The lovely Maidens of Green Gables have tagged me for the Sunshine Blogger Award! (Thanks awfully, Maidens! Most appreciated.) Since I always strive, when, I can, to spread some sunshine (there have been several complaints about it)*, I’ll take a stab at answering the Maidens’ Sunshine Blogger Award tag questions.
These are the rules:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you in the blog post and link back to their blog. (Done!)
2. Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
3. Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
4. List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog. (Also done.)
So, without further ado, here are my Sunshine Blogger Award answers.
#1 What’s something you’ve done recently that you were nervous/scared about, but has ended up being a really good thing/experience?
A few months ago I was applying for an online writing job, and part of the process involved writing a short article on several choices of topics. There were also some rules to follow, such as linking to reliable sources, putting in some basic HTML, etc. I know nothing about HTML, and very little about the topic I was writing about, so for a bit I just stared at the computer screen in a Nervous and Vexed fashion. But then I calmed down, did some research, and banged off an article that I was actually rather proud of.
(And no, I did not hear back from them and did not get the job. Ah well. Such is life.)
#2 If you were to open a shop, what kind of shop would it be?
I’m assuming we’re talking about a physical, in-person shop, not an online one. If I were to have a physical shop, I’d likely want a bookstore. A used bookstore, of course. With big bookshelves stuffed with old dusty books, high shelves that you need ladders to reach, upper stories and lofts, and a spiral staircase somewhere in there.
#3 What’s the last book you read that you thought was the cats meow?
Do re-reads count? If so, probably The Lord of the Rings – I re-read them all a few months ago, and now one of my brothers (known to these pages as Wemmick) is reading them aloud to the whole family, so I’ve gotten quite the LOTR refresher…the last time I had read them was some years ago, when I was too young to really appreciate them. But they’re pretty first-rate. I feel like I’m appreciating the Big People more this time – everyone loves the hobbits, of course, but GANDALF and ARAGORN and LEGOLAS and GIMLI. And FARAMIR.
#4 You’ve gotten a callback from each of the following plays, which role will you take: Meg in Little Women, Winnie Foster in Tuck Everlasting or Sally in Your a Good Man Charlie Brown?
Meg.
For one thing, that’s…erm…the only one of those stories that I know. For another thing, I can relate to Meg. I like homemaking and puttering around in cute little houses and domestic stuff.
#5 Share 3 items on your wish list!
1 . A light blue 50s Cadillac.
But I’m not picky. I’d also be pretty happy with something like this
or this.
2. A new violin bow. My current one has seen me through quite a few years, and it looks it.
3. The audiobook version of Great Expectations read by Hugh Laurie. Hugh Laurie is one of my favorite actors, and the idea of him reading Dickens sounds sublime. It’s abridged, sadly, but such is life.
#6 What is something you’ve recently learned that blew your mind?
Um. Um. My mind is not being cooperative on this one. Either my mind doesn’t get blown easily, or I forget things easily. (Or both.)
Oh wait, I thought of something! Apparently there’s actually this diet out there in which you eat nothing but potatoes. Like, nothing but potatoes – not even salt or butter. (I would not recommend, by the way. Not only is there not enough nutritional benefit in a potato to keep alive on, but I think after about two hours you would heartily hate potatoes.)
#7 What’s a movie or tv show or book series or fandom you’ve gotten into recently?
Since it’s been nearly two years since I hopped on board this fandom, I suppose it can’t really be called “recent,” but the fandom I’ve really immersed myself in most recently is Jeeves & Wooster, both books and show.
Bertie Wooster is the most endearing, good-hearted chappie who ever accidentally got engaged to a girl while trying to plead another’s case, and Jeeves is the most unflappable, untouchable model of a gentleman’s gentleman who ever shimmered silently into the room the moment he was needed. Both of them together are little short of perfection, and they have afforded me hours upon hours of entertainment and joy.
#8 Your current favorite song?
Having made the disclaimer that I’m not even going to attempt to name my current favorite song, as there are multiple songs I love in different ways for different reasons, I will say that I do like this song an awful lot.
Gene Pitney has such a unique sound, and I quite like it.
#9 Describe your perfect day including food!
Perhaps I’d start with a very early morning Mass, then wander about woods and fields and such in the early morning sunlight. Then for home, and coffee. A little reading and puttering about with various projects would be next, and then some shrimp-ish dish for lunch. After lunch I would write a bit, maybe blog a bit and catch up on other people’s blogs, crochet, and putter about doing things in the kitchen or the rest of the house. Then meatballs and spaghetti for dinner, and garlic bread, because really nothing beats garlic bread. (I’m gluten-free, though…there must be someone out there who can make good gluten-free garlic bread, right?). Then more crocheting or sewing while watching/reading something with my family.
