In the Middle of the Hodgepodge

A hodgepodge is a jumble or assortment of things that might not appear to belong together. Joyce at From This Side of the Pond hosts a weekly link-up called Wednesday Hodgepodge that is a little collection of questions for bloggers to answer just for fun and to get to know each other. I always look forward to chatting with friends over coffee, so pour a cup of your favorite and let's visit for a few minutes!

Here are this week's questions - and my answers - for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1.  I saw a meme on Instagram that went like this - 'The movie Dirty Dancing came out in 1987 and was set in 1963, so if remade in 2026 it would be set in 2002. Now I need a little lie down in a dark room for a while.'

Time is crazy isn't it? So . . . What were you up to in the year 2002?

 

In the summer of 2002, my sons were almost 10 years old, almost 8 years old, and 3 1/2 years old; and my daughter had just turned one. That was the first year we went to Kingdom Bound festival at the beginning of August. We went with a small group from our church and all camped together at the state park campground near Darien Lakes (Six Flags) where the festival was. I found photos of my two youngest kids from late 2002 but not of the older two. That year was still pre-everything-on-the-computer so pretty sure there are a pile of snapshots in a box or an album somewhere and these were among the few that were scanned. 

2. "Me? I'm scared of everything . . ." What's something that scares you that you'd like to try anyway?

Singing in a barbershop quartet. It's not the singing that scares me so much as the competing. I usually don't suffer from stage fright, assuming I feel prepared and it's something I genuinely like doing and chose to do in a performance setting. Some nervousness from excitement and that little bit of anxiousness that goes with the territory of "okay, this is what I've been preparing for and I hope I remember all the things and do well" but not terrified-to-be-there type stage fright. I've been pretty comfortable performing and competing in the chorus, but I don't know how I'd do on a competition stage with a quartet. It seems like it would be a lot of pressure and exposure. All the same, I hope to have the chance to try it at some point. I don't feel very confident that I have the time to put into practice and preparation right now though.

3. Watermelon - yay or nay? Which melon is your favorite - watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew. Of the watermelon food/beverages listed which would you say yes to . . .

watermelon salsa ~ watermelon feta salad ~ watermelon sorbet ~ a watermelon Jolly Rancher ~ a watermelon margarita

I'm kind of in the middle, not an enthusiastic yay but not a not-for-me nay. I'm "meh". I like watermelon but don't love it and it's not the first fruit I choose, and I very seldom buy it. I would say cantaloupe is my favorite of the melons. I'd say "yes" to the watermelon margarita, because I almost always say yes to a margarita!  

our Jack-o-Melon from a couple
summers ago

 

4.  August 12th is Nation Middle Child Day. Are you a middle child? If not, where do you fall in the birth order in your family of origin? Do you think this has influenced your personality? Elaborate.

 I'm not a middle child; I am the oldest of four children. I have a few of the traits that are supposed to be typical of firstborns but not so many that I feel like I fit that mold. Firstborns are supposed to be conscientious and organized (yes and not in a way anyone else understands), achievement-oriented (not really), natural leaders (I can see this), and rule-keepers (maybe about half the time). Apparently firstborns also tend towards perfectionism, anxiety, and people-pleasing; and find themselves in "caretaking" or advisory roles with their friends, partners, and colleagues. I think being the oldest of my siblings was a factor in developing a sense of responsibility and leadership, and general willingness to trailblaze, but I don't think it has been a huge influence on my personality.

5.  Would you rather talk to everyone at a crowded party for a short time, or have a significant conversation with two people? Explain.

 I think I'd prefer a significant conversation with a couple of people if I had to choose one or the other. I feel like I'm usually awkward at doing little small talk things and "working the room" is a skill I learned but doesn't feel natural to me. I'd rather find one or two people that share a common interest with me and get to know them better.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

When I was typing up the questions, I initially mistyped #3 so it started out as "whatermelon - yay or nay" and it made me laugh. I guess my fingers expected the question to start with the word "What". Whatevermelon. I kind of wanted to title this week's edition of the Hodgepodge as Wednesday Whatevermelon.

I'm running short on time and I'm really going to try to visit other Hodgepodgers before the day is over, so I'll keep my random thought to just that. Will do my best to stop by other blogs in a timely manner!  

What are you "in the middle of" this week? Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm sharing in this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.

I host the Wednesday Quotes link-up every other Wednesday. Stop by and share a few thoughts and quotes on the current topic here: WQ - Patience. I host the Everyday Images photo link-up every other Thursday. And find the Scripture and a Snapshot link-up here every Sunday.

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