1 + 1 = 11

Dear Sleepy Joe (and friends),

I was really going to just not come up with the other ten things and hope you wouldn't notice, but of course you would do something like this.

Thank you, because I needed that.

So here you are: 

1. One of the strongest memories (read: ‘visuals’ because the context is unclear so I’m not sure if that really classifies as a ‘memory’) I have from my pre-age-10 youth is of my older brother putting a bug into an empty peanut butter jar. I don’t remember what kind of bug it was, but this was significant to me because A) I felt sorry for the bug – somehow I felt like I understood the sacrifice of space and freedom it was giving up by no choice of its own; and B) It was in a peanut butter jar – for a very short period my mother put a ban on peanut butter because we would go through it so fast, and ever since peanut butter has become akin to manna for me. Sacred, perfect, hits the spot every time. The contrast of a bug in a holy jar…it was (and still is, obviously?) mind blowing.

link to original here

2. I deeply crave this anthology. Norton Anthologies generally rock my socks, so to have one for children’s lit? My heart hurts to think about it. Someday when we have more money than we do now, I will buy this book. I may be 50+ by then, but maybe I can read it to my grandchildren, eh?

3. When I was, oh, 13-ish? Give or take a few years? A distant relative at a funeral suggested I get into step aerobics to lose my baby fat. It wasn’t unusual for people to comment about my chub (even though in retrospect I don’t think I was even that chubby) ever since I can remember, so commonly I took it with a grain of salt, but the fact that someone would bring it up at a funeral really got my goat. I unconsciously resolved from that moment on to stay slightly over-weight for the rest of my life. To live a full, happy, healthy life regardless of my shape/size. I still have issues from time to time about what I look like compared to others, but I try to remind myself of that funeral, and how life is about far more than just image.

Me around age 13

4. I store a lot of my tension between my shoulder blades. I’ve always got a knot there, regardless of how much I kneed, stretch, or try to relax those muscles. But meh. I can think of worse places to hang on to tension.

5. Deadlines are key for me to get things done. If someone tells me there’s no rush, I take that at face value and don’t rush. A month, two months, six months later…oh, that’s right. Maybe I should get around to that.

6. I laughed during the push-part of Beta’s labor. My midwife looked at me with a stern face and told me to be serious. The thing was, up until that point I had been freaking out because Alpha’s labor was over-the-top horrible. So my laughter was a release. It was my moment of recognition that things were going to be okay this time around.  

7. We have a ship hanging from our ceiling. The boys love it. Hubs loves it. I love it.

Our sky ship

8. I almost majored in Art/Illustration instead of English/Literature and I very much wonder what my life would be like if I’d gone down that path instead. I’m very happy with the place I’m in, in this moment, but I still wonder.

9. It’s a blue moon when I hear this song now, and usually in really random places, but every time I do it still brings a lump to my throat. I played the viola in the Boise Youth Philharmonic for just one season and the Jurassic Park Theme was one of the songs we played. It may not be all that thrilling to listen to? I don’t know. But it was thrilling to play.

 10. And two for the price of one: when I first met Hubs he had these big bushy chops that came down nearly to his chin I absolutely adored; momo’s are one of my top three favorite foods and coincidentally I had them for dinner the night I met Hubs. This seems important for some reason I can’t put my finger on.

 

There now, I've spilled a bunch of beans. Your turn -- tell me something about yourself in the comments that I probably don't know. Some detail about your youth, your love, the way you see yourself, something you're embarrassed about or proud of...these are just suggestions.

The magic is in the details, right?

Lack Luster Liebster

I apologize in advance for the blah-flavor of today's post. I'm going to send you here to find out the details because I feel less than great today (read: lazy and sick and tired of being tired, in no specific order) but I’m very grateful to Sleepy Joe for the nomination. She makes my heart feel lighter than it was before and any lack of luster has completely to do with me and nothing to do with her. So.

