and I quote*:

"You know the drill.

"Answer the questions and then post on your blog to expose yourself to ridicule. If you don’t post this within 48 hours of receiving a tag**, for the rest of your life, more than two-thirds of every breath you take will be nitrogen."

(*you can tell I'm quoting from someone else, far too much punctuation - well, full stops, and capital letters, to be specific - for my liking!)

(**and that's not a threat, but this man issued it if you want to take it up with anyone)

1. If I were to engage in se*ual activity with three members of the se* to which I am currently not attracted, I would choose:

   a starfish,
   
   a pelican and
   
   a flamingo;
   and - OH! I'm on a roll -
   
   snowdrops and peppermills
   
   (and NO! I'm not being rude
   - I like fresh coarsely ground pepper on my daily salad -
   salad is so much more reliable than se*)
   
   


2. Of the following list:
   
   Pedagogue
   Bodewash
   Vicissitude
   Anthropophagy
   Callipygian
   Steatopygic
   Defenestrate…
   
   my favourite is: why Vicus, of course! (altho I do quite like calligraphy) (not Caligula, or Kaliyuga even, but calligraphy)
   
   
   
   calligraphy on a driftwood box
   - doesn't get much better than this!
   
   



3. You’re in a desert walking along in the sand when all of the sudden you look down, and you see a tortoise, it’s crawling toward you. You reach down; you flip the tortoise over on its back. The tortoise lies on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can’t, not without your help. But you’re not helping.
   
   Why is that? I put my back out when I bent down the first time - serves me right, but oh! that poor tortoise. . . (I always thought they were self righting)
   
   
   

4. Rank the following from 1 to 5 (1 being the best):
   
   Tri-cut Manila Folders 2
   Q-Tip Brand Cotton Swabs 1
   A highball glass full of tepid drinking water depends how thirsty I was
   Three assorted length drywall screws 4
   





5. Describe in single words, only the good things that come into your mind about your mother.
   
   erm. . . she could knit and embroider without making a mistake. . . she made jam that set perfectly and jelly that was totally clear. . . she made very good custard from only egg yolks, sugar and milk. . . she made very good meringues from the egg whites left over from the custard. . . she never left her husband despite the fact she was very unhappily married. . . she took my brothers and I on holiday once to Norway and we travelled around by the local buses and she never once took the wrong bus or missed a connection. . . she introduced me to art. . .
   
   (even tho she then said I couldn't study it at college because "nice girls don't go to art college")
   
   (ok, I have to stop here or this will just go downhill)
   
   
   

6. How many States can you name from memory?
   
   desparation, loneliness, sadness, lostness, regret. . .
   
   oh I think I better stop again. . .
   
   

7. If you were to rename yourself (first, middle and last), what would you choose?

Ross or Frost or Fleming would be my last name (Ross because I'm related to a Ross, Frost because I'm related to a Frost and Fleming because I'm related to a Fleming); I've always thought middle names to be a bit of a waste, but I'd choose the letter X or Q because they don't get enough of a look in as far as I'm concerned and I would choose my first name to continue to be my first name because otherwise I'd just get confused if/when people talk to me. . .





8. Which of the following does not belong: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG, Mercedes-Benz SLC Gullwing, Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG?
   
   

   did someone mention gulls?
   I like gulls!
   
   

9. Pick one: Matthew McConaughey, Josh Lucas, David Beckham. . .
   
   hmmmmmmm I get to pick a man? well, you know me. . .
   
   

   Niles!
   
   

10. Pick one: Eva Mendes, Vanessa Marcil, Eva Longoria. . .

Meg! can I pick Meg?

OH!
I think I just did. . .

a meme for Monday - update

look what the wonderful and talented shot made for me, from the scant information provided earlier on in the week! thank you shot!

a meme for Monday

here are the instructions:

1. click here and the first article is the name of your band
   
2. click here and the last few words of the very last quote of the page are the title of your album
   
3. click here and the third picture is your album cover image

I know, it's similar to other memes, but I quite liked my results:

• my band is called Karelides (an ancient mountain chain located between Eastern Finland and Lapland)
  
• my album is like a moon on the tides, from this quote: "language exerts hidden power, like a moon on the tides" Rita Mae Brown, Starting From Scratch, 1988
  
• the cover art:

(you're supposed to photochop it all together, but I don't have photoshop. . . altho I'm having fun in my head choosing fonts for the writing. . .)

a life in only six words X 6

(formatting and punctuation optional)

