Appetizer
What do you consider to be the ultimate snack food?

I’ve really been getting into the fried Indian salty snacks lately, but man are they bad for you. So I guess you can’t call them the ultimate snack food. Instead, how about carrot sticks? Low calorie, high in soluble fiber, and sweet and tasty.

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), about how popular is your last name?

According to namestatistics.com, it’s on the low end, probably a one or two.

Salad
Who is your all-time favorite sitcom character, and why?

Considering I hate sitcoms, er… well… Barney Fife. Don Knotts was a comic genius.

Main Course
Do you shop online? If so, name some sites you like to browse for goodies.

Yeah, sure, especially for hockey gear, since there are only a few shops in Portland that sell it (for ridiculous prices). I’ve got a list of about a dozen hockey shops where I compare prices, but it most often comes down to HockeyGiant.com. It’s that or drive up to B.C., which isn’t exactly a day trip from Portland.

And, of course, I shop at Left Coast Hockey to test the goods I’m selling to support this site.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I think ___________ should be ___________.

I think coffee should be strong and black. I also think George W. Bush and Dick Cheney should be frog-marched out of the White House. Skate blades should be sharp. Ice should be hard and smooth. Education, housing, employment and access to health care should be considered a basic human rights. Lord Stanley’s Cup should be in Canada, not in Anaheim where nobody gives a rip. Marijuana should be free and legal. Dogs should be leashed. Children should be loved. Gardens should be nurtured. Public education should be fully funded. Food should be spicy, fresh and healthy. Art should be passionate. Life should be lived as a work of art. That is, life should be lived passionately.

Have a great weekend.

Appetizer
Name something you think is “the best.”

This world, of course, is “this best of all possible worlds” (“ce meilleur des mondes possibles” cf. Voltaire’s Candide).

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 highest), how stressed are you today?

Considering the dental work that started my day, I think I’m down in the <5 range right now.

Salad
What kind of cleanser do you use to wash your face?

I use Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint all up and down.

Main Course
Tonight is a blue moon! What is something that you believe only happens “once in a blue moon.”

I win at ping pong.

Dessert
When was the last time it rained where you live?

Last week some time.

I’ve gotten kind of tired of Thursday Thirteen. I can’t ever seem to come up with thirteen of anything all at once. I thought I’d try my hand at this meme, which I first saw on Jon Tillman’s blog.

Appetizer
List 3 emotions you experienced this week.

1. Joy at beating the snot out of the other team in beer league hockey last Friday
2. Contentment that we’ll at least have one new school board member in Portland, with the faction that hired and supported Vicki Phillips now in the minority.
3. Trepidation when my son came home from day care with a bloody contusion on his forehead

Soup
Name a car you’d love to have.

My friend Anthony dreamed up this idea to join two bicycles side by side, with a cargo sling between them, and perhaps an aerodynamic weather shell over the top of it. There would be a linkage between the handlebars and brakes, but the drive trains would be independent.

Salad
Describe your typical morning routine.

Get up. Get kids up. Shower. Get dressed. Make breakfast for self and kids. Make lunches for kids. Drive kids to school. Drive to office. Go get coffee with office mate. Read e-mail. Think about playing hockey.

Main Course
Have you ever emailed someone famous? If so, who, and what did you say to them? Did they reply?

I e-mailed Rick Lyon to congratulate him on Avenue Q. Rick is a professional puppeteer and puppet maker who conceived and designed the Avenue Q puppets. He has worked with the best, including on Sesame Street. He’s been behind (and inside of) the most beloved Muppets, including Big Bird, Grover, Oscar, Ernie and Cookie Monster. He wrote back to thank me for my kind words, and let me know Avenue Q may skip the traditional post-Broadway road show in favor of a Las Vegas run. The only reason you’d ever catch me in Vegas would be to see that show.

Dessert
Do you listen to podcasts? If so, which ones?

Nope, never.