A list of unrelated questions about me and me

Over at Sparky's Philly Transplant, he ran a little meme [I still don't know what that means] that he got from One Gal's Musings. They're calling it The Grown Up Meme. Confused? Meme to. It's one of those questionnaires that asks a lot of unrelated things about my life, and since I'm neither flush with new ideas or particularly personal here, I decided to crack the door open a bit. So, here's the thing:

1. Do you have a college degree?

Yes, a bachelor of science in Accounting. Ask me to add any two numbers. Nothin’ to it.

2. What was the amount of your last electric bill?

$51. Don’t hate me. I live in a small condo and I’m on the equal-payment plan.

3. Do you have life insurance?

No. They’ll bury me in a potter’s field or sprinkle my ashes in a bunker at Bulle Rock. Life insurance is a waste of money for single people. Once I’m dead, my responsibilities end.

4. How many hours per week do you work?

40. There is occasional overtime, but I can’t count on it. If you're counting the hours that I actually work, then it's closer to 25, but they still pay me for forty.

5. Have you ever attended a Toastmasters event?

No, but I do have a George Foreman grill and a microwave.

6. Favorite place to attend Happy Hour?

The Hollywood Café nearby, but I’m not a big after-work drinker. I’m either out on the bike, at the gym or running an errand after work. Drinking after work wastes valuable daylight, especially in the summer. I do enjoy the occasional Happy Ending, but it doesn’t take an hour.

7. How many miles is your commute to work each day (one way)?

30 miles. High-speed travel on the Route 42 Freeway and AC Expressway.

8. What time do you get up every morning for work?

The alarm goes off at 5:45. I listen to the radio for about 15 minutes, but if I’m not out of bed by 6:15 I have to hustle.

9. What is your definition of sleeping-in late?

9:00 AM. I can’t lie there any longer without feeling like I should be up and doing something, so I get up and sit on the sofa and watch TV.

10. Do you check your cholesterol on a yearly basis?

No. The last time was about 5 years ago and it was 165, so I have that going for me.

11. How large was your first cell phone bill?

$29. I didn’t call a bunch of people to tell them that I have a phone, so my bills are pretty constant. Plus, I really hate the telephone, but society frowns on people without one, so I’m stuck. I don't have a land line, so the cell is the phone. (Why pay 2 bills?) I like the Yahtzee game.

12. Does your employer provide good health insurance?

Yes, we have Blue Cross/Blue Shield, but we have to pay for part of it. Single people get screwed (as usual) since we pay more per person than married people. They can’t explain that to me to my satisfaction.

13. Did you use the Internet to write a research paper?

Yes. I did my college at night, starting in 1998. I can’t imagine doing all that research by hand. It’s the greatest tool that a student has, if they use it properly.

14. Have you attended a High School reunion?

No. They claimed to not be able to contact me, even though I lived at the same address that’s in the yearbook for 10 years after graduation. People that dopey shouldn’t have diplomas. We had a 15-year on my wedding day (10/13/90) and I missed it. They haven’t had one since, and I always felt bad about missing that one.

15. How many jobs have you held in your professional career?

Two. My first one for 15 years and this one for 16+. I have a high pain threshold.

16. Have you ever been fired or laid off from a job?

Yes, I was laid off before Christmas in 1975, and then re-hired in the spring of ’76. They figured out that they screwed up.

17. What is your favorite drink?

Flavored water during the day. Southern Comfort and cranberry at night. My alcohol tastes change, so six months from now it might be something else.

18. What is the most expensive bottle of wine that you have in your refrigerator?

This is a trick question, since expensive wine (or wine in general) shouldn’t be kept in the refrigerator. I don’t keep wine around the house. I buy a bottle on an as-needed basis, and never anything more than twelve dollars.

19. Have you been divorced?

Yes. Third worst day of my life, behind dad dying and getting married.

20. How old were you when you stopped getting ID’d for alcohol?

I got ID'd at Fenway Park in 1993. There’s a sign behind the counter that says you have to “look 30” to not be carded. I was 36 at the time, so I felt pretty good about that.

21. Favorite casino?

I’m not a casino guy. In Vegas, I liked New York, New York; but I don’t gamble so I just go by look and feel. My favorites are the ones they close down, and I’m not at all looking forward to Philadelphia’s casinos.

22. Are you happier now than you were in high school?

No, and that’s odd because I was miserable in high school.

23. Did you ever have Hypercolor shirts?

I don’t know what that is, so I’m assuming I have never had one.

24. Do you remember when Michael Jackson was black and was attracted to older people?

Of course. That wild ‘fro and those stupid songs. Then he did The Wizard of Oz and hasn’t been the same since.

25. Do you remember when MTV actually played music videos?

Sure. We had the cable in 1980. The V-Jays – Nina Blackwood and Martha Quinn – MTV’s Ginger and Mary Ann. I’m a Mary Ann guy, by the way.

26. Have you had a Will made?

No. That’s on the short list of things to do. After my mother’s gone, I’ll have to figure out what to do with all my junk. Charities, I guess. If you want anything, let me know. I’m probably worth more dead than alive.

27. What music was in your CD/cassette player when you were 16?

1973 - Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Yes, Focus, King Crimson, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Uriah Heep and Black Sabbath. The usual kid stuff. Some of it is still in there.

28. Favorite fancy/upscale restaurant?

I only eat food in bar form. Single people in fancy restaurants are a sad sight. Plus, if I have to wear a sport jacket to eat, I figure the place takes itself too seriously. I had a $45 lunch once at The Capital Grille (at the bar) and felt like a jackass afterward. Guideline: Never spend more than $20 for lunch.

29. How long has it been since you attended a kegger?

I don’t get invited out, so it was probably at somebody’s picnic about 15 years ago. I can’t have them at the condo, and as a rule of thumb; if I ain’t invited, I ain’t going.

30. Where were you when you found out about 9/11?

Ironically, I was in a 7/11, and I thought they changed the name. Oh … seriously? I was at work. One of my co-workers told us that a plane flew into the World Trade Center, and we all figured that it was a small aircraft that went off course. I tried to get on the Internet to check, but the damned thing was so jammed that I couldn’t load the pages. By the time the second one hit, they had a TV set up in the cafeteria and we watched, dumbfounded.

I'm not a tagger, so if you want to do it, just copy the questions (I don't think you'd want to copy the answers) and post 'em up. You know the drill.