Yesterday I received a Sisterhood of World Bloggers Award from Kate Evans Hall, who has a fabulous and funny blog that makes me laugh out loud. Do yourself a favor and check her out at http://canigetanotherbottleofwhine.com. THANK YOU, KATE!
The Rules of Engagement for receiving this fun award are simple: Provide a few facts about yourself that people probably don’t know, and then pass the award along to someone else you think rocks the blogosphere. So here goes…
What you might not know about me:
1. Over the last 30 years, I have moved over 20 times. Yep. TWENTY TIMES. I am a veritable MASH unit. I can pack it up or put it back in less than 24 hours. I have gypsy in my genes. This is probably why I’m the anti-hoarder. I routinely ransack my house (cupboards, closets, and drawers…nothing is sacred) and ask “Would I take this with me?” If not, out it goes. Nine years in our current home, and our total belongings would fit in a tipi.
2. I lived in Maui for 5 years and never once got in the water. Never. While it’s true that nothing gets my feng shui’ing like lazy days on the beach, listening to the sounds of crashing surf, I don’t like to get IN the ocean. It’s not “refreshing” or “exhilarating.” It’s COLD. And I don’t want to “get used to it.” It’s COLD. And what’s UP with the shark watch towers?? If someone needs to watch for people-eating fish, I’m not swimming. By the time you hear “GET OUT OF THE WATER, NOW!!” some poor schmuck has given his left foot for a sharky pupu platter. Not gonna be me.
3. I learned to drive on a John Deere tractor. The first day, I ran over my dad’s prize-winning German Pointer, and forever after, whenever Schnapps spotted a bird, he would assume the perfect pointer position (nose forward, short tail straight up), but his paw would point exactly 40 degrees to the right. Every time. Bird rustle, nose forward, tail up, TWANG…paw out to the side. Poor Schnapps was humiliated in front of the other pointers, and always stood in the back at picture time. Neither of us ever went near a tractor again.
4. I wrote a book 15 years ago. 67,000 words. Took me 2 years. I submitted it at the Maui Writer’s Conference, and it was picked up by an agent in New York. We got it all the way to a publishing house, but I got frustrated with the edits, so I stuck it in a drawer until a few months ago, when I gave it to a dynamic local agent/publisher. I’m afraid to ask, so I’m just waiting, holding my breath like a 13-year-old turning over her Magic 8 Ball, repeatedly asking “Does Bobby like me?” God, I’m so pathetic…
5. I read The Stranger Beside Me in one sitting. I was home alone. All weekend. Worst decision EVER. Kenny came home 3 days later. I was bleary-eyed from sleeping with one eye open, and it took us 2 hours to put all the furniture back that I stacked up to barricade every entrance.
6. I met Ann Rule (see #5) at the Maui Writer’s Conference. She’s warm, funny, and more than willing to advise new writers. She told me she was a humor columnist before she interviewed Ted Bundy and began her wildly successful career as a true-crime drama writer. Genius re-niching.
There you have it. And with that, I pass the Sisterhood torch to Cyndi Calhoun. Check out her blog at http://pictimilitude.com. She’s hilarious, and an incredible photographer. Congratulations, Cyndi!
Vikki, congrats on the award first and foremost and loved your choice in Cyndi (congrats to her, too!). I loved finding out a bit more here about you, especially the book and will be keeping my fingers crossed for you. Hopefully, can’t wait to read it!!
Congrats on the award! And thanks for the life facts! Good luck with your book! :-)
Vikki, I am having trouble typing as I am alternately laughing and picturing “Poor Schnapps” – poor puppy, snort coffee, poor puppy. Congrats on the award. So glad you won because I got my morning laugh on with your list.
Don’t be afraid of publishing… even if it is a PITA. My father in law has five books out, and a majority of it he completed with a now defunct publisher. He had to do all his own publicity. He even had to harass book stores to stock his book (which he would then be in charge of ordering ;) But he gets so much satisfaction knowing that a couple people out there may be reading something he wrote that it makes all the effort worthwhile.
You did all the work… now just jump in the water. Although, not real water. I get the cold, anti-shark thing ;)
Congratulations!
That was fascinating! Especially the moving and not swimming in the ocean part. And I totally relate to the book agent thing…I wrote a book a few years ago and I have done nothing with it, aside from putting out happy energy to the universe and waiting for some agent to invite herself over. LAME!
Fantastic facts (and hilarious!) about you and congrats on your award! I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for you about the book. Actually, come to think of it, we DO still have a Magic 8 Ball in my house, so if I can track it down, I’ll ask if Bobby the publisher still likes you. I’ll be rooting for you.
Congratulations! Cyndi’s a great choice!
Those are seven great facts. I can’t imagine moving 20 times in 30 years. I know my husband and I have a move coming up, but that’s the last one I want to make for a LONG time. It’s so cute that you learned to drive on a John Deere!
Such a great choice… Love Cyndi – she is amazing and all full of awesomesauce.
I’m glad someone else gets squirrelly like I do: I haven’t moved 20 times, but I’ve moved back and forth across the country 3 times and when I get pissed off at a job I move on. Hehe.
I love your “7 things” and of course they are TOO FUNNY! I hope you get that book published and that it’s a BESTSELLER! :)
Thank you also for the award *blush* What a wonderful sisterhood!
Vikki. The one scary thing was reading the stanger beside me. Many do not know Ted Bundy lived in Hood River for a breif while right after my Grandmother passed in 63. Only he was not the Stanger beside Me but across the road in my Grandmothers house. He scaAared me my brother did nott like him an when he was arrested his ffather (step) called an said Sorry. As we saw it on the news.
Good luck with the book.
I also pick the worse times to start reading an anne rule. usually start after dinner and I’m up till 4 am….there have been times that the hubs was out of town. and every noise made me rethink my descision to read the book. but i think i beat you in the moving division. 34 x’s in 36 yrs…the trick to not moving so often is to keep a supply of boxes flattened in the rafters of the garage ….cause i’ve been here for 6 yrs and so have the boxes. Sorta like the rule on babies. Don’t sell the baby crib cause I got preg usually within the month each and every time.