I saw this meme on E. Lockhart's blog several week ago. Repost and answer, if you like!

1) What author do you own the most books by?
Henry James. (Senior thesis.) Vladimir Nabokov is a close second.

2) What book do you own the most copies of?
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
I’m over it.

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
Jamie Fraser, and it’s not a secret!

5) What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children)?
It’s probably a tie between DRACULA and LOLITA.

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE, by Betty Brock.

7) What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
It wasn’t a badly written book … but it crossed the line from disturbing into gratuitous, for me. And no, I’m not going to mention the title.

8) What is the best book you've read in the past year?
Ooh, tough one. Lots of great books. Hmm. I would feel funny listing a book by someone I know, so I’m going to talk about the awesome book I finished last night: Marcelo in the Real World. I first heard of this book when Sara Zarr blogged about it. The narrator is a 17-year-old boy with a form of Asperger’s Syndrome, who spends the summer working in his father’s law firm – the “real world” – instead of at his school with horses, as he wanted to do. I kind of fell in love with this character. His heart is so good, and his voice is so matter-of-fact as he navigates uncharted waters of social interaction. There’s a beautiful girl, a moral dilemma, an evil villain, and hard truths about love and loyalty. I LOVED IT!

9) If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
Mine! No, I’m kidding. Of course. Uh …

10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?
Me! No, I’m kidding again. Of course. Heh. Er …

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
Mine! Okay … I’ll stop now.

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
The previously mentioned disturbing one. *shudder*

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
Can’t think of any.

14) What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
I don’t think it’s nice to call books names. Or maybe I can’t think of any I would call ‘lowbrow.’

15) What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV, as I recall. Tor. Ture.

16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?
Boring question.

17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
Snooty question.

18) Roth or Updike?
Gotta admit: I’ve never read Roth.

19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
Sedaris. He's a genius.

20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Shakespeare. And here’s a confession: I have a degree in English, but I’ve never read Chaucer.

21) Austen or Eliot?
Austen.

22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
See above re: Chaucer.


(This is a long meme, isn’t it? Here, have a flower.)




23) What is your favorite novel?
DRACULA and LOLITA are evenly tied.

24) Play?
“A Doll’s House,” by Henrik Ibsen.

25) Poem?
Uh …?

26) Essay?
Um …?

27) Short Story?
“People Like That Are the Only People Here,” by Lorrie Moore. I was never the same after I read it.

28) Work of nonfiction?
Don’t know. I don’t read much nonfiction.

29) Who is your favorite writer?
I think I’m getting tired of this meme.

30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
What a question!

31) What is your desert island book?
Something long. Maybe GONE WITH THE WIND.

32) And... what are you reading right now?
KENDRA, by Coe Booth.

I was about to tag myself, but then I discovered that sbennettwealer tagged me for the Five Things Meme, which goes like this: "Quick! Off the top of your head, what are the last five things that made you smile?"

I was stuck home today, so my five things are home-based.


5.
Black dogs in white snow.

4.
Emails from writer friends.

3.
Monk on DVD.

2.
Tollhouse cookies.

1.
Elf.


What are your five things? Everyone should play ... but especially:

sruble
laurasmagicday
arya_darcy
lisa_schroeder
lindsey_leavitt

I love this meme and I gacked it from anywherebeyond and rj_anderson. Everyone should play!

Directions:
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it makes you look.
4. Title this post what the answer to your last question is.
5. Good luck and have fun!


IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY ...?
Fire It Up – Black Label Society (Hahaha! I share my iTunes account with my son.)


HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Val Jester – The National (Heh.)


WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Don’t Cha Wanna Ride – Joss Stone (Hee.)


HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Unbreakable – Alicia Keys (Excellent serendipity!)


WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Hemorrhage (In My Hands) - Fuel (Yikes!)


WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Crazy Train – Ozzy Osbourne (Probably they did, at times.)


WHAT DO YOU OFTEN THINK ABOUT?
Why – Annie Lennox (I do! I think WHY all the time! And I confess: I skipped "Everybody Hates Ned Flanders")


WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Sweetest Thing – U2 (Awwww, it's true.)


WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Warm Beer and Cold Women – Tom Waits (AHAHAHAHAHA!!!)


WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Hey Ya! – OutKast (Lend me some sugar ... I AM your neighbor!)


WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Baby I Love Your Way – Peter Frampton (Nice.)


WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Crying – k.d. lang (Wow, again with the serendipity!)


WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad – U2 (Er ...?)


WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
California Uber Alles – Dead Kennedys (Yes, I do love California. My secret is out).


WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Who Do You Think – Interpol (Heh.)


WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO NAME THIS POST?
Sometimes Always – Jesus & Mary Chain :-)

A) People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs & replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.

B) Tag 8 people to do this quiz & those who are tagged cannot refuse! (Whatevs; yes, you can.) These people must state who they were tagged by & cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by. Continue this game by sending it to other people.

carriejones, you’ve probably been tagged by now, since you were longing for a meme. If not, consider yourself tagged.

I annoy tag:
sarahtales
soniag
dampscribbler
medwriter
deenaml
sookie06
phoebe_k
and of course: lisa_schroeder


rusalkatrix set me on this course. Yet she has been known to ignore my taggings!


1. What are your nicknames?

Mom.
Honey.
Peeps.
Hell-hound. Wait, no … that’s my dog’s nickname.


2. What do you do before bedtime?

I get all Tom’s of Maine on my teeth with the SoniCare.

Then I remove the everyday spackle.

Lastly I climb into my beloved bed, grab the book on top of the TBR pile, and read until I get sleepy. If I don’t read … sleep will not come.


3. What fandom(s) are you most into at the moment?

The Feast of Awesome.


4. What is your favorite scent?

Freshly-mown grass.
Jasmine.
Pumpkin pie.


5. What videogames are you playing at the moment? Replaced by: What TV show are you addicted to at the moment?

Project Runway.


6. What is your theme song?

“I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl,” by Nina Simone.

Actually, I just scrolled about halfway down my iTunes library and picked one at random. Cuz how can you really pick ONE theme song?


7. Do you trust easily?

Not so much.


8. Do you generally think before you act, or act before you think?

I’m better at thinking before I ACT, but not before I SPEAK.


9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?

Don’t get me started. I’m trying to keep this blog a politics-free zone.


10. Do you have a good body-image?

Eh. It’s not a bad body.


11. Is being tagged fun?

And how!


12. What websites do you visit daily?

Livejournal, evil Facebook from hell with its Word Twist crack, and Joshilyn Jackson’s site: http://www.joshilynjackson.com/mt/


13. What have you been seriously addicted to lately?

DebsChat.


14. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?

rusalkatrix is made of win, wit, and white-hotness.


15. What’s the last song that got stuck in your head?

The Get Smart theme song.


16. What’s your favorite item of clothing?

My ridiculously comfy jeans. And they are not Mom-jeans, they are CUTE.


17. Do you think Rice Crispies are yummy?

No, they are filling-removers. EDITED TO ADD: Haha! I thought the question was about Rick Krispy Treats!


18. What would you do if you saw $100 lying on the ground?

Leave it.

(Phhft. Of course I would gasp and pick it up joyfully.)


19. What items could you not go without during the day?

Air, water, and coffee.


20. What should you be doing right now?

Back to the WIP!

sookie06 tagged me for the hate meme originated by brian_ohio a few days ago, and I haven't had time to do it. But I love memes, and I hate that I don't have time to write up a Hawaii post, so here goes:

1. I hate the color ... grayish brown. That’s not a color, you say. Oh, but it is, and someone painted their house that color on purpose, and every time I drive past the house, I think, “Why? Oh God WHY?”

2. I hate the TV show ... where they make people answer horribly personal and humiliating questions, I don’t even know the name of it. I’ve only seen the previews and it makes me want to weep for humanity.

3. I hate the taste of ... mushrooms. I know, I know! They’re a much-beloved fungus, but I can’t stand them.

4. I hate the smell of ... my dog’s gaseous emissions.

5.I hate the word ... hate.

6. I hate the sound of ... oh, let me count the ways! So many things offend my auditory space. But I don’t have time to rant on and on, more’s the pity, so here’s one: unmuffled Harleys going down my block.

7. I hate the song ... “My Humps.” Okay, I don’t really hate it, but I’ve got to list something, and I just heard it the other day and thought, “Really? ‘My lovely lady lumps?’ Fergie, you’re such a poet.”

Feel free to gank this meme and hate on some stuff on your own blog!

angie_frazier tagged me for the page 123 meme!

Here's how to play:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people and post a comment to whoever tagged you once you've posted your three sentences.

