Eleven, x2

You may have seen the “11 survey” that’s been circulating the blogs lately.  Somehow, within the past week I got tagged twice, by Halley and Krista.  If that’s not a sign that I should do this, I don’t know what is.   Of course, there are rules for this survey and, in my usual fashion, I broke some of them.

RULES
1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions the person who tagged you set for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

Eleven Random Things About Me:

1.  Dishwashing is my least favorite chore in the whole world.
2.  I don’t like drinking cold water unless it’s really hot out.
3.  My first job was as a barista in a tiny coffee shop in Maine.
4. One of my life goals is to be a published author.  I have no idea what the publication is going to be about, however.
5.  I don’t like peas.
6.  I have never broken a bone.
7.   In the course of my life I have, at different times, collected rocks, post cards, stickers, elephants, and elongated souvenir pennies.
8.  Once upon a time, I was going to earn my PhD in history and work as a museum curator.
9.  I was a Girl Scout until shortly before leaving for college.  I earned my Gold Award (the highest award available, like the Boy Scout Eagle Award) for redesigning our town library’s website.
10.  Last Friday, one of my students gave me a beautiful clay bowl he made in art class.  It made me cry and then I had to explain to a bunch of students that I was happy, not sad.
11.  Roller coasters scare me and I refuse to ride them.

Halley’s Questions for Me:

1.  Do you speak any foreign languages?
I took Spanish for 4 years in high school, but I tested out of my college requirement and as a result haven’t really used it since.  I like to pretend I can speak Spanish, but I really can’t.

2.  Savory or sweet?
Um…savory, I think, but it really depends on my mood.  Generally speaking though, I’d just as soon have cheese as chocolate.

3.  Have you ever sent a plate back to kitchen at a restaurant?
No, but I’m not a picky person.  If I didn’t have to cook it AND I don’t have to do the dishes, it’s good enough for me.

4.  Do you drive a car everyday?
Not exactly.  Brian and I are a one car couple and we work at the same place.  He almost always drives.  So unless I’m going somewhere on my own, I don’t drive.

5.  What’s the best thing you’ve ever won?
I won a speech contest in my 11th grade English class.  I didn’t place in the whole grade competition, but I was really happy with beating everyone else in my class.

6.  Cats or dogs?
Cats.

7.  What is your favorite month of the year?
September.  I love the weather and the start of a new school year.

8.  Do you recycle?
Not as much as I’d like to, but living in an apartment limits that somewhat.  Someday I’ll hopefully have a place to store my recyclables and do some composting.

9.  What’s the fanciest dish you can make at home?
Hm…I’m not sure it’s the fanciest, but I make an awesome broccoli lasagna.

10.  What is your favorite kitchen gadget?
My KitchenAid stand mixer.

11.  When did you start your blog?
December 29, 2008.

Krista’s Questions for Me:

1.  What is one song you can listen to on repeat over and over and over again?
I don’t think I have such a song.  I get tired of music pretty easily—listen to one song a ton for weeks and then can’t listen to it for a long time following.  Plus I like variety.

2.  If you won a week long all expenses paid trip to somewhere in the U.S., where would you go?
Hawaii, mostly because it’s expensive and would require air travel.  I’m trying to visit all 50 states and Hawaii is definitely one I’m concerned about making happen.

3.  What was your favorite childhood cartoon?
I feel like I wasn’t really a big cartoon person.  I also feel like my sister is going to comment and remind me of some show I’d completely forgotten about.  I do remember disliking a lot of the cartoons she liked to watch.

4.  Have you ever been part of a team sport?
Yes, but not any time in recent history.  Way back when I used to play rec soccer in New Jersey, but I was pretty bad and not as into it as many of my peers.  Looking back I definitely wish I’d done more with sports, even on a casual level.

5.  What is the last book you read?
I recently finished John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars and now I’m in the midst of The Shipping News by Annie Proulx.  I’m a little concerned that I’m not going to finish it though; the writing is sort of strange.

6.  Cupcake, cookie or donut?
Presuming all of the above are of equal quality, I’ll take a cookie.

7.  What is one thing you do to keep yourself centered?
I try to start every day reading my bible and finish every day reading something else.  Also, cooking. 

8.  Beer, wine, or soda?
Wine, I guess.  Sometimes beer.  Almost never soda.

9.  What is the strangest food you’ve tried?
Seitan?  I don’t really think that bison or calamari are that weird, although I’m sure they are to some people.  I tried garlic ice cream once.

10. What was your first concert?
Good question.  I’ve been to a lot of small scale independent and/or Christian concerts throughout my life, but I’d be hard pressed to remember the first one.

11.  Are you superstitious?
No, although every time the clock says 11:11, I think of one of my friends and sometimes knock on wood in her honor.

Questions For You:

1.  What was your favorite food growing up?
2.  Would you ever skydive?
3.  What do you consider your greatest accomplishment thus far?
4.  What was the first record/cassette/CD/MP3 (I have a wide audience!) you purchased?
5.  How do you feel about thrift stores?
6.  Which is better: being the oldest child or the youngest?
7.  Did you ever attempt running away from home?
8.  Describe the best gift you ever received.
9.  What is your favorite quote?
10.  If you had to get a tattoo, what would you get?
11.  What would your dream job be?

Rule Breaking

It seems to me that this post has largely run it’s course.  I know a lot of people have done it already and I don’t want to make someone who’s not interested feel obligated.  So, because sometimes rules are made to be broken (see: vegan sausage with eggs), I’m not going to follow rules 5 and 6.  I don’t think I’ll be excommunicated from the blogger community for doing so.

If you’re interested in doing this, please post your replies to my 11 eleven questions and/or your 11 random things on your own blog or in the comments below.  I look forward to reading them!