This blog is in response to my old high school chum Candace’s “Top Ten Tuesday” blog of questions.  I have been a sucker for those little internet surveys since back when people knew what “LOL” meant and actually used it accordingly.  So, it did not take much persuasion to get me to answer these ten probing questions.

And, if anyone is actually reading this, feel free to join in the fun and answer the questions in the comments here or on Candace’s blog, or even on your own blog.  Just send me a link so I can read all about it.

1. What would you call yourself if you could choose your own name?

When I was little, I wanted a name with a “Q” in it.  Like “Jacqueline.”  I’m over that now.  Amanda is a good name.  It means “worthy of love,” which obviously I am.  (In no language does it mean “humble.”)

2. What was your worst date (as in going out on a date, not an actual calendar date…unless you have a really bad one to share)?

I’d probably do better at coming up with a bad calendar date.  I’ve never done the whole, “hey, we just met, let’s go on a date” thing to have a really bad experience.  All my dates have been with men who already knew me well enough by that point not to mess it up.  There was once, however, that I accidentally agreed to go on a date with someone I had no interest in outside of our already-enjoyable friendship.  I thought we were just hanging out per the usual until he broke it down for me like so:  “You do understand that I meant this was a date, right?”  Enter the horror – the panic – the awkward-ness.  But, not wanting to offend, I went on the date anyway, and so began an interesting three years in the life of Amanda.

3. If you had to teach one subject in high school or college, what would it be?

Creative Writing, perhaps?  Maybe a course on Common Sense?  (And I don’t mean Thomas Paine.)

4. When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?

It is definitely rare for me to turn laughter into tears.  I laugh so hard that I snort, squeal, or make a strange high-pitched noise that only dogs can hear, but I generally do not cry.

5. What is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

I think I have seen too many kind gestures in my life to single out only one.  But the greatest measure of kindness seems to come not in the grandiose gestures but in the ordinary, everyday occurrences of friendship.  Fortunately for me, my best friend Jessica is also without a doubt the kindest person I have ever known.  She has shown it in the big things, but more importantly, in the small things.  She keeps Caffeine Free Diet Coke on hand for when I visit.  My favorite shows take up copious amounts of space on her TiVo.  She makes herself mix CDs full of Levi Weaver, Derek Webb, and Ryan Adams, just so she will be familiar with the music that makes me tick.  She keeps up with our TGIFriday’s lunch cards because she knows I won’t remember to get them stamped.  She thinks my Daddy’s pickles are awesome.  Having her a double-click away on AIM saves my sanity most days, and knowing her makes my life better by association.

6. If money or skill-set was no issue, what would you love to do for a living?

Nothing!  If money was no issue, then I suppose I would just travel the world, taking pictures, writing, and scrapbooking along the way.  If skill-set was no issue, then I probably wouldn’t have a problem snagging a hot and rich husband to facilitate such travels and maybe even to carry my luggage.

7. What is one thing as an adult/parent/spouse you do that you swore you would never do?

I will have to get back to you once I become a parent or a spouse or finally succumb to the drudgery of adulthood.

8. If you could go back to one particular time in your life (not to live, not to change anything, just to visit) when would it be?

I’m a “live for the moment” type, but if you insist, I’d like to revisit that awesome breakfast Jessica and I ate at the Pancake Pantry in Nashville in March of last year.  Man, that was tasty.  Plus, that trip was all in the name of a Ryan Adams concert, and I wouldn’t mind reliving those three hours of pure awesome, either.  Mmmm.  Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Ryan Adams.  Both delicious.

9. If your walls could talk, what would they say about you (good & bad)?

“Her pajamas are sexy but her dance moves are not.”

10. If you could fix or put an end to one problem in the world what would it be?

Stupidity.  I know I should be all noble and say something like hunger or AIDS or human trafficking, but think about it.  Eliminate stupidity and that would fix it all.