This is from E.M. Crane’s Skin Deep:


I can curl up in bed all day with a book and listen to the rain pelt the window, or drip in its mournful way from the eaves, creating patternless rivulets of water on the glass.

Mom’s missing, but her car is in the driveway. No note.



Fun!

I wonder if people will still be playing this meme a year and a half from now, when my book is out???

I tag whoever wants to play!

Yay!

I haven’t done a meme in forever.

sarazarr tagged me with this Seven Songs meme, and after I finished my four thousandth lecture about homework so far this year, I happily perused my iPod.

These are the rules:
List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether or not they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your livejournal/blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to. If you want.

My seven songs are not terribly current - I think the most recent release is Kanye West. But for whatever reason, I’ve been listening to these over and over lately, which would indicate that I am ‘into’ them.

Desire – Ryan Adams (Love)

Just Friends – Amy Winehouse (Sex)

Burn – Ray LaMontagne (Lust)

Are You Alright? – Lucinda Williams (Loss)

Can’t Tell Me Nothing – Kanye West (Anger) - Homework-Averse-Boy is getting into hip hop, so I’ve been listening to a lot of it, too.

Always Love – Nada Surf (Peace)

Daughters of the Soho Riots – The National (No idea what this song is about) - I’ve been really into The National lately, so I could have listed half of dozen of their songs. Great, complex lyrics and a sad-sounding male vocalist. What could be better?


Tagging:
kellyrfineman, literaticat, lizjonesbooks, lisa_schroeder, tamarak, thatgirlygirl, and tracyworld. Plus everyone else. If you want.

I thought I did this meme once before, but it turned out to be the Top Five Weird Things About Me. So if you don’t get enough joy from the list below, you can click the link for additional nutty goodness.

http://moniquemadigan.livejournal.com/35010.html

1 – artistq shared the story of a cruel nickname inflicted on her when she was a teenager, which reminded me of my own childhood nickname: Flatsy. I was in 6th grade when that moniker landed on me. I don’t recall that it followed me to junior high, even though I remained, er, slender.

2 – I’m a long-term breast cancer survivor. Yay! I was diagnosed at 27 with no family history – I found the lump myself, and it did not appear on a mammogram. It’s been awhile since I’ve made this public service announcement: do your breast self-exams.

3 – I was very nearly Sweet 16 and never been kissed. I had my first real date, the kind where the boy drives to your house and meets your parents and everything, a couple of weeks before I turned sixteen. I got kissed that night. ;-)

4 – I am overly fond of macaroni and cheese. It’s the first thing my mom ever taught me to cook – Kraft mac ’n cheese – apparently imprinting me with the need to seek comfort for the rest of my life in noodles and cheese sauce.

5 – My first car was, in fact, my daddy’s Oldsmobile.

I’m losing track of who has already been tagged, but I’ll tag these five people: rusalkatrix, c_larkins, azang, minabirdwriter, and tamarak. AND I’m tagging lori_ann_v, even though she won’t do it. :-)

And if you haven’t been tagged but you feel like playing, please post your own Five Things!


The fine print: Each participant shares five little-known facts about themselves. Those tagged are asked to do the same as well as reiterate this guideline. Select five folks to be tagged and list their names. (Leave a comment letting them know that you've tagged them and that they may see your blog as an example.)

I have done the 50 questions.
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Type your birthday (minus the year) into Wikipedia’s search bar and post the following that happened on that day: three interesting things, two births, and one death.


Events
1478 - The Pazzi attack Lorenzo de' Medici and kill his brother Giuliano during High Mass in the Florence Cathedral. (During Mass!)

1865 - American Civil War: Confederate General Joseph Johnston surrenders his army to General William Tecumseh Sherman at the Bennett Place near Durham, North Carolina. (Ya damn skippy he did!) (Although I’m sorry Sherman burned everything to the ground on his way through.)

1994 - South Africa holds its first multiracial elections. (Yay for civil rights!)

Births
1564 (baptized) - William Shakespeare, English writer I’m crazyproud to share my birthday with Will.

1886 - Ma Rainey, American singer (d. 1939) (Mother of the Blues)

1933 - Carol Burnett, American singer, actress, and comedian (I spent many happy evenings in front of the television as a kid … cracking up at “The Carol Burnett Show.”)

(I listed three … so sue me.)

Deaths
1932 - Hart Crane, American poet (suicide) (Suicide?! Ack! The title of my LiveJournal comes from a quote by him.)

Meme-fun! Come and play! It’s not even that long.

