Buzzed (not drunk) With Power-Dangers of Blog Awards November 23, 2013

Good things awaited me this morning when I woke.

1) It was not 5:30 or earlier.  7:30 is a super Saturday luxury!

2) I received a lovely and complimentary comment from Genevieve at Coloring Outside the Lines . She has nominated me for the dangerously named Most Influential Blogger Award.  Thanks for the love, Genevieve!  I can call myself an MIB. 

  

As you can imagine, I was pretty pumped, and since it’s been awhile since I did one of the beloved blog-chainers that allow us to give props to a set number of other bloggers I cheerfully accept and comply with the guidelines.   The rules are stringent and demanding.  Failure to meet the requirements results in mandatory jail time.  Except in Canada.

That is completely untrue, and I apologize to anyone I nominate who feels pressured, bothered, or pissed off by the suggestion that the best thing you can come up with today is a handful of responses to arbitrary questions, and a list of links to other people’s worlds. Here’s how to be the MOST Most Influential Blogger:

1. Display the Award on your Blog.
2. Announce your win with a post and thank the Blogger who awarded you.
3. Present 10 deserving Bloggers with the Award. 
4. Link your awardees in the post and let them know of their being awarded with a comment.
5. Answer each of the 10 questions that your awarder asked, and then write 10 for your awardees (or use the same ones up to you)

1) What is your favorite season?

I like cinnamon. 

That’s as close as I can get.  I am passionately in love with spring, summer, and fall—and I try passionately to not complain about winter. Until March. So, my favorite season is not March.

2)  Who is your favorite singer?

Shut up. Who has a favorite singer? I have about sixty-seven of them.  I dig Regina Spektor, Van Morrison, Jane Siberry (pre-Issa), Dylan, Kate Nash, Dave Matthews, 

3)  What is your favorite kind of music?

Nothing that can be played quietly as background music—I like to LISTEN to it and I like to HEAR the amazingness of what people do to make a song great.  Pick a favorite genre? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME? Fine. Progressive tuba.  

4)  Who is your favorite author?

I read a lot of David Sedaris, Anne Lamott, and I am pretty into Louise Erdrich. 

5)  If you had enough money, what charity would you donate to?

Give it to the Dalai Lama and let him decide what’s best. 

6)  If you had enough money, what room in your home would you renovate?

First choice:  turn the attic into a master bedroom. Second choice: Build an office/media room out of mason jars.  

7)  What is your favorite television show?

Arrested Development. 

8)  Which of these is your most favorite drink: Pepsi – Coke – Ice Tea – Water?

Coke.  I drink more water than Coke, but it seems way too raw foodie to say that water is my “most favorite.”

9)  Do you own a desktop PC or laptop…or both?

Laptop. Unless you count the dead ones. 

10)  What would you rather do for relaxation, read a book or watch television?

Yeah, I’m a teacher, but I really like a lot of things on TV. 

Now for MY questions! 

1) What is your favorite seasoning? 

2) Who are your favorite and least favorite child actors?

3) If you had a time machine and could go back in time to make sure that one song was never recorded, what song would it be?

4) What is the best thing about blogging, for you?

5) Food processor or sledge hammer? Why?

6) What is the lamest health and beauty product you have ever purchased? Is it still in your bathroom/makeup bag/hall closet?

7) Where do you stand on the unicorn question? Alternate assignment: make up a unicorn question.

8) How long has it been since you bought a box of 64 Crayola crayons? Alternate assignment: make up another unicorn question.

9) What color was the last can of paint you purchased? Have you painted anything with that paint?

10) Who is your favorite couple/love story? Real, fictional, alive, dead.  

Now, for the lucky recipients who get to answer the questions (if they choose not to become fugitives of the law)! The rules say “deserving,” but if this is a nightmare for any of you, I really didn’t mean to imply. . . I would actually love to hear responses to those questions from some of my fave bloggers–but I have bugged them before with this sort of thing, so I am trying to spread the obligation feeling around. Answer the questions with no strings attached! Do it!

But not you guys:

http://coachdaddyblog.wordpress.com/ It’s funny, and dadulous, and sporty.

http://tattooteacher.wordpress.com/ Teacher friendly.

http://lameadventures.com/ This chick owns a spinning bike! So, yes, it’s a fitness blog. Except it’s not.

http://pemberley.us/katie/ Always in the virtual bleachers to cheer me on!

http://nudgewinkreport.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/all-the-good-ones-are-taken/ Just some funny writing here.

http://theverybesttop10.com/ Because every day needs a top ten of something.

http://mrstonnessen.wordpress.com/ Another teacher who remembers Schoolhouse Rock.

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Liebster Award Parade November 23, 2012

Wow! Ambling and Rambling has honored me by nominating me for the coveted Liebster Award! Thanks! It’s another award icon that I can’t fit in my sidebar without kicking out the last pretty little award icon.  Clearly, my theme is driven by a “What have you done for me lately?” consciousness.

I must have really arrived as a blogger with this one, since its requirements include that I must tell, not seven, but ELEVEN fascinating things about me! In essence, then, it’s a fiction-writing challenge.

