Blog Awards

I've been a bit remiss the past couple of months in sharing a few blog awards. Please forgive me for being so tardy in posting these and for not following the "rules" attached to each, and accept my sincere gratitude. Thank you.



From Heather

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From Missy:

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From Alice:

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Also from Alice:

Books Read in 2009

(Meant to post this earlier this month, but as you all know--life happened.)

This year I had a goal to read 75 books or more, and I exceeded that goal. Yay me! I also had a goal to read at least four "classics" from my TBR stack. Here's a run-down of my 2009 reading habits. Feel free to copy and post to your own blog, adding or deleting questions to suit your own reading habits. Let me know if you play along so I can visit!

Books read in 2007: 30
Books read in 2008: 66
Books read in 2009: 85


New to me authors I read: Barbara O'Neal, Karen Rose, Lisa Gardner, Sheila Lowe, Kate Carlisle, JK Rowling, Laura Childs, Jennie Bentley, Elise Hyatt, Charlene Weir, Darlene Gardner, Greg Kinkaid, Lucy Lawrence, Wendy Lyn Watson, Elizabeth Lynn Casey, Elise Hyatt, Julianne MacLean, Karen Joy Fowler, Bernhard Schlink, Stephanie Dowrick, MH Clark/CH Clark

Authors I read more than once: Kay Hooper, Nora Roberts, Rebecca York, Lisa Gardner, Karen Rose, JK Rowling, Sheila Lowe (loved her forensic handwriting series), Jennie Bentley, Johanna Lindsey, Julianne MacLean

Authors I plan to read again: Barbara O'Neal, Rebecca York, Nora Roberts, Toni Blake, Charlaine Harris, Lisa Gardner, Karen Rose, Jennie Bentley, Sheila Lowe, Sheila Connolly, Johanna Lindsey, Elise Hyatt, Lucy Lawrence, Wendy Lyn Watson, Elizabeth Lynn Casey, MH Clark/CH Clark

Genres read: Romance, romantic suspense, mystery, thriller, classics, chick lit, literary fiction, nonfiction, childrens/YA. About the only thing I didn't read was memoir, LOL.

Best overall romance read of the year: One Reckless Summer by Toni Blake

Best overall mystery/suspense read of the year: This is a tough one. I really got into the Berkley Prime Crime books this year, always enjoy Kay Hooper's Bishop books, and also read a lot of older suspense books by Lisa Gardner and Karen Rose. Hmm... I think I'm going to go with Evil Without a Face by Jordan Dane. As creepy as Hooper's serial killers are, this book gave me serious chills.

Best overall read of the year: The Lost Recipe For Happiness by Barbara O'Neal.

Challenges participated in: I participated in two reading challenges in 2009: the Casual Classics--read at least four classics, which I completed--and the Christmas Reading Challenge--read at least three Christmas-themed books of any genre. I set a personal goal of ten and read twelve.

Classics read: Summer by Edith Wharton, 1984 by George Orwell, The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway, and A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote.

Most imaginative world: Charlaine Harris' southern vampires and JK Rowling's Hogwarts.

Weirdest read: 1984 by George Orwell

Most-read Author of 2009: Nora Roberts, Charlaine Harris, Lisa Gardner

Biggest confession: I had never read any of the Harry Potter series before this past autumn, though I have seen all of the movies to date (some enough to quote entire scenes). I know, I know...a decade late to the party, but at least I finally got there! Tree down, four more to go...

Reading goal for next year: What the heck, let's aim for 80 this year! I really need to peck away at the TBR pile, especially where fave authors are concerned. I have books piling up by long-time favorites such as Nora Roberts, Catherine Coulter, Iris Johansen, Johanna Lindsey, and Elizabeth Lowell. Some authors are just too prolific!

What about you? What was your year in books like? What was the best read? To see more of what I've read, or want to read, click on the "books" label below, or check out my page at Goodreads.com .


Last year's report

What Fictional Christmas Character Are You?

You are Charlie Brown's Tree.

Why? Well, you never lose hope that something better is around the corner. You may not be much to look at right now, but just wait! Your inner light will shine no matter what.

Take the quiz

A Book Meme

Picked this up out there in the blogosphere--feel free to lift it for your own use (Jana!) . . .


Hardback, Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback?
I mostly prefere mass market, and not the oversized ones that are an inch taller than they should be. I will not buy an oversized mm as they won't fit on the shelf with my other books.

