So…what is the Monday Poll?
Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).
1. Shrimp or crab?
Crab, but it can’t be imitation, and it has to be fresh.
2. Yoga or pilates?
Both are equally as challenging for this very out-of-shape lady at the moment. LOL! (Been a rough 12 months.) I’ll pick yoga; I could use a good stretch.
3. Something that makes you feel sentimental?
When my phone brings up baby photos of Connor or old photos of Tabs before he got sick. My heart swells up every single time.
4. What book are you reading at the moment?
Nothing at the moment, boo. I need a good one. Got anything to suggest? I would like something not too heavy or scary.
5. Something you wish you said no to sooner?
I wish I would’ve said no to almost everyone who asked me out when I was a teenager and in my early 20s. I realize now that when I was that age, I didn’t know how to say no to people when they asked me things which made me uncomfortable, so I often ended up in relationships which I didn’t want to be in. I was very much a people pleaser until recently. Better late than never, I guess.
6. What’s one of the first signs of spring where you live?
I know spring’s just around the corner when the white cherry blossoms in my neighborhood bloom. Can’t wait! I love spring much more than I used to when I was younger. I think it’s the sense of rebirth and the world coming to life again.
7. A gadget that you’d like?
An air fryer that doesn’t take up a lot of space on my kitchen counter that’s easy to use and not hideous to look at.
8. What liner are you wearing these days?
I bought a beautiful bronze pencil from MAC a couple weeks ago, Skip the Waitlist. It’s a twist-up gel liner, aka my favorite thing in the whole wide world.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.
1. Shrimp or crab?
2. Yoga or pilates?
3. Something that makes you feel sentimental?
4. What book are you reading at the moment?
5. Something you wish you said no to sooner?
6. What’s one of the first signs of spring where you live?
7. A gadget that you’d like?
8. What liner are you wearing these days?
1. Shrimp or crab? Neither. I think I’m allergic to both.
2. Yoga or pilates? Yoga.
3. Something that makes you feel sentimental? Seeing ph0tos of my dog, who died on this very day many years ago. He was the only living being on Earth who truly loved me.
4. What book are you reading at the moment? I have a lot of books out from the library at the moment, covering mostly history, politics, and current events. I’ve also bought a few I haven’t gotten around to reading (my policy is to not buy books that I can get at the library, but my city doesn’t buy as many books as other cities the same size do). I rarely read a new novel, as I was spoiled by reading classics in school and find that I don’t much like modern novels. The only truly “great” novel I read that wasn’t a classic when I read it the first time was “Watership Down.”
5. Something you wish you said no to sooner? Going to a very inferior college and living at home while attending. Looking back, I honestly think I’d have been better off joining the military (even though women are STILL treated poorly there) than to have been given the second-class citizen treatment by my parents. (They spent a LOT more on my brothers’ educations.)
6. What’s one of the first signs of spring where you live? Redbud trees blooming.
7. A gadget that you’d like? A dehumidifier (large) to keep the summer humidity down in the house. Air conditioning DOES NOT do much for that in this part of the country. Heating, though, will bring it all the way down to 20%, which is too low.
8. What liner are you wearing these days? I’m using an old powder liner palette by Sonia Kashuk.
1. Shrimp or crab? Both. Crab in crab cakes and shrimp for an easy lunch when hubs is away.
2. Yoga or pilates? Neither. Ugh. But if forced to choose I guess yoga. Give me a gym with barbells and plates please
3. Something that makes you feel sentimental? I ran across photos of dear daughter from high school. She was so young.
4. What book are you reading at the moment? More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. It’s the continuation of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and it’s just as sweet.
5. Something you wish you said no to sooner? Dunno. I’ve never had a problem saying no. I have a harder time saying yes to people.
6. What’s one of the first signs of spring where you live? The blue- eyed grass and crocus coming up. It was 32-48F in Tokyo this week and I found two cherry trees in bloom.
7. A gadget that you’d like? An automatic coffee grinder. I have a hand crank one which is quiet but takes a while if I want to grind beans for more than a cup or two.
8. What liner are you wearing these days? UD 24/7 in Hustle, which is down to a nub and sadly discontinued. And Chanel Stylo Yeux in Santal.
1. Shrimp or crab? YES.
2. Yoga or pilates? Ashtanga yoga.
3. Something that makes you feel sentimental? Music from the 80s.
4. What book are you reading at the moment? Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky, a favorite sci fi author. If you’re looking for not too heavy or scary, I *highly* recommend Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson. It’s very quirky and tragically sweet.
5. Something you wish you said no to sooner? It was a mistake to give in to my parents’ insistence that I go to law school but I no longer regret it.
6. What’s one of the first signs of spring where you live? On ‘Oahu, I honestly cannot tell!
7. A gadget that you’d like? Same dream air fryer as yours!
8. What liner are you wearing these days? Colourpop’s Space (or Cosmic?) Cowboy, a deep shimmery teal. It’s great in the upper water line for bringing out the amber in my dark brown eyes.
1. Shrimp or crab? I prefer shrimp and love its versatility.
2. Yoga or pilates? Yoga
3. Something that makes you feel sentimental? Like you, photos of my kids when they were little, or reading cards I saved from special people in my life.
