The Interview

Mary the Teach over at Work of the Poet is interviewing some of her regular visitors who have volunteered to answer questions. Do take the opportunity to read the interviews as she knows some truly fascinating people. That makes it a true honor that she wanted to interview me when I said I was willing. The questions change for each person so here are mine.

1.If I were to ask your best friend to describe you, what would he/she say?

First is always, "When I need to know something, anything, you are the first person I call." This is something in the way of being the bane of my existence. I'm always flattered combined with being mildly peeved. Somewhere along the line, I got a reputation for being a walking encyclopedia and every body's "I'd like to phone a friend", and almost all phone calls start with, "Do you know .... ". Hey folks, call me every once in awhile just to say "Hi" .. then ask the question.

Second, that I will go anywhere at the drop of a phone call to help a friend if needed. This may explain why there are so few people that I truly think of as "friend", and finally that I am always, always early everywhere. If you don't want to get caught in your slip and prefer to have me arrive "fashionably late", give me a start time one hour after everyone else.

2. Do you get to spend a lot of time with family? Who in particular?

I have lived with my son and grandson for the past five years, so I see them every day. Other than that I speak to my daughter once a week and see her once a year and we have lived together in the past. That is about it for the relatives. My mother passed away when I was 17 and my dad in 1981. All of the aunts are now gone and the cousins are more Christmas Card companions than anything else.

3. What would you serve at a casual get-together of friends at you home?

If they were invited for dinner, then it would be lasagna, a nice green salad, good crusty bread, and a hearty red wine. I truly like to just cook in advance and then just sit down, pass around, and have fun.

4. What have you read lately? What are you reading now?

For years I have promised myself that I would FINALLY read Anthony Powell's, "A Dance To the Music of Time". I just finished Spring and now I'm on to Summer with Autumn and Winter yet to go. All of these will get interspersed with other books and right now I'm lusting after Peter Matthiessen's "Shadow Country", winner of the 2008 National Book Award for fiction.

5. Have you ever had, or do you have now, a role model?

This is going to sound a little strange, but yes and Louisa May Alcott created her or was her. I'll expand a little on this at a later date for a planned blog article, but due to circumstances I was raised in almost total silence. Except for music and my books, I could go for days without speaking a word to another human being. As a result the characters in books became family and Jo from "Little Women", "Little Men" and "Jo's Boys" and a blend of Rose and Phoebe from "Eight Cousins" and "Rose In Bloom" were where I went for guidance and companionship. If I some time's come across as a blend of Victorian sensibilities and rather wild adventurousness willing to try anything, blame it on them.

Oh Drat!!!

I passed along the "Sexy Reader" award to Mary at Work of the Poet and forgot to include an instruction. "Don't put up anything I might want to read!". Well, she put up a little paragraph that is so descriptive that you think you are standing next to the woman thinking and saying to yourself, "I know that lady". Now I'm stuck with, "What happens next?".

Anyway, drop by and visit Mary if only because she has put up her Christmas decorations, and the place is absolutely lovely.

How Long Has This Been Going On?

I've been aware of "memes" for a long because of taking part in the weekly Manic Monday invented by the marvelous Mo. Then there are the times when Her Royal Highness, the Queen of Memes residing at of Bloggingham Castle over at Mimi Writes often sees fit to drop her bejeweled scepter on my tender brow while issuing a royal decree.

Just for the record, those darn diamonds hurt.

Yesterday, I invented a simple little meme. Who knew that lurkers would drop out of wherever lurkers live and say, "Okay, I'll do that." Not only is there a feeling of accomplishment, but you get to chat with people who haven't spoken up before. It gives you an excuse to run out and discover some very nice blogs on the winding road of the Internet.

Keith Marshall over at Zen Mischief did it first and gives you a real idea of the power of the Internet. Tell me how in my non virtual life would I be likely to chat with a chemical engineer living in London who reads Anthony Powell? Just the titles of some of his blog articles are fascinating and will tickle your funny bone while giving your IQ a hefty boost, so do yourself a favor and drop in for a visit.

