Good Morning, Sunshine!

Feb 10, 2016 | No-Niche Posts

When I was little, there was a man who called me “Little Merry Sunshine.” The older I get, the more likely that moniker is to be said in a sarcastic tone – but still, it’s kind of Roy Ackerman to nominate me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Thank you, Roy.

I’d give Roy a hard time for making it difficult, with his anti-content-thievery plug-in, to simply copy and paste the rules of the award, but since Roy had to accommodate my anti-spam plug-in by shortening his name so that it no longer proclaims all his hard-earned, academic suffixes, I really can’t complain. All I have to do is walk over here and pick up the Sun–ow! Hang on while I don my sunglasses. There we go. That’s better.

The Sunshine Blogger Award

These are the rules of the Sunshine Blogger Award:

  • Thank the person who nominated you.
  • Answer the 11 questions you’ve been asked.
  • Nominate 11 other bloggers, making sure to let each one know that they are nominated.
  • Ask the nominees 11 questions.

These are the probing questions which must be pondered – and answered:

  1. What is your favourite drink?
  2. Where is your hometown?
  3. Do you prefer sweet, sour, bitter or savoury flavours?
  4. What is your favourite song?
  5. Where do you find inspiration for your blog posts?
  6. Are you a minimalist or a collector?
  7. What colour is your suitcase?
  8. Which trees do you like the best?
  9. Do you have a day job as well as blogging?
  10. What is your favourite smell or scent?
  11. Do you prefer to eat meat or vegetables?
sunshine-blogger-award

The Sunshine Blogger Award – Blindingly Bright, Isn’t It?

I’m a bit unclear about the rules – I could probably invent a whole new list of devilishly tricky, equally probing questions for my nominees – or simply use the same one, as Roy did. I shall make it easy on us all (this time): If you are nominated, please feel free to copy and paste the list, above. Copy and paste the rules, too, if you like. You can right-click on the image and Save image as… Save it in the UV-Protected folder on your hard drive and try not to burn your fingertips or eyes. Upload it to your own blog. You could link to it here, but be warned: I sometimes forget to feed my images till after midnight, and you know what happens to little jpgs when you feed them after midnight.

Roy already gave you one of my favorite sunshine songs, so here’s another to listen to while you read the Q&A below:

 

 

Shall we get on with it, then?

The Sunshiny Q&A

What is your favourite drink? I probably overthink these things. If by “favorite,” you mean, “If you could only drink one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?” I’d have to go with water, obviously – or it would be a very short life. And not in the “Wow, if I had to drink cat pee for the rest of my life, I’d rather drink hemlock and make it a blessedly short life” kind of way. Water’s good and good for us, and I could be reasonably satisfied with nothing more.  That said… thank God for variety. I’m sipping coffee right now, and can’t imagine facing that bright morning sunshine coming over the horizon without it. Strong and black, or hazelnut flavor roasted into the beans – that’s how I like my coffee.

Where is your hometown? I have lived in Houston, now, longer than in any other city. “Houston is my hometown” seems a funny thing to say – since so many of the significant events in my life have happened elsewhere. I was born in Daytona Beach, Florida – one of the rare native-born beach babies.

Do you prefer sweet, sour, bitter or savoury flavours?  And again, if you asked me tomorrow, the answer might be different. Or if I think in terms of “choose one, and the rest of your tastebuds will shrivel up and die,” it might be different. But for now, I’d go with savory – the taste of bacon or pretzels or a loaded baked potato. Clearly, it’s past time for breakfast. Excuse me while I remedy that.

OK, I’m back…

What is your favourite song? Again with the “favorite” this, “favorite” that? Isn’t it a woman’s prerogative to change her mind? Of course there’s Edelweiss. And The Unicorn. And the wedding processional from The Sound of Music, because that’s what I walked down the aisle to on my own wedding day…  But seriously, you’d wear a groove into your brain listening to the same thing over and over and over. My least favorite song is the one that gets stuck in my head all day, a mere snippet of itself, an earworm like a stuck record, playing only one or two bars on endless repeat. But you asked about favorites. Hm. Right now, this is the playlist I choose most often:

 

Where do you find inspiration for your blog posts? All around me. It may be a question, like “How do you do this?” or it may be a hot-button socio-political issue in the news, and my thoughts on the various reactions people have expressed towards it. It could be one of those quiet little “thank you, God!” moments – like when you see an incredibly brilliant double rainbow over your house, or watch an unlikely flower peek up through the dirt on a cold winter morning. It could be you. Or something you wrote. Who knows? I’ve said that I’m out to dominate the “No Niche Niche,” but the truth is, I just don’t like to be pigeonholed to a single topic all the time. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, from a reader’s perspective – but as with anything on the Internet, if you don’t like what I’m serving up, today, you can just wave “Bye!” and check back tomorrow.

