Honestly? I think I come off as a prima donna in this post.

This is the "Honest to God" meme. I got this from bobbie, who tagged me.

There are rules.
List 10 honest things about yourself.
Pass around some linky love, seven to be honest.

1. I miss Blackbird's Show and Tell. There was a bloggy camaraderie in everyone showing up on Thursdays with their pictures.

2. I do not want to have children--the thought of all that lost sleep drives me batty. But I do want to get married, so I want that part about a marriage being for having children stricken from the record when I take my vows. Hey, I'm 37. I'm allowed to not want to have children. (I get defensive about this point of honesty.)

3. I just went to Hope's post to see what her Honest to Gods were because what if I do it wrong? Yes, folks, I am a perfectionist. I went over to bobbie's too.

4. I hate that my neighbor has a cat. You can smell the litter box while you're standing out in the hall. Yuck. (But I'm scared to confront her.)

5. As soon as I can manage it, I'm trading in this car. I want automatic locks and windows and something that can handle snow a little better. (I'm still paying off my last car...)

6. I want a big party, just for me and all the people that would celebrate with me. Dancing. Food. Hugs. Because I haven't had a big party. I didn't get married. I haven't had children. I didn't buy a house. I want a big party, celebrating me. I want to celebrate with my friends and cousins, and I don't want to wait until I'm 50. Well, I'll be 40 soon enough.

7. I hate watching all the cute single guys that I sort of had crushes on get married. Every time it happens, I think, "Another one bites the dust."

8. It took me 20 years to get over the guy who was my first boyfriend. He was the first person to tell me I was sexy, and the first guy to really mess me up. I'm glad I'm over him, but I wouldn't have lived my life differently--I've come out stronger for having been so weak.

9. I really really really really want to go to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. I have no idea how I would afford it, time or money. But I really want to go.

10. I am looking longingly at MFA programs. I have no idea how I would afford it time or money. The thought of leaving my career as a librarian to take some time to write scares me crazy because it's not an easy thing to get a librarian job in this town. I should know.

and one for good measure:

11. I really want to move to NYC. I know it's noisy, smelly, and expensive. So I'll live in Queens. But there are no library jobs in that town and the writing programs there are poorly funded.

Seven folks I'm tagging:
kiki
cuileann
katy
daysgoby
blackbird
badger
katrina (and yes, I'll change your link to your actual blog on my blogroll. Not today, but I will. I promise.)

Twitter meme--6 things

hmmm...I have to post six things that I've never revealed on this blog and then tag six people. Darn that Dani... I'm pretty much an open book (except for when I'm closed tight), so I can't imagine there are six things...but we'll give it a shot.

1. I love pineapple upside down cake. I had some last night due to the birthday of a friend's son. (I literally did a word search on my blog for pineapple to see if I'd ever mentioned that.)

2. I'm allergic to ragweed. Which is in the chamomile family. Which is related to Echinacea. Early in the days when Echinacea became popular (the late 90s), I had a cold and bought something at the health food store that had Echinacea in it. My throat almost closed up. Fortunately I worked in a bookstore, and we found an herb book and looked up the ingredients and found out the problem. This discovery made me realize why I had always hated chamomile tea. It always made my throat scratchy.

3. I hit a co-worker once. I also hit my brother once. Both of these events happened around ten years ago. People that know me cannot believe this, as I am fairly docile and not apt to fly into a rage (of the sort that would cause one to hit another person.) Both times, I was able to patch things up. End of story.

4. I do not like tea that is so sour that it requires you to add a lot of sugar: Raspberry tea if you get it at Tazza D'Oro, or the Cranberry Apple tea that is in our stash at work. I really like peppermint tea, especially because my brother recommends it if you are not feeling well. (Also, you don't need My brother is a tea connoisseur.

5. Two more! Ummm. I hate the book The Giver. I know, it's so brilliant, blah blah. I just don't like it. I like Lowry's other books, though.

6. Last one! When I was a senior in high school, I got a perm. One of my friends in college "refreshed" it in our dorm bathroom when I was a freshman. At the time, my hair was shoulder length. (I suppose now you'll be wanting pictures...)

Okay, now to tag 6 folks that haven't done this...

1. @alyssacreasy at life on rural street
2. @badgermeetswrld at badger meets world
3. @bibliophile81 at a work in progress
4. @cuileann at the holly and the ivy (except it seems maybe she stopped twittering...)
5. @schmutzie at milk money or not, here I come
6. @amydi143 at pretty shiny

Off to tag folks...

a book meme...

The Rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4.Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people and post a comment to the person who tagged you once you've posted your three sentences

She frowned. "Yeah. Why?"
He was now the color of a Thanksgiving cranberry mold. "You just seem real winded, you know."

