Friday, January 22, 2010

8 is more than enough

I was 'tagged' by Bush Babe to list 8 sets of 8 things about me. I don't usually do these sorts of lists (they hurt my brain) but I will, for BB and Debby, even though I suspect it's not all that interesting to anyone.

Here goes.

8 lots of 8 things about A Novel Woman:

8 TV shows I watch
1. Amazing Race (hopelessly addicted)
2. American Idol (I hate it when they make fun of people but love the competition part)
3. Glee (my current, absolute favourite show)
4. Antiques Roadshow (totally, hopelessly addicted to the British version)
5. The Office (love the British version and the American one. Apples and oranges.)
6. Mad Men (ooh, baby, it doesn't get better than this. No wait. Glee does.)
7. Oprah (Habit. While I make dinner. My first child & her show were born the same time.)
8. Masterpiece Theatre (Go Little Dorrit!)

May I say for the record how much I miss ER? I also miss Upstairs/Downstairs. And The Mary Tyler Moore Show. And I Love Lucy. What? They're classics.

8 favorite places to eat and drink
1. Screened-in porch at the cottage (my absolute favourite place, bar none)
2. My husband's cousin's cottage down the road - there is always "deck dancing" after dinner
3. La Belle Province (sounds fancy, but it's hotdogs and poutine)
4. La Poilane bakery in Paris - best apple tart I've ever tasted
5. Saint Hubert BBQ chicken (What? I like their chicken)
6. Restaurant Decca 77 (if we want fancy or, say, before a John Mayer concert)
7. Duke's Restaurant and Barefoot Bar in Honolulu (oh, be still my heart)
8. Pret a Manger in London, UK (the best fast food restaurants on the planet and if I had a magic teletransporter that could take me anywhere instantly, I'd eat there every day. Beam me up.)

8 things I look forward to:
1. Watching my children find their places in the world.
2. Grandchildren (just not yet).
3. Traveling with my husband to Italy ( it's our 25th anniversary this year, so who knows?)
4. Going to Vegas with my sisters someday.
5. Publishing a book and holding it in my hands.
6. Feeling comfortable in my own skin.
7. Spring at the cottage and the ice going out on the lake.
8. Guinness and pizza on Friday nights. I'm a simple woman with simple needs.

8 things I love about winter:
1. A cozy spot by the fire in our family room.
2. Catching up on reading.
3. The way the afternoon light bounces off the snow and lights up the house.
4. No worries about squirrels, flooded basements or wolf spiders.
5. I bake and cook more often so the house smells gooood.
6. Sweaters. They cover a lot of sins, baby.
7. I write more during the winter.
8. Carbs. They get me through. (See: sweaters)

8 things on my wish list:
1. Buy a flat in London (Honest. It's on the top of my list)
2. Go to India, Italy, Thailand, France, Australia (not necessarily in that order)
3. Get rid of all the clutter in my house and Keep It Out
4. To see my husband enjoy more free time. He so deserves it.
5. A big red pickup truck
6. Drive alone across Canada, from sea to sea
7. To walk or cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats
8. Take a whisky tour across Scotland (maybe as I do #7)

(World peace is a given, okay?)

8 things I am passionate about
1. Good food, organic and GMO-free
2. Ethics, whether it's farming or politics or fair trade or friendships
3. The written word
4. Photography
5. Anything crafted by hand (well, maybe not crocheted Kleenex holders)
6. Movies (I love movies)
7. Traveling
8. Living life to the fullest, guilt-free and without apologies

8 things I have learned from the past
1. Self-reliance is the first step on the path to finding happiness with another person.
2. If your gut says something ain't right, it ain't right.
3. Don't gossip. If someone shares gossip with you, they will eventually gossip about you.
4. There are two sides to every coin and every story.
5. Home has nothing to do with where you live, but who you live with.
6. There are no good squirrels.
7. Believe in truth, and practice it every day.
8. Always root for the underdogs. They never disappoint.

8 things I want/need (this is tough, because I don't really need or want anything, but since you're making me list something, I guess I'll go with....)

