Life Is Good!

Good News: Thanks to my wonderful blogging friend, Hazel, I have received a new award! Such wonderful news! Even though I knew about this award for a day or two, I'm finally getting around to posting about it. Thank you, Hazel, for being so kind as to bestow this award on my humble little blog.

As with many awards, there are rules to follow. I don't mind the rules, unlike some others who won't be named (*cough*Simple Dude*cough*). Sorry about all the coughing, I'm still getting over that nasty head cold that caught me off guard this week. Anyway, the rules are as follows:

#1 Firstly thank and link back to the blogger that gave you the award

#2 Answer the 10 survey questions

#3 Pass the award onto other bloggers you think are fantastic

#4 Contact the bloggers you've chosen to let them know about the award

I've already done the first one, so off to number two we go!

Q1.  If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing this? If you aren't anonymous, do you wish you started out anonymously so that you could be anonymous now?

I'm not anonymous, and I doubt I will ever be. There are some days I wish I was, but more often than not, I'm happy that my family and friends can come to me and say, "Hey I read your latest blog, and I really liked it". While I do understand why some folks keep their blogs anonymous, mine won't ever be so. I will, however, sometimes try to keep others anonymous that I talk about. Either because I'm complaining about them or I'm trying to protect them. Or myself.

Q2.  Describe an incident that shows your inner stubborn side.

Any day I work with my boss. For those that know me, my inner stubborn side is actually far more exterior. I am stubborn and proud of it. Lets take last night for instance. We have on loan or for use to see if we want to purchase this thing called an "Uncapper". It does exactly what it says in it's name: it uncaps serum tubes for us. Now, this is great. In theory. Here's reality: I am on the Chem bench - I pick up my samples from all the different processing stations and take them to our "drop off table" and place them in the racks for our chem machine. I then take those racks to my station, and uncap them one by one. While I'm touching each sample, I'm evaluating it to see if it's short in volume, if it's needs to be centrifuged because it looks like a freaking milkshake, or if there are clots in the sample. This takes a split second as I'm uncapping the sample. Once the racks are uncapped, I stick them on the analyzer and hit start. Now, if we use the "uncapper", I have to pick up my samples from all the processing stations, and at the drop off table, I then load them in racks with special holding tubes - align everything for the uncapper - then wait while the machine uncaps my stuff - then I have to take all these open samples to my station (the likelihood of me spilling stuff more often this way is huge) and then reload them in my analyzers racks and still have to check them for all the other stuff. It doesn't help and it's just one more step I have to take. It's a pain in my ass. I told my boss so and that I wouldn't be using it. At all. She kept insisting that I use it. I told her, "It's nice in theory, but it's more work than it's worth. I'm not using it. Ever." (Besides, what are they going to do? Fire me?) Long story short. But my work takes some explaining. My fingers are tired now.

Q3. What do you really see when you look at yourself in the mirror?

 A good person. Sometimes I'm pretty. Sometimes I'm not quite so pretty. But I know that I'm looking at a person with a good heart and soul. And that's always beautiful.

Q4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?

Um. I have no idea. I drink water and soda throughout the year. Sometimes I'll drink lemonade in the summer. I love a good sno-cone though. And those aren't exactly winter items.

Q5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?

Couch time with the kitty. My cat is a serious lap-lover, and she has a tendency to not see my lap much during the week as I have my laptop on my lap . . . or I'm sleeping the day away. I'll curl up on the couch and she's on me all day. She loves it. And I love hearing her purr in my ears. But I love to catch up on my reading, too. Or find a way to hang out with my BFF.

Q6. Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life?

I would love to travel more - however, that requires one of two things: money or a sugar-daddy. Since I have neither, traveling much isn't much of an option. Otherwise, I want a marriage and a family of my own. Simple.

Q7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the shy person, or always ditching?

The thing to understand about my high school was that there was nowhere to ditch. Literally. We were plopped in the middle of cattle pasture. I'm so not kidding. I was the shy person in high school. When it came to college, I was still mostly the shy person. I was never really an overachiever - I had goals, but I never let them get out of reach. And I may be funny, but not enough to be the class clown.

Q8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what would you see?

The passing of my Great-Grandma. I was 26 years old when she passed away. I was blessed with so many years with her. Not many people get to know their great-grandparents; some don't even get to know their grandparents. She was in the hospital for a month before she passed, and it was a long haul. At one point the doctors were almost forced to send her home unless she consented to surgery to make her feel comfortable. The way she would have died at home bothered me to no end. I was so angry. I could not understand how God could let people die like that; no one should ever have to go through that. She finally consented to surgery, and she was able to stay in the hospital. When I was finally able to go see her, she wasn't lucid. She had no idea who I was; I couldn't even hug her good-bye. She was clutching her hairbrush, claiming she "wasn't going to let go because it was her sanity". That was Father's Day weekend. A week later she passed away in her sleep, just as everyone should.  Her funeral was held on my Granddad's birthday.

Q9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog, or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?

Depends on the topic or situation. Some things I will probably never share. Some things I will divulge only so much. It was hard for me to write the answer to the last question, because I always cry when I talk about my last visit with Grandma - and it's been 4 years.

Q10. If you had the choice to sit down and read a book or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?

I love doing both! I immensely enjoy reading, and finding time to just read for the day is relaxing to me. I love camping because often as a kid I would just sit and read and read and read. Now I'm old and need mini-breaks to keep from being stiff the next day, but I still love it. And I enjoy talking on the phone. It's wonderful to hear from an old friend or even a current one when you're separated by long distances. Emails are good, too, but listening to their voice as they describe what's happening with their lives is so much better! If I can't be sitting at a table with you, the next best thing is hearing your voice. And sometimes, that's all you need - to hear someone's voice.

And now to pass on the award to other blogs I find fantastic!

Are You Serious

The Ramblings of an Emotional Idiot

The Frisky Virgin

Simple Dude in a Complex World

Content Unrelated

The Adventures of Cinderita

Deviled Megs

The Ranter's Box