Thursday, January 7, 2010

Too Much Information?

Okay - I've put this off for far too long. A bit cowardly I admit, but I've decided it's time.

Recently Anne Riley over at Reading. Writing. Querying. Publishing? generously awarded me the One Lovely Blog award. Thanks again, Anne! I appreciate your kind words and your thoughtfulness :)

I was also awarded the Honest Scrap Award over at Chasing Empty Pavements. Again, thank you so much! It was such a nice thing to wake up to this morning :)

These are two great ladies. If you haven't checked out their blogs yet, pop on over and say hi! You'll definitely feel welcome.

Now I've ignored the instructions for the last several blog awards. Bad, I know, but it's tough!! I'm really quite shy - sharing stuff can be difficult. Also I visit so many fabulous blogs, it's really, really hard to choose only a few! Major trauma.

So, here's what I'm going to do. I'll give a few intersting (???) facts about me. And I'll talk a bit about some fabulous sites you should be visiting.

Ahem...
1. I'd love to live in an old-fashioned farmhouse (with very modern plumbing) with wonderful wrap-around porches.

2. I still have nightmares from reading The Shining in high school.

3. I have so many untended injuries from playing sports when I was younger that I have over 60 places where my bones crack. Really icky! I think my knees are now much older than the rest of me.

4. I once owned a purple plastic record player. I wore out innumerable needles on it. Loved it!

5. I get a little giddy when I'm shopping for school supplies! There's nothing quite like prettily coloured post-it notes, fresh pencil crayons, bulletin board borders, name tags and new books. Heaven!

6. I can't choose favourites - be it books, movies, or just about anything else. Instead of 1, I choose a list. I don't even like selecting kids for jobs at school. All of their names are in a jar. Whenever I need something done, I choose from the jar. They love it!

Okay, enough already. On to my blogging buddies. I avoided choosing people to whom I've passed awards already. I think. Sorry folks!

I'm only choosing 7. I did it totally randomly by putting the numbers 1 - 79 (the number of blogs on my blog roll) into the random.org site! How's that for avoiding the pressure? :) I never was very good at choosing favourites! See #6 above.

#67 - Mary Brebner
#22 - Helen Ginger over at Straight from Hel
#46 - Yvonne over at The Organic Writer
#69 - Julie over at The Climb
#9 - Shannon O'Donnell over at Book Dreaming
#20 - L. Diane Wolfe over at Spunk on a Stick
#10 - Natalie Whipple over at Between Fact & Fiction

Phew! That was mildly exhausting! Ladies take your pick of the 2 awards and do with them what you will. No pressure :) I believe the official rules are to tell 10 true facts about you and to pass the award along to 7 bloggers. Follow as you see fit. Have fun!

68 comments:

Natalie Whipple said...

Thanks, Jemi! Nice to learn a little more about you. I love shopping for school supplies too! I miss it, now that I'm done. hehe.

Elana Johnson said...

Definitely not TMI! But really? School supplies? *shudder* That just means I have to go back to work. Not my favorite time of year. ;)

Mason Canyon said...

Congratulations on the awards. Love the things about yourself. I'd go for #1 myself, just have to make sure that modern plumbing is there. :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Natalie - I'm a teacher so I still get to play :) It's all fun!

Jemi Fraser said...

Elana - Yup, there is that aspect to it for sure. But something about those aisles makes me happy! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Mason - yes, modern plumbing is a definite! My mom grew up without it and always says, "Never pass up an opportunity for a flush toilet". How's that for family wisdom to cherish :)

Shannon O'Donnell said...

Thanks Jemi! That was a very creative way to divvy up the awards. You deserve them both. I love this blog. :-)

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks so much Shannon! That's so sweet :)

I thought it would be worth a try - I have so many great friends I visit. I hate picking!

Anonymous said...

Jemi, again, love the links, though I almost choked on the number. How do you write when you're following all these wonderful people?

On another note, I'm totally with you on the school supplies. Ditch clothes shopping. Give me a new pencil box, sharp and shiny crayons and a notebook or ten and I'm in heaven. I still covet extra supplies after passing them out to my kids each fall.

Congrats on your newest awards and keep up the good work. You are an inspiration.

Jemi Fraser said...

Cat - I'm trying to develop a couple of other personalities to help cover all the bases :)

Actually I use a couple of ElanaJ's speed blogging hints and that helps. I don't comment on every blog post, but I try!

I've passed on my school supply obsession to my daughter too. We have enough post-it notes to use as wallpaper :)

Anonymous said...