Next up was Hagar's Daughters who is almost a polar opposite of Keith. Her personal description of her blog says it all: For women who find themselves at the well...praying, crying, dancing, & pondering (& the men who join them there). She is a chaplain born in Louisiana now living in Los Angeles. If you need a dose of humor, confidence, courage, or just plain down home wisdom, this is the place to go.

One of my absolute favorite bloggers, Mary The Teach, over at Work of the Poet is jumping in on this one. If you like dropping in on a trusted friend to chat about anything and everything, this is the place to go simply because you never know what has captured her interest. She might as well hang up a sign reading "Eclectic R Us" just for the sheer variety you find at her space.

Now the title of this blog entry gives me an excuse to put up a wonderful video (as if I needed an excuse for another look at the wrongly cancelled by the rats at CBS "Moonlight" and Mick my favorite vampire. I bet the success of HBO's True Blood is killing them).



When that video comes with an amazing Gershwin standard and the incomparable voice of Ella Fitzgerald, what's not to love?

Arte y Pico

This lovely statute is called the "Arte y Pico" award which was created to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creative energy and talents no matter whether it be in the form of writing, artwork, design, interesting material, or contributions to the blogger community. When a blogger receives this award it is considered a "special honor" and, once presented to you, it is to be passed on to at least 5 other bloggers who meet the criteria. You will need to either speak Spanish or use Babelfish to translate the Arte y Pico page, but it is worth the effort.

This lovely lady was presented to me by Linda at Are We There Yet who writes one of the most entertaining and eclectic blogs in the sphere. Whether she is discoursing on family, friends, work, or just items of passing interest, you will always find her good company. So pour your morning coffee or your after work glass of wine and visit her often.

Linda was kind enough to say that my posts are well thought out and enlightening. She writes them from a historic standpoint and passes along little known and interesting facts about our world that will either make you sit up and say, "hey, I never knew that!" or "ah-ha, so that's where that comes from!" (She sent the award before I compared gas prices and great paintings.)

Linda got her award from Mo of It's A Blog Eat Blog World and she passed it along to Travis of Trav's Thoughts, both of whom are on my daily rounds and highly recommended. Now for my five:

Claire of A Little Piece of Me writes one of the most whimsical and entertaining blogs on the planet. Whether it is the naughty shenanigans of Willie, beautiful pictures of her hiking trips, thoughtful questions to do with her classes in counseling, or interactions with her family, you will always find something to make you smile, make you think, or just make you sigh at the beauty of it all.

Vanilla Birdie of Tick Tock Goes The Clock doesn't blog as often as her many fans would like, but when she does we all are just stunned. This lovely young woman has a life and a future. She is a student living in New York with a commentary on her surroundings, her family, life in general and the music, books, and art that she loves. The grace and beauty of her writing gives you hope for the future.

Shelly of This Eclectic Life. This Texas wildflower always has something entertaining up her sleeve. Stop by for a good old fashioned welcome Y'All, a fun contest, a charity to notice, or just a laugh out loud story. Shelly is as warm as Texas sunshine and a heart that would give the size of her state a good competition.

My favorite professor at eProf2. You know that favorite teacher you will never forget? They were the one who laid out a path for you to consider, an idea to investigate, a piece of information that led you to a bit of wisdom, or just told you something you never knew before. Well, that person has a blog. You can almost see him smile as that something you really need to hear is there on your computer screen. Enjoy the visit and come away just a little more thoughtful.

Mary of Work of the Poet and Answers To The Questions is my favorite quirky place to visit. You simply don't know what you will find. It could be a book review, a link to somewhere truly different on the web, or a chance to vote on a really bad piece of art. Then there are the photographs, everything from a Ferris wheel to a flower. Mary scoops up awards with both arms and they deservedly just keep coming. Please pay her a visit.

I may come back to this award simply because there are so many great places and writers to visit, but the wonderful ones above will keep you busy for awhile.