I volunteered for this at Laughing Muse‘s place, who in turn, found out about the meme at Ealasaid‘s place.

Meme rules:

• Leave me a comment saying, “Me, Me!!!” while waving your hand in the air.
• I will respond by asking you five questions.
• You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
• You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

1. So tell us, Maritimes-gal: is it properly “Newfoundland” or “Newfoundland and Labrador” (Or “who cares, I’m from New Brunswick”?) I believe the proper term is “The Rock”. Actually, growing up it was “Newfoundland” but rumour (and the CBC) tells me it’s now “Newfoundland and Labrador”. The Newf’s I’ve known have always considered Labrador as part of their province.Technically, “Newfoundland and Labrador” aren’t part of the Maritimes – that’s limited to NB, PEI, and NS for some strange reason – but is included as part of the Atlantic provinces.
2. You’ve been reading a lot lately, as part of 52 books in 52 weeks. What two books from your list would you like to revisit later, and why? I know I’ll read almost all of these books again at some later date. Unless I’ve passed on the book to friends, via Book Crossing, donated it or dropped it off at a used book store – about 25% of my books end up out of my house this way – I re-read my books every few years. Of the list I’ve posted since the beginning of the year, none has stood out as one that I have to go back and re-read immediately. I usually have to wait until after I’ve forgotten most of the good details before I can re-read a mystery or crime novel.I have a few books on my “to read” list that I know I’ll end up re-reading within a few months. Most of those books are the ones related in some way to adult learning and instructional design. I know that those written by Paulo Freire, Malcolm Knowles and Robert Mager will rank high on the re-read list. Since there’s a new Harry Potter due out this summer, I’ll need to re-read the rest of the series before July. And of course, when I need to smile, I’ll be reaching for Terry Pratchett and Christopher Moore’s books.
3. Where would you love to travel, that you haven’t yet been? And why? I’ve always wanted to go to Russia, or more specifically, to take one of the tour trains – I think it’s the Orient Express – and explore the country. I think a lot of the allure is that the hubby and I have never really gone on vacation by ourselves and so this has become our “dream vacation” where we get to travel the world together.
4. How did you get into instructional design? I read the Wikipedia entry on I.D., but it just confused me more (or perhaps that’s the caffeine deficiency) Some days I wish I knew the answer to this. I was not-so-happily trudging along in computer support (software, hardware, networks, internet) and filling occasional training and content development slot as it came up. I had what my boss (at the time) called a “gut instinct” for developing training materials and knowledge sharing. I took a position in our Training department, went back to school, and found that I adored Instructional Design. Granted, there a some parts I love more than others – needs analysis and evaluation are my passions – but I think that’s true of any field of work or study.
5. You just resigned from your job. Even with the worries of job-searching…have you stopped smiling yet? 😀 When I’m not busy rolling through a giant host of emotions – happiness, sheer joy, fear, worry – I’m still busy doing my happy dance and smiling like a fool.

Okay – who’s next!?!?? Leave a comment, and I’ll prep some questions for you.

Technorati Tags: meme, fun

Feast Number One Hundred & Thirty Five

Appetizer: Name two things that made you smile this week.

1. Waking up after sleeping for 6 hours straight. It’s amazing how good that feels..
2. Dancing around my cube singing “I quit, I quit, la-la-la-la-la-la” and meaning it.

Soup: Fill in the blank: Don’t you hate it when ________?

• Someone who has no idea why you quit your job starts giving people “reasons” why you quit – which just aren’t true!

Salad: When you can’t go to sleep, what is your personal remedy to help yourself drift into Lullabyland?

• Considering my insomnia issues, how apropos. If it’s just ideas running around in my head that are keeping me asleep, I try writing them down or (more recently) using my nifty voice recorder to record my thoughts so I can try and relax and get some sleep. If that doesn’t work, I crawl out of bed (so I don’t keep the hubby up) and head to the basement with a book. I read, I surf, I talk to the cats. Eventually, and hour or so before sunrise, I’ll usually pass out.

Main Course: What is something about which you’ve always wondered but have not yet found a good answer?

• What is normal?

Dessert: What is your favorite pasta dish?

• Angel hair – with Arabiatta (sp?) sauce.

