Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Lazy Blogging at its Finest


I know, I know.  I'm doing two tags in a row.  Lazy blogging at its finest.  But I promise you that there will be a lengthy movie (well, okay, TV show) review up on here by the end of this week and that you may tie to.   This is the famous Elevensies tag coming 'round again, and though I've done it before, my darling Eowyn was the one to tag me this time and her questions looked fun so I couldn't resist.

You've all seen this done before, I expect, but I'll list the rules anyway-- I have to give you eleven random facts pertaining to moi, answer Eowyn's eleven questions, tag eleven people and come up with eleven questions for THOSE people to answer.  Here goes.


I'm horrid at coming up with random facts about myself, and to be honest, what I know about myself isn't half as interesting as what I imagine about myself so we're going to do something different today.  You'll get eleven random facts, yes, but here's the catch-- some of them are truth and some of them are whoppers.  Your job is to discern the "Things That Actually Happened" from the "Things That Prove Miss Dashwood Probably Needs Professional Help."

Eleven True (And False) Random Facts About Me

1. I have visited the Grand Canyon.
2. I am lactose intolerant.
3. I received my first marriage proposal when I was five.  (This proposal was declined.)


4. I once met a famous Olympic gymnast.
5. My parents gave me a Labradoodle puppy for my eleventh birthday.
6. I have scars on my right arm from when a tree branch fell on me last summer.
7. I wear both glasses and contacts (but not at the same time).
8. My favorite Enjolras is Aaron Tveit from the 2012 Les Mis movie.


9. I have "flown" in a hot air balloon (okay, it was tethered; your point?)
10. I got caught once in a train door (the sliding kind--it closed on me as I was going in.  Painful, but no lasting damage).
11. I really, really want to take part in a flash mob someday, but haven't yet gotten the chance to do so.


Eowyn's Questions

1. What was the most recent movie you've seen and what did you think of it?

Cars 2 was the last one I watched, but it wasn't for the first time so I don't know if it counts... anyways, I really enjoyed it.  I mean, Pixar, people.  What's not to love.  I'm really not a racecar kind of girl (I get more amusement out of the fact that the word's a palindrome than from actually watching the sport) but I like the movie anyway.  It's much more character-driven than machine-driven (heh, heh, heh, pun intended) and I'm just happy every time Mater, Luigi or Guido show up on screen.  "Hey!  You done good, you got all the leaves!"  Oh, and Jedediah McQueen's hilarious too.

(I know, I know, this quote's from the first movie.  :))

2. Would you rather live on the beach or in the mountains?

Beach all the way.  I would be quite happy to get a little house in Cape May (or another equally cute and less tourist-y seaside town) and live there forever.  Ocean breezes, sand and seagulls, biking on the boardwalk... yep, I could get used to it.  Guys, I want a lighthouse.

3. What's your favorite Disney Princess and why?

Belle, hands down.  She's the bookish one.  :D  That library in the Beast's castle is to drool for.

4. What's your favorite book?  (Or, if you can't decide, what are your three top favorite books?)

Eowyn, I always knew you were a kindred spirit.  Top three-- THANK YOU.  Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.

5. Would you rather live in Narnia, Middle-Earth, or 1860's England?

Being hardly at all acquainted with the first two choices and quite fascinated with the third, I'll go with 1860's England.  :D


6. Who is your favorite movie or book character?

Eowyn, all that stuff about being a kindred spirit-- I take it back.  HOW can you DO this to me.  ARGH.  Um.  We'll go with the book I'm reading right now and say Jane from Jane Eyre, with the understanding that this answer is subject to change as soon as I start something new.  Heehee.

7. Have you ever heard of Focus on the Family's Father Gilbert Mysteries?  If so, what do you think of them?

I've heard OF them, but haven't actually heard--that is, listened to--them.

8. If you could pick anywhere in the world, where would you want to live when you get married?

Well, I talked about the beach in another answer, so I'll say something else now... hmmm... well, if it weren't so far from my family and friends, I'd go to Ireland!  To be honest I love the idea of globetrotting-- I don't necessarily mean traveling and "seeing all the sights" but packing up at a moment's notice and moving to a brand-new place, be it small-town Mitford or the Scottish highlands or New York City.  Of course I also like the idea of settling down and living in the same place for years and years and years and creating lots of memories.  I suppose to answer this properly I'll just be sappy and romantical and say that I want to live wherever my true love is.  There.  Laugh if you must.

