...and one's body is exhausted...and stringing words together has become a hugely overwhelming task.
What can one do about blogging?
Well...
How about fiddling around with making new headers, taking enormous amounts of time to rearrange one's sidebar, and writing snippity-ippity little posts like this one?
At least it feels like one is accomplishing something...
And now! The new header!
Tell me. What do you think? And what are your thoughts on the new layout in general? I wanted a more springy/summery look, and was inspired by the colorfulness of both Natalie's and Cordy's blogs, so I went for a sort of rainbow conglomeration. But, oh! I don't know. Is it too much color, do you think? I'm not sure I'm entirely satisfied with it. (Dear, dear. What a pickle.) Well, at any rate, I suppose it will have to do for now, because I really haven't the time to mess with it anymore. ;)
Last day of the Three Day Quote Tag, and as usual I have more than one quote to share with you. Actually, I went a little overboard today and included five. I hope you don't mind.
(Illustration by Norman Rockwell - from Tom Sawyer)
I like work; it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.
~Jerome K. Jerome
There's nothing wrong with having nothing to say--unless you insist on saying it!
~Anonymous
The louder he talked of his honour, the faster we counted our spoons. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Little girl's definition of conscience: "Something that makes you tell your mother before your brother or sister does." ~Anonymous
Learn to laugh at yourself and you'll never want for amusement. ~Unknown
Four more quotes for you today! I know, I know. This tag is supposed to be one quote a day. But, really, if I'm taking the time to post one, I may as well post a few more while I'm at it. Don't ya think?
"No pit is so deep that He is not deeper still; with Jesus, even in our darkest moments the best remains, and the very best is yet to come.
~Corrie Ten Boom
I believe in the sun even when it's not shining.
I believe in love even when I don't feel it.
And I believe in God even when He is silent.
~quote found on the wall of a concentration camp
God Knows who belongs in your life and who doesn't. Trust and let go. Whoever is meant to be there, will still be there.
~Anonymous
God allows us to experience the low points of life in order to teach us lessons that we could learn no other way.
Blessing Counter tagged me for the Three Day Quote Tag over at her blog, Counting Your Blessings One by One. Thank you, Blessing!! This tag has come at a good time for me, because I happen to be in a bit of a funk when it comes to writing, so a simple post like this is just what I need. :D
The Rules:
Thank the person who nominated you
Nominated 3 new bloggers every day
Post a new quote every day for 3 consecutive days
Well. I'm feeling rather lazy this week, so I've decided I'm not going to tag anyone specifically, but if you'd like to do this tag, please consider yourself nominated!!
Without further ado, here's my quote/quotes for the day.
It is as if God were saying, "What I am is all that need matter to you, for there lie your hope and your peace. I will do what I will do, and it will all come to light at last, but how I do it is My secret. Trust Me, and be not afraid."
"Our insistence on seeing ahead is natural enough, but it is a real hindrance to our spiritual progress."
~A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy
God loves us the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way.
This is unaccountably silly, I know--sitting here at 4:19 in the morning, writing a blog post. But, you see, I couldn't sleep for thinking of all the things I need to do when I get up, so I thought I might as well get up now, work for an hour or so and see if I can't get my mind to slow down a bit and get sleepy again.
This has been an extraordinarily busy weekend...hence the reason for my being woefully behind in answering all you dear people's comments...and hence the reason for my stress levels rising, my thoughts going at a hundred miles a minute, and the ridiculousness of finding myself sitting here so early in the morning typing at my computer.
*Ahem* I think perhaps a recap of my weekend might be in order.
To begin with, I took off of work this Saturday because it was the day before my oldest sister's wedding, and I had a feeling there might be some last minute preparations in which I could lend a hand. (And if my services were not needed for actual wedding preparations then at least I could help out with the Saturday wash load, and allow my mom more time to work on the wedding stuff.) As it turned out there really wasn't all that much to do, but I managed to fill my day up quite nicely anyway. My sister and I (not the sister getting married, you understand, but another one) went out in the afternoon to do a little shopping because she was off of work, too, for the same reason as I--and finding that the wedding preparations were well under control we thought we might as well enjoy ourselves.
