Friends Questionnaire 5

It's that time again! Please comment with your answers or additional questions for me, check out my previous answers here, and the list of questions here.

21. Who has influenced you the most?
Probably my mom. I feel like that's such a cliche, especially in the South, but who can deny that our parents are almost always a powerful influence on us? Even if they aren't around, that itself can have a pretty profound impact. My mom has always been there. She is the one who always worries and checks on me, the one who encouraged me to pursue my (failed) career because she wanted me to be able to be independent and not beholden to anyone. We talk all the time, and have settled into the more mature part of the mother-daughter relationship, when I, as the daughter, am old enough for us to be more like friends that an authority figure and a child. As much as we may disagree from time to time about specific things, she has always been on my side and in my corner. She's my cheerleader and my challenger, and I don't know how I would have survived without her. Thanks mom! (My dad is there for all this too, but I felt like the question was asking about one person.)

Pictured: 3 generations of women.

I'd also have to acknowledge that my ex has had a pretty big impact on my life and who I am today, though he didn't intend for it to work the way it did. For all his terribleness, it's also true that without him I wouldn't be here, but it's more that my time with him required me to rise above it and be better. Negative reinforcement instead of positive.

22. What are your favorite lyrics?
Jeez, that is tough. There is so much good music out there, and I listen to almost none of it. For some reason, music is very emotionally challenging for me. I get swept up in it way too easily, and as a consequence, I avoid listening to it very often. Also, for like 2 years I didn't have a working radio in my car, so that didn't help. I'm feeling all romatical lately, what with planning a wedding, so I'll go with something on theme:

There was a time when I would have believed them
If they told me you could not come true, just love's illusion.
But then you found me, and everything changed.
And I believe in something again.

I know I'm not the only person in the world, far from it, who experience limited to no romantic success earlier in life. As I've mentioned before I was 21 before I ever kissed a boy much less dated one, More significantly, I was 21 before I had the opportunity to do so. I really thought for a long time that I wasn't the type of person who ends up happily married. It seems ridiculous that I was so hopeless at such a young age, but it wasn't being older and not married yet that was the problem, it was the length of time totally single. For 2 decades, it seemed that literally no one was interested. Then along came terrible. And for all that he was terrible, I came out of that situation with, ultimately, a bit of hope. There are people out there who might like me, I just have to find one who is not a complete ass-hat! And I did. Fiance is, hand down, the best person I know and the best thing to happen to me.

23. Stretchy jeans or jeggings?
I'm going to say stretchy jeans because they tend to be more functional. They're still denim, so they're a little tougher, and they have pockets. Jeggings are often made of some other material and typically don't have pockets. And baby needs her pockets. (At least I think they don't. I might not know what the difference is between these two things.) Seriously, what is with the lack of pockets on women's pants? I know some people say designers do it so you don't ruin the line of the pants, but can't that be my decision? Give me the option, and leave it to me whether to choose form or function.

(source)

24. On the first day of ruling the world, what would you do?
Abolish student loans. Wipe out all standing student loan debt and convert higher education to be free so no new students have to endure them. The system is screwed up, and people shouldn't be in debt their whole lives because they wanted to try to improve it. It's hurting our citizens and our economy and it just makes me sad.

(source)

25. If you were forced to open a bakery, what would you name it?
I like that this says forced. There is a man with a gun following you around through all the steps of opening a bakery: finding the building, getting a license, opening and running it. That's a weeks to months long commitment, anonymous bakery obsessed gunslinger. You've got some dedication to cake. I feel in those circumstances, I would honor the person who got me so far in opening my new business and call it "Reluctant Bakery." It works on two levels, because although I do actually like baking, I don't like eating sweets.

Triple thumbprint, jam filled cookies I made. Could never get a good photo.