bossymarmalade | "maggie *loves* babytalk!" "that was hindi."

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"maggie loves babytalk!" "that was hindi."

I've started about five different versions of my remix assignment, with different fics and genres. I need to take a break or I'll go barmy. So, here is the Friday Five.

1. Are you superstitious?
Yes. Well, more or less -- not in a debilitating way.

2. What extremes have you heard of someone going to in the name of superstition?
My mother is the one who's the most superstitious; no cutting your nails or hair after sundown (it "upsets" them), no eating out of the pot (you'll never get married), no potpourri or dried flowers (they're bad luck). And those were *before* she got bored and found religion, which brought on her need to make us eat pomegranates to balance our karma, pour flour on anthills for good luck, and wear little twisted bracelets of red-and-gold thread for an easier life.

Once I had a stye and she told me that to cure it, I had to sit on the toilet, twirl my fingertip in a counterclockwise circle against the palm of my hand, and recite some gobbledygook rhyme in order for it to go away. I appealed to my father for help from this crazywoman, and *his* helpful contribution was that you get styes from hitting wasps' nests. Le sigh.

3. Believer or not, what's your favorite superstition?
The one where unmarried girls stand in their mirror on Midsummer's Eve, combing their hair and holding a knife with a slice of apple stuck on it over their shoulder, so they can see their future husband appear in the mirror to take the apple. Not that I ever did it, I just like it. I've eaten black-eyed peas on New Years' for prosperity.

4. Do you believe in luck? If yes, do you have a lucky number/article of clothing/ritual?
I believe in luck, but I pretty much have NONE. Seriously. I mean, I'm not in dire straits, but I don't have good luck. I do have a few "lucky" charms I wear, but that's because of my OBSESSIVE NEED to have a contingency plan for every possible situation. For example, I always have a few signature pieces of jewelry that I wear constantly, so if by any chance I need to verify the identity of somebody calling me up from a kidnapping/scamming situation, I can reference the jewelry. I'm not even kidding. I have plans for fire, earthquake, robbery, rape, floods, electrical storms, ghosts, zombies, out-of-control vehicles, being trapped in elevators, fucking EVERYTHING.

...okay, I think I've revealed too much. Whoo.

5. Do you believe in astrology? Why or why not?
I do. Not, like, the horoscopes in newspapers and magazines, but I was a big Linda Goodman devotee in mah youth and I've never really been able to shake that. Besides which -- apart from the whole "works really hard/is ambitious" thing, I'm a textbook Capricorn. Just ask my bad knees and good teeth. And my sister is such a Leo it makes me laugh. I also like Chinese astrology and Hindu astrology, and although I'm crap with a tarot deck I read Egyptian scarabs like you wouldn't believe.

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What's the contingency plan for zombies? I'm just curious because I like to be prepared too. Every single time I walk on the nature trail or hiking trail through the woods, I plan out what I would do if I found a dead body ('cause that's so likely) or if I got attacked by a wild animal or if I came across someone who'd fallen off the trail and was in trouble. There are other things I ~~obsess over~~ plan for but I'll spare you. *g*

But yeah, zombies. I gotta know what to do.

Well, the zombie plan pretty much came about after I saw "28 Days Later", so it's still in its refining stages. Pretty much the plan for that one is: Grab something heavy and never mind hitting any other part of the zombie but its HEAD. For this purpose, I always carry with me a knapsack that's heavy as sin, and I, um...sleep with a shillelagh under my bed. It's a souvenir shillelagh with shamrocks painted on it, but it's still heavy!

The dead body contingency plan is one I should work on. I don't think I've spent enough time on that one. *g*

Grab something heavy and never mind hitting any other part of the zombie but its HEAD.
ah, now see that's just common sense since they eat brains and all. I should have thought of that but I was trying to make it too complicated like carrying a sprig of a certain herb in your pocket or something. (yes, this is how my brain works. it's sad really)

I probably think about the dead body plan more than I should. It probably comes from watching/reading too many mysteries where ordinary people stumble over a murder and have to solve it. I wouldn't do that, by the way, because that's what the police are for. I worry more about being a witness or something.

I wouldn't do that, by the way, because that's what the police are for.

That's the good part about watching shows like Homicide or X-Files -- we know how to conduct ourselves around dead bodies so that when the detectives show up, they won't treat us with disdain for rolling the body or stepping in the blood. *g*

We were talking about my obsession with CSI at work on day and as I was being mocked I argued that at least I would know what to do if I stumbled on to a crime scene to preserve the evidence.

It really didn't help my case.

Exactly. *g* I fear Pembleton's withering glare.

And that's why it drives me crazy to watch COPS because the officers are always picking up guns and knives handling them without gloves and getting their fingerprints all over them. And I'm constantly worrying that the weapon may have been used in the commission of a murder or something and they're destroying evidence.

Perhaps I am a touch neurotic. *g*

I'm not even kidding. I have plans for fire, earthquake, robbery, rape, floods, electrical storms, ghosts, zombies, out-of-control vehicles, being trapped in elevators, fucking EVERYTHING.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one considering these sorts of things.

I was actually elected to go talk to a potential ghost once, because I had an idea of what I would say if confronted with one.

See? It can come in handy!

I was actually elected to go talk to a potential ghost once, because I had an idea of what I would say if confronted with one.