I think that might be four sentences, technically. From Connie Brockway's novel, Skinny Dipping.

To tag...I haven't tagged anyone in AGES. So you're it. If you take the bait, leave me a comment.

************

I spent a delightfully introverted evening at a party. (How is this possible?) Well, I didn't know a soul, (well, not very many souls) so I sat by the fire and stared at it and spoke only when spoken to. It was lovely. Once I could listen in on a conversation that used the word mortgage and investment and taxes, I figured it was time to come home.

Once more, with feeling... (10 answered, 0 to go!)

(3/9/08 update: THANKS EVERYONE, WE DID IT!)
(3/7/08 update) I don't think I've ever worked so hard on a meme...

Okay, Sarah at Lemony did it. Kim at All Consuming did it. Blackbird at SayLaVee did it. Badger did it. So, because memes are silly and right now I need silly, I give you...


The Movie Meme:

1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDB and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. When someone guesses, put who guessed it and the movie.
5. GUESSERS: NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search functions. I mean, you can cheat if you want, but is it really that important?
6. One movie guess per blogger. Give people a chance to guess before you steal all of the awesome!*
6.5 try to not badger your friends to answer...
7. Thanks for playing, everyone! Just a few more, you know you can do it!!


The movies:

1. Marian the Librarian got this one, The Cutting Edge. Well, and she should have, she's the one that got me addicted to this movie about a hockey player turned figure skater.
(Father) "What about Spindler?"
(Russian Coach) "Spindler? Spindler say before he skate with her, he wear garlic from neck and sleep with cross. Who is left? I am at bottom of barrel."
(Father) "Then you find another barrel."

2. Em got this one, Almost Famous:
William: I'm glad you were home.
Lester Bangs: I'm always home. I'm uncool.
(the second Cameron Crowe movie on this list, and we are done!!)

3. Katy got this one. Home Alone. Bless this highly nutritious microwavable macaroni and cheese dinner and the people who sold it on sale. Amen. (Kevin)

4. Katrina got this one: Jerry Maguire: "Don't cry at the beginning of a date. Cry at the end, like I do." (Laurel) (the first of two movies on this list by Cameron Crowe.)

5. Katrina got this one: About a Boy "Suddenly I realized - two people isn't enough. You need backup. If you're only two people, and someone drops off the edge, then you're on your own. Two isn't a large enough number. You need three at least." (Marcus) (the first of two Nick Hornby books turned into a movie.)

6. Em got this one, A Knight's Tale. "Hope guides me. It is what gets me through the day and especially the night. The hope that after you're gone from my sight it will not be the last time I look upon you." (Sir Ulrich, in a letter to Jocelyn.)

7. Sarah O. got this one, woo hoo! High Fidelity.
"I can't fire them. I hired these guys for three days a week and they just started showing up every day. That was four years ago." (Rob) (and the second of two Nick Hornby books turned into film on this list.)

8. Katrina also guessed this one, which I wondered if anyone would. Persuasion. (The BBC one from 1995.) "Anne? You want to marry Anne? Whatever for?" (Anne's father)

9. Katrina got this one too (thanks! I was getting worried that noone had seen my ten favorite movies!) Enchanted April
Caroline: I want to just sit and not talk and not have to be the centre of attention all the time. You know what that's like don't you?
Rose: No.

10. Em also got this one. That thing you do. "When was the last time you were decently kissed? I mean, really, honestly good and kissed?" (Guy to Faye)

*I'm using Kim's asterisk thing--go for it, guess away, because I have no idea if anyone knows these (btw, GREAT) movies...but these are the ones I've watched again and again...

Update as I struggle with a bit of insomnia as I just added Katrina's answers: thank you both to Katy and Katrina for making me smile.

11. Katy got this one: Metropolitan, which is a great movie that I had to purchase because I could never find it even at video rental stores back in the day when we went to video rental stores...a wonderful movie!! When it came out at my college's movie theatre, the year I was a junior, I went to all three showings and from then on wanted pearls! Which I got in 1995 when my friend Sally became a Mary Kay consultant. (Back in the day when you got Majorcan pearls if you brought someone into the company.) (Now you just get a pearl pin.) Apparently this whole movie thing (and this vapid cold) is making me babble...

Audrey: What Jane Austen novels have you read?
Tom: None. I don't read novels. I prefer good literary criticism. That way you get both the novelists' ideas as well as the critics' thinking. With fiction I can never forget that none of it really happened, that it's all just made up by the author.

*******

(3/6/08 update:) Now, as you can see, I do not watch high profile movies. Geesh, I'm glad I didn't pick Picture Perfect! So I'll give out some hints, because you probably have seen these movies, maybe just not a gazillion times, like I have.

