Hey Guys! I know a few of you have tagged me for several awards and what-not, and I promise I haven't forgotten about them... I guess I just think too hard about this. Janny, I promise I haven't forgotten yours; in fact, I have a draft going... But I want to go through and take lots of pictures of the products mentioned... Who knows, maybe that part of the project will get jettisoned!
But for now, I am answering lots of questions as part of these awards. I've done this once before in this post, but I'll do it again! I actually really enjoy reading these on your blogs, so I guess that means I have to play, too. Both The Peach of http://a-crazy-peach.blogspot.com and Miranda of http://splatbyarfblat.blogspot.com tagged me, so here I go!
So, if I understand this correctly, I have some questions to answer! For The Peach's tag, I have to answer 11 questions she posed to me in addition to 11 random facts, and then I have to think up 11 questions for the people I tag. And for Miranda's Versatile Blogger award, I have to share 7 random facts... so I guess the 11 questions for The Peach will cover that? Oh boy.
I'm starting off with the 11 questions that The Peach posed for me:
1. Have you done much traveling? If so, where? I have traveled a little, but not nearly as much as I would have liked to... I've been to a number of states, including Hawai'i, Ohio (shout-out to my family!), Colorado (my aunt!), Florida (lived there; it's where my mom grew up), Nevada (hi Dad!), New York, Washington, Washington D.C., Oregon, Indiana, Georgia, etc... I've also been to Mexico (for a cousin's wedding) and Japan. The Japan trip wasn't necessarily full of sight-seeing, though... My dad got appendicitis while on a business trip, and was in the ICU for a couple of weeks. His company flew my mom and I out to be with him because he was so ill. However, I did manage to get to Tokyo Disneyland for a day, which was wonderful! I'd love to go back someday. My bucket list travel destinations are England/Ireland/Scotland/Wales (a lot of my ancestors are from the Britain, and I write and read about them all the time... I can't wait to see the historic landmarks I research all the time), Egypt, France, and Italy. I don't think there's anywhere I would say no to visiting, though, as long as it isn't an active war zone!
2. What is your idea of relaxing? I think my idea of relaxing is busier than most people's! The most rejuvenating thing for me is spending time with friends or running around doing fun things. If I have a day to fill the way I want to, I plan a day in the city at a museum, going to my favorite cafe, etc... That always makes me feel refreshed. At any rate, I'm the happiest and most relaxed when I am busy with leisure activities. I kind of hate admitting this, but my favorite vacation spot is Disney World. Or Disneyland. Or any Disney park, really... I can't stand vacations where the point is to sit on the beach and read all day long. I guess I'll have to start trading in some of these Disney vacations if I want to travel the world, though!
3. How long have you been blogging and why did you start your blog? I have been blogging for just over a year now, and I started my blog as a way to connect with other people who share a passion for blogging, and as a way to share some of my experiences with others. I know I always appreciate reviews from "real" people than from magazine editorials.
4. Bacon? Eh. I don't love it, I don't hate it. Sometimes I have it on burgers. That's about it...
5. Do you have a monthly makeup budget? I don't want to talk about it...
6. If you could live anywhere, where would it be? (I'm sorry, John!) San Francisco. I lived there while I was an undergrad and I loved it, I have never been so happy with my surroundings as I was when I lived there. I still love getting back there, but it's not the same as walking the streets every day. It still makes my heart skip a beat when someone stops me and asks for directions or help with the public transportation system, because I realize they think I am a San Franciscan. I guess I did leave my heart in San Francisco. Unfortunately, I also left a hefty chunk of change there, as well. The cost of living is sky-high, which explains why I have been unceremoniously forced out into the suburbs.
7. Do you prefer to shop online or in actual stores? Actual stores. I avoid shopping online; you guys have probably heard me complain about not being able to touch indie products before buying them, and that's why I don't order from more online cosmetic companies. I really value the experience of shopping and making a purchase in person. I guess I'm just a really tangible person. It makes me so nervous every time I order online; I feel like I'm not getting the full value of a product if I don't get the experience of actually shopping in a store.
8. Do you do have an interesting job? Are you still in school? What is your dream job? I am still in school, and am currently focusing on that full-time. Or trying to; I am suffering from a major crisis of faith and writer's block right now. I am working on getting my MA in English Literature. I'm actually not sure what I want to do after I graduate. I always assumed I'd go right through and get a PhD, but I am so ready to no longer be a student. I day dream about getting a part time job right now, but the truth is I'm terrified that if I have anything else to focus on, I won't finish my degree. It's a messy situation, I'm sorry I brought it up! Anyway, I'm interested in event planning, maybe wedding planning? I'd love to be a writer, I'd love to do something creative full-time. Having a little shop has always been a dream of mine, selling fabric or pretty lingerie. Right now, with the economy in the state it's in, I'm afraid to get too specific in my dreaming. I'd settle for something fulfilling with a bit of creativity that would pay the bills.
9. How many text messages do you send in a day? Oh gee... maybe 15 or 20 if it's a high-traffic day, and I've gotten involved in a texting conversation? But that's not average. In an average day, I tend to receive 1 or 2 "checking in" texts from family and shoot off about that many in reply.
10. Do you have a close relationship with your family? I don't even know how to begin attacking this problem. All of my familial relationships have changed drastically since my mom's illness and death. So I don't think it's that I'm not close to my family, it's that I haven't gotten the feel for these new relationships, and I live so far away from all of my family (my dad moved out of state about a year after my mom passed away) that I haven't been able to get it all sorted yet.
