Someone finally tagged me! I love being tagged. Thanks, Melinda. It took me long enough to realize it (sorry, Mel, haven’t been reading blogs lately.) (Which is probably why no one tags me . . . )
6 random, abstract, weird things about me.
1. I can wiggle my nose three different ways, wiggle one ear, and raise my eyebrows independent of each other.
2. One of the biggest signs that I am aging is that I can hardly stand stress in movies anymore. As in, I can’t watch car chases or intense shoot-up scenes or pretty much anything violent. I am turning into a wussy old lady.
3. I like to eat roast beef gravy on cottage cheese.
4. In order to sleep, I can’t have any skin exposed to the air. All pajamas must have long sleeves, and I have to pull the covers up to my chin (with the sheet folded out over them).
5. I pretty much don’t like any beverage except water.
6. I feel a little guilt and a lot of relief that the lady at the screening desk when I was donating blood last time found something on my papers that excluded me. I’m assuming (possibly wrongly) that whatever it was (can’t remember), it was permanent and I can never donate blood again. I’m sorry, but that experience gave me such anxiety that I am very pleased not to have to do it again. (Wooziness about medical things is the reason I had all my babies without anesthesia—it wasn’t bravery. Oh, no. It was fear of a NEEDLE in my SPINE.)
And now I tag . . . let's see . . . Michelle L. and Zina.
Showing posts with label Tagged. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tagged. Show all posts
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Meme: 13 irrational fears
1. Biggest fear by far: that while we are happily driving along, the car will spontaneously combust. And this one intensifies greatly when I am pregnant or post-partum.
2. That I have some very obscure but easily-cured disease that requires a very certain medication. I don’t mind so much (well, actually I do) having a disease that’s NOT curable, as long as we all know for sure that’s what it is. The big fear is that I could have been feeling well all this time with a simple pill or maybe a really easy surgery, if only we had found the right test to confirm it.
3. Wasted time.
4. Staying up past my natural prime bedtime so that I miss the wave.
5. Crowds. Hate ‘em, hate ‘em, hate ‘em.
6. Parking downtown.
7. Making phonecalls, especially visiting teaching calls but also just plain old chatty calls. Also, discovering somehow that I am considered the “problem child” in the ward that no one wants for a visiting teaching companion.
8. Running into an ex-boyfriend on a bad hair day. Or, even worse, someone I knew peripherally in high school.
9. Dogs not on leashes. (OK, this is more of extreme annoyance than fear.)
10. Having a check bounce.
11. Discovering (who knows how?) that I could have written an amazing book if I had just tried.
12. Finding out someone is angry at me. Much worse: being confronted by that person. Agggggh! Angry confrontation!!!!!!
13. Finding out I have deeply hurt someone’s feelings.
2. That I have some very obscure but easily-cured disease that requires a very certain medication. I don’t mind so much (well, actually I do) having a disease that’s NOT curable, as long as we all know for sure that’s what it is. The big fear is that I could have been feeling well all this time with a simple pill or maybe a really easy surgery, if only we had found the right test to confirm it.
3. Wasted time.
4. Staying up past my natural prime bedtime so that I miss the wave.
5. Crowds. Hate ‘em, hate ‘em, hate ‘em.
6. Parking downtown.
7. Making phonecalls, especially visiting teaching calls but also just plain old chatty calls. Also, discovering somehow that I am considered the “problem child” in the ward that no one wants for a visiting teaching companion.
8. Running into an ex-boyfriend on a bad hair day. Or, even worse, someone I knew peripherally in high school.
9. Dogs not on leashes. (OK, this is more of extreme annoyance than fear.)
10. Having a check bounce.
11. Discovering (who knows how?) that I could have written an amazing book if I had just tried.
12. Finding out someone is angry at me. Much worse: being confronted by that person. Agggggh! Angry confrontation!!!!!!
13. Finding out I have deeply hurt someone’s feelings.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
M is for May and Memes
Here's an alphabet for you:
A- Artist you like?
I don’t know what kind of artist this is asking about. Visually, I love the artwork on our latest issue of Segullah (you can see the cover here). I also love Brian Kershisnik. My favorite painting of all time is hanging in my livingroom and it’s by Paul Cornoyer. You can see it here.
Musical artists? I love Courtney’s serenade that you can watch here.
B- Best Friend? Roger F. Young, the kindest person I have ever met.
C- Cake or pie? Sharlee’s triple chocolate cake, of course. But I also miss the peanut-butter pie I used to get at El Cheepo’s in Park City which, sniff, is no longer with us. If anyone has figured out how to make a killer chocolate-peanut butter pie, please send the recipe ASAP.
D- Day of choice? Sunday. Always.
E- Essential Item? Nap. Also, lately, herbal tea.
F- Favorite Color? A deep purply-blue, sort of the color of the little purple flowers that are coming up in my front yard right now (don’t know what they are). Also the color of dusk on a summer evening.
G- Good Read? Too many. I’ll take a stab, though: Room With a View, My Name is Asher Lev, Pride and Prejudice, Angle of Repose, The Great Divorce, Death Comes for the Archbishop and, of course, Bound on Earth.
H- Hometown? Brigham City, Utah. Even though we moved away when I was four, I think it got into my blood, because I find myself every spring with this deep-down urge to go on road trips to small towns with big trees, wide ditches and no curbs.
I- Indulgence? Going to bed early and getting backrubs from best friend.
J- January or July? September.
K- Kids? No more, thanks.
L- Life isn't complete without? Rain, the smell of sage, movies with popcorn, yoga, the story couch piled with boys and me.
M- Marriage reception blunder? I loudly and enthusiastically greeted someone (my high school choir teacher) by the wrong name.
N- Number of brothers and sisters? 1 brother, 2 sisters, 2 step-sisters.
O- Oranges or Apples? Apples, the sweeter the better, and always at room temperature. (I’ll put them in the microwave if they’re too cold from the fridge!)
P- Phobia and fears? Having another “attack.” Also, I’m not really afraid of heights (I’ve been bungee jumping and parasailing, for crying out loud), but I always get this little panic at the top of the ferris wheel.
Q- Quote? “Be still and know that I am God.” “And God remembered Rachel.”
R- Reason to smile? Peter’s belly-button.
S- Season of choice? Fall. (I was going to write, “empty nest season,” but I felt guilty. Of course I’m supposed to “love the season you’re in,” according to the prophets and the old ladies. And I really do, especially now that the kids are a little older. It’s really a great time and I’ll miss it when it’s past. Unlike the days with little, little children, which I still don’t miss despite what all the old ladies said.)
T- Therapy for a bad day? Going to Café Rio with Angela.
