My parents told me I had, but I don’t remember it.
Have you ever been in a fireworks-related accident?
Sort of. I was right next to the Eiffel Tower for the Bastille Day fireworks (Spectacular!). The crowd was incredibly thick, worse than Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Some couple had stupidly brought a baby in a carriage. Even though the crowd was very well-behaved, at one point someone lost his balance and landed on the baby carriage. Panic ensued, but it turned out the baby had only a slight bruise on its arm; the carriage was broken.
Have you ever seen a parade and/or fireworks in a foreign (to you) country?
Yes. I was vacationing in the UK, and staying with friends in Coventry. We were touring the countryside one day, and happened upon the town of Lichfield in time for the Lichfield Bower. We watched the parade of people and dancers and floats. The floats seemed to be organized by local charities, and were soliciting coins thrown by the crowd, for the charities.
Have you ever been part of a parade?
I’ve been in every Pride parade (or march) since 1971. The early ones were more civil disobedience (tear gas, arrests, etc.) than parades.
When I was a kid, we used to decorate our bikes and ride them in the Memorial Day (“Decoration Day”) parade.
As management, have you ever fired anyone?
I did once have to fire my assistant. We worked at a law firm, and my assistant had committed a breach of professional ethics. For obvious reasons, I won’t get into details, but I will say that thankfully, nothing untoward came of the matter. Still, somebody who would do what that assistant did, cannot stay around.
Have you ever attended a TV show taping?
If being on a TV show that was being taped (and not broadcast live) counts as attending a taping, yes, I have
Have you ever eaten pet food, deliberately or inadvertently?
Yes. Any time we change the flavor or brand of dog food we use I sample a piece or two. It’s like trying a new cracker without the excess salt. I also used to ‘share’ sunflower seeds with my cockatiel when I was about 10 years old, but that probably doesn’t count.
Prompted by yesterday’s fishing - have you ever held a shark in your hands?
Yes - if hold an ex-shark (taxidermied and wall mounted for display) counts. I was helping a friend move and six of us were cleaning out his man-cave. He also had a small shark in a gigantic tank but he wouldn’t even let us dip a finger in the water.
Have you ever given yourself food poisoning? (penalty points for also giving it to others)
Yes. On March 2nd, wearing a cast on my arm and wanting something easy to fix I used the leftover eggs in the frig. Eggs I had bought for my December 25th B-day. I cooked and ate them. And puked them up, which is not easy to do with a cast on your arm.
Ever deliberately walked through a sprinkler on a hot day?
Sure have. Mondays are not busy at the local golf course, so I will often play on Mondays. When the sprinklers are watering the golf course. On hot days, hitting into where the sprinklers are sprinkling is welcome. I get cooled off. Of course, I make sure that my golf bag is well outside their range.
Have you ever had real French champagne?
Yes, when my husband and I were actually in Champagne, France. I don’t usually drink, so I couldn’t tell the difference.
Have you, as an adult, ever butted into a children’s game?
Never butted into, but asked to take part and been welcomed plenty of times with my boys and, sometimes, their friends.
HYE played Dungeons & Dragons?
Oh yeah. For a few years, back in my twenties, every Tuesday evening. It was fun!
Have you ever been to the Smithsonian (any of its museums) in Washington DC?
Yes, many times, including just a few weeks ago (the new National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the National Museum of American History). I’m a museum junkie.
HYE been to a museum in Moscow?
Clarification request: Idaho or Russia?
Either.
No, but I’ve been to one in St. Petersburg: the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.
I also saw an exhibit from Russia’s St Petersburg, “Treasures of the Hermitage Museum,” at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.
Have you been in a major power outage, one affecting many thousands of people?
Northeast Blackout of 2003 My neighborhood had a block party.
HYE had tickets for an event that was cancelled?
Yes, the Electric Light Orchestra concert in Cleveland in late October 2001. The whole tour was cancelled due to poor ticket sales, but many of the concerts would probably have been scrubbed anyway after 9-11.
HYE arrived at an event and learned that it started even earlier than scheduled?
Christmas party for my Sunday School class. It was rescheduled, but no one called us to tell us. We show up, gifts in hand, and the hostess answered the door saying “We missed you last night!” (We weren’t the only ones they didn’t bother to tell, and the organizers never bothered to apologize.)
HYE had brain surgery?