back to the shrink in a couple of weeks.

13. What’s a thing you dislike or would change about yourself? I’d talk less at work. It gets you into trouble and serves no useful purpose. No one cares about my opinions. Unless you count the sales thing. They do care about what I think about what I’m presenting.

14. Middle name? Like it or not? Hate it. “Clifford”. I was called “Cliff” until age 7. I’m a junior, so it was to differentiate. But after using my first name for a while I became Bud.

15. Name three random thoughts you might have on this week: I’m going to a radio reunion party tomorrow. I’ve been out of it since the turn of the millennium, so I’m thrilled to be asked. It’s about the people who worked for my favorite station growing up. Ironically, it’s one of the few I never worked for. But I have a ton of friends who did and they invited the folks who worked at the rival station, which I did.

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Tell us a bit about them. Diet Coke wakes me up. I’ve become addicted to Dunkin’ Donuts’ Frozen Hot Chocolate and can’t wait till they stop selling it. Then there is my love of Smirnoff. I never thought I could just drink it occasionally, but now that is what I do.

17. Current worry: My back pain has increased terribly. I can handle the pain but I’m afraid that I will need yet another operation.

18. Current annoyance: That is the pain of my back.

19. Favorite place to be in the summer? Give us a wee bit more than “the beach”. I love Newport but have not been there in years. I’d like to take Kathy in the fall when it’s still gorgeous but has less people.

20. How do you usually ring in the new year? If forced (how we’d do that without Judd coming to your house, if you even know who he was) to do something new, what would it be? I have not gone out since 2009. That was exactly the time that I decided it was time to find a true love. I was dating and well, you know, having one night stands, but when Harvey Wallbanger decided we should team up and become roommate as we did in our 40s, I said no. So I started attending singles dances again. I met a beautiful woman just after Christmas. I took her to a fabulous place but shared too much. She was recently divorced so was not looking for a guy who has decided to settle down. We had a great night. I met Kathy soon after.

21. What have you done this summer that’s special? Pictures please. I thought you’d never ask. Kathy and I went to Trekongernoga. James Cawley, an Elvis impersonator by trade, started one of the longest running Star Trek fan films called “Star Trek: New Voyages”. What he did was reconstruct the original sets of the 1960’s show down to the wall hangings. The shows are available to watch on YouTube. They were all filmed in Ticonderoga, New York. Last year I went alone and had a mind blowing experience. This year I returned and brought Kathy. I decided that at some point I’d do the costume thing. Now if you knew me better, you’d know this is new territory. But while I have a fantastic Klingon head piece you might have seen before, I’ve never had the full thing. Costumes were tough. Either I got the cheap one for $40 on Amazon or I could spend hundreds. I started reading reviews of the cheap one. They all complained that the head piece sucked. That, I figured, didn’t matter because I didn’t need one. So I ordered it. The head wear did suck moose and also the belt did. It was just a costume piece with a picture of a belt. The uniform was bland. But I looked at it and saw possibilities. I found a company that sold the belt buckle made from the same mold as the show for just $15. I also bought a Klingon medal for the same price. Then with Kathy’s help I found various items at a used clothing store, mostly ladies’ belts that I thought Kathy could work with. What a job she did. Saturday morning we took our tour of the sets without costume. After lunch with Kathy painstakingly putting makeup on me – for the first time – we set back to the set with Kathy wearing a traditional “redshirt” costume. I couldn’t believe the reaction. Everyone asked to be photographed with me. It took a half hour before we even got in. On this tour we concentrated on pictures on the set. Here they are.

 

22. Have you ever walked into a room with just shoes on? No.

We will have 22 more questions next week. I’d say they were great, but I haven’t written them yet. I’ve really enjoyed hosting Stealing again yet look forward to just playing it again when Allison returns. I’ll also enjoy doing Saturday 9 again. I just can’t fit everything in. But take it from this fucking Klingon, we will return. Same time. Same blog.