U- Unknown fact about me? I don’t think anything is unknown about me. I keep no secrets. But here’s a story of mortification. I was matched up with the guy of my dreams at a sort of fix-up activity, thought I made a good impression, and then heard back from the (expletive here) rude young men in my ward that my “date” had told everyone afterwards how disgusted he had been the whole time by the food in my braces. Talk about adolescent scarring!
V- Vegetable? Asparagus.
W- Worst habit? Saying, “Just a minute” to my kids.
X-Rays you've had? Oh, dear, don’t ask.
Y- Your favorite food? Dark chocolate-covered almonds.
Z- Zodiac sign? Gemini
A- Artist you like?
I don’t know what kind of artist this is asking about. Visually, I love the artwork on our latest issue of Segullah (you can see the cover here). I also love Brian Kershisnik. My favorite painting of all time is hanging in my livingroom and it’s by Paul Cornoyer. You can see it here.
Musical artists? I love Courtney’s serenade that you can watch here.
B- Best Friend? Roger F. Young, the kindest person I have ever met.
C- Cake or pie? Sharlee’s triple chocolate cake, of course. But I also miss the peanut-butter pie I used to get at El Cheepo’s in Park City which, sniff, is no longer with us. If anyone has figured out how to make a killer chocolate-peanut butter pie, please send the recipe ASAP.
D- Day of choice? Sunday. Always.
E- Essential Item? Nap. Also, lately, herbal tea.
F- Favorite Color? A deep purply-blue, sort of the color of the little purple flowers that are coming up in my front yard right now (don’t know what they are). Also the color of dusk on a summer evening.
G- Good Read? Too many. I’ll take a stab, though: Room With a View, My Name is Asher Lev, Pride and Prejudice, Angle of Repose, The Great Divorce, Death Comes for the Archbishop and, of course, Bound on Earth.
H- Hometown? Brigham City, Utah. Even though we moved away when I was four, I think it got into my blood, because I find myself every spring with this deep-down urge to go on road trips to small towns with big trees, wide ditches and no curbs.
I- Indulgence? Going to bed early and getting backrubs from best friend.
J- January or July? September.
K- Kids? No more, thanks.
L- Life isn't complete without? Rain, the smell of sage, movies with popcorn, yoga, the story couch piled with boys and me.
M- Marriage reception blunder? I loudly and enthusiastically greeted someone (my high school choir teacher) by the wrong name.
N- Number of brothers and sisters? 1 brother, 2 sisters, 2 step-sisters.
O- Oranges or Apples? Apples, the sweeter the better, and always at room temperature. (I’ll put them in the microwave if they’re too cold from the fridge!)
P- Phobia and fears? Having another “attack.” Also, I’m not really afraid of heights (I’ve been bungee jumping and parasailing, for crying out loud), but I always get this little panic at the top of the ferris wheel.
Q- Quote? “Be still and know that I am God.” “And God remembered Rachel.”
R- Reason to smile? Peter’s belly-button.
S- Season of choice? Fall. (I was going to write, “empty nest season,” but I felt guilty. Of course I’m supposed to “love the season you’re in,” according to the prophets and the old ladies. And I really do, especially now that the kids are a little older. It’s really a great time and I’ll miss it when it’s past. Unlike the days with little, little children, which I still don’t miss despite what all the old ladies said.)
T- Therapy for a bad day? Going to Café Rio with Angela.
U- Unknown fact about me? I don’t think anything is unknown about me. I keep no secrets. But here’s a story of mortification. I was matched up with the guy of my dreams at a sort of fix-up activity, thought I made a good impression, and then heard back from the (expletive here) rude young men in my ward that my “date” had told everyone afterwards how disgusted he had been the whole time by the food in my braces. Talk about adolescent scarring!
V- Vegetable? Asparagus.
W- Worst habit? Saying, “Just a minute” to my kids.
X-Rays you've had? Oh, dear, don’t ask.
Y- Your favorite food? Dark chocolate-covered almonds.
Z- Zodiac sign? Gemini
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Tagged!
Thanks, Angela, for the tag. I like being tagged. But I’ve already done the one you tagged me for. So I decided to invent my own! Here goes . . .
Four Places I’d Love to Visit:
1. Ireland. Or Scotland. Just so’s it’s rainy and green.
2. North-East America and, possibly, Canada. (OK, I admit it. I wanna see Prince Edward Island and Robert Frost country.)
3. The Mormon Artists Retreat (by invitation only, you know)
4. Panama Canal (and YES! I will visit it in six months!)
Four Things I Covet:
1. Rachel’s singing voice. And throw in her hair while we’re at it.
2. Angela’s writing talent.
3. JL’s organizational skills.
4. Justine’s running stamina, habit and joy.
4 Goals I Have:
1. Learn Spanish.
2. Publish a book (or two).
3. Make meditation a lifelong habit and get good at it.
4. Get a master’s degree.
4 Fads I Wish Would Pass:
1. Women’s shirts that require undershirts.
2. 2-piece swimsuits that don’t meet in the middle (or do just enough to fool you into buying them but then creep up your middle when you wear them. I mean, I’ve lost weight and I’m proud of my middle except no one needs to see those stretch marks. We’re talking “Stars and Stripes Forever,” you know?).
3. Pale or no lipstick. It’s the California surf-girl meets poltergeist look.
4. Tan nylons with white shoes. I am sorry, but there is no way you can convince me that that is anything but ICKY to look at.
4 Delights:
1. Peter’s belly-button.
2. Jon’s cuddliness.
3. Alex’s freckles.
4. Ben’s grin.
4 Regrets:
1. I dropped a singing class at BYU that I should have stayed in.
2. I quit learning Spanish once I got to college and switched to French.
3. I turned down a chance to work as a research assistant with Dr. Richard Lloyd Anderson. I thought I couldn’t afford to live in Provo that summer, so I turned him down when he called me, in Salt Lake, to offer me the job. He called because he was impressed with my work in his Honors New Testament class.
4. Not spending more time with my sister during my teen years.
4 Things I Wish I Could Do More Often:
1. Sing The Messiah.
2. Eat out with AML friends.
3. Go to movies in theaters.
4. Square dance.
4 Things That I Never Would Have Imagined Would Happen to Me:
1. I married a CURLY-HEADED BLONDE who LOVES SPORTS and I had FOUR BOYS NATURALLY and I live in THIS CITY. All very shocking. (Not to mention the other shocking places I’ve lived: Pocatello and Berkeley.)
2. I do yoga.
3. I’ve been on cruises (three going on four).
4. I have regular e-mail conversations with really fascinating people, some of whom are semi-famous, at least to a consumer of Mormon arts and thought such as myself.
