The Liebster Award

So Pamela from the lovely Badass Romance blog has nominated me for the Liebster Award, which is less an award than a way to connect with other small and medium-sized blogs (fewer than 200 followers) and to share random things about yourself.

As a recipient, I must:

1. List 11 random facts about myself.
2. Answer 11 questions posed by the blogger who nominated me.
3. Nominate 11 other blogs for the award and link to them.
4. Notify the bloggers that they are awesome and have won a shiny pink blogging logo.
5. Pose 11 new questions for my Liebster nominees.
6. Thank the blogger who nominated me and link back to their blog.

It’s sort of like one of those chain emails from the late 90s, but without the gloom-and-doom “if you don’t pass this on” stuff. Without further ado, follow me below the fold.

Eleven Random Facts About Emma …

1. I don’t drink milk. At all. I eat cereal dry. No, I’m not lactose intolerant.
2. I wrote a book report on Pride and Prejudice when I was in the fifth grade. It was entirely about how Mr. Collins is a tool. This still strikes me as true.
3. I once broke up a fight on the National Mall during a game in the Congressional Softball League.
4. My first cat was named after Wallace Stevens.
5. I took ballet during college in order to become more graceful. It didn’t help.
6. If you buy your child a pony, she will suddenly give up her interest in riding. This is a valuable lesson that I taught my father.
7. I saw the movie Dogma three times in theaters. I’m still not really sure why that happened.
8. For four years after college, I never once operated a car. I wish I could go back to that.
9. Like any good baby of the 80s, my hands still have the flesh memory to play Super Mario Bros. Not well or anything, but still, my thumbs’ memory about where the extra lives are is really impressive.
10. My list of considered-but-discarded college majors includes music performance and classical archeology.
11. People at stop lights frequently catch me singing at the top of my lungs in the car. About this, I have no shame.

Answers to Pamela’s Questions …

1. What is your favorite actual trophy or other award you can put on a shelf or hang on a wall? I won the “most studious resident” award in my dorm one year. It was in my office for a while.
2. Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights? Jane Eyre. Is this a serious question? ; )
3. What book is the most recent addition to your DIK shelf? The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. Go read it right now if you haven’t. I’ll wait.
4. What book is at the top of your TBR stack? The Things They Didn’t Bury by Laekan Zea Kemp
5. What book keeps getting remaindered at the bottom of your TBR pile, and do you think you’ll ever get around to reading it? The Education of Henry Adams. I loved his novel Esther but I just can’t get into his autobiography.
6. What language do you wish you were fluent in? Je na parle qu’un peu de français, mais je lis en français aussi-aussi.
7. Medieval castle or Mediterranean villa? Medieval castle. In Western Ireland. Yes, someone get right on that please.
8. What did you eat for breakfast? Tea and leftovers from my children’s breakfasts.
9. How do you feel about time travel plots? Only if everything else in the book is perfect. And really, sometimes not even then.
10. What is your favorite carnival ride? Don’t have one. The only good thing about a carnival is the food.
11. What blog did you find this week that you love? Romance Novels for Feminists. I’ve been reading it for a little longer than a week, but I’ll fudge here because it’s that good.

My 11 lucky nominees:

1. Margaret Locke
2. Romancing the Palate
3. The Lazy Homesteader
4. Author Jessica Grey
5. Laekan Zea Kemp
6. A Boy Named Sue
7. Accounting for Everything
8. EM Tippets
9. Tara Smith
10. Hayden Hunter
11. Victoria Grefer

Some of you may be too big for Liebster — this was sometimes difficult to determine. And some may not be interested in/have time to participate. I won’t be offended or anything if you want to pass; no worries!

Finally, my questions for them that’s interested in answering:

1. Your favorite post from your blog’s archives?
2. Jacob or Edward?
3. Least-deserved television cancellation in recent memory?
4. Favorite “I don’t feel like cooking tonight” supper?
5. Least-favorite Beatle?
6. Favorite “bad” movie?
7. The last song to which you listened?
8. Aaron Sorkin, brilliant or smug?
9. The drink you’d want if you were to be stranded on a desert island?
10. The historical period in which more books should be set?
11. The come-back of white jeans: discuss.