Van Gogh.  I have copies of "Sunflowers" & "Starry Night" to remind me of being in Amsterdam & being lucky enough to visit the Van Gogh museum there.  However, I would like one of his "wheatfield" paintings.  My first choice would be "Wheatfield with Reaper and Sun".  Looking at it, I can feel the heat rise from the field & pity the poor reaper who has to labor under such intense sunlight.  Second would be "Wheatfield with Crows", which is much better known than "with Reaper".  The sky is so dark & angry; you know, as the crows seem to, that there is a fierce storm coming, & you, too, have to flee the area to stay sssfe.

Van Gogh’s work affects me like no other artist’s work.

I agree with Deena about some of the men’s hairstyles not being so bad. 

However, I’m sure I saw a couple of the women’s "dos" worn by alien females on the original "Star Trek".

Why isn’t Edinburgh, Scotland on the list? 

Scotland was THE place I’d always wanted to see when I was young.  The first time I went to Edinburgh, I felt as if I’d gone home.  I love wandering through the closes of Old Town, & past the Georgian squares of the New Town, & hearing the skirl of bagpipes.

I would love to live in Edinburgh Castle, but I doubt I’d be allowed to do that. so I’ll take a little flat near Princes Street Gardens, with a view of the castle, please.

How much is the lottery prize?

 Quit work?  I’ll be retired soon, so that’s not an option.

First, I would start education funds for my nieces & nephews.

I’d give my brothers & sisters some money, with conditions to my financially irresponsible sister & younger brother that they pay off bills & save some rather than blowing it on silly stuff. 

I’d fix everything around my house; replace the garage roof, remodel the kitchen, get a new mattress.

I’d write some checks to favorite charities, & one to my union to help fight grievances.

I’d buy a place at the trailer park my dad spends winters at so he doesn’t have to drive that clunky motor home back & forth.

If there’s money left over, I’d buy four duplexes: one for each neice & nephew, so they’ll always have a place to live & a bit of income.

Then I’d take that trip around the world I’ve been dreaming of.

25 years ago, I received a letter from my bank telling me that in order to keep getting free checking, I’d have to maintain a minimum balance of $2500. in my checking account.  I decided that if I had that kind of "spare change" laying around, it would be in an account that earned some interest.

I switched to the municipal employee’s credit union, & never looked back.  The only things I’m not happy about is ATM fees; my CU doesn’t maintain any ATMs, & when the branch in my neighborhood closed.

 I’ve used my CU ATM card all over the country & all over the UK with no problems.

Well said, Terry.

 A bit off-subject, but several years ago, when Delores Kearnes Goodwin was discussing presidential history on "The News Hour with James Lehrer" she mentioned that while doing research for a book, the only president (since WWII) that she hadn’t heard any "sex gossip" about~ not even having a wandering eye~ was Nixon.  At that point, there’d been three other GOP presidents (as I recall, this was before George the Younger took office).

The entire "Celebrities & Kabbalah" shtick offends me.  Those famous kabbalah adherents are, IMO, picking the most glamorous/trendy bits of the religion & ignoring the beautiful whole.

 The trend is getting silly.  Madonna adopted a Hebrew name.  Why?  Demi & Ashton had a "Kabbalah wedding".  HUH?  As far as I’m concerned, that’s like a Catholic couple saying they had a Jesuit wedding, rather than a Catholic one.

Kabbalah is not a religion unto itself, no matter what slaves to trendiness say; it is an aspect of Judaism. If you’re going to adopt the bracelets, Hebrew nammes, & mystical aspects, either convert to Judaism as I did, or find some other faith to disect & trash the bits that aren’t "hip" enough.

My tirade is over.  It’s safe to come out now. 

A lot of the minor stuff I can do myself: paint, change locks, strip woodwork, take apart & clean out a sink drain.  Other stuff my kid brother or dad help me with, or take care of it themselves. Sometimes it’s easier to just step out of the way & let them swing in on their vines & deal with something, even if I can fix it myself.

For some stuff I call in pros; taking down a tree in the yard, furnace & A.C. maintenance, etc.

I’m another one who didn’t like high school & couldn’t wait to get out & away. 

I had bought yearbooks & a class ring at the insistance of my mum (maybe because she didn’t graduate?…not sure of her motivation).  She also insisted on seeing me walk across the stage to get my diploma; something else I threatened to skip.

I stopped wearing the ring when my beloved grandpa gave me his old Moose lodge ring & haven’t seen it since.   

I was under the impression that the yearbooks were somewhere in the roomsful of crap in my packrat parents’ home.  A few months ago, one turned up in a closet of my spare bedroom; apparently it’s been following me like a bad reputation.  I spent an afternoon matching yearbook pics to postings on alumni sites, then tossed the book back in the closet.  I haven’t looked at it since.

Everytime there’s a class reunion, someone from my graduating class contacts my dad or kid brother to find out if I’m going to attend; but the invites are always issued late, so I don’t bother.  I don’t post on alumni sites & haven’t voluntarily kept in touch  with classmates, either.

Here’s another vote to ditch that awful pie chart.

I’m lucky enough to have health, dental, & vision insurance through my employer.  I’ll lose dental & vision when I retire later this year, but I’ll keep health.

 I really believe there is a revolution coming in this country, & it will be over health care.

I have lived in one of Milwaukee’s oldest neighborhoods for 28 years, & have been a homeowner for 25.  When I first moved here, except for "rich people" areas bordering the parks & along the lake, this was a haven for blue-collar workers. There was a one branch of a local grocery store chain, two branches of a local drug-store chain, one branch of a local burger parlor chain, a McDonalds, one all-night diner, & a LOT of bars. 

In the last 10 years, this area has become trendy.  The grocery store was replaced by a (very expensive) natural foods co-op, & the drugstores & burger parlor have closed.  Interesting little shops & cafes have followed the yuppies flocking to this area. The shops that prosper move to the uber-trendy East Side, but the cafes stay.  I really don’t have to cook anymore; there are seven cafes within three blocks. 

 The bus service is still good in this area in spite of the county exec chipping away at it & cutting service, & I can be at a drugstore, grocery stores, & downtown (with even more cafes plus shopping & theatres) in only a few minutes.

I love my neighborhood.

The only time I ever saw JWs in my neighborhood was right after I moved in.  Two women showed up with a little girl.  I invited them in & gave the child milk & cookies.  The adults had a nice chat while the little girl tried to coax my cats to play with her.  Perhaps because they didn’t get me to convert, I haven’t been bothered by JWs since.  Occasionally, a pair of Mormon missionaries appears at my door, but mostly it’s the local Lutherans who leaflet my neighborhood.

A co-worker says he keeps a box of those fliers everyone gets…for a free trial lawn care, menus for area cafes, religious stuff, etc.  When the JWs, Mormons, etc. show up at his door, he accepts their leaflet on the condition that they accept something from his box.