Yawn…I think she’s alive. Maybe.

So do you think it’s a problem that yesterday, I FINALLY wrote after so many days, and then when I logged in today to write again WOOT, I’d discovered the post I wrote yesterday…um…not there.  Or here.  I guess I’d inadvertently marked it “private.”  So sorry ’bout that.  Now, here it is.  And only a day late.  Sheesh.

Okay. I’ve sulked long enough. I’ve dragged myself out from under the bush I crawled under to get over myself. Actually, I’m just transitioning between Fall and Winter. Getting ready. I’m not sure what for, but it seems to be something I do. Sounds scientific, doesn’t it?

And since I have serious ground to cover, I’ll start by warning you that I’m loaded with tagging. Pay backs are hell, aren’t they?

About two decades ago, Sam of Temporarily Me (who is slogging through NaBloPoMo like a trooper and is almost there!) smacked me upside the head with something about Crazy 8’s. If you don’t know Sam, you should. She’s completely hilarious and says what my brain is thinking with respect to calling things like she sees them. Plus, she designs her own site and I swear changes the design like someone changes underwear. It’s the best comparison I could come up with, OKAY? Her designs are excellent and when I actually get around to acting serious about design, after I grow up, I want to be just like her. The woman has talent. Be nice to her when you visit. She’s preggers and is a tad cranky right now. Teasing, Sam! Teasing. Don’t hit me, ‘kay?

This oughta take about three years to finish. And I have a sale to run to right in the middle of it just to make sure it takes all day. (Erm…just got back from the sale. The line was down the block, so no.) Moving right along with this Tag-a-Scrum-Dilly-Icious post.

Here are my Crazy 8’s:

8 things I’m passionate about:

1. Solitude. You know. Places with no people in them. Lots of complete silence. I know. People in hell want ice water. Feh.
2. Days with no plans. Lots of them. Like forever.
3. Cooking, food, eating, grocery shopping, looking at cooking magazines, cooking blogs, restaurants, reality food shows, does that cover it?
4. Writing, words, letters, typography, books
5. How much I completely detest jerks in general and people who drive like their face. (Have you ever really wondered what that means?) And….ahem.
6. My Mac and if you touch it you’re toast. Don’t —
7. Being passionate about being passionately passionate about passion
8. My guys (this is here for those of you who have already clucked about my not putting it in the numero uno spot and gimmeabreakalready).

8 things I say often:

1. Sonofab*tch
2. Shee*t
3. Jeez Louize
4. It’s hi-LAR-ious.
5. “Go poopoo over there.” (said to Doggo who will drop her load the SECOND she gets out the door because she thinks she’ll get left outdoors even if she never does and it drives me crazy.) Honestly, I only say it twice a day. But it adds up, yanno?
6. Did you have a good day how much homework do you have?
7. I need that (insert item here).
8. I want this (insert item here).

8 books I’ve read recently:

• You don’t actually think I’ve forgotten about these books or this list, do you?

8 things I want to do before I die:

1. Own my own little shop. A cute one that sells lovely things that everyone can’t live without or find anywhere else. With a little fence and flower boxes. And a bell.
2. Figure out how the clothes in my closet that don’t fit multiply in the night even though I keep giving them to the Good Will.

1. Make a real Beef Wellington. You know. The whole enchilada. I’ve made the individual ones a couple of times. But without the cool music in the background.
2. Renovate an old house part by part.
3. Write something that people will actually purchase. A book would be good.
4. Spend an extended time traveling — mostly in Europe.
5. Enjoy exercising. Okay, so maybe pretend like I’ll enjoy it. Sort of.
6. Develop a REAL sense of patience instead of just acting like I already have it oozing out of my pores.

8 songs I can listen to over and over again, and probably have:

1. Beatles: Help
2. Carly Simon: You’re So Vain
3. Heart: Alone
4. Roy Orbison: I Drove All Night
5. Red Hot Chili Peppers: Snow (Hey Oh)
6. Simon and Garfunkel: The Sound of Silence
7. Harry Nilsson: Without You
8. John Lennon: Imagine

8 things that attract me to my friends:

1. Irreverence
2. Common interests (food, wine, snarking, travel, books, gardening, wine…)
3. Food
4. Wine
5. Snarking (this is NOT the same as number one, so put a cork in it, babe.)
6. More wine
7. Laughter. With snorting involved. It’s a gift.
8. Waxing of possibilities and never doing anything about them.

8 things I learned in the last year:

1. You really can just walk away from a career. Period. Okay, so maybe not with bows on or anything. But you can run as fast as you can and keep watch over your shoulder that it’s not chasing you or hiding under your bed at night. Or in the closet.
2. It takes quite a bit of time to blow the dust off of everything you once loved and gave up for a job. About a year. And then some. And even then, some of it is so lost, reminding you that it could be true what they say about opportunity only knocking once. Pessimistic, but lamentably true.
3. There will never be enough hours in a day to blog and then actually do all of the other things I’d like to do. Okay, I know some of you manage, but I’m not. Make that choose not to.
4. You never will do all the things you say you will do if only you didn’t have to go to work. Because you develop new interests. And then you wish you could do all the things you said you’d always do if only…
5. There are some aspects of not having all my female equipment that are actually enjoyable. Okay. One. Maybe two. But I wouldn’t want it back. I was done with it anyway.
6. Your 15-year-old won’t develop a neurosis from his mother relentless food photoshoots.
7. For some of us, there’s no such thing as a Little Black Dress.
8. There really are things to talk about in the evening that aren’t related to work. They’re not scintillating or anything. But still. It’s nice.

Now, who’s up next:

1. Chick (who’s going out of town, so I can spring this on her unsuspecting self)
2. Meleah (who’s probably already been smacked with this one and 10 others)
3. Cooper (who less than loves these things but actually did one not too long ago, so…)
4. Robert (who will most certainly put a redneck spin on this)
5. Olga (who can do this in her sleep, but really because I want to see if she can connect all of it to the “girls.”
   
6. mel (whom I’ve harrassed with this stuff since the beginning and she’s smart enough to ignore me)
   
7. beth (a used to be Paradise resident whom I hope will forgive me because I haven’t known her all that long)
8. if you’re not on this list and are brain dead, by all means, sign yourself up. This one’s not too horribly painful. And besides, you won’t be able to tell if you’re brain dead.

Okay, so now, here’s round two (and I know there are some others, but this will have to suffice for today, because…well…I’ll think of a reason. Surely there is one.

Robert of Observations from the Back 40 honored me with an award: A Roar for Powerful Words many days ago before I had my shopping meltdown and I’m just now getting around to saying THANKS for the recognition. I appreciate it!