The Liebster Award (I Got To Answer Questions :-))

Well, this is exciting :-)  I was given the Liebster Award by Jim, my favorite baby boomer (and the most amusing aspiring nudist I've never met ;-)).  So the deal is that I answer Jim's questions then come up with eleven of my own for those I tag to answer, should they so desire (I hope they do, and if you're not tagged and would like to participate, leave a link in the comments).


1. Paper, plastic, or bring your own bag?
Plastic.  I meant well with the "bring your own bag" venture, but I always forgot them at home, bought more every time I went to the store, and it became a situation where I wound up with ten or fifteen reusable bags.

And plastic bags are very useful ... picking up dog poop, wrapping an ice pack to go in a lunchbox, even serves as luggage in a clutch ;-)

2. Pajamas or sleep nude?
Due to my interesting living situation, I wear pajamas.  Well, pajama bottoms.

3. Hamburger or hot dog?
I have developed a taste for hot dogs with onions on them in recent years.  I never even used to like hot dogs.  However, cheeseburgers are on my top three list of favorite foods (the others being lobster and mashed potatoes, in case you're curious).

Ergo, it would depend on the mood I'm in.

4. Tea or coffee?
Coffee, without a doubt.  I am a bona fide coffee addict.  I walk into my "regular" Dunkin' Donuts and they say, "Large hot, skim milk and four Splenda, right?"

And the Keurig has changed my life forever ;-)

5. Walmart or Target?
Forgive me, oh union family of mine, but I have to go with Wal-Mart.  They just have everything right there, you know?  And they're not pretentious about it ... I feel a lot better shopping somewhere with a nickname of "Wally World" than "Tar-jhay".

6. Disneyland or Six Flags?
I've never been to Disneyland (although I've been to Disney World on numerous occasions).  I loved Disney World, but I also loved Six Flags.  Haven't been to either in awhile, though ... probably have to remedy that one of these days.

7.  Cat or dog?
DOG!!!!!!!!!!!!  My dogs are like my children ... they have personalities and mood swings and strange eccentricities.  Plus, whenever I am crying, they come running to give comfort.  My golden retriever even "hugs".

My boyfriend has cats, and they're pretty good as far as cats go.  However, they basically just walk around the house, lay on the refrigerator, and make the basement smell.  I mean, I like them all right, but I get the sense that they couldn't give a rat's ass about anyone ... including Henry.  He's kind of the hand that feeds them.  He would disagree, I'm sure, but I just think at the end of the day, cats are in life for cats.

Dogs love.

8. Book or a movie?
Book.  Always a book :-)

9. Who do you trust the most, friends or family?
I don't trust anybody.  Friends and family can burn you equally, and I've been hurt far too many times.

10. Soda or water?
Soda.  I do not like water.  I know, that sounds contrary to being human, right?  I have cut way back on soda, though, and tend to go with coffee or juice or Crystal Light.

11. Companionship or love?

Both ... that isn't really an either/or question.  I mean, you have to love someone that you are choosing companionship with, right?

Okay, here are the blogs I'm tagging ... I read a lot of blogs on a regular basis (A LOT), so it was hard to boil it down, but I thought y'all might enjoy checking out this very varied list.
1.   Suitably Amused
2.   Calvin's Canadian Cave of Coolness
3.   What If This Is As Good As It Gets?
4.   An Alleged Author
5.   Salsa Pie
6.   Sitting in a Tree
7.   Shana's Place
8.   From Sand to Glass
9.   The Rambling Person
10. The Maple Syrup Mob
11.  Bubba's Place

And here are my questions :-)

1.  Ocean or lake?
2.  Chocolate or vanilla?
3.  Android or iPhone?
4.  Coke or Pepsi?
5.  Nickelodeon or Disney?
6.  Facebook or Twitter?
7.  Loud or quiet?
8.  Summer or winter?
9.  Car or truck?
10.Marlon Brando or Tom Hanks?
11.McDonald's or Burger King?

Lots to be Thankful For ...

I'm not a huge fan of Thanksgiving.  I know, I know, downright un-American, right?  The thing is, it bugs me that our society feels compelled to focus on being grateful one day of the year and foster sort of a dog-eat-dog mentality the rest of the time.

Oh, and I hate turkey, stuffing, gravy, and so on.

But the world doesn't center around my culinary tastes, and I'm as bad about only taking the time to fully, deeply count my blessings on one day in November as anyone.

I challenge you to contemplate your own good fortune (and we all have lots, if you think about it), and also to write about it ... and I encourage you to either leave a link to your own "thankful" post or to leave a comment about what you're grateful for.  I'd love to read the many and varied directions thankfulness can go in ...

Also, I've done something like this on my blog before, and it's kind of funny to read it now ...

As for me, I am especially thankful for ...

1.  My daughters.
I know this is a contrived answer for a mother to give, but I can't help it.  My children are the funniest, kindest, most extraordinary people I know.

It's been a big week for both of them, too.

Addie made All-State Orchestra (you can hear her play on this post), raised her SAT score to a 1750, and had an idea--a random act of kindness--that turned out amazingly well.