9. What's your favorite musical?

Ummmm.... thinking REALLY HARD here...


10. Cake or ice cream?

'Eavenly cake!

11. How many times have you been to Disney World?

I've actually been there three times.  Once when I was two and so young I didn't appreciate it--literally cried when I met the terrifying creature they call Mickey Mouse--once when I was almost twelve and definitely old enough to appreciate it and once when I was sixteen, ditto.  My aunt used to work there, and it's always been a pipe dream of mine to get a job being Mary Poppins at those character meet-and-greets (my phobia of costumed people has worn off, by the way).

Center of photo in the blue flowered rompers-- yep, that's yours truly in 1997.
My Eleven Questions

1.  Have you ever eaten caviar?  If so, what was it like?  If not, would you be willing to try it someday?
2.  When did you first learn to ride a bike?
3.  Elizabeth Gaskell or Charles Dickens? (I leave Jane Austen out of it, we all KNOW she's the best...)
4.  What's your favorite long/interesting/complex word?
5.  Put your music playing device on shuffle and tell us the names of the first three songs that come up, no skipping.
6.  What's the funniest dream you ever had?
7.  How many plays have you seen performed live? (School plays and amateur productions totally count.)
8.  Mexican food, Chinese food or neither?  Why?
9.  Is there a name that you consistently mispronounced for years and then finally heard someone say it out loud and felt completely mortified for saying it wrong all that time?
10.  Which Les Mis character are you?
11.  What's your favorite board game?  (it doesn't have to be an actual BOARD game... technically Bananagrams isn't a board game, but you know the genre I'm talking about)

And I Tag...

Twinnie
Molly
Marie (private blog)
Lily (private blog)
Belle (and Addy and Emma)
The Young Sage
Hayden
Eowyn (she said we could tag back)
Petie
Miss Melody Muffin
Ally (though I know she's done this tag loads of times already)

To anyone else who wants to do it... my comment box is open and waiting!  And to close off this higgledy-piggledy post, I leave you with a chuckle...


20 comments:

Melody said...

Now, on better understanding the nature of the random facts, I shall try Discerning. ;D Let's see how well I know you... (if I hadn't been scanning, by the way, I would have noticed with #1 that some of them weren't true. ;) )
1. False, but you want to visit it. :)
2. True.
3. True... sort of, because I think the proposal was accepted at one point. Hahaha.
4. Truuuuue. :)
5. Um, false, as far as I know.
6. Probably true, poor thing. I know that happened, anyways.
7. False, hahaha.
8. Mmm... either true or partially true because it ties with someone else.
9. Well, since you mentioned it was tethered, I'm going to say true.
10. True. Poor thing again.
11. I don't really know what a flash mob is, but I have a feeling this one's false. ;)

Heehee, you and your beaches... well, if you lived where I lived you'd probably want to live in the mountains more too. ;)

But really. Jane Eyre and Les Mis over P&P, Emma, NA, MP and Persuasion? AND P&P? AMY, REALLY. How COULD you? I am most seriously displeased. This will not be soon forgotten, you may mark my words.

:P

Okay, I know I must be annoying you, but you didn't REALLY expect that to pass with no comment on my part, DID you? Sigh. Do you mean to say that if you listed your top 10 favorite books, those would be the first three?

My hope for all humankind is now lost. *dramatic sniff* But I'm amused that you listed JE before LM...

Anyways.

You would rather live in Ireland than England?? o.O And honestly, when it comes down to it I'd rather live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. (The place with that history, anyways, heh, eh-heh...)
You really love the idea of packing up at a moment's notice and moving?? When you're supposedly a sentimental homebody like me? ...I don't believe you. :P
But hey, if that means you'll one day decide to up and move to where I am, so much the better. ;)

I'm glad you liked that picture, heeheehee. ;)

I shall probably do this tag... ha, at first I was looking for my name and didn't see it, and then I realized why. ;)

Okay if I steal your idea of fact and fiction? ;D

Anonymous said...

Eheeee... I love it when you do posts like these. ;) Now I'm going to comment on your answers and then maybe even answer the questions you tagged me with because I doubt I will have the opportunity to do a post of my own... In other words, this is going to be a monster comment.

That beach vs. mountains question is a real toughie for me. I mean, my first inclination was to say the mountains, but... the beach is pretty amazing.