Are you a minimalist or a collector? Is “collector” the PC term for “hoarder”? I waffle between minimalist (mostly in my mind) and collector (not quite so bad as a hoarder) in reality. I don’t actually collect anything in particular, not with any serious intention and zeal, although I could decorate a Christmas tree with nothing but unicorn ornaments and I have a few fine dragons living in my china cabinet. There are some lovely Shawnee pottery “Smiley Pigs” and his friends, too, but I “collect” those only because my grandfather designed them and I inherited them – I don’t hunt for them at flea markets and antique shows. I do get weird, sentimental attachments to odd things, and have to remind myself of my mother’s wise words: “Never let your possessions possess you.”

What colour is your suitcase? Black. Though I did briefly envy someone’s purple case at the airport on our last trip – mainly because it stood out like a sore thumb and let them grab it fast and get the hell out of the airport. I love purple in all things, but my envy was purely pragmatic.

Which trees do you like the best? Anything I can climb. Maples are sturdy, and less messy than sweetgum trees. Pine’s are simply not climbable, and oaks have scratchy bark with too-dense clusters of branches. They’re better than pine, but nothing beats a good maple or sweetgum tree for climbing.

Do you have a day job as well as blogging? Of course. Seriously, there are – what? – five bloggers in the world who actually earn a living wage blogging. (And another 200 that are going to be irked by that statement, just like some writers I know were irked by the assertion that there are only forty “successful” self-published authors out there in the world.) It’s not a great way to earn a living, in my opinion; trying to earn a living from it could definitely kill the joy of writing.

What is your favourite smell or scent? Something fresh, citrusy or woodsy. Cedar, lemongrass and basil, grapefruit.

Do you prefer to eat meat or vegetables? Again, if I had to eat nothing but, I’d go with vegetables. I like meat, though. I’m an omnivore, and I’m not overly apologetic about it. The lion isn’t overly apologetic when it brings down a gazelle for lunch. But having said that, I am disturbed by the way humans torture their farm-raised animals that are destined for the deli. I’m not comfortable with that, at all. And I’m not sure that meat is the most sustainable foodstuff for a growing population, or for the planet’s ecosystems. Having said that, my brain functions better with extra fat and protein, and I’m not terribly fond of beans and really can’t stand tofu. I might try going ovo-lacto-pescatarian, but I’m not sure I’m happy with how chickens and cows are treated as they produce eggs and milk, either. It’s one of those thorny little moral dilemmas I struggle with. I think I’ll eventually choose something closer to a vegetarian diet, though.

Now, Drumroll, Please…

Here are my eleven nominees:

Mitch Mitchell (who hates it when I do these things, but I’m doin’ it anyway!)

Damyanti Biswas (who doesn’t get nearly the recognition or attention from me that she richly deserves – you should all go read her blog!)

Todd Kruse (who may reply visually, if he can figure out how to answer all those questions in the form of an abstract sketch)

Alice Gerard (who may accept the award or have her bears do it on her behalf, like an Academy Award nominee who’s much too much to be bothered!)

Patricia Stoltey

Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt (who, I’m convinced, single-handedly made this blog’s Alexa rank jump from 421,000 in the US to 206,104 in like, a day)

Stephen Tremp

Rasheed Hooda

Rummuser

Emma Crees

Jack Yan (a new friend from the fringes of “Facebook Fail”)

::mumble, mumble, mumble – Roy stole some of my nominees – mumble, mumble – but that’s okay, ’cause I know lots of awesome people who blog! So there, Roy!::

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holly Jahangiri

Holly Jahangiri is the author of Trockle, illustrated by Jordan Vinyard; A Puppy, Not a Guppy, illustrated by Ryan Shaw; and the newest release: A New Leaf for Lyle, illustrated by Carrie Salazar. She draws inspiration from her family, from her own childhood adventures (some of which only happened in her overactive imagination), and from readers both young and young-at-heart. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, J.J., whose love and encouragement make writing books twice the fun.

