Dumplings, Three: Tagged, tagged, tagged, tagged, tagged, tagged, tagged, tagged, and tagged!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Tagged, tagged, tagged, tagged, tagged, tagged, tagged, tagged, and tagged!

Rats! I got tagged by Elissa over at The Harrells...guess THAT will teach me to be a cyber stalker, huh?!

Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules
2. Share 7 random or weird facts about yourself
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and link to them
4. Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Oh well...let's see, I am suppose to link back to the person who tagged me (done!) and then I have to list 7 weird or random things about myself. hmmmm....

hmmmm.....

hmmmmmm.....

Okay, I know....I will ask DARCY! She won't have any trouble thinking of something to write! Here it goes...

Darcy's input:
1. You can't cook.

2. You're 47. (DING...I've told her a bazillion times that I am NOT 47!!! I'm 46! and I have only BEEN 46 for seven measly days, at that!!!)

Ummm...I can't think of anything else! (Which just goes to show you that Darcy is far more like her mother than anyone might have thought!!! Neither of us can think of weird things about me...or, sadly, even INTERESTING things about me!)

Okay, give me a minute here... guess I will just go for RANDOM things about myself:

1. I love dog training. I used to do it competitively. I always thought that training kids would be as easy as training dogs. Wrong. You see, the thing is, my social worker really frowned on me putting a choker collar on Darcy and giving her a little pop on the end of the leash when she acted out. Plus, she didn't like dog biscuits.

2. I was the first child in my family and the first grandchild on both sides. In fact, I was the ONLY grandchild on both sides for a rather long time. No, that doesn't mean I was spoiled! I was ultra RESPONSIBLE...and MAYBE kind of bossy.

3. I have been trying (off and on!) to learn to speak Spanish for 33 years now and Chinese (Mandarin) for 23 years now. At least I don't give up on a goal! (Yes, you guessed it, I don't speak but a smattering of either.) But, that small fact has not at all dimmed my ENTHUSIASM for studying it! I have an IMPRESSIVE collection of Rosetta Stone programs (Spanish I & II and Chinese I & II)...and lots of books and flashcards. I can ALWAYS find another book or learning aide in the foreign language section of any bookstore to be irresistably tempted by!

4. I dearly love teaching English as a Second Language (strictly on the amateur/totally volunteer level, that is!)...and am far more successful at teaching others to speak English than I am at mastering other languages, myself. (of course, I also have Rosetta Stone's English I & II!) ....hmmm...I wonder what that says about me? maybe just that I have no talent for learning a language but it doesn't stop me from teaching a language!...I'm not as smart as my students!!!...BUT, that is to their advantage, I suppose, because it makes me a REALLY empathetic/encouraging teacher! I am always just so amazed when other people can learn to speak English...I'm like, "Wow! Look what you're doing!!! I wish I could do that!!!"

5. I love learning about other cultures and traveling. My life has been so enriched by the friends I have met along the way from other countries.

6. I will eat almost anything. I'm picky...but I will try anything. I'm a lot less picky in a foreign country! I can't think of a single food item that would GROSS me out. I don't care for sushi...but it doesn't gag me. I like fried chicken feet. The little eely things we ate in China weren't that great, but they didn't gross me out. When a member in our group asked our translator, "Is this beef?", pointing to the only non-eely little things on the table and the translator said, "Yes." and my wary companion said, "Is it REALLY?" and the translator said, "No."...it didn't bother me a bit. I kept eating. We never were told what it really was. It tasted good, whatever it was.

7. They know me by my order at our DQ drive-through...it is always the same..."Can I have a medium Tin Roof Brownie blizzard without any chocolate syrup in it and can you make it with half vanilla ice cream and half chocolate ice cream and only put in 1/3 of the normal amount of mix-ins? Oh...and can I have a pup cup with that, too?" They never ask me to repeat my order and they always make it perfectly! And, if I don't order the pup cup, they will call back through the speaker and ask, "Do your have your dog with your today? Would you like a pup cup with that?" Did I mention that Ransom has a HUGE ice cream addiction? She can scent a Dairy Queen three miles away!!!