Here are answers to her questions:

 1. Do you believe in soul-mates and why, even if the answer is no?

I used to think the idea of soul-mates meant that you fit perfectly together, that you’d never argue, you’d know exactly what the other was thinking before they even opened their mouth. That sort of thing. I don’t believe in that kind of soul-mate anymore. I do believe in having the kind of mate your soul is comfortable with regardless of whether or not you argue, regardless of whether or not all your nooks and crannies fit. I don’t think that kind of comfort is easy to find, so if there are only one or two of those people out there in the world per person, that makes sense to me.

link to original here

2. Sunset photo or nighttime shot?

I love the colors in sunset shots, but I love even more the depth and dark and stark contrast of light from stars you can find in nighttime shots. Especially the ones that are really well done.

3. Fleecy PJ's, Onesie or shorts?

I’m pretty sure I’m misunderstanding this question, but here are my thoughts on each anyway. Fleecy PJ’s are soft and lovely, but they’re often too snug in all the wrong places. I don’t like sleeping with layers (though in contrast I’ve always got to have some sort of blanket). Onesies I love, but more so on Beta than on me. His chunky legs are cute. Mine, not so much.  Shorts? I prefer pants or long flowy skirts.

4. Where do you head or to whom do you go if you are in need of inspiration?

A quiet place, then I find my knees.

5. What song best captures you or your life, either in general or in this moment?

Ooph. This is a hard one. I’m going to go with this:

  

6. What one thing would you have in your life if there were no monetary, moral or other limitations?

I keep leaving this blank and then coming back to it, but every time I hit a mental wall. Financial security, maybe? Or if money is not a limit, security in general. I feel like I'm always deeply afraid of something or other that's completely out of my control.

7. What is your dream job?

I’m living it. Minus the published author bit, but that’ll come someday hopefully.

8. What is your Christmas Eve tradition?

Soup in bread bowls for dinner, lighting the fire and singing carols with family, snacking on nuts and cookies while chatting way too late into the evening. Sometimes we go to Midnight Mass even though we’re not Catholic.

9. Do tablets (ie. ipads) make you feel like you are living in a Sci-fi movie?

Now that you mention it…

10. What musical instrument would you play if you could? Or would you sing instead?

And now I’ve just lost two hours watching beatbox videos because that’s singing and playing all in one bag. Plus duh, it’s hugely amazing. I can’t see myself opening that bag up and using it in this life, but maybe my next?

11. Candle light or the big light (sorry Northern reference to the main ceiling light in a room)?

Depends on the circumstances, but I’m probably always going to default for candle light. Everything seems softer and I very much like soft.

Now eleven facts about me:

 
1. When I see three or more people walking shoulder-to-shoulder in real life I automatically think, "Action flick..." and I kind-of expect whatever's behind them to explode.

Other than that, I'm having a hard time coming up with facts that are interesting. Maybe we'll incorporate the rest next week?

And then eleven questions for people who'd like to answer one, two, a few, or all of them:

1. What's a quote you either very much agree or disagree with? Why?

2. Do you like kids? Why or why not?

3. What's your favorite part of the winter holiday season? Why?

4. What are your thoughts about the goddess Bast?

5. Did/do you have a favorite childhood cartoon? Why or why not?

6. What does this bring to mind: "Double the pleasure, double the fun..."?

7. Do you prefer to drink your favorite beverage from a bottle or glass?

8. What is a memory you have where a kite was somehow involved?

9. Do you get moody when you're hungry?

10. What are five small-ish objects closest to you?

11. What is a random detail that sticks out in your mind about a significant event in your life? (ex: The variegated light from the street lamp on the gravel road when she broke my heart)  

Hummy Putterings

When I'm especially happy, I like to sing hummy little songs and putter. Sleepy Joe very much helps me be happy, so this post is my hummy jingle and my fingers are pittering and puttering because of her. Many thanks for nominating me for:

I love these things. I love that, unlike social gatherings of most kinds, the rules are clearly laid out and relatively straight forward. Here they are:

1. I need to nominate 15 blogs for this award.

2. I have to answer 10 questions that have been posed by the person who nominated me.

3. I have to ask 10 questions of those I nominate. So here we go...

Fulfillment of Rule One:

If you’re reading this and you want to play along, I appreciate you as a reader, so consider yourself officially nominated. If you answer my questions** I’d love to come visit and see what you say, so leave a link in the comments and I'll come find you.