Where have all the young memes gone? Gone to bloggers, every one, oh when will they ever learn, oh when will they ever learn?

So it's eight random things. (On 7/7/7.) Paula tagged me. I may have done this one but hey, I'm sure I can come up with eight MORE random things--I'm a pretty random kind of gal.

1. I really like flip flops. I have a flip flop magnet on my desk at work. I wear flip flop sandals all summer if I can get away with it.


2. I like glass paperweights. I have one at my desk and two in my shower. (You asked for random!)




3. My friend Marian the Librarian has a thing for pink flamingos. I sort of do too, but whenever I find something, I buy it for her because I don't need more things. (And if you believe that, I have some ocean front property in Arizona...) Also, I like buying things for other people.


4. I really think the Dewey Decimal System and the Cutter Charts are cool.


5. (Can you tell I'm at work?)


6. Besides pink, my other favorite color is green, and not just any green. It's like watermelon yowsa green that's been pretty popular in fashion the past six years or so. My Liquid Paper on my desk has a lid that color (to the right, that striped thing is the edge of my flip flop magnet)


7. Two more to go!! I love taking pictures of spiderwebs. Hmm, maybe you knew that. Well, deal with it!
   


8. Last one!! And then I go off to eat my dinner. (This is using up the first 15 min of my dinner half-hour.) For dinner I'm having eggplant parmesan that was half of my mom's dinner last night at Gullifties.

And, according to the rules, I have to tag eight bloggers. Paula knows I twist rules, especially in memes, but this time, I will go with the flow. But first, dinner.

1. Kiki, my dear cousin.
   
2. Erin, of the Biscottis n'at
3. Babelbabe, who has three boys, two cats, and one dog (and wishes for chickens)
4. Eileen, who introduced me to Taco Loco, one of my FAVORITE restaurants.
   
5. Alyssa, who just posted vackay pix! (We were gone the same week)
   
6. Katy, who lives in Chicago. She went to CMU eons ago. She knits.
   
7. Jenny, who cross stitches...but that's not her main gig.
   
8. Sneeky, who lives in Hawaii... (but don't worry, she has problems too.)
   

And if any of yins have done this already, I bet you can come up with 8 more--for little ol' me!!

Oh, and a tidbit: Mr. FF & SL are in a mutual admiration club. He's really funny, makes me laugh. That is all.

In which Sarah Louise does a meme in what seems a futile attempt to stay awake at work...

Today is the sort of day that would be really good for physical labor, because sit me at a desk when I'm feeling like this and all I want to do is take a nap.

So Paula got tagged for the "7 things about me" meme and she tagged whoever read it that hadn't done it yet, so here goes.

1. I've traveled all over the world but never been to our neighbor to the south, Mexico. (I went to Canada for the first time 5 years ago when I got my Masters in Library Science.)
2. I usually read more than one book at at time. Right now I probably am in the middle or at the start or end of about 5 books.
3. Today is my friend Eileen's 24th birthday. Yes, that counts--it's about me, because she's MY friend. (And a sneaky way to mention it...)
4. I don't have a garden.
5. I hate grocery shopping.
6. I occasionally think about starting a non-anonymous blog, since so many folks know who I am, but then I think it would be too much work.
7. I can roll my tongue. Can you?

I am Lucy... (and other random thoughts on a Tuesday morning)

You have a strong sense of responsibility toward others and a deep respect for other people, even strangers, though you are not always sure what the best course of action is. You are Lucy, the brave child who who is wise beyond her years and kind to all she meets.

Which Narnia character are you?

My dad sent me this meme/quiz back in Lent and it re-introduced me to Beliefnet. He was Lucy too. He sent me an email saying good thing it wasn't Lucy Van Pelt (of the Peanuts.)

The flags are back at full mast--thankfully, I don't think we honor foreign dignataries or writers. (Sorry Boris and David*, I'm ready to stop thinking about loss.) (Yes, I realize how crass that would sound to those who really WILL be missing these two dear men.)

And in the category of covers that should not have been EVER allowed:
In the category of THANK GOD it was covered: Donna Summer singing MacArthur Park. It was originally recorded by Richard Harris (thank you, wikipedia) and that was surely the song I heard on my Standards/Golden Oldies station last night. ACK!

I had a GREAT day yesterday. Due to overstimulation and potential PMS, I was awake until 4:30 a.m. So instead of falling asleep to "That Thing You Do" I got to watch the whole thing. And due to my strung out, sleep deprived state, I wept at the end. (It's a COMEDY.) Okay, off to work.

*Yesterday we lost Boris Yeltsin and David Halberstam.

I think, therefore I blog...

It could happen to you--it happened to me!! I have been bestowed the "Thinking blogger award" by Diane, of Going to Pieces.

