Awards, and Answers, and Memes, Oh My!

I’ve been nominated by my compadre in meme madness, Coopernicus, with the “Versatile Blogger Award” (pictured above)

He says it's a way to introduce underexposed bloggers to new readers.  The caveat is exposing ourselves.  No I'm not going to show you my boobies but given how many times I've done a variation of telling various numbers of things about myself I may need to ask each of you for a blood test.

The rules:
1) publicly thank the award giver and link to them in your post.
2) Tell your readers 7 things about yourself that you might not have already (this could be dangerous)
3) present this award to other bloggers whose work you enjoy and
4) contact the honorees

Ok, on with the exposure...

7 Things About Me You May Not Want To Know
1. My bubblegum never got stale on the bedpost overnight, but it did get stale in my underwear drawer.
2. I have a bag of Mongolian sheep ankle bones in my bedroom.
3. All my socks are left-footed.
4. I've had my entire body covered in transparent tattoos.
5. I think a sheep in Mongolia is trying to steal one of my ankles.
6. I'm thinking of having my left and right butt cheeks reversed.
7. I'm working on learning how to lick my own elbows....go ahead, try it.  Not that easy is it?

And now for some folks I am passing this to a mere three people because I am feeling phenomenally lazy right now but it's no reflection on what I think of the rest of you wonderful people...

1. Suldog, because he can blog about anything from softball to feral cats to wonderful nostalgia....and because he universally (and hilariously) abuses anyone who gives him an award.
2. Jocelyn and Byron: They have spent nearly a year living in Turkey while she is on sabbatical.  Her writing is exquisite and his artwork is fantastic.  They each offer a slightly different but totally complementary perspectives on their family's experience.

And now for something completely slightly different....

The Queen’s Meme
Summer Substitute

As her royalness is recooperating from her unsuccessful impersonation of Mario Andretti,Coopernicus has offered up his own version of the weekly meme.

The Summer Meme

It’s the first day of summer…break out the swim fins, bar-b-ques and solarcaine as thoughts turn to vacations, pool parties, summer fun and lightning bugs.  So kick back in your chaise lounge chair floating in the pool, refreshing beverage at your side and have at this collection of summer brain scratchers…




1) What was your most memorable Christmas present (giving or receiving)?
 A roll of Monty Python toilet paper and a frilly thong with a dollar bill taped inside.  I'll let you sort out which was given and which was received.

2) What terrifies you more than anything else?
 Amy Winehouse's beehive

3) The zombies are on the march. You hunker down in your panic room, possibly for the duration.  You are allowed one book.  What is it and why?
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse
 
4) Who would win in a caged boxing match between Santa and The Easter Bunny?
 The elves who'd get an evening off from toy-making to enjoy the big event.

5) The clock strikes midnight.  The confetti is falling and guy lombardo (or possibly lady gaga) is playing auld lang syne.  You have 30 seconds to kiss anybody, past or present, fact or fiction.  Who is it?  (For those of you with significant others, the assumption is that the clock begins after a torrid lip lock with your partner)
Do you really have to ask?  How long have you been reading this blog?

6) You either have to wash the outside windows of the 86th floor of the empire state building or give a speech in the nude to hundreds of people representing a cross-section of US motorcycle clubs.  Which do you choose and why?
Naked public speaking definitely.  You didn't say I couldn't have a podium large enough to cover me. Besides, bikers are more forgiving than gravity.

7) Batman or Superman.  Choose one to clean your oven and explain your choice.
Superman, he's got that heat vision thing going on so he can clean the oven OR cook me something nice to eat.

You Shouldn't Have...Really

As a child I would visit my father who was the caretaker of his brother's scenic farm. I've already told you about the cemetery on the hill I enjoyed sitting in. There are other memories as well. My uncle rented the pastures to the dairy farmer whose property adjoined ours. My father raised chickens and pigs. My grandfather had an enormous vegetable patch. Even though I was only a weekly visitor to the farm I had chores there. It was my job to feed and water the pigs and chickens as well as gather the eggs. The pigs I was quite fond of. They were cute and friendly. I'd spend time talking to them and watching them. I was always a bit distressed when it came time to take them to the slaughter house.

