Liebster Award!

I have been nominated for the Liebster award by Sandi of the excellent What Oft Was Thought blog and am pleased to accept!

According to her post about the award, the rules to accept it are as follows:

1. Acknowledge and accept the Liebster Award by leaving a comment on the blog where you were nominated;
2. Copy the Liebster logo and paste it onto your own blog;
3. Inform your nominees by leaving a comment on their respective blogs;
4. In your blog post about the Liebster Award:
   • link back to the blogger who nominated you
   • answer the 11 questions put to you by the person who nominated you
   • list 11 random facts about yourself
   • nominate, and link to, 3-11 other blogs which you enjoy and which have fewer than 3,000 followers
   • list 11 questions for your nominees

Here are my answers to Sandi’s 11 questions:

1. What is your ideal vacation?

I’d love to travel internationally to a place I’ve never been before; my first choice would be Tokyo, Japan because I’ve been dying to go there for some time but haven’t had the ability to do so as of yet. One day…

2. What was your first job?

I helped out during the summers at the school my mom worked for, doing whatever special projects they needed help with, like organizing their archives, helping with mass mailings, etc.

3. What motivates you to post on your blog?

Great question. It’s hard to define, but I’d say it usually has to do with anything I find helpful or new. For instance, I like to share tips and ideas readers can hopefully use to make their own lives easier, whether they’re cleaning their houses or trying to think up gift ideas. I also like to talk about interesting ideas in books I’m reading that I think others might find interesting as well.

4. Name a book that you recently finished reading.

The Hidden Tools of Comedy by Steven Kaplan. A good read. I especially liked his points on the differences between comedy and drama, like this statement.

5. What is your opinion of reality T.V. shows?

At first, I was about to write that I dislike them, but then I realized “reality shows” are more than just Keeping Up With the Kardashians. I’d say they also include competition shows like Master Chef Junior or shows where struggling businesses are turned around, like Hotel Hell and Kitchen Nightmares — all of which I enjoy watching. I’m also a fan of Shark Tank.

6. How do you feel when a snowstorm hits your area and everything is cancelled for the day?

I usually love it! It’s a fun, unexpected little surprise, as long as it doesn’t shut down things for too many days in a row. Then, the novelty wears off and the challenge of doing what you have to do isn’t so much fun!

7. Last night, my daughter was telling me about a friend who was applying for dual citizenship in another country. If you could obtain dual citizenship in another country, which country would you choose, and why?

Hmm, this is an interesting question. I’m not really sure without getting to see most of the countries that come to mind, but I lean towards Ireland. Haven’t been there, but I hear it’s beautiful and a friend who has traveled throughout Europe said she finds the people there to be very friendly. That’s a generalization but based on her stories, I can see what she means. I like the idea of having convenient access to traveling throughout Europe from there but also being in a location where many people speak English.

8. What is your pet peeve with WordPress?

This is an easy one. While I love pretty much everything about WordPress, I’m not a fam of its new stats page. Luckily I can still access the old one, but it’s an extra step to get to now…

9. Recently, I saw a study claiming that people who read fiction tend to be more empathetic. This study has generated controversy in my household. What is your opinion about this “finding”?

At first, I thought this sounded odd but the more I thought about it, I can see how this could be. People who can buy into a fictional story and relate to its characters could be more inclined to do so with people in “real life.” Once I read the article linked here, I see that is indeed a major part of the explanation for this. However, it should be noted that those who do not enjoy fiction can be just as empathetic — I know I read less fiction than I used to, preferring to learn more about true-life events; I’d say people who enjoy this kind of reading as well simply prefer to relate more to true stories versus made-up ones, but can be just as empathetic. Also, fiction lovers could also be the type who prefer a fantasy over real-world experiences and ironically may not relate so well to people they actually know. So, as with any study, there are nuances to be aware of.

10. Did you believe in Santa Claus when you were a child?

Yes, until about age 7, I think. I started getting suspicious about a year before, when notes to me from Santa looked strangely like my mom’s handwriting. The final straw came when my mom said something the following year like, “Oh, did I leave the price tag on that gift? I was so tired when I was wrapping presents that I forgot to take it off!” yet she was referring to an item that was labeled as a gift to me from Santa…! We still laugh about that whenever it comes up!

11. How do you prefer to learn about world news — through the Internet? Through the television? Through a newspaper or magazine?

My preferred choice is actually talk radio, which I find I can have on in the background without being distracted too much from whatever I’m doing while also keeping up with the news. I like how it’s acceptable to do so even in most workplaces, as long as it’s not too loud or on during an important meeting, of course!

And now for 11 facts about myself:

1. I’m an only child. Well, I’m an adult now, but you get what I mean!
2. I’m right-handed.
3. I’m near-sighted. I sometimes wish I could just wake up seeing perfectly without a need for glasses, but I’m still too squeamish about eye surgery to take that step…
4. I enjoy playing a wide range of video games when I can.
5. I read a lot — everything from foreign-language books to profiles of companies as well as autobiographies.
6. I hate the taste of citrus in pretty much any form, whether it involves eating the fruit or in the form of juice. Not sure why!
7. One of my favorite movies is the Alastair Sim version of A Christmas Carol. It must be that version; his portrayal is the best of the ones I’ve seen! Sadly, I don’t see this one aired as much as I used to…
8. I have never lived in a house; only apartments.
9. As a child, I used to confuse the words “globe” and “blimp” with one another. Do with that what you will.
10. I was addicted to soda in college. Kind of embarrassing to admit! Luckily, I was able to quit when a friend said she’d buy me the CD of my choice if I stopped having any for 1 week. That was the motivation I needed, and was able to keep it going!
11. I like spicy food. The hotter the better!

As for the 3-11 blogs I nominate, I will go with 3 — I like that number, plus many blogs I follow and would nominate are either no-awards blogs or have more than 3,000 followers. (By the way, it’s not always easy to find follower counts on every blog, so I say to my nominees: if I have underestimated your follower count and you do in fact have over 3,000, I apologize!)

What the Eff!?

Touched by the Page

Dear Diary

As for my questions to these nominees, they are (and feel free to swap one out for one of your own if you like!):

1. What made you get into blogging?
2. If you had to spend a year on a deserted island and could only bring one non-electronic item with you, what would it be?
3. What skill or strength of yours are you most proud of?
4. What is one goal you have for yourself in the coming year, big or small?
5. Let’s say you were granted an opportunity to try out another career for a year without any risk to your current job/career and with all your financial needs adequately met, what would it be?
6. Would you classify yourself as an introvert or an extrovert?
7. What is one of your favorite movies or TV shows?
8. What is your opinion of the Mars One program, which plans to send people on a one-way trip to Mars in 2024 — specifically, are the people who want to take part being selfish, as some have claimed?
9. Do you speak any other languages besides English? If so, which ones, and how fluent are you?
10. What part of the world would you choose to visit if you won a free trip and hotel stay to anyplace you wanted?
11. Is there a fashion trend, past or present, that you can’t stand?

I know accepting this award does take a good amount of time, so I echo what Sandi said in that anyone nominated is under no pressure to accept, of course. But of those who do, I look forward to your responses! 🙂

Oh, and I just had to include 3 honorary mentions. These are blogs I follow and would have also nominated, but they already were nominated for the Liebster award very recently — but check them out because they’re interesting to read!

Shan Jeniah’s Lovely Chaos 

Jeanne Owens, Author 

Creative Writing For Me 

You can find a list of other blogs I enjoy here — hope you find a few new favorites too!