My sister has just recently begun collecting tea cups. So we went to a used furniture/what's-it shop in order to see if we couldn't find another cup to add to her collection. And guess what? We did!
Here it is. Isn't it pretty?
My sister was so happy to have made such an excellent purchase, that she decided another purchase was in order and drove us straightway to Chick-fil-a for a celebratory milkshake. As always she ordered a strawberry milkshake for me and a cookies-n-cream for herself and we were happy, happy, happy! That is, until we realized that the cookies-n-cream milkshake was actually a chocolate milkshake.
Horrors! This would never do.
So my sister parked the car and went inside to see about getting it switched. (So much for the drive through. Ha!) There was a bit of a wait before she could get the attention of one of the workers, but in the end everything turned out just fine. We got our cookies-n-cream milkshake and even got to keep the chocolate one free of charge! (Yes. It was a good day.)
Then Sunday arrived. The day of the wedding.
My mom, my three older sisters, the groom, and myself were heading up to the wedding site early, along with a group of friends who had volunteered their services for getting things set up and ready before the guests arrived. The ceremony and reception were being held at a camp up in the mountains about two hours away from our home, so carting up all the decorations and food was a bit of a job, and we had to be very careful not to leave anything behind since going home for forgotten items wasn't really an option. There were, of course, some moments of stress throughout the day, but looking back on it, it really did come together pretty smoothly.
My oldest sister is really into the rustic, woodsy look, so decorating was fairly simple.
Here's a picture to show you how we decorated the beverage table. Nothing fancy, as you can see, but we were pleased with it, and it was all very easy to put together. All we needed was a wooden crate, a burlap table runner, and some pine branches cut from the trees outside, and wala! We had a decorated table! :)
My sister had come to the conclusion several weeks before the wedding that carrying a cake two and a half hours in the car wasn't going to work very well, so instead of a real cake, she decided to make a cake out of Oreos; inspired from the picture below.
It was a cute idea. Of course, our cake didn't turn out as picture perfect as the original, but we really didn't care. After all, it was just going to be eaten in a few hours. :P
All in all it was a very nice wedding. Small but totally relaxed and family-ish, which is what we like. My dad sang a song during the ceremony while my brother accompanied him on the guitar, and it was absolutely beautiful. I have now decided that I must have my dad sing to me at my wedding.
I don't have a recording of my dad singing the song, but here's a recording of the original if you'd like to hear it. It's a song by Phil Keaggy from his album Way Back Home.
It really was a fun day, and seems especially fun now that I'm looking back on it (isn't that how it always is, though? Things always appear so much more fun in retrospect than in the actual moment). I will confess, however, that even in the midst of all the laughter and gaiety, I did manage to find some time for a personal little party. (You know the kind. I think they're normally called 'pity parties'?) Yes. I had one of those. I sat there, all silent and alone (well, not literally alone--I was in fact surrounded by people--but alone in spirit, you know?), thinking pityingly over the sad, sad state of my own singleness. Wishing very much for a husband and feeling altogether 'lone and lorn'--to borrow a phrase from Mrs. Gummidge. Yes. I was quite enjoying myself, in a miserable, gloomy sort of way.
Unfortunately, though, I wasn't able to go all out and do proper justice to my little pity party because, well...crying in public just isn't quite the thing. But I assure you I had plans for indulging myself on the way home. Ah yes. In the darkness of the long car ride, I felt certain I'd be able to let the river of tears flow unnoticed and...do things properly, so to speak. But, well, it's funny how these things work out. I suppose I must have been too tired by the end of the evening even to cry , because I made it home without a shedding a single tear. (Shucks. And I was so looking forward to feeling sorry for myself.)
I stole this picture from my brother's camera. That was the appearance of the outdoors during the wedding celebration...that is, when it wasn't raining, snowing, or hailing. Yeah, the weather was pretty crazy, and very cold. Actually, it felt like a winter wedding...in May.
