A Meme Interview From Joe the Troll

This is a different kind of meme where you answer questions posed to you from the previous meme participant. It is entirely voluntary and I thought would be a fun thing to do as you have no idea what kind of questions you will be asked to answer.

So here goes my meme interview from Joe the Troll over at Under the Bridge:

1. What was the best pet you ever had, and what made that pet special?

My most favorite pet was a wonderful dog we called Harley. He was a white Shepard / Akita mix that I got from an guy I worked with about 15 years ago. I went to his place to pick out the pup I wanted and Harley actually picked me out. He was the only pup that came straight to me and sat waiting for me to come down to his level. When I sat he got into my lap and stayed there. I was hooked.

Harley went every where with me. At the time I was working for a local newspaper as a Route Manager. He made my rounds with me every day… sometimes all of them, as I had 4 different editions to deliver throughout the day. My van was just as much his home as our house was. He made it his job to protect me on the route. When at the warehouse he was just one of the crew and very friendly; outside on the route was another whole issue. He had free range and I made it a habit of leaving the van running and the doors open so if I were to be attacked while making my collections – he could get to me. When you are carrying upwards of 15K at the end of the collections each week, it made me feel that much safer.

Harley was also our fishing companion and loved to go to the lake. Once he also saved my life, of sorts. I was preggers with the youngin (I was close to being due, still working and I stayed exhausted) and had fallen asleep on the couch after putting a quiche in the oven. Needless to say the quiche started to burn. Harley knew something was not right and woke me by pulling my blanket off of me. I woke instinctively to pull it back over me and he jerked it out of my hands and pulled into the kitchen knowing I would follow him. Harley was my hero.

Sadly Harley died of cancer. When we found out he was sick it was too late to save him. I was forced to make the decision to put him out of his misery. I was also forced to do this alone as the old man would not go with me. I sat with Harley until long after the light left his eyes. He was and still is the once in a lifetime best four-legged friend that all of us search for but few find.

2. If you could choose one person in the world to disappear and leave no trace that he/she ever existed, who would it be?

Wow, what a question. I know who my mother and Carlo would vote for and my answer might surprise all of you. I honestly hold no malice towards anyone that I would wish that they never existed. I could name many that I consider evil persons but at some point in those peoples lives they brought happiness to someone. Even the most evil of people were the shining lights of someones eyes. Maybe it was the moment they were born… it could be at any point of their lives. Even this shooter at VT… he was his parents son. I don’t know too many parents who are not over joyed at the birth of a child.

I could name the man who raped and sodomized me at 18. I could name the step-father who molested me at 12. I could name the close family member who fondled me as a child. I could even name the man I married, but all of these people brought joy to someone, at some point and it is that thought that keeps my anger and hatred null and void. Yes, I still have issues with some of these things and always will, but could I ever wish them non-existent? Never.

3. We all have something that brings us back to a warm, fuzzy moment of childhood. What trips that trigger for you?

The smell of piled autumn leaves and the heady, earthiness they give off after a rainstorm.

I remember going out as a child and helping my uncles rake the yard; impatient for the task to be done so I could jump and play in the leaves before they were bagged or burned. This was probably the most innocent time of my life. We lived in MI with my grandmother before all the moving and not so happy memories began. I remember the man who walked his scottish terriers every day… I even think he lived next door. It was here that I learned to ride a bike, made my first real friend, lost a tooth in the snow, sat in cherry trees for hours on end, skated down sidewalks without fear and played with my aunts dobermans.

I remember the smell of the catnip patch next to the barn, playing with butterball the cat, eating rhubarb pie and talking to my grandma as she baked. I remember watching my grandpa work on his cars in the barn and him teaching me to tie my shoes. I remember the window in the closet that scared me at night and the monster under the bed. Petey the parakeet that would entertain us at breakfast and shared some of my breakfast with me. I remember the smell of the cider mill at night and the treat of a small glass every now and then.

4. What song do you never, ever want to hear again?

LOL! I could name a few… first one that comes to mind is William Hong’s version of “She bangs”…. Or “The Macarena”. Those are two definite choices.

5. You can pick anywhere in the world to live for FREE, but you have to live there for the rest of your life. Where do you choose?

Boy this is a hard one, Joe. I have not been everywhere to know for sure. But since I must give an answer here… I would have to say one of the Hawaiian islands. I can think of no other place as beautiful as I have seen in pictures. Anyone that I have spoken to, that has been there, have never had a bad thing to say about them. Yep, I could live out the rest of my life there.

Thank you for the thought provoking questions Joe. They brought back many good memories and a few not so good, but that is neither here nor there. Life is what it is and it is how we choose to live it that is important.

If you would like to participate in this meme, then reply with Interview me in the comments section. I promise to be gentle… maybe.

The Rules:

Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
You will update your weblog with the answers to the questions, and let me know that you answered. If you don’t have a blog, but would still like to play, I can send you the questions, and you can answer ‘em in the comments.
You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.