#10 What is your favorite movie that’s set in another country?
A lot of my favorite movies are set in England, so I’ll rule that out to make it more interesting…let’s go with Ben-Hur.
Or Les Misérables, except that while I love the musical version (as in the stage musical version, not the movie-musical), there isn’t a movie version of it that I can confidently call a favorite movie.
#11 You have to research one of the following historical events: The Chicago World Fair of 1893, the Lake Peigneur Disaster of 1980 or Operation Mincemeat?
Oh my…well, as one who knows nothing about any of these events, I suppose Operation Mincemeat. It is a compelling name. My next choice would be the Chicago World Fair of 1893, since I like the 1890s.
There. Thank you for all those lovely questions, Maidens!
I nominate:
Anyone reading this who would like to grab it!
(Yes, yes, I know that’s not 11. We’re just going to pretend that it is.)
My questions:
- You have the opportunity to invite over a fictional character for a day and show him/her around your neighborhood. Which character do you choose?
- What kind of weather do you like best? What weather makes you happiest/saddest?
- If you had to move to a foreign country, which one would it be?
- A functional time-machine has just been invented! You can go to any time and place in the past that you like. When and where do you go?
- You get to choose one book to be perfectly adapted into a movie/mini-series/TV show/musical. Which book do you choose, and which kind of adaption do you think it would work best as?
- Do you prefer pens or pencils?
- What’s your favorite genre of music?
- Do you use bookmarks? If so, do you use actual, nice-looking bookmarks, or do you just grab the nearest small flat object and use that?
- What kind of aesthetic do you/would you like to decorate your home?
- Suppose you had the opportunity to do a good deed, but knew beforehand that it would fail and be misinterpreted. Would you still do it or not?
- Which form of art do you think is inherently the most expressive: music, literature, or art?
*paraphrase of The Greatest of Comic Writers (a.k.a. P.G. Wodehouse)
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Wonderful post, Lizzie! You have such a delightful writing voice! I just adore it 🙂
Oh, Jeeves and Wooster! I would be interested in looking more into that series – it looks fun! I have seen a fun fan video that Grace showed me and I really enjoyed it! We started quoting Hugh Laurie’s frustrated “Tut” after watching the video and seeing all the funny compilations of the line (except I thought he said “Tart” which I actually thought was more fun to say 🙂
Your song that you shared was fun to listen to! And your thoughts on the odious potato diet were quite amusing! 🙂 Rather a strange fare indeed for a diet.
Ok, have you seen North and South? (That’s my Mom’s favorite period drama I think – she loves it) If you have, you might be interested to know that the actor who plays Mr. Thornton (Richard Armitage) also reads aloud books. And also, I just thought of another thing you might like (if you don’t, no worries :). We once took out a compilation of dramatized Jane Austen books that starrred famous actors (Benedict Comberbatch, the guy who played Mr. Elton in the 2009 Emma, other period drama actors) that was fun to listen to and you might enjoy. Hopefully, this is the right one:
https://www.amazon.com/Jane-Austen-Radio-Drama-Collection/dp/B01BNSVXV2
I’m coming to your performance as Meg, your lovely sounding bookshop, and save me some garlic bread!
Aw, thank you so much, Katherine! 🙂
You really should! I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it dearly. Oh goodness, Hugh Laurie’s Bertie-isms are so quotable…there’s also a video out there of every “what ho” from J&W (although there’s actually one they left out and it bugs me xD)
I have not seen North and South, but I’m planning on watching it! I just want to read the book first (though I’ve already had major plot points given away, hehe). And that audiobook looks scrumptious! Seems like my wish list is expanding 😉
I’ll keep an eye out for you! 🙂 *pushes over the plate of garlic bread*
🙂 🙂 🙂
*heartily eats the scrumptious garlic bread*
What a lovely post Lizzie! I would totally come to your bookshop and just “drink in” that atmosphere! I’ve only read the LOTR series once about a year ago so I think I’m in for a re-fresher too! It’s so fun your whole family is getting in on the fun! Does your brother do voices when he reads? 🙂
Oh my goodness, that car would be EPIC to drive around in, especially if you get all dressed up in period clothing!!
Ooh you play the violin? What kind of music do you play?
That is crazy! Only potatoes? and no salt? AHHHHHH! I NEED salt! And pepper for that matter!
You know I have a VHS collection of Jeeves & Wooster, but alas I can’t make the family watch them with me! It’s quite British humor, yes? I am planning on reading the books once I get my hands on them…..might you carry them in your bookstore??