The chickens were another matter entirely. As chicks they were adorable but they'd grow up quickly. Then they were dirty, smelly, and stupid. Every time I'd go in to feed and water them they'd peck at me like I was the food. I kind of figured any creature dumb enough to attack me when I was providing for its needs sort of deserved to end up on my plate. When it was time for my grandfather to fetch the hatchet I felt not the least bit of sadness for those birds. I didn't necessarily want to watch the carnage but I was not disturbed by the thought of it. My tears were reserved for the pigs. And yes, I believe I cried over a plate of bacon once.

Going back to the cemetery memories, you may recall me saying how as Halloween approached my visits grew less frequent because I was afraid of its inhabitants rising from the graves to snatch me away. Apparently, it was not the deceased humans I should have been worrying about. As evidenced by the award Cooper has bestowed upon me, the Zombie Chicken Award, it was the poultry I should have feared.

“The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all…”

First of all, I had no idea there was any threat from Zombie Chickens. I want to know at what level of threat the Homeland Security Department would classify this. How dire a situation is this? Is deep frying an effective counter-measure?

Secondly, I am not sure if I should be worried that the content of my blog might be considered of such quality that it would distract anyone from their patriotic duty to combat this plague. Well, I've been told I am just a wee smidge subversive but really, I am a bit worried that my drivel could contribute to an ineffective response to the zombie chicken plague. Seriously, I am in a panic about this! I don't know what to do! I am running around like.....uh, um, er...a chicken with its head cut off.

Nextly, I think the dangling eyeball in the picture is a really nice touch. I find the artistry is all in the details like this. It punctuates the ghastly green tone perfectly.

Now, lest I tempt the zombie chickens I've got to pass this thing on to at least 5 people.

Zombieslayer is a no brainer. Wait, that came out wrong. He has a brain...quite a good one in fact...which would be why I am giving him this award. I mean he is devoted to getting us through the zombie plague that is coming so it just seems natural he should get this....or unnatural, since zombies are kind of unnatural and he wants us to defeat them but this award is for distracting us from the plague. Well, I dunno, now I am all confused. He's getting it anyway.

Suldog gets it too because some of the stuff he has posted makes me think the zombie chickens already got him. Oh yeah, he mercilessly shreds any award bestowed upon him. This one though, I think there is a chance he might actually like it. I just want to see what he does. But really, if anyone could make us laugh through the attack of the zombie chickens it will be him.

Mona has already survived the vampiric zombie prairie dogs, if you recall my grand movie meme post, so I think she'll do just fine once the chickens attack.

Fadkog is a recent discovery of mine. She seems at least as warped as I am. Gees, I hope she knows that's a compliment. Really...it is, I swear...well, on the blog I don't swear too much because I don't want to offend. But when those zombie chickens attack all bets are off. If ever harsh language is called for I think a zombie plague is it. But I digress, Fadkog is someone I'd stomp a few undead chickens to read.

VE is the final recipient. I am sure he'd find a way to blog ABOUT the zombie chickens and make it entertaining. He'd come up with a poll or some bizarre picture or a Weekly World News type report on them. Bat Boy Joins Forces with Zombie Chickens or some such sounds like the type of headline he'd generate.

Ok, now that my civil duty of proliferating this insanity is complete my next big question is deciding if the zombie chickens go better with Tex-Mex barbecue sauce or Jamaican jerk rub.

The Meme Club

VE has tagged me. I'm not entirely with what since the only rules are that you must not talk about the rules. He is as notorious for shredding memes as I am. In fact, he even has espoused the idea of making a Meme into a Themthem. So anyway, he proceeded to say he was going to list 6 random things about himself and then 6 habits but that only one of each would be true. I figure since I can't even talk about the rules and VE did whatever he darned well pleased I can do the same.

Following that, Desmond Jones tagged me as a friend. I also have other awards that have been collecting dust around here. I have a tendency to be the dead letter office of blog awards, not out of ingratitude or greed. (Hhhmm, as I am looking around I am having a hard time finding where I put them.) All that to say, today I am going to make VE's tag into some sort of bizarre themthem by making my own strange awards.


First allow me to bestow the Fly Guy Award upon Desmond. Anyone who takes a picture of a pumpkin cheesecake with a crack in it that looks like the Greek letter Pi and earnestly presents it to a math teacher exudes geeky cool. I just know he is right now trying to figure out how to replicate those fly specs.

G-man gets this too because the man's house has got to be some sort of museum dedicated to all things retro. He's just always been fly.

Cooper gets it because his mind is twisted toward puns in a similar fashion to mine (Yeah, puns are fly. I made the award. I'm bestowing the award. I get to define the parameters of fly-ness.), he's a drummer, and the graphics in his sidebar speak to me.

