Four More Birds Down

I have been holding out on you.

Maybe it’s more like I got backed up and put this away under “I’ll do that tomorrow” and…didn’t.

In the last couple of weeks the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award flew around the blogosphere and many of us tagged and were tagged in return. I have to say I enjoy these – it’s a great way to make a blogger’s day and also find out a little more about them.

While I was falling behind on all sorts of things, I piled up a set of questions from Val, Pooja, and Sarah (not necessarily in that order). When I finally started to make a dent in reading the blog posts I had missed, I found that Jean had also tagged me for a Liebster Award.

And so, at risk of boring the daylights out of you, I’m going to tackle all four sets of questions here, thus knocking out four more of the proverbial birds with one stone. (Sorry birds!) Please feel free to quit reading here if you’re not interested (but please don’t, really, because then why did I do this?) or skip around and pick a few. The questions these ladies have asked are quite good.

Here we go…

Val’s questions:

Talk about your favorite kind of music.

I am bad at favorites – I will say that right here and it stands for the rest of the post. My favorite music is all music. There is very little I don’t enjoy. Rap is probably my least favorite, but I’ve been caught enjoying that once or twice by accident.

What’s the hardest thing about being you?

I set unreasonably high expectations for myself. Often.

Describe a typical family get-together at your house.

I don’t know if we have typical. It depends on the occasion and who is attending. I can tell you that no matter what, it will involve food. Have to entertain my frustrated inner chef somehow.

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment so far?

Quitting my job several months ago to live life on my own terms. Long story.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I don’t know that I would change anything. I’m pretty happy being me. Would I like to be thinner? Yes. Would I like my hair to grow out faster? Yes. Should I have taken better care of my teeth when I was younger? Yes. But if you know me at all you already know that I don’t live my life with regrets and I believe firmly that every moment of our lives brings us to the place and the person we are today.

If you could spend time with a book character or historical figure, who would it be?

There are far too many I’d like to name for me to choose only one. Book character I’m going to have to go with King Arthur along with all the rest of the characters who enter into his stories. I have always loved Arthurian legend since the bug bit me at age eight when I played Tom of Warrick in Camelot. Some might say that Arthur counts as an historical figure as well, but that is a debate best left for another time. Historical figure I’m going with Abraham Lincoln or Benjamin Franklin. I think each was wise in very particular ways. I’d love to sit with either of them for an afternoon and pick their brain. Or Thomas Jefferson. I love him.

What is your favorite vacation memory?

The one where I stay at home. I do not like to travel. I’ll do it, but I find it stressful and somewhat uncomfortable. Even if I enjoy the heck out of the place I go, I am always relieved to walk through my own front door.

What would you like to receive as a present?

Wisdom. And time.

What’s one thing on your bucket list?

Would you believe I don’t have one? I really don’t. Never sat and thought “here’s a list of things I want to do or see or accomplish before I die.” Maybe I have one subconsciously.

One thing that few people know about me is . . .

I am extraordinarily shy and introverted. I fight it. Intentionally.

Sarah’s Questions:

What do you think you could eat for the longest number of days without getting sick of it?

Cheese.

How often do you shower and wash your hair?

Every day. Most of the time. If I exercise, I’m a hot mess and not in a good way so a shower is necessary for the good of all humankind. If I don’t, I still shower every day with rare exception. I used to wash my hair daily without fail. I have found that I am often happy to skip a day, but I do use dry shampoo on those occasions.

 What actor or actress would you like to play you in a movie about your life?

Stockard Channing. Although she’s quite a bit older than I am so that would be kind of weird.

 Name something you wish you had never thrown away. Explain.

A little red chair that was my father’s when he was a child. Although I didn’t actually throw it away…it got lost in a move either from my single girl apartment to my first apartment with the Hub or from that apartment to our current home. One day I realized it was gone and I have no idea what happened to it. I always loved that chiar. It is only a thing, though, and things ultimately hold no value. But it would be nice to have for Zilla.

Are you a good dancer? What makes you good (or bad)?

In the house alone? Yes. In my car doing some seat dancing? Absolutely. In public on a dance floor? No way. I think I am far too uptight to loosen up enough to enjoy it in a crowd. I have a very talented inner dancer.

 What fictional character would you like to have dinner with tonight? Why?

I think we covered this one above…however…folks in Arthurian times (very likely the fifth or sixth century) did not enjoy the most elegant dining facilities or practices. Ever been a Medieval Times? Great show, not so great dining experience.  So perhaps not that gang. For a dinner party? Jay Gatsby because I think he’d put out quite a spread. But I’d prefer not to dine with hundreds of people at one of his parties. Food in a crowd isn’t all that fun.