11. What is your go-to makeup brand? I don't think I have one that I prioritize, but I definitely "trust" that I'll most likely have good results with NARS, Urban Decay, and Make Up For Ever. It doesn't feel like as much of a risk buying from those brands, so I guess they're my go-tos.
And now I will try to think up 11 random facts about myself to share... Geez, was I able to do this last time? Yup, looks like I did... I'm not even going to worry if there's some overlap.
So What might you guys not know about me that you might like to know about me?
1. I have a stutter. It's not bad. In fact, a lot of people don't notice; they think I'm just taking my time to think about what to say. But it's a huge pain in the ass. I always have to think ahead before I speak to make sure I'm not about to say something that will trip me up, and I never feel particularly eloquent. I much prefer writing to speaking for this reason, although I do alright. The phone is the worst, though; in person, people pick up on physical cues to just wait for me to speak, but on the phone if I can't spit something out, people think they've lost the connection, or that I'm wasting their time.
2. I am writing my thesis on Shakespeare's Richard II, and the concept of sovereignty. I know that's really random, and broad for this forum, but I figured I'd throw it out there anyway, since it has become such a huge part of my life.
3. I sew! I know I've mentioned this before, and as part of the last one of these I did, but I don't know how I'm going to come up with 11 random facts! I sew costumes, mostly, although I am thinking about moving into some retro-inspired sundresses this summer. We'll see.
4. I have been a redhead since I was 16 years old! I am a redhead at heart so I just keep on dyeing it...
5. I totally watch trashy reality tv. The more awful it is, the better. I just discovered Bridezillas and Bridalplasty. The people on them are horrible, and shame on the producers for exploiting people's bad qualities... But man, it is just so entertaining! Don't worry, I also like good television. That's just not as fun to write about :P
6. I am an only child! I think there are positives and negatives to this... Suffice it to say that I am scared to think about how different I would be if I hadn't been raised this way, but I always wish I had siblings. Bonus fact: my boyfriend is also an only child!
7. I used to sing; I took voice lessons all through jr. high and high school. I really loved it, even though I don't like my voice. I get compliments at karaoke, so I don't feel bad singing for fun in situations where it's appropriate (haha, like playing Rock Band or going to karaoke), although I don't like singing alone for an audience. I was being pushed in an operatic direction when I was being coached, but the old jazz standards are my favorites .
8. My favorite word when I was about 4 or 5 was "oxymoron". I'm not sure how I heard the word, and I think I only latched onto it because it contained the word "moron"... Hmm.
9. I still haven't taken my Christmas tree down... the bins that hold the ornaments went missing!
10. I have been accused of being the "girliest" person that some of my friends have met. I don't think of myself as being the epitome of femininity or anything, so the fact that I've heard that a few times always kind of throws me... But I like makeup, I like pink, I've worn my hair long for most of my life, I love getting dressed up in skirts...
11. ...Speaking of skirts, I went to an all-girls Catholic high school. I wore the same skirt to school every day for 4 years! (there was a casual sweatpant uniform we were allowed to wear unless it was a formal dress day, but I never did that :P) We were allowed to pick out our own shirts, socks, and shoes, as long as it fit into the dress-code, so there was still room to be expressive. For instance, you'd think they would be against brick red patent leather Mary Jane heels, but... nope. Combat boots also made the cut! I really liked it there, but I think I had a very different high school experience than most of my friends, who went to coed schools.
Ok, time for 11 questions for other people to answer.
1. What is your first memory?
2. What did you think you would be doing today 10 years ago?
3. Where do you hope to be in 10 years?
4. When someone asks you to close your eyes and think of your "happy place", where are you?
5. What are your top 5 favorite books?
6. What is your favorite outfit?
7. What is the best costume you've ever dressed up in? If you don't do costumes, then your favorite "not everyday" outfit?
8. Do you have any pets? If not, what type of pet would you want if you did have one?
9. Is makeup a hobby for you, or is it part of your career?
10. Who is your beauty icon?
11. If you were inviting 5 historical figures to dinner, who would they be? Do you think they'd get along with each other?
I'm not going to tag anyone in particular, since I would love to see everyone who wants to participate do this! I'd hate to limit it to just a handful of people and make anyone else feel excluded. Like I said earlier in the post, I love reading these things on other people's blogs, so feel free to take part if you want. And no pressure to answer ALL of the questions; if there a couple you feel inspired to write on and want to just write up a short post with those few questions, I say go for it! I know, I'm breaking the rules... I am a rebel like that!
I want to go everywhere on your list of places you want to go! I realllly want to go to England & France! And I'm so jealous you got to live in San Francisco! I visited with my parents a while ago and loved every minute of it, I love cities! Also, I'm an only child too! I can't imagine what I'd be like if I'd had siblings growing up!
ReplyDeleteHaha, believe me, I do not take for granted the fact that I got to spend a few years wandering around San Francisco! It's a gorgeous, really fun city with tons of personality. And yay for only children! I get upset when people assume all only children are spoiled and antisocial... Boo stereotyping!
DeleteI am sorry to hear about your family situation in regards to your mother's passing. My husband's father recently passed away unexpectedly at a young age and WOW.......it changes EVERYTHING. It is very hard to re-adjust the family after something like that happens. As if family dynamics aren't difficult enough in the first place. Sorry for the depressing comment but that point really hit home with me at the moment.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Vulcan! A death in the family completely restructures the entire family, it's more than just grief. And no worries, your comment isn't depressing. It's just a downer topic in general! I thought twice about answering the question... Life is strange.
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