Yeah!!!!...got that done!!!!....now, let's see...I have to tag seven people....hmmm.... Guess I can't tag the Ellerbees from Meant to Bee (considering I stole the "been tagged" logo off their blog just today...ie, they've already been hit, themselves!)

Sooo....

I'm tagging:

1. Gram (Mary Patty)...she's been a blogger for a whole 36 hours now, so it's about time SHE got tagged! (0:

2. Checking Boxes because they haven't posted in a while now!!!

3. Reed's folks over at Landlife, because I always enjoy picking on them!

4. Vivian over at Bits and Pieces, because she actually posted a video recently that combines her hobby (knittin') and her husband's hobby (pickin')...and it is pretty darn funny! So, she might as well give us some weird facts to read when we all pop over there to check out that hilarious video!

5. Debz over at Sugar and Spice and a Little Rice because she had this hilarious character on her blog Monday, and I just wanted a good excuse to steal it and put it on my blog, too! (See, the reasoning? I have to PUT the illustration here so that you will understand why I am TAGGING her! Works, doesn't it!!!)

6. Noemi over at Living the Florida Life because she is, like, my very NEWEST blogger friend!!! (I am beginning to write like Junie B. Jones speaks...that is a bit scary! I really DO need to get done with this post because it is bringing out weirdness I didn't even know I had!) (Please...don't anyone else tag me! This is just too much work and too much strain on my poor brain! Let's see...I'm ALMOST done...just have to pick on one more poor soul! Who shall it be? Duck, Duck, Goose, Duck...)

7. Okay...drum roll please(!)...the last victim will be BRIANA'S MOM over at Life with Briana because since she is so sweet to comment so often, maybe she won't hate me for drafting her into a meme!

oh...wait...I just recalled something from the far recess of my mind...a blogger who once mentioned that she LIKED memes...I remember her making this observation, because at the time that I read it, I was clueless as to what a meme was! So, going above and BEYOND the call of duty, I am going to tag an EIGHTH VICTIM!!!...

8. Vivacemusica over at Words Dry and Riderless!

Oh, wow!...I'm really on a roll now, because I just thought of one more person to pick on this go around!...

9. My friend over at Forever and a Day because she would be terrific at this. SHE, unlike me, can actually think of INTERESTING random things to write about!!!

Whooo...I'm done!

7 comments:

Nadine said...: Well it was very interesting learning some of these facts about you, since I'm new to your blog. I also learned you have quite the sense of humor.

I've done this tag so many times - you can find it in my archives.

Debz character thing was amusing.; 10/22/2008 2:40 AM
Deb said...: He he, that's funny!
He is darn cute isn't he!
I think he looks like my dog!
Ok...I have done this tag before so I'll try to come up with some different random things. Give me a bit...

in the mean time....think Gram can find me a word that rhymes with orange? She seems brilliant like that.; 10/22/2008 6:26 AM
Briana's Mom said...: LOL! I was tagged with this not too long ago, but I am sure I can come up with 7 more crazy, um, I mean random facts about myself!

I am still laughing at your Dairy Queen order! ;); 10/22/2008 8:40 AM
Noemi said...: Hmmmm I have not been tagged in a while. But I will bite on this one! It may take me a couple of days (does that mean I am not weird) but I will get it done!; 10/22/2008 10:45 AM
Polar Bear said...: I used to train my dogs too!!!! I showed on obedience with my perfect sheltie!! I miss it. Do you really mean that raising kids is not like raising dogs? Oh No!!! ;o)

I was the first born grandchild, but I wasn't spoiled. (Just don't ask my brothers, ok?)

I really enjoyed reading your sevens list. I didn't know DQ did a pup cup. That's fun!!!

I'll get to a list. Jeepers... Then people will really KNOW I'm nuts!; 10/22/2008 10:46 AM
Deb said...: There I did it! Most fun I've evah had doing a meme!
Hope I didn't cheat.....; 10/22/2008 4:36 PM
vivacemusica said...: Monica, thanks for remembering me! Yes, I DO love memes! I've done one like this before, but I'll think of 7 more weird things.... I don't think it should be too difficult! Just give me a day or two!

