Q: What is your biggest pet peeve?

May 5, 2008

Jaqueline, 1938 – “People who don’t put on their blinkers. You don’t even need to know hand signals anymore because all the new cars have blinkers. These people have new cars…I know they have blinkers.”

 

Gladys, 1941 – “At my age I have learned not to have pet peeves, I’ve learned to be patient.”

  

Claudia, 1935 – “the way people park…taking up two spaces and such.”

 

Gene, 1945 – “Bad Drivers.”

 

Alicia, Not Telling – “People who receive gifts and expect to get more and more.”

 

Douglas, 1925 – “Relatively speaking, I don’t have anything to complain about…because if you hold grudges it takes away from your life.”

 

Joy, 1923 – “Too much company; I’m loaded with company. When you’re from Canada, people always want to come and visit you for the weather. Then they want to use your house and your car. Is that bad to say? I mean, I like having company, but there is such a thing as too much.”

 

Peter, 1927 – “Ive got a gillion (laugh). I don’t like picky people, ya know, complainers.”

 

Irene, 1928 – “People that interrupt and don’t let you finish a sentence.”

 

Joanne, 1933 – “People that are late. Sometimes I tell people to be somewhere as much as an hour earlier than they need to be, just so I don’t have to worry about them being late.”

 

Carol, 1948 – “People who drive and talk on their cell phones, or eat, or are putting on their make up…oh and bad manners…parents are not teaching them [children] anymore, (gasp). Rude people.”

 

Albert, 1924 – “People are kind of discourteous; they cut in line…I hate that.”

 

Cookie, 1940 – “People who come to this country and don’t want to speak English. Both of my parents came from Italy and Russia and learned English.”

 

Phyllis, 1929 – “People talking on their cell phone when they’re driving.”

 

Mary, 1938 – “People who tell other people what to do.”

 

Sandy, 1935 – “Parents who don’t teach their children tolerance and patience…”

 

Mercedes, 1933 – “When people don’t take care of themselves emotionally and physically.”

 

Libby, 1923 – “Always having to watch my younger siblings. My mom worked. (Laugh) I’m still taking care of them…we’re very close.”

 

Sam, 1942 – “It has to do with crossing the streets…Cars that block the sidewalks because they don’t pull in all the way…Or people that drive in the crosswalks when I’m trying to cross the street.” 

 


Q: If you could do something dangerous just once without any risk what would you do?

April 14, 2008

Irene, 1928:

“Deep sea diving; I love to snorkel. In Hawaii, I wore a tasseled bikini and the fish were all trying to nibble on it! So when they asked if the fish were biting, I said ‘Yes, me!’.”

 

Joy, 1923:

“Go up in a balloon. I’ve been in a helicopter but never in one of those balloons yet.”

 

Alicia

“Go to the moon.”

 

Gene, 1945:

“Probably work for the CIA.”

 

Claudia, 1935:

“I think taking the rapids.”

 

Barbara

“I’ve gotten on a plane several times and I thought that was dangerous.”

 

Gladys, 1941:

“That wouldn’t be fun if there is no risk. I’ve done most of it: bungee jump (when I was 61-62), sky dive (when I was 54), skiing. Experience war, not any one in particular but the experience of it.”

 

Jacqueline, 1938:

“Swim in the sea. Great Barrier Reef.”

 

Carol, 1941:

“Did it. Done it. Had it all.”

 

Joanne, 1933:

“We had a light airplane. My husband always flew. I was just about ready to learn when he decided to sell. I was going to take the FAA “pinch-hitter” course.”

 

Misako, 1948:

“Driving and cell phones are dangerous. That is the only thing that scares me.”

 

Albert, 1924:

“I’m not a very athletic man. Maybe I’d try flying an airplane.”

 

Cookie, 1940:

“Hot air balloon ride. I’m afraid of heights.”

 

Phyllis, 1929:

“I just think that living day to day can be dangerous. I don’t need to go look for it. Driving on the freeway.”

 

Mary, 1938:

“Skydive. I’d like to pop out of a plane.”

 

Sandy, 1935:

“Go to the moon.”

 

Libby, 1923:

“Jump out of a plane. My husband was a paratrooper.”

 

Sam, 1942:

“I do something dangerous every day by crossing the street.”

 

 


Q: If you got a tattoo what would it be and where would you put it?

April 6, 2008

When we asked this question we got a lot of raised eyebrows, but even more laughs…this was by far one of the questions that helped us break the ice to get people to give us honest answers.

 

Shockingly, less than 30% of people who answered this question said that they would absolutely never get a tatoo…the other 70% came up with answers better than anything I could possibly make up:

 

 

Irene, 1928 – “It would be ‘Bill’, my husbands name, and I would put it on my wrist under my watch. My husband had my name tattooed on his wrist…and other ladies names too.”

 

Peter, 1927 – “It would be on my arm…I’ll just say a flower…no, maybe a geometrical design.”

 

Joy, 1923 – “A little mouse on the back of my neck. I saw a girl in line at the grocery store, with her hair pulled up like mine, and she had a little mouse on the back of her neck. When I asked her why she had it there she said, that by putting it on her neck, she could hide it from her mother by wearing her hair down…I thought that was clever.”

 

Douglas, 1925 – “It would be on the arm, and it would be some kind of happy face probably.”

 

Alicia, Not Telling – “I suppose I would put it on the bottom of my foot…probably a little star.”

 

Gene, 1945 – “A lip print of Kat Von D on my arm…it would be light pink and have her autograph in light pink under the lips.”

 

Claudia, 1935 – “A dot where no one could see.”

 

Jacqueline, 1938 – “I’d like a little cross right over my heart.”

 

Joan, 1932 – “God, I hate tattoos…If I had to, I’d get one on the inside of my hand of either a flower or a rose.”

 

Mary, 1938 – “Right here on my arm and it would say ‘Jesus’.”

 

Sandy, 1935 – (giggle) “I would put a bat…no a dragon…on my ankle where everyone could see it. I love bats and dragons.”

 

Mercedes, 1933 – “hmm, I think I like tattoos. It would be a poem on my arm I think.”

 

Libby, 1923 – “On my shoulder, and it would be a butterfly.”