The past is what makes up who we are. Don't let it become your burden

(Swiped from Amy, the Source of All Goodness)

How tall are you?

171 cm or so.

Do you have a hidden talent and if so, what?

The speed at which I can alphabetize paper slips is astounding. Then there's my rapid-fire updating of OCLC records. But my best talent is sleeping, even when in a situation that would find most people with eyes uncloseable.

What is your biggest blog-related pet peeve?

I guess it's those people who think that because they can post something up on a website it endows them with the same skills as someone who has studied journalism and made a career of it. I have a specific site in mind (they call themselves "County Watchdogs" but really they're just mean-spirited gossips), but I'm not limiting myself to them. "Citizen Journalism" is unreliable at best.

What is your biggest non-blog-related pet peeve?

Meanness. Why we gotta be so bloody MEAN to each other all the time??

What’s your favorite song?

Depends on the day. Of late, "St. Teresa" (Joan Osborne) has been popping up with some regularity.

What’s your favorite Etsy shop?

I don't think I've ever bought anything from anyone on Etsy, but I follow the Tumblr of the woman who does this shop and she (and her work) cracks me up.

What’s your favorite way to spend your free time when you’re alone?

Reading, puzzling (as in Sudoku and crosswords), Facebooking. Mostly in that order.

What’s your favorite junk food?

Those damned Lofthouse iced sugar cookies.

Do you have a pet or pets?

We are down to just Pintobean the guinea pig. Unless you count the dust dinosaurs....

What are your number one favorite non-fiction and fiction books?

Overall, the Kent Haruf novels are my favorites. I mean as the story of the town of Holt. Nonfiction....hmmm, the one that's keeping my sanity the best is probably someone Al-Anon related. A lot of the stuff is inane and insipid, but there's almost always a little nugget of thought-provoking stuff to chew on.

What’s your favorite beauty product?

Burt's Bees lip balm. Not the mango, but the peppermint stuff is wonderful!

When were you last embarrassed and what happened?

I'm mortified that I've been incredibly credible. Again. Why do I believe what people tell me rather than believing the evidence my senses are screaming at me?!

If you could only drink one beverage (besides water) for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Diet Dr. Pepper.

What’s your favorite movie?

The ones that make me laugh the hardest--for obviously different reasons--are Paint Your Wagon, RHPS, and Heathers. The best one EVER is Shoah, but you best bring a truck of Kleenex, some ulcer meds, and something to chew on to keep from screaming, and do NOT watch it if at all depressed.

What were you in high school: prom queen, nerd, cheerleader, jock, valedictorian, band geek, loner, artist, prep etc.?

I was co-valedictorian--six of us were within 1/100th in GPA so they weenied out and refused to pick one (I was probably 3 or 4 out of about 300 in my class)--and a huge band-nerd-slash-brainiac.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Right now, that house on Tierra del Fuego, or in the middle of the Mojave, sounds fabulous.

PC or Mac?

PC, because I haven't use an Apple product since approximately 1987. I don't hate them, but it's just easier to use the same basic product at home and at work. This minimizes the hassle in sending files back and forth--though I think nowadays that's less of a problem. It used to be a huge hassle.

Last romantic gesture from a crush, date, boyfriend/girlfriend?

Hah! First of all, I'm married, nearly 30 years in at this point. Secondly, Beast is not exactly Mr. Romantic. However, he did surprise me with those damned sugar cookies recently. ;-)

Favorite celeb?

I don't really like "celebs." There are a lot of famous people that I like because they are doing good and admirable things: Jimmy Carter, Meredith Vieiera, Michelle Obama, even Prince Charles. I don't tend to care too much about people who are famous for being famous (I'm looking at you, Housewives and Kardashians and Survivor has-beens, et al.).

Which blogger do you secretly want to be best friends with?

I am friends with several of the bloggers I follow. One of my besties IRL and several who've crossed into Facebook-friendships. Now that is some weird shit there. If we're talking Big Famous People....Lynne Murphy from this blog is my idol. Funny and smart, and clever, and real.