Now, before you get all cynical on me, yes, I have seen enough, I know this is a meme. But it's pretty cool to get an email from someone you've never met, whose blog you've never seen, to say, Hey, you make me think! We all like to be liked, even us thinkers.

If you want to read more about the Thinking blogging movement (it's sort of like the Alice's Restaurant movement), here's a link to an article in Blog Herald. It is a meme, but like blogs do, it gives power to the individual blogger. Oh, and here's where it all started, on the thinking blog.

Anyways, the way it works, is that I then bestow the "Thinking blogger award" on five unsuspecting bloggers.

This was hard, but I was able to narrow it down, since some of the folks I would have named already have been!

So here goes, in alphabetical order:

1. Behind the Stove: Babelbabe's blog (that she shares with Gina) is the first blog I ever read. She writes about books, her three boys, her cats, and the latest aquistion, a dog. Her trademark is using quotes as titles for her postings. I love her template, which is very book-ish. She is often funny, and she always makes me think. She's also a librarian, so we have that in common.

2. Biscotti Brain: I found Erin's blog through bobbie's blog (see below). Erin is thoughtful and surprising. Here is how she describes her blog and her thought process: "Rarely is once-in-the-oven enough for my thoughts. They resurface, triggered by a piece of brilliance composed by someone else, and beg for reshaping... re-baking (rethinking)... and then finally consumption." She also makes very cool purses, I keep forgetting to order one...

3. Emerging Sideways: bobbie and I met in 2005. Right BEFORE she moved off to Canada. bobbie was one of the first folks that commented on my blog that didn't know me. She is a fascinating lady, and very fun. Why oh why did she have to move?? (But she's happy where she is, so I guess that's a good thing.)

4. Kiki, out of the kitchen and on the komputer: My cousin, Kiki, who just started blogging this February amazes me. She cooks, she does pottery, and she is very witty. Plus, it's very cool that we share a lot of childhood memories.

5. Mixed with Sugar: Paula came onto the blogosphere about a year ago and her photographs are wonderful. (She also has a photo blog...) She premiered on the blogosphere with a Show and Tell, back when it was a Thursday staple on Blackbird's blog. She has an aesthetic sense that I always enjoy.

Go forth and read! and think!

A Kitchen Meme...for Blackbird

A few days ago, Blackbird posted 50 new things about herself and pleaded for someone to send out a meme. So in the recesses of my mind, I pondered this and finally came up with one. I hopes yinz like it and play along on your blog! (Feel free to customize...)

As a person who doesn't have a "real" kitchen (It's a corner of my glorified efficiency/garret), this meme will make me look like the opposite of Martha Stewart. Folks like Kiki, Blackbird, and Babelbabe will look like queens.

In the kitchen with...Sarah Louise (humming "I'll be working on the railroad" is an important part of this meme, you know, "in the kitchen with Dinah...")

Variety is the spice of life.
In my cupboard, I have this many spices: Six.
Rack or no rack? You're kidding, right?
Alphabetize? Have you met me?
Which spice do you use most often? Dry mustard.
Which recipe? (to be posted at the bottom of meme) Sarah Louise's Strata. It's a spin-off from a recipe in The kitchen survival guide by Lora Brody.

It's like the pot calling the kettle black.
Coffee or tea? Tea
Do you make coffee at home? Um, I have coffee in tea-like bags circa 1995. They are waaay in the back. I think I should throw them out...
If you make tea, loose or in bags? Tea bags.
How many kinds of tea do you have? At least three. Raspberry, Regular, and Lady Grey.

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
I use my stovetop: as a counter. (It's electric, so it's not really a fire hazard.)
I use my oven: once every couple of months, to make SL's Strata.

Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?
Soy or cow? Cow. I tried soy and eeuu, gross!
Skim or whole? Skim.
How many gallons a week? One half.

There's nothing like rejection to make you do an inventory of yourself. (James Lee Burke)

Three items in my freezer (right now):

1. Ice pack.
2. Hot Pockets.
3. Baking soda.
   

Three things in my fridge (right now):

1. 2 containers with 1 serving soup each.
2. leftovers from Lilly's Easter with her fam.
   
3. Noxcema (for sunburn)
   

Item I am most chagrined about: expired milk (1 half gallon, 1 gallon.)

Item I bet noone else has: Autocrat Coffee Syrup (it's a Rhode Island thing--you put it in your milk. Coffee milk, yum!) (But mine is really old, so if anyone has a Rhode Island connection, email me!!)

It's a wrap! I hope Blackbird likes my new meme, and yinz also! Feel free to change the quotes.


I'm not much of a cook, but my take-out skills are top-notch (Kathy Shaksan): a link to the recipe for Sarah Louise's Strata.

My humble humble kitchen. Note how my microwave matches my cabinets. And yes, that's all the cabinets I have.