Fulfillment of Rule Two:

1. Who is your favorite band or singer or song?

All-time top is Ani Difranco. MAK, my first roommate back in college, introduced me to her music and I remember laying on our respective beds, hands behind my head, eyes closed, feeling the lyrics from her mixed tape to my very bone. Ani’s music is part of pretty much every big event in my life since then. If I’m not able to mention her, because I mention her maybe too much? My second go-to singer is Enya. Third is the XX.

2. Describe yourself as the main character in your own fairytale.

I keep trying to do this one but with all the positive and negative voices going at each other in my mind, it’s becoming more of a battle than a descriptive fairytale piece. So we’ll just say, “Once upon a time, there was a seed…”

3. If you have a nickname, what is it and how did you come by it? If not what would you like your nick name to be and why?

‘Debz’ – my brother called me this when I was little, and it’s stuck ever since. I’ve adapted it to the more widely used ‘Deb’ for simplicity’s sake because I got tired of people leaning forward, tilting their heads at me and saying, “Whazat?” even after I’d said it two or three times.

4. What is your favorite word?

Depends on the day, the time, who I'm around, whether or not I've stubbed my toe. This word was my honest first thought:

5. Who are your favorite literary couple?

Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Oh how I love their story. I was reflecting on them recently, in fact, and thinking about how funny it is that a certain part of our brains think of our favorite characters as real (or is this just me?). If Lizzy were to knock on my door this afternoon during naptime I wouldn’t at all be surprised. I’d turn on the kettle and ask her what kind of tea she preferred. “Cream and sugar?” Of course I keep both just in case.

6. What is your favorite Poem?

I’m somewhat sad to admit how little I know about poetry. Someday I hope to be able to drink poems and wine, and know how to taste the nuances. To swirl them in a crystal goblet and be a connoisseur. Until then, I’m going to say either e. e. cummings’ “i carry your heart with me,” or Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky.”

7. Do you like having someone play with your hair?

Oh, how I preen and melt at the very thought.

8. What is your greatest ambition?

To be a really good mama. Embedded into that thought is 'to be a published writer,' because it's is my long-time dream and I want to teach my children to follow, and then work hard to accomplish, their dreams. No matter how big or small they may seem.

9. If you have time alone, where do you go to feel at peace?

Sometimes I feel like my only 'safe-zone' is in my bathroom, huddled on the floor, while little children pound on the other side of the door and shove toys through the slot underneath. But that's not my preferred place to find peace. When I can, I head to the trees.

10. What is your favorite film?

Hard to narrow it down to just one. My favorite three? City of Joy, Braveheart (edited, because I can’t handle the gore), and Sliding Doors. That last one I might interchange with Underworld, depending on what phase the moon is in.

**Fulfillment of Rule Three:

1. French Fries or French Toast?

2. What are your thoughts about ‘Time’?

3. Have you ever been motion sick?

4. Would you ever get a tattoo and if so, where would you put it?

5. Do you read magazines while standing in line at the grocery store and if so, which ones?

6. What are five things you keep in the drawer closest to where you’re sitting right now?

7. Have you ever sent/received a message in a bottle?

8. It’s funny to skip questions – do you agree or disagree?

10. When is it appropriate to bite someone?

Things I love

Two blogs I love are The Mommy Rant and Shouldn’t Life Be More Than This?

I also love tag. They have both tagged me, though in a less traditional manner...

link to original here

These are Joanne’s questions:

1. Why did you start a blog? Easiest way to answer this is simply refer you here

2. What have you learned about yourself from blogging? I’m really good at starting things, but have a hard time buckling down for the follow-through. Generally I need a reason to remind me of why I should buckle down otherwise my self-doubt, my fear, or my to-do list will win over.