We arrived home quite late, but still managed to squeeze in a short discussion of the days events before going to bed, because that's what we do. We must talk. By the time we finally got to sleep it was close to 2:00. I slept in the next morning and then...wouldn't you know it? My sister and brother announced they were going to go antique shopping again and stop at Chick-fil-a for lunch. And of course they asked if I wanted to go with them--and of course I said yes, because...well, Chick-fil-a means a milkshake, and I was sort of in the mood for a milkshake. (When am I not?)
This outing took up half of my morning (the half which I hadn't already spent in bed) and half of the afternoon, and when I got home I was hoping to catch up on responding to comments and all that jazz, but then I got to talking with my siblings about the wedding again, (yes, we really do like to talk!) and after that I had laundry to do, and ironing, and supper preparations, and...did I tell you it was a busy weekend? And then my evening was full, too, because I and my two siblings (the two who'd gone to Chick-fil-a with me) went to our oldest brother's house for our bi-weekly movie night. (We're currently watching through Jeeves and Wooster, and finished the third and fourth episodes of season 4 last night.) Of course, before we started the movie we had to have a little talk about the wedding, and then we had further discussions about various topics after the movie was over, so by the time we got home it was around 11:00. No time for computer work that evening.
So there you have it. That was my very busy weekend. (And no. I did not write all of the above between 4:00 and 5:00 in the morning. I got through the first couple paragraphs and then went back to bed till 6:30.) It is now 5:00 in the evening and I declare, this post has taken me much too long to complete. Granted I wasn't working on it non-stop but still...I'm much too slow of a writer. And that's a fact. :P
What have you all been up to lately?
Anything new and exciting happening in your lives?
Basically this is a "defend Frodo" post. Why does he need defending? Well, because I feel like a lot of people underestimate him. He's the hero of the story, and yet he doesn't seem to be a general favorite. Sam probably has a larger fan base than Frodo, and I find that rather curious. Not because Sam shouldn't have such a large fan base, but because I think Frodo is an equally interesting, strong, and loveable character himself and ought to be as highly talked of as any of them.
So, can we talk about Frodo?
[First, though--before I begin--I must give an explanation. I am not defending the Frodo of the movie. I am defending the Frodo of the book. The Frodo of my imagination. The real Frodo. (And yes, of course the Frodo of my imagination is the real one. How could there be any doubt?)]
[And secondly--before I begin--I'd like to dedicate this post to my sister who's just above me in age, because Frodo has always been her special character. Also to my sister-in-law because she understands Frodo, too. Sisters dear, this post is for you. I hope I can do justice to the subject.]
Now to begin. (Oh, and just so you know, I won't be warning about spoilers, so if you're concerned about that then you probably don't want to read this. Just sayin'.)
One common complaint I've heard about Frodo is that he is a weak character, so that's what I aim to address in this post. (Surprise, right? I mean, the above title never gave the slightest suspicion of what my subject was going to be about, did it? ;)) Anyway, I'm not sure if people get this idea of Frodo being weak from reading the book or mostly from watching the movie. If it stems from their view of him in the movie then I have nothing else to say except read the book--because in my personal opinion Frodo does appear rather weak in the movies, so I can't really defend him on that point--but the Frodo of the book is anything but weak.
Allow me to expound on that.
To begin with, Frodo willingly undertakes the task of destroying the ring, which shows an amazing amount of courage and selflessness. The destruction of the ring was an impossible task from the beginning. No one could have succeed at it. And yet Frodo walks blindly forward, choosing to do the right thing even though he has no clear idea what he's getting himself into. And those are traits of a strong character, not a weak one.
Secondly, Frodo shows enormous strength in resisting the power of the ring on more than one occasion. Understand that the ring really is powerful. It poses a huge temptation to anyone who has it in their possession, and it's a temptation which goes beyond the strength of most people to resist.
