Wednesday, February 01, 2012

I Got a Prize

My awesome friend Wendy over at WyndedWords just tagged Bumblebee Nation for The Versatile Blogger...award? Whatever, I'll take it!


Rules of the engagement are:
  •  Thank the person who gave you this award.
  •  Include a link to their blog.
  •  Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly, and nominate them for the Versatile Blogger Award — you might include a link to the VBA site.
  •  Finally, tell the person who nominated you seven things about yourself.

I paraphrased.

So, thank you, Wendy. It was a nice surprise, and got me back to blogging for the 'Nation. Now, everyone—hie thee over to Amazon and download "A Gift of Ghosts" for your Kindle.

Some blogs I enjoy reading. Don't judge me too harshly!
    Now on to the 7 Things You Did Not Know portion of our post. The rules stipulate 7 things Wendy does not know about me, but...nah, I just keep you all (what, six of you now?) in mind as I type:

    1) My favorite dinosaur is the brontosaur, even though it isn't a real dinosaur..."scientifically deprecated"—Wikipedia, you cut me deeply. It's because when I was a kid, in 3rd grade we made clay dinosaurs in class, and I painted mine sky blue (or, spacious blue if you prefer). Everyone made fun of me, because "dinosaurs aren't blue!" Yet my little blue brontosaur ended up in the cafeteria to represent our class for Open House. Now I have it tattooed on my arm as a reminder to "Always Be Yourself."

    I also got to see the original brontosaur head at the Museum of Natural History in New York City...

    2) I got to see the original brontosaur head at the Museum of Natural History in New York City. I went to NYC for a business trip, and a gaming friend took me on a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum. That's the same trip I got to touch the actual coelacanth. But anyway, just as David is launching into his "I'm new in HR, please show me and my friend who doesn't work here around your department" with the paleontologist guy, in comes Paul Serrano, just back from Morocco or wherever, and they want to chat and dis on National Geographic, not usher us around. So we're getting the cold shoulder...until one of the young guys working in the basement where all the bones are sees my dinosaur tattoo, and excitedly asks me if I want to see The Head. Hell, yes, I do, let's go! And then it became us running around all over these dinosaur bones while dept head and that Serrano guy watch from the sidelines.

    3) My middle name is Leslie. I never use it.

    4) Childhood pets: Tiger, Squeaky, Meow-Meow, Fuzzy...I found Fuzzy in our local park when I was thirteen and she was, oh, three or four months old, and she died in 2002, when I was 36.

    I have since gotten better at coming up with pet names.

    5) When I was in 2nd grade the school wanted to skip me ahead two grades, but my mom said no. I'm not sure if it's that or my stubborn and anti-authoritarian nature, but I am a terrible student.

    6) I once hiked across Death Valley, from little Keeler, California, to Bullfrog, Nevada. It was bitchin'.

    7) I grew up poor, which is why it's so nice to have clawed my way into the every-shrinking middle class. It feels like an accomplishment! I still have a fondness for bread-and-gravy dinner—it's like chipped beef on toast, without the beef. And why I have great respect for the Can Men. So do me a favor and don't hassle them when they go through your recycling bins. Hell, bring 'em out a cup of coffee.

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