Waterstones, Borders or Amazon?
None of the above. We don't have a Waterstones (never even heard of them), Borders is too out of the way and nowhere near where I do the majority of my shopping, and I rarely buy off Amazon. Most of my books come from Barnes and Noble or local stores (Target, Wal-Mart, Woodman's).

Bookmark or Dog-Ear?
Ack! Bookmark, definitely. Dog-eared pages drive me crazy. Dog-ear one of my books (or use one for a coaster) and you'll never borrow another.

Alphabetize by Author, by Title or “Other”?
By author, and I usually tend to shelve books in order rather than by title, and I separate hardcovers from paperbacks.

Keep, Throw Away or Sell?
Generally, keep. Occasionally I will give one to a friend if I think someone else will really like something. Being in the process of looking for a new apartment, I did make the sacrifice of donating a couple boxes of old books. You do not know how much that hurt! And anyone who throws a book away when done ratehr than giving it away should be shot.

Keep Dust Jacket or Toss It?
Depends. I have some books without them, some that still have them. Guess it depends on how annoyed by it I am.

Read with Dust Jacket or Remove It?
Remove it. It only gets in the way and gets ruined.

Short Story or Novel?
Generally, novels. I will occasionally pick up an anthology of short stories/novellas if it includes an author I love, but very rarely.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Harry Potter, no contest.

Buy or Borrow?
I buy most of the books I read, but occasionally exchange books with a friend or one of my sisters.

Buying Choice: Book Reviews, Recommendations or Browse?
I find most of my books by browsing the shelves or monthly newsletters. I tend not to read reviews, but will occasionally check out books recommended to me.

Tidy Ending or Cliffhanger?
A cliffhanger is okay if part of a series--it can whet your appetite for the next book in the series--so long as those loose threads are tied up in the next book.

Morning Read, Afternoon or Nighttime Read?
I read any time I can, but generally more in late afternoon and evening.

Stand-Alone or Series?
Both.

Favorite Series?
Kay Hooper's Bishop series, Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse, Johanna Lindsey's Mallory family...

Favorite Children’s Book?
Sophie and Gussie, sadly no longer in print (and my copy desintegrated eons ago, I read it that often), and Goodnight, Moon.

Favorite YA Book?
I haven't read any YA in ages -- well, except the Twilight series, which I did like -- but LOVED anything by Lois Duncan or Lois Lowry as a teen.

Favorite Book of Which Nobody Else Has Heard?
Witch of the Glen by Sally Watson.

Favorite Book(s) Read during the Last Year?
There were a lot of books I loved this year, but honestly cannot single out any one book.

Favorite Book to Re-Read?
I can't remember the last time I reread a book...probably not since college. Books I've read more than once include Mandy by Julie (Andrews) Edwards, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, The Ghosts by Antonia Barber (this book saved my butt when I had to write a paper on my least favorite poet, Yeats).

Do You Ever Smell Books?
Depends on where the book came from. New books, maybe. Used books, not if I can help it!

Do You Ever Read Primary Source Documents, Like Letters or Diaries?
Rarely. I'm not big on reading bios or autobiographies, so something like this would have to be on a subject that really interested me.

What Are You Reading Right Now?
He Sees You When You're Sleeping by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark

What Are You Reading Next?
As I am currently participating in the Christmas Reading Challenge, another Christmas-themed book, the title and genre of which depends on my mood. At top of the pile are: Marry-Me Christmas by Shirley Jump, A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote, Christmas Wishes by Betty Neels, The Gift by Nora Roberts, First Impressions by Nora Roberts, and The Present by Johanna Lindsey.

You Are Pause

You Are Pause

Compared to most people, you are reflective and thoughtful. You're always willing to take a break and digest everything that's happened. You are patient with life. You are happy to sit back and let things unfold. You're not in a hurry. You're content to take things at someone else's pace.

What Remote Button Are You?

Sixes Photo Meme

One of the latest memes making the rounds is based on sixes. Open your photo files, then the sixth folder (and the sixth subfolder inside that if applicable), ultimately posting the sixth photo inside the sixth folder. I have my photos arranged by year, then season, then event. The sixth folder in my picture files is for 2006, then: summer/cornfest/carousel-06 -- which is the sixth of many pictures taken of my niece, The Bug, at the Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival in August 2006. Look how tiny she was! She still loves the carousel best of all the rides, and tends to zone out while the ride is in motion, suddenly blinking back to life as the carousel comes to a stop. It's really rather cute -- as is she. NOT that I'm at all biased. *grin*

The Bug and Mommy riding the carousel

Lemonade Award

Alice has bestowed upon me the “When Life Gives You Lemons, make Lemonade” Award.