Then as a flash from some other point of power there came to his mind
another thought: Take it off!Take it off!Fool, take it off! Take off the Ring!
The two powers strove in
him.For a moment, perfectly balanced
between their piercing points, he writhed, tormented.Suddenly he was aware of himself again.Frodo, neither the Voice nor the Eye: free to
choose, and with one remaining instant in which to do so.He took the Ring off his finger.
The struggle is painfully real. But he makes the right choice. He does it. And any of us who have been faced with strong temptation in our lives know how hard it is to make the right decision in the heat of the moment.
Point number three. Some seem to think that Sam is a stronger character than Frodo because after carrying the ring for a few days he didn't hesitate to give it back to Frodo, while Frodo on the other hand goes berserk if anyone suggests that he hand the ring over to them. Ahem. Weellll...that is true, but only if you're considering the end of the book and not the entire story, because there are parts nearer the beginning when Frodo willingly offers to give the ring to someone else. Galadriel, for instance. He as good as says to her, "Take it. I don't want it." And then there's that undeniable fact, that the longer one has the ring in one's possession, the harder it is to give it up. Frodo had the ring for years. Sam only carried it a couple of days at the most. So it's not really an equal comparison.
Frodo also shows great strength in his ability to make wise decisions even when he's feeling terribly afraid. His conversation with Boromir is an excellent example of that, and will explain it better than I can, so I'm going to include it.
"You are kind," answered Frodo."But I do not think that any speech will
help me.For I know what I should do,
but I am afraid of doing it, Boromir: afraid."
Boromir stood silent.Rauros roared endlessly on.The wind murmured in the branches of the
trees.Frodo shivered.
Suddenly Boromir came and
sat beside him."Are you sure that
you do not suffer needlessly?"he
said."I wish to help you.You need counsel in your hard choice.Will you not take mine?"
"I think I know already
what counsel you would give, Boromir," said Frodo."And it would seem like wisdom but for
the warning of my heart."
"Warning?Warning against what?" said Boromir
sharply. "Against delay. Against the way that seems easier. Against refusal of the burden that is laid on me..."
I find Frodo's words in this passage truly inspiring. "Against the way that seems easier." How often do we ourselves choose the way that seems easier? How often do we settle for that which is comfortable and self-serving, and refuse to give ourselves up to the hard tasks--which while difficult in the moment, will yet in the end bring unbounded good to those around us.
Oh, no. Frodo is anything but a weak character.
Of course, I suppose I must also mention the obvious fact of Frodo's failing at the end. His inability to destroy the ring, and his claiming it for himself, might seem to speak loud and clear to a weak character. And yet, again, I'd like to say different. As we've already said, it was an impossible task. No one could have tossed that ring into the fire after carrying it for so many months, with it's power growing stronger every day. Frodo gave up everything to perform a task which was utterly impossible for him to perform. He struggled through, enduring all the pain, all the hardship, all the endless torment, firmly fixed upon that end goal. And yet in the end he wasn't able to do it. It proved too much for him. And help had to come to him from elsewhere. (Kind of reminds me of us. There's only so much we can do with our limited abilities, but when we put our faith and trust in God and walk according to His plan for our lives, He'll never fail us. He'll always send us what we need, just at the right moment.) And so it's true. Frodo did not succeed in destroying the ring, but that does not annul the fact that he went to the extreme limits of his own powers to do what he knew to be right. And that's a success in and of itself. And a huge indication of a strong character. Indeed, how many of us can say as much for ourselves?
"Well, this is the end, Sam Gamgee," said a voice by his
side.And there was Frodo, pale and
worn, and yet himself again; and in his eyes there was peace now, neither
strain of will, nor madness, nor any fear.His burden was taken away.There
was the dear master of the sweet days in the Shire.
"Master!" cried
Sam, and fell upon his knees.In all
that ruin of the world for the moment he felt only joy, great joy.The burden was gone.His master had been saved; he was himself
again, he was free.And then Sam caught
sight of the maimed and bleeding hand.
"Your poor hand!"
he said."And I have nothing to
bind it with, or comfort it.I would
have spared him a whole hand of mine rather.But he's gone now beyond recall, gone for ever."
"Yes," said
Frodo."But do you remember
Gandalf's words: Even Gollum may have
something yet to do?But for him,
Sam, I could not have destroyed the Ring.The Quest would have been in vain, even at the bitter end.So let us forgive him!For the Quest is achieved, and now all is
over.I am glad you are here with me.Here at the end of all things, Sam."
I just have to say, I love how Frodo's first thought is to forgive. To let the past rest and move forward, grateful for having been brought through it. The pain in his hand at the moment must have been excruciating, but it was as nothing compared to the joy and relief in his heart.
Just one more point I can't leave out. Frodo is merciful. And really, it takes a lot of strength to show mercy to one's enemies--to let them go free when you know they deserve to suffer for their wrongdoings. To stand unwavering in your decision even after they show gross ingratitude to you for your kindness. To humble yourself and allow them to walk away with nothing to gain from it for yourself except the hope that by giving them a second chance they just might live a better life and be a different person. Frodo shows mercy to others on more than one occasion. And I really like that about him.
Well, I was going to say more, but I decided this was a rather good place to stop--and besides I think I've talked your ear off long enough. (Now, now. You don't have to agree with me so completely.)
What is your opinion of Frodo?
Among the things I mentioned, is there anything in particular to which you agree or disagree?
And don't forget. If you're in the mood for more Lord of the Rings posts (which you may very well not be after this one) check out Cordy's blog here and join the fun!
Cordy is hosting a Lord of the Rings week over at her blog Write on Cordy!. If you're a Lord of the Rings fan and would like to join in on the fun, just click on the link to her blog and head straight over there. Everyone is welcome to participate.
As for me, I have tentative plans for writing a couple LOTR posts this week, but I won't make any guarantees because when it comes to meeting deadlines like this I'm not always up to the mark. For now, however, I thought I'd simply fill out the answers to Cordy's Would You Rather Game. Not that there's anything simple about that, as Cordy certainly didn't go out of her way to make things easy for us.
Yeah, and about that, Cordy. I think we need to have a talk.
*Ahem* The questions:
1. You have been tasked with your own quest, your own fellowship has been gathered, and you have the pick of one last member, would you rather choose Eomer or Imrahil to join you on your journey? (Imrahil is a member of the Dunedain.)
I'm going to copy Cordy on this one and say Imrahil, because I really do think he would be a good guy to have along on a quest. As stated above he is a member of the Dunedain, and the Dunedain are particularly well suited for facing difficulties in wild and unknown lands. Yes. I would definitely feel safest if I had one of the Dunedain along on the journey.
2. Would you rather have to track an army of Uruk-Hai, or climb the 'stairs'?
Oh, bother. What a question. Hold it, though! I've got an answer. I've decided I'm going to track the Uruk-Hai. However, I'm going to make sure I run very slowly and stay far enough behind them so that I never actually catch up with them. *grin*
(Well, all you said was I had to track them. You didn't say I had to catch them! And I ain't catchin' no orcs. Yeah, and I ain't speakin' no good English, neither.) (Don't even ask...)
3. Who would you rather, slap/shake/glare, some sense into, Denethor or Wormtongue?
Oooh! I don't want to be around either of them. But if I must choose, well then my answer would have to be Denethor. He needs some sense shaken into him. "BE NICE TO YOUR SON! AND STOP BEING SUCH A SOURPUSS." "Okay, so you're all broken hearted because your son is dead, and now you're going to make him thoroughly dead by burning him and yourself on a pile of old sticks. That makes sense!" Honestly. Denethor needs some serious help.
4. Would you rather attend Bilbo's birthday and have to dance a jig or have to sing a solo at Aragorn's coronation? CORDY!!!! How can you do this to me?! Singing in front of such a large crowd would be terrifying! But then dancing a jig? *shudders* I'm embarrassed already. Alright, I've got it. I will do the jig. However it will be a five second jig, and it will be danced behind the party tents where no one can see me. (Haha. Now wasn't that a clever way to get out of this scrape? I'm so proud of myself.)
