Riss, who writes at Be of Good Cheer, recently listed myself and others as her nominees for the Liebster award. Handy google translate informed me that liebster is German for ‘dearest’. With such a fine namesake, as well as another good motivation to write, I happily oblige with the requests that accompany this nomination.
There are not many blogs that I consistently read (and some were already mentioned in previous nominations), so I won’t be doing step three. However, I will gladly give 11 questions to anyone (including previous nominees) looking for writing prompts or conversation starters. Simply message me asking for such and I will send them your way, eager to see the responses you create.
And now, we begin.
Post 11 facts about yourself
1. I have 13 nieces and nephews and think that they’re the bee’s knees!
2. Libraries are a weak spot for me. I check out stacks of books and DVDs and CDs, even if it’s more than I can realistically consume before their due date. Also, I have paid enough late fees to warrant a new wing at my home branch – the Andy Conlin Section for Xenophilia.
3. I really like knots. Part youthful interest, part climbing knowledge, part scout camp influence. I once won a brand new climbing rope for tying the fastest figure 8 follow through at the OR show.
4. My favorite color is cerulean.
5. I’ve only broken one bone before – my friend Josh’s nose when we were finger swordfighting at scout camp :S Sorry Josh.
6. If I ever have long hair and get it cut, it’s always a drastic change, not just a trim.
7. I rarely use mosquito repellant. I went for years without using it at all and now use it only very sparingly (like in areas with a high risk of disease transmission).
8. Back in 2009, I arrived in Washington, D.C. for an internship the night before President Obama’s inauguration. There were crazy lines for public transit as people purchased tickets for the next morning. Eventually I made it to my apartment to find that a neighbor intern had an extra ticket to the inauguration. The tickets were great; we were very near the front. It was quite an experience, being on the National Mall packed with people for such an historic event.
9. I may, over-utilize commas, and; semicolons;
10. I once tipped my top hat to President Eyring as he walked by.
11. I’ve snuck into the Louvre. Well, not on purpose. My brother and I heard of a side entrance with almost no line so we went there, walked through security, had our bags scanned, and so on. We kept walking, wondering when we’d get to a ticket booth. We never saw one. Perhaps we were in a separate, free exhibit, we thought. A little bit further that uncertainty was resolved when we saw a mass of people outside a room and peeked in to see none other than the Mona Lisa! No, indeed, this was not a separate exhibit. Somehow we had got inside without paying!
Answer 11 questions from your nominator
1. What is the most impulsive thing you've ever done?
Two things. Once upon a time I decided to quit my job, move to Provo with my car packed up and no housing arranged, and apply for school a couple weeks before the term started. The other instance was when I decided to take a trip to Cambodia with my brother and friend, purchased the plane ticket two days later, and caught the flight two days after that. Both of these experiences proved to be wonderful decisions and I am very grateful they happened.
2. What is your favorite breakfast food?
Ebelskivers, sourdough pancakes, Marshmallow Mateys, and scrambled eggs by my mother with chocolate chocolate-chip muffins (not necessarily all in the same meal, though that would be amazing!)
3. If you had to choose one holiday to repeat every day for a year, what would it be?
St. Patrick’s Day. I always liked this one as a kid (and still do). Sometimes I even dressed up like a leprachaun.
4. What is your favorite type of weather?
I really enjoy the weather of Spring and Fall; I like those times of change. I especially love the Fall. Here is a poem I wrote in my journal on October 9, 2011:
You can almost taste this time of year
A chilled breeze moving the air
The new smell of cold as nature grows old
This age will not stay, but it is perrenial.
Then, for the Earth, these are the golden days of a year
This makes sense, with the colors of leaves and of apple juice
and candy corn that I crave
These are the golden days of the year
And these golden days, too, bring me feelings of peace and happiness.
5. Why do you blog?
I blog because I believe that the process of creating is not only healthy and invigorating, but also fun. Blogging helps me develop my thoughts and present them coherently – helpful for sharing as well as for my own understanding.
6. Cats or dogs?
I have come to be comfortable with both, though I was tentative around them as a youngster, and much more allergic than I am now. I normally don’t feel a strong pull to have a cat or dog (except for a recent experience), and I don’t significantly prefer one or the other.
7. If you had to choose one, would you rather spend the rest of your life on a vegetarian diet or a gluten-free diet?
Gluten-free. While I admire both options, the gluten-free diet, with its neurological benefits, takes the cake (quinoa cake, of course).
8. Would you rather backpack Europe staying in cheap hostels along the way, or take a Mediterranean cruise?
Again, both sound appealing in their own right, but I still much prefer the backpacking, hosteling approach.
9. What is your favorite national park?
Zion National Park. I was lucky to grow up in Utah with its five national parks, raised by wonderful parents who saw the value in traveling in and exploring these beautiful areas. For some reason (perhaps frequency of visits), Zion carries the most memories for me.
10. If you had to live in the world of one science fiction or fantasy book, which would you choose? [I went with a series]
The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. I read only one or two of these books when I was younger and don’t remember much of the details, but I do recall enjoying them mightily and imagining myself in that world of humans and dragons living side by side.
11. What song is stuck in your head right now? (bonus points if you include a video of yourself singing along).
Unfortunately there really isn’t a song stuck in my head right now (unfortunately because I was kind of looking forward to posting a video for extra credit). I’m listening to some excellent yoga-type music and it’s not quite the type that gets stuck in your head. Or perhaps it is and I just haven’t listened to it enough. By the way, this music is part of a free MP3 album available from Amazon at http://amzn.com/B005R2OVME. This album comes highly recommended by yours truly. It's free, anyway, so it's worth a quick download.
You know what, I am going to post a video. It’s a video of me listening to this music, bobbing my head, and half-closing my eyes in moments of musical merriment. Certainly a video that will shoot to the top of youtube’s charts within the week. You’ll notice that I’m wearing headphones. I unplugged them from my laptop to give you, the reader/listener/viewer, the joy of hearing the awesome music while still retaining an attempted authentic atmosphere of Andy authoring this article.
Youtube gold right there, ladies and gentlemen :)
Thanks again to Riss for the nomination and the thought-provoking questions. I enjoyed writing this post and look forward to reading more from you, my dear friends.
Cheerio!
+Andy