NYD gets it because the guy seriously rocks the tie dye socks.




Next, I have to thank VE for his fascinating view of the world. I often leave his blog thinking, "Wow, I never thought of it that way before....my brain may never be the same."

Suldog gets this award too because he can link the most disparate ideas in a single post and it makes sense. Also, he shreds any award he is given and I just can't wait to see what he does to this one.



Well, Logo actually IS a biker chick so she's an obvious winner here.

Susie traipses all over India without a worry and manages to get Kashmiri businessmen to mug for some crazy photo shoot for her blog.

Moose picks up and moves to the Arctic Circle just to mix things up a bit. She's cool in more ways than one.

Jocelyn writes with panache about her beloved's wounded man bits. She lets her wee Finnish boy refer to himself as Paco. And she vents frustration with annoying students by satirizing William Carlos Williams.

Citizen of the World cooks some of the most amazing looking meals, does her own landscaping, and has has close encounters with "aliens" who do their own landscaping.

UPDATE: Mary gets this one too because I love the way she handles the people who feel compelled to find her dates. She finds some hilarious things on the interwebs and often has a slightly skewed way of looking at things....of course, that would qualify for the award where those guys are kissing their own butts. Mary, take the one you want.



This requires some explanation. My dear limelets have described my laughter when I get on a real gut splitting guffaw as "Hyena Mode." They have let me know they can't decide which is more disturbing, the sight of me howling, cackling, and turning purple in the process or the sounds I make in such a state. This award is for all of you who crack me up on a regular basis. There are too darned many of you to list. If I've ever commented on one of your posts telling you how hilarious you were or if I ever responded to some crazy comment you've left me saying you made me spit my drink all over my monitor consider yourself a recipient of this. If you are feeling neglected or just think a slobbering hyena I pilfered from a Disney site and slapped a caption on is something you want in your sidebar have at it. It's yours.



I was going to use this graphic for the folks who make me laugh but those teeth made me think of Moannie's dentist Stavros, and Suldog's dentist (Look! You're getting another one to abuse!), and Furiousball's woes at the dentist. If you guys want the award or want to print it out and send it to your dentists, go for it.




And finally, here's an award which should require no explanation at all.

Dust is a Protective Covering

Rather a while ago I was given a bunch of awards. I thought maybe I finally ought to dust them off and acknowledge them. San declared me fun to read. VE, Trooper Thorn, and Suldog are certainly fun and silly reads but I am thinking the little girl on the bench might be an insult to their manhood.







Gman and Mona gave me this award. Looks a lot classier than I do in my tie dyes. Palm Springs Savant is probably the classiest person on my blogroll. He has weekly art posts and he always looks so dapper (but I'd love to see him in a tie dyed ascot!).









Mooseklahl, Maddy, Breazy, and Tor all felt I was worthy of this little bauble. It looks like it would hurt if it fell on my foot while I was dusting it on the mantle. Jocelyn and San certainly deserve this, though I hope it doesn't fall on their feet either. I'd avoid that danger by not dusting.





Kathryn was very sweet and called me a must see blog. And really everyone else I ever read and comment on deserves this...otherwise I wouldn't be reading and commenting on you.








Kathryn also had a couple of memes I had to steal. Granted this all occurred rather a while ago but here goes...

This is the "Finish the sentence with the 1st thought that comes to your mind" meme.

I know....nuttink!
I believe...in magic.
I fought....the law and the law won.
I am angered...by injustice.
I love...a rainy night.
I need...you. I need you I neeeeeeed you. (Though I absolutely loathe the song that line comes from.)
I take...'em as they come.
I hear... a Who.
I drink...I get drunk, I fall down, no problem. (Ok, not true. I am, if you haven't figured it out yet, filling this out with a lot of slogans, quotes, and lines from songs.)
I hate...canned peas, liver, and oysters.
I use...minty fresh Scope (actually I am a Listerine girl)
I want...you. I want you I waaaaaaaant you. (Even though I STILL hate that song.)
I like...big butts and I cannot lie.
I feel...with my fingers.
I wear...my heart on my sleeve.
I left...my heart in San Francisco. (I've been sleeveless ever since.)
I do...(Two words but a long sentence.)
I hope...you don't mind...I hope you don't mind...
I dream....of Jeannie.
I drive...6 white horses when I come.
I listen...to the walls.
I type...by the Columbus Method (find a key and land on it)
I think....therefore I am.
I wish...you well.
I am...woman. Hear me roar.
I regret...to inform you I didn't have any better ideas for posts today.
I care...fully open at other end.
I should...have known better.
I said...stop tormenting your brother/sister/me.
I wonder.... wonder, wonder, wonder who? Who wrote the book of love?
I changed...a ton of diapers before my youngest was potty trained.
I cry...you a river.
I lose...my mind.
I leave...on a jet plane.




