11 things Liebster

"Liebster Award" is a blog chain letter thing. In the rendition I was tagged in, by Korinthia's Quiet Corner, I am supposed to:

• List 11 things about me
• Answer the 11 questions she posed to her nominees
• Propose my own 11 questions
• Nominate 11 small time bloggers to do the same (list 11 things about themselves, answer my 11 questions, propose their own 11 questions, and nominate 11 more small-time bloggers)
• "small-time" bloggers were indicated as blogs with a following of fewer than 200 - um, I totes qualify. Go me!

 11 things about me:

1. Too much of my mental space is mom-oriented at this point. Probably quite a few people who know me casually and who know me well would agree.
2. We got married in semi-secret and we never officially "told". I confessed to my closest friends after several years, but that was it. It sort of eventually got around, after several years.
3. Playing in an orchestra this year has been so amazingly good for me. Having a great conductor is wonderful icing on that cake. I think this may help with Item 1.
4. I rarely read anymore, unless it's a parenting-related book. Changing this would also help with Item 1. But there are dishes to do and meals to cook and I never post updates about my kid(s) anymore as it is... and soon there will be diapers to wash too.
5. I knew what would happen to my breasts post-breastfeeding. But especially following almost 2 years of "real" boobs thanks to pregnancy and breastfeeding, it was still a nasty shock. I have always been fairly comfortable with my body shape and proportions - until then.
6. I really regret never studying abroad. Or teaching english abroad after graduation. Or going on any sort of independent international adventure.
7. I'd like to have more than 2 kids, but we can't afford to travel with more than 4 plane tickets, so we'll stop. Also, I'd like to see part of my paycheck again someday. This working-for-childcare arrangement is soul-sucking.
8. The first 7 were written on a different week than these last 4. This one may color the remainder. Item 8: I can function for a long time on very little sleep. However, my house and my nutrition and my relationship with my husband all suffer because of it. Please, child, sleep...
9. I will eat anything, but I am also happy to eat the same thing every single day. I had the same sandwich every day for months until I got pregnant again, and hummus suddenly became unpleasant.
10. You cannot imagine the state of my desk at work. It's incredible. The layer of stuff is at least 6" deep. This is its normal state.
11. I went back to work after the Guajolotita #1 was born in part because I was scared to stay home.

And here are my 11 Answers:

1. If you had to leave your house in a hurry and could never go back what items would you grab?
   
   Kid(s), of course. Beyond them... Perhaps the folder with our passports? Our photo albums are in the basement so I probably wouldn't have time to get those. If for some reason I did have that kind of time, I'd grab the photo album from when we got married, and also throw the computer out the window so some of our vacation pics to China and Turkey wouldn't be lost. Beyond that I can't think of any *thing* that I would be so upset about in the face of whatever was causing me to be evicted from the premises on short notice. (As it was Korinthia's Quiet Corner that put me up to this, I feel obligated to mention my instrument and while I appreciate my viola and think it has a nice sound, it is not actually fancy and was only $250 plus repairs.)



2. Is there anyone from your past you hope never to run into?
   
   I think I've blocked such unpleasant experiences. There are a couple of ex-boyfriends that would be awkward to run into, but I would certainly survive the experience. Things that were worse - highschool humiliation or semi-frightening sexual harassment incidents - I can't remember exactly the context anymore so I can't conjure up who was what. Also, I've changed so much, and have so much confidence now that things I might think would bother me probably wouldn't.
   Although, for those that know me, here's the DUH answer: my mom. (yeah, that's sad, especially on a mom blog, but sweet jesus it's the truth. These have been the best 10 years of all of our lives.)



3. If millions of dollars fell into your lap lottery-style, what would you do with it?
   
   
   • Pay off the buildings we and our parents own.
   • Put away $ for kids' college & my nephew.
   • Send my brother & sister to college.
   • Get our family abroad hot water and flush toilets and a college education for those who want it.
   • Buy a condo for each of my siblings and husband's siblings.
   • Donate half of it - perhaps start a foundation for college scholarships for undocumented immigrant kids, or maybe to fund education in low-income communities some how?
   • Pay my sister's med school debt.
   • Pay my brother-in-law's law school debt.
   • Also we'd probably have another couple of kids, since at that point we could afford to.
   • Oh and have better retirement funding for us too.