 What do you plan to purchase next? Why?

Stamps and mailing supplies to send out the now very belated Valentine’s cards, thanks to two days of no post office.

 Look up at this very moment. What do you see?

The dining room light. It’s dusty.

Tell about a favorite childhood toy.

Benny the Bunny. The story I’m told is that he was purchased from someone called “the rag man” who was a door-to-door salesman in my father’s parents’ home who sold…rags? Fabric scraps? But Benny was awesome. He was made from various scraps of fabric – lots of blues and yellows and grays, as I recall – and stuffed. I loved him until he probably all but disintegrated. I’m sure there is a photo of him somewhere in my boxes…I’ll try and find one.

 What is something you do every single day without fail?

Pee.

Pooja’s Questions:

If you were to rename your blog, what would you name it as and why?

I’m actually thinking of a blog re-vamp, so you’ll have to stay tuned and find out when I do the reveal!

 What would you do if someone puts the fault on you in public, when the fault is theirs, and the bystanders support them instead of you?

Defend myself like a boss. Then go home and cry.

Favorite dessert? Why?

None. I honestly do not have much of a sweet tooth. I rarely do dessert. If I had to pick I’d say I like a good key lime or cherry pie. Chocolate, but only if it’s really good. Most of the time dessert for me is fruit and/or some Greek yogurt. Tonight, for example, Zilla and I split a cup of vanilla Greek yogurt.

 What fascinates you most in nature?

All of it. Truly. Probably wind and water would be the aspects of nature that most fascinate me because they can be gentle yet powerful, soothing yet destructive. Very representative of the duality in all of us, all of the world.

A book you’d recommend, and a book you’d recommend to never read. Why?

I would recommend Thoreau’s Walden. It is my absolute favorite, go-to, read it so many times I could have written it myself piece. There is so much wisdom and motivation in there. I’ve read it more times than I can guess. A book I’d recommend never to read? Hmm…dangerous business. I don’t like to tell people books I dislike because I don’t want to give them preconceived notions. One person’s junk is another’s masterpiece. I’ll offer opinions about books I would not recommend only after someone has already read it for themselves – then I’ll be happy to discuss and say what I think.

 What makes an acquaintance become a friend?

Probably common interests, a particular connection, trust, and honesty. Not necessarily in that order.

Something around you that makes you hopeful again when you seem to lose it.

I don’t quite understand the question, but I’ll give it a whirl. Something that makes me hopeful is love. I think it’s powerful and enables us to do things far beyond our own expectations.

 Favorite sport to watch?

None. I am not a sports fan by any stretch. I’m mildly amused by curling because it reminds me of my Mom cleaning the kitchen.

 If you were to be a character of any book, which character and why?

Now I have to be a character, not want to spend time with them…hmmm.  This would take me MONTHS to answer so off the top of my head I’ll go with Hester Prynne of The Scarlet Letter. I have always admired her strength of character. She’s stubborn. She’s unafraid of her past. She takes her punishment with dignity and makes a life for herself and her daughter, no matter what anyone says about her.

If you were to rename my blog to any other name, other than ’Ravings from Iliria’, what would you name it as and why?

Naming blogs and books and such is such a personal and intimate business for the writer. I would not presume to name any one else’s work.

Jean’s questions:

Who is your favorite movie actor?

Favorites…nearly impossible for me. I like different ones for different reasons. Johnny Depp, Sean Connery, James Earl Jones, Denzel Washington, Jack Nicholson, Tom Hanks, Morgan Freeman. Meryl Streep, Annette Benning, Diane Keaton, Maggie Smith, Jodie Foster, Susan Sarandon, Stockard Channing.

I can’t choose one. See?

What do you like to do to relax?

Read.

When is your birthday?  You can just share the month and day if you are old like me.

June 30 – the day all offers expire. I turn 45 this year. Is that old?

Where would you most like to go on a vacation?

Home. See above.

How many television shows do you watch?

On TV at primetime? Absolutely zero. We don’t even have a TV room in our home, really. The Hub and I have a small handful of shows that we watch via online streaming when we feel like it. We like Big Bang Theory and (my embarrassing indulgence) Brooklyn 99. It’s so completely stupid and yet somehow hilarious. I have recently liked Madam Secretary and also picked that up via streaming.

 ~~~~~

This is the part where I’m supposed to pass on the award, but I think I’ve exhausted my circle of friends at this point. So let’s do this: you decide if you want to play. If you see a question you want to answer, grab it. If you want to answer all of them, do it. If you want to make a post out of it, make one. Honestly, some of these questions look like pretty good post prompts to me!

If you stuck it out here to the end, thanks. Tell me you love me and share something awesome in the comments, too!