4 People I Tag:
1. Mark B.
2. Jennifer B.
3. Angela (turnabout’s fair—after all, it’s a new list)
4. Kathy S.
Four Places I’d Love to Visit:
1. Ireland. Or Scotland. Just so’s it’s rainy and green.
2. North-East America and, possibly, Canada. (OK, I admit it. I wanna see Prince Edward Island and Robert Frost country.)
3. The Mormon Artists Retreat (by invitation only, you know)
4. Panama Canal (and YES! I will visit it in six months!)
Four Things I Covet:
1. Rachel’s singing voice. And throw in her hair while we’re at it.
2. Angela’s writing talent.
3. JL’s organizational skills.
4. Justine’s running stamina, habit and joy.
4 Goals I Have:
1. Learn Spanish.
2. Publish a book (or two).
3. Make meditation a lifelong habit and get good at it.
4. Get a master’s degree.
4 Fads I Wish Would Pass:
1. Women’s shirts that require undershirts.
2. 2-piece swimsuits that don’t meet in the middle (or do just enough to fool you into buying them but then creep up your middle when you wear them. I mean, I’ve lost weight and I’m proud of my middle except no one needs to see those stretch marks. We’re talking “Stars and Stripes Forever,” you know?).
3. Pale or no lipstick. It’s the California surf-girl meets poltergeist look.
4. Tan nylons with white shoes. I am sorry, but there is no way you can convince me that that is anything but ICKY to look at.
4 Delights:
1. Peter’s belly-button.
2. Jon’s cuddliness.
3. Alex’s freckles.
4. Ben’s grin.
4 Regrets:
1. I dropped a singing class at BYU that I should have stayed in.
2. I quit learning Spanish once I got to college and switched to French.
3. I turned down a chance to work as a research assistant with Dr. Richard Lloyd Anderson. I thought I couldn’t afford to live in Provo that summer, so I turned him down when he called me, in Salt Lake, to offer me the job. He called because he was impressed with my work in his Honors New Testament class.
4. Not spending more time with my sister during my teen years.
4 Things I Wish I Could Do More Often:
1. Sing The Messiah.
2. Eat out with AML friends.
3. Go to movies in theaters.
4. Square dance.
4 Things That I Never Would Have Imagined Would Happen to Me:
1. I married a CURLY-HEADED BLONDE who LOVES SPORTS and I had FOUR BOYS NATURALLY and I live in THIS CITY. All very shocking. (Not to mention the other shocking places I’ve lived: Pocatello and Berkeley.)
2. I do yoga.
3. I’ve been on cruises (three going on four).
4. I have regular e-mail conversations with really fascinating people, some of whom are semi-famous, at least to a consumer of Mormon arts and thought such as myself.
4 People I Tag:
1. Mark B.
2. Jennifer B.
3. Angela (turnabout’s fair—after all, it’s a new list)
4. Kathy S.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Just Can't Get Enough . . . (cue Depeche Mode music)
We had a glorious rainstorm last night—the desert kind, with thunder and torrents and all. It’s still drizzling a little today but mostly the storm part is over. I love rainstorms. Maybe it’s because I grew up here, in the desert, and I just don’t see rain often enough. It seems to me that, unless the rain has ruined something important I’ve planned, I never feel like rainstorms last long enough. I always, always want more.
When I was a nanny in Pennsylvania (yes, I did that—did you know?) I encountered some Real Rainstorms. There’s nothing like a rainstorm back east, where the water comes down in buckets for hours and hours! Once I ran out and drenched myself to celebrate—and was surprised to discover that, unlike what happens here, when you drench yourself in a rainstorm back east you don’t get any COOLER. You just get wetter. It was really strange. Since it’s always humid there, the rain doesn’t feel any different than the wet air, really. Just wetter.
Anyway, I always want more rain.
Which has got me thinking about other things that I always want more of. Here’s a not-completely-inclusive list:
1. Truffles de France.
2. Education
3. Length of time in a nap. No kidding. It doesn’t matter how long I sleep, I always feel like I could have slept longer.
4. Songs on my Noteworthy Ladies album.
5. Popcorn at movie theaters.
6. Zerbits on P’s belly-button.
7. Jane Austen novels.
8. General Conference. I really do feel sad when it ends.
9. BYU. (Probably related to #2 above, but not necessarily.)
10. Time with my AML and Segullah friends.
11. Eating out.
12. Road trips.
13. Backrubs from hubby.
14. Free time in which I am not sleepy.
15. Grins, chuckles and all-out belly laughs from my kids.
There’s a part in C. S. Lewis’s Out of the Silent Planet (I think—it’s one of the books in that trilogy) in which the protagonist tastes some very amazing fruit. When he’s finished it his instinct is to reach for another one. Then he stops himself, feeling that it would be somehow immoral to take more than he needs. This part speaks to me because I know that instinct to always want more of a good thing. I like to imagine it’s biological, a sort of leftover from hunter-gatherer days. Maybe, though, it’s just an inheritance of the Natural Man. Whatever it is, I believe I should fight it, or rather live in tension with it (the way you use the tension of your legs against the water to keep you up when you waterski). Moderation is really one of the highest virtues, I believe. My yoga/meditation practice has helped me with this, as has my illness. I hope I can keep my more moderate habits intact as my body gets stronger and its old appetites return in full force.
So . . . what kinds of things do you feel like you could never get enough of?
When I was a nanny in Pennsylvania (yes, I did that—did you know?) I encountered some Real Rainstorms. There’s nothing like a rainstorm back east, where the water comes down in buckets for hours and hours! Once I ran out and drenched myself to celebrate—and was surprised to discover that, unlike what happens here, when you drench yourself in a rainstorm back east you don’t get any COOLER. You just get wetter. It was really strange. Since it’s always humid there, the rain doesn’t feel any different than the wet air, really. Just wetter.
Anyway, I always want more rain.
Which has got me thinking about other things that I always want more of. Here’s a not-completely-inclusive list:
1. Truffles de France.
2. Education
3. Length of time in a nap. No kidding. It doesn’t matter how long I sleep, I always feel like I could have slept longer.
4. Songs on my Noteworthy Ladies album.
5. Popcorn at movie theaters.
6. Zerbits on P’s belly-button.
7. Jane Austen novels.
8. General Conference. I really do feel sad when it ends.
9. BYU. (Probably related to #2 above, but not necessarily.)
10. Time with my AML and Segullah friends.
11. Eating out.
12. Road trips.
13. Backrubs from hubby.
14. Free time in which I am not sleepy.
15. Grins, chuckles and all-out belly laughs from my kids.
There’s a part in C. S. Lewis’s Out of the Silent Planet (I think—it’s one of the books in that trilogy) in which the protagonist tastes some very amazing fruit. When he’s finished it his instinct is to reach for another one. Then he stops himself, feeling that it would be somehow immoral to take more than he needs. This part speaks to me because I know that instinct to always want more of a good thing. I like to imagine it’s biological, a sort of leftover from hunter-gatherer days. Maybe, though, it’s just an inheritance of the Natural Man. Whatever it is, I believe I should fight it, or rather live in tension with it (the way you use the tension of your legs against the water to keep you up when you waterski). Moderation is really one of the highest virtues, I believe. My yoga/meditation practice has helped me with this, as has my illness. I hope I can keep my more moderate habits intact as my body gets stronger and its old appetites return in full force.
So . . . what kinds of things do you feel like you could never get enough of?
Thursday, April 12, 2007
tagged
I'm taking Jen's challenge.
Three Things That Scare Me:
1. swings, when I’m going really high
2. driving on icy roads
3. hubby’s habit of driving and operating his handheld at the same time
Three People Who Make Me Laugh:
in real life:
1. my dad
2. my sister-in-law Betsy
3. Segullah chics late at night (well, probably anyone late at night)
in my alternate cyber-existence:
1. cjane
2. jollyporter
3. eric snider
Three Things I Love:
1. Truffles de France
2. going to bed early with a good book
3. rainstorms
Three Things I Hate:
1. that whiny tattletale voice, “Mommmmmm!”
2. shopping
3. earaches
Three Things I Don’t Understand:
1. why people are habitually late
2. why people enjoy shopping
3. why anyone would watch horror movies on purpose
Three Things On My Desk:
1. a thesaurus
2. my latest rejection letter
3. a list of ideas for “Friend” stories
Three Things I’m Doing Right Now:
1. updating the Health Savings Account
2. hoping the kids’ Justice League video lasts a little longer
3. ignoring a headache
Three Things I Want To Do Before I Die:
1. publish a book of poetry
2. get an MFA
3. renew my teaching certificate
Three Things I Can Do:
1. sing several choruses from The Messiah fairly well
2. raise one eyebrow, wiggle one ear
3. recite “Pied Beauty”
Three Things I Can’t Do:
1. shop well
2. stay up past 10:30 with any comfort
3. drive the van towing the trailer without panic
Three Things I Think You Should Listen To:
1. Noteworthy Ladies
2. Sam Payne
3. dramatized The Lord of the Rings (BBC)
Three Things I’d Like To Learn:
1. Spanish
2. how to train for a half-marathon (and do it)
3. guitar
Three Favorite Foods:
1. Café Rio smothered burrito
2. homemade peach pie
3. popcorn with chocolate
Three Shows I Watched As A Kid:
1. Mickey Mouse Club (dream: to be a mousketeer)
2. The Facts of Life
3. Eight is Enough
Three Things I Regret:
1. being impatient or absent-minded with my kids
2. not taking the job offer to be Richard Lloyd Anderson’s research assistant at BYU
3. wasting time being bored during my summers when I was a teenager
Three Things That Scare Me:
1. swings, when I’m going really high
2. driving on icy roads
3. hubby’s habit of driving and operating his handheld at the same time
Three People Who Make Me Laugh:
in real life:
1. my dad
2. my sister-in-law Betsy
3. Segullah chics late at night (well, probably anyone late at night)
in my alternate cyber-existence:
1. cjane
2. jollyporter
3. eric snider
Three Things I Love:
1. Truffles de France
2. going to bed early with a good book
3. rainstorms
Three Things I Hate:
1. that whiny tattletale voice, “Mommmmmm!”
2. shopping
3. earaches
Three Things I Don’t Understand:
1. why people are habitually late
2. why people enjoy shopping
3. why anyone would watch horror movies on purpose
Three Things On My Desk:
1. a thesaurus
2. my latest rejection letter
3. a list of ideas for “Friend” stories
Three Things I’m Doing Right Now:
1. updating the Health Savings Account
2. hoping the kids’ Justice League video lasts a little longer
3. ignoring a headache
Three Things I Want To Do Before I Die:
1. publish a book of poetry
2. get an MFA
3. renew my teaching certificate
Three Things I Can Do:
1. sing several choruses from The Messiah fairly well
2. raise one eyebrow, wiggle one ear
3. recite “Pied Beauty”
Three Things I Can’t Do:
1. shop well
2. stay up past 10:30 with any comfort
3. drive the van towing the trailer without panic
Three Things I Think You Should Listen To:
1. Noteworthy Ladies
2. Sam Payne
3. dramatized The Lord of the Rings (BBC)
Three Things I’d Like To Learn:
1. Spanish
2. how to train for a half-marathon (and do it)
3. guitar
Three Favorite Foods:
1. Café Rio smothered burrito
2. homemade peach pie
3. popcorn with chocolate
Three Shows I Watched As A Kid:
1. Mickey Mouse Club (dream: to be a mousketeer)
2. The Facts of Life
3. Eight is Enough
Three Things I Regret:
1. being impatient or absent-minded with my kids
2. not taking the job offer to be Richard Lloyd Anderson’s research assistant at BYU
3. wasting time being bored during my summers when I was a teenager
Monday, January 15, 2007
Re-reads
Continuing my lists of favorite things, today we have Books Part II. (I'm not sure yet how many chapters we'll have in this book section. How can I condense a lifetime of reading joy into one list? Or two?)
Anyway, here's a list of books that I re-read. It doesn't mean that these are my only favorites, but just that these are the ones I return to every year or two or five. Now, I have heard some people say with amazement, "Why do you re-read? I would never re-read. There's too much good stuff out there!" And my answer to this is, "Do you ever go back to a favorite restaurant? Play a favorite cd more than once? Return to a favorite vacation destination?" There's something to be said for familiarity, for the warm feelings you get when you revisit a place that you've been happy in. That's one reason I re-read. Another is that of course my appreciation for a work deepens every time I re-encounter it. It frees me to pick up on things I missed, makes the experience richer.
So here are some of my old friends, in no particular order (and leaving out the LDS ones I re-read because I mentioned them earlier):
The Book of Mormon
The Great Divorce (and Narnia books) by C. S. Lewis
Selected Journals of L. M. Montgomery
Lying Awake by Mark Saltzman
Bring Me a Unicorn and other journals of Anne Morrow Lindbergh (can't stand Gifts of the Sea, though. Too self-conscious. I don't mind it in the journals.)
Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion by Jane Austen
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
The Chosen, My Name is Asher Lev, and The Gift of Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
A Room With a View by E. M. Forster
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Romantic Obsessions and Humiliations of Annie Selmeier by Louise Plummer
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster
The All Creatures Great and Small series by James Herriot
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Joy in the Morning by Betty Green
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Books that I haven't re-read yet but plan to, and regularly:
Poisonwood Bible by Barbra Kingsolver
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
I Heard the Owl Call My Name
Travelling Mercies by Anne LaMottGilead by Marilynne Robinson
Anyway, here's a list of books that I re-read. It doesn't mean that these are my only favorites, but just that these are the ones I return to every year or two or five. Now, I have heard some people say with amazement, "Why do you re-read? I would never re-read. There's too much good stuff out there!" And my answer to this is, "Do you ever go back to a favorite restaurant? Play a favorite cd more than once? Return to a favorite vacation destination?" There's something to be said for familiarity, for the warm feelings you get when you revisit a place that you've been happy in. That's one reason I re-read. Another is that of course my appreciation for a work deepens every time I re-encounter it. It frees me to pick up on things I missed, makes the experience richer.
So here are some of my old friends, in no particular order (and leaving out the LDS ones I re-read because I mentioned them earlier):
The Book of Mormon
The Great Divorce (and Narnia books) by C. S. Lewis
Selected Journals of L. M. Montgomery
Lying Awake by Mark Saltzman
Bring Me a Unicorn and other journals of Anne Morrow Lindbergh (can't stand Gifts of the Sea, though. Too self-conscious. I don't mind it in the journals.)
Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion by Jane Austen
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
The Chosen, My Name is Asher Lev, and The Gift of Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
A Room With a View by E. M. Forster
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Romantic Obsessions and Humiliations of Annie Selmeier by Louise Plummer
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster
The All Creatures Great and Small series by James Herriot
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Joy in the Morning by Betty Green
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Books that I haven't re-read yet but plan to, and regularly:
Poisonwood Bible by Barbra Kingsolver
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
I Heard the Owl Call My Name
Travelling Mercies by Anne LaMottGilead by Marilynne Robinson
Friday, December 22, 2006
Even More Favorite Things
Even More of My Favorite Things . . .
First of all, thank you to everyone who reads this blog and comments, either here or in private e-mails to me. I appreciate knowing that you care about me. It's been an extremely difficult couple of months and I have felt blessed by your support.
And now, another exciting episode of "My Favorite Things."
I've put this one off because it is so darn difficult—nay, impossible—to get a booklover to narrow down her favorite reads to something manageable. So I've decided to divide up my list of books worth mentioning. Today's category is "Entertaining LDS Books."
CAUTION: because I mention a book here as being one of my all-time most entertaining reads does NOT mean that it will be entertaining for YOU. I find that people are especially sensitive and opinionated when it comes to reading something by or about Mormons. My listing a book here does NOT mean that I recommend it to you. Some of these books could be very disturbing to some people for one reason or another. We all have different tastes. (I myself was very uncomfortable with "The Work and the Glory," for example—not because of anything inherently bad about it but because of my tastes and background as a reader. And yet there are people I highly recommend it to. You see what I mean.)
I apologize for having to give this caution, but among the people who read this blog and care about me is a wide variety of reading taste and experience. I don't want to offend anyone. If any of these titles catches your interest, ask me and I'll tell you whether I think you in particular would like it.
I've thought a lot about the word "entertaining." Notice that I make no claims that these are the BEST LDS books in my opinion. Just that they are the most entertaining to me. But I find that I require certain things from a book in order to consider it entertaining to me, and the same criteria very probably might be used when I judge its value. That is, I am not entertained by a book which has simply a great plot--at least, I am not AS entertained by it as I am when the book seems to have something more to it, including fascinating characters and a certain resonating truth. So what entertains one person depends a lot on her reading expertise and background. My point is that I am not entertained by books that simply distract me.
So here we go . . . Darlene's most entertaining LDS reads:
1. Neal Chandler's collection of short stories, Benediction. My all-time favorite. I wish I had written most of these stories. Absolutely bowls me over. Favorites: "The Last Nephite" and "Benediction." A hilarious, touching, sometimes satirical look at Mormon culture. Some difficult elements.
2. The other one I wish I had written: a play by Josh Brady called Great Gardens. You can find it in an issue of BYU Studies. I adore this play about a family who goes out to eat at a restaurant called Great Gardens. Included in this family are an overly-controlling mother, a recently returned sister missionary who has gained a few pounds, and several other fantastic characters.
3. Well, if we're going to mention plays, I can't neglect how much I enjoy just about anything by Eric Samuelson, a playwright and professor at BYU. Also, I think Scott Bronson's play Stones is groundbreaking in the genre of LDS theater, besides being breathtaking.
4. Can't leave out The Backslider by Levi Peterson. Again, this one comes with a strong caution. It's a highly religious book, but also disturbing to less-experienced or highly-sensitive readers.
5. I loved Virginia Sorensen's The Evening and the Morning. Also Maureen Whipple's The Giant Joshua. Both are long, slow reads, highly character-driven.
6. Getting away from fiction for a second, Orson Scott Card's essay collection, A Storyteller in Zion is incredibly thought-provoking, and Louise Plummer's Thoughts of a Grasshopper is hilarious and moving. Also, any essay collection by Eugene England. My favorite essay of his is "Why the church is as true as the gospel." I also enjoy any essay I can find by Tessa Meier Santiago, but she hasn't published a collection (yet!) and so her essays are tricky to find.
7. Don Marshall's The Rummage Sale is worth reading because it was ground-breaking. (It's also very entertaining.) John Bennion's Breeding Leah and other Stories blew my mind—I was only just barely old enough to read it, I think. Disturbing and moving.
8. A more mild read, one that I can recommend to everyone, is Donald Smurthwaite's Fine Old High Priests. A very sweet, gentle book told with love for the church and its culture. I cannot for the life of me figure out why this book didn't make a bigger splash. It seems perfect for the market that I believe is being underserved by Deseret Book and Covenant--readers who demand more filling reads than most of what these publishers produce, but who want to be able to trust that the book will be optimistic and faithful. I spoke to a DB editor a few months ago and she was also as depressed and perplexed as I was at how poorly this book did.
9. I loved Douglas Thayer's Under the Cottonwoods, also a short story collection.
10. Orson Scott Card's Alvin books are very Mormon without ever being outwardly religious. The first one is Seventh Son. I remember my joy when I first read Seventh Son. I had not known a person could write about religion like this. Amazing.
