Sunday Stealing: Judd’s Merged Meme

This week, brief memes from two different bloggers have been merged into one longer questionnaire. The Personal Opinion Meme comes from Team Ian 4ever, while Long Ago and Not True Anyway is where the Pick Me! Pick Me! Me! Me! me me meme comes from.

Judd’s Merged Meme

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?

In 2000, I was in private practice with a law firm in Stockton. Early in the year I argued Conservatorship of Wendland before California’s Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento. I was in the process making a career change.

My boys were 12 and eight, the oldest in junior high school, and the little was in elementary school. We were members of a local Lutheran congregation, and I was active in the music ministry there. We were living in a home that we sold three years later.

2. Five snacks that you enjoy in a perfect, non weight-gaining world.

• Trail mix with lots of nuts and carob chips
• Nachos
• Anything that includes peanut butter
• Chex mix
• Cheese and crackers

3. Five things you would do if you were a billionaire:

• Buy a larger home and move into it
• Quit my job and practice law only on a pro bono basis, either in conjunction with a nonprofit organization such as Life Legal Defense Foundation or for individuals/groups whose cases I had strong feelings/opinions about
• Send my boys to the colleges of their choice to attain as many degrees as they desire
• Travel regularly
• Make large and regular donations to and serve as a volunteer with specific charitable groups

4. Three of your habits:

• Tidying up — I am a very fastidious person and I cannot stand for my house not to be orderly and clean, so unless I’m really exhausted, I will not go to bed until, for instance, the dishwasher is humming away
• Wardrobe rut — I tend to buy the same type of clothing repeatedly and I fall into the habit of wearing the same few outfits repeatedly because they are easy to care for and comfortable
• Not wearing makeup consistently — some days I do, some days I don’t

5. Five jobs that you’ve have had:

• Attorney
• Accountant
• Legal Secretary
• Parish Organist/Pianist
• Box Officer Manager

6. Five places that you’ve lived:

• Lodi
• Stockton
• San Luis Obispo County
• Orange County
• Glendale, California

7. Five things that you did yesterday:

• Had my hair cut
• Shopped for groceries
• Tidied up the house
• Cooked dinner for friends
• Enjoyed great conversation over dinner with those very long-time, delightful friends

8. Five people you would want to get to know more about:

• Natalie Wood — I was a huge fan and ordered the biography by Gavin Lambert
• C. S. Lewis — I also ordered A Grief Observed, his writings about mourning his wife
• Ernest Holmes — My wonderful friend, the late Clint Ritchie introduced me to The Science of Mind and I would like to know more about Mr. Holmes, his life experiences, his writing process, and how he developed/discovered his philosophy/theology
• My friends Deb and Em — They are such beautiful, intelligent, spiritual, inspiring women, but I don’t get to see them or spend time with them very often

9. Abortion: For or against it?

With the exception of specific medical circumstances, I am an advocate for the sanctity of all human life.

10. Do you think the world would fail with a female President?

With all due respect, that is a ridiculous question. Gender has nothing to do with the office or an individual’s qualifications. Does anyone seriously think that a Presidency will succeed or fail because of gender? Anyone who thinks that needs an education.

11. Do you believe in the death penalty?

Yes, but my feelings may change after witnessing an execution.

12. Do you wish marijuana would be legalized already?

Yes, with limitations.

13. Are you for or against premarital sex?

People who love each other can express that love in a caring, responsible, mutually satisfying manner. Marriage has absolutely nothing to do with it.

14. Do you think same sex marriage should be legalized?

Of course. I am embarrassed and humiliated by the fact that California — a state that is so progressive in so many aspects — is where Proposition 8 passed. We discriminate against persons who wish to express their love for each other in a tangible, governmentally-recognized manner on a daily basis. It is wrong. For many years, I exclusively devoted my law practice to the eradication of civil rights violations and I find it repugnant, offensive, and immoral that this situation exists.

15. Do you think it’s wrong that so many Hispanics are illegally moving to the USA?

I completely understand why so many people want to leave their homelands and come to this country. My grandparents and their extended families were Norwegian immigrants. However, they entered the country legally and became citizens, and I believe that those who wish to come here need to respect that process.

16. Should the alcohol age be lowered to eighteen?

No.

17. Should the war in Iraq be called off?

That’s an interesting way to phrase the question. Unfortunately, it’s not a dinner party that the host can simply “call off” and I said when we went into Iraq, “Oh, my God, this is going to be Vietnam all over again.” It is. The problem now is that President Obama and his advisers have not devised a workable strategy for our exit. I hope they develop a feasible exit strategy soon.

18. Assisted suicide is illegal: do you agree?

Yes.

19. Do you believe in spanking your children?

Discipline has to be effective. In other words, the punishment has to bring about a change in behavior. With strong-willed children, spanking is completely ineffective. I know, because I tried giving my kids a swat on the butt and it had no impact on them. They would just go right back to doing whatever it was they were doing. I had to take away privileges and treats in order to get their attention.

20. Do you worry that others will judge you from reading some of your answers?

I do not judge other people’s beliefs. The older I get, the more tolerant I become because I realize that life presents us with difficult options and believe that most people — there are exceptions, of course — try to do their very best, but fall short. Therefore, I do not worry about other people judging me. A person who takes it upon him/herself to judge me is a person I really don’t want to get to know or spend time with, because that individual and I are not going to view the world the same way.

Click here to see the list of other participants, visit their sites, and read their responses.