This is the "Finish the sentence with the first WORD that comes to mind" meme.

Where is your cell phone? Desk
Your significant other? Away
Your hair? Mop
Your mother? Energetic
Your father? Rebellious
Your favorite thing? Chocolatecoveredsex
Your dream last night? Scary
Your favorite drink? Wet
Your dream goal? Sigh...
The room you are in? Living
Your ex? Angry
Your fear? Deadkids
Where do you want to be in six years? Earth
Where were you last night? Bed
What are you not? Thin
Muffins? Thanks!
One of your wish list items? Orgasm
Where you grew up? Purple
The last thing you did? E-mail
What are you wearing? Smile
Your TV? Off
Your pets? Dead
Your computer? Black
Your life? Unexpected
Your mood? Meh
Missing someone? Always
Your Car? Dented
Something you are not wearing? Flippers
Favorite store? Book
Your summer? Odd
Like someone? Who?
Your favorite color? Tie-dye
When was the last time you laughed? Spongebob
Last time you cried? Nightmare

Sassy Mamas and Smiles

I think it was about a week ago that Maddy gave me the Sassy Mama Award so I am finally getting around to passing it on.

First off, I have to give this to Susie and Logo. They are two of the sassiest girls I know. Susie's fondness for orange knickers certainly has to qualify her. As far as Logo goes, I couldn't even begin to narrow it down to a single post that exemplifies her sassiness. You'll just have to go peruse her archives for yourselves.

Next, I will have to award Jocelyn and Theresa. Again, every post from these two ladies oozes sass. They are both brilliant writers and funny as all get out. Go read them.




Next, Moose gave Isaac this Make My Day Award for his Death by Locust video. Since he doesn't actually blog I will pass it on to some people in his stead. At the risk of sounding completely whiney, it was a rotten weekend. I screwed up my back on Saturday morning and I've been in wicked pain ever since. After a month of taking care of other sick and injured people you might think I'd get cheerful help from the folks who have recovered. You'd also be wrong...insult added to injury. But I want to pass this award on to G-man, Tommy, and David for either giving some specific words of encouragement or just making me giggle once or twice this weekend. Thank you for some smiles and kindness when I needed it.



Finally we come to the audience participation portion of our post. I was corresponding with David and we discussed famous places we had grown up near to but either have never seen or didn't see until we were well into adulthood. I grew up only about 2 hours away from New York City but never made it there until I was 31. I'd seen over 30 other states in the country, visited Canada and Bolivia, and had lived overseas but I still hadn't gotten to NYC.

So how about you? what famous local (to you) landmark do you have yet to see or didn't see for a ridiculously long period of time?

Citizen of the World

Theresa received this and passed it on to me. She shared a good bit about what makes her a citizen of the world and I must say her credentials far outweigh mine. Even so, I am rather tickled that she passed it on to me. It's a little indication that I am meeting one of my goals for my blog. In addition to having the blog as a creative outlet I've always wanted to have a chance to mingle with people from divergent backgrounds so I could learn about their world and share about mine. It's really nice to know I am doing that to a noticeable extent.

From the time I was very young I have been interested in cultures other than my own. I think part of it was an awareness that I was different from all the fair skinned blondes who surrounded me. Part of it was my grandfather sharing his interest in Native American culture. Part of it was hearing about when my parents were stationed overseas in the military. Part of it was loving to hear folklore from other countries.

I always gravitated toward folks who were different. In college I spent most of my free time with the exchange students. I really considered that an important part of my education. I learned things from those friends that I never would have learned from a book or a formal class. I was frequently mistaken for being an exchange student myself. Admittedly, I took a certain twisted pleasure in messing with gullible minds when an especially dense or patronizing person complimented me on how well I spoke English. Apparently I still have a certain foreign look or demeanor or something because just this weekend a lady in a store approached me and asked, "Excuse me, do you speak English?" Oh the temptation...