Hey, now it's my turn to congratulate you, good lady. Yay! Good on you for the awards. I'll have to keep the randomizer.org thing in mind next time I'm wondering whom to pass awards on to...

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Simon :)

Passing on awards is HARD!!! There are so many great choices and it gives me nightmares!

Debra Lynn Shelton said...

I can't believe you didn't pick me!!! (I'm SO kidding!) Congrats to you on your awards. You deserve them. I'll live in that farmhouse with you, btw. I've got the same dream. ;-)

Jemi Fraser said...

LOL Debra!! Sounds like a great idea - with all the porches, there's lots of great places to write. Just have to make sure there are outdoor outlets for the laptops :)

Natalie said...

Congratulations Jemi! I'm so with you on the choosing favorites thing--just. not. fun. And I love shopping for school supplies too! There is nothing more exciting than busting out a new box of crayons or a brand new eraser. Ahh.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Natalie! It is definitely not fun!

Don't you just love the smell of a new eraser? :)

Yvonne Osborne said...

Thanks Jemi! That's awesome. But how do I choose between those two? Hmmm... love the muscled hammer but the other one is so, ah, lovely! Can I decide tomorrow? And I'll try not to procrastinate in passing along the honor.

Oh, and I live in that farmhouse and it's a bear to heat!

p.s. I've already decided. I'll take the Honest Scrap because I think it protrays what it takes to live the writing life.

Thanks again, Jemi.

Jemi Fraser said...

You're so welcome Yvonne - and yes the hammer certainly does portray that, doesn't it!

I bet your farmhouse is still fantabulous though! I'll just have to make a pile of cash with my writing in order to pay the heating bill :)

Cindy R. Wilson said...

Hey Jemi. Congrats on the awards and your list was fun. I'm with you on the choosing favorites thing. I can never choose favorites. And the purple record player is so cool!

Tamika: said...

Jemi I am so scared of the The Shining! One of the first horrible scary movie experiences I had! Jack will probably seep into my dreams tonight. Urg.

Congratulations on the awards- and to all the winners! You are all great ladies!

Arlee Bird said...

I too have always wanted that farmhouse you described. Maybe some refurb of insulation and good weatherproofed doors and windows might help with the heating bill.
Lee

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your awards. Your post reminds me of my own record player (but it wasn't purple like yours).

Sara {Rhapsody and Chaos} said...

"I'd love to live in an old-fashioned farmhouse (with very modern plumbing) with wonderful wrap-around porches." <<---need a roommate? Because I'm so there!

CATE said...

maybe my knees and your knees should get together, we might get one good knee between us?!
and I so want that farmhouse too...

Stephanie Thornton said...

I wore out the needle on my Rainbow Bright record player more times than I can count. It was awesome!

And I can't even watch The Shining. Horror movies and I don't mix!

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

I was telling my 8 yr old daughter about record player needles a couple of weeks ago (sometimes we had to lift them up and get dust off them, they'd skip on the record, we'd have to replace them...) and she looked at me like she couldn't believe it. Needles! :)

The Shining is one scary book/movie.

Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen

Jemi Fraser said...

Cindy - favourites are hard!!! And, yes, the purple record player was so cool :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Tamika! And yes, King wrote a doozy when he wrote the Shining!!

Jemi Fraser said...

Lee - good idea! My hubby is very good at all things involving nails and hammers. It'll work :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Medeia - I loved that record player! Many fond pre-teen and teen memories revolve around it :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Sara - there's always room for one more! You're welcome to join us :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Cate - aren't knees fun! I actually hear mine creak when I go up and down stairs. I'm not old enough for that to happen!

Jemi Fraser said...

Stephanie - I thought I could handle horror movies when I was younger - didn't want the bf to think I was wimpy! Well, I'm wimpy. :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Elizabeth - LOL! We still have a turntable, but it's next to impossible to order new needles. We finally found some online a few years ago. It's fun to listen to the records now and again :)

King is definitely an amazing writer. That book has given me the creeps for years!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Aw, thank you Jemi!

And I'd want the modern plumbing as well!

Jemi Fraser said...

Diane - You're very welcome! Modern plumbing is just not an option, is it :)

Anne Riley said...

You deserve the award, Jemi! I have so loved your blog. Thanks for linking back to me!

VR Barkowski said...

I totally get the giddiness of shopping for school supplies! I'm a long way from being a student, and I haven't taught in years, but I still get that thrill when I step into a store during back-to-school. All those pens, pencils, notebooks, newfangled :) electronics AND POST ITS. Impossible to resist!

