Meme Time!

Anime Wookie over at My Gallery of Words has tagged me in a meme. Because it's so much more fun to talk about myself than write a review I've decided to participate. But I'm going to be a bad participant and not forward the meme-- unless I get a few requests in the comments. If that happens then I will follow the rules and write up a unique set of 11 questions to pass on. In the meantime- here are my answers. 



1. If you could describe your life in a color, what would it be and why?

My first impulse is to say beige but then I want to quash that because it sounds so boring. But... I think I will go with beige-- and here's why. I'm not a person who's given to extravagant displays of anything. I'm calm from an emotional standpoint and pretty sensible from every other angle, but I go with just about anything. I'm not spontaneous by nature, but I can go with the flow like nobody's business.



2. Do you have any pets? If so, what are they, their name/s and why do they fit your personality?

I have a Maltipoo (Maltese Poodle) named Sassy and a black cat (pound rescue) named Mimi.  My cat fits my personality because she's aloof and doesn't need me fussing over her too much, but she's also incredibly easygoing and a little bit of a klutz. My dog is a spaz, even at eight-years-old, but she's also super friendly and wouldn't hurt a fly-- she's also a klutz (see a theme here?). What I love best about my pets is that my kids can manhandle them with impunity and I don't have to worry about a scratch or a bite-- best pets ever.



3. Where did you fit in in high school...jock, band geek, popular crowd...etc?

I'm not sure that I fit into a particular group. I kinda-sorta fit with the geeks due to my geeky interest in fantasy literature, but I was also able to drift into the popular crowd because I was on the drill team. My first boyfriend would have been considered part of the "goth" crowd, though the term hadn't been coined yet (boy did his friends hate me for the pastel color-palate of my clothes). I've always thought of myself as someone who floated between groups without solidly landing in any of them.



4.How do you react in an emergency...fight or flight, go get help, the calm one???

I'm definitely the calm one. I tend to assess the situation and then act. I'm probably more likely to call for help if it's a big situation, like a car accident. If it's a smaller emergency I'll help if the fast-acting types haven't beat me to it (if I'm in a crowd of ditherers I'll probably be the first to jump in).



5. If they were making a movie of your life, who would you chose to play you... why?

Well, first you'd have to presume I'd be interesting enough to base a movie on (not even close), but if I were I'd pick someone like Rachel Weisz or Kate Beckinsdale-- I mean, who wouldn't?



6. Why is your best friend your best friend, what makes them so special?

My husband- no contest. Ever since we met (17 years ago) it's like we knew each other already. He's the only person I've ever met who honestly understood how I think. Don't get me wrong, we bicker, but I still think he's the most awesome person I know.



7. If money was no object, and you were going to buy yourself something completely frivolous, what would it be, and why?

That's tough because I'm so literal. For example, I'd love to pick a really expensive, luxurious car-- okay expensive for me (like a BMW). But then my rational brain starts thinking but after I pay for it I have to maintain it-- and repairs are expensive! But then I start thinking really big-- like a house! Then I think but I'd have to heat and furnish it... This is a real rabbit hole for me. Maybe I'd just get a Macbook because spending over $1,000 on a laptop seems pretty extravagant to me-- and I don't have to worry about paying for anything after the fact.



8. Three words that describe your personality?

After the last question-- literal comes to mind. I'm also honest to a fault (just ask my friends) and very sensible (some might say boring-- but I ignore those people).



9. Who was your favorite teacher and how did they influence you?

Professor Dorman- one of my journalism teachers in college. Despite the bad reputation journalism has these days (mostly deserved IMHO) he really tried to stress objectivity as the main thing to focus on as a journalist. I remember writing a 15-page paper for his class comparing media coverage between the New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor during the Vietnam War--he wasn't interested in pushing an agenda, he was trying to teach us to see the agenda; especially when it was being pushed by the media. He was very approachable to us students and even wrote a recommendation letter for me when I applied to go to school in Japan (I got into the program).



10. What do you consider true strength?

Doing the right thing-- even in the face of personal risk.



11. What is your favorite game? (video, board, card...any kind)

I'm a puzzle person. On my computer that might take the form of Mahjong or Tetris (though I haven't played those in ages). Not too long ago I got into a game on my iPad called Escape Rosecliff Island-- which is all about finding hidden objects within a picture. I finished the game in a weekend.



12.What season do you love the most, why?

Autumn. I live in Northern California, which can get really hot in the summer, so the Fall coolness is always a nice relief. But what I like most are the Fall leaves-- so beautiful. Also, the older I get the more I enjoy spending the holidays with my kids and Autumn is the starting point of a fun time of year for me.