Whoever Said “Kill Two Birds With One Stone,” Never Lived With a Bird.

So this week I had the honor of being asked by Val to accept the “Sisterhood of the World Blogging Award.” Like any of these awards it seems der rigueur to say “Aw shucks really… do I have to?” There are very few blogs I don’t truly enjoy, so I know it’s not an actual award per se… like any one blogger is better than another… it’s that I love to read people’s answers to the often really thoughtful questions people come up with. It’s kind of voyeuristic I suppose, but it’s just good fun to hear about people’s experiences. Why do you think I work in psych? It’s like a licence to be nosey.

So why the two birds you may ask? Well Lisa was accepting the same said award from Lizzi and asked her cohostinae of the TToT to join in answering her questions as well. So I thought I would just combine both series of questions and bore ya’ll to tears.

So Lisa wants to know:

What is one of your favorite habits you have? 

My favorite all time habit is looking things up. I don’t know what the heck you’re talking about? Google it. Someone  says what’s the definition of “logolepsy”?  Google it. “When is the next time Jupiter is closest to the moon?” Google it. Before Google I really did own a great set of encyclopedias and one of those really MONDO dictionaries.

Would you prefer to travel by plane, train, or automobile? Why?

There was a time I would have said plane because It inferred a real vacation. No more. I prefer auto, as it affords me more control , or at least to fool myself into thinking that. Not that I’m afraid of crashing. It has to do with health related issues. I have unfortunately developed a bit of an anxiety issue around travel and feel the need for control in my travel plans. I would rather be in a domestic situation in the event of an emergency.

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

How approachable they are.

If you could throw any kind of party, what would it be like and what would it be for?

The Living or Dead Party is really my ideal. It’s a party in which you choose a number of people both living and dead to attend. It would be such a blast if it could be for real!

What was the first thing you bought with your own money?

My first purchase ever was a Christmas gift for my mother. But better story is about my partner, who was born in Tibet and was a yak farmer ( yes, you read that correctly) until he escaped to Nepal in his early thirties. Tseering came to the US pretty much penniless. This was a guy who lived in the street for a year, worked three jobs and made his way to finally having his own place with two other guys. He and the guys all accepted furniture from a nearby shelter , he walked or bicycled everywhere. We met a few years after he got on his feet. His first purchase ever, besides basic necessities, was a bed. It was a lovely bed. He bought it when we had decided to move in together. It was a shaker style, simple design, cherry wood. He was a cut and dry minimalist. One of the most infuriating things was his ability to make you realize how stupid it was to care as much as most of us do about material items. He had few possessions, and actually since his death, I have some minor regrets about that as I have very few things to remember him by. So I was amazed and mildly vindincated, when during Douglas’ first week with us, he chewed the leg off the bed. In fifteen years I had never seen Tseering attached to anything that was not a living thing. I never (and I am not kidding, never) saw him lose it. Sure he would tell you if he didn’t like something but he never lost his cool. Until this happened. I always got the feeling he never really liked Doug much after that. He tried to understand that Doug was adjusting and had just come from a very abusive situation… but really…not a Douglas fan.

What was your favorite activity in gym class?

The end of it. I like sports but hated the intimidation of gym class.

If someone asked you to give them a random piece of advice, what would you say?

Depends on what they were asking for… what do ya mean ‘random’? Like words to live by? Being a therapist. Advice often takes the shape of reflection and looking from different angles at a problem.

What’s your favorite part about today so far?

I spent the morning with my friend Richard. I haven’t seen him in the past few weeks because I wasn’t feeling well. We met for tea this morning at our usual haunt . He is just lovely to talk to and we, as always, lost track of time . He challenges me, and validates me, and allows me to do the same for him. He is a great friend.

If you were a type of animal, what would you be and why?

I have always wanted to fly . SO I would be some sort of large, soaring bird. I want to go very high.

What story does your family always tell about you.

When will they stop telling the story of how I got a bead stuck up my nose at the age of 4? My God , I am 52 years old and still hear about it at every family gathering. I don’t really care, but now that I think about it they act like I would turn around and do it again today. I was 4, people! I was curious! I wanted to see if it would fit! ANSWER: IT DID! All too well… had to go to ER to get it removed. You would know that if you came to our next family gathering.

Val wants to know:

Talk about your favorite kind of music.

I can listen to anything from opera to country. I am fond of the hammer dulcimer.

What’s the hardest thing about being you?

I have been ill since my twenties when I was diagnosed with a rare form of CA. I would have never said it was the hardest thing about being me… until this year. It has reached a stage that is becoming difficult to live with.

Describe a typical family get-together at your house.

You mean the ones where everyone sits around and talks about how I got a bead stuck up my nose?

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment so far?

I don’t have any biological children but the kids in my family would come to me if need be, despite that I will hold no secrets and am kind of known for “if you don’t want the truth then don’t ask her.” I like being the cool aunt.

 If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would change how snarky I can become. I’m sure it puts some people off. I have worked hard to temper it as it was full out aggressive at one time, but it still needs work.

If you could spend time with a book character or historical figure, who would it be?

I have a lot of God questions. I need some Jesus time.

What is your favorite vacation memory?

Despite the fact that our tour guide was killed that morning, the afternoon we went to Stonehenge was quite the wonderful experience.

What would you like to receive as a present?

I would be incredibly grateful for any one of the following:

Even half my school loan being payed off. Thanks to the medical establishment I have no wordly possessions. As of last year I have payed off all my medical loans, school is now my only significant debt as I refuse to carry any significant credit.

I also need a new car.

I like Juju Bees too. A box of Juju Bees would be fine as well.

What’s one thing on your bucket list?

I would love to go to Easter Island.

 One thing that few people know about me is . . . . . . .

Until about five years ago I was a bit of an enigma. I was very guarded in what I let out about myself, painfully private, a ” don’t even ask as you most likely won’t get an answer” kind of gal. I have since decided to be more forthcoming and open with people which hasn’t been an easy journey for me.

Now as tradition would have it I am to select more people to pass on this auspicious award. I am gonna wait on that part as this award seems to be making the rounds and I suspect a lot of people will be seeing it show up in their mailbox. I shall return to that part. Thanks to Lisa and Val! This was fun!