... by our very own Donna. Apparently I need to tell you eight random facts about myself and then tag some unsuspecting victims ... um, friends.
So, here goes:
1. I used to volunteer for the American Red Cross when I lived in Virginia; helping out on the Blood Mobiles. Though I was trained in CPR and First Aid, I tended to minister tea and biscuits for those donating.
2. Another of my volunteering gigs was as a dj for hospital radio station - Radio Driffield. I used to host a Staurday morning show called The Lunchbox, that went out to the local hospital and some nursing homes.
3. To keep fit, I box. Yes, box. (note, my trainer doesn't hit me and I hit his mitts and body armour, not him!) It's a wonderful way to keep fit and it's a great exercise for both the body and mind. My trainer is a former New York Golden Glove champion.
4. I hate my birthstone - peridot. It' reminds of that Yorkshire 'delicacy', mushy peas. Instead, I love opals, fire opals and tanzanites and have adopted them as my stones.
5. One of my life ambitions was to mush with huskies. On our Alaskan cruise, my husband and I got to fly up onto one of the glaciers and mush! (see picture)
6. I have met the Queen, Prince Phillip and Princess Anne and had tea with the Queen Mother at St James' Palace.
7. My favourite chocolate is Cadbury's Dairy Milk. Only the real stuff, made in England, will do. Oh, and if anyone can find Caramac bars ... send them my way! They are yummy caramel flavoured 'chocolate' bars.
8. I collect penguins - have over 400 in various guises, from clothing to ornaments to kitchen utensils and even a radio. No, I don't have a real one. At one stage, I did look into adopting one at London Zoo. But they went very quickly and had a long waiting list. Who knows ... maybe one day ...
Now for my tagees: over to you ... Terri Garey, Janice Lynn, Stacey Kayne, Cheryl Wilson, Jeanne Pickering Adams, Caren Crane, Kate Carlisle and one of our regular blog commenters Keira. You can post on your own blogs or in the comments section of my post.
13 comments:
Ok Anna, spill....
What does the Queen carry in that purse of hers?
How cool that you've met all those famous folks. And penguins. The penguin is my critique groups mascot. It started innocently enough when the last time we were in Dallas, TL complained that we kept the hotel room too cold. I said something to Lisa, our other partner about wouldn't it be funny if the next year, we had penguins in TL's bed.
Well, never say something so innocent to Ms. Lisa. She bought 4 beanie Penguins and TL found them in her bed. Over the course of the week she found hers trying on her shoes, wearing her PJ's, drinking coffee. LOL I have two sitting on my desk right now staring at me.
Last year it was goats....long story involving a dispute we have about a goat in THE PATRICIAN'S FORTUNE. I woke up one morning in Atlanta to find 4 little goats staring at me from on top of the TV. Mine was wearing a little gold crown (for the GH).
I've heard a rumor that this year will be dragons....
Cool post Anna -
We'll have to see about getting you a little penquin in Dallas. Maybe this one will have a golden heart! Thanks for playing.
Wow, Anna, great pic of mushing! I've never been on a cruise. Part of the problem is I want to go to Alaska, and dh wants to go to the Caribbean. A traveler nurse friend went to Alaska for a year and brought back some really cool pics. She signed up for another year because, as she put it, "There's 10 men for every woman up there!" Smart girl.
Suz
Well what do you know, I also collected penguins! Not so much any more (I'm definitely enjoying my riding crops), but there are still several dozen in various forms all over the house.
Both Alaskan cruises I've been on, the dog sled rides were canceled due to bad weather. WAH! Of course that just means I'll need to take yet another cruise to Alaska, since your piccie looks WONDERFUL, VA!
Thanx for the fun insights!
AC
QEII? And Queen Mum, too? WOW! What did you talk about over tea? Did they serve a Darjeeling or an Oolong?
You box? Double WOW! After Laila Ali, are we going to see you partnering with Maks on next season's Dancing with the Stars? :)
Joan: Fire-breathing dragons, eh? Perhaps one from Hogwarts.
Donna: Cool comment about the penguin with the golden heart.
Suzanne: A town near Fairbanks recently was giving land away for free with the only stipulation being that you had to build a house on that land of a certain size within a year and had to live there x number of days out of the year.
Since V.Ann tagged me, here goes...
1. Since we're on an animal theme here, I'll admit to having remotely adopted a baby mountain gorilla in the Rwandan Virunga forests through the Karisoke Research Centre.
