Yes, my sister once made a gawdawful spaghetti with lentils that is now near-legendary in our family. I ate it without complaint, but she could tell I didn’t like it.
HYE known someone in seminary?
Yes, quite a number of people. I attended a couple of Catholic colleges which had connections or agreements with seminaries and so had seminarians in attendance.
Have you ever visited someone in jail / prison?
Many times. As a criminal lawyer, my job kind of involves it.
Have you ever got a speeding ticket?
Oh yeah, quite a few… but not recently.
Have you ever known a murderer or a murder victim?
Both, unfortunately - one murderer and two victims.
A 18 or 19 year-old guy I worked with about 35 years ago went ‘crazy’ with high levels of multiple drugs in his system, and stabbed three people to death at a party. I heard he hanged himself in prison a few years later.
One victim was a bartender who was into kinky sex and was murdered while strapped to his bed. The killer was never caught. The other was a friend who was the victim of gay-bashing and was beaten to death with baseball bats wielded by several ‘youths’ who were seen running from the scene but never identified.
HYE been awarded a scholarship?
No, but one of my sons was.
HYE testified in court in a criminal case?
Yes, when I saw someone deface a neighbor’s house. The defendant interrupted my testimony saying “It never happened like that.” AND was found guilty.
Ever get bitten by a stray dog?
No. But one dog tried to bite but just scratched me. Have you ever played the games?
No, but my neighbour’s dog is quite playful, and has bitten me a few times (never seriously) when my neighbour and I have taken him to the park. He’s a good dog, just a little excitable when he plays.
Have you ever been bitten by a pet cat?
Yes. My late cat Linus was usually a well behaved boy, but on a few occasions he bit me in earnest.
Have you ever eaten/swallowed something living?
I love raw oysters!
Have you ever had food poisoning?!
Not as diagnosed by a medical professional, no; but I have had a few meals that perhaps were not prepared correctly, or used ingredients that were past their “best before” date, and I’ve met up with the porcelain telephone later.
Have you ever eaten something once, said to yourself, “Never again,” and kept to that statement?
Yes, haggis. I took one bite and forced myself to swallow it. I then tried vegetarian haggis, made with oatmeal. They managed to duplicate the same vile taste.
Have you ever been arrested?
No, but I’ve advised many who have been. I’ve taken the phone calls that they have the right to upon arrest, and I have represented them in court–sometimes, within hours of their arrest.
Have you ever been to a pro wrestling match?
No, but my elderly grandmother used to go every week. When she couldn’t go, she watched them on TV, even in the hospital after she had a stroke.
Have you ever attended a prom, other than your Senior Prom?
Yes, a tradition at the college I attended was the “Junior-Senior Prom”, which I attended as a Junior.
Have you taken a plane, bus or train trip that lasted over 12 hours?
Way back in the late 40s, when I was a toddler, my mom, brother and I took the Greyhound from Cleveland, OH to Miami, FL, to visit our grandparents. This was before the Interstate system was created, and the trip took four days. I honestly don’t know how my mom dealt with a 3yo and a 6yo on a bus trip that was 4 days each way.
Have you ever eaten something that was so vile that you had to spit it out? (I don’t mean something that had gone “bad”.)
Yes. It was a bit of a baked potato, actually, on a date. Part of her baked potato, which she said she wasn’t going to eat any more of. My imagination filled in the gaps.
Have you ever bought a piece of candy at a restaurant?
Yes. Well, maybe not me, but my Dad, for me. When I was a child, Dad and I used to do the weekly grocery shopping (Mom was at home, looking after my baby sister). When we got what we needed at the supermarket, Dad would take me to a local open-kitchen diner, where we would sit at the counter and he would have coffee and I would have a Coke. The diner also sold candy and cigarettes at the cash register, and Dad always got me a treat of some sort (candy always, never cigarettes, of course) when he paid the tab.
Have you ever eaten at the counter at a real North American diner?
Yes, quite a few times, mostly on Long Island.
Have you ever vomited from eating too much Halloween candy?