16 Comments

  1. Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt

    I’m terribly sorry your blog views declined due to me “from 421,000 in the US to 206,104 in like, a day” – my apologies. I didn’t mean to.

    It’s okay if that’s somehow a typo (though with the commas in place, those numbers look like I halved your views).

    Keep the apology.

    Since I will have to gently refuse your offer of a nomination.

    I don’t do these – not a matter of principle, just a saving of energy, of which I have so little.

    I am happy you were nominated, and delighted to be selected, but the biggest thing we PWCs have to do is learn to say no.

    So please select someone else in my stead.

    And if I’m doing THAT much damage to your views, I promise to stay away. PLEASE let me know.

    Reply
    • HollyJahangiri

      No, no, NO – I was talking about Alexa rank (where the LOWER the number is, the BETTER). Google, for example, is #1. (Well, Amazon may be, now that Amazon owns Alexa – I really haven’t checked the top 10 in a while.) But I did notice you reading lots of posts, and I do think you single-handedly IMPROVED my Alexa rank that day. (It’s a moving average – I won’t get to keep it – but it was fun to see, and I do love that you stuck around to read instead of just leaving after one post!)

      I totally understand the energy thing – I should have thought of that! Please accept MY apologies. 🙂 But don’t run off – I love having you here.

      Reply
  2. Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt

    My bad!

    I missed the Alexa part (I don’t think I’ve ever had enough of a ranking to even check mine). The brain dead part of me completely overlooked that.

    Glad to do it – there were lots of interesting things to read.

    In any case, tongue in cheek is fun, isn’t it?

    Reply
    • HollyJahangiri

      🙂 No, it was my bad – I added the “Alexa” part when I realized my omission of it caused the confusion! (Hey, you’re not entirely alone in this brain fog business! You have greater challenges, but I have my moments, too.)

      Reply
      • Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt

        Phew! I thought for a moment senility was creeping up on me – how could I have missed that? – and I should fade quietly into the night…

        I’m not quite ready for that, I keep telling God.

        Reply
        • HollyJahangiri

          Nah, you’re a long way from that!

          Reply
  3. Mitch Mitchell

    Well, if I do this it won’t be on my major blog. Then again, neither was the last challenge so that’s not saying much. lol

    Reply
    • HollyJahangiri

      Too funny. I was answering Alicia (who’d said she wasn’t doing it) and thought of you – my first reply, I thought I was replying to HER! Of course you won’t do this on your MAIN blog – I didn’t think you would. 🙂 But figured you might want the link here to go there. 😉

      Reply
  4. Alice Gerard

    May I postpone following all of the protocols for accepting the sunshine blogger award until I have recovered? Since you are off facebook for Lent, you didn’t read my post about the failed flu shot. I did two loads of laundry today and am wiped out. It was like mountain climbing. I will be back next week, hopefully feeling human.
    Right now, I am road splat.
    sigh.
    alice and bears

    Reply
    • HollyJahangiri

      Good lord, not only MAY you, you’re under “Dr. Mom’s” orders to. Last time I had the flu, I was out for three days and talked with God. Personally. He revealed the secret of world peace, but when I refused to die, wouldn’t let me tell anyone. Seriously – why are you even doing laundry? Rest. Get someone to make you chicken soup.

      Reply
    • HollyJahangiri

      How are you feeling today? Better, I hope. Take it easy this weekend, Alice. Maybe sketch a little bear with a hot toddy – and join him.

      Reply
  5. Patricia Stoltey

    Uh oh…I’m on the list. Okay, this one looks like fun. I’ll play.

    Reply
    • HollyJahangiri

      Good!! (Hey, a writer can make any of these fun – sometimes it take a twist of the imagination to pull it off, but I know YOU are good at that!)

      Reply
  6. Todd Kruse

    I just noticed this today when logging into deviantArt where I don’t go too often. Thanks for nominating me, I will answer and see if I can come up with 11 others to nominate. The questions look safe enough to answer. 🙂

    Reply
    • HollyJahangiri

      Hahahaha!! I don’t (usually) ask unsafe questions. Perhaps it’s my legal training – you know, never ask a question in open court that you don’t already know the answer to (at least if it’s likely to be “unsafe” or NSFW).

      Reply
    • HollyJahangiri

      Oh, and if you commented more often here and left your more recent links, I’d have followed the RIGHT one. (I went with the one that was on your most recent comment. Sorry! You can accept your award on any blog you prefer!)

      Reply

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