The Pyrenees---Southern France

The Pyrenees---Southern France

Thursday, January 12, 2012

She Asked for It...You Got It

       One of my writing peeps, Lynn Obermoeller, gave me an award.  Lynn is a gifted writer, a gentle critic, a wonderful friend. I initially started a list of seven of my fashion faux pas, as I am so not a fashionista (example: I am wondering how wise it would be to wear my Crocs today, and there's snow on the ground) but gave up after 5 or so...Then I read Tammy's post, and it got my thoughts meandering in a different direction...


1. When I was a kid, when I went to the circus, people could buy little alligators. Their legs were stapled to a piece of cardboard. Then, I was too young to be aghast; instead, I was fascinated. Now, I would be horrified to even go to the circus (unless they ever come up with one that features only humans).

2. I am adamant about seatbelts. No one rides in my car without buckling their seatbelt. When I still had my driver's permit, a 14-year old driver (driving for his grandmother) veered into my path and hit me head on. Thanks to my seat belt, I only broke my nose. (The ER doctor said it would heal without a splint, but since our family LTD was ruined, I wanted some proof of the accident. I also loved looking like the Lee Marvin character in Cat Ballou...at least for a day or two.)

3.  Sad movies and sad books are my favorite. I just finished Sarah's Key. Definitely sob-worthy. A Thousand Splendid Suns is one of my favorites, as is Too Late the Phalarope.  Both have brought tears to my eyes. Don't get me wrong: I love Augusten Burroughs' hilarious vignettes. The books about the Sweet Potato Qeens (the best is the book on men and love) ---I love. But if given a choice between Sophie's Choice and something gut-busting, I'll choose the former every time.

3. I spent a summer working in a gift shop in Yellowstone Park. I was 18.We were lured there by promises of "resort food" and the chance to enjoy beautiful scenery. If resort guests ate lots of oatmeal and white bread, I guess they were honest. We also worked split shifts, so we had little time to explore the area. However, since the legal age to drink was 18 there, I did a lot of exploration with various flavors of Schnapps...

4.  Over my Christmas break, dealing with a cold that would not leave, I watched 13 episodes of Sons of Anarchy--one right after the other. My husband (who had a motorcycle for a while) finds it quite amusing that although I refuse to ride on one, I'm obsessed with a show about a motorcycle gang. And yet I am...

5.  As a kid, I went through a "saint" phase. I voraciously read about them. I even dreamed I could become one. Not Catholic, so I'm not sure where the interest came from...Perhaps those pixie hair-cuts I sported in those days had something to do with my fascination with Joan of Arc?

6. (Almost there! Whew!) I have long feet. Size 11. You know what they say...Long feet, long boobs.

7.  I believe in many gods. The God of Snow Days. (They didn't come through today.) The God of Snooki. (Someday, that god will exert their power and we'll stop supporting Snooki...no more books, no more television shows, no more photos plastered in magazines.) The God of Fairness. (At some point in time, my final growth spurt will occur, and my 7'8" frame will be able to handle this weight gracefully...)

I am supposed to pass this award on (much like a chain letter) and have decided to highlight some blogs I follow that--in my opinion--lack the followers they deserve. They are:

  •  Shay and her wonderful poems. They bloom in her Word Garden. Sometimes they're roll-on-the-floor funny, and sometimes they're bitingly serious. But what they always are is phenomenal...
  • Ramblings of a Very Pale ManHe writes about his family with humor. And he's working on a novel. (That makes me a bit envious...)
  • Val's antics are spilled out on her blog---Unbagging the Cats. She can take a trip to the gas station and make it a journey of epic proportions--and make it hilarious.
Thanks, Lynn. And check out these blogs, if you aren't a follower already...

16 comments:

  1. So, what formula does one use to determine what their height should be? Yes, I read it all and this is what I am taking away!

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  2. Thanks for sharing your magnificent seven. :) I never wanted to be a saint, but I did want to be a nun. . .thanks to Sally Field.

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  3. Kathy--For every "roll" you add 6 inches of height.Yes, this is highbrow stuff...

    Lisa--Me too. I loved the Singing Nun ("Dominique, inique, inique...") and Sally as well.

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  4. Hey Sioux, it was nice getting to know more about you! Thanks for participating! Loved it all! As always, you crack me up.

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  5. Sioux, so your house is filled with the sounds of the "sons". Bill is addicted too. I'd rather read a crack me up piece than a make me cry tome.

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  6. Aha! Bet you thought I'd already told everything about myself, huh? Well, you've got another think comin', Missy! For a sad movie/nun combo, how about The Nun's Story?

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  7. Lynn--Did you hear the compliments I sent your way? All I want is hear is a lack of excuses and protests...;)

    Linda--Bill is right. Kurt Sutter rocks!

    Val--I can't wait.

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  8. Fabulous post, Sioux! Re item #1, whaddaya mean there's no circus featuring only humans? Hellloooo...CONGRESS! Re item #3, I'm with ya, sister. Have you read "Homer's Odyssey" by Gwen Cooper? OMG. I mentioned it in the cat puke post. (No, not somebody else's cat puke post. MY cat puke post.) If you cried at "Born Free," oh boy, just wait. (I once cried at a game show because I was so happy for the person who had won. As for "BF," I can only watch it alone. Not that I have any issues with my own crying, but with that movie, it would be a MAJOR distraction for anyone else in the room.) Re item #6, "Long feet, long boobs." That is beyond LOL. And if it were the title of a memoir, it'd be a bestseller on title alone. Just sayin'.

    As for Val's comment, my tears/nuns go-to is "The Sound of Music." I realize she converts, but who wouldn't when Christopher Plummer is available?

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  9. Katie--I did indeed cry during BF (4 decades ago?) and I agree. As far as nuns, the best movie is "Sound of Music." I will have to read Homer's Odyssey. (And I read your cat puke post--very funny. I loved how you waited while one cat "cleaned up" the mess. I was never lucky enough to have a "recycler.")

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  10. As a known meme whore, I welcome this and thank you for it. To show my appreciation, I will admit something here that the torture masters of the inquisition could normally never get out of me: I also wear size eleven shoes. *cringe*

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  11. They stapled the alligators? That's horrible!

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  12. Shay--I knew there was an underlying reason why I feel such fondness for you. Now I know. It's those big boats of feet you and I have...

    Mama Zen--Well, if they weren't stapled, they'd probably wander off. I know. It WAS horrid.

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  13. Enjoyed all seven. So sorry to hear your god of Snow Days didn't come through!

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  14. i added my meme after a poem a day or so ago. :-)

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  15. Tammy--Thanks. Did that god come through for you?

    Fireblossom--I just went back and read it. I've had computer problems for a couple of days.

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  16. Well, I'm nothing if not timely. And also a terrible reader. For someone who so enjoys writing, you'd think reading would one of my top leisure activities, but sadly it is not. Which is why, close to one year after you posted this lovely testimonial for my blog, I am only just responding to say "Thank you!"

    Incidentally, the murder mystery is nearly complete, as is a second shorter book I've written for my children. If I can keep on schedule, both should be uploaded to Amazon in the next 2-3 months.

    Thanks again!

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