Speaking of regular Friday Features, I neglected to post the Friday Five last week...so you, lucky TAI reader, get to read My Own Private Friday Ten, mwa-ha-ha-haaaaa....First, last week's Five:

1. What housekeeping chore(s) do you hate doing the most? Everyone who's seen Mt. Washmore in my room knows the answer to this is laundry. Also, putting away the dishes after they're dry.
2. Are there any that you like or don't mind doing? I love to sweep or vacuum. Very satisfying.
3. Do you have a routine throughout the week or just clean as it's needed? I wish we had either...I guess more the latter.
4. Do you have any odd cleaning/housekeeping quirks or rules? I am ruthless about some things, deeply lackadaisical about others. I'll let the sink fill up with dishes, but I hate it when they're on the counter or the table. I also get possessed about cleaning the bathroom mirror, like in the middle of brushing my teeth I'll go get the Windex and clean it.
5. What was the last thing you cleaned? Hmmm...I think last night I cleaned the kitchen counters and table, and dining table, after we had Karen and Lee Ann over for pizza...before they departed for Texas. :(

And now this week's, which I think I like better:

1. Is the name you have now the same name that's on your birth certificate? Yup. Although my mom's maiden name is spelled wrong: it's Skrupskis, not Skurpskis. Duh.
2. If you could change your name, what would it be? I like my name, though I've always wondered if "Emily" truly suits me...I'm more of an m., which is good. Clearly there are some reasons to eschew Durand, too. But "Katherine Brookdale" makes a fine stage name (middle name + childhood street), so that works.
3. Why were you named what you were? My parents named me after a woman they met in Appalachia, while doing a volunteer service vacation trip in college. There's also that S&G song, "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her," which (disappointingly, to a little kid) does not actually mention my name.
4. Are there any names you really hate or love? I've always disliked "Chad" for some reason. For girls, any kind of gaggy Krystal/Kaitlyn/Mikayla-type nightmare. I secretly like pretentious, preppy boys' names, but not girls' -- last week's NYTimes had a wedding announcement for a woman named Tripler Pell (from Newport, of course)...yikes. My picks run from the plain (Margaret, Elizabeth, Jason, Cameron) to the plainer (Ben, Sam, Sandra, Lila).
5. Is the etymology of your name accurate? Emily has a mysterious history; it comes from the Roman surname Aemilius, meaning "rival," or from the Teutonic Amalia, meaning "work." Since I'm fairly lazy and cooperative, it's a little off.