P is for Proud

Hey, gang, guess what? I've been nominated for an award. What? You exclaim. An award? Yep. I'm so clueless, I thought my nominator was telling me SHE was nominated for an award, and I'm all, hey, great job! Congratulations! And then I read her post on my blog again, and saw that she had nominated me.
 
Who, you ask, is this kind nominator? None other than Liv by Surprise! I am so honored and so proud and so, well, not speechless, exactly, but...WOW!


                  
The current rules for accepting this award are:

1. List 11 random facts about myself.
2. Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated me.
3. Nominate 11 more blogs who have less than 200 followers and let them know they’ve been nominated.
4. Post 11 new questions for those bloggers to answer (if they wish to accept the award—it’s completely optional).

Here goes nothing!!!
 
My 11 random facts:

1. I prefer driving manual transmission cars because I enjoy shifting and making screeching sounds as I turn and shift. No, I'm not a crazy driver. I just like to sound like one.
2. I just bought a three-story house built in 1920 that had a hoarder living in it for 30 years. I will be done remodeling in about 19 years. If I hurry.
3. I was registered on a tutoring web site to tutor algebra and got a request from a woman asking me to teach her daughter Japanese. Which I don't know, and I'm not Japanese. Random enough?
4. I love Coke and Dr. Pepper, but am trying to get healthy and stop drinking chemicals. Easier said than done.
5. I don't like holidays or birthdays. Forced occasions are no fun. I prefer spontaneous gestures of love.
6. I generally order the same thing at restaurants, because I find something I like, and then am sad if I order something else and don't get what I really like.
7. I recently switched from drinking Dirty Shirleys to drinking Tequila Sunrises. The last waitress I ordered one from said, "Ooh, a Tequila Sunrise!" like it was a wild or crazy drink. Is it? I don't know. Didn't think so, but who knows.
8. I love to mow.
9. My favorite color is lime green. It is also my new boss's favorite color, and he will stop in the middle of a meeting and commend me on my choice of color if I am wearing green. Which I normally am, so I get commended in a lot of meetings.
10. I would love to be able to break dance. I'm a huge fan and admire people who can.
11. I am not motivated by money.

                                   
Here are the 11 questions from the blogger who graciously nominated me:

1. You have the opportunity to meet any one living person in the world for tea.  Who do you choose and why?

     I would like to have tea with my whole family. Mom, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. Why? Because we have had some great times in the past, but I know these great times will never happen again, due to stupid arguments, and I think that is tragic. Or even just tea with my mom, sisters, and their families. Or even just tea with my mom and sisters. Still - not going to happen.

2. What is the best feedback you've ever gotten on your writing?

     This is actually a tough one. Being nominated for this award is HUGE and most definitely the best exposure I have ever gotten. Writing an anonymous blog makes it hard to drum up an audience, so this award is just indescribable. I have also received good feedback from some literary agents, who all said the same thing: they like my book, they like my voice, they like my writing...they don't like that I have no following. So I'm hopeful that this nomination will help that along. Such an honor.

 

3. You are stranded, alone, on a desert island.  What is the first thing that you do?

 

     I'm a little paranoid, so the first thing I would do would be to make SURE that I was, indeed, alone on that island. That might take a long time or just a few minutes, depending on the size and terrain of the island.

                        

4. What actor or actress set your heart aflutter when you were 13?

 

     Always has, always will - Johnny Depp. Yummy.

 

5. What is your favorite flower?

 

     Gold Medal flour. Did I read that question right? Oh, wait. I don't really like flowers that much.

6. Have you chosen the topic for your next blog post? What was your inspiration?

     No. I keep the next letter rumbling around in my head until something pops out. It is usually unexpected and yet somehow timely. The force that inspires me is always telling me to get the darkness out of my soul.

7. What is the last vivid dream that you remember having?

     Ha! When I dreamt I called in and quit my deli job at the grocery store. (I had tried to quit a month before, but my boss yelled at me and then intimidated me into agreeing to work every-other Sunday. I should have stuck up for myself and just said no, but I said yes, and did work my first scheduled Sunday.) I wasn't really intending to quit, especially not via dream. The shift manager called me when I was 45 minutes late and I told him I had dreamt I had called and quit. He didn't really know what to say to that. Goodbye?

8. If you were told that you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, barring any dietary consequences like weight gain or vitamin deficiency, what food would you choose?

     Oh, so easy! Nacho cheese Doritos. All day, every day. Yummy. (Not as yummy as Johnny Depp, but then again, they are in totally different categories.)
                                    
9. What blogger has inspired you the most and why?

    I had to think for a long time about this one. Lately, I have been enthralled with Laura Packer:   Not sure why, but her words really hit home with me. I just discovered her blog and am rapidly becoming a huge fan.

10. Describe the most annoying person you've ever seen in a checkout line.

     The manager with the "Lane Closed" sign, just as I'm about to swoop into a short line.

11. What blogging platform are you using and why did you choose it?

     I use Google's BlogSpot. Blogger? Sad, I don't even know its official name. I chose it because it was the first one I stumbled across. I stayed with it because it is very user-friendly and keeps good track of statistics.

(Whew! Longest blog post EVER!!!)
                         
Okay, here are my nominees (in no particular order):

1. Ava Also -- What's Behind the Eyes
2. Laura Packer -- True Stories, Honest Lies
3. A. Eye -- Shouldn't Life Be More Than This?
4. Underground -- Innerlight

You know what? These are all I read. Other than  Liv by Surprise, but she nominated me, so I can't return the favor. I feel lame, but at the same time, proud. I'm proud of the blogs I read, because they mean a lot to me and I find them interesting and insightful. Funny and sad. I'm proud that I found these awesome blogs and really proud that I get to share them.
 
Okay, so here are my 11 questions for my four nominees:

1. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life (and would have to start reading it all over again once you finished it), what book would you choose?
2. Nacho Cheese or Cool Ranch?
3. Is there a particular time when a stranger did something really nice for you?
4. Are you glad you were born?
5. Disregarding reality, pretend all planets are inhabitable, but still have their main characteristics, such as temperature and terrain. Which planet would you live on and why?
6. If you could make a new law for all of the United States, what would it be?
7. On that note, who do you think would make a good president? (Living only)
8. Describe your style in three words.
9. Is writing an outlet, something fun to do, a way to reach people, or what? Why do you write?
10. What is your most guilty pleasure?
11. How much wood SHOULD a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? How much is too much?

                                

Okay, gang. That's it for me. I'm so grateful and proud. Humbled and inspired. "Q" is rumbling in my head right now. What will my brain spit out? Who knows. But it will be soon. Thanks for reading, guys. My heart is with you all. And MAJOR thank you to Liv for the nomination. It means SO much to me.