1. What's your favorite animal? Cats. Other than cats, dogs.

2. What pets have you had in your lifetime? Bunny the dog and Mother the cat (who I saw have kittens...couldn't figure out where they were coming from), who my family had to get rid of because of me (see 4 below). Fluffy (the first), a tabby cat. Ippie and Rosie (short for some Native American names related to their personalities), a turtle, Fluffy (the second) and Patsy Cline (the cat loves of my life), and Bandit northern breeds mutt dog. I haven't had a pet for about 5 years now, I'm due for a cat I think.

3. Is there any specific pet that you've wanted but never had? Why? No, not really.

4. Are you allergic to any animals? When I was young I was allergic to just about everything, including cats and dogs.

5. Do you have any 'pet' pet peeves (your pets or others')? People. People who don't take care of their animals and blame the animals for things that could not possibly be their fault. Hairballs are not particularly my favorite thing.

Friday Five

1. What makes you homesick? My family, obviously. Less obviously good, sweet Sicilian style pizza, a river that really looks like a river, not a little rivulet with a river's name, sometimes I miss the secure feeling of being in a small town.

2. Where is "home" for you? Is it where you are living now, or somewhere else (ie: Mom & Dad's house, particular state/city)? Toronto, Ohio (not Canada which it sometimes is confused with but definitely should not be) is and always will be home although I haven't lived there since I was 18 and have no plans to ever live there again. Colorado (no specific city) feels like home but it will never take Toronto's place, I'm sentimental that way.

3. What makes it home for you? People? Things? Definitely the memories. I can still walk those streets in my head, percentage-wise probably only about 10% of the place has changed (new buildings, new houses, some houses gone). I could describe, in detail, every house and building on the two main downtown streets and if I took you there you'd recognize instantly almost everything I told you. I can picture a crisp walk up North River Avenue on a cold fall evening just as easily as you can see the monitor in front of your face.

4. Where is the furthest you've been from home, miles-wise? Wow, that's a tossup. The UK or the Aleutians, I'm thinking that England may be further away miles-wise but Shemya, the island I lived on, feels several million miles and a couple of planets more distant.

5. What are your plans for this weekend? Spending it with the we'en. No definite plans yet but I bet there's a museum, a movie and, weather willing, a hike in there somewhere.

1. What's your favorite vacation spot? Judging by the number of trips I've made there, Taos. I'm thinking a long weekend in the Temple Bar section of Dublin may be on my list somewheres though.

2. Where do you consider to be the biggest hell-hole on earth? Wow. Clovis New Mexico, probably. Portales, 17 miles away, has some fond memories for me though.

3. What would be your dream vacation? Probably backpacking in the Never Summer Range. Maybe laying on a beach in the South of France, maybe just laying on my couch.

4. If you could go on a road-trip with anyone, who would it be and why? My best friend Robb, mebbe. I'm being wishy-washy. Ummm, Angelina Jolie would be a blast, I bet.

5. What are your plans for this weekend? Watching the snow seems to be the most popular thing on everyone's mind here in Denver today. I was going to help a friend move but that's looking less-and-less likely. Maybe catch a movie, maybe hit a few night-spots or two. It's gonna be a free-form one, that's for sure.