This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Bernard Pivot Blogfest


To celebrate passing the 500 follower milestone, Nicole Ducleroir from One Significant Moment At A Time is hosting the Bernard Pivot Blogfest today.  Check out all of the entries at her site.

Okay, here's Bernard Pivot's "famous" questionnaire with my answers following each question:


What is your favorite word?       I love words and can't necessarily say that any one word is a favorite so I'll pick one that I like:   "CYNOSURE".    I found this in the dictionary when I was in high school and liked it, but I don't know that I've ever actually used it in any context.

What is your least favorite word?    "MAYBE"-- Maybe is so ambiguous and it's not enough of an answer.


What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?     More than one thing, but especially good music (primarily classical) and all of God's Creation.

What turns you off?        Anger and excessive profanity.

What is your favorite curse word?      Did you notice the answer to my last question?  And besides my mother and my kids (who are all adults) sometimes read this.  But if I'm going to pick one then I'll say "CRAP".   It's one of those all encompassing words that can be used in various contexts.  My ex-mother-in-law used to hate it when I said "Crap".   I guess I could have said worse things.

What sound or noise do you love?      Babies laughing.

What sound or noise do you hate?     A dentist's drill.   Agggghhhh!  Hearing it or even thinking about it makes me tense up.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?      When I was going to college back in the early 1970s, I had the intent of becoming a teacher.  I still would like to try teaching although I don't know if I'd like the way the state education system ties the hands of teachers. 

What profession would you not like to do?   I am not very fond of any job that requires repetitive actions day after day after day.....  I like to have a variety of activities in my work schedule.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?    "Well done my son, now grab a harp and go play in the band."


             Now go back to Nicole's blog and check out the other participants.

              Don't forget my special Friday post and special announcement!



****

51 comments:

  1. Cynosure. No idea what it means but it sounds cool! A band in Heaven sounds like my kind of heaven!

    I'll be back on Friday ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. babies laughing. yeah, that's good. : )

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cool.

    I hate the word maybe too. I want the person to commit already.

    ReplyDelete
  4. LOL! Go grab a harp. Cute. Fun answers! Seeing as you hate profanity. Close your eyes when you reach 'the question' on mine :o)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great ones. I'm dying to know what cynosure means now.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This was great Arlee, I love learning new things about people. My favorite word would be "Flurries".
    I love the way it sounds! Love Di ♥

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great answers, Arlee! I love the sound of babies laughing, too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. who's Bernard Pivot?
    Ahahah :) I'm sure you would be the best harpist one day, Lee :))I wonder which instrument would I play in a heavenly band?

    ReplyDelete
  9. I stopped doing blog meme tag games a long time ago, but have to admit I enjoyed your answers. "Cynosure"? - sheesh, never heard o' THAT one, lol.

    Looking forward to your special Friday post/announcement!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'll have to go look up "cynosure" now. :) Fun answers!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Babies laughing is a wonderful sound. Great answers.

    ReplyDelete
  12. GREAT answers! We tend to say "crap" a lot in our house, which my 10 yo daughter hates. Since we both recently read The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, my daughter and I now say "klunk" instead of "crap." :))

    Go play in the band. Loved that!

    Thanks for playing along!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love the sound of babies laughing too--you can't hold back a smile when they do that :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Really fun answers^^ Thank you for stopping by my blog.
    I'm a new follower.

    ReplyDelete
  15. My kids hate the word maybe, probably because I use it too often in response to them.

    And a baby's laughter? Wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This looks like a fun blogfest. I hate the word maybe too. I look at people and ask them a second time and tell them maybe is not an option.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm not a fan of the word maybe either. I love your answer to number 10 :D And I'm with you on number 9. I work a very repetitive job. Most days, I feel like running out the door screaming!! Perhaps I should...it would be entertaining!

    Oh! I'm looking forward to the A-Z Challenge. I heard about it on Alex's blog!

    Cheers,
    Jen

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm convinced chldren laughing will bring world peace. ;) Great answers!

    ReplyDelete
  19. You are the king of special announcements, aren't you? :)

    Crap is a very versatile word. And anything that upsets a mother-in-law is fun, right?

    You're a brave guy for wanting to teach. Perhaps this also falls into the "too much pressure regarding other people's lives" that I mentioned in my answers. *shrug* That and kids can be mean.

    I like your twist on #10. :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Lol I agree with most of his answers! Good interview :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Great answers! And, dentist drills are scary.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Yes! Maybe is WAY too ambiguous!!! Great answers:)

    ReplyDelete
  23. I had to look cynosure, interesting word. I adore babies laughing it is so pure!

    ReplyDelete
  24. What a word to like, glad you spelled it out :) Good answers, Lee. Maybe I'll be back Friday :D
    Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

    ReplyDelete
  25. Like many others here, I'd never heard of "cynosure" before, but I do like its meaning. You're right, though: I doubt I'll ever have any reason to ever use the word in context... that is, unless I find some reason to channel Nabokov in one of my stories.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hi, Lee,

    I'm so with you on #9... Doing the same thing day in and out would drive me nuts.