Heh. Kind of funny, considering the amount of whining of which I am capable, though I do try to keep as much negativity off the blog as possible. But seriously--you should have heard me Sunday, when tiles in the bathroom that were supposed to be fixed two years ago, back when they first started to buckle, finally gave into gravity and caved in, leaving a gaping hole behind the bathtub spigot. I was doing a lot more than whining Monday morning when I realized said hole meant NO much-needed hot shower. Ugh! Good thing I showered on Sunday! I had to settle for washing my hair in the sink, but really could have used some soothing hot water on my neck. *sigh* I called the office soon after they opened yesterday and was quite impressed that they got it fixed before I returned home. Trust me, there would have been A WHOLE LOT of whining had they not!

Anyway, the way this award works is that, in order to accept you must:

1: Link back to the person you received the award from (done)
2: Nominate 10 bloggers who are deserving of this award!

So.... the following people can consider themselves lemonized. *g*

Jana
Maggie Nash
Nina Grey
Nina Pierce
Lynn Daniels
Alice Audrey ('Cause she deserves it back)
Adelle Laudan
Paige Tyler
Eaton Bennett
Annalee Blysse

Rated PG

Got this one from Melissa's blog (who is rated G, LOL). Apparently what pushed me into the next higher rating was the use of such words as: punch (6x), sex (2x), and suck (1x). Nevermind that "punch" when used on this blog refers to a crafting tool, and I'm pretty sure the context of the latter was something akin to "that sucks." Funny, no?

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Sites

An easy meme to join in on. You've probably seen this one before, but here are the instructions all the same:

* Grab the book closest to you. Now.
* Go to page 56.
* Find the 5th sentence.
* Copy these instructions, followed by your sentence.
* Don't go looking for your favorite book or the coolest one you have -- just grab the closest one!

Staff bustled through the halls clad in baggy scrubs, some wearing stiff long-sleeved aprons over top.

Christmas Awakening by Ann Voss Peterson
(The scene takes place in a morgue.)


.......................................


More snow here this morning, another couple inches. We had flurries and wind gusts around 25mph into mid-afternoon. It was actually warmer during the morning when it was snowing, as temps dropped sharply in the afternoon. We're heading toward a low tonight of zero. Brrr! And, as if we haven't seen enough snow this week, they are already talking about two more systems moving this way. The first, Sunday night into Monday, can bring another 2-3 inches; the second, Tuesday into Wednesday, could bring 5-7.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...


(ETA: 11:20am - Just heard on the radio that the storm coming Tue-Wed could now bring 6-12 inches. *gulp* )

Six Unspectacular Quirks

*Sigh*

I've been tagged by both Lynn and Pamela. Remind me to get even with them as soon as possible. Hehe...

The rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. List 6 unspectacular quirks you have.
4. Tag 6 bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each person’s blog to let them know they’ve been tagged.

Six Unspectacular Quirks About Me:

1. I love M&M's, but have to eat them two of the same color at a time.
2. I also have to eat Goldfish Pretzels two at a time. (Hey, at least that's the extent of my OCD!)
3. I'm not afraid of heights, but I do have a healthy fear of high ledges. Something about nearly falling off a mountain when I was five...
4. I don't drink soda, having given it up cold turkey about 15 years ago. Have not missed it once.
5. I love cemeteries. I know some people find them creepy, but I love the quiet, the history, the untold stories lying there. That is not to say I'd willingly wander around one at night, but still. And did I mention that the annual Talking Spirits tour is coming up Oct 5? *grin*
6. I always have my camera and a notebook with me. You never know when one or the other will come in handy!

Tagging: Since this meme has been making the rounds on both blogs and email loops, anyone who has not done this yet should consider themselves tagged.

Life Meme

Saw this posted to Darla's blog, and thought I'd play along. Personal asides are in italics. Feel free to nab this one yourself!


Highlight the ones you've done.


