Sherri Cornelius

This meme has been going around Facebook, so I finally succumbed to the pressure of multiple tags. I thought I’d copy it here on my hub blog. (Darcknyt, my response to your award is next in the queue!)

On with the meme:
1. I’m old enough to have to count back to remember my age. (In case you young people are wondering, that started around age 34.)

2. I had my cancerous thyroid removed in 2003. I miss it and secretly hope it grows back. I also worry about the end of civilization because where would I get my replacement hormone? I can make soap from ash and lard, skin a rabbit, and build a shelter, but I can’t make those little pills that keep me alive.

3. I’m insecure in professional situations, because I say things like “Wow, I just had deja vu” with no warning.

4. I feel WAY skinnier than I am.

5. I love watching decorating shows, but my walls are off-white, I have literally 3 pictures through the entire house, and my furniture came from garage sales and Salvation Army.

6. I hate marijuana. I hate the smell, sight, thought of it. (Haven’t seen it in a long while, but I smelled it last week, and every week, at the grocery store.) It makes me sick to my stomach. I’d rather watch somebody shoot heroin than smoke a doobie. My reaction to pot borders on PTSD. That said, I am for legalization. It makes logic sense to me, if I can set my emotional sense aside. I just threw up a little in my mouth, saying that.

7. I walk on the treadmill in shorts and a sports bra. My kids love it because they have 45 minutes of free access to my belly fat.

8. Most days, my biggest excitement is having a successful BM. Woo!

9. Some days, though, I get mail, and that is pretty exciting.

10. A small number of days involves correspondence with my agent, which is like a shot in the arm.

11. My 16yo step-daughter thinks it’s funny how I know the words to every song that comes on the radio, especially when it’s a “young” group.

12. Yesterday I came down from my office to find a horse tied to a tree in my yard. I patted it on the nose, went inside, and it was gone a couple of hours later. Never saw the owner.

13. I believe you can do anything you want, but not all at once, and not all successfully.

14. Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy adequate healthcare and good food and a nice place to live and a reliable vehicle.

15. As I was typing the above, this Twitter notification appeared on my screen from the Dalai Lama @OHHDL: ‘Quote of the day: “Happiness is not something ready-made, it comes from your own actions.” ~His Holiness, the Dalai Lama’

16. I hate school fundraisers with a passion. They reward children who have large networks and/or plenty of money, and the poor kids are penalized AGAIN.

17. I’m excited at the possibility of thunderstorms this afternoon.

18. I love to watch Spongebob Squarepants over and over.

19. When I’m around outsiders I often feel/seem stupid and slow because of my reaction to common household fragrances.

20. I think a lot of “mystery illnesses” like fibromyalgia, autism, and depression are caused by chemicals in our environment and food.

21. I need to shave my legs.

22. I knew 25 things was too many.

23. One of these days I hope to be “off the grid,” i.e. completely self-reliant for power, water, food.

24. I have a hard time reconciling my love for technology and the horrible things we’ve allowed to happen to the environment in our pursuit of it. I could say the same thing about money.

25. I have probably 400-500 books in my house and in storage, and I still have nothing to read.

I hope you all are still awake! I’m sure I’ve forgotten things that might have been more interesting, but I’m hitting publish anyway. Not tagging anybody because I think all my friends have already done this one!

Isn’t that a beautiful, kreativ* logo? So my old friend DarcKnyt (old in Internet years) has passed this award on to me, and I must say I am honored. It always surprises me when someone likes this place. The question that came with this was hard to answer, since I’ve only recently started feeling creative after a long dry spell.

List six things that inspire your creativity.

1. Nature. When I commune with a tree or talk to a squirrel it fires me right up.
2. Spirituality. I love to ponder the human/spirit connection. It’s a theme that often shows up in my work. It’s probably why I write fantasy.
3. Conversation. This might spark my creativity more than anything. Even when I’m only conversing with myself, speaking ideas out loud seems to stimulate my brain.
4. Writing with pen and paper. I don’t know why I didn’t use this device before. If I’m stuck on the computer, writing on paper unsticks me.
5. Books. Reading other people’s work gets me to thinking about my own. If it’s a good book, I aspire to be as good. If it’s bad, I get a boost because mine is better.
6. My office. [updated link] That place, all mine, into which no negative energy may pass, calms me and makes me receptive to creative impulses.

Pass the award on to 7 more kreativ bloggers. Gosh, looking at my sidebar is looking at a blog graveyard. I really need to update that thing. I don’t have 7 people to pass the award to (some on my sidebar have already received it), but I do have a few who astound me with their creativity on a regular basis.

1. Marta, Writing in the Water
2. Raquita, WOBL in Training
3. D. Lynn Frazier, Writtenwyrdd
4. Ian T. Healy, Perpetual Writer’s Blog

If you’re not reading these folks you’re missing out. They embody creativity. (I just noticed all the ladies’ blogs start with the letter “W”. Heh.)

Link back to the person who gave you the award. Done did that up yonder.
Link to the people you are passing it on to and leave them a comment to let them know. I’m gonna go do that right now.

Thanks again, my buddy DarcKnyt.

This meme came by email.