And I think your notion of becoming an English as a Second Language teacher is worth exploring. It's never too late! My dad, who is 62, is back in school pursuing a business degree. He had dropped out of school to become a carpenter's apprentice in order to support his family at age 15 (his step-mom was a single mom, and there were 5 kids), but did end up taking his high school equivalency later and earning a degree in Comparative Literature in Taiwan. He had always wanted a degree from Canada, and I admire him for doing it now.

Oh, and your efforts at learning Spanish and Mandarin are very much like my pursuit at being fluent in French. I have all the CD's and programs, and am not about to give up!; 10/22/2008 8:44 PM

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A Little Bit About Our Family
Here in the mid-West
(of the United States):

Grant (age 48) teaches Graphic Design at Southwest Baptist University. He is also an avid Bluegrass musician.

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Monica (age 48) works three days a week as a home health nurse through an agency that covers seven counties in our rural part of the Ozarks.

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Darcy (age 15) is a sophomore. (She was home-schooled through seventh grade, but now attends public school, where she also flourishes!) She is our family member who LIVES on facebook!

She is born leader, quick witted, high spirited, and independent! She has an overly developed sense of mischief, is adventurous and has always had a mind of her own! She is a gifted singer and enjoys playing the mandolin. She was born in JiangXi province of China and came home to us when she was 8 1/2 months old.

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Doug (age 12) is a sixth grade student. Though he is the "middle child" he was the last to join our family. He came home to us when he was six years old. He was born in Taiwan.

He is a happy-go-lucky fellow stuck between two very bossy sisters (one older, one younger)!

Injuries in infancy have left him a legacy of challenges with learning, memory, impulse control and language...throw on top of that that he had to start over with an entirely new language just six years ago and you can see the mountain he has had to climb.

Doug is an easy-going child with a heart of gold. He has an incredibly generous spirit and forgiving nature....and he dearly loves to laugh. All of our children have overly high energy levels and poor volume controls...but he beats his sisters out on both counts.

Doug has an in-born sense of direction. Many a time, he has rescued his mother from getting lost! And Doug has an amazing memory for FACES. He never forgets a face and will instantly recognize them even in totally different contexts. He is extremely intuitive. He can read emotions with uncanny ease, no matter how good you are at hiding them. He is an extremely compassionate/empathetic child. Doug has aspirations of becoming a Super Hero...and all superheroes count heavily in importance in his day to day life!

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Rayna (age 8) is in the third grade. She was born in AnHui province of China and came home to us when she was 9 months old. She is our melodramatic child.

Nothing is ever middle of the road with Rayna. This child LIVES the extremes and would never be caught dead in the middle! She broadcasts every nuance of her changing emotions so clearly that you could "read" her from a football field away! Fortunately, for us, her mood the overwhelming majority of the time is pure Joy and Happiness.

Her goal is to be 15 instead of 8, and to that end she strives ceaselessly! She learned to ride her bike at an early age without anyone running alongside to teach her. At three, she independently managed her own horse with confidence as we spent three days trekking through the mountains of Canada.

She is a child overflowing with confidence and the in-born belief that she will excel at whatever she decides to do. She has never been a child to hesitate at anything, and it shows even in her misuse of the English language...as she continually throws words into her conversation that she has no clue as to what they really mean or makes up words that don't really exist, but probably should!

She takes great pride in bossing her older brother around. I remember when he first came to us at the age of six, speaking only Chinese...Rayna (then 2 1/2) quickly latched on to enough Chinese to emphatically scold him! (Fortunately, Doug does not seem to mind too much having two sisters that boss him. He loves them both!)