YAY! Another Belle fan. :) High-five!

Oooh, the Father Gilbert Mysteries are SO GOOD. A couple of them are kind of on the weird side, but still.... SO GOOD.

Hehehehe, your answer to #8 was so perfect and so you. :D

"LET'S BUILD A FORT: THE MUSICAL" LLOL CHAUVIE WHERE DO YOU FIND THESE THINGS. Oh yeah... Pinterest. :P

You lucky duck... my family took me to Disneyland when I was three so I don't remember a thing. It's one of my dreams to return there and get a picture with Belle and the Beast. OH, and I heard a rumor that if you're around the Toy Story people and yell "Andy's coming!" then they will suddenly stop whatever they're doing and drop to the ground. So gonna test that rumor.

Alright. This comment is going to be SO LONG, but your questions are so fun, I can't resist. ;)

1. Nope, I've never had it, but I have had sushi. So yeah, I would be willing to give it a shot!

2. Eeeps, I can't remember! I was young enough where I don't remember, let's leave it at that. ;)

3. GAH THIS QUESTION HOW COULD YOU EXPECT ME TO DECIDE. Fine. Charles Dickens. :)

4. Discombobulation. Me loves it. And I use it whenever applicable and even when it's not.

5. Since I don't have my iPod with me, will iTunes suffice? Here goes... First song was "We Won't Be Shaken" by Building 429. Second song was "Coming Back Around" from the How To Train Your Dragon soundtrack. Third song was "Babel" by Mumford & Sons. :D

6. Eheeeee... love this question. Well, it's the oddest thing. I have TONS (literally) of dreams involving the Avengers, which is strange because I've never seen the Avengers. So one night I had a dream where the Hulk was after Robin Hood (the BBC one, of course ;) ) and me, and somehow Thor and Captain America were there, too. We fought the Hulk for a while, and finally Robin and I vanquished the Hulk with a glitter gun. Literally. We sprayed him with glitter. He was so mortified and outraged that he melted like the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz. We all had a victory party afterwards and then Robin Hood asked me to marry him. And since Will Scarlet wasn't in my dream, I said yes. ;)

7. Ummm... Fiddler on the Roof, Beauty and the Beast, The Secret Garden, Les Miserables... so I guess that makes four!

8. Chinese food. Egg rolls and I have a marvelous relationship.

9. Heh. Well, I didn't mispronounce it for YEARS, but I was pretty mor'ified when you informed me I was mispronouncing Ramin Karimloo. :P That's the only one I can think of at the moment...

10. EPONINE! Not making that up either! I took the quiz! I did the work! I took the steps! I'm not a slacker! :P

11. Les Miserables-opoly. :P Okay, kidding. I don't even know if such a thing exists. Well, they're not board games, but I love Dutch Blitz and dominoes.

Okay. This comment is monstrously long. Farewell! :)

Hayden said...

heehee. I'll try to do this one :)

Emma Jane said...

Ooooohhhhh! I love the "my boyfriend lives in the future" picture. :) Only MY true love lives in fiction. Oh well.
That picture of Enjolras and Dory....HILARIOUS! Did you come up with that?
I am rather surpised to hear that The Scarlet Pimpernel is not one of your top three favourite books! I've read about a third of the each of the three you listed....Heh. I'm stilll hoping to read them all someday.
Ugh, I would HATE to live in Miidle Earth! What a horrible fate. (I'm afraid I can be rather disrespectful at times to the Lord of the Rings series.) The 1860's in England sounds like a DREAM compared to that. :) Actually, I'm sure I should very much enjoy living in England at that time.
Father Gilbert is nothing to scream about. :P Although I'm not really sure I have the right to say that since I've never actually listened to a full episode before. :) British accents at their worst, let me tell you.

Actually....I take that back!:P

Oh, I've always dreamed about visiting Ireland! And Scotland and England and Wales, for that matter, but I have a special unexplained fondness for Ireland.

Excessively diverting, my dear!

~Emma Jane

Kirsten Fichter said...

