Q & A

Allie had this on her blog the other day and I decided I would go ahead and accept the challenge. I used to do these fairly frequently, both here and on my livejournal. Anyone can participate and all I ask is, leave a comment with a link to where you responded, so I can go bone up on the ins and outs of you.


THE RULES:

1. Post these rules
2. Post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions provided by the one who tagged you
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag
5. Go to their blog and tell them they’ve been tagged!

RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME:

 
1. I love eating bacon, I dislike cooking it.
2. I really am a homebody, but I enjoy traveling.
3. I think the TSA is the biggest violation of civil rights and waste of money. It makes us look foolish to the rest of the world.
4. I seem to always have overdue library books.
5. I did not do very well in middle school home economics, but I aced shop.
6. I have been listening to CD101 since their first day on air. I am still struggling with their name change... but so glad they are still around.
7. I knew where they made book and played the ponies in my hometown by the time I was L's age.
8. I do not like most floral scents.
9. H and I make the beds European style.
10.Sometimes I feel a tiny bit guilty buying used books. The author doesn't make any money from a used book sale.
11. I like all things ginger.


11 QUESTIONS FOR THE PEOPLE I’VE TAGGED (and anyone else who wants to participate)

1. If you had the day off, what would you do?

 If I had a "day off" I would sleep in, go out for tea and find a quiet place to write.

 2. Who is your favorite cartoon character?

3. What book do you display just to impress guests?

We don't have a coffee table and on the end table I haven't decided what to display. I have the books on the built ins arrange by what I have read and what I need to read. Honestly, I only keep books I like and think I might read again, otherwise I give them away or go to Half Priced Books. Life is too short for bad books and for keeping books you don't like.

4. Are you a dog or a cat person?

Cats all the way. I am just not a fan of dogs. I like others people's dogs and only then from a distance.



5. Describe an awkward high school moment?

I cannot think of one. Perhaps I have been out of high school a tad too long now. 

6. What part of your morning regiment can you NEVER skip?

Brushing my teeth.


7. What was the last album that you purchased?

Adele 21. I mainly bought it for L, but I have listened to it a ton also. For Valentines, the kids and H gave me iTunes gift cards and I am aiming to buy some music with them. Anyone have any suggestions?


8. How do you sign your emails?

Before my HP laptop died, I had a very nice professional signature on my Images Written email account. I had outlook set up, just so and everything. Now I have not invested any time in getting anything set up. I guess we can add that to my long to-do list too.


9. What’s one of your guilty pleasures?

Taking a nap.

10. What’s one food that you could eat every day?

Berries. I love berries.

11. If you could sing like anyone, who would it be?

Hayley Williams, lead singer of Paramore.

WHO I TAGGED:

I am not sure who is blogging these days - so my facebook friends or others reading - leave us a link in the comments, as to where to find you.

1. L (she will write hers and I will post it next week.)
2. Any and all my Twitter or FB friends who want to play along. 


My Questions:


1. Name one place you would like to travel to in the next 5 years.
2. Favorite TV show.
3. Do you buy books or check them out of the library?
4. Mashed or baked?
5. Favorite pepper?
6. If you could be an artist, what medium would you favor?
7. World leader you would most like to have coffee with?
8. Last book you read.
9. Do you own an apple device? If so what?
10. Favorite birthday meal?
11. Do you like surprises?

65 Questions You've Probably Never Been Asked

65 Questions You've Probably Never Been Asked

I got tagged, so I decided to post it here on my blog. Go ahead and take the challenge if you dare.

You know the rules. tag people in this note (including the person who tagged you!) to learn more about people. Also, try to tag people who you've tagged in other notes, sometimes you learn things in new notes that you didn't know before about them....blah blah blah whatever. :-)

1. First thing you wash in the shower?
back

2. What color is your favorite hoodie?
Would you believe I don't have one.

3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?
absolutely

4. Do you plan outfits?
yes

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now?
happy and content

6. What’s the closest thing to you that's red?
E's fire truck

7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having?
It was dreamy...

8. Did you meet anybody new today?
No

9. What are you craving right now?
Chai

10. Do you floss?
yes

11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage?
rolls

12. Are you emotional
yes

13. Have you ever counted to 1,000?
no

14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it?
I do not eat ice cream.

15. Do you like your hair?
I love my hair.

16. Do you like yourself?
Yes

17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush?
Nope.

18. What are you listening to right now?
CD101

19. Are your parents strict?
yes

20. Would you go sky diving?
No, I have too much to lose

21. Do you like cottage cheese?
I do, but it does not like me.

22. Have you ever met a celebrity?
Yes, long time ago.

23. Do you rent movies often?
No.

24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in?
Yes.

25. How many countries have you visited?
5

26. Have you made a prank phone call?
I do not think so.

27. Ever been on a train?
Yes

28. Brown or white eggs?
Brown, but right now I am not eating eggs.

29. Do you have a cell phone?
Yes

30. Do you use chap stick?
sometimes

31. Do you own a gun?
No

32. Can you use chop sticks?
Yes.

33. Who are you going to be with tonight?
Just me and the kiddos.

34. Are you too forgiving?
I don't think so.

35. Ever been in love?
Yes

36. What is your best friend(s) doing tomorrow?
Working.

37. Ever have cream puffs?
A long time ago

38. Last time you cried?
A few days ago.

39. What was the last question you asked?
Did you eat all your Mac -n-Cheese

40. Favorite time of the year?
Fall

41. Do you have any tattoos?
No. Its a needle thing.

42. Are you sarcastic?
Sometimes. I favor irony.

43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect?
No

44. Ever walked into a wall?
yes

45. Favorite color?
green

46. Have you ever slapped someone?
No. But I have wanted to.

47. Is your hair curly?
Wavy more than curly

48. What was the last CD you bought?
I have not bought CD's in a long time.

49. Do looks matter?
Better to look inside.

50. Could you ever forgive a cheater?
The truth is very important to me.

51. Is your phone bill sky high?
No

52. Do you like your life right now?
Yes, very much.

53. Do you sleep with the TV on?
We do not have a TV in our room.

54. Can you handle the truth?
I welcome the truth.

55. Do you have good vision?
Yes

56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people?
I do not hate. There are people, who used to be in my life, who I would not welcome back with open arms.

57. How often do you talk on the phone?
I text more than I talk.

58. The last person you held hands with?
HP

59. What are you wearing?
cotton dress and lite weight long sleeve sweater

60. What is your favorite animal?
Fish

61. Where was your default picture taken at?
Hocking Hills

62. Can you hula hoop?
Yes

63. Do you have a job?
Yep, freelance writer and full-time mom

64. What was the most recent thing you bought?
purse at target and school supplies

65. Have you ever crawled through a window?
How about out, I fled a Frat party thru a window once. Once with L was a baby, she locked me out on the deck, I crawled in thru the window.

Music

I wasn't going to do this, but it is rainy and I was folding a mountain of laundry and thought why not... All this proves is I have crazy eclectic musical taste... If you want to play along... go for it...

Once you've been tagged... (1) Turn on your Mp3 player (or Ipod in my case). (2) Go to SHUFFLE songs mode. (3) Write down the first 20 songs that come up--song title and artist--NO editing/cheating, please. (4) Choose 25 (or so) people to be tagged. It is generally considered to be in good taste to tag the person who tagged you.

If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about your musical tastes, or at least a random sampling thereof.