1. she liked listening to the lyrics
2. someone told her: ignore the words
3. she never understood the whole story
4. eventually, unburdened, she will go forth
5. atonement and/or forgiveness? who knows
6. then, she finally forgave herself! *sigh*

been there, done that

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (no - but I've printed one)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

one

word

1. Where is your mobile? pocket
2. Your significant other? sigh
3. Your hair? washed
4. Your mother? turning
5. Your father? angry
6. Your favourite? sunshine
7. Your dream last night? nightmare
8. Your favourite drink? coffee
9. Dream/goal? contentedness
10. Virtue? patience
11. Hobby? art
12. Fear? life
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? content
14. Where were you last night? alone
15. Something that you aren't? forgiven
16. Muffins? biscotti
17. Wish list item? friendship
18. Where you grew up? countryside
19. Last thing you did? bathed
20. What are you wearing? towel
21. TV? Frasier
22. Pets? cats
23. Friends? sigh
24. Your life? tricky
25. Your mood? anxious
26. Missing someone? many
27. Car? bus
28. Something you're not wearing? jewellery
29. Your favourite shop? charity
31. Glass half empty, or half full? I have a glass?
32. Shiver, quiver or slither? milkshake
30. Your favourite colour? skybluepink
33. When is the last time you laughed? smiled. . .
34. Last time you cried? momentarily
35. Who will resend this? you?
36. One place that you go to over and over? Polzeath
37. One person who emails you regularly? shot
38. Your favourite place to eat? in company

Q&A

1. What was the first car you drove (legally)? what do you mean "legally"!!! I don't do illegal. . . *exasperated sigh*; my brother's Mini; the second was an E-Type Jag (you didn't ask, but I had to brag!) 2. How many colours has your hair been? one. . .


3. Have you ever been fired? out of a cannon, yes; from a job, no (I have resigned three times, tho; and I was made redundant whilst on maternity leave when I was pregnant with The Teen)

4. What do you sing in the shower? I don't (I bathe) (in a bath)

5. If you could be any celebrity, who would you be? I wouldn't, I don't "do" celebrity; Meg Ryan can play me in the movie of my life (see 8. below), but she'll need to wear brown contacts. . .


6. Who was your favourite teacher and why? I have two. . . an English teacher (who used to give me A+s for my literature essays), and a chemistry teacher (because he wrote music to my lyrics and gave me a tape with this on it)
7. If you had a nickname, what is it, if not, what would you like it to be? I don't; pass

8. What would the title to the movie about your life be? "Only Time Will Tell" or "My Wasted Heart" (I'll get back to you on that one in a few years from now - I've recently been thinking that I've got a little more living to do now, before I kick the bucket)

9. If we say we are here to help others, then what are others here for? are others here! crikey - I thought I was all alone (retreats rapidly to comb hair and put on some lippie)

10. Who was your first crush? someone who I felt passionate about? David Soul in Starsky and Hutch, closely followed by a youngish Richard Gere and a very young Ryan O'Neil, Christophe Lambert, Jacqueline Bisset. . . I currently have a crush on Niles Crane, as you may know

(but he'd need to wax first)

11. Do you believe in karma? please define karma - is it sky blue pink? I'd like that!

12. What are the best and worst inventions, in your opinion? coffee machines and coffee machines that don't work. . . no, seriously - some kind of medical equipment probably, that can be transported by the Red Cross or Medecins Sans Frontiers and used to help people who have no access to hospitals

13. What is the worst physical injury youʼve ever had? (does a broken heart count?) I've never really been injured, (altho now I come to think about it, XCH once dropped a piece of wardrobe on me from out of an attic and I put my hand up to shield my head and the piece of wardrobe broke my wedding ring finger - I had to have the wedding ring sawn off in A&E, but fortunately not my finger) but I did have a terrible infection (in my foot) a few years ago, which ended up with an emergency admission to A&E in the middle of the night where I was put on a heart monitor and then had intravenous penicillin pumped thru my veins for ten days until every vein had collapsed and the doctors couldn't get it into me anymore. . . they said it was the worst case of the infection in a foot they had ever seen and I was lucky not to have had the foot amputated

14. Who is your favourite Batman? I have a favourite Batman? *scratches head* oh! actually, I do! that guy who played Beetlejuice in Tim Burton's film of the same name

15. What is your very earliest memory? my father serving me a plate of cold peas for dinner, that I had not managed to eat at lunchtime

16. Is there any animal/creature that creeps you out? maggots

"what's worse than finding a maggot in your apple? finding half a maggot in your apple!"

17. Which is the place that youʼve never been that you'd most like to visit? anywhere with a beautiful beach where I can go shell collecting and then take the shells home without feeling guilty about it

18. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? someone from Swallows and Amazons. . .

. . .failing that, an artist

POST SCRIPT:
.

now I've thought a little bit longer about this (the above was sort of spontaneous), I realise that I have also always liked the idea of living by the water, creating art, growing my own food, swapping a glut with someone else's - not so much a childhood dream, but one that came to me after five years of working in The City and putting up with all sorts of office politics bollocks and early mornings and late nights and long hours and and and and then two years living in Shropshire growing vegetables and learning how to card fleece and spin and dye my own yarn (can't remember if I ever shared this with you?). . . I love the work of Richard Long and Andy Goldsworthy, so perhaps I could combine those types of artist "being", with the gardening and self-sufficiency skills of Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall, and a small (but warm) shack with a view of the sea and easy access to a beach: I'll be a crofter! (Malc is currently guffawing in the background)