5. Would you rather, soar on an Eagle's back to pick-up Frodo and Sam or participate in the last march of the Ents, courtesy of Treebeard's shoulder?
Soar on an Eagle's back. It would be fun to fly. Also I'd love to pick Frodo and Sam up after their long, dangerous journey and whisk them back to safety.
6. Would you rather have to face an enraged Oliphant or Shelob?
The Oliphant, indubitably. It doesn't seem as likely to single me out with the direct purpose of killing me for dinner. Also, Oliphants are much more lumbering and awkward, so I think it would be a lot easier to dodge one of them than Shelob. (And I fully intend to dodge.)
7. Would you rather have to wear the full armor of Gondor for a day or the full armor of Rohan for a day?
Let's go with Gondor. (Well, I have to pick a different answer than Cordy sometime.) No armor would be comfortable, of course, but it strikes me that the men of Gondor are a bit more clean and tidy than the men of Rohan, and, well, if you have to be uncomfortable you may as well have the comfort in knowing that you look tidy in your uncomfortableness.
8. Would you rather have an axe or a bow?
A bow of course! I'd much rather fight my enemy from a safe distance. (And I'm giving my enemy the axe. Because I'm nice. Heehee.)
9.Would you rather visit Lothlorien or Rivendell?
If we're going by the movies, then definitely Rivendell. It looks more homey. Lothlorien on the other hand is rather creepy...mostly because of Galadriel. But that's a story for another day.
10. Would you rather have to get through the Mines of Moria or take the Path of the Dead?(In each situation, you are with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. Haha, so, you're not alone!)
WHAT?! You're joking, right?
Okay, when I first read this question I was like, "no way!" That's impossible to answer. But I've thought about it a little more since then and have decided that I'd much rather go through the Paths of the Dead (Cordy, seriously, I'm not trying to copy you on every single question. It's just happening). The reason for that is because I'll have Aragorn with me. And with Aragorn beside me there's nothing really to fear in going down that path, because all we'll be facing is dead people who practically have no choice but to do what he says. And we'll all come out safe and sound, unlike the Mines of Moria. So yes. Definitely the Paths of the Dead.
11. Would you rather stay and help rebuild the Shire, or sail to the Undying Lands?
Stay and help rebuild the Shire. Absolutely. The Undying Lands sound rather boring, frankly. And, again, if we're looking at this from the perspective of the movies I'd have to say that another major objection would be the company I would have to keep in that place. Seriously, I just know I'd suffer extreme frustration being surrounded by so many gloomy elves. *ducks head as the all the elf lovers gasp at such a scandalous declaration* Sorry, but they are gloomy in the movies, and they kind of drive me nuts. I like hobbits much better. :D
Well, that's that! Thanks for the fun game, Cordy!
So long, everyone! Check out Cordy's blog if you're in the mood for more Lord of the Rings related posts! :)
Do a little dance! Because it's so much fun to be tagged!!
(And then get down to business, because coming up with answers to eleven questions is going to take you a LONG time...and you know it.)
Right. Let's begin...
I was positively thrilled to be tagged for the Liebster Award by Blessing Counter over at her blog Counting Your Blessings One by One. I've done this tag before, but there's no rule saying I can't do it again so...your point was?
Anyway, thank you so much, Blessing! I love being tagged!! :D
The Rules:
1. Link back to the person who tagged you
2. Answer the 11 questions
3. Tag 11 bloggers (and let them know you tagged them)
4. Ask them 11 questions
1. What is your personality type?
Well, actually, I have two personality types. The first one is IEGP-T and the second one is EHFO-R. These stand for Irritable, Emotional, Grouchy, Pessimistic-Tiredand Enthusiastic, Happy-go-lucky, Fun, Optimistic-Rested. And as I'm usually in a state of tiredness...well, you can draw your own conclusions on that one. :P
Okay, sorry. That was a joke. I just needed a little warm-up before I could seriously begin.