(To do this, go to "NOTES" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, enter your 20 Shuffle Songs, Click 'Preview' below to tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click Publish, the little blue box at the bottom of your screen)

1.American Pie - Dance Remix - Madonna
2. Steam Engenius - Modest Mouse
3. Jenny - Killers
4. Little Miss Can't Be Wring - Spin Doctors
5. Naked in the City Again - Hot, Hot, Heat
6. Red Alert - Basement Jaxx
7. Wings Of Love - Remixed - XTM & Dj Chuck
8. Dashboard - Modest Mouse
9. Discovery Channel - Bloodhound Gang
10. Float On - Modest Mouse
11. Round & Round - Bodyrockers
12. So Far - Dire Straits
13. Because the Night - Natalie Merchant
14. Hab' dich Lieb - Herbert Gruenemeyer (german folk singer...)
15. All Around the World - ATC

Books

I got tagged elsewhere, but thought there was no harm sharing it here also...

Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

*****

1. A Fan's Note - Fred Exeley, that he killed himself might refute my ascertain that he was not crazy, but rather I think this book sticks with me because it was proof that I was not crazy, other people had crazy ideas floating around their heads and it was more than ok - someone might help you share them, by publishing them...

2. Es geschah an der Mauer - Rainer Hildabrant, I bought this in Germany the Summer of 1990, it has haunted me since. I bought in the shop next to a place, in Berlin where Nazi's killed 12 resistance workers. They hung them with piano wire. I have never fully reconciled in my head, how the slaughter of so many went without notice... or protest.

3. Pleasure of My Own Company - Steve Martin. What a charming book. I loved it. I blogged about it recently.

4. The Time Travelers Wife - Audrey Niffenegger, maybe my favorite book of recent memory. People either love or hate it... Cleverly crafted and a wonderfully rich story.

5. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - Mark Twain. I think this is Twain's best work. It is a tad preachy, but what a powerful novel about human nature.

6. Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri, this collection of short stores is dramatic in its simplicity. The last three - which are a trilogy of sorts brought me to tears.

7. The Hindi Bindi Club - Monica Pradhan, this book proves that mother daughter issues are present in every culture.

8. The Kommandant's Girl - Pam Jenoff, I am a big fan of fiction that examines the gray area. I blogged about this one also. People making seemingly impossible choices...

9. Resistance - Anita Shreve, I am mixed on her work. Talk about someone who rehashes the theme, casting it in any number of settings. This is a short book, but intense. I am still not sure how I feel about this book, but in terms of a griping story. This is it.

10. Forever - Judy Blume, I read this in middle school. I somehow knew I was not supposed to like this book, but I did like it. I reread it a number of times.

11. Tiger Eyes - Judy Blume - somehow this is the Judy Blume novel that "good girls" read. I loved it. I read it a number of times also.

12. Wie kommt das Salz ins Meer - Brigitte Schwaiger, this is a great read, a contemporary feminist questioning of marriage and life of a young woman, unhappy, trapped at home.

13. Damage - Josephine Hart - this quote has stuck with me for years... I know it to be true - then and now... "Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive." ... her follow up novel Sin, is no less distributing.

14. The Hand Maiden's Tale - Margeret Atwood - I find all of her work disturbing, but in a profound way. Her last book, about the alien's in the trees - so disturbing I can hardly think about it.

15. Lucky Man - Michael J Fox - a living in the moment manifesto. Better live this moment.

Blog Highlights - 2007

I wanted to say I have had a very good year on the blog. H said a month or so ago - "you know I can totally tell a difference in your blogs - you have grown." Ah thanks honey! I agree. They have gotten easier - I have found my voice, my style - or styles. I have experienced alot in 2007 and much of it I have written about.

As a point of housekeeping - my readership has nearly doubled - it is still not huge - but I am watching and thank you all for checking me out. I write to fulfill some part of me and I like to write and I used to write in my journal for my eyes only and now I write here and share it with you all and it is very touching that you take the time to check me out and read what I have to say.

At the middle of this year I hit 100 entries - yeah! I was so happy. I also added labels to all my posts and my beloved pet - who is that the very bottom of the blog - she cracks me up and she is so much fun!

