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This picture has nothing to do with the post… Just an old picture from my college days.   This might be a really boring post and I read somewhere that you need to have pictures… so I am adding this random one.   (that is not a hickey on my neck… it is a welding burn… another long weird story)

Jolene from So Much to tell You mentioned this blog in a “Libester/Bogger recognition award” post.   She artfully summarized my blog in a way that made it sound worth reading… I think I need to pay her to write my “about” section… (hmm… she should quit banking and go into promotion and advertising)

She followed up the summary/nomination with this sentence:

 “if you are inclined to undergo some interrogation on my part, I have only three questions for my nominees”.

Yes I am inclined since the questions are not too hard, but before I do, I want to write something about Jolene.   I love reading her words.  That may sound simple but it is the truth.  She puts words together with such finesse and adeptness.   The quote above is proof of her graceful writing skills.   I followed her “eclectic” blog with the hopes that some of her style would rub off on me.  (She loves the word “eclectic” … and… well in college I use to buy my clothes from a vintage store called “Eclectic” so we have something in common).  When I read her blog it makes me feel like I am “hanging with the cool kids”.

I want to be honest… I didn’t only follow her blog because of her writing skills.   The first time I visited her blog I quickly read her about page.   In my quick reading, I misunderstood the about page and thought she was born at a stinky market in Shanghai with 11 fingers and had a hole in her heart… (turns out I am a poor reader… and saw what I wanted to see… I realized my misconception when I went back to make sure I was not misstating facts for this post)

I love the connections we make with fellow bloggers, especially when we start to see the person behind the words.   Jolene kind of intimidated me until last week when she came out of her “word closet” in a comment to me.   She basically stated that I should have indulged in the “love for sell – field of dreams” because it would have been a great post and then promised not to tell my wife…   (I was shocked… confused… a bit tempted – don’t tell my wife… but most of all completely endeared to this newly discovered side of Jolene’s personality).

… well enough blah, blah, blah… (sorry Jolene… none of your style has yet rubbed off on me)

Three Questions Time:

Question 1:

What is the most memorable / meaningful / touching compliment / critique /comment you have received in the blogosphere?

I have had so many “cherished” comments but I will offer two (I will leave these anonymous but link them back to the post for anyone who wants to discover the source)

“Seriously, you know how to do the weirdest shit and I love that…” 

“… everyone should be as “weird” as you are…”

Question 2:

If you can live in a place far away from home, where would it be, and why?

I would live in a sail boat and I have two reasons.

First:  I would no longer have to pretend to be cool… I just would be!

Second:  I could visit the world from home…   How incredibly awesome is that.  I have only one small problem to overcome.   Isabelle gets sea sick very easily and I would not want to live away from her.

Question 3:

Which character in film or literature best captures the essence of who you are, and why?

I have three answers:  (I know I am over complicating this…)

First: (The person I think readers of my blog see me as)

Forest Gump:    A man with below average intelligence doing lots of weird things

Second: (The person I would like to pretend to be)

A combination of these three people.   Ferris Bueller, Yoda, and Doc Brown (Back to the Future)   These three combined into one offer the most perfect combination of “good manly virtues”.

Third : (The person I think I truly relate to when I am being honest with myself)

Amélie Poulain:   I know it is a woman… (don’t read into this as some weird gender thing…)  I can completely relate to the way that Amelie saw the world and her quirky people centric adventures…   Before Isabelle… I also experienced some of the loneliness portrayed in the film…(unfortunately I am not as cute as Audrey Tautou… an thus I am probably much less likable… )