    And you'e right about "Maybe".....

    I went with NO.... I hate to be told that.

    Michael

    ReplyDelete
  27. "CYNOSURE"? Isn't that a type of extinct dinosaur? (I mean, as opposed to the extant variety?)

    And gee, LEE, wouldn't you rather be playing the drums in God's band? Or maybe even lead electric guitar? The harp is so... wimpy, and He already has millions of harpists.

    ~ D-FensDogg
    (future tenor saxophone player in 'The New Jerusalem Band')

    ReplyDelete
  28. Yikes! i never thought of the dentist drill, it's the worse I was just there an hour ago...

    ReplyDelete
  29. I get chills from anything that sounds remotely close to the dentist drill. *Shudder* I do LOVE the sound of baby laughter!

    Guess what? You have an award! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  30. great stuff here! I like the part about grabbing a harp. And yes. Dentist drill... argh!!! :p <3

    ReplyDelete
  31. I'd like to be in a band that plays harp music. Love you answers.
    Nancy
    N. R. Williams, fantasy author

    ReplyDelete
  32. I say Crap a lot too. When he was a teenager, my brother used to express his frustration by saying "Ma, cripe!" He said it so much that she made a joke out of it and called herself Ma Cripe.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I hope I get to hear that band play one day. I'm getting very curious about Friday.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Dentist's drill!! AHHH!! And what stinks is my laptop I'm doing surgery on has been making a similar noise all day!!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Why is it that the coolest words are the ones we can't insert in ordinary conversation? Great answer @ number 10 and yeah, I love the sound of a baby's laughter too. Visiting you reminds me that I need to get the A-Z Challenge link up.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I'm right there with you on the word "maybe." It's too iffy for me. I guess it ties right into my control issues!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Great answers! Your last one is my favorite. The sound of the dentist's drill is the worst. I'm cringing just thinking about it!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Lee-

    You mean if you hit your thumb with a hammer, "Crap" is all you're going to say?

    Of if you spend all morning soldering a pipe, then turn on the water, and water sprays everywhere-"Crap" does it?

    The pipe thing even once coaxed the F bomb out of my father. And he NEVER cursed.

    Larry

    ReplyDelete
  39. I liked your answers; Fun to read~
    Would you really want to play the harp? Me I want the drums, if heaven will allow. If not, then you will know where to find me, lol~

    ReplyDelete
  40. Great responses and I've learned a new word today, cynosure (neat word).

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

    ReplyDelete
  41. Great answers Lee! Come to Canada - we teachers have a fair amount of freedom in trying to hook kids into being life long learners! I adore my job :)

    ReplyDelete
  42. Fun answers! Crap is definitely an all-encompassing word. It's one of my most overused.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Thanks to everyone who took the time to visit and leave a comment. This was a fun event and I enjoyed everyone's answers (I'm still trying to get thru the list!)
    In case you didn't look it up and are still wondering, "CYNOSURE" means "something that strongly attracts attention".

    ReplyDelete
  44. Dentist drill...my teeth hurt just reading it.
    You know that is some band they have in heaven...I'm looking forward to hearing it.

    Pamela Jo
    http://theresjustlifeyaliveit.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  45. Ahh. Maybe. I'm afraid I do use it quite a bit.
    Thanks for sharing your answers.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Heather -- I also use maybe quite a bit. I don't like it when others use it when answering me--I like to get definitive answers. Maybe I shouldn't use that word so much. Maybe, maybe not.

    ReplyDelete
  47. I like the word maybe. It's stops me from saying no before I've thought something through.

    I don't use curse words, either. I think "darn" is about as close as I get on a regular basis.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Ahhhh the north star - a place of guiding light and the ledgenday city of Cynasura - good word.

    I am with you on the dentist drills...ick!

    Crap is the word I use the most, but that isn't a curse word.

    An unorganised valueless assortment of junk. It's like shouting - Trash. It's my vanilla curse word - lol!

    I love the harp.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Lol but as a literary agent, you have to break up with 300 puppy-eyed prom dates a week. I just don't have enough 'No Thank You' in me to last very long. Although looking back, I do have to change my answer - The guy who has to pick up pee-bottles out of the truck stops - Is the worst job I can think of now.

    ReplyDelete

Go ahead and say something. Don't be afraid to speak your mind.
I normally try to respond to all comments in the comment section so please remember to check the "Email follow-up comments" box if you want to participate in the comment conversation.

For Battle of the Bands voting the "Anonymous" commenting option has been made available though this version is the least preferred. If voting using "anonymous" please include in your comment your name (first only is okay) and city you are voting from and the reason you chose the artist you did.

If you know me and want to comment but don't want to do it here, then you can send me an email @ jacksonlee51 at aol dot com.

Lee