I think writers are quiet exhibitionists. We want people to see us - to see the realness of us - but without having to see you see us. What I am saying is being an actor or actress - your craft is very public - your art is visual and people see you - or see your projection, your creation with their eyes.

A writer is hidden, behind a keyboard - behind words - and yet they are not. I have invited you into my life - by featuring my thoughts and my opinions and stories from my life. My hope is that I can entertain you, inform you, and share with you the richness that is my life and my perspective.

All the best for the New Year! I promise more of the same - some serious thoughts and some less serious one - but rest assured there is much more to come - from Thoughts from the edge!

8 facts about me!

I got this off Angelle Trieste's blog. It looked fun, so I decided to play along.

So here are the rules:

A. Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves.

B. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

So here are the eight facts about me.

1. The first time I ever flew anywhere, I flew to Germany.
   
2. I got my first job, at 15 years of age. I worked at an independent Pharmacy. I got the job then told my parents.
   
3. I sat on what was left of the Berlin Wall during the summer of 1990. I have chucks of the Wall, which I chipped myself. They are stored away in a safe place.
   
4. I have been hot air ballooning.
   
5. I really love NYC. I love it for all the reasons most people hate it. It has a special energy. That said - I doubt I could live there long term.
   
6. I would like to live on an island. The solitude appeals to me.
   
7. I was 14, the first time I drove a car. It was with my grandfather. I later had trouble passing my drivers test and mastering a stick - but now I do just fine thank you!
   
8. I believe that if we all tried to love just a little bit more - the world would be a better place:)
   

Wanna play too? Go ahead, just post a comment with your 8 or put it up on your blog!

The VISIONS OF HEAT meme

AS a bit of intro- I discovered Nalini from a Sil Desire novel, that was in a bag of books that a friend gave me. Then I stumbled upon her web-page and her Slave to Sensation novel. The first para-normal fantasy book I had every read - unless you count Tolkin, which I read for a class in college - or maybe that story about the Lilliputians - in Eng Lit.

But anyway, I wanted to pass this along to you all, to support the release of her new book.(Ok, Ok, I also get entered into her contest - so that helps too.... but seriously - this is fun too!)

The VISIONS OF HEAT meme

1. Which psychic power would you most like to possess?

I would so like to be able to find things, that are missing without tearing my house apart. I spend a serious amount of time looking for my car keys, sippy cups, favorite toys, a stuffed bunny named Babalious aka BABY aka BABS, a stuffed bear, the remote control, my cell phone, my sunglasses, my husbands sunglasses, his car keys, his work ID and any number of other household items. To simply be able to wish them to appear in front of me would rock!

2. If you could see the future, what would you like to see?

I really would hate to be able to see the future. I am not sure it is health to know what it going to happen in the future. Messing with time is a heady thing. I remember reading The Time Travelers Wife and that just seemed to freaky a concept for me. I will just stay right where I am.

3. Imagine you woke up one day and could shapeshift - what would you shift into?

I would like to shift into a hawk. I would really like to be able to fly and see the world from the sky. It also would not hurt to be near the top of the food chain, as an animal and as a human.

4. What kind of a paranormal creature would you invite over for dinner if there were no limits on who you could ask?

I would like to invite some fairies over for dinner. They seem like they would be fun and my daughter really really likes the fairy godmothers from Sleeping Beauty. Although the Valkyie form Kresley Cole's Vampire series seem really cool too, they might be fun dinner company too.

5. Which future innovation do you wish would hurry up and get here already? i.e. flying cars, a transporter, computers with artificial intelligence, an auto chef?

Well I may sound like a broken record, but seriously I spend so much time searching for my stuff and other people's stuff, I would love a household computer that keeps track of stuff and brings it to you when you ask. If you want your coat, just ask. If you want the groceries put away, just ask. Like a smart house that cleans itself.

This meme was begun by Nalini Singh to get the word out about her next book, Visions of Heat (releasing March 6).

Want to play, too, and enter to win a $50 Amazon voucher plus an ARC? Click here for details.
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