FI-
nally!
Oreneta at
Oreneta Aground sent over the
Premio Dardos award on March 7, and I am
just now getting around to following the rules. Better late than never, I hope.
The Premio Dardos award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his or her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day. It works like this:
Step 1: Respond and rework — answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
Step 2: Tag other
bloggers to do the same.
So here goes,
at last!
What are you wearing right now? Khakis and a red shirt, no shoes (it's lovely here today after a night and morning of rain, with a slight cooling trend that puts temps in the 70's), and glasses (taking a break from my contacts).
What part of your house never gets cleaned? The inside. (Not really, but I was
absolutely born to have a housekeeper. Not that I'm likely to ever have one. I find I do my best cleaning as an advanced form of procrastination. Or when company's coming.)
Do you nap a lot? No, hardly ever. Alas. Even Sunday usually winds up nap-less, despite my good intentions.
Who is the last person you hugged? C.S., of course.
What websites do you visit when you go online? NPR for news, CNN for trashy news, the bank and other "business" sites, 2 e-mail accounts, the blogs I follow, Boston.com for Red
Sox news,
Paperbackswap.com, and sites for whatever else I'm interested in at the time. Google is my friend.
What was the last item you bought? I just returned from the grocery store and the receipt shows it was bleach. But I also picked up 3 quarts of local strawberries for $5.00, so it's guess what for dessert tonight?
What’s the last book you read? The Brothers K, by David James Duncan. (I loved it, and someday I may even post a review.) And I'm within sight of the end of
Dark Night of the Soul . . . thank God! That one has been like a walk through the valley of the shadow of death, believe me.
If you could go to the Oscars, who would you want to sit next to? H
mmm. This is a tough one. I'm going to say Joanne Woodward, if possible. She seems very kind, very smart, very strong, and not caught up in the whole Hollywood thing, despite her prodigious talent. I bet we'd have a lovely time.
Has a celebrity’s hair cut ever influenced your own hairstyle? Yes, I think Julie Andrews looks stunning in extremely short hair and periodically cut all mine off like hers. I don't look anywhere near stunning and get bored easily, so it's only a matter of weeks before I decide to grow it out again.
What is one skill you wish you had, but don’t? Too many to list! But one of the big ones is just getting started on things, without worrying so much at the outset about how it will turn out. I tend to over-think.
What was the last movie you watched? "Wall-E." I dragged C.S. to it over the summer and we both liked it very much. I almost saw "Frost/Nixon" but when it came time to buy the ticket, decided I didn't really feel like it that day, and then when I was in the mood for the movies again, it was already gone from the theater.
What is the luckiest thing that ever happened to you? I've had a lot of good luck in my life, but have to start with the chance to be a step-mom and bring up two wonderful girls (both grown-ups now and still family, even though I'm not married to their dad anymore).
If you had a whole day to yourself with no work, commitments or interruptions, what would you do? I just might stay in bed all day and read a book. Am I the only person in the world who thinks there is an upside to having a touch of the flu, because you have the perfect excuse to check out for a day or two?
Is there a major goal you have that you haven’t yet achieved? I secretly want to write the Great American Novel. Not that I'm doing anything about that.
What is something that those in blogland might not know about you? Plenty of stuff. One thing I can clear up right now: I don't have a t.v.
What is something about you that might shock or surprise your friends? I sometimes read
People magazine. I don't
buy it--I have my standards--but I do enjoy reading it in a waiting room or at the gym. How else am I going to stay current on
Brangelina and
Dancing with the Stars without a t.v.?
What countries have you visited as an adult? England, France, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy, all in one 6-week whirlwind tour when I was too young to appreciate them. Russia, for a week at New Year's when it was 49 below zero and still Communist. Fascinating country. Most recently: Canada.
What do you do to relieve stress? Read, sleep, practice yoga, blog, snuggle with the cat (not necessarily in that order!). I've also been known to down a shot of alcohol--
purely for medicinal purposes--when I have trouble falling asleep.
If you could change one physical trait about you what would it be? I would have long legs and be naturally, effortlessly slender, instead of being long-waisted and naturally shaped like a fruit (pear, trending toward apple).
As this is supposed to be a cultural award, what is the most recent piece of painting or sculpture that really impressed you? One of Michelangelo's Holy Family paintings (not sure which one, but the Baby Jesus is pulling Mary's hair). I noticed the pyramid shape of the composition and was reminded that Michelangelo thought of himself as a sculptor, not a painter. But he still managed to paint some masterpieces.
What are three of the things you like best about yourself? I am usually pretty good at putting people at ease, even strangers in awkward social situations. I'm naturally a decent writer, and my writing skills are still improving. And . . . my hair's natural color looks like an expensive highlight job. (With a milestone birthday staring me down this year, that's nothing to scoff at.)
Now I'm supposed to tag people but the tagging thing is too much like a chain letter, so how about if y'all just tag yourselves? If you're in, leave a comment so I know you're participating. I promise I'll visit and read what you write!
