Thursday, June 20, 2013

The Liebster Award

I was nominated for the Liebster Award by Joshua Brown at Brown's Balanced Life. (Thanks! It's nice to know more about who's reading.)

This "award" (okay, it's more like a chain letter -- but don't be scared off!) says something like, "Hey, I like reading your stuff!" and is an opportunity for new(er) bloggers to introduce themselves to a larger blogosphere. Bloggers love an excuse to talk about themselves!



If you're coming here because you were nominated or tagged by me, welcome! Here are your instructions:
  1. Make a new post about this award in your blog.
  2. Post 11 random facts about yourself.
  3. In your post, answer the questions the nominator has created (below). 
  4. Then choose 3-5 new bloggers (with fewer than 200 followers) to "nominate" and link to them in your post.
  5. Create 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer.
  6. Go back to their pages and tell them about the award.
  7. (If you'd rather have an "Honorary Award", you don't have to do any of this -- just keep blogging!)

11 random facts:
  1. When I graduated from 8th grade, I won my middle school's Library Award. I'm pretty sure it's because I spent most lunch periods in there hiding from other middleschoolers.
  2. I don't drive. I really want a tricycle to carry groceries, books, kids, etc., but I'll probably stick to walking and public transit as long as we live in the Bay Area.
  3. My favorite color is PURPLE. (Luckily, my wife shares it, so we agree on a lot of wardrobe items, home decor, and our wedding invitations prettily easily.)
  4. In high school and college, I studied German. I can't hold a conversation really at all, but with a dictionary at hand, I can stumble through customer support tickets that occasionally come through in that language. (I even managed live chat a couple of times! The customer told me my Deutsch was "altmodisch".)
  5. My wife and I pay the rent for two cats: a tortie and a tabby. They'll be 9 and 12 this year, respectively, but they are still my baby kittens.
  6. In middle school, I pulled out my eyelashes from stress, and they grew back in funny.
  7. I have a weakness for cute stationery. I can spend waaaaay too much time on Fiverr and Etsy looking at handmade greeting cards.
  8. I don't cook at home very often, but I keep a list of recipes and meal ideas that sound good. Then I convince my wife to make them (or at least assist me).
  9. I am eagerly awaiting the next (Netflix-posted) seasons of Call the Midwife, American Horror Story,  and Toddlers & Tiaras. I don't know what's wrong with me, either.
  10. Xmas is my favorite holiday. Family traditions are numerous, but I just like the whole season -- and I plan the tree trimmings months in advance.
  11. I like to make up lyrics to well-known songs (especially show tunes). Sometimes I'm truly inspired, but the rest of the time, I fill in with "kitty cat". Since that's who's listening.

Questions I'm answering:
  1. Why do you blog?
    Personal branding. I like to ramble (used to do it on Livejournal, usually under friends-lock). I plan a lot of stuff in advance and want to keep track of it, especially when I'm proud of my accomplishments.
  2. What is your favorite financial book?
    Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich.
  3. Who are some of your mentors?
    I learn from people I admire, like my Favorite Aunt, my high school English teacher, a couple of great professors (for multiple Shakespeare and Costuming classes), my former boss at my first Real Job (the one I'm in currently -- it's last 6+ years!)... basically intelligent funny encouraging women in authority. When I'm being smart, I model myself after them.
  4. What are some of your struggles balancing blogging with the rest of your life?
    If I'm out doing stuff, having fun, and accomplishing things, I don't have time to write about it! If I'm busy with work, school, etc., I don't have time to write either! I really wish I could take pictures, upload them quickly and easily, and write blurbs about them. (I have a not-so-smart phone and an older digital camera, so it's either "take a low-res picture, text it to my email, download the file on the computer, and add to a blog post" or "connect cable to camera and computer, sort through pictures, and upload to the blog.")
  5. What is your favorite thing to do when you have "free time"?
    Sleep. Then do housework. :) If I were well-rested AND all the chores were all done, um... well, that actually hasn't ever happened. Hypothetically, I would take a book and go down to the park and sit on a blanket and read in the sunshine. Take a little walk to the farmers' market. Maybe meet a friend for tea. Come home and make dinner with my beloved and then go watch a show at some local theater. Really, this is hard to imagine. I'm working on that now that school is done.
  6. What would you do if you were given a million dollars?
    Well, it's not enough to retire on, but it would make a very welcome cushion for work/life balance. (If I disliked my job, I'd say it was a Go-To-Hell fund.) 
    Buy a house in Oakland with enough yard space to plant raised garden beds (so that's half of it) and invest the other half in CDs with staggered maturity dates. Take time off work until I can find a library job, probably work part-time and volunteer and be a lightweight urban homesteader. Foster kittens, cuddle babies, and read to kids -- including my own.
  7. What is some of the best advice you have ever been given?
    Use strong passwords and don't share them with anyone.
  8. What is one of your long-term goals?
    Next year, we're planning to start paperwork for an open adoption. I want to add a child (and eventually, more than one) to our family SO much. It's a huge responsibility and an amazing gift. In the meantime, I'm learning from smart, offbeat parents and caregivers about how to raise kids in this crazy mixed-up world.
  9. If you could go back to a point of your history and give yourself some advice, what would it be?
    Dear 16-year-old self: Apply to state school. IN YOUR STATE. Pick a practical major. And watch your budget while you're living away from home -- someone has to pay back those loans!
  10. Would you rather give up the internet or your phone?
    Oh, definitely the phone. I hate talking on the telephone, and the Internet is so flexible! Flexible enough to let me IM, text, email, and maybe even use VOIP if that's not cheating. :)
  11. What do you want your lasting legacy to be?
    I don't care to be famous. My ambitions are much more personal. I want to be remembered as someone who made life better for the people around her. Someone who listened and comforted, someone who encouraged and supported, someone who lived as an example. Someone who was happy most times, and companionable when life made it difficult to be happy. 

My questions for award nominees:
  1. What do you think about advertising in blogging?
  2. Do you eat breakfast? If you do, what do you like to eat?
  3. Are you most like Danny, Uncle Jesse, or Uncle Joey? (If you didn't watch Full House, tell me your favorite cartoon instead.)
  4. What is your relationship with your siblings like? (If you're an only child, what do you like/dislike most about that?)
  5. If you had a large painting of yourself, painted by a talented person you're close to, where would you display it?
  6. Do you prefer to watch comedy or drama?
  7. What book would you recommend (admittedly, knowing not much about the reader)?
  8. When was the last time you were really startled/scared by something inconsequential?
  9. In what historical era and area would you like to live?
  10. What's the strangest thing you've ever eaten?
  11. If you were hosting a dinner party, which 5 persons of note would you invite?


Some of you aren't new to blogging, but I'm awarding flexibly. I don't know how many followers you have, but I enjoy reading your stuff, and so I'm encouraging you!

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