A Meme! You know you want to try it, too!

Okay, so apparently Kilowatt-Hour did this, then Blackbird, (who embellished it with links) then Eileen. Now me. (oh, and Babs, at about 7:56 this morning)

10 FAVORITES
Favorite Color: pink (you had to ask??)
Favorite Food: Mediterranean Nachos at the Sharp Edge (although lately they aren't as good...)
Favorite Month: November (my birthday month)
Favorite Song: Walk like an Egyptian or Walking on Sunshine (I like to walk--you gotta problem?)
Favorite Movie: Persuasion (though Twister, Three Musketeers, and A Knights Tale are almosts)
Favorite Sport: Hockey!! (Soooo glad the Pens will be here for another 30 years, woo hoo!)
Favorite Season: Winter (yes, I know only 4% agree with me. Get over it.)
Favorite Day of the week: Wednesday. (It has been for a long time--started in h.s. when it was the day the lit mag, Silver Quill, met.)
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby (2nd, Baskin Robbin's Winter White Chocolate)
Favorite Time of Day: The In Betweens (sunrise/sunset) [verbatim from Eileen]

9 CURRENTS
Current Mood: Procrastinating
Current Taste: Just woke up, ugh.
Current Clothes: Nightgown
Current Desktop: My dad and me when I was six.
Current Toenail Color: blank, but I'm painting them orange to match the shoes I'm wearing to a party Saturday night.
Current Time: 8:41 am
Current Surroundings: The twitterings of birds outside my window (I'm in ze garret.)
Current Thoughts: Ugh, don't want to get ready for work.

8 FIRSTS
First Best Friend: Juliana (kindergarten. We were going to go be ballerinas in NYC and wear only pink.)
First Kiss: 12th grade--AJ
First Screen Name: pghgurl30
First Pet: Vacuum Cleaner and Guitar, the goldfish.
First Piercing: both ears...for my thirteenth birthday at Tyson's Corner. Didn't hurt.
First Crush: Troy Z.
First CD: Chieftain's Christmas. I didn't even have a CD player for years. I had my sister make a tape of it I think.

7 LASTS
Last Cigarette: never had a first
Last Drink: Last Saturday. Rum and flat Coke.
Last Car Ride: Driving home from work last night
Last Kiss: I have no idea.
Last Movie Seen: Premonition (in the theatre, Sunday)
Last Phone Call: With Dad last night. "Your mom is doing report cards."
Last CD Played: WOW Hymns, in my car. Love it!!

6 HAVE YOU EVERS
Have You Ever Dated One Of Your Best Guy/Girl Friends: No.
Have You Ever Broken the Law: Uhh… Yes [verbatim from Eileen]
Have You Ever Been Arrested: Nope (but I have gotten tickets...drat, I haven't paid that latest parking one!)
Have You Ever Skinny Dipped: Nope.
Have You Ever Been on TV: Yes. When Bush Sr. came to Warsaw, we were all on CNN for like three seconds.
Have You Ever Kissed Someone You Didn’t Know: I think I would have remembered that.

5 THINGS
Thing You’re Wearing: My amber and silver ring.
Thing You’ve Done Today: Gotten up.
Thing You Can Hear Right Now: Birds twittering.
Thing You Can’t Live Without: Books.
Thing You Do When You’re Bored: Read (or check my email.)

4 PLACES YOU’VE BEEN TODAY
1. Bed
2. Computer chair
3. To Oz, to visit Nutmeg's blog.
4. To wherever Katrina is, to read her blog.

3 PEOPLE YOU CAN TELL ANYTHING TO
1. Sis
2. Sally (East End Sally)
3. I'm working on it...

2 CHOICES
1. Manicure or Pedicure: Manicure.
2. The book or the movie? BOTH--I like to see how they are different. Even if one is horrible (and it's not always the movie.)

1 THING YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE
1. Go back to Warsaw. I dreamed of Warsaw last night...

"A room without books is like a body without a soul." (Cicero) [UPDATED]

Katya>Babelbabe>Another Nutter>Sarah Louise (and many stops before and in between...)

updates in RED...

It was inevitable that I would do this meme...I've been reading voraciously since I learned in second grade. I worked for Barnes & Noble for 7 years, I've been a librarian for four. My first "job job" out of college was for a small press. Do I like books? Have you met me???

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? It depends on the book. If I love the book and want to treasure it forever, I will hunt down the hardcover. Otherwise, I prefer Trade Paper to Mass Market, but I'm not overly picky.

Amazon or brick and mortar? Wherever there are books, I'll buy them.