I took the 16 Personalities test the other day and ended up with...*drum roll please*...ISFJ-T. Translated: Introverted: 95%, Observant: 72%, (ahem. Since when did the word "observant" start with an 'S'?) Feeling: 82%, Judging: 58%, Turbulent: 58%.
I'm really horrible at answering questions for these sorts of things so I wouldn't be surprised if it was slightly off, but at the same time reading through the description of ISFJs it did seem to be pretty accurate to what I know of myself. The name for this personality type (according to the 16 Personalities website) is "Defender" and that certainly seemed to fit me best. Much better at any rate than some of the other options, such as "Executive", "Adventurer", "Commander" "Entertainer"...yeah, not me.
Here's a couple parts of the description that stuck out to me as being particularly accurate (because I know you just really wanted to get all this detail, right?):
1. Given how generous ISFJs are with their warm praise and support, it's not
surprising that others enjoy their company enough to call them friends. The
challenge is to be considered a friend back – people with the ISFJ personality
type are shy and a little protective of themselves, but they also need to be
able to connect on a deeper emotional level. It makes sense then that most of
ISFJs' friends are made not by random encounters on a wild night out, but
through comfortable and consistent contact, as in class or in the workplace
where they have the time to get to know each other little by little.
(Ahem. Yeah, I guess that's why I kind of fall flat on my face with shock when someone calls me friend. I want friends, but I have a hard time believing that people really want to my friend. Until I've spent a significant amount of consistent time with a person, and am really sure they care about me and will continue to care, I have a hard time calling them friend without feeling that I'm presuming upon the relationship.)
2. While perfectly capable in the workplace and among friends, ISFJs' true
passions lie in taking care of their families, from playing with their children
to the mundane needs of the household, efforts ISFJs are only too happy to
contribute. (Totally me. Don't give me careers, don't give me friends, but I
could not live without family. No. Life would be a blank to me.)
Sorry that was a horrendously long answer to such a simple question.
You can wake up now. I'm done.
"Oh really? Good."
2. What part of writing a blog post takes the longest for you? (writing, pictures, links, etc)
Probably the writing part of it. I'm a perfectionist and edit my writing painstakingly before I publish it. (And even after I publish it, believe it or not. Actually, there have been very few posts which I have not gone back and made changes to after I hit the publish button. Does anyone else do that?) However, now that I think about it, pictures take up a lot of time, too, simply because it's really hard to find the right ones. So...maybe a little of both?
3. Your favourite song from this week?
Oh, dear. I don't know. I haven't listened to a whole lot of music this week...
Alright, I just finished listening to a of couple songs. I choose this one.
HE WON'T LET YOU GO
By Andrew Culverwell
4. Has spring arrived for you yet?
Uh, yes, I think it has (as I sit here with a blanket around my shoulders). Well, but it was here the other day. I know it was. :)
5. Tea and toast or a bowl of cereal for breakfast?
Seeing that I don't drink much tea I guess I'll go with a bowl of cereal. But it must be the right kind of cereal, because if it's the wrong kind...well, that'd just be wrong. You know?
6. Favourite singer? Andrew Culverwell, hands down. Oh! And Keith Greene, too. Both excellent singers. (And yes, I know. I'm really up with the times. ;))
7. What is one of the wildest, most beautiful dreams you've ever had? (can be either a daydream or a ... night dream. *crickets chirping* Is there such a thing as a night dream? )
Hmmm. This is a hard one. Let me think.
Think, think. Think, think.
Think, brain, THINK!
Nope. Brain ain't thinkin'.
Alright, wait a second! I've got something. One of the wildest, most beautiful dreams I've ever had (and this would be a daydream) is the dream of one day being in my own home, with a loving husband--who I adore being with--and half a dozen little kids running about my immaculately clean, well-ordered household. Oh, and a baby, too. Mustn't forget the baby. :)
8. Playing the piano or running outside with a cool summer's breeze blowing in your face?
Oh dear. Both sound so good. I guess I'll have to go with the piano, though, since I play that more than I go outside. (And besides, as a general rule, I don't run. I walk. Ha!)
