Anybody out there?

I had to dig thru some paperwork for find my password for this blog. I can't believe it has been four years since I last wrote something here. Four years. Four years. My God, so much has happened in the last four years! I honestly don't even want to get into it all right now. I mean, I totally have to change my bio since I am no longer a "40-something." Ugh. 

I feel like blogging again would help me express myself. But does it count if no one else reads it? 

I am currently in a FB book club that introduced me to NetGalley. It's a site that gives you advanced copies of books online to read and review. They tend to give more books to people who have a blog. These are people who blog a lot about books. I love books. I love to read. I love free books. So, I totally feel like they should be giving me ALL the books. So far, I have received two. I take it personally when I get declined. So, I am thinking about blogging about books here. Maybe it'll be good practice for creative writing. Maybe I will just cut and paste the little reviews I do on GoodReads.com. I don't know yet. I need to figure it out.

In the meantime, is anybody out there?

Leibster Award

What a surprise and an honor: Suse at LoonySuse has nominated me for a Liebster award. 

"The Liebster Award is an award given to Bloggers by other Bloggers! That makes it even more special!"

Here are the Rules:

1. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.

2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, then create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the award to.

3. Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post.

4. Go back to their page and tell them about the award.

5. No tag backs.

Let's see. I can do numbers 1 and 2. But, I don't think I can do number 3. The blogs I follow tend to have lots of followers. That bums me out -- it's only fair to give back. Well, when I have more time, I'll go in search of some more blogs to follow and will pass along the award. Meantime, on to numbers 1 and 2 . . . . 

11 Random Facts about Moi

1. I'm a Scorpio. And I live up to all the good and bad descriptions of Scorpios.
2. I hate the taste and smell of Sausage. I just can't eat it.
3. I'm a HUGE fan of Coconut. Coconut flavored anything gets two thumbs up from me.
4. I am NOT a cat person. No fear of me ever being a crazy cat lady. Crazy's a possibility. Just without cats.
5. I love playing Scrabble on my iPad. I hate to lose and I make sure it rarely happens.
6. I do not play any instruments. Never have, probably never will.
7. I don't really enjoy talking on the telephone. I'll take email, texting and Facebook over phone chats.
8. I LOVE to read. I am always in the middle of a book -- I finish one and start a new one right away.
9. I can't stand to hear other people chew. Even if they aren't particularly loud eaters, I hate the sound of it.
10. I love to travel. I've been lucky to have been to some great places already and have lots more on my list.
11. I like to color. I prefer markers to crayons and I find it soothing. I don't do it often, but I admit to owning a couple of coloring books.

My 11 Questions to Answer:

1. Do you grind your teeth? No, thankfully.
2. If you could live in a different country, where would you live? Well, I've been to Italy twice and I love it, so I'll start with Italy. It would be easier to live in an English-speaking country, but I am quite fond of Italy.
3. What's your biggest pet peeve today? Hearing the neighbors that live behind me right now. They are new and they are annoying. I guess they will realize how close we live when I start opening my windows and they hear how many times I drop the F bomb a day!
4. If you could change your first name, what would you pick? I would pick a name that has more than one syllable. Ann is too close to "and" so I often think I hear my name when people are just saying "and". I don't mind my name, but it is a little plain. I guess for now, I'd say Bridget -- that was my grandmother's name and it's not particularly common.
5. In middle school, what were you like? I was still pretty shy in middle school (painfully so when I was younger), but I had a good group of friends. I think it's around that time that I realized I had a good sense of humor and could make people laugh. I was a good student.
6. Can you play an instrument? Nope, see above (didn't read my questions ahead of time!).
7. Favorite food? As a category, I have to go with Italian food. It's hard to be specific. In general, I love desserts, and (see above, again), I love, love, love coconut and caramel flavored anything.
8. Favorite outdoor temp? Mid-70s with sunshine, maybe a light breeze.
9. What makes you happy? My husband, music, dessert, my funny friends, pizza . . . . 
10. Favorite TV show? Since I'm in the midst of a Downton Abbey marathon right now, I'll start with that. I also love Cougar Town and Modern Family. The Good Wife is a good one too.
11. What's the most important quality in a significant other? Kindness. 

Again, I feel pretty lame about not passing the award along. I really do want to but I have one more episode of Season 2 of Downton Abbey to watch before dinner. Okay, so my priorities are a little skewed. But, when I have more time to spend online, I really will start reading more blogs! Thanks again, Suse!