A Friday Five

If you...

1. ...owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?

I have often thought of opening a restaurant. Of course, a full-fledged vegetarian or even vegan restaurant would be great, but I'm not sure of the practical ramifications. IE could it survive in a non-California market?

I have also seriously considered opening a desserts-only restaurant. Somewhat upscale with a wine room or something would be nice, and serving coffees and liquers as well as a variety of really yummy desserts.

I've also thought about opening an old fashioned 50s-styled soda fountain diner. There used to be one on Clearwater Beach not too far from where I grew up, but they tore it down. They had yummy key lime pie.

Finally, I've seriously pondered the idea of a nice tea room. There are a few in my area. I figure this idea could be combined easily with the all desserts place. It could serve tea and tea sanwiches, etc. during the day, then go into a rich dessert menu in the evenings.

Didn't think I would have so much to say about opening a restaurant, did ya?

2. ...owned a small store, what kind of merchandise would you sell?

Ummm . . . I don't think I would ever want to sell anything. I liked working retail okay (I worked at Victoria's Secret for about 5 years), but I don't think I could willingly become such a schill for the corporate monstrosity. I guess if I had to I would open some sort of store selling hippy stuff like organic vegetables or something.

3. ...wrote a book, what genre would it be?

I hate this question because it makes me feel tremendously guilty that my book isn't edited. Damn teaching! Writing is who I am. I don't like being pinned down to a genre, either. I suppose my current work would be women's fiction or general literature. I would really love to write a thriller or sci-fi novel someday.

4. ...ran a school, what would you teach?

Everything. I would focus on the arts, real-life skills, problem solving and cooperative learning. I think students should be given the tools to solve their problems without violence or following the negative status quo, but that often requires community schooling - where the school becomes a resource for parents and neighborhoods, too. For example, parents would get access to the school's nurse for their own needs, parents who needed it could come and have breakfast with their children. Community schooling can also offer extensive after-school programs to help kids whose parents have to work longer hours.

5. ...recorded an album, what kind of music would be on it?

I like alternative, but more old-school, not "new rock." I like The Cure, The Smiths, Depeche Mode, Joy Division, New Order kinda stuff. So I would want something cool like that. Or perhaps guitar-based acoustic stuff, kinda folk bluesy.