9. Favourite author? (or if it'll make it easier, favourite book? ;)
Are you kidding me? How in the world am I supposed to choose a favorite author?!! This is torture! (And no, choosing a favorite book doesn't make it any easier. The idea. ;)) Okay, I'll just mention one favorite author from among the many, and that would be Jane Austen. I love her books.
10. Emails or letters?
In theory, letters. They're more old-fashioned and I love getting them in the mail. However, looking at it from a practical standpoint, I'd have to say I like e-mails best, simply because I type much better than I write; and writing a letter becomes a very tedious process with all the scribbling and re-workings I end up doing. (Ugh.)
11. Do you like collecting things? And if yes, what?
No, not particularly. I'm not much of a collector. I prefer to get rid of things, actually. Haha. Unless, of course, you want to count those little balls of cotton yarn I pick up every now and then at the craft store. I buy them, not because I have a specific project to work on, but because they come in all manner of lovely and delicious colors and I just can't pass them up. One can always use more dishcloths, right?
Hey, wait! Don't go back to sleep! I know this is very long and all that, but there are still two more movements...*ahem* rules. You know what I mean. I've still got to come up with eleven questions and tag eleven people! There is still much work to be done!
Alright, fine. Go ahead and sleep. Anyway, you've got time. It's going to take me a while to think up eleven questions.
*And once again the masterful brain sets to work. Think, think. Think, think...*
*...Many hours later, on the afternoon of the following day...*
Whew! I'm back! Finally. I was having difficulty coming up with all the questions yesterday, so I decided to sleep on it. (A decision which Pooh heartily supported.) However, I've got the questions now, so if you don't want to miss this exciting moment, Pooh, you'd better wake up! You had the whole night to sleep anyway. (Don't ask me why I'm talking to Pooh Bear. I'm crazy, I know.)
"Are you finished with this post yet?" Almost. I just have to list the questions and then tag eleven people. "Oh, that's right. Well, let's hurry it up, shall we? I'd like to do something other than sleep today." -Sigh-
I decided to follow Blessings' example and keep the first question, but as to the rest, they are all my own.
Questions:
1. What is your personality type?
2. What is one of your newest favorite movies? (As in one that you recently found, not necessarily a newly made film.)
3. Have you ever been prejudiced against a certain movie before watching it, but then after seeing it decided it wasn't so bad? What movie was it?
4. If you could meet any author in person, who would it be?
5. How many siblings do you have, and where do you fall in the lineup? (Sorry if that's a rather nosey question. You may answer it or not as you so choose.)
6. If you could be related to any fictional character (from a movie or a book), who would it be and what relation would they be to you?
7. What is your favorite household chore, and what is your worst?
8. Anne and Diana (from Anne of Green Gables) are a classic example of best friends. Do you have a best friend, and if so which one of you is more like Anne and which is more like Diana?
9. What was one of the first chapter books you ever read? (You know, the one that made you feel so proud because you were reading a "big kids' book"!)
10. What is one of the yummiest, most delicious desserts you can think of at the present moment?
11. If you could be a character in one of your favorite movies, which movie would it be and which character would you choose?
(For those of you who don't have blogs, you can answer in the comments if you like.)
Oh, and if there's anyone else who would like to complete this tag, please do! Because I'd love to read your answers!
"A-hem." Yes, Rabbit? "You just tagged thirteen people." I did? Oh. Oops. You're right. Well, never mind. No one said we had to follow the rules exactly.
AND NOW THIS POST IS DONE!! WAHOO!
And when you've FINALLY finished your tag, rejoice with your readers and do a little dance...
...because this post was MUCH too long in the design.
(And that is TOO true! Sorry, people. This really was very long. I hope you managed to survive it.)