For newbie aprilhenry, memes are basically quizzes. You cut and paste the questions into your own blog, then fill in your own answers. They’re a terrible time-waster fun and they take away from real writing time allow you to get a slice-of-life view of your blog-friends.

Usually you “tag” people, like you say, “Okay, I tag (for example) rusalkatrix to do this meme,” and the other person is supposed to do it, but maybe (for example) rusalkatrix nearly eviscerated me last time I tagged her, so I’m not going to tag anyone!

If you’re reading this right now and you want to do a meme, please do!


What is …?


The name of your first LJ friend?

Hm. literaticat?

The name of your most recent LJ friend?

aprilhenry


The first thing you ate today?

Coffee. Two cookies. They weren’t even very good, but then I had to have a third. Mid-morning: a Mocha Valencia and a yogurt.


The last book you read?

Pardonable Lies, a Maisie Dobbs Novel, by Jacqueline Winspear.


The setting of your first date?

An ice cream parlor. Then his parents’ living room. ;-)


The last time you cried?

When someone hurt my feelings. (Wow! Good detail, huh?)


The first movie you remember seeing in a theatre?

“The Sound of Music.”


The last book you gave as a gift?

Sleepy Bears, by Mem Fox.


The first album you ever bought with your own money?

Bohemian Rhapsody, by Queen.


The last tune you downloaded or CD you bought?

Some Arctic Monkeys tune.


First concert you ever attended?

I don’t think I went to any concerts until I was in my 20’s. If I did, they didn’t leave an impression on me. The first concert I can remember being really excited about was Jane’s Addiction.


The last band (or solo artist) you gave up on? You tried to like ‘em … you just couldn’t.

Jimmy Buffet.


The color of your first home (childhood)?

Hm. Green?


The color of your last clothing purchase?

Blue.


First job (aside from babysitting)?

Phone girl for Mother’s Restaurant.


Last job you hated?

Working at a stock brokerage.


The name of your first crush – real-life or celebrity?

Shaun Cassidy.


The name of the last person you had a crush on – real or celebrity?
Um, let’s stick to celebrities. Now that’s easy! Who doesn’t know me well enough by now to hazard a guess?


If you are a writer, what’s the first book that made you think, “Man! No matter how well I write, I could never in a million years have written that book?”

Beloved, by Toni Morrison.


Last words. Aside from name and dates, pick THREE words to go on your tombstone.

Colorful.
Warm.
Funny.

I tagged myself for the meme (ha!), but tailored it to suit my whims.

FIVE THINGS NECESSARY FOR ME TO HAVE A GOOD WRITING DAY

And I tag you ammichaels, rusalkatrix, sarazarr, dotificus, and lori_ann_v. Ha!

1 – A pulse.
2 – Oxygen.
3 – Caffeine.
4 – My laptop.
5 – At least 30 minutes … more if possible.
6 – Stuff in my head loud enough to drown out external noise.

People: settle.

I know you're dying to know the Top Five Weird Things about me and I will satisfy that need right now:


1 – I cannot fall asleep unless I read first. Sometimes I’m so tired I figure I’ll drop right off when I turn out the light … only to find myself awake and dismayed an hour later.

2 – I get in food ruts. I almost always order pad see ewe with chicken when I’m eating Thai food. I almost always order pollo en mole when I’m eating Mexican. I almost always order braised beef on rotelli pasta topped with gorgonzola when I get take-out from Noodles.

3 – When I’m feeling particularly enraged at my husband someone, I mutter terrible, insulting things under my breath in another room. If he's gone outside, I snarl them aloud.

4 – When I’m drinking hot tea, I slurp it even though I don’t want to and wish I could stop. It’s just that the tea has to be the exact right temperature of hot for me to enjoy it … which is just slightly too hot … which makes me slurp it a little.* Thank goodness there’s very little risk of my being invited to tea with the Queen of England.

5 – I never realized I did this until my sister pointed it out years ago: I usually leave one or two bites of food on my plate, regardless of what the meal is and regardless of how well I liked it. When she asked why, I told her it was for the leprechauns.

Curious. Three out of five weirdnesses pertain to comestibles.


*I really, really need a little bit of chocolate with my tea, too.

I was tagged by lillpluta, and I am tagging in return:
ammichaels, peacebound, sarazarr, jenlyn_b, and literaticat.

Not necessarily new, but songs in heavy rotation on my iPod or in the car:
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