Bishop Laura's Interview, Parts IV and V: Me, Miscellaneous

4. How do you like to relax during your down time?

If you will read the first paragraph of the sermon posted earlier today, you will learn about one of the great passion of the Magdalene-Ex family: we do love the movies. My children are connoisseurs of films of nearly every genre and era. How many fifteen year old girls can quote extensively from "All About Eve"? How many twenty year old males (I want to call him a boy, and I know I shouldn't) know entire David Mamet scripts by heart? And have opinions on different film versions of Shakespeare plays? It's kind of an obsession, the films. We do love them so.

I, like a lot of my readers, have found the internet takes up more and more of my time... blog reading, certainly. I think I have bookmarked over a hundred blogs, and it does take time to get to them all! I also love to read, and normally have a pile with about 10 books in it next to my bed. Last night I checked, and I have, among other things:

Without Sin: The Life and Death of the Oneida Community (I have a friend who is a descendant of the notorious leader)
Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith by Babara Brown Taylor
The Birth of Christianity: What Happened in the Years Immediately After the Execution of Jesus by John Dominic Crossan
Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison

I knit. (But not like some.) I walk, because I love the outdoors and the trees and the scents of this time of year in particular. I volunteer with one art group (Rude and Bold Women) and one peace group (CodePink). I sing, every chance I can get. Most recently my daughter and I had a gig together at one of our downtown gallery nights, and we'll be convening a little group to carol in December. I write some songs... not so many. But every once in a while the muse grabs me by the ear.

My favorite Sunday afternoon activity (Sunday afternoon coming after Sunday morning, when I have what I consider the highlight of my week, work-wise, and also the day that takes the most out of me): reading the newspapers (local and New York Times) while listening to jazz, until I fall into a cozy nap.

5. Any pets in childhood? Any in your house now?

The earliest pet I can recall is a Weimaraner named Gretl. When I was born she was about 12, and she lived to be 16. I remember her as being very gentle and tolerant, looking off sadly into the distance when I would try to ride her like a horse. My mother considered Gretl to be a kind of best friend, and drove around town with the dog in the front seat of the car. This caused many a neighbor to ask, "Who was that lady with the long grey hair riding around with you in the car?"

At the same time as Gretl there was a Tom cat named Sammy, Jammy, Sam-sam-bo-bam. Sam thought my chubby little calves were irresistible. He would hide behind the furniture and jump out as I walked by to scratch and bite me. He also was a terrific mouser and birder, and was so good with the birds that my mother, tired of having little trophies deposited on her front stoop, tied a bell to his collar to give the birds fair warning. It didn't matter. Sammy got them anyway. Once I had a canary for about a week. When we would go out we locked the canary in the bathroom. The canary left under extremely suspicious circumstances. I wasn't allowed in the bathroom for a while after the... departure.

Later came Max, a sweet, fierce German Shepherd, and then Rommel, a Rottweiler. For 11 and a half years I had a dear, troubled mixed breed named Michael. He was on Clomipramine for his anxiety. He died October 18, 2006 of complications from heart failure.