3. How do you blog and still get things done around your house? Things actually fall apart a little bit when I over-do the blogging thing. That’s something else I’ve learned about myself from this.

4. Why is blogging better than Facebook? Because there are fairies hiding in the background of my blog. Do you see them? They tend to shy away from Facebook.

5. What is the last book you read? Deadlocked, the newest Sookie book out by Charlaine Harris.

6. What is the last live performance you saw? Hubs struggling to fix his scooter in the garage. Oh. Well it was both live and entertaining, so.

7. What is your favorite children's book? Sam and the Firefly by P.D. Eastman.

link to original here

8. What is your favorite typeface? I am sans favorite with this question.

9. Would you ever put your cat on a leash? I am also currently sans cat, though I did try putting my previous cat on a leash and it wasn’t her favorite thing. I didn’t try it twice.

10. Who would play you in the movie version of your life? Zooey Deschanel, but mostly because of her role in Eulogy.

11. Love the tourists or can't wait for them to leave? Love watching them watching me. Mostly love them, until the streets get clogged and it’s faster to walk than drive. I hate that.

link to original here

Now for a.eye’s questions:

1. Soy milk or regular milk? Almond.

2. Favorite sport to watch? Why? Honestly I’m not a big sport enthusiast unless I know someone who’s playing. Then I’m one of those somewhat embarrassing die-hards that you don’t really want to sit by.

3. Sitcoms or reality television? I don’t have a T.V. I sort-of keep up with a couple of shows on Hulu, namely Whitney and America’s Got Talent, but I’m not sure if this counts.

4. Laptop or tablet? Why? I’m old-school, I guess. I’ve got the gargantuan desk-top-thing that takes up a couple of tables to accommodate. If I had my druthers, though, I suppose I’d go laptop? Because it has the word “lap” in it, which reminds me of comfortable times and happy moments.

5. Which person has influenced your life the most? Hubs. Hands down. 

Yes, that's a cardboard gauntlet. Wuh-bam!

6. Which would you most hate to be without, television, computer, or cell phone? Computer. You can do the T.V. and phone thing on computers. Is that cheating?

7. Which would you hate to be without, your hair or a body shape you liked? My hair. I’ve gone through multiple body shapes, some I liked more than others. I’m mostly over the body shape thing, but I very much like my hair.

8. Where would you rather live, high-rise or suburbs? Why? This is tricky because I would prefer the city, the bustle and noise, the color, the uniqueness of individuals pushing through their days. But with and for my children, I would rather live in the burbs. At least until they grow up a little. In my head the idea of suburbs just seems safer for two small busy boys.

 ***

Right. That was only eight questions instead of eleven, but that's all a.eye gave me (thanks *winks*) Are you still with me? I love it. Do we need an intermission?

Next. Eleven things you maybe don’t know about me that I love:

1. I love mugs. I prefer this mode of delivering food/drink to my mouth over any other.

2. I love being vegetarian. Quorn products are my favorite substitute. Yum.

3. I have an extraordinarily bad sense of smell, so I love strong spicy foods/drinks because I can taste them better.

4. I love grocery shopping. It’s a little bit ridiculous.

5. I love mini things. They always make me do a double-take and my heart goes into my throat, making me giggle. That gets a little bit ridiculous too, depending on who I’m with. 

6. I love lanterns. Someday I’d like to have a room full of them – all sorts of sizes, styles, and colors.

link to original here

7. I love red appliances, though red isn’t my favorite color.

8. Somewhere between a dark green and blue is my favorite color. I love the depth of that visual.

9. I love to travel, but I get motion-sick really easily so I usually have a piece of candy or some gum on me to help settle my stomach.

10. I love making faces at my little boys so they will make even better faces back. They always win the face-game. They got it from Hubs, obviously.