That sounds like a perfectly splendid day! Yes there should be a good GF bread recipe! We have GF friends so whenever they come over we pull out our special recipes 😉 have you ever heard of Psyllium Husk Buns? They are pretty good especially when toasted; not sure you could make bread out of it though…
Oooooh Ben-Hur is EPIC! I need to re-watch that one sometime, it’s been too long. Have you ever listened to Focus on the Family’s audio drama version? It’s SO good and Katherine and I quote it all the time…like literally this morning when we were feeding our turkeys, lol!
There are so many cool things surrounding the Chicago Worlds Fair, you gotta look into it! And if you want a good book about it The Devil in the White City is fantastic! Don’t get turned off by the title, just look it up first and if you want me to gush about it to you, just let me know!!
Awesome post, Lizzie! Keep up the good work!
Aw, thank you! You are welcome at my bookshop any time. In fact, I’m sure I could give you a discount on a nice copy of LOTR if you’re looking for a refresher of it 😉 Wemmick does mild voices, I’d say – he doesn’t go over-the-top, but he definitely gives different nuances to the different characters.
Wouldn’t it, though?? I don’t know why they can’t just make cars now look like 50s and 60s cars :'(
Yes, I do! I play mostly classical – I’m in a quartet/sometimes quintet with a few friends, and we play Mozart, Schubert, Tchaikovsky and the like.
Oh, you must make them watch with you – bribe them with watching a show they want to see 🙂 (Which seasons do you have? Or do you have all of them?) Yes, it is quintessential British humor…oh of course, there will be a whole shelf of Jeeves and Wooster in my bookstore!
Ooh, intriguing…I’d heard that psyllium husk can work well in gluten-free recipes. I’ve managed to make fairly successful gluten-free sourdough in the past week or so, so maybe that could be converted into garlic bread…
It is great, isn’t it? No, I haven’t heard it – Ben-Hur is on my to-be-read list; maybe after I read it I’ll treat myself to the audio drama.
Oh, thanks for the suggestion! I’ll let you know if gushing is required 😀
This was such a cozy post to read, Lizzie! AND YOUR QUESTIONS ARE PHENOMENAL, thanks so much for tagging me. *sets to work answering the questions in her head*
JEEVES AND WOOSTER ARE THE BEST, aren’t they? I’ve only read one short story collection but I really should pursue the others. I think…I’m so satisfied with what I know of them that I don’t have the heart to seek out more. If that makes sense? That’s kind of how I feel about Wodehouse in general. He’s PHENOMENAL and so so funny and yet I haven’t been in the mood for him since I finished Something Fresh over a year ago. I guess maybe I’m saving him for a rainy day. Someday when I’m really really blue over a breakup or a bankruptcy or something I’ll run to the nearest bookstore and grab all the Wodehouse collection and gobble it up like candy. XD On a slightly related note, and forgive me if we’ve talked about this, have you made the acquaintance of Lord Peter Wimsey and his gentleman’s gentleman Bunter? They’re frequently compared (even by the authoress) to Jeeves & Wooster, only they solve mysteries instead of getting into scrapes, and it’s grand.
I would also like to play Meg. And own a 50s convertible.
Aw, thank you! It took me far longer than it should have to think up questions, so I hope they’re good : P
THEY ARE WONDERFUL. <3 No, I get that! See, the way I think of it is that if I come across a detail that I don't think seems right for the character, it was just an error in judgment on P.G.'s part and shouldn't reflect on the character at all (if THAT makes any sense). Oh yes, I think Wodehouse would be a very good cure for bankruptcy and breakups. *nods sagely* When I read him, it's usually while reading something a little less light at the same time...it sort of balances things out.
I have heard of Lord Peter and Bunter a goodish bit (often in connection to Bertie and Jeeves), but I have yet to formally make their acquaintance...perhaps that should be remedied sometime. Murder mystery isn't usually my Thing, but I could make an exception. What are some of the best Lord Peter stories, do you think?
Hello Lizzie! Thank you for the nomination! I’ve not been blogging for a while, but it was so fun to finally pop over here, discover your blog, and read your answers! They were so fun! The morning of Mass and a ramble sounds delightful! And I’m sure there is someone who could make gluten-free garlic bread. 😀
Maybe someday I’ll get to answer your questions! They also sound so fun!! Thanks again!
Have a wonderful day! God bless you!
Hi Sarah!
No worries! Sometimes blogging just has to take the back burner…non-Internet life is really rather more important 😉 Thank you! Mass is always a good way to start the day, isn’t it?
I’d love to read them! But no pressure, of course; whenever you get the chance 😀
Same to you; God bless!