Sunshine Blogger Award

The Sunshine Blogger Award is making the round again this year. Generally, I don’t participate as it is intended you participate when it has come my way (posting commented answers to the posed questions but not posting as a participant). However, Veselin, Natalie, and Sandy have all kindly nominated me to be a recipient in this round and I feel like I should act as part of the community rather than stand outside of it.

Thank you, all three of you for the nominations. If I forgot someone who recently nominated me, please let me know so I can correct that.

So, for the first time since these awards started circulating…

Let’s do this thing.

Here’s the participation rules

1. Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog
2. Thank the person who nominated you
3. Provide a link to your nominator’s blog
4. Answer your nominator’s questions
5. Nominate up to eleven bloggers
6. Ask your nominees eleven questions
7. Notify your nominees by commenting on their blogs

Veselin’s Questions, My Responses

What’s your favorite book and why? I’ll be weird here and say that I don’t have a favorite in the normal sense of the word. However, if I were to have a book that I think would sustain me if I could have no other books, ever: either the Tao Te Ching (Laozi) or the Zhuangzi (Zhuang Zhou) would go a long way towards keeping me thinking.

Can you share some obscure/unusual words you like to use when writing? I like archaic Old English, Anglo-Saxon and Norse spellings of words. Galdr, gloaming, sceadugengan, betwixt, fylgja, weald, wain, wode, etc. I’m not above using portmanteaus and neologisms when they suit the work (i.e. elsewhen).

Do you have pets (if yes, photos!) I have six cats: 3 short hair rescues, 2 Maine Coons, 1 Ragdoll (likely a mix). In lieu of photos, I’ll share their names: Rogue, Banshee, Goblin, Fennekin, Wraith, and Pixel. We went on a monster-naming streak there for a spell (one who had an allergic reaction to anesthesia and died was named Ghost; the irony was not lost on us).

What brings you joy? This is going to sound weird, but… brainstorming? I like to play with ideas. Not all of them end up in stories or posts or papers. Sometimes just learning about the interconnectedness of certain things brings joy. I jump head-first into web-search rabbit holes on a regular basis. For fun. When I could still play, I would sometimes just noodle around and strum a guitar for hours on end with no purpose other than to strum and discover new sounds.

If there’s anything that can make you look forward to tomorrow, what would that be? Usually, “This, too, shall pass”. It goes both directions (things could calm down or get more interesting).

Best vacation destination from your experience? I’m kind of a staycation kind of person anymore, but I have enjoyed my time spent in Scotland, Seattle, Minnesota north woods, and hiking in the Beartooth Mountains (Montana). Hawaii was nice, and I’d love to visit most of Europe, but it never seems to be in the cards for me.

Do you count steps? Sometimes. When I’m trying to take charge of my health. Not religiously.

Favorite meal? One that I didn’t cook, preferably with an exotic flair to it. Pizza’s good too.

The last song you listened on repeat? It was probably “New Dawn Fades” (Joy Division), “Siamese Twins” (The Cure) or “Some Kind of Stranger” (Sisters of Mercy), but I don’t recall for certain.

How many blogs do you have? Currently: one active, one less so. I have multiple mostly abandoned blogs that I occasionally resurrect.

What’s your favorite quote? Currently: “When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.” (Heinlein)

Nominees

Jolene Rice aka Chico’s Mom (who nominated me last year)

Steve for the Deaf

Bridgette Tales

Jennifer aka The Creative Chic

Bob

Chris Nelson

Tara

Stacey Johnson

Jenn

I’d ping Ted, but Veselin already poked him. So he is exempt.

My Questions

1. What is a weird thought that lives rent-free in your head?
2. What is a completely normal thing that secretly gives you the ick?
3. What is a skill you’d like to learn?
4. What is something you’re weirdly good at or goodly weird at?
5. Do you think our dreams have hidden meanings?
6. If you could live in any time period, when do you think you might fit in better than you fit now? Or feel better about?
7. What is your super-secret super power that no one suspects you have?
8. Cook me a meal. What am I being served?
9. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever done?
10. Has anyone ever dared you lick a pole in the middle of winter? Would you? If you did, what happened?
11. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

And there you go, folks. Let the games begin!