4. What book are you reading at the moment? I just couldn’t finish reading The Little Lost Library, so I want someone to tell me how it ends. I finished ‘what you wish’ for by Katherine center and that was fun. Another series that I started is Finlay Donovan is killing it. And lastly, a great author is Marjan Kamali.
5. Something you wish you said no to sooner? Saying yes to having two dogs.
6. What’s one of the first signs of spring where you live? Tulips poking out in neighbor’s yards, blooms on trees.
7. A gadget that you’d like? Can’t think of one. My sister loves her Ninja flip toaster oven, you should check it out.
8. What liner are you wearing these days? I use only e.l.f. now a days. I have a black felt tip one and then a brown eyeshadow stick that I use as a liner.
1. Shrimp or crab? Neither…I am not a seafood girl.
2. Yoga or pilates? Yoga
3. Something that makes you feel sentimental? Definitely all the photos that “pop” up on our google hubs.
4. What book are you reading at the moment? Currently…just a trashy romance novel😜
5. Something you wish you said no to sooner? Self bullying…I still struggle, but at least I recognize it now.
6. What’s one of the first signs of spring where you live? Blooms. I love our landscaping and I love when everything comes back in the Spring.
7. A gadget that you’d like? I have all the gadgets…I need less gadgets. My hubby is a geek🤣
8. What liner are you wearing these days? MAC Costa Riche…I can’t put this one down lately
1. Shrimp or crab?
Crab. A local restaurant I like does an amazing crab-stuffed grouper with lemon butter sauce.
2. Yoga or pilates?
Yoga.
3. Something that makes you feel sentimental?
Certain songs from my younger days.
4. What book are you reading at the moment?
I just started Society of Lies, by Lauren Ling Brown.
5. Something you wish you said no to sooner?
The toxic part of my family.
6. What’s one of the first signs of spring where you live?
Extreme allergies.🤧
7. A gadget that you’d like?
A can opener with blades that never get dull.
8. What liner are you wearing these days?
I don’t wear liner anymore. I never could master the art of it, so I just gave up.
1. Shrimp or crab? Neither – shellfish allergy. Unless you want to see how an EpiPen works don’t put it on the menu.
2. Yoga or pilates? Yoga – I’m less likely to fall over.
3. Something that makes you feel sentimental? Old photos.
4. What book are you reading at the moment? The Witness by Nora Roberts.
5. Something you wish you said no to sooner? My first husband.
6. What’s one of the first signs of spring where you live? The neighbor puts his snowblower away.
7. A gadget that you’d like? A juicer that’s not a %&#@ to clean.
8. What liner are you wearing these days? Ilia gel liner.
1. Shrimp or crab? Shrimp for everyday dishes but a warm crab roll on a buttery toasted bun is always welcome
2. Yoga or pilates? Yoga
3. Something that makes you feel sentimental? My son’s baby clothes and old mixtape cds I made for my husband when we were dating
4. What book are you reading at the moment? Taking a break from reading and watching a lot of movies instead
5. Something you wish you said no to sooner? Friends who like to trauma dump about work. I know it’s too much when I start to feel like a therapist ugh
6. What’s one of the first signs of spring where you live? My son and I call them “dating” mourning doves. There’s usually a pair in our backyard come early March
7. A gadget that you’d like? Nintendo Switch 2. Video games are therapeutic for me it turns out!
8. What liner are you wearing these days? I don’t use liner much but I have a Voyeur gel pencil just in case
1. Shrimp or crab? Would eat either, but crab only if I don’t have to harvest it out of the shells myself.
2. Yoga or pilates? Pilates. My balance is terrible and always has been. I’ve never been able to do so much as a tripod, even as a kid.
3. Something that makes you feel sentimental? Right now, family recipes.
4. What book are you reading at the moment? Nothing right now, should probably pick something off my TBR pile.
5. Something you wish you said no to sooner? Not sure if there is anything. I don’t have much of a problem saying no.
6. What’s one of the first signs of spring where you live? Daffodils, and there was enough of a warm spell last week that they started coming up. Now there’s snow, but hopefully, they aren’t destroyed.
7. A gadget that you’d like? I’d like a humidifier that doesn’t scale up and where most parts can do into the dishwasher. My current one is OK, but can only be descaled/cleaned with white vinegar. I use filtered water in it, which helps, but not enough.
8. What liner are you wearing these days? None.
#4) I’m reading “Be Ready When the Luck Happens” by Ina Garten about her life and I’m liking it. Just finished “The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus” by Emma Knight. Highly recommend both. The Octopus book isn’t really about octopuses. It’s a fictional story.
1. Shrimp or crab? Either. I like crab cakes, and shrimp fettuccine.
2. Yoga or pilates? I take 4 yoga classes every week.
3. Something that makes you feel sentimental? Pictures of my kids. Who are now 42 & 45!
4. What book are you reading at the moment? Sea Change by Robert Parker.
5. Something you wish you said no to sooner? I don’t have a problem saying no.
6. What’s one of the first signs of spring where you live? I live in South Florida.
7. A gadget that you’d like? I love my Vita Mix blender!
8. What liner are you wearing these days? None. Just mascara.