A few non-Mormon books that I think are important for people who are interested in writing from a religious standpoint (and all are very enjoyable):
1. Death Comes for the Archbishop, by Willa Cather. Beautiful.
2. Kaaterskill Falls by Allegra Goodman. A must-read for people interested in writing from within a religious worldview about real people in that culture who happen to have problems.
3. The Ladies' Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis. Ditto the above, only this one is even better. I wish I had written this. It could totally take place within an LDS ward relief society.
4. My Name is Asher Lev and The Gift of Asher Lev by Chaim Potok. Potok is often pointed to by Mormons who want to write about Mormonism for the general market, but I think he is a problematic example since his characters are often on the edge of their communities instead of solidly inside it. (We have enough "edgy" Mormon stuff. I'd like to see more high-quality "inside" stuff.)
5. Lying Awake by Mark Saltzman. This book spoke to me deeply about faith and my own testimony.
6. Gilead by Marilyn Robinson. Definitely on my re-read list because one reading won't do it.
7. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger.
By the way, it's odd to me that I can recommend any of the preceding 7 non-Mormon books to any reader without reservation. Some of them might move a little slow if you usually read Tom Clancy, for example, but none of them will be disturbing to you. Weird that I have to give greater caution about the LDS ones. I think we're all just a little more defensive and sensitive when we know the writer or subject is LDS.
So, tell me what you think. Do you have any favorite LDS-ish books you'd like to mention? Comments on mine?
First of all, thank you to everyone who reads this blog and comments, either here or in private e-mails to me. I appreciate knowing that you care about me. It's been an extremely difficult couple of months and I have felt blessed by your support.
And now, another exciting episode of "My Favorite Things."
I've put this one off because it is so darn difficult—nay, impossible—to get a booklover to narrow down her favorite reads to something manageable. So I've decided to divide up my list of books worth mentioning. Today's category is "Entertaining LDS Books."
CAUTION: because I mention a book here as being one of my all-time most entertaining reads does NOT mean that it will be entertaining for YOU. I find that people are especially sensitive and opinionated when it comes to reading something by or about Mormons. My listing a book here does NOT mean that I recommend it to you. Some of these books could be very disturbing to some people for one reason or another. We all have different tastes. (I myself was very uncomfortable with "The Work and the Glory," for example—not because of anything inherently bad about it but because of my tastes and background as a reader. And yet there are people I highly recommend it to. You see what I mean.)
I apologize for having to give this caution, but among the people who read this blog and care about me is a wide variety of reading taste and experience. I don't want to offend anyone. If any of these titles catches your interest, ask me and I'll tell you whether I think you in particular would like it.
I've thought a lot about the word "entertaining." Notice that I make no claims that these are the BEST LDS books in my opinion. Just that they are the most entertaining to me. But I find that I require certain things from a book in order to consider it entertaining to me, and the same criteria very probably might be used when I judge its value. That is, I am not entertained by a book which has simply a great plot--at least, I am not AS entertained by it as I am when the book seems to have something more to it, including fascinating characters and a certain resonating truth. So what entertains one person depends a lot on her reading expertise and background. My point is that I am not entertained by books that simply distract me.
So here we go . . . Darlene's most entertaining LDS reads:
1. Neal Chandler's collection of short stories, Benediction. My all-time favorite. I wish I had written most of these stories. Absolutely bowls me over. Favorites: "The Last Nephite" and "Benediction." A hilarious, touching, sometimes satirical look at Mormon culture. Some difficult elements.
2. The other one I wish I had written: a play by Josh Brady called Great Gardens. You can find it in an issue of BYU Studies. I adore this play about a family who goes out to eat at a restaurant called Great Gardens. Included in this family are an overly-controlling mother, a recently returned sister missionary who has gained a few pounds, and several other fantastic characters.
3. Well, if we're going to mention plays, I can't neglect how much I enjoy just about anything by Eric Samuelson, a playwright and professor at BYU. Also, I think Scott Bronson's play Stones is groundbreaking in the genre of LDS theater, besides being breathtaking.
4. Can't leave out The Backslider by Levi Peterson. Again, this one comes with a strong caution. It's a highly religious book, but also disturbing to less-experienced or highly-sensitive readers.
5. I loved Virginia Sorensen's The Evening and the Morning. Also Maureen Whipple's The Giant Joshua. Both are long, slow reads, highly character-driven.
6. Getting away from fiction for a second, Orson Scott Card's essay collection, A Storyteller in Zion is incredibly thought-provoking, and Louise Plummer's Thoughts of a Grasshopper is hilarious and moving. Also, any essay collection by Eugene England. My favorite essay of his is "Why the church is as true as the gospel." I also enjoy any essay I can find by Tessa Meier Santiago, but she hasn't published a collection (yet!) and so her essays are tricky to find.
7. Don Marshall's The Rummage Sale is worth reading because it was ground-breaking. (It's also very entertaining.) John Bennion's Breeding Leah and other Stories blew my mind—I was only just barely old enough to read it, I think. Disturbing and moving.
8. A more mild read, one that I can recommend to everyone, is Donald Smurthwaite's Fine Old High Priests. A very sweet, gentle book told with love for the church and its culture. I cannot for the life of me figure out why this book didn't make a bigger splash. It seems perfect for the market that I believe is being underserved by Deseret Book and Covenant--readers who demand more filling reads than most of what these publishers produce, but who want to be able to trust that the book will be optimistic and faithful. I spoke to a DB editor a few months ago and she was also as depressed and perplexed as I was at how poorly this book did.
9. I loved Douglas Thayer's Under the Cottonwoods, also a short story collection.
10. Orson Scott Card's Alvin books are very Mormon without ever being outwardly religious. The first one is Seventh Son. I remember my joy when I first read Seventh Son. I had not known a person could write about religion like this. Amazing.
A few non-Mormon books that I think are important for people who are interested in writing from a religious standpoint (and all are very enjoyable):
1. Death Comes for the Archbishop, by Willa Cather. Beautiful.
2. Kaaterskill Falls by Allegra Goodman. A must-read for people interested in writing from within a religious worldview about real people in that culture who happen to have problems.
3. The Ladies' Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis. Ditto the above, only this one is even better. I wish I had written this. It could totally take place within an LDS ward relief society.
4. My Name is Asher Lev and The Gift of Asher Lev by Chaim Potok. Potok is often pointed to by Mormons who want to write about Mormonism for the general market, but I think he is a problematic example since his characters are often on the edge of their communities instead of solidly inside it. (We have enough "edgy" Mormon stuff. I'd like to see more high-quality "inside" stuff.)
5. Lying Awake by Mark Saltzman. This book spoke to me deeply about faith and my own testimony.
6. Gilead by Marilyn Robinson. Definitely on my re-read list because one reading won't do it.
7. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger.