01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink

02. Swam with wild dolphins

03. Climbed a mountain

04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive

05. Been inside the Great Pyramid

06. Held a tarantula

07. Taken a candlelit bath

08. Said I love you and meant it

09. Hugged a tree

10. Bungee jumped

11. Visited Paris

12. Watched a lightning storm at sea

13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise

14. Seen the Northern Lights

15. Gone to a huge sports game

16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa

17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

18. Touched an iceberg

19. Slept under the stars

20. Changed a baby's diaper

21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon

22. Watched a meteor shower

23. Gotten drunk on champagne

24. Given more than you can afford to charity

25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

27. Had a food fight

28. Bet on a winning horse

29. Asked out a stranger

30. Had a snowball fight

31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can

32. Held a lamb

33. Seen a total eclipse

34. Ridden a roller coaster

35. Hit a home run

36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking

37. Adopted an accent for an entire day

38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment

39. Had two hard drives for your computer

40. Visited all 50 states (Hey, I'm working on it--I'm about halfway there!)

41. Taken care of someone who was too drunk

42. Had amazing friends

43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country (Disco in Paris...)

44. Watched wild whales

45. Stolen a sign

46. Backpacked in Europe

47. Taken a road-trip

48. Gone rock climbing

49. Midnight walk on the beach

50. Gone sky diving

51. Visited Ireland

52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love

53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them (Does the college dining room count??)

54. Visited Japan

55. Milked a cow

56. Alphabetized your CDs. (How else do you keep track of them??)

57. Pretended to be a superhero

58. Sung karaoke

59. Lounged around in bed all day

60. Posed nude in front of strangers (That would be a big hell no!)

61. Gone scuba diving (Sounds fun!)

62. Kissed in the rain

63. Played in the mud

64. Played in the rain

65. Gone to a drive-in theater

66. Visited the Great Wall of China

67. Started a business

68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken

69. Toured ancient sites (I've been to an Iron Age farm in Norway, and seen Paris, baby!)

70. Taken a martial arts class

71. Played a Computer game for more than 6 hours straight

72. Gotten married

73. Been in a movie (No, but one of my sisters has)

74. Crashed a party

75. Gotten divorced

76. Gone without food for 5 days

77. Made cookies from scratch

78. Won first prize in a costume contest

79. Ridden a gondola in Venice (When do we leave??)

80. Gotten a tattoo (Not gonna happen--ever!)

81. Rafted the Snake River (No, but I have been white water canoeing in Canada!)

82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"

83. Got flowers for no reason (I wish!)

84. Performed on stage

85. Been to Las Vegas

86. Recorded music

87. Eaten shark

88. Had a one-night stand

89. Gone to Thailand

90. Bought a house

91. Been in a combat zone

92. Buried one/both of your parents

93. Been on a cruise ship

94. Spoken more than one language fluently

95. Performed in Rocky Horror

96. Raised children

97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour

99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country (Almost--we were supposed to ride from Versailles to Giverny, but there weren't enough bikes for our group)

100. Picked up and moved to another city

101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking (I sing in the grocery store too, so there!)

103. Had plastic surgery

104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived (Friends and I had a very close call on the Milw interchange one day)

105. Wrote articles for a large publication

106. Lost over 100 pounds

107. Held someone while they were having a flashback

108. Piloted an airplane (No, but I have been inside a helicopter simulator...doesn't that count for something?)

109. Petted a stingray

110. Broken some one's heart

111. Helped an animal give birth

112. Won money on a T.V. game show (But I know two people who have been on game shows)

113. Broken a bone (Not that I know of--which I know surprises people)

114. Gone on an African photo safari

115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced (Again--not gonna happen)

116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol

117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild

118. Ridden a horse

119. Had major surgery

120. Had a snake as a pet

121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours

123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states (I'd like to work on this one!)

124. Visited all 7 continents (Ditto above)

125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days (Darn it, my trip was exactly two days!)

126. Eaten kangaroo meat

127. Eaten sushi (I don't eat cooked fish and you think I'm going to eat it raw??)

128. Had your picture in the newspaper (I've been on TV, too--I can't seem to avoid the darn news cameras at the annual Cemetery tour. They've caught me the past three years!)

129. Changed some one's mind about something you care deeply about

130. Gone back to school

131. Para sailed

132. Petted a cockroach (WHY??)

133. Eaten fried green tomatoes (Can't eat tomatoes.)

134. Read The Iliad (Not yet)

135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school and read something by them

136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

137. Skipped all your school reunions (I have been to only one of four HS reunions, but none of the college ones)

138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

139. Been elected to public office

140. Written your own computer language

141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream

142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care (Edited -- unfortunately, yes, in January 2010)

143. Built your own PC from parts

144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you

145. Had a booth at a street fair

146. Dyed your hair (Highlights count...right?)

147. Been a DJ

148. Shaved your head

149. Caused a car accident

150. Saved someone's life

Book Buzz Tag

Argh! Lynn tagged me when I wasn't looking!