Condiments:

1. What’s something that’s generally considered bad manners that you don’t think is a big deal?
   Swearing in public. I usually don’t approve of swearing around kids and tend to tell the hubby to be more careful, but otherwise profanity just doesn’t bother me at all. Granted, I did marry a guy in the military, live on a tonne of bases, and have a bit of a potty mouth myself…
2. What’s something you think should be considered good manners that you don’t think most people pay any attention to?
   I don’t know if this qualifies as manners as much as it does “common sense and hygiene” but: I can’t stand when people don’t wash their hands after going into the bathroom. Drives me nuts. And no, I am NOT touching anything the offending party has touched!
3. In what way are you especially well-mannered?
   Umm, none? Despite my parents best attempts to raise me well, I think my manners are pretty atrocious. I must have been sick the day they were covered at school…
4. In what way are you especially ill-mannered?
   I’m very bad at answering mail and sending thank you cards. Sometimes people will wait months for them…
5. If you owned a beautiful, enormous house high upon a hill, what would you name your manor?
   uisge beatha

h/t to Caylynn’s Contemplations for the FF graphic. I shamelessly swiped it from her site.

Technorati Tags: Friday’s Feast, condiments

So, I quit my job without having another one lined up. March 31st is my last day with my current company. Today was spent searching for a new job.

Welcome to the 18th edition of the screaming pages Thursday Thirteen.

The job hunt begins…

Thirteen places I applied to work at today. University of Alberta NorQuest College IBM Intuit Province of Alberta City of Edmonton Dell North American Construction Group AADAC ATB Financial RBC Financial Group National Research Council Legislative Assembly of Alberta Tomorrow is a new day with lots of other places to apply. If anyone has any suggestions, I’m open to learning where else might be a good place to try and find a job/career. Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Technorati Tags: thursday thirteen, t13, meme

Found this at Crystal’s (The Song of My Soul) and couldn’t resist.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa.
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe.
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured an ancient site
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played Dungeons & Dragons for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently well enough to have a decent conversation
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised (raising) children (child)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
151. Finished a marathon

Technorati Tags: meme

Feast Number One Hundred & Thirty Four

Appetizer: What is your usual bedtime? Do you like that, or would you rather it be different?

• I don’t have anything close to resembling a “usual” bedtime. I’m an insomniac. Sometimes I have difficulty catching more than 20 minutes sleep a night. I go days without sleeping more than 2 hours a night, then usually crash from exhaustion. I’m supposed to take medication to help me sleep, but I try to avoid it as much as possible.

Soup: When it comes to advice, do you give more or receive more?

• I tend to give a lot more advice than I seek out – especially now that dad’s not around to pester for advice. I do have a small group of people I tend to return to for advice over and over again (yep, that’s you Dane) and so I’d have to say the quality of advice I tend to get is likely much better than what I give.

Salad: Describe a memorable meal you’ve had.

• Naked Christmas Dinner – enough said 😉

Main Course: Name a work of fiction that affected the way you think about something.

• I only get to name one work? Oh boy, I’m in trouble… Nah, I’m not even going to bother attempting to limit myself to one book! The power of a book varies based on the person wielding (or reading) it. Meaning I give to books I’ve read over the years will not hold true for others. Read, share, but expect different reactions.
  • Heinlein – Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers
  • Courtney – Power of One
  • Golding – Lord of the Flies
  • Camus – L’Etranger
  • St.-Exupery – Le Petit Prince
  • Little – Ecoute, l’Oiseau Chantera
  • Laurence – The Stone Angel
  • Atwood – The Handmaid’s Tale
  • Shriver – We Need to Talk About Kevin
  • Alexander – The Prydain Chronicles
  • Grimm – Fairy Tales

Dessert: What is your favorite type of fruit juice?

• Mater-toe. *yummy*

Condiments:

1. What do you like on a hot dog?
   relish, mustard, & onions
2. What do you like on a hamburger?
   mustard, onions & dill pickles
3. What do you like on a baked potato?
   Mrs. Dash salt substitute
4. What do you like on a slice of toast?
   margarine
5. What do you like in a cup of coffee or tea?
   nothing, i like them black

h/t to Caylynn’s Contemplations for the FF graphic. I shamelessly swiped it from her site.

Technorati Tags: Friday’s Feast, condiments