Belle has apparently acquired representation in the world of child acting and modeling.  I'm still not sure that I'm ready to embrace this with open arms, but it seems to be what she wants, and I've raised my children to reach always for their dreams, so ....

2.  My mother.
While we still don't get along much of the time and much of what she does confuses the hell out of me, I really appreciate everything she has given up to let the girls and I live with her.

The girls and I spent the afternoon baking with my mother's best friend from high school, then we went back later (with my mom) to eat dinner with her.  We got, as usual, a bit loud ... my girls have gotten the message that our family values laughter to a tremendous degree.

My mother was joking with her friend (who lives alone) about how nice it is to have us visit, but she can have her quiet, peaceful life back when we leave.  Of course, my mother does not have this luxury, since she's kind of ... stuck with us, at least for a little bit longer.

She has given my girls so much love and support, and I will always be grateful to her.

3.  Henry.
Nobody wants to hear how amazing your boyfriend is and how happy you are.  It's boring and drama-less and just not fun to read about.  I am very happy.  Very, very happy.  Very, very lucky.  And very, very thankful.

4.  Dunkin' Donuts coffee.
That should really speak for itself.  If you don't live near a Dunkin' Donuts and love coffee, you're missing out.

5.  Recent life developments.
Details at some point, I'm sure, will be forthcoming.  For right now, I'm just thankful for the winding roads that life sometimes drops you down on ... even if you have no idea how things are going to end up, living the proverb "May you live in interesting times" is exhilarating.  I suppose ...

So that's what I am focusing on tonight in terms of gratefulness.

Where are y'all at?

Blogoversary Giveaway: Living, Thinking, Writing, and Reading in New Hampshire!

As of March 8, 2011, I have been writing this blog for two years. Many things have changed in my life since then, but one thing that hasn't is my location. I have lived in New Hampshire my entire life, and it's safe to say that the beautiful state I live in (and the interesting people I get the chance to interact with on a regular basis--can we say "Old Yankee", anyone?) has shaped the person I am, both as a human being and as a writer.

To celebrate, I'm holding my first giveaway!!!!

Living, Thinking, Writing, and Reading in New Hampshire

So, if you're interested in these lovely items ...

A Prayer for Owen Meany [Mass Market Paperback] by John Irving, a wonderful book that will make you laugh, cry, and ... think (it also has the distinction of taking place not just in New Hampshire but in my little part of New Hampshire)

Delicious maple sugar candy made right here in the Granite State

REAL maple syrup, also made right here in NH

Dunkin' Donuts coffee, because it is one of my favorite things in the world






and, finally, a mystery prize ;-)

Enter the giveaway to win :-)

To enter, you must be a follower of this blog. Please leave a comment on this site with your e-mail address. This gets you one entry.

For additional entries, you can:

Follow me on Twitter (+1)

Tweet about this giveaway (+1)

Add The Philosophy of KLo as a Networked Blog (+1)

Read through the prologue to my completed novel, Unbreakable, recently posted on this blog (yes, I know it's long ...) and leave a comment with feedback (+2)

Mention this giveaway on your blog and leave a link to it in the comments here. (+1)

The contest will close at 12:00 a.m. (EST) on March 8th (my blogoversary, if I hadn't mentioned that ;-)). The winner will be selected from random.org.

Good luck!

I Will be Positive if it Kills Me

In my new effort to be positive, I've been wracking my brain to try to come up with ten positive things that happened to me today. I'm trying to get my groove back, to say sayonara to the "Negative Nellie" that has been living my life for me of late.

It's funny, but when I went to make the list, I struggled. I understand why--it was not exactly what one would call a stellar day--but I think it's a start. Maybe.

Why, yes it is!

1. I had two pumpkin coffees from Dunkin' Donuts today. Mmmmmmmm.

2. There are people at work that understand my frustrations.

3. I got to work with the sixth grade teachers in conjunction with the literacy specialist to focus on how to improve student writing, and we had some great conversations.

4. I'm reading Helter Skelter again.

5. I'm not sleeping, but it's better than the alternative (I fell asleep with a lot of medicinal help Friday night, and I had horribly unspeakable nightmares that I could not wake up from--stupid Ambien).

6. I know what I need. It's not necessarily what I want, but it's what I need.

7. My car should be fixed tomorrow, and if not they will let me use a loaner. I am so grateful to my mother for letting me use her car while mine has been in the shop.

8. I figured out how to view pictures on my Droid. How scary is it when a "SmartPhone" is smarter than you are?

9. I taught Belle negative numbers. Stop laughing, those of you that know me in reality. I honest to goodness did ... if you ask the child, "What is 3-6," she'll reply, "Negative 3." I'm not going to lie and say she understands the concept behind it, but I think that's pretty impressive.

10. Addie was going to stay home sick today (she has a cold), but she dragged herself out of bed, got dressed, brushed her teeth, and so on in just under ten minutes. I was very impressed with her responsibility (she had driver's ed and a chemistry lab and stuff).

So that's ten good things ... the bads would be a much longer list, but I'm trying to change my attitude. Trying desperately.

Mind over matter, right?