1. Glenmorangie Lasanta (want)
2. Chunky baby alpaca yarn, creamy white (want)
3. A new light bulb for my sewing machine (need)
4. An antique, functional yarn winder or "weasel" (Yutha, are you listening?)
5. A grand piano (dream on McDuff)
6. New dishes. My willow patterned ones have chips and dings all over them.
7. A clutter-free house (double dream on)
8. My own trained falcon with a taste for squirrels (want, need, must have)

8 people I want to tag

I won't tag anyone else, but if someone WANTS to do it, leave a link in the comments.

15 comments:

Yutha said...

Great lists! I can look for the yarn winder - I see them quite a bit. However, now that I want to find one...

I can also take care of the dishes issue too if you give me a wish list!

A Novel Woman said...

Yay! The Blue Willow pattern I use every day is chipped and battered from my lovely children, mostly my boy, throwing them into the cupboard or dishwasher. They've taken a lot of abuse over the years. (The dishes, not the children.)

Debby said...

Ooooh. Trained falcon. Must revise wish list...

A Novel Woman said...

Everyone should have their own trained falcon!

Lottery Girl said...

I am always amazed at how much we have in common! Have a lot of comments for you--

1. What is the Glenmorangie Lasanta? I'm quite familiar with most all the Glenmorangie except for the Lasanta.

2. I've always wanted a red truck. WEIRD!

3. Clutter-free; OH YEAH! But I know it will never happen.

4. Are you guys really going to Italy? I ADORE Italy!

5. New Dishes? I have (shhh!) several (okay, more than several) sets of dishes. I love dishes. And linens. And fibers. JUST LIKE YOU!!!

6. Why do you want to go to India? Because I also want to go. I'm fascinated with the place. Did you know that the Celts originated there? FREAKY! It's a spiritual thing for me.

7. Sign me up for the whisky tour across Scotland (Dram-a!)

Love your personal philosophies!

BB said...

Outstanding!!!

1. You must visit my friend Leslie at Kaleidescope (her amazing scrapbooking of Italy will make you salivate!):

2. Me whisky tour too...

3. I have no idea what Glenmorangie Lasanta is - either part!!

:-)
BB

BB said...

Oops... Leslie's blog is:

http://lesliesmyers.blogspot.com/

Go there but take a good coffee and some tissues to wipe up the drool.
:-)

A Novel Woman said...

Glenmorangie Lasanta is a new whisky which replaces the old sherry finished one. Lasanta is Gaelic for warmth and passion. I got to try it at my local pub, where I retire with the camera club every Monday night. It's an amazing Scotch with unbelievable flavour - rich buttery, burnt sugar, toffee, citrus, hazelnut, honey... I can just sniff the glass when I'm finished and be satisfied. Try it if you haven't. It's an amazing whisky.

Yes, there is talk of a trip to Italy. I was in Venice when I was 15, but have never been to Rome or Florence (nor has Doug) so we might.

India has always fascinated me, the British influence, the culture, the people, the colours, the quality of the light for photos, the textiles, the mix of poverty and wealth, the religions, the food... I babysat for a family who lived there and I used to look at all their art and their books. That's where it started I guess, and then the more I see, the more I want to go. And I did NOT know the Celts began there!

Off to visit Leslie Myers!

A Novel Woman said...

Okay, what's odd is that the first thing to come up on Leslie's blog is a recipe for Snickerdoodles. I was just talking about making them this week as I have a recipe from my sister-in-law in Jersey.

What are the odds?

Scotty said...

Great list, Pam, especially the part about gossiping.

A Novel Woman said...

Thanks, Scotty! It's hard to resist the gossip sometimes, but I'm trying.

Yutha said...

Cross wool winder off your list!

iBridget said...

Laughing out loud at the falcon. Kind of reminds me of my daughter when she was really small, I think not even three yet. "What do you want for Christmas, Nina?" "I need a new dragon."

Unknown said...

Better late than never, Pamela. I gave it a shot. Why anyone would want to know this stuff about me, I don't know, but it was actually kind of interesting trying to come up with eight in some of the categories. www.kathychung.com

Deniz Bevan said...

Tagged myself!
I'd love to see your falcon in action if you ever get him...