2. Enid Blyton was the love of my bookish childhood; Barbara Cartland of my teens.
3. I was an engineer once. No more. Now, I whine just as well as everybody about the computer not working.
4. I share a birth month with V.Anna. I love peridots and their brighter cousin the olivine, after I learned that they come from that paradise called Hawaii.
5. My first manuscript was an extremely long-winded medieval where every cliche was lovingly limned. Even after 500 tedious pages, the story showed no signs of ending. The characters were supposed to talk to me, and I thought they knew their own story. Well, gosh darn it. They didn't. And I was so bored to tears by them that I boxed them up and shoved the pages high up on a shelf.
6. Nutella--a rich chocolatey hazlenutty spread--is my love and my vice. Oh, and coffee, too. I couldn't live in Seattle and not love coffee now, could I?
7. I own a to-be-read bookshelf. It's not remotely amusing, but the sight of it makes me very happy. It's housed in the brightest room of our house, in the study, so whenever I need a pick-me-up, I just have to glance over at those colorful rows. I acquire faster than I can read, but my nightmare would be to have no book waiting to be read.
8. One of my life's ambitions is to hug a bear before I pass into the hereafter.
Um, Keira, just make sure it's not a grizzly bear. Unless it's like a Grizzly Adams-trained grizzly. *g*
I did this 8 things on my blog, but here they are again.
1. I think peanut butter is almost a perfect food. If they could just get rid of the fat and calories!
2. I am so allergic to MSG that I get hives if I eat it and all my mucous membranes (eyelids, lips, nose) start to swell.
3. I adore Chinese food, which can make #2 a challenge when I'm out of town!
4. I am a huge fan of alternative music and my favorite radio station is one from a local college, WKNC from North Carolina State.
5. I cannot function on less than 6-1/2 hours of sleep.
6. I am an electrical engineer (according to my college diploma, anyway).
7. My favorite cookies are Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Snaps.
8. I am a registered Girl Scout!
Anna, for some reason, I am having all sorts of visions of you, penguins, and boxing. Set to the soundtrack of "Happy Feet", naturally. *g*
I'm jealous that you box. I want to box, too! That sort of thing, however, is not nearly so popular in NC. And Golden Glove champs are not thick on the ground here, either. But we are rife with champion hog callers, being so close to Spivey's Corner. So if you get a hankering to call a hog, come on down!
LOL Joan - the rumour is a hankie and lipstick. No money, that's what the lady-in-waiting is for. I'd like to think she has a novel stuck in there for those boring moments. I would! And loved the story about your crit group!
Ooh yes please, Donna!
Suz - they say once you've been on one you can't stop going on cruises. The Alaska cruise is spectacular - nothing quite like a champagne breakfast on your balcony in Glacier Bay!
AC - knew we were sisters under the skin! Hope you get to mush - it's amazing!!
Keira - The QM talked about her Corgis (which are horrid dogs by the way - nasty yappy things that nip at you!) and we also talked about needlework - I was there as one of my school's reps for the Queen Mary's Needlework Guild (thankfully my lack of skill wasn't exposed *grin*).
Keira - thanks for being a great sport and playing! I love Nutella too. LOL on having the same birthstone - glad someone likes it!
Caren - thanks for being a great sport too! I'm with you on PB. Especially with all that great protein. Low fat, low salt version helps me feel less sinful.
Hope you get a chance to box - it's amazing how good it is. I actually do a better day's writing after a boxing session than on any other day. And you never know, after teaching seven year olds, I may give hog-calling a go!
Caren, Trader Joe's triple ginger snaps sound so good. Why did I go there yesterday?? I could have gone today and bought some. Now I have to wait until next week because I'm not going all that way for one box of cookies.
Oh Chris, the triple ginger snaps are worth a trip! They have candied ginger, fresh grated ginger and ground ginger. Sorry, I was salivating on my keyboard.
Anna, you obviously lead a far more interesting life than I do. Of course, that's not saying much. I am, after all, a Girl Scout - and an engineer.*g* I'll definitely want to hit people if I get to box. Not so sure I want to get hit, though. I like the way you do it.
Joan, I'm getting all kinds of ideas about you and the ever-changing animals. Can't wait to hear the dragon tales at conference!
Suz, I'm with you on the attractions of Alaska. I would love to visit by land, by sea - any old way. Though I have to say, having weathered my first cruise last November, I am leaning that way for future vacations. Not sure my husband is as taken with it as I am, but I hope we get to Alaska. Anna's visual of the champagne breakfast on the balcony at Glacier Bay has quite struck my imagination.
Hey, this blog was like extra whipped cream on the side with the couple of eight tag items on it. Thanks, Keira and Caren! Vrai Anna, love your eight random facts!
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