Have you ever...

Another simple game where you answer the question above and then post your own.

Have you ever been to nyc?

 

[Araucaria]

The only surgery I've had was when my tonsils were taken out at 6 years old. I woke up with horrible pain in my throat. No one told me it was going to be like this. I screamed and bawled and yelled and cried, though that made it hurt more. I was MAD!

Have you ever had to deal with a lover, ex, or stalker who threatened or committed acts of violence?

 

[rmcrae]

I had an ex make an empty threat during an argument (one of those situations where you're so heated you start pulling things out of the sky and your ass), but other than that, no.

Have you ever fought hard to get someone back in either a friendship or romantic relationship and failed? (By "getting them back" I don't mean revenge. Did you try to get back in their good graces?).

 

[PalacePaul]

No

Have you ever had sex in the forest?

 

[Araucaria]

I have had sex in a couple of wide open areas. One time I had sex with a trick in a remote, wooded area many years ago. Also, one time I had sex with my ex in a wide open area, not much woods or many trees there.

Have you ever gone scuba diving?

 

[rmcrae]

No. I had the chance to do so on vacay some years back, but chickened out.

Have you ever been embarrassed by a friend's public drunken antics/behavior?

 

[Araucaria]

Yes. My college friend (who later was involved in the infamous Sunday Morrison's Cafeteria breakup) got drunk one nigh on MD 20/20 and went out to the club. After the club closed, a group of us went out for breakfast. My friend was carrying on, saying all kinds of indiscreet things, like laughing and pointing to a gay waiter and outing him (very uncool). He became very upset and left when the rest of us admonished him for his behavior. I was seriously worried that he would get in an accident driving home, so I had another friend drive by his place to make sure he got home OK. That friend called me up to tell me that his "blue bomber," a 10 year old Chevy Bel Air, or whatever it was, was parked outside. Needless to say, it was a relief for me to hear that.

Have you ever had a good friend die? Did you attend the funeral, or perhaps you only found out some time later?

 

[rmcrae]

Yes, I lost my childhood friend suddenly over a decade ago. I talked to her on the phone a day or so prior and by the end of the week I was there when they laid her to rest. I was in a state of inertia in the beginning, but the grief hit me like a ton of bricks at her funeral. Took me a long time to learn to live with that pain, but I've managed to. Miss her every single day.

Have you ever been in a relationship with someone who was unable to share their feelings with you?

 

[Araucaria]

My ex was generally OK with expressing his feelings and emotions, though there were a couple of times that he'd start an argument for reasons I don't think he understood, until about a half hour later, he'd finally land on what was really bothering him.

Have you ever been with friends who didn't care for a performer, movie, etc., and wanted to leave, but that you found good, interesting, or even profound?

 

[rmcrae]

A couple years ago I rewatched a slavery movie Oprah did called Beloved with a friend and he found it too confusing and graphic (same criticisms I've heard about the Toni Morrison novel it was adapted from) to keep up with after 30 minutes so I turned it off and watched the rest back at my place.

Have you ever been told you look like a celebrity but you don't see any resemblance yourself?

 

[Araucaria]

I haven't gotten a lot of that as an adult, but as a teen I was often told that I sounded like John Wayne. I guess it was because I had a deep voice, and I tended to talk slowly, partially because of having heavy vocal cords, and partially because I like to think things out as I was talking. Personality-wise, we couldn't be more different. I was definitely not a macho type, and I wasn't interested in the Western movie genre, for the most part. When I was even younger, in junior high kids would tell me I looked like Jimmy Durante. At that time he had sort of built a whole comedy gig around his large nose. And at that time of my life, in early adolescence, my nose and ears had grown into prominence, which often happens to kids that age. I didn't appreciate the comparison, and I generally knew little about Jimmy Durante, but I didn't see how I was anything like him.

Have you ever thought you might like to go back to a certain event or period in your life when you were young, or are you happy to let bygones be bygones?

 

[rmcrae]

Yes, I have. I used to be really bad about dwelling on the past and wishing I could go back and change things, but I realize how much of a time waster it is. There's nothing I can do you about what happened then and I truly believe that all of those experiences, no matter how painful, were necessary in shaping the person I am today. I wouldn't go through it all again if you paid me though. One time is more than enough. Lol.

Have you ever been so consumed by a heartbreak that you were sure you'd never recover from?

 

[PalacePaul]

No, I've always hoped I would recover stronger

Have you ever had a recurring dream that suddenly stopped recurring?

 

[rmcrae]

I had a dream twice in one week where I was completely naked and hiding in the janitor's closet at my high school, but I had to get to homeroom before the bell rang. I always woke up before anything really happened.

Have you ever spoken to a deceased loved one in a dream?

 

[Araucaria]

Yes. I have dreamed of being with my mother several times since she died. I don't recall saying anything specific, or her saying anything, though that probably has happened. I also had a dream of seeing my father sitting in a specific chair he used to sit in. I said directly to him "You're not supposed to be here!" meaning you're not supposed to be here in the realm of the living. And he vanished before my eyes once I said it.

Have you ever communicated with or received messages from a deceased loved one or other deceased person, in a dream or otherwise?

 

[rmcrae]

No and I wish I did. My uncle told me that he had a dream about my grandmother not long after she died, but she made a brief cameo at the very end. It mostly involved him being in a club with a then-living Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. Don't ask.

Have you ever been in so much physical pain that you couldn't move or even think straight?

 

[Araucaria]

I don't think I've ever been in that much pain, but I've had several toothaches that hurt so bad that I could hardly think of anything else. Usually that means getting a root canal before the day is out, with the dentist performing a major extraction to my bank account. There have also been times when I've been so sick, that though the pain wasn't as sharp, that I'd have to struggle to get out of bed to make a trip to the bathroom or get my food, water, or medication.

Have you ever had to stop taking medication because of adverse side effects?

 

[rmcrae]

Yes, I have. Two years ago my wisdom tooth (which I still need to have extracted) was causing me a lot of pain and my dentist prescribed some pain meds for me. I had to stop taking them after I spent an entire night pulling a Linda Blair (minus the demon possession) in the bathroom.

Have you ever had to care for a seriously ill friend or family member?

 

[Araucaria]

I had to care for my mother when she was in declining health and starting to show clear signs of dementia (undiagnosed). It was very difficult to deal with for the last year of her life. I lived 230 miles away, but I frequently had to go back and forth to take care of her. But suddenly her personality changed, and she became difficult, clingy, and demanding. This was very difficult for me, as I had always gotten along well with her, even in times like my adolescence, when you're supposed to have trouble with your parents. It got so bad that I could hardly stand to be around her. I think I would have handled it a lot better if someone told me that she was at the end stage of her life, and she wouldn't be around much longer, and I had to be the strong one. But all I could see at the time was, what if this goes on for 10 years, and decided I couldn't take it. The situation caused me to make some bad decisions, such as moving back into a new apartment where I lived, and taking out a student loan for graduate school. As it turned out, my Mother passed away the day after Thanksgiving, when I had come down to visit her for the holiday. I found her the next morning (the timing still amazes me). Due to my grief I could never finish the semester, and suddenly it no longer seemed important.

Have you ever experienced a loss or grief so profound that you simply couldn't get over it?

 

[rmcrae]

Yes. It took me over a year before I could look at photos of my late childhood friend or think about her without breaking down. I'd lost family members before that and grieved for them, but I never knew such pain was possible before losing her.

Have you ever had the "boss from hell"?

 

[PalacePaul]

No

have you ever had people working at your orders?