11. I love my hands. The texture of the skin, the bumps from scars, the knobby knuckles, the calluses. I love how other hands interlink with mine, and it makes everything seem that much lighter.

 

Okay, okay, enough of me. Are we done with Deb yet? Good.

Last. Instead of tagging 11 other blogs I love, I'll say if you're reading this and you want to play along? Tag. You're it. 

Here are the rules:

*** You just have to tell 11 things about yourself, answer "my" questions, and then tag 11 other bloggers to do the same.  Then post a link to your post in the comments here so we can all see your answers. ***

But instead of making this post longer than it already is, just choose 11 from any of the questions posed to me by Joanne or a.eye. Simple. And thanks for playing along.

Moment of Magic today:

Your fairy tale this weekend is this (of course) --

Go see it and tell me what you think. Thumbs up or down? How many tomatoes? Is it five stars? Give me your best review. That will be my magic moment.

Blogging Award and Such

link to original here

Writing is a struggle sometimes. Maybe all the time. Like climbing a really big wall, and it’s rough, but you know it’ll be worth it when you get to the top. At least you very much hope so? No, deep down you know so.

Bloggers know this as much as any other writer published or hermitized, and so launched originally by an anonymous person somewhere in the magical ether of the blogosphere; picked up and perpetuated by the world-wide army of bloggers: we have the Versatile Blogger Award.

I love it. And I love that a.eye nominated me for the award. It is especially an honor because she is the one who gave it to me, and I admire her writing. She’s thoughtful and insightful, even when she doesn’t realize it, and her posts either help me open my eyes about the world, or help me be more okay and happy about who I am. On top of all that, she’s funny, which is always a plus.

Appreciations go to her, and to Anonymous Person who came up with the idea in the first place. Feel the love, then pay it forward. I can do that.

Now that I've been recognized, here’s the deal. I need to:

• Share 7 completely random pieces of information about myself.
• Nominate 15 fellow bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award.
• Inform each nominated blogger of their nomination by posting a comment on each of their blogs.

Here are 7 random pieces of Deb:

1. I have a Chinese symbol tattooed on the inside of each of my forearms. They are both very significant to me. When people ask what they mean, I usually point to the one on my left arm and say, “Dragon.” Then point to the one on my right and say, “Lady.” Most people pull a half-grin and snigger a little bit, unsure of whether or not I’m telling the truth. I’m not, but I don’t usually clarify.

2. I’m not generally a hoarder, except when it comes to my writing, but for some reason I still have a couple of report cards from when I was in elementary (probably because they willy-nilly got stuffed into one of my journals at some point) which both say I was merely average in everything, needed to be encouraged to interact more, but I did great in art. Apparently the teachers didn’t know, or understand, the only way to survive in my school was a) to be average, and b) to keep your mouth shut. My peers were ruthless.

3. I have a small obsession with apples. Mostly the idea of apples, the visuals of apples. I think apple trees are so beautiful. They are part of the rose family, and their blossoms smell just as sweet if not sweeter. I think it’s magical that if you cut an apple horizontally, the seeds inside sit in the shape of a star. The flavor of most apples isn’t really amazing to me, though, unless pared with peanut butter. I love that potatoes in French are called “pomme d’terre,” or “apples of the earth.”

link to original here

4. My favorite online game to play is Guild Wars, though I don’t play very much anymore. I took a week off work, one summer maybe 7 years back?, to go on vacation but due to an unplanned lack in funds I didn’t go. I stayed home and “vacationed” in the game instead, and was completely content (this was pre-baby days, obviously). If I do jump on again, whenever a blue moon comes around, my favorite characters to play are an elementalist and an archer. I don’t like getting up close and personal with my adversaries.

5. When I work on my book I have to have the dishwasher running in the background. It’s the perfect noise, for some reason. I don’t usually need specific things when I’m writing, or at least I haven’t in the past, but this time around it’s different. Again, I’m not sure why.

6. Where I grew up, hot air balloons used to fill the skies early on Saturday mornings when the air was still a little bit sharp to breathe. I’m not at all a morning person, but the sight of those balloons was amazing, and worth getting up for. Hundreds of them. It would make my heart race. So for my 16^th birthday my sister took me on a hot air balloon ride, and afterwards the driver? (I have no idea what they’re called, now that I think of it) smashed a champagne bottle on the basket because it was my “virgin sail.” I remember it splashing on me, and drying kind of sticky? Ever since, I’ve wanted to have my own hot air balloon when I’m older, when my hair is long and white. I want the balloon to be all colors of the rainbow.

7. I’ve climbed part of the Great Wall. The stones were really steep, and I had to stop to breathe, hand on hip and drinking sips of water, but I’m glad I did. My pause made me look around, and the scenery was so normal – trees, mountain terrain, bugs flitting around, a familiar blue sky –  it made me feel oddly at home when my heart was hurting for it. Since then I’ve come to understand a little better the phrase, “Home is where the heart is.” But back then I didn’t get it. I think maybe that view was my first clue.

And in no particular order, 15 writers/bloggers I either follow religiously everyday (everyday that they post, anyway), or have recently found and adore:

Woman and a quarter

I don't generally have the time or attention span to read long posts, but she gets me everytime. Everytime. Her posts are long, but at the end I always want her to write more.

The Life and Writings of Sleepy Joe

Sleepy Joe has wit and charm coming out of her virtual ears. I like how she shares her experiences in a comfortable voice that makes you just want to tag along.

Kick Back Moments

This is one of my favorite new blogs. Her descriptions are awesome, her suggestions make a lot of sense, and her chill style is great. A must-visit.

How to be a Writer

Sally O'Reilly is I think one of the main reasons I continued to blog. A published author, she gives tips on writing. She is funny, smart, down-to-earth, and her suggestions on writing are not overwhelming at all. And she's been posting some of her own short stories lately, which I love.

frazzled & frumpy

Another new blog I've just recently found. I lover her writing voice, and how she is doing her photo documentation of the year. Her Writing Treadmill is a great little piece too.

Contentedly Crunchy

I come here for great advice on kid stuff, mama stuff, running training stuff...really lots and lots of stuff. She has a lot of wisdom, but gives it to you in a way that's easy to digest. Another must-visit.

Buttered Toast Rocks

Found this blog at Blogher, randomly in the blogroll of the March NaBloPoMo event, and with a name like that, how could I not investigate? Because, I too think buttered toast rocks. And now I'm addicted. The blog is well written, a quick read, and I always come away happier for what I've read.

Bent Objects

You just gotta go see this one. Words don't do justice.

Hey, Mrs. P!

Here is a blog that's written for teachers, but enjoyable by all. I love her suggestions for lesson plans because they are think outside of the box type things. And I feel a little wiser after reading her stuff. And it has a link to Etsy, which I adore.

Girl's Gone Child

This blog always gets me thinking. She writes about her life with her family, includes beautiful pictures, links to videos, the whole deal. I love this blog.

the FREEZINE of Fantasy and Science Fiction

Here is a hub of writers and original writing plus art. A great place to explore for some stories and art in the genres of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

How Not to Act Old

Pamela Redmond Satran has written multiple books, one of which originated from this blog. It's all in the name, and it's another must-visit.

Charlaine Harris

Ah, I love her. Love her books, love the personality she gives off in interviews and such. This is a link to her blog, which is both down-to-earth and interesting. I like going through some of her older archived work, just to look for nuggets of writerly inspiration.

Kallaydoscope

Again, a new blog I just found that I'd like to watch and read some more. She is very funny, she reviews coffee of all things (jealous? perhaps a little), and she loves pink. I won't admit it to very many people, but I also like pink. It's pretty :)

Enjoy the links, I dare you to try them all, and then please don't forget to vote about this if you haven't already. Many thanks.

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Moment of Magic today: