This week’s Friday 5 is a fun one! What are your answers?

Now, only if we can get the fine folks at Friday5.org to make good on some of those offers… I’m not greedy, so I’ll settle for just #3.

1. We’re buying you a lifetime subscription to any magazine or periodical journal you want! What’ll it be?
Real Simple. Love the magazine, especially the tips on organizing and simplifying your life.

2. We’re buying you any existing non-chain, one-location-only store and giving you an expert lifetime manager, so that all you have to do is make decisions and watch them succeed or fail! What will be the store, and what will be your first change?
That would have to be Creations Unlimited, a cute little paper crafts (rubber stamps, custom paper, scrapbooking, etc.) store that used to be in the Mililani Town Center. Due to circumstances unbeknownst to me, they closed that location and moved to Wahiawa. (Maybe the lease was too high in Mililani?) I have not ventured to Wahiawa to find their new location yet. So, the first change I would make is to bring them back to a higher traffic location.

3. We’re buying you any house within a one-mile radius of your own! Which one do you want, and why?
I know just the one. A two-story, sage green house with white trim, in a quiet cul-de-sac down the road from my house. I love the area with its quiet and serene surroundings and the fact that it’s a single-family home with a yard and not a townhouse.

4. We’re hiring someone to take care of any ONE specific household chore (except cooking) for the rest of your life! Which chore will he or she attend to?
Laundry: which not only includes washing, but also ironing. Most of my work shirts require ironing — and although I have grown accustomed to the task, it would be nice to always have neatly laundered and pressed shirts hanging in my closet.

5. We’re providing the start-up capital for any crazy idea for a business, service, or product you can dream up, giving you total creative control while we finance your dream for five years, after which it must fail or succeed on its own merit! What will it be?
Wow, this is a tough one. I wouldn’t mind running a web-based company offering virtual admin assistance for small businesses who can’t afford to hire their own staff, but need administrative help.

Friday5‘ing on time again this week!

1. Whether you’ve ever been there or not, what are your thoughts on Texas?
Probably to the dismay of Texans out there, my thoughts on Texas are all shaped by “Walker, Texas Ranger.”

2. Who was the last person you sent a text message to? If you’ve never sent someone a text message, is there some reason?
My last text message was to the Hubby. He is my most frequently texted person.

3. Who’s usually the first person you go to when you have a tech-related problem, especially for computers?
Without a doubt, it is the technical phenom, Derek, because he can fix anything.

4. What was the best textbook you were ever assigned?
This is a tough one. Unfortunately, I’ve never met a textbook that swept me off my feet.

5. What are your thoughts on techno music?
It makes me nervous.

Miracles never cease. I am posting my Friday 5 responses on Friday! Hope you had a great week and have a wonderful weekend ahead.

1. What is your favorite outdoor activity?
Hiking.

2. Are you outdoors not often enough, too often, or just often enough?
Not often enough. Can you tell by my lack of a tan line?

3. When was the last time you slept in a tent?
More than 10 years ago, when Hubby and I were Jr. High Youth Ministry leaders. I think we were at Bellows.

4. Where is your favorite beach?
As a non-swimmer, I don’t have a favorite beach, and I rarely venture to the beach at all. I know, it’s ridiculous!

5. In what social, academic, or professional group are you on the outer fringes of? In what social, academic, or professional group are you right in the middle of?
I’m not really a “group” kind of person, to be honest. I gravitate more to small, intimate gatherings of close friends and tend to steer clear of cliques or groups.

As stated pointedly on the Friday5.org website, I have no excuse for missing a Friday 5 installation during my 4 weeks of convalescence at home. Not surprisingly, I’m still late, however.

1. What’s something that used to be good but now is lame?
Tapered jeans. Big hair. Spandex pants — on guys.

2. What’s something that used to be lame but now is good?
Bell-bottoms and wide-leg trousers.

3. What’s something you used to feel strongly about, but are now ambivalent about?
As an idealistic teen, I aspired to be a musician — or at least involved in some facet of the music industry. I have since grown up, grown old, and grown jaded. Any semblance of musical inclinations I once possessed have since fallen by the wayside.

4. What’s something you used to feel ambivalent about, but now have strong feelings about?
Being a good wife, daugther, and hopefully someday, mother to my family. I used to be much more career-driven, these days, I’d be much more content as a full-time wife/mom, carting the kiddies off to the school and afterschool activities, spending quality time with the hubs and kiddies at the park, and whipping up fabulous healthy dishes for the family. I’d make an excellent June Cleaver.

5. What’s something you used to dislike but now love?
Japanese and Okinawan culture and cuisine. During my teen years, I did all I could to distance myself from my heritage, convinced myself that Italian food was my favorite and rock’n'roll was king. Since my 20’s, I have been much more in touch with my Okinawan culture and heritage, although have not been as fanatical as I used to be. The passion for my heritage still burns like an ember in my heart, though. Always there.

I want to send a big thank you to the nice folks at the Friday 5 who remembered me on my day of surgery. So, here are my responses, a couple of days late:

When money’s a bit tight, how do you cut costs in keeping yourself fed?
We dine out far too much, so if we had to cut $400 off our monthly budget, all we would need to do is eat more meals at home.

When money’s a bit tight, how do you cut costs in keeping yourself entertained?
We would stay in and watch television shows taped on the DVR, take long walks around the neighborhood, or take a hike together.

When money’s a bit tight, how do you cut costs in other areas of your life?
Hubby is a minimalist by nature, but if we had to cut costs in other areas, I would have to reign in my spending at my favorite shops such as Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, the Gap, Sephora, Shirokiya, and the Apple store.

When money’s a bit tight, what do you do to keep your spirits up?
Keep myself distracted, do something active with the Hubs, go online, read a book, or watch TV.

When money’s a bit tight, what are some things you refuse to sacrifice?
My Roadrunner connection, of course. And although this may sound snobbish, I refuse to buy drugstore makeup, mostly because my skin is very sensitive and prone to breakouts.

It’s Friday! Which means, it’s time for Friday 5!

1. What’s your routine when you sit down to read a newspaper?
I don’t read the newspaper. I read the headline news online.

2. When you fire up your web-browser on a typical day, what’s your browsing routine?
Browse the headlines on The Honolulu Advertiser website, check my e-mail (Yahoo and Gmail), then hit all of my “daily reads”, my favorite bloggers.

3. It’s time to tidy up your living space! In what order do you normally tackle things?
It seems like “stuff” piles up on my desk and in the den, so I always hit that first. The bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom and living room are usually kept in good order with an ongoing maintenance plan, so not much to tidy up there.

4. Holy cow! It’s time to start thinking about Christmas shopping! How do approach this annual, sometimes-daunting task?
Some of my shopping is done on Amazon.com, but mostly Hubby and I hit Ala Moana Shopping Center around the first weekend in December to power shop for the holidays. This occurs every weekend leading up to Christmas until we’re done. To be honest, that usually means we’re shopping on Christmas Eve.

5. What’s your method for paying bills?
When I get the bill, I input the payment in my bank’s online bill payer system, then input it in my Excel spreadsheet for my own tracking. I usually try to do it the same day that I receive it in the mail because I’m anal like that.

Friday 5‘ing! Oh, how I love, love, love Fridays!

1. What specific advice would you give to someone moving into your neighborhood?
Don’t speed up or down the steep hill into the valley. Many drivers have lost control of their vehicle, only to go hurtling into the wall or a tree. Wall or tree usually wins.

2. What specific advice would you give to someone beginning a job at your workplace (or attending school where you study, or, if you’re neither a student nor employed, doing whatever it is you do with your days)?
First and foremost, you must learn to roll with the punches. Always be ready to switch gears and try not to get too bent out of shape when something you’ve been working on diligently suddenly becomes completely unnecessary.

3. What specific advice would you give to someone who wants to begin an online journal or blog?
Do it! And please, try to update more regularly than I do!

4. What specific advice would you give to someone who wants to take up a hobby you’re really into?
Buy a digital camera and just start snapping. Take pictures of everything and anything. The more photos you take, the more likely you are to capture a serendipitous gem.

5. What specific advice would you give to someone who wants to marry your closest, unmarried friend?
Be genuine. Be honest. Be fun to be with. But, most importantly, take her shopping.