Barnes & Noble or Borders? Both, see above, even though my former B&N co-workers think I'm a traitor for going to Borders. I like going to Borders b/c there's one on the way home from work and b/c as a former B&N employee, I get so darn homesick when I go to B&N stores. I also have this annoying habit of merchandizing & straightening books whenever I visit a B&N.

Bookmark or dog-ear? Bookmark, but that's stretching it. More like napkin, knife, whatever's available. I dog-eared as a child, when most of my books were paperbacks from the Scholastic catalog.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? Random. Although I try to keep types of books together (all my biographies, all my children's books...)

Keep, throw away, or sell? Generally keep or take to Goodwill. Although if I am disgusted by a book, I will throw it in the paper recycling.

Keep dust jacket or toss it? Keep it.

Read with dust jacket or remove it? It depends.

Short story or novel? Novels. Although Cynthia Rylant's A Couple of Kooks is a s. s. collection and it's in my top ten of favorite children's books.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Harry Potter. I never had a desire to read Lemony Snicket. Actually, I never had a desire to read HP either, but as a new children's librarian, I was feeling guilty for not having read even one, so I took the first one out as an audio book and well, the rest is history.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? It depends on how tired I am.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Both. A Wrinkle in Time starts with "it was a..." and Homecoming (Tillerman bk. 1) ends with it. Dicey's Song (Tillerman bk. 2 starts with "and they lived happily ever after."

Buy or Borrow? Both. I have about 62 items on my library card at the moment. It's an occupational hazard.

New or used? Both.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? All of the above. I get recommends from fellow bloggers, from online newsletters...my browsing has died down quite a bit, but it still is a great way to find books. I tend to browse our library's "New Nonfiction" with lots of success.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? If it's a cliffhanger, I must have the sequel nearby. (the Caroline B. Cooney "Janie" books fit into this category. And I don't need a tidy "a-la-Jane Austen or Nancy Drew" ending...the modern novel is much more leave it to your imagination what exactly happens after you close the book.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? Anytime is reading time!

Stand-alone or series? Both. I've gotten quite attached to Meg Cabot's newest series with Heather something, former pop-star turned amateur sleuth. I also like series where the same story is told by different people (The Tillerman books by Cynthia Voigt.)

Favorite series? Trixie Belden.

Favorite children's book? Favorite YA book? That's like asking me which of my children I love the most!! Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt. Jacob have I loved by Katherine Paterson.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Touched by Scott Campbell. I got it at Goodwill years ago.

Favorite books read last year? finishing up the Jennifer Weiner oevre. AND GILEAD by Marilynne Robinson. How could I have forgotten that???

Favorite books of all time? Thursday's Child and Skating Shoes by Noel Streatfield, Little Women, Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, Walking on Water, A Small Rain, and Two Part Invention by Madeleine L'Engle, the Tillerman series by Cynthia Voigt, Briar Rose by Jane Yolen, A Kindness by Cynthia Rylant, Julius Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes, Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray, A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler, Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit, Good to Great by Jim Collins, About a Boy by Nick Hornby, Persuasion by Jane Austen, The Bible (my two favorite translations are the Jerusalem and The Message)...we could be here for years. I'm sure I've forgotten many. (Such as Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson...)

Least favorite book you finished last year? I don't finish books I don't like. Most recently, I threw IN THE TRASH Missing Joseph by Elizabeth George.

What are you reading right now? In Her Shoes (third time), listening to Good to Great on audio.

What are you reading next? As the whim catches me, but potentially 1628 Country Shortcuts (it's like Hints from Heloise).

[And for Newlywifed, because she asked:] Favorite Mother Goose collections: The Original Mother Goose and Animal Crackers illustrated by Jane Dyer. As a librarian, I love the Annotated Mother Goose and hope someday to get one of the Opie's collections.

Books I have started and have not picked up for at least a week: Vanity Fair by W.M. Thackeray (I loved the movie, but my sister's copy has footnotes and notes from the "original manuscript" and the English is from like the 1800s, yo!); Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne.

Just call me "Sneezy."

Okay, it's no fun taking your temperature and having to sneeze while the thermometer is still in your mouth. Or waking up to discover that your comforter is soaking because it spent the night on top of your vaporizor. I do not have a fever but I feel wretched. My throat feels like I swallowed razors. The nurse at the Eckerd Take Care place wouldn't even give me a strep test.

I spent the past half hour over at 50 books where I must have left seven comments.

This is a blog thing that Katy just did. I didn't find it as fun, since, well, read the card.


If you see new immune systems for sale, get one for me and I'll pay you back: this is my second cold in February and at least my third cold for 2007.

Names... (swiped from Jenny)

Thanks Jenny!

I used my real name, not Sarah Louise. My real first name is 25th in popularity for U.S. first names, and 99.9% of people with my first name are girls. Well, Johnny Cash did write that song "A boy named Sue."

