The Syndicate

Productive for work: developed a system for passing pdf documents back and forth for approvals to keep A/P functioning as well as building a few spreadsheets to monitor check runs and payment volumes so we can keep an eye on our school district’s general fund balance from afar.

Productive at home: assembled an 8-drawer organizer for my wife so she can start sorting her scrapbook piles by year.


Have you called any older relatives while under quarantine to give them some form of social interaction?

Last started = cleaning the basement
Last finished = replacing the dryer vent

Will the New England Patriots win more games than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next season?

The Chronicles of Narnia

What did you eat for breakfast today?

The Wonder Years

How many books have you read so far this year?

Working from home.

Did you just touch your face?

We haven’t had a bad meal yet. I’m content with sandwiches for lunch, and I don’t complain about cereal for breakfast. If I had to pick the weakest link for our dinners so far, it would be Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff. It’s tasty, but I know it’s not healthy.

Best album you’ve listened to during quarantine so far?

The name rings a bell but they aren’t in my CD collection. I’m willing to give them a try.

What’s the worst movie you’ve ever had the misfortune of watching in its entirety?

There is very little in my house that holds sentimental value. The first thing that comes to mind is a framed cross-stitch bedtime prayer that hung in my nursery as a baby, three of my cousins’ nursery rooms, and both of my daughters’ rooms. I want to pass it down to grandkids someday.

Do you rinse your mouth with Listerine? If yes, what is your preferred flavor?

Nope.

What’s for lunch today?

We have 8 rolls in the linen closet. That should be enough until stores restock. I mean, everyone who bought the 24-packs should still have plenty on hand in a week’s time, right?

What pandemic survival item do you lack and wish you had?

2050- I’d be young enough to see America’s tricentennial and the start of the 22nd century but old enough to appreciate both.

Should I take my family to Disney On Ice on April 4th if our tickets haven’t been cancelled yet?

If by bad trip you’ll count bad travel experience- heck yeah. Two summers ago my wife and I came within 10 minutes of missing a second-chance flight to get us to our cruise on time. It was my first time flying since I was a baby. Note to self- one-hour layovers aren’t enough.

Which team will Tom Brady sign with for next season?

I like a reasonable, medium-sized house. Small is stifling, but going too large and it feels wasteful. Large houses typically have higher ceilings and a ‘great room’ which is a colossal waste of space and inefficient to heat and cool.

Do you think you could live in a ‘tiny house’ for a whole year?

Money can buy short-term happiness, but it's fleeting. Money can also help build up a sense of contentment, but it's phony if it's the strongest piece of your contentment foundation. Long-term contentment requires relationships.

Are people fundamentally good, evil, or something else?

-John Lennon’s song “Imagine”
-Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”
-Any abstract modern “art” that doesn’t make sense to me


If your house is on fire and all your family is safe, what one possession would you run back in to save from the flames?

Several weeks ago. We use it for movies more often than books.

If you had to become addicted to one drug, which would you choose?

Overblown for the fact that the people most impacted by it are over the age of 60 and have respiratory issues/infections already. This virus isn’t going to start killing healthy people. It’s an opportunist, sucker punching those who aren’t in the best shape at the moment. Also, cynically speaking, we’re long past due for a global pandemic.

Did you get a flu shot this year/winter?

Plastics

Have you ever eaten with a spork?

Normally I bring a small, packed lunch from home. Today, however, I bought.

What’s your favorite Syndicate smiley?

Several different places.

Where’s Waldo?

I don’t care for it.

Orange soda or grape soda?

One year at my first job I hid a bunch of little foam shamrocks around the building the night before St. Patrick’s Day. The next day, I brought in a bunch of little prizes for those who found the shamrocks. People got so into it that we weren’t very productive all morning long. I had five people trailing me in search of the final shamrock.

What’s your favorite Tootsie Pop flavor?

Take a screenshot of a co-workers desktop, put all of their shortcuts into a folder, and then hide the folder off of their desktop. When they get on their computer, try not to laugh as they flail about trying to click on their shortcuts.

What’s the best prank someone has pulled on you?

I think neck ties have their moments. I wear one every day for work. It can be fun to put a sharp combo together.

Peppermint or spearmint?

Yes. I think I got Ravenclaw.

Who would win a in a West Side Story style street fight- MAGA maniacs or Bernie bros?

No. While I like purple, there’s not a catchy acronym and turnips are even less intimidating a mascot than the school I went to (the Flying Dutchmen).

What color is the last article of clothing that you purchased for yourself?

ESPN

If you could found a new college/university, what would you name the school, the teams nickname/mascot, and what would the school colors be?

I’ll go with DeNiro, since I’ve seen more of his stuff. Pacino seems to try too hard more often.

What’s your favorite non-English language film?

Spanish

What’s the nastiest meal you’ve ever eaten?

Progressive

Honey Nut Cheerios or Apple Cinnamon Cheerios?

Plastics poisoning our waters and food chain.

Do you think you’ll ever run for public office? (any position, even local government)

Never. My phone was joined to me at the hip at my last job, so I am still in the habit of making sure I have it when I go anywhere.

What is your favorite breakfast cereal?

U2 circa 10-15 years ago.

What’s the most disappointing concert you’ve ever been to?

Sadly, it’s probably Poison frontman Bret Michaels.

Who was your least favorite grade school teacher and why?

Gene (my aunt thought my birth name was too hard to remember and she still calls me this alternate name), Bud, Fuzzy, Nipper Boy, Gaylord.

Burial or cremation?

My outlook on life.

Checkers or chess?

Favorite is apple, least favorite is probably mince.

Are you superstitious about anything? (Black cats, broken mirrors, etc.)

A change of clothes, one of those foil thermal emergency blankets, a super-duper Swiss Army knife, a camera, and my Boy Scout handbook.

Do you enjoy jelly donuts?

I don’t know if it’s on the top of my all-time list, but I want to take the family to see Niagara Falls in the next couple of years.

If you were told to pack a suitcase without knowing where you were going, and you could only pack five things, what would you pack?

Watching my daughter’s basketball game and announcing a few others.

What’s for dinner tonight?

Gambit

Least favorite X-Men character?

Yes. They’re a must when shoveling snow.

Have you ever been skiing?

Buttigieg

Boxers or briefs?

It’s shady because technology is involved. If it was just old-school observation or even a guy in the stands with binoculars, then it’s different I guess. Football players learn opponents’ snap counts and formations. Hockey players learn their opponents shift changes and set piece formations. I don’t watch basketball, but I bet there is an element of it there too. They created a clever signal system. The way signs are stolen is the clincher though. Maybe even binoculars is wrong. The denial and lack of remorse speaks more to character than sports ethics. Even if you steal a sign and know what’s coming, you still have to hit the ball. It’s not a guarantee.

What would it take for you to enjoy watching ice hockey more?

It’s better when tampered with, but it hits the spot.

Chocolate or vanilla ice cream?

Read, take a walk, and probably try to organize some old files.

How would you rank the five major North American sports leagues (MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, and NHL) based on your interest in them?

Jonesville, VA from Annville, PA- 513 miles one way

What is your favorite Skittle flavor?

Blue. Like the waters in the ocean, my mind is a vast expanse that is easy to get lost in. There’s also danger lurking in the shadows of the deep.

Will the XFL succeed this time, or will it fail again swiftly?

Laziness

If the sky could be any other color, which color would you like it to be?

If I’m innocent, let me hang. (I was in my college’s production of The Crucible- good play, bad director).

Why is this thread so much fun?