Monday Madness

Today's meme, for your pleasure, courtesy of Otto at Monday Madness.

1. If you could only take one item with you on to a deserted island what book, movie, music would you take? The Lord of the Rings, including appendices.
2. What's the most disgusting thing that you have ever eaten or even just put in your mouth?? Probably grubs, alive, alive-o!
3. What one thing would you do differently if given the chance? Sorry folks, my regrets are way too many to be addressed in a meme.
4. What political party, if any, do you belong to? Republican
5. Do you like icees? Yes, indeedy. Black Cherry syrup is the best, don't you agree?
6. East or West? And here I thought that never the twain shall meet ... but I think I'd head West from here. If I headed East, I'd be in for a long swim in about 40 miles.
7. Will we ever "all" be happy with the current political situation???? Seriously, not until there is a prolonged, exterior, extreme threat. Then we might stand a chance at equanimity; not before.
8. Cookies or Crackers? Crackers, of course. Was it even a choice?
9. What fun thing did you do today? Not a thing, so far.
...and #10 has nothing to do with any of the above questions.........

10. Why?? George, is that you?

Many moons ago, I was a night watchman /custodian at a Sheraton Convotel™ in Burlington, Vermont. There was a patient up on the third floor in lockdown (dementia ward) who would drive all and sundry nuts with that very same plaintive query. Until this wiseass, twenty-something would come by on his rounds to hit the simplex station outside of the stairwell across the hall from his room. Then, out of the darkness, using my best Vox Deus (Voice of God, for the heathens amongst you - you know who you are) I would offer various rejoinders which would usually silence George, sometimes for as much as five minutes.

"Why not."

"Because."

"It was inevitable," didn't work as well.

I lost track of George after I left that job until one evening, as I worked Receiving at the hospital morgue, in rolled George on a gurney. Seems he managed to get out of his restraints, off the dementia ward and to the roof, undetected. It appears he sought his answer via a swan dive from forty feet up. His remains were there for autopsy.

Cause of death was impact with the ground at terminal velocity. Proximate cause was a tumor in the right parietal area.

I guess he really did have cause for asking "why?", after all.