My last name, and this will surprise no one that knows it, is 75677th most popular last name. There are about 330 people in the U.S. with my last name. I remember being so grateful when my brother was born, that I didn't have to carry on the family name, though if I publish something before I get married, (or not) I'll use it for publication, as I've been told it's a great name for a kid's writer.

The way I spell my name is not my given name, so there are 0 people in the USA with my name. "While both names you entered were found in our database, neither was common enough to make it likely that someone in the U.S. has that name."

Results on Sarah Louise (Sarah as first name, Louise as last name):

Sarah is 58th in popularity.
There are 2 people in the USA that actually have that first, last name.

Sarah Louise as a first name: no one!! From the FAQs:

• Around 1 out of every 10 people will have a first name not on the list.

Using the same statistical fallacy this site is known for, that means about 81% of people will have both names on the list. In a mathematical coup our scientists have determined from this information that about 19% of people will have either one or both names missing from the list.

"I think it's important not to take it as a rejection of you personally."
Gabriel Caine -- Diggstown.

This was very entertaining!! Some of you know I have been mired down with a cold the past coupla days. I finally went in to work for a few hours (yes, that's all I lasted, but I got some stuff done, and I think all that activity sponsored my six hour afternoon nap--yay!) Also, I had excellent dreams, in which I had fun with folks I haven't seen/talked to in ages. Although, I was wearing weird shoes...I wonder what that means...

And if you can't see the first image, I can't either. Blogger is just being...Blogger. It says "There is one person with my name in the USA." Which is actually false. There's someone with a doctorate in butterflies or something...I googled it, ages ago!!

When this year is over, I'm burning the calendars! (Marian the Librarian)

Yes, it's the end of the year round up post. Many drafts, but I decided on the meme mode that Days Go By and I do all my own stunts, which is taking the title of the first post of each month...

From LC's Only Books All the Time: "The best thing to get me out of a bad mood...is to write a list. It cheers me up immediately."

I may do a book round up...or a shoe round-up...

**********

January: Happy 2006!

February: Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what's on the other side?

March: To my writing teacher who thinks there is no such thing as a Christian romance novel

April: Show and Tell: Windows!

May: Snippets on a Monday morning...

June: I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.

July: Catch up (not Heinz 57)

August: patience is a virtue...

September: We now return you to your regularly scheduled life...

October: I came here to play hockey

November: Is this really my life?

December: My First Laugh of the Morning

****

And in other news, we're on a death watch for one of our fishies in the tank at work...

Monet, Cassat...and Sarah Louise

You Are Impressionism

You think the world is quite beautiful, especially if you look at it in new and interesting ways. You tend to focus on color and movement in art. For you, seeing the big picture is much more important than recording every little detail. You can find inspiration anywhere... especially from nature.

What Art Movement Are You?

oh help!

DaysGoBy did this (yes, it's a Talking Heads reference) and I just had to. I have been up since 6:44 (when you wake up from a dream that your car was towed, you tend to not want to snuggle back in...) Today is one of those days with a to do list a mile long...yikes!

Get Your Cyborg Name

This is what passes for a post...I think I'm getting a cold...

These are the rules. You bold everything you've done. I just through the NaBloPo randomizer found someone who added comments for each one she'd done. Which I thought was interesting, but I'm not going to do that. I might comment at the end.

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 with someone
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
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
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
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
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
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
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
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
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
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
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
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
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
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
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
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
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

I think that was 44, if I counted correctly. I might take a few of these and use them as post topics. If you're interested in a particular one, comment and maybe I'll write about it! If I highlighted the number as opposed to the item, it means I did something similar or I know someone who did or I just want to remember it for some reason.

Off to do something about this burgeoning cold...

Things we do around heah (new meme!)

Badger-->MsCellania-->Blackbird--->me!

• BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS!
• especially Eat Cake, Dicey's Song, and Girl's Poker Night
• Audio books in the car
• Wendy's for lunch--ice tea, please!
• Drive used cars
• Buy cut flowers
• Listen to a myriad of radio stations ranging from nostalgia to "variety" and including country
• Church on Sunday evening
• Morning walks
• Taking lotsa digi pix
• Staying in touch, whether by email, cell, or telephone. (In person trumps all these, though.)
• Tea or coffee at Tazza
• Cinnabons on occasion (for Miz S)
• Movies in the theatre, reading all the credits.
• Movies at home, again and again and again.
• Friends, Sex and the City, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Crossing Jordan (once they bring out the new season...)
• Sandcastle, at least once every summer
• Ice Skating

Even if you can quote Balzac and Shakespeare and all them other high-falutin' Greeks.

(from The Music Man)

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence

You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well. An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly. You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view. A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary. You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

I needed a quiz to tell me this?