When I went to Trinidad the first time it was part of a work team. We stayed at a camp in the mountains and were unfortunately somewhat isolated from the local culture. There was a Jamaican team there at the same time. During free time I'd head over to their rooms instead of hanging out with my American teammates. When they asked me why, I said I had all the time in the world to spend with Americans but not so much time to spent with Trinis or Jamaicans so I was looking to make the most of the opportunity. I wanted to learn.

When I lived in Trinidad I became a student of the culture and the history. I loved learning everything I could. I am by no means an expert on Trinidad but I think the year and a half of Trini Tuesday posts indicates I was paying attention during my time there. I truly did not understand the mindset of the other Americans I met who had lived there so much longer than I had and yet seemed to know so little. I found even a little bit of interest in learning goes such a long way in building bridges. It didn't matter if it was being aware of local current events, or asking someone to teach me how to cook local food, or learning about customs, or using the slang, it all worked together to communicate respect. And who doesn't respond to being respected?

When I came back to the USA I had a very rough re-entry. I did NOT want to be here. At that time I met a couple from Kenya. The wife didn't want to be here anymore than I did. Her husband had more or less dragged her here for school with the promise that they'd return to Kenya upon graduation. She came knowing he had no intention of ever going back and was mourning the loss of family connections back home. I walked her through a lot of initial culture shock because she knew she was safe to complain to me, that I wasn't going to take it as a slam on my homeland for her to express sadness over being away from her own. As odd as it may sound to a lot of you, her 'foreignness' provided a comforting familiarity to me that soothed my own re-entry. Because she didn't have American notions about how affection between friends could and could not be expressed and because I was very comfortable with the more demonstrative expressions in Trinidad we were both free to discard some of the more buttoned up restrictions that American culture can impose. It was a nurturing and healing thing for both of us. Of course, the friendship stoked my natural curiosity in Kenyan culture specifically and I learned a good bit from her (recipes included). I considered it the greatest compliment when she told me I was really more Kenyan at heart than American and I was the one American she would be proud to take back to her home village because she knew I would not judge anything there as weird or beneath me. I was quite humbled by that.

Actually, I've heard a variation on that sort of statement from Trinis, Jamaicans, Ghanaians, Indians, Bolivians, Argentinians, and Chinese. I don't say that to boast but I hope it at least indicates I can adapt and make people feel respected and welcome. I've seen so many stereotypical 'Ugly Americans' even in my limited experience abroad and it makes me cringe. I just want to avoid giving any justification for that label, satiate my natural curiosity, and hopefully do my part to build respect for my own culture in the way I conduct myself.

So now I am to pass this on. Here are the folks I think are world citizens who build bridges across cultures. I know so many of you live in different cultures or have wide cross cultural experience, but for the sake of brevity I will focus on those folks who specifically cover cultural topics regularly in their blogs.

Renny BA: He calls himself a network evangelist and his blog focuses on the seasons and culture of Norway. I have learned so much from him and have loved every minute spent at his blog discovering Scandinavia. He's a dear friend.

Susie: She's an American who is in love with India. I remember her first trip several years ago and she is headed there again the end of this week. Wish her safe travels! She is sure to have some amazing posts in the next few weeks if the reports during her trip last year were any indication.

Cosima: She is a German woman living in Hong Kong. She has shared quite a bit on both German and Chinese culture, customs, and arts. She has offered original translations of German poetry. She is incredibly intelligent and her insights are always deep and thought provoking.

Toraa: He is a wonderfully crazy viking! You never know what he might come up with but it will always be done with a real zest for life and great humor. He has shared about visits to his daughter in Miami, trips in Europe. He has a real affection for South America as well.

Mona: She is an Indian woman who has frequently written about issues specific to her culture in a way which educates the rest of us. I don't know what experience she may or may not have with cultures other than her own but her efforts to share about both the good and the bad of life in India are a benefit to those who read her and who want an insider's view.

It's Schmoozy, Creative AND Thoughtful!

Out there in a blogosphere exists a Dorky Dad who has the internet's #1 site for Lobster Panties, a man who does even crazier things to memes than I do, a man who when he perceives injustice is forced to add a paragraph in my defense and then award me this....

Now I am supposed to award 5 other people with this glorious award for the ability to generate interactions and increasing social interaction on the web with their fabulously schmoozerific ways. I know about half the blogosphere has been awarded this thing already and YOU may already be a winner...simply agree to buy 12 tie dye shirts from me in the next 6 months for 24 easy monthly installments of $49.95 to be entered in the sweepstakes. No? Ok, I'll just get on with it then...

