This past weekend I was catching up on blog reading, both my
favorite pastime and my family’s least favorite, because it means that I will
be sitting with a laptop IN MY LAP for hours.
And hours. And who can find the food
around here when mom has her nose glued to a screen all afternoon?
And evening?
Sometimes, all that blog reading pays off, and by sometimes
I mean every time, because bloggers are some of the best writers, and the
reason why most of them are ‘just’ bloggers and not household name authors is
because they are distracted by other things in their lives
that demand attention nearly every hour of every day, and who has time to
hammer out a tome when there are dollars to be made, noses to be wiped, and daily fistfights to
break up? (Oh, wait. That last one’s just me,
isn’t it?)
And sometimes all that blog reading pays off because you
make actual connections with the people behind the screens, and you learn a bit
about their real lives, and they learn about yours. And you find that bloggers are pretty awesome
people.
And not just because they give you awards.
Which happened to me. Lisa of
The Meaning of Me passed a Liebster Award
my way
about three weeks ago. And I just
read about it this weekend. Look, I
never said that I do my favorite pastime all that often. After high-fiving myself for winning an award
and thanking Lisa a bit gushingly and embarrassingly, I did some light internet
research and learned that The Liebster Award (liebster meaning dearest in
German) is a meme that has circled the blogisphere for a while and it is
designed to spread love and support between bloggers, to encourage each other
and say hey, I like you, keep doing what you’re doing. I also learned that The Liebster is a virtual
award and not a diamond-encrusted tiara that would go quite beautifully with a
variety of outfits anchored by yoga pants.
Like most awards, the Liebster is not without
responsibility, and as I march to accept it, I must also provide something in
return. A list. Three lists, actually. Buckle up, kids. Here they come.
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I don't know about this 'less than 200 followers' qualification. Surely it is true for me, but for others, I can't really say. I chose to omit that detail when choosing future award winners. |
11 Facts About Me
1. I got the tip of my thumb cut off when I was three. It looks weird. Stop staring.
2. If someone asked me to move to France tomorrow, I’d do it
immediately without hesitation. I have
also brainwashed my children to agree with me.
I have romantic notions about owning a lavender farm in Provence. I can’t explain it.
3. I keep a list of books and movies I want to read and
see. It is over two hundred titles
long. I read about three books a year
and watch the same movies over and over again.
4. I am against having pets.
I think all animals should live outside.
5. My left leg is a quarter inch shorter than my right. Between that and my thumb, I kind of feel
like I should carry a sideshow participant card around with me.
6. I read Vogue magazine from cover to cover each
month. It has a special place on my
kitchen desk, and no one else is allowed to touch it.
7. I pray for famous people who are in turmoil to get their
act together. I mean, I actually pray for them. I’m looking at you, Lindsay Lohan.
8. I have comically high standards. While my husband is researching cars to
replace my eight-year-old Altima, I’m pricing Range Rovers. We live a one-income, used-minivan lifestyle.
9. I remember odd things like telephone numbers, song lyrics
and old friends’ birthdays, yet I can’t remember conversations that I had
yesterday.
10. My husband went to college at Penn State. He loves it with every fiber of his
being. I hate Penn State with perhaps
the same fervor.
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This is how my husband "decorates" our home in the name of Penn State. Hideous. |
11. I have an Elizabeth Taylor-level love of extravagant and
ostentatious jewelry.
11 Questions to Answer (from Lisa)
1. If you had to
choose, would you rather give up your sense of sight or your sense of hearing? Hearing.
I like it quiet, and while I would mourn the music and the sound of my
loved one’s voices, I’d rather not hear than not see. I have trouble hearing anyway due to some
overzealous headphones use back in my teens, so I’m on my way there anyway.
2. What is your
favorite time of day? Why? Early morning, suckers. It’s so quiet.
3. What is your
favorite article of clothing? A pair of jeans I’ve had for a few
years. I am aware that I wear them a
lot. Like five times a week a lot,
sometimes.
4. What household
chore would you rather not do ever again? All of them. I hate cleaning up after people.
5. Who is your hero?
Why? This is so hard for me. I don’t
know. I’ve never been a hero
worshipper. I always looked up to my
mother, because she is confident and clear and decisive. These are three things that I am not.
6. How do you like
your steak cooked? Medium. I like it
pink.
7. Describe the worst/weirdest
haircut you’ve ever had. I’ve had a
few. The weirdest was this short layered
bob with super short baby bangs. My husband
cried when I came home from the salon with that one. The worst was the Millenial Mom cut: short
and layered on top and the sides, longer in the back and a little bit spiky all
over. Oh my goodness, why didn’t anyone
tell me how horrible it was? I’m holding everyone around me responsible
forever.
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It's so bad, I can't even show my face. |
8. What would you like
to be known for? Being a good person.
Having a sense of humor. Raising fabulously successful children. Writing
the best novel in the history of the world.
See also #8 above.
9. Dog person or cat
person? Cat. Dogs are way too needy
and annoying. Stop slobbering on
me. Stop jumping on me. Stop barking, for the love of everything holy
and pure!!
10. Which
is better – the book or the movie? Usually the book. Did you see the Twilight movies? OMG so painful.
11 Leibster Award Winners (chosen by me)
Congratulations, bloggers!
You all have won this prestigious award!
I hope you’re reading, and that you do it. If you’re not on this list, you can still pull a Liebster. After all, the Liebster award is
really just arbitrary. There’s no real
award apart from being chosen to do it.
Which might not even be a good thing in your eyes.
Either way, this Liebster business is no joke, people. It’s a challenge. And I don’t really know if any of these bloggers
have done it before, or if they will pass it on. I hope they will for their readers’ sakes,
including me. Here are the questions I
would like answered:
11 Questions for Liebster Award Winners
1. What embarrasses you?
2. How much do you swear around your kids, if you have
kids? If you don’t have kids, how much do you swear
in general?
3. Do you speak a foreign language? Why or why not?
4. If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would
it be? It’s okay if you say “right where
I am now.” I won’t judge you for being
boring.
5. Outside of your family and yourself, what is your biggest
love?
6. What is one thing you are terrible at?
7. Your dream job.
8. What is your biggest sociopolitical concern?
9. Where and when
would you go if you could travel through time?
10. Are you adventuresome?
11. Creatively, what are you best at? What are you worst at?
Whew! Thanks for
hanging in with me, friends. Let me know
if you do a Liebster, so I know that you’ve passed the torch along! Happy
Liebstering!