Rayna is a lover of nature. She is the champion of every bug or furry creature that ever walked the earth. Unfortunately for them, at least when she was younger(!), she was bent on "saving" each and every last one of them. She would pick up crawdad or walking stick or snake or baby bunny and insist she must be allowed to take it home. When Iwould tell her absolutely not, she would genuinely be reduced to pure grief over the fact that she had to ABANDON the creature that so desperately NEEDED her love and care. This child had so many meltdowns into unimaginable depths of sobbing or wails of anguish that I had long ago learned to ignore all auditory cues! If she was pouring blood, I take notice, otherwise I didn't bother! (And, though she could be wailing in utter despondency one moment, she, usually, was overflowing with happiness the next moment. Her storms were memorable, but fleeting!) Nowadays, she is more akin to a 13 year old in an 8 year old body with her mood swings.

Rayna is a total cuddle-bug...and her gift has always been her utter love of people. Even as a baby, she genuinely loved and enthusiastically reached out to each and every soul she met. She has always had a way of making each person feel like they are the most important person around.

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Then we have our four dogs:
Shanachie--former stray--been with us 14 years, came to us already several years old.

She seems to have some lab and shepherd in her. She has always been the brains of the pack and the leader (dogwise!), but nowadays her advanced age is really catching up to her. She is Rayna's favorite and Grant's favorite.

(Shanachie passed away December 22, 2008.)

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Gloria--plucked from the litter of a stray--been with us 11 years. She thinks she is a teacup poodle and does not understand why no one wants a 100 pound dog in their lap!

She is sweet, but dumb as a box of rocks! She once tried to fit in then-4-year-old Rayna's carseat WITH Rayna...positioning her enormous, furry self, right into Rayna's lap. That made Rayna LIVID, and I'm not sure she has forgiven the dog, yet! Gloria looks for all the world like a Newfoundland if you don't count her ears! She is ALL teddy-bear...the most snuggly dog we have ever had. There isn't a disagreeable bone in her body. She is Darcy's favorite...and frustrates me (Monica) more than any of the other dogs ever have (she is just so passively STUBBORN!).

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Rivendell--former stray, dumped as a pup along with a litter-mate--been with us five and a half years (we found another home for the panda-bear marked litter-mate).

She seems to be mostly border collie. She's our stealth dog...moves like lightening, low to the ground! Herding is in her blood! She makes such strong EYE contact that it often unnerves people!

People, upon first meeting her, often remark either that she has "beautiful eyes" or "spooky eyes". Rivie is "my" dog, but her one fault (severe car sickness) prevents her from being my daily side-kick as I run errands.

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Ransom--registered German Shepherd--plucked from the first litter of my best friend's dog--has been with us 2 years now. She was the trouble maker in the litter! My friend, Lisa, still refers to her as "your scroungy ole coyote". (Lisa gave me first pick out of the litter and later she picked the most beautiful, most loving and most eager to please pup from the litter to keep, herself. Lisa has never been able to understand why I wanted Ransom over any of the others. But, maybe it was because of all the pups, Ransom truly was the most wolf-like. She had an independent, self-sufficient, loner streak about her that I couldn't resist.) Super quick to LEARN but not so eager to OBEY! She is a one-family dog...aloof with those outside of the family. She is a very courageous dog and extremely loyal. She is Doug's favorite...because she looks like a police dog and she weathers his inadvertant rough handling with unending patience.

Ransom has become my side-kick when the kids are in school and Grant is at work. She is my furry companion as I run errands here and there.

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Quick disclaimer: Grant thinks ONE dog is quite enough for us to have at any one time. And, though he likes our dogs, he is not the dog person I am and would not want to be inadvertantly mistaken as such!

And, even though I list this dog or that dog as this or that person's favorite, really they are all the favorite. Even though Gloria, the immovable mass, has the ability to stymie me over all the others, I have to admit that when she is not being passively resistant, she is the most well-mannered, wonderful to be around dog ever...and she just grows on me more by the day in her own quiet, unrelentingly calm, slow, placid way. Still, I like to go on about how annoying Gloria is just to rankle Darcy and Lisa, her hard-core defenders!...besides, being labeled as the "most annoying one" spices up her image!

We enjoy seeing who visits! So far we have been privileged to receive visits from: