Mystery Blogger Award

Dacia of Britestfyrefly nominated me for the Mystery Blogger’s Award, and I thank her for doing so as I was in a rut as to what my topic today should be.  Here is her Mystery Blogger’s Award post if you’re interested in seeing her questions and answers.  I’ve been following her for a while now and I can’t recall if she followed me first or if I followed her first; it really doesn’t matter.  Something about her writing, how she presented herself, is what kept me following.  It didn’t hurt that we had similar interests and I think my sagely advice might have helped a little too 🙂

This award was originally created by Okoto Enigma and you can find her blog HERE.

As part of the award, I have to answer 5 questions she has asked of me.  First though, there are some rules.  It’s an honor to reciprocate this award, but there is a little more to it:

1. Post the award/ image on your blog (see above)
2. Thank whoever nominated you and give a link back to their blog.
3. Mention the creator of the award and give a link back to their blog.
4. Tell your readers three things about yourself.
5. Nominate 10-20 deserving bloggers and notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
6. Ask your nominees 5 questions of your choice; including one weird or funny question.
7. Share a link to your best post.

Three things about me:

1. I’ve lived in Pennsylvania since I was 4 years old.
2. My blogging career spans more than two decades; 11 pen/paper, 10 online, last 5 at this blog site.
3. Been married for 17 years and have a 10 year old daughter, who’s a handful at times and growing up way too fast.

Here are the questions Dacia posed to me:

1. If your blog had a theme song, what would it be and why?

   The cover of “The Sound Of Silence” by Disturbed.  Although I’ve heard this already from Simon & Garfunkel a hundred times, it was something totally new after hearing it from Disturbed.  At various points of time in my life, I’ve connected with the lyrics of the song and being an introvert, it’s comforting in a way to listen to this and know that things will pass eventually and get better.  It’s a reminder that music can and does heal everything.

2. What is your writing routine?  Do you have one?  Should you have one?  What would be your ideal writing life?

   This is four questions in one and is bending the rules slightly 😀  I tend to write when the mood strikes or there is something rolling around in my head that needs to be processed in a way that writing it out can solve.  The routine is random, so not really much of a routine, but I do average at least a few hours through the week to sit down and write.  At any given time, there are several drafts in-progress saved to my laptop.  I’m not sold on the rigid writing routine as anything creative tends to be random and when the mood strikes.  My ideal writing life would be a sound proof room, disconnected from everything, with the ability to write whenever I feel it necessary to do so without the worry of having to work and pay the bills.

3. In the movie of your life, what actor could best portray you?

   Drew Carey, hands down.  I’m a geek and proud to be one too.  Drew is similar in build, appearance, and temperament.  With a few tweaks of his clothes and glasses, he would be a perfect actor to protray me.  The movie of course would be really boring and filled with lots of “processing” while sitting at computer.

4. What are you currently reading?

   I actually don’t actively read despite the fact that I’ve read a lot of books.  I get into a groove every so often where I’ll rip through two or three books and then not pick one up for months.  I do read online news sites, blogs, and opinion sites on a daily basis though as I contribute to another blog focused on political opinion.  The link to that is in the sidebar.

5. Describe the most trying time of your life?

   Hands down, high school.  It was the only time so far in my life where I felt completely lost and worthless to the world.  It took me more than a decade to get past the issues I pushed deep down before I dug them out and dealt with it in my adult life.  I’ve not attended or seen anyone from that time of my life and I doubt I ever will.  There is nothing from high school that I want to celebrate or even remember as people can be damagingly cruel to others.  I’ve since lived my life in a place of tolerance, respect, and understanding.

Here are the lucky 10 bloggers that I’ve bestowed this award on:

1. Erika at DorkyMomDoodles
2. John at The Ripening Wanderer
3. Emily at Nerd In The Brain
4. Deb at The Moster In Your Closet
5. Juls at The Indecisive Eejit
6. The Snail of Happiness
7. Ally at The Spectacled Bean
8. The Chatty Introvert
9. In Search of It All
10. Lobotero at In Saner Thought

Here are the questions I’ve asked of them:

1. When did you start blogging and why?
2. If you had one vehicle to puchase in your entire life, what would it be and why?
3. Are you a citizen of more than one country?  Which ones?
4. What is your favorite meal?
5. If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be and why?

My best post:

By far, my best post and one of the most active with over 44 comments.  I’d never broken more than 20 on anything previous.  The post is titled The inauguration speech and is a break down of the speech Donald Trump gave on January 20th, 2017.  This was one of those posts that I was fired up about and need to process it through writing.