Oh my god. You must, MUST elaborate on this for me. A *potential* ghost? Did you actually go up and talk to it?

And I'm utterly relieved to hear that other people have an exhaustive list of plans as well. I was raised on 'em, man!

Well, there were weird noises and a vacuum cleaner that was on and shouldn't have been (the person knew for certain it had been unplugged), etc., so there was something strange afoot.

Anyway, I just calmly asked whatever might be about (nothing visible, there were just the weird noises)if it could not move the vacuum cleaner because it was scaring people.

They moved soon after that, so I don't think it wound up being an issue, really. :)

Dude! Good on you for being all calm and cool about it. My ghost plans pretty much consist of "pray like crazy, then collapse into hysterical crying." I should come up with better ones, really. *g*

because of my OBSESSIVE NEED to have a contingency plan for every possible situation

You too? I used to memorize every scar, pimple, pustule, bruise, wart, wrinkle, tattoo, and line on me and the rest of my family, so that if one of us were ever kidnapped, the police would know *exactly* what we looked like.

I'm a classic Taurus, especially the hedonist/homebody part.

Yes, exactly! I would blame popular media and conspiracy theories, but really I've been doing this since I was little. There was a bomb threat at school once in Trinidad and dude, I had PLANS. Involving staircases and sliding down bannisters and climbing gates.

I'm a classic Taurus, especially the hedonist/homebody part.

Awwwww! I like Taureans. In fact, the only people I consistently have problems with are Geminis, and that's mostly when they're in positions of authority. Then they drive me crazy.

Because you really need to know: over here, if you're an unmarried girl, you have to find seven (or, according to some, nine) different kinds of flowers and sleep with them under your pillow on Midsummer's Eve, and that should make your future husband appear in your dream. Quite frankly, the apple-knife-mirror thing sounds much, much cooler. [g]

Seven or NINE kinds of different flower? That seems like an awful lot of trouble for not much reward. The apple thing does sound cooler, but on the other hand, mirrors can be pretty frightening. So they're both awful! Yaaaaaaay! *g*

no eating out of the pot (you'll never get married)

Dammit! THAT'S why I'm still single!! I was just trying to avoid dirtying extra dishes and it has doomed me to spinsterhood. Is there any way to undo that bad karma? I have a feeling I need to eat a whole truckload of pomegranates to undo all the times I've eaten straight from the pot.

... mmmm... a truckload of pomegranates.

mmmm... a truckload of pomegranates.

Hee! As far as I know, there is no way to reverse the damages of pot-eating. Out of. Just STOP NOW, while there's still hope!!

Damn. I was really hoping for a tasty food cure.

Oh well, I will be a good girl and stop eating my Mac and Cheese straight from the saucepan with the big wooden stirring spoon from now on. Hopefully it is not too late for me.

Man, now I REALLY wish I had a dishwasher.

the damages of pot-eating. Out of.

*snicker* Thinking about brownies and other assorted baked goods, are we? ;)

Hopefully it is not too late for me.

Indeed. And as far as I could tell from my mother's shrieks, using a wooden pot-spoon only doubles the bad luck. oooooh, you've got a lot to make up for! *g*

Thinking about brownies and other assorted baked goods, are we? ;)

Hee! I typed that sentence out, and then thought better of it. I'm glad that came across! ahahah!

Zombies only want to be your friends! Take it from meee.

You really are such an *odd* girl.

*licks you*

I too have contingency plans for everything, because my mother was the type to say, "Don't take the 38 bus after dark. Two years ago, a girl was kidnapped and raped taking that bus!" and "You're not going to that mall, are you? Don't you know that they found that child molester there?" My brother and I have started saying, "They're all gonna laugh at you!" whenever she starts to go off. And we always eat black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year's Day. Though I think that's more that my parents are from the Deep South than any superstition.

Also, so agree on the astrology thing. My dad, my grandmother, one of my sisters, and I are all Virgos, and really, growing up in that house was all I needed to believe in astrology.

my mother was the type to say, "Don't take the 38 bus after dark. Two years ago, a girl was kidnapped and raped taking that bus!"

That's exactly it. My mother had horror stories for everything, and even now after all this time my dad still issues dire warnings about "that thar internet" and all the wackos lurking on it. As if we didn't already know that. *g*

And, dude -- four Virgos? Wow. At least you had a spotless house, though, I'm betting. Heh!

re: subject line- every time I drive by the place down the street that plays Indian movies, I think of that piece of dialogue and how I thought the Indian titles were just random letters they left up on the marquee. Because I'm a big dumb Amerikun.

And have you read the Zombie Survival Guide?

I thought the Indian titles were just random letters they left up on the marquee

aahahahah! Dude, sometimes *I* think that too. All I know how to say in Hindi is food-words.

And have you read the Zombie Survival Guide?

No! Whuzzit?

here. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1400049628/qid=1076818543//ref=pd_ka_1/104-6922401-1624739?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) Be sure to read the reviews because they're very...ahh, 'interesting'.

Hm. Weren't we supposed to do a runes-for-tarot reading trade off at one point?

::snugs Mags:: You're more prepared than the average Girl Scout.

We were! Dammit. Well, I guess it'll keep until next time we see each other. My scarabs are small and travel easily. *g*

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"maggie loves babytalk!" "that was hindi."

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