My good blogging buddy, Christoper Waldrop, recently received a Liebster award.  It’s an award that is given by fellow bloggers and you’re supposed to pass it on to five other bloggers.  Chris, understandably, did not want to leave anyone out by giving it to only five other bloggers, but he did list some of his favorite daily reads.  This small cog was most humbled and honored to be included among those.  So, while I didn’t exactly get a Liebster award, a mention from Chris means the same, if not more, to me.  I think I’ll call it a Chriester Award.

I most graciously accept and I will pass it on by mentioning some of my favorite blogs, in addition to Chris’s, that I check in on frequently.  He has already mentioned a few of my faves; Kristine of Mum Revised and Ann Koplow’s The Year(s) Of Living Non-Judgmentally.  Others include Actual Conversations With My Husband, Gabe at (Almost) Unsalvageable, Emelle at Ideas I’m Kicking Around, and Tanya at The Incurable Dreamer.

The Liebster award also comes with a series of questions posed by the awarder.  He answered his questions but he didn’t feel he should come into our house (blogs) and rearrange the furniture by asking his own questions.  That is admirable but anyone who’s followed me here knows I love to “answer” questions.  So I’ll just answer the ones that were asked of him.  Without further ado…

1) Why do you write?

I know this wasn’t a three part question but I am going to give you a three part answer: a) To relieve the pressure in my head.  I get these ideas and they start writing themselves in my brain.  If I don’t get them written down, the pressure builds exponentially and it physically hurts.  Laying them down in written words is like opening a relief valve on a hot water heater.  It usually ends up as messy as that too.  b) There is some kind of disconnect between my brain and my mouth.  Words that are clearly formed in my mind often end up distorted when I speak them aloud.  Sometimes they don’t make it there at all.  That same disconnect does not exist between my brain and my hands, so writing what I want to say is a lot more accurate than saying what I want to say.  c)  I’m a junkie.  What I mean by that is, if I can make someone laugh, cry, or just say WTF by something I wrote, I get off on it.  It makes me feel good.  It’s like my own little meth lab without the risk of explosions or DEA raids.

2) Which of your own blog posts should people read if they want to really know you?

If you want to see the theme (or lack thereof) of this blog you should probably check out my first post.  If you want to see my sense of humor check this one out.  If you want to see my soul bared to the world then this one is for you.

3) Best hybrid animal and why?

<—— This guy.  Why?  It says it right there; it’s bred for its skills in magic.  And as anyone who loves Napoleon Dynamite knows… you gotta have skills.

4) Flowers or chocolate?

Flowers made of chocolate, but definitely not the other way around.

5) What was your favourite childhood toy?

After translating the Canadian version of that word (I am married to one), I’m going to say, my Commodore 64 computer.  Why most people called it a toy, and I played my fair share of games on it, it wasn’t the toy aspect that made it my favorite (‘Merkin version).  It was because on that computer I experienced the wonders of my very first word processor.  Long before Wordstar, Word Perfect, and Word (man am I dating myself) was a little know program (yeah they were known as programs back then, not apps) called The Bank Street Writer.  I wrote my first “book” with that word processor when I was a teenager.  I’ve actually contemplated posting it on my blog to get some laughs but I’m not sure if you would be laughing with me or at me.

6) What is one thing about your life that you would change?

Location, Location, Location.  Over the last five years or so I’ve fallen in love with the mountains.  Unfortunately, the nature of my job keeps me near the ocean.  I am within three hours driving distance of the mountains, which isn’t too bad, but I’d rather be living and doing a job in them every day.

7) Who is your favourite writer?

Stephen King.  Yes, I can hear all the collective gasps of some of the literately well read thinking, Stephen King?  He’s a hack!  He’ll never be considered a classic writer.  All of that may be true but damn it if Uncle Stevie doesn’t know how to, for the most part (there have been some stinkers), spin a yarn.  He entertains me and more than once I’ve caught myself saying, didn’t see that coming, which is what really does it for me.

8) Are you crafty? (Either ‘cunning’ or ‘able to make crafts’)

I once made a necklace for my mother out of paper clips and orange tape.  Does that count?  She said it does but come to think of it, I only saw her wear it for the five minutes immediately following the moment I gave it to her.  Oh well.  I’d also like to think I am a cunning linguist but I’m probably as awful at that as my attempts at tired old dirty jokes.  I’m also thinking that shouldn’t be mentioned in the same paragraph as my mother.  Will I change it?  Probably not.

9) What movie do you like to watch over and over? Why?

I already mentioned Napoleon Dynamite.  Another one is the Princess Bride.  I remember being a lonely sailor just out of boot camp and going to school.  I was underage and looked it so I got thrown out of every bar I attempted to patronize.  I ended up going to A LOT of movies.  Most of the time I wouldn’t even know what I was going to see.  I would just get on the bus and figure it out when I got there.  That’s how, in 1987, I found myself sitting in a theater wondering what this movie was all about, when I was really only there as an excuse to get out of the barracks and eat some popcorn.  I was entranced.  I laughed.  I cried.  I even threatened to say…

at the wedding to my first wife.  I didn’t though, because she threatened no honeymoon nookie if I did.  If I come across that movie today it would be inconceivable if I didn’t drop everything I was doing to watch it.

10) What makes you laugh?

Anything with dark or quirky humor.  Most recently it was this post by Chris.

Chris also said he was glad to find that the list of questions didn’t ask “What is your favorite swear word?”  Although he did eventually answer that bonus question, quite hysterically for Monty Python fans, in the comments section.  So since this post is pretty much a rip off of his, I’ll answer it too.  My favorite swear word is Jizz Waffle!  Yeah, I know, it’s two words and they really aren’t swear words, but it’s my blog and I’ll answer that if I want to, answer that if I want to, you would answer it however you do if this blog belonged to you.  That last italicized  bit should be sung to the melody of a classic song.  I’ll let you figure out which one.  Man, I am strange.

Anywhoo, thanks again for the Chriester Award Chris!

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