By the way, it's odd to me that I can recommend any of the preceding 7 non-Mormon books to any reader without reservation. Some of them might move a little slow if you usually read Tom Clancy, for example, but none of them will be disturbing to you. Weird that I have to give greater caution about the LDS ones. I think we're all just a little more defensive and sensitive when we know the writer or subject is LDS.
So, tell me what you think. Do you have any favorite LDS-ish books you'd like to mention? Comments on mine?
Friday, December 15, 2006
More Favorite Things: Food
My father is an amazing cook. Besides being able to create delicious concoctions and make all my old favorites perfectly every time, he has two very special additional talents in the kitchen:
1.) He can make delicious meals when there is no food in the house. Really. You'll think there is nothing in your refrigerator worth eating and he will disappear into the kitchen and come out with entire meals that start your mouth watering with just the sight of them. ("Because, if it doesn't look good, it doesn't taste good!"= his famous saying.)
2.) He has this uncanny ability to nourish you emotionally while feeding you physically. I have vibrant memories of the times, particularly when I was a teenager, when I would come home, world-weary and depressed, and mope around the house, not feeling like eating because "nothing sounds good." He would disappear into the kitchen and then place before me food—a french dip sandwich, maybe, or terriyaki stir fry—something that somehow absolutely hit the spot. After eating, I always felt the world looked a lot better and much more worth living in.
Thanks, Dad!
Wish I had inherited his talent. Far, far from it, I'm afraid. But now that we're on the subject of food, let's share a few favorites.
1. Salads:
Olive Garden, with breadsticks.
Anita's Chinese chicken salad.
Jennilyn's Cafe Rio salad.
Allison's frito salad.
Bacon-spinach salad with poppy seed dressing and fresh parmesan.
2. Drinks:
Water is always my favorite. But here are a few others I love:
Mark Newman's homemade egg nog.
Marjorie's firecracker punch.
Steamed milk with a shot of hazlenut flavoring (I miss you, Berkeley).
Olive Garden's chocolate-almond ice cream drink (Chocolate Amore).
3. Breads:
Olive Garden's breadsticks, but only when they're VERY fresh.
Dipping bread at Johnny Carrino's.
Honey-wheat from Great Harvest or Winder Dairy.
My mother's homemade french bread.
Rhode's white rolls.
4. Desserts:
I could never list them all, but I have to mention Sharlee's chocolate cake, which I discovered this year. Heaven!
5. Cafe Rio:
(Of course it deserves its own category!)
Pinto bean and rice burrito, smothered enchilada-style with their green sauce.
I think I'd better stop there. It's lunch time and I'm starving.
What are some of your favorites?
1.) He can make delicious meals when there is no food in the house. Really. You'll think there is nothing in your refrigerator worth eating and he will disappear into the kitchen and come out with entire meals that start your mouth watering with just the sight of them. ("Because, if it doesn't look good, it doesn't taste good!"= his famous saying.)
2.) He has this uncanny ability to nourish you emotionally while feeding you physically. I have vibrant memories of the times, particularly when I was a teenager, when I would come home, world-weary and depressed, and mope around the house, not feeling like eating because "nothing sounds good." He would disappear into the kitchen and then place before me food—a french dip sandwich, maybe, or terriyaki stir fry—something that somehow absolutely hit the spot. After eating, I always felt the world looked a lot better and much more worth living in.
Thanks, Dad!
Wish I had inherited his talent. Far, far from it, I'm afraid. But now that we're on the subject of food, let's share a few favorites.
1. Salads:
Olive Garden, with breadsticks.
Anita's Chinese chicken salad.
Jennilyn's Cafe Rio salad.
Allison's frito salad.
Bacon-spinach salad with poppy seed dressing and fresh parmesan.
2. Drinks:
Water is always my favorite. But here are a few others I love:
Mark Newman's homemade egg nog.
Marjorie's firecracker punch.
Steamed milk with a shot of hazlenut flavoring (I miss you, Berkeley).
Olive Garden's chocolate-almond ice cream drink (Chocolate Amore).
3. Breads:
Olive Garden's breadsticks, but only when they're VERY fresh.
Dipping bread at Johnny Carrino's.
Honey-wheat from Great Harvest or Winder Dairy.
My mother's homemade french bread.
Rhode's white rolls.
4. Desserts:
I could never list them all, but I have to mention Sharlee's chocolate cake, which I discovered this year. Heaven!
5. Cafe Rio:
(Of course it deserves its own category!)
Pinto bean and rice burrito, smothered enchilada-style with their green sauce.
I think I'd better stop there. It's lunch time and I'm starving.
What are some of your favorites?
Sunday, December 10, 2006
. . . a few of my favorite things
When I was a kid, back in the old days before VCR's (can you hear my rocking chair creaking?), we would eagerly anticipate Christmas time because of the Christmas specials on TV. I loved Rudolph and Grinch and Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, but the big favorite at our house was The Sound of Music, which always came on around the holidays. Mom would pop a huge bowl of popcorn and we would get to stay up late to watch it clear until the end. (That reminds me. At a wedding shower once people were sharing in-law horror stories and one of my friends said that HER in-laws would pop a big bowl of popcorn and pass it around—and when each person got the bowl he or she would stick his or her TONGUE INTO THE BOWL TO GET OUT A BITE OF POPCORN!!!!!!! I think this person won the prize for craziest in-laws. But I digress.)
Well, I was going to be Liesl when I grew up. I memorized "I am Sixteen Going on Seventeen" and all of the choreography to that song. And once I was sixteen I actually did find me a boyfriend who was seventeen-going-on-eighteen, but he thought that movie was cheesy and never would sing the song with me. Cheesy? Sound of Music, cheesy? Dumb guy. (By the way, this particular ex turned out "very ill; very ill indeed." No wonder.)
ANYWAY, the fact that this movie came on during the holidays must be the reason that someone decided that "A Few of My Favorite Things" is a Christmas song. So, in honor of the season, I propose that we discuss a few of our favorite things here.
I'll start.
Theme #1: Smells.
I have been thinking about smell lately because I am going to have sinus surgery this week. I have always had a very sensitive nose, and although that is often a bad thing to have, it is sometimes a blessing. I'm amazed at how clearly scenes can come back to me when I smell familiar smells. The smell of the fog machine at dance clubs, for instance. Or the smell of the black leather coat that a guy I once dated wore (NOT the dumb anti-cheesy guy; THIS guy actually knew all the words to every song in Sound of Music AND could hold my hand just right as I leapt from park bench to park bench). Or hospital soap. Such memories! I wonder if the part of our brain that processes smells is close to the emotional center.