Rules:
I am going to list three categories of books: 5 MUST Read Books, 5 Books on Your Nightstand, and 5 Look For These Soon.

Anyone I tag should put these same lists on their blog but SUBTRACT one book from each list and ADD one of their own.

Then they should tag at least 5 more bloggers. It will be fun to see how the lists change as it goes around the blogosphere.

Please come back to this post and leave a comment so I can see how the lists are changing as they go around the blogosphere.

Since this is Book Buzz…please keep your lists to titles released in 2007-2009.

5 MUST Read Books:
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (entire series, really)
Alibi in High Heels by Gemma Halliday (Again, suggest entire series)
A Mile in My Flip-Flops by Melody Carlson
Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward
Yellow Moon by Jewell Parker Rhodes

5 Books on the Nightstand:
Twin Killing by Marshall Cook
Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
Crazy in Love by Lani Diane Rich
Pleasure by Eric Jerome Dickey
From Harvey River by Lorna Goodison

5 Look For These Soon:
Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
Evernight by Claudia Gray
Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins
The Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward
Mayhem in High Heels by Gemma Halliday


I'm tagging: Jana, Nina, Rae, Alice and Maggie.

Which of the Five Senses Are You

I am definitely NOT a natural conversationalist, but I am good with foreign languages and do love music more than most people I know.

You Are the Sense of Sound

You love to talk, but you also love to listen. You are simply a natural conversationalist. You can have a deep conversation that lasts for hours and come out of it feeling energized. You have a good ear for foreign languages and accents of all sorts. You can imitate people quite well. You also are a huge lover of music. You probably love music more than most people you know.

Which of the Five Senses Are You?

Mosaic Meme

Saw this posted at Allison's blog and thought it was worth a try.

Answer each of the questions below. Surf over to Flickr and type your answers into the search bar. From the choice of pictures shown only on the front page, click on the one that moves you. Once the page with your picture opens, copy the URL. Surf over to the Mosaic Maker, set up your mosaic, and paste your URLs. Click Create. Voila!

The Questions:
What is your first name?
What is your favorite food?
What high school did you attend?
What is your favorite color?
Who is your celebrity crush?
What is your favorite drink?
Where would you go on your dream vacation?
What is your favorite dessert?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
What do you love most in life?
What is the one word that describes you?
What is your Flickr name?

Just Two Things

Received this from one of my sisters and thought I would post it hear in addition to sharing it with a few of mt best email pals.

JUST TWO THINGS...If you opened it, you have to do it. (Hey, I don't make the rules!)

Then, send it back to the person who sent it to you and the rest of your friends!

Two Names You Go By:
1. Heather
2. Trix/Wordtrix

Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. Black pajama bottoms
2. Orange pajama tank top

Two Things You Would Want in a Relationship:
1. Love
2. Respect

Two of Your Favorite Things to do:
1. Read, read, read.
2. Crafts: Scrapbook, stamp cards, counted cross-stitch

Two Things You Want Very Badly at the Moment:
1. A vacation -- a real one. Far from home.
2. A new apartment…a VERY QUIET apartment. One with no dogs romping or barking over my head at all hours. It’s not that I hate dogs, I just don’t believe they belong in apartments, especially not the second floor and when they are as big as a moose.

Two pets you had/have:
1. Female Cat, Squeaky (died in June at age 20)
2. Male Cat, Festus Hagen (disappeared when we were younger and was later found living with an elderly couple; all seemed content so we didn’t say anything to them. I'm sure he had a long and contented life.)

Two people who will fill this out:
1. Jana (because I know she’s bored)
2. Latesha (because I said so *grin*)

Two things you did last night:
1. Watched “The War” on PBS (followed by the taped episode of "Cold Case.")
2. Worked on a cross-stitch ornament

Two Things you ate last night:
1. Ham (Uhh...it was turkey ham, Vi -- really. Okay maybe not, but you can pretend, right?)
2. Mashed potatoes with a bit of gravy

Two people you Last Talked To:
1. Kim
2. Apartment manager (about the dog that barked for 5 straight hours Saturday night into Sunday morning -- and I wasn't the first or only one to complain for once!)

Two Things You're doing tomorrow:
1. Work...of some sort
2. Watching the conclusion of "The War."