Quiz, lifted from Badger's blog.

"The latest thing"

Carolyn tagged me and well, I have this quiz or one like it to thank for getting me back in touch after being out of touch with a friend for almost six years. So here goes.

1. FIRST NAME? Suzi. I changed the spelling from Susie to Suzy in college and at some point changed the y to an i. Turns out, it's very German. (Oh ack--did I just out myself?) I'm sorry, I'll not be Sarah Louise for this. (Although that might be a fun exercise...)

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No...I was supposed to be a boy and be Andrew because my due date was Nov 30. My parents had some Catholic friends who had told them Nov 30 was St. Andrew's day. So my middle name is Andrea.

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Last night. I sobbed and sobbed and I couldn't stop. It's the hormones, it's the lonliness, it's going to a seminar on churches and realizing the one you go to is pretty darn good but still lacks REAL community.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? In fourth grade I was given a prize at the end of the year for "most improved penmanship." It's been all downhill from there. I write big and messy.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Lebanon Baloney. We only get it at the Lake. I don't generally buy lunch meat, cause it goes bad and there's only me to eat it. Pastrami is second.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes, but I'd buy stock in Kleenex.

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? This is like that quote from Wayne's World, only backwards. "A gun rack... a gun rack. I don't even own *a* gun, let alone many guns that would necessitate an entire rack. What am I gonna do... with a gun rack?" Let's see, I have a beautiful notebook that lives in my purse. I have the blog. I have a folder in "My Documents." I have a shelf in my closet of all my journals from high school. So I guess the answer would be Yes, yes, and yes.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? I don't think so.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? That would be a "no."

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Post Honey Bunches of Oats.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Good grief, no. (Stolen from Carolyn, verbatim.)

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I'm stronger than a bread box. (again, verbatim from C.)

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby. It is ambrosia.

14.SHOE SIZE? 7 1/2 or 8. What? Yes, my shoe size went down when my arches got higher. I used to be an 8 1/2.

5. RED OR PINK? If you have to ask... (although I always get compliments when I WEAR red.)

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My tendency to get depressed (surprisingly, half of Carolyn's verbatim.)

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? It's not a who really. I miss having a friend like in high school, someone to hang out with and roar with laughter together. (verbatim, again.) I miss having friends on weekends. All my friends have family on Saturday/Sunday, and I have work on Saturday and Sunday is the worst until church, which is at night!

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? I want everyone who wants to do this to do it. How's that? (verbatim, again.)

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? I'm not dressed yet--it's 7:14 in the morning. I'm wearing an old robe of my uncle's.

20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Part of a white meat dinner at Boston Market. Then they played the Everly Brothers "Bye Bye Love" and I lost my appetite.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Surrounded, a CD of praise music compiled by a worship group at Hope College, the alma mater of my parents, grandparents, and brother. It was a Christmas present a few years back. I'm surprised I haven't worn it out, for as many times I've listened to it.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? I hate this question. Pink.

23. FAVORITE SMELL? A red red rose. (I don't know. I'm not really a smell person.)

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mom. They're in Williamsburg this weekend.

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? No idea. It's different every time.

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes, yes I do! (This is a good answer. A weird answer is "Sure" as in "do you want fries with that?" "Sure." But it's okay, doll, I've gotten over it!!)

27. FAVORITE DRINK? Fresh squeezed lemonade.

28. FAVORITE SPORT? To do: ice skating. To watch: hockey.

29. EYE COLOR? Brown.

30. HAT SIZE? Why, are you going to buy me one? I have no clue. I do like hats, though...

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes.

32. FAVORITE FOOD? That's like asking Imelda Marcos to pick out a favorite pair of shoes. Come on now. (verbatim from Carolyn.) Mexican/Latin American, if I'm pressed, though. Tortillas with re-fried beans and sour cream.

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings (verbatim.)

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter.

36. HUGS OR KISSES? Both.

37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Backlava.

38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Do I LOOK like a magic eight ball? (verbatim.)

39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? See question 38. (this is getting embarassing....verbatim)

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Well, at least you didn't ask what book (singular). Riding the bus with my sister, Sahara Special (on audio), the Book of Genesis, Eat Cake...

41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? e.encyclopedia. It's an ad for a DK book. I got it for free at a library conference.

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? I watched Men in Black, again.

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? When Abraham sings in between the verses at church.

44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles. "I wanna hold your hand..."

45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Moscow, Russia. It was a 24 hour train ride from where I lived at the time, Warsaw, Poland. And I'm sure it still qualifies as far far away from Pittsburgh.

46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Making and giving gifts.

47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Columbia Women's Hospital, Washington D.C. The city remains, but the hospital is gone.

48 WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Carolyn. What, were you not paying attention?