1) As a child, I used a shampoo called “Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific.” I really did. It really did.

2) I once owned a cat named Shrapnel.

3) I learned to swim in a big lake, not a pool.  I had to go to swimming lessons at 9:00 a.m. at aforementioned lake the day after having seen the film “Jaws” for the first time.   Pools still feel foreign to me–but I acknowledge the advantage of a guaranteed shark-free swimming experience.

4) I have never been on a cruise.  It’s not because of the sharks.

5) The internet thinks that I am a guy and that I might one day decide to explore the world of “enlargement.” If I were truly savvy about increasing my blog traffic, I would have stated that in much more direct terms.  But my readers are a subtle lot who can figure these things out without my naming genitalia.  Besides, that’s not my thing.  I leave that territory to Tracy, Fern, and Rebecca.

6) I am a committed recycler.  I have a “Recycling Deputy” badge to prove it.  And the garbage men just picked up the garbage—hoisting my two full recycling bins and dumping them into the garbage truck. I am livid. Had I known this, I would have either withheld my recycling til next week when they weren’t feeling so pressed due to the post-Thanksgiving catch up rush, OR I would have ditched a bunch of shit from the fridge without rinsing and disposing of the moldy contents.  I like to think that I would have done the former.

7) It’s really hard for me to come up with the blog list for this deal—I have a limited list of blogs that I follow, because I have a hard time keeping up with the prolific folks that I want to read.  Do other people really keep up with this stuff? Yet another argument for quitting my job. Also a pre-emptive apology if I re-nominate you and you are tired of this sort of thing.  It’s only because I love you. Or think that you are deliciously weird.

8) I suck at twitter. Sometimes, a couple of people will accidentally follow me.  Then they say to themselves, “Wow. She sucks at twitter.” And they unfollow me.  So I have approximately exactly seven followers.  If you want to follow someone who is unashamedly inadequate  at twitter, it’s peachyteachy5. I won’t hold my breath.  #Isuckattwitter

9) I used to alternate between three pseudonyms: Zippy the Chimp, Marlin Perkins, and Yassir Arafat.  When I say “used to,” I mean many, many moons ago.

10) I confess to having committed the federal crime of sending a matchbook through the mail.  Whilst posing as Marlin Perkins, most likely. Just another example of my wild, edgy life.

11) If the question is “Sea Monkeys?” the answer is yes. In a necklace.

But enough about me.

speaker7 is a new discovery for me–strange, funny randomness.

Christopher De Voss has done some interesting research, on Pringles and Uno, stuff like that. FYI: those names are registered trademarks. You’re welcome.

tracyfulks is out there. Which makes it more fun to be in here. Hilarious, often, but also crazy real at times.

hikingphoto –Gorgeous photography. I am partial to the outside kind.

So I Went Undercover is also new to me—a cooking blog, as far as I can tell—if you like to burn stuff.

The Kitchen Slattern Speaks is a wealth of health and unhealth. And funny.

The Fur Files Indescribable. I don’t know how this woman gets so much writing done.  She also scours the web to find the most disturbing images of the most bizarre subjects—all so that we won’t have to.

Stuff Kids Write As a teacher whose students write some crazy things ( see masking tape inspiration ), I probably get a disproportionately large kick out of this stuff.

nailsbails– just funny writing.

And, two of my favorite VIDEO BLOGS!  Like reading, only not. My joyful awareness of their existence I owe to my college-age son.

vlogbrothers I have mentioned these guys before, but if we’re in the season of gratitude, I am truly grateful that John and Hank Green are doing their thing : “nerdy to the power of awesome.”

charlie is so cool like Charming, creative, very popular young Brit You Tuber.

My Addictive Blog, OR Dream On, Sister October 2, 2012

Thanks, Fortyteen Candles, for nominating me for the blog award of my choice! What a cool, creative way to keep the labor to a minimum and the strokes still attractive.  I have chosen

because I like to think that a handful of people might feel that way, and I tend to like addictive people in general.  This fact is so consistent that I can assure  you of this: if I like you a lot, chances are you may want to examine your addictive tendencies to see if you should be checking out a Twelve-Step program.  I don’t like ALL addictive people, but if I do like you, you just might want to check. . .

At any rate, I have managed to reveal one possibly interesting thing about myself. Again. And these blog awards are all about trying to think of things about oneself that have not already been revealed through one’s exhaustive blog coverage of one’s skin conditions. Those are the rules, y’all, in case I nominate you.  Another rule is that you have to conspicuously thank me with some linkage.  But I understand if you are more annoyed than anything and you want to conspicuously curse me and the miniature horse I rode in on.

Thing the second: I will not be joining you in Farmville, even with the promise of a FREE CHICK. That’s just not a draw for me.

Thing the third:  I was the inspiration for a Bob Dylan song.  The lyric goes like this: “She takes me out and leads me among the environments.” Did I say he recorded it? What do you mean, ” In your dreams?”  Are you psychic or something? Okay, that was just a dream I had. Blame the subconscious.