Here are a few of my favorite smells:
1. Coffee. I love the smell of coffee. I think it's because that smell means that I'm in an airport or hotel or on a cruise--travelling somewhere fun.
2. Sprinklers hitting the cement in summer.
3. Onions cooking. (Also all the usual good cooking smells like bread baking and chocolate cake and wassail and garlic bread.)
4. The pear/raspberry lotion that someone gave me when I was post-partum.
5. Jergens lotion (means Mom to me)
6. Wet sagebrush.
7. The cheap purple "fabuloso" cleaner that the hispanic housecleaner used in the house where I was employed as a nanny.
8. Campfire. Also, bacon cooking over said campfire in the morning. Also, the camper and the kerosene lantern and everything else to do with camping (except the porta-potty).
9. Old book smell.
10. The fennel that grew in the student housing complex in Berkeley.
Now it's your turn. What are your favorite smells?
Well, I was going to be Liesl when I grew up. I memorized "I am Sixteen Going on Seventeen" and all of the choreography to that song. And once I was sixteen I actually did find me a boyfriend who was seventeen-going-on-eighteen, but he thought that movie was cheesy and never would sing the song with me. Cheesy? Sound of Music, cheesy? Dumb guy. (By the way, this particular ex turned out "very ill; very ill indeed." No wonder.)
ANYWAY, the fact that this movie came on during the holidays must be the reason that someone decided that "A Few of My Favorite Things" is a Christmas song. So, in honor of the season, I propose that we discuss a few of our favorite things here.
I'll start.
Theme #1: Smells.
I have been thinking about smell lately because I am going to have sinus surgery this week. I have always had a very sensitive nose, and although that is often a bad thing to have, it is sometimes a blessing. I'm amazed at how clearly scenes can come back to me when I smell familiar smells. The smell of the fog machine at dance clubs, for instance. Or the smell of the black leather coat that a guy I once dated wore (NOT the dumb anti-cheesy guy; THIS guy actually knew all the words to every song in Sound of Music AND could hold my hand just right as I leapt from park bench to park bench). Or hospital soap. Such memories! I wonder if the part of our brain that processes smells is close to the emotional center.
Here are a few of my favorite smells:
1. Coffee. I love the smell of coffee. I think it's because that smell means that I'm in an airport or hotel or on a cruise--travelling somewhere fun.
2. Sprinklers hitting the cement in summer.
3. Onions cooking. (Also all the usual good cooking smells like bread baking and chocolate cake and wassail and garlic bread.)
4. The pear/raspberry lotion that someone gave me when I was post-partum.
5. Jergens lotion (means Mom to me)
6. Wet sagebrush.
7. The cheap purple "fabuloso" cleaner that the hispanic housecleaner used in the house where I was employed as a nanny.
8. Campfire. Also, bacon cooking over said campfire in the morning. Also, the camper and the kerosene lantern and everything else to do with camping (except the porta-potty).
9. Old book smell.
10. The fennel that grew in the student housing complex in Berkeley.
Now it's your turn. What are your favorite smells?
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Tagged
I've been tagged.
I'm not exactly sure how it works. I'm assuming I get to make up my own categories. So here goes:
5 Contemporary Writers Who Have Changed My Worldview
Annie Dillard
Neal Chandler
Carol Lynn Pearson
Orson Scott Card
Barbara Kingsolver
5 Favorite Books I’ve Discovered in the Past Five Years
The Ladies’ Auxiliary
Gilead
The Evening and the Morning
Lying Awake
Discoveries (LDS Women’s poetry)
5 TV Shows that I have watched more than once in the past year
West Wing
The Red Green Show
General Conference
Olympics coverage
Masterpiece Theater
5 Things I hope to have in the next life
Long, curly hair
A beautiful solo voice
Good posture
Unlimited time to read
Second chances in some relationships
5 Talents and interests I sadly lack
Gardening
Quilting, Sewing
Anything with the internet
Scrapbooking
Home Decorating
5 New things in my life this year
Segullah
Knitting
Writing picture books
Yoga
blogging
5 Funky Facts About Me
I can wiggle one ear, raise my eyebrows individually, and wiggle my nose three different ways.
I’ve bungee-jumped.
I’ve delivered all of my children without anesthesia. (One of them without my husband present, too. Not, of course, on purpose.)
I love to travel but hate visiting tourist sites. (I spent five minutes looking at the Grand Canyon.)
I got up the first time I tried water-skiing on one ski. (It was the kiss for luck that did it.)
5 Jobs I’ve Had
Full-time Nanny in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Food-worker at Orange Julius (yes, in brown polyester)
Cleaning the Cougar Stadium after football games
ZCMI
Technical Writer
5 Combinations I like to eat in the same bite
Turkey gravy on peas
Roast beef gravy on cottage cheese
Chocolate chips and peanut-butter
Yogurt with almonds
Gooey brownies with popcorn
I'm not exactly sure how it works. I'm assuming I get to make up my own categories. So here goes:
5 Contemporary Writers Who Have Changed My Worldview
Annie Dillard
Neal Chandler
Carol Lynn Pearson
Orson Scott Card
Barbara Kingsolver
5 Favorite Books I’ve Discovered in the Past Five Years
The Ladies’ Auxiliary
Gilead
The Evening and the Morning
Lying Awake
Discoveries (LDS Women’s poetry)
5 TV Shows that I have watched more than once in the past year
West Wing
The Red Green Show
General Conference
Olympics coverage
Masterpiece Theater
5 Things I hope to have in the next life
Long, curly hair
A beautiful solo voice
Good posture
Unlimited time to read
Second chances in some relationships
5 Talents and interests I sadly lack
Gardening
Quilting, Sewing
Anything with the internet
Scrapbooking
Home Decorating
5 New things in my life this year
Segullah
Knitting
Writing picture books
Yoga
blogging
5 Funky Facts About Me
I can wiggle one ear, raise my eyebrows individually, and wiggle my nose three different ways.
I’ve bungee-jumped.
I’ve delivered all of my children without anesthesia. (One of them without my husband present, too. Not, of course, on purpose.)
I love to travel but hate visiting tourist sites. (I spent five minutes looking at the Grand Canyon.)
I got up the first time I tried water-skiing on one ski. (It was the kiss for luck that did it.)
5 Jobs I’ve Had
Full-time Nanny in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Food-worker at Orange Julius (yes, in brown polyester)
Cleaning the Cougar Stadium after football games
ZCMI
Technical Writer
5 Combinations I like to eat in the same bite
Turkey gravy on peas
Roast beef gravy on cottage cheese
Chocolate chips and peanut-butter
Yogurt with almonds
Gooey brownies with popcorn
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