4. If there was one thing about yourself you could magically fix what would it be?
   
   This is really general. That is intentional - I imagine the thrust of the question-asker is more personal-flaw oriented than physical. I don't know what my biggest flaw is - I can list many but I don't know what the worst one is that needs the most immediate attention. I guess selfishly I'd say I wish I kept a better house - I'm not highly organized and not a good housekeeper. Our floors always should've been mopped a week ago. However, less selfishly I would say I should have more patience with my family. I have lots of patience with Kid 1 and I think also with THCSITU, but sometimes my original family - siblings and dad - get the short end of my patience and they shouldn't. Like all families, they have put up with a lot from me over the years.



5. What book do you think I probably haven't read but should?
   
   The Diamond Age. The original Dune and any Ray Bradbury and Hobbit&LOTR are some of my favorite books. This one is fairly dystopian though, not really uplifting. Not as epic and drawn out as LOTR, since you mention that you don't like that trilogy.



6. Do you think it's true that no two snowflakes look alike?
   
   Nope. The odds of them being actually identical are low. But to look alike to the untrained eye, even with a high magnification image? I bet that happens.



7. Who is the person you can most rely on to make you laugh?
   
   Kid 1, she cracks me up an awful lot. The person who makes me laugh the most overall, however, is probably THCSITU. I see him/talk to him most so he has the most chances. :) I can't go looking for a laugh from either one though - it's not fair to the kid of course, and THCSITU just doesn't work that way.



8. If you had to live in a different country, which one would it be?
   
   I'd give Europe a shot. That paid maternity leave and social support system is really tempting. Also the kids would get to be trilingual by default, how cool would that be?



9. If I told you tomorrow you could hang out for the whole day with anybody, who would you pick?
   
   Anybody in the universe? Or anybody I know?
   
   Anybody in the Universe (living): I think I'd like to hang out with Barack. He seems fun and incredibly smart, and interesting. Other people I admire of similar stature (say, Hillary) I would just be too intimidated. It would feel like I was in the interview of my lifetime. President Obama smiles and jokes and is less scary.
   
   Anybody I know already in real life: another of my oldest friends, who lives in China with her family, kids, etc. so the chance of us actually getting to spend a day together without also refereeing kids is slim to none. That would be a great treat. I feel lucky that I got to see her a few days this summer at all.



10. What is your favorite building?
    
    My dad's house. I think I've come to terms with the fact that he will sell it in the next few years. I am not sad or angry about that anymore... but I think it will still be really hard when it does happen.



11. Sisko or Janeway?
    
    Well my geek card is totally revoked because I did NOT recognize this question at all. A quick google helped me remember about Captain Janeway - we watched a LOT of STNG with my dad growing up, but I was already older (and busier) by the time it ended. I've seen some Voyager, but little Deep Space Nine at all. My youngest sibling would give me a lecture if he knew I couldn't answer this question.

11 Questions

1. What's the best vacation you've ever been on/what made it great?
2. What is something you've never done that you really want to try some day?
3. What study/career path did you NOT follow that you are still intrigued by?
4. How do you get the news: read, watch, or listen? (To follow political stuff, find out about international crises, that sort of thing.) Feel free to elaborate.
5. iPhone, Android, something else?
6. When you fight with someone close to you, are you a screamer? Do you curse? Do you stomp off and leave the situation/leave them behind? What's your natural approach?
7. Where've you never been that you wish you could go?
8. What's your favorite thing about your current living situation?
9. What language would you most like to learn?
10. What can you repair yourself? (computer, car, sock, etc.?)
11. Who would be your preferred desert island buddy? (not kids or spouse/boyfriend - you were on a cruise without them when you got stranded!)

I tried to think of questions that are a little fantastic but attainable, and also others that make me think about the good things I've got (or for that one of them, things I could do better).

11 blogs:

Like Korinthia's Quiet Corner, I don't know of 11 small blogs to link to. I came up with 7, all except one are people I know IRL. Some of these blogs haven't been updated in many months though:

MonkeysGoHome
Classical Sass
Motherhood
waitingforlittlefeet
MommyWorkingFullTime
Hey Unity & Brixton
Tania