1. Where is your cell phone? nonexistent
2. Your significant other? working
3. Your hair? thinning
4. Your mother? OKC
5. Your father? *shrug*
6. Your favorite thing? morning
7. Your dream last night? naked
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream/goal? Nirvana
10. The room you’re in? bedroom

11. Your fear? dying
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? comfortable
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you’re not? free
15. Muffins? dry
16. One of your wish list items? published
17. Where did you grow up? Oklahoma
18. The last thing you did? comment
19. What are you wearing? bra

20. Your TV? dusty
21. Your pet? lost
22. Your computer? annoying
23. Your life? good
24. Your mood? bored
25. Missing someone? several
26. Your car? poisonous
27. Something you’re not wearing? shirt
28. Favorite store? blech
29. Your summer? sweltering
30. Your favorite color? all
31. When is the last time you laughed? recently
32. Last time you cried? migraine
33. Who will/would re-post this? loser

34. Four places I go over and over:
a) twitter
b) blog
c) Kitchen
d) Walmart

35. Four people who email me:
a)Connie
b) fatherless
c) Mom
d) Ian

36. Four of my favorite foods:
a) carrots
b) corn
c) cake
d) steak

37. Four places I would rather be right now?
a) publisher’s
b) driving
c) party
d) shower

38. Four people I think will respond:
a) I
b) have
c) no
d)idea

Play along if you want :)__idea._,_._

Borrowed from What I Got So Far. He can have it back when I’m done.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Had writer’s block. Real writer’s block, not “I don’t know what to write,” but “I’m too frozen with fear to write.”

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year?
I always resolve to do more things just for pleasure. I usually keep that resolution.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
No real ones. Only the ones I made up.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A book deal.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
November 17, because…well I’ll just be cryptic here and say it was a great day of personal growth. And it’s the only event I can actually remember the date for.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Overcoming my shyness and pitching my book at the OWFI conference in May.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Truthfully? I don’t think I had any big failures. And if I did fail at something I ended up better for it, so that’s success, too.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yes, the fragrance sensitivity, though I didn’t know what it was till late this year.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Fragrance-free household products.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Though it came late in the year, my husband’s.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
This girl whom I can not name because I’m afraid she would scream at me by email again. Wait, two girls.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Utilities and mortgage. Boring, I know.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Several things. My meeting with the editor at the con, then getting my office insulated so I could work up there. Also getting out from under the writer’s block.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Maybe Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and Linkin Park

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: Happier or sadder? Thinner or fatter? Richer or poorer?
Happier, fatter, and richer even though we have less money.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Write.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Obsess over things I can’t control.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I hosted a giftless Christmas, the best Christmas I think I’ve ever had.

21. Did you meet/date anyone special in 2008?
Only my husband.

[22 is missing]

23. How many one-night stands?
Five. The number of times my husband and I made whoopie. Just kidding.

24. What was your favourite TV program?
30 Rock and Friends reruns

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nope. Still zero.

26. What was the best book you read?
The Time Traveler’s Wife.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Linkin Park

28. What did you want and get?
Self-respect.

29. What did you want and not get?
A book deal.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?
I honestly can’t remember any films I loved. The one that sticks in my head was a few years old that I saw on TV, with Bill Murray as a Jaques Cousteau type guy, his name started with a Z…

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I did nothing and I was 38.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Some boobs. Oh wait, that was WIGSF’s answer. I have those, and let me tell ya, it ain’t all that. My REAL answer is: finishing BVAl and starting the next project.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Goodwill.

34. What kept you sane?
I felt fairly unstable all year.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Well, Johnny Depp is always right up there.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
I hate politics.

[37 is missing]

38. Who was the best new person you met?
The editor at the conference, IF he ever answers my agent’s query. But that will obviously be next year. Does that count, if he doesn’t actually impact me until the year is over?

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
You really do teach people how to treat you.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

“So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,
blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?”

“Wish You Were Here” -Pink Floyd

Here’s a nice art quiz I saw over at DarcKnyt‘s.

Note my score of -21 in Cubism. I really hate Cubism. Always have. However, I used to really love Impressionism in art and music, but I found myself turning away from those choices. The second-highest score I got was for Renaissance art. I like those paintings because they look weird to me, and there are usually lots of details to study.

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test…

Simple, Progressive, and Sensual

11 Ukiyo-e, 1 Islamic, 2 Impressionist, -21 Cubist, -12 Abstract and 8 Renaissance!

Ukiyo-e (浮世絵, Ukiyo-e), “pictures of the floating world”, is a genre of Japaneseand paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries. it mostly featured landscapes, historic tales, theatre, and pleasure. Ukiyo is a rather impetuous urban culture that has bloomed in popularity. Although the Japanese were more strict and had many prohibitions it did not affect the rising merchant class and therefore became a floating art form that did not bind itself to the normal ideals of society.

People that chose Ukiyo-e art tend to be more simplistic yet elegant. They don’t care much about new style but are comfortable in creating their own. They like the idea of living for the moment and enjoy giving and receiving pleasure. They may be more agreeable than other people and do not like to argue. They do not mind following traditions but are not afraid to move forward to experience other ideas in life. They tend to enjoy nature and the outdoors. They do not mind being more adventurous in their sexual experiences. They enjoy being popular and like being noticed. They have their own unique style of dress and of presenting themselves. They may also tend to be more business oriented or at the very least interested in money making adventures. They might make good entrepreneurs. They are progressive and adaptable.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy