SP9 Contest: Favorite Things

The hostess for my group of SP9ers is having a little contest. If I answer a few questions, I could win a free gift. Never one to let a free gift pass me by, here are my answers. Consider this a meme, if you like.

Favorite Actor
Ed Harris.
Favorite Actress
Gwynneth Paltrow.
Favorite Animal
African grey parrot. Wouldn’t it be cool to have a pet that actually talks to you? I’m one of those people who believe the research showing that African greys do more than just mimic phrases.
Favorite Band
*Sigh*. I’ve left the two music questions for last, because how is a reasonable person supposed to pick just one favorite band? No fair.
…Aha!
JacquesBrelZapMamaProdigyAniDiFrancoKateBush.
That’d keep me happy on a deserted island.
Favorite Beverage
Red wine. Wait, does that make me a slush*? Maybe I should note that every day I drink two monster mugs of Celtic Breakfast tea (which is true), and that I have never drunk two monster mugs of red wine (which is also true).
Favorite Book
Diamond Age, by Neal Stephenson. I also like Ursula K. Le Guin’s short story Buffalo Gals, Won’t You Come Out Tonight.
Favorite Bubble Bath
I don’t really do bubble baths. But I like ginger and orange, say for sugar scrubs, etc. I’ve also started buying unscented Doc Bronner’s liquid soap and adding grapefruit essential oil to it; this is what is in all our sinktop soap dispensers.
Favorite Candy
Leonidas Manon blanc. I’d sell a child for these.
Favorite Color
Blue.
Favorite Flower
Grape hyacinth: They come out early in the spring, and they smell soooooo good!
Favorite Food
Mashed potatoes is the ultimate comfort food. Oh, but the question wasn’t comfort food, it was just *food*. So I’d definitely say Thai food. Red curry, yellow curry, green curry, pad thai, anything really.
Favorite Lip Balm
The girls and I made our own honey and beeswax lip balm a few months ago, and I like that best because it has no petroleum products in it.
Favorite Lotion
Unscented.
Favorite Movie
Lord of the Rings trilogy, of course!!!!
Favorite Song
OK. My sneaky trick won’t work more than once. Let’s just throw a monkey wrench in the works and say Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers.
Favorite TV Show
As I always say, we don’t watch TV. But we do rent DVDs. We’ve seen the first season of the new Battlestar Gallactica, and I loved it. Maybe when the Consort and the girls go skiing in January, I’ll rent the entire second season and watch it on my own. As a family we are going through Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (1 disc of each per month), so we really shouldn't add another show to the mix.
Favorite Vacation Spot
When I was growing up, my parents would take us to spend at least a week every summer on the beach of Assateague, VA (you know, as in Misty of Chincoteague). Nowadays, we haven’t actually gone back to a place we’ve visited already (not counting visits to family, of course). But I really enjoyed the week we spent camping at Custer State Park in South Dakota a few years ago. There was fabulous hiking, swimming in mountain lakes, and panning for gold; we saw big horn sheep, bison, antelope, burros, and prairie dogs. Oh, and we also saw the Crazy Horse monument and Mount Rushmore.

*Yes, I know the correct term is lush, but I think slush is more onomatopoeic.