Thing the fourth:  I watched David Letterman before anyone watched David Letterman.  I was David Letterman’s first viewer.  When he had a daytime show.  He was way too random for daytime, but for me it was like meeting a kindred soul. If you know David Letterman, could you please put in a word for me as a possible hire?

Thing the fifth (and I think that the rules say that you must reveal 5-7 things about yourself): Sadly, we are out of lollipops.

Okay, now I am required to nominate people, and this is tough, because I resist following blogs–simply due to the fact that I can’t keep up.  So I will try not to re-nominate folks who are just over being nominated. Some of my newer discoveries:

The Museum of Ridiculously Interesting Things because I like my interesting to be ridiculous.

tracy fulks She caters to pretty much everyone, and streamlines it all so that you can access the vulgar stuff first.  I know some folks like that.

Fabulously Awkward Girl  is a white chick who lives in NY and who catches some interesting stuff on the subway.

Drinking Tips for Teens is not.  It’s a funny Canadian.  They don’t need any drinking tips!

Valley Girl is another new find for me–a fellow educator in a perfect world.

Finally, the rules strongly suggest that you notify these folks of the overwhelming honor that is being bestowed upon them.  So I have to get to work.

Spread the love around. BTW, you are also supposed to display the lovely graphic above.

Can I Make Up New Blog Award Rules? September 7, 2012

Why Am I Here In A Handbasket has nominated me for the Seven Things About Me award, along with the caveat that I have “the worst job in the world.”  Really, it’s more of a “When Good Jobs Go Bad” thing, where what should be, and was, the best job in the world (though toughest) slowly erodes to a Clockwork Orange state at the hands of misguided policymakers, businesspeople and power hungry mean humans.  So that’s one thing about me.

I am jealous of the fact that Handbasket writes her stuff in bullet form.  I wish I could do that, but I am afraid I would look like a copy cat. And I think she hates cats. So damn it. I can, however, get away with it on the crazy award platform! So here we go.

• I already told you one thing. Did you forget already?
• I have a vague memory of doing the Virginia Reel one time, and liking it very much.
• I learned the Hustle and the Bus Stop in gym class.
• I once drove over a glass bottle on purpose just to see what would happen.  It broke. The tire was punctured. Up until that time, I really thought that tires were made of stronger stuff.
• The tire experiment happened in someone else’s car.
• At a talent show, I performed “Rubber Ducky” in Spanish. With my friend. I wore a serape and a sombrero.
• Possibly at the same talent show, I performed “Trouble” (in River City) from The Music Man.

Now I list blogs that I like reading.

1. Design the Life You Want to Live  She has an awesome tree house and takes great photos and writes funny stuff about them.
2. nailsbails.com He is prolific, weird and concise.
3. Mike is Happy. Relatively The guy has ideas.
4. High School Foodie It’s a youngster who makes things like cafloutis.  I didn’t think that was even legal.
5. Fortyteen Candles She’s a bit paranoid about self-checkout lines.
6.  H. E. Ellis The quote, “Lucifer is a card-carrying dickwad” should tell you the caliber of journalism we see here.

I need a breather. Can we do something else? Can we add a song?

A Labor-Intensive Award August 22, 2012

Tell Me About Yourself Award

Tell Me About Yourself Award…

Ms. FurFiles herself has nominated me to tell you more about the mysterious world of Peachy.  Thank you, and now I will have to kill you. This award is, apparently, seven-themed.

PART ONE:

1. I was a member of a 4H Knitting Club at the age of ten.  There was nothing remotely trendy about knitting at that point.

2. I was detained in a police station when I was caught riding in a car driven by my teenage friend who possessed a learner’s permit, but no license.  It was fun.

3. I love to make risotto.

4. Fave actor: probably Robert Downey, Jr. Cuz I like those healthy ones. . .

5. I love the movies “The Big Lebowski” and “O Brother Where Art Thou”–go Coens.

6. Huge “Twin Peaks” fan.

7. Salmon and tuna make me throw up. My recovery requires Stouffer’s Macaroni and Cheese.

PART TWO: This is like that blessing hanky from Jesus that comes in the  mail for you to send on to others in need of blessings.  If you just do it in spirit, I will understand. I don’t know about the folks in corporate Tell Me About Yourself HQ.

Blogs that I read and recommend:

1. Snarkyinthesuburbs is hands down hilarious

2. The Kitchen Slattern Speaks   has assured me that, if ever invited to my home, she will arrive with wine and no kids. So, yes, an etiquette blog.

3. Sparkling By the Way’s Blog Pets, kids, unorthodox driving, and a little musical theater from time to time.

4. Stuff Kids Write As a teacher, this stuff keeps me going.

5. The Pharisee in Me  Refreshing stuff from a recovering holier than thou chick (Willow, I may not have that exactly right), and you might see a deer saran wrapped to the top of a car.

6. Spice of Life– this chick has parents who go by the monikers Falafel and Hummus.  What more do you need? Never mind that these items also make me puke.

7. clotildajamcracker is awesome and weird and I love her writing.