Two longest car rides:
1. Black Hills, South Dakota (camped for a week with friends)
2. Natchitoches, LA (visited sister and BIL when they lived there in 1999)

Two Favorite Holidays:
1. Christmas (peace on Earth, good will towards men...yeah, you got me -- it's really all about the chocolate and presents. *grin*)
2. Thanksgiving (Mmm...turkey and pumpkin pie!)

Two favorite beverages:
1. French Vanilla hot chocolate
2. Strawberry Margaritas

I'm changing the end rules a bit to fit the blogosphere. In the email chain, you were to send your replies back to the person who sent it to you, as well as all your friends. For those out there in Blogland, feel free to consider yourselves tagged. *grin*

Borrowed from Jana

From Jana's blog...


1) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says. The first book had an illustration on page 18 so I set that aside and picked up the one under it, "Living the Dream: An Outline For a Life in Fiction." Since there was a paragraph continues from the previous page on page 18, I started the count with the first full paragraph and the fourth line is... "Visit a few big bookstores regularly." Ha! I think I do enough of that, thank you. More than enough!

2) Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first? Nothing, I'm a couple inches shy of hitting the other desk.

3) What is the last thing you watched on TV? "Cold Case."

4) WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what the time is. 10:45pm

5) Now look at the clock, what is the actual time? 10:43pm...not bad!

6) With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? The radio playing softly on the other side of the room, crrently it's the "Grateful Dead" hour (This week: David Gans presents more from Bob Weir & Ratdog 3.1.06). Prior to that was "Etown" featuring the North Mississippi Allstars and Dave Alvin.

7) When did you last step outside? What were you doing? Midafternoon, in between rain drops. I went out to dislodge a large broken branch from the crab apple out front. Figured it was better than the risk of one of those gusts sending it through the new window only a few feet away.

8) Before you came to this website, what did you look at? I was reading posts at Romance Diva's.

9) What are you wearing? Pajamas. Warm, comfy ones. And light blue slipper socks, also warm and comfy.

10) Did you dream last night? Yes, I dream every night, usually very active, vivid ones. I can usually remember at least bits of them, but other than the fact they were pretty good ones for a change instead of the weird ones I usually have, I don't remember what they were about.

11) When did you last laugh? Last night at Kim's when she, Sherrie, Amber and I were moving the old sofa from living room to garage. We no sooner managed to heave it out the front door when the heavens opened wide and emptyied its contents on us, soaking us before we could get the stupid couch into the garage. We were laughing so hard at the timing of it our sides hurt.

12) What is on the walls of the room you are in? You're kidding, right? Okay, here goes. Two sorority paddles flanking a composite of sorority pictures; small shelf filled with autographed books and a framed copy of the "Symphony of Alpha Xi Delta" below that; a bisque Mardi Gras mask, various pictures of friends and family, among other things -- such as a framed print called "The Kiss IV" bought at the Minnesota Rennesaince Fest (it drew me in the moment I first saw it!) and a dew-covered pink rose taken by a friend when she went to Ireland; Wisconsin Book Festival poster; coat rack holding a tote bag, camera bag, towels, and a sweatshirt; large framed Mary Engelbreit print from a friend that says "The Queen of Everything"; curio shelf filled with small raccoons and trinket boxes.

13) Seen anything weird lately? Man wearing a fish cat at the Crazy Legs Run/walk yesterday -- apparently I missed the guy wearing a pink tutu -- and my friends.

14) What do you think of this quiz? Eh...it's okay.

15) What is the last film you saw? In the theater, "The Chronicles of Narnia."

16) If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first? A new passport, followed by airline tickets to Europe.

17) Tell us something about you that we don't know. See question 21.

18) If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do? Umm... bigotry and intollerance?

19) Do you like to dance? Yes, but do not do so very often, except in the privacy of my home.

20) George Bush: is he a power-crazy nut case or someone who is finally doing something that has needed to be done for years? An ignorant, power-crazy nut case intent on spitting on the very Constitution he took a vow to uphold, and who should be impeached for all the lies and law-breaking (ie: illegal wire tapping) he has done. It is indisputable that were he a democrat pulling all this crap he never would have made it through a first term, let alone managed to dupe half the population into electing him for another.

21) Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her? I have never wanted children, nor do I plan to have any.

22) Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him? See above.

23) Would you ever consider living abroad? I have (three months in Norway) and would again, depending on the country. Maybe not permanently, but would relish the experience.