Anonymous said...

Jemi, I love wrap-around porches, too! My family's from the south. A house just ain't a house without a porch!

Unknown said...

Jemi, you're amazing! I really appreciate that you take the time to comment on my posts--despite the fact that you follow 60-kazillion other great blogs!

Thank you so much. I've never gotten an award before *blushes*. I'll do my best to live up to the challenge.

Anonymous said...

I always love learning stuff about the people behind the blogs I read.
Congrats on the award.

cleemckenzie said...

Thanks for the blog mentions and congrats on the awards. It's always wonderful to visit here and glad you're being recognized for your contributions on the "blogosphere."

Jemi Fraser said...

Anne - you're such a sweetie :) Thanks again!!

Jemi Fraser said...

VR - yes!! I could buy dozens of styles of post-its. My hubby likes to come with me, to insert the voice of reason now and again!

Jemi Fraser said...

Bo - There really is nothing better than a wrap around porch :) One of these days...

Thanks for popping over! I love your cartoons :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Mary - I do feel a bit like a crazy person at times, but it's fun!!

Have fun with the award :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Carolyn - thanks :) It is fun getting the insights - more fun than writing them anyway!

Jemi Fraser said...

Lee - thanks - it's fun visiting all of these great blogs! I hope others pick up a few new ones to enjoy :)

Elizabeth Bradley said...

Thanks for sharing. My kids are all grown up so I don't shop for school supplies any longer, but I can buy office supplies for me and The Husband. I love Post-Its, multi-colored Sharpies, paperclips, those pinchy things to hold my loose scripts together, manilla envelopes, the whole shebang. I feel like going to Staples now.

Jemi Fraser said...

Elizabeth - Oooo, Sharpies! I love Sharpies!! Staples is one of my favourite places :)

Unknown said...

So diplomatic and so like me! I can never make decisions either. Hate singling people out, can never make up my mind what to eat in a restaurant when there's more than one item on the menu, and I'm always overly tactful, just in case I offend someone....it's exhausting being me!

Fun post. Nice to get to know you a little better :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Wendy - isn't it hard??? I'm very much as you describe yourself! Maybe we're just a little nuts :) Well, me, anyway! Thanks :)

lisa and laura said...

Love that you love school supplies. I still get a charge out of a fresh box of crayons!

Jemi Fraser said...

Lisa & Laura - crayons have that great smell - especially when you first open them. Yummmm! :)

Patricia Stoltey said...

What a great list of info about you! I sympathize with having old knees -- I always said mine were 100 years older than the rest of me.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Patricia! That's the same line I use. :) Lucky us!

Alix said...

That's a fun list. I think I'd like to live in your house :)

I LOVE school supplies too, in fact who doen't like school supplies there is something very pleasing about them. I think they're a symbol of possibility & new beginnings :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Alexa - I've never thought of it that way - but you're right! New beginnings, fresh start. All good stuff :)

Helen Ginger said...

Thank you Jemi. How wonderful to get an award.

I like the idea of picking names out of a jar when you need a student's help. Everyone has a chance to be recognized!

Helen
Straight From Hel

Jemi Fraser said...

You're so welcome Helen :)

My kids love "The Jar" as well. We use it for making groups & partners as well. It's awesome!

The romantic query letter and the happy-ever-after said...

Felicitations on your award. Now, I'm off to follow the links provided so I may meet your nominees.
Have a lovely weekend.
Warm regards,
Simone

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Simone! I hope you enjoy the links - they are great people :)

Marisa Birns said...

Hello! Stopped by after Nicola Morgan's blog-birthday party. Lovely to meet you.

A farmhouse? With porches? What a wonderful home!

Enjoyed reading your post. I have STILL not read The Shining. Ditto with The Exorcist.

Congrats on your award. :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Hi Marisa - nice to meet you too :)

I've never been quite brave enough for the Exorcist - The Shining was enough for a lifetime!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lorel Clayton said...

Don't be shy--those are great character traits. I happen to love around wraparound porches on country homes and shopping for school supplies too...or writing supplies (I buy to many pens and notebooks I don't need),and I'm addicted to Officeworks!

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Lorel - glad to know I'm not alone :) There's just something about those shelves full of new school stuff - love it!

Daisy Whitney said...

I like the farmhouse with wraparound porch fantasy! I would love a two-story house with a wraparound porch too, someplace on a lot of land with stables and a cute stable boy to boot!

Jemi Fraser said...

Daisy - sounds just about perfect!!! :)