Gman has got to be the schmooziest schmoozer going. He's been blogging less than a year and already seems to know everyone and all about them. His comment section is like a party every day.

Dan is another schmoozer extraordinaire. The guy is just hilarious and even though he posts infrequently he gets absurdly high numbers of comments and RESPONDS to them...much to the chagrin of his cat.

Susie is the queen of schmooze. I find a new blog to read and I often find she has already been there or follows close behind. She and Mr. Ratburn do some of the most fun-loving HNTs I've ever seen.

Top Cat who is just such a welcoming fellow he makes everyone feel comfortable at his place. He'd certainly get special mention below as a thoughtful blogger too.

Lecram who also qualifies for the creative blogger award below because how can you NOT qualify when you write a musical about frogs? But he's also all about promoting arts and artists and getting the word out for artistic types.

Then I saw that Myutopia awarded me as a Thoughtful and Creative Blogger and I am supposed to give those out to 5 people.

You know...I couldn't read any of you if I didn't see a sense of thoughtfulness in you and I'm not going to try to narrow it down any further.

James has to get this partly because he is a tremendous writer. He also managed to get me to read a genre I never ever thought I would enjoy, horror. He's put up some hard punching vignettes and teased us with beginnings to novels. I was privileged enough to read one of his unpublished full novels about vampires and LOVED it. This is no small thing since I swore off vampire books when I was 10 and read one that kept me up with nightmares for days after!

Mark is another horror writer who astonishes me. He is also one of the silliest guys doing HNT. He comes up with extended series involving Darth Tater and the Spudtroopers. It is gut busting funny. They way he marvels over his little boy makes me smile a mile wide too.

Keyser Soze has been having blog problems lately but he is a gifted musician. He paints and writes too so he hits just about every way a person can be artistically creative. If that doesn't qualify him I don't know what would! I stand in awe of people who are so multi-talented.

Nana-G is a new blogger and in the short time I have been reading her I am simply blown away by her poetic way with words.

Pauline and Cathy get votes too for their writing. Poetry, Friday 55s and short stories fill the blogs of these two gals who just happen to be related to each other. Creativity must run in their family.




And if all that is not good enough, it seems Cooper is not satisfied with the amount of factoids about me here on my own blog. I've done 100 things about me twice. I've done a variation of 8 random facts 4 times already. I think there is enough information about me to make me a trivia category all by myself. 'Yes Alex, I'll take Lime for $500.' Honey, if you think I can be bought you are sadly mistaken... Ok, maybe in doing this meme again I will qualify for the Narcissistic Blogger Award, but Cooper is new and I AM thoughtful so I guess I'd better get creative now too.

1. Blood type is O+. I have been a blood donor since I was 17. I have my 5 gallon pin. I was interrupted by pregnancy, foreign travel, and anti-malarial meds. Finally, they decided I was anemic. I tried to donate for another year and kept getting deferred and haven't been back since. I'm a little bummed by that. Not because I enjoy having large bore needles rammed into my veins but because it is a simple act that can save a life and you know, there are also times when it's not so bad to endure that just so someone checks to make sure you are still living and then feeds you free donuts after it all.

2. Shoe size was 7.5 but after bearing a 9.5 lb baby my feet permanently widened and now I wear an 8.

3. Mother's maiden name has a meaning related to fiddle playing. Father's last name is different but has the same meaning. In spite of this, they did NOT make beautiful music together.

4. Urine samples. When I was preggers the first time I was on bed rest for pre-eclampsia and had to do several 24 hour urine samples, which meant collecting every drop for the day and keeping it in the fridge so it didn't spoil before It could go to the lab. Isn't THAT special? It was even more special to try to aim the pee into a 3 inch diameter opening while working around an 8.5 month pregnant belly. I really wished I could just whip it out like you guys at that point. I used a big funnel instead.

5. Name. In my family, first born daughters get mother's name as middle name.

6. Rank. Yes, If I fail to bathe.

7. Serial Number. L6293. Ok, actually that is military humor combined with extremely arcane librarian humor that I don't really expect anyone to get.

8. Totally random factoid. I love dandelions. A world without them is a world without daily mommy bouquets.


Phew....that's all done...I feel drained. Someone gimme a donut please....