Amy, Amy... we have to guess? I'll admit it's a cool idea and I wish I thought of it first, but I've never considered myself a great guesser. Anywho... we'll give it a shot. ;)

1. False. Not sure why, but I guess I'm selfishly not allowing anyone to visit there because I never have. Wow... that sounds bad. *ahem*

2. True.

3. I'd want to say false for this one, but I can't. I'm going with True, because I received one when I was six. Actually, it was more of a "let's play wedding" offer, which I turned down due to reading Amelia Bedelia. Books were more important. :)

4. True. Stranger things have happened. One of my mother's relations (grandfather, perhaps?) was a coach for the Olympic runner Jesse Owens.

5. False. I'm laughing as I write this because my mind is conjuring up images of lollipops and cookies when I read the word "Labradoodle." Don't know why. My mind is a strange place.

6. True? I have a scar on my right foot from running into a broken piece of a heat vent.

7. True?

8. True.

9. I'd have to agree with Melody and say "true" based on your description of it being tethered.

10. I tend toward false on this one, though I don't know why.

11. True! Who wouldn't want to be part of one? My family got the chance to see a flash mob a few years ago, singing the Hallelujah Chorus. It was amazing!!

And I just realized this is going to be an awfully long comment because I want to answer your questions, too... hmm... well, get prepared.

1. Nope, but I'd like to think I'd be willing.

2. Wow... maybe when I was five? It seems as if I've been biking my whole life, so it's hard to recall a beginning.

3. Considering the ratio of books I've read by both (EG ~ 1; CD ~ 7 1/2), I'll go with Dickens.

4. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Have you heard the Broadway version of this song? I like it better than the movie version.

5. Return to London (Miss Potter); The Secret Life of Daydreams (Fake P&P); Jabba the Hut (Star Wars). Some selection. I've never even seen Star Wars... anywho.

6. Not sure, but last night I dreamed that my sister wanted to meet some new girls who came to our church, but was too nervous to go and introduce herself. So I walked over, announced I was obnoxiously beginning a conversation, and immediately informed them of our names. Thankfully, my sister did not die of embarrassment.

7. Seen? One. The local high school did The Sound of Music, which we loved. I've been in five productions of my own writing. Oh, and then my mom's high school had a reunion with "highlights" of past productions, and my mom sang "Memory" from Cats.

8. Mexican. Unfortunately, Chinese has too much soy.

9. None that I can think of, but I misspelled a name for a long time (the name of a lady I work for actually), and was quite mortified when she had to correct my spelling while I was working. I s'pose we all need a dash of humility now and then.

10. The link didn't work for me, but I googled another quiz and came out as Enjolras. "On the barricades of freeeeeeedooooom!"

11. I don't have a favorite! Oh, Amy, don't ask me to choose! Clue, Skip-Bo, and Scrabble being the first three I can think of, but never Monopoly. I only play that on pain of death because I always lose. Unless I can be the banker. ;)

Melody said...

And by the way, A Bug's Life is still a Pixar movie, you know. That hasn't changed. You should watch it. I'm quite certain it must be better than the Cars movies. :P (Even though I've never seen them, haha.)

Elizabeth said...

I loved your random facts! I'm not going to answer them, since I'm your sister, but I must say I am a bit indecisive about #8. :) I mean, has your loyalty been swayed from Ramin Karimloo; is Aaron Tveit REALLY your favorite? Tricky. :) But I think I'll have to guess that it is true. Shocking!

AddyLovesWolves said...

Love this Amy, I'm in the middle of dong one myself. Love your answers!

-Belle

AddyLovesWolves said...

BTW oh and I loved the picture of Dari and what's his face :)

-Belle

Hayden said...

I answered the tag here: http://everystory-storygirl.blogspot.com/2013/05/here-we-are-halfway-through-may.html

Marie said...

*Squeals* Thanks so much for tagging me Amy dear!
ADORE that first photo up there...where do you find these? (Although, I suppose that's a stupid question if one knows of the existence of Google...) Anyways, might have to snag that one. :) Enjo speaking whale is so funny! Lily was Most Amused. Ooh, "Jane Eyre" is one of your top three? Love that book! "Let's build a fort," haha...now THAT'S what my brothers like. :) Number 10...yup. The siblings use that adjective for food often, though I don't know if it originated with "Little Dorrit" or not. Awww, the Little Amy! Wow, you were brave...I was always too scared to go on one of the horses. I was a Fancy Bench girl, all the way. :) Haha, liked that last picture...it's the PROBLEM SOLVING skills, dear. :D

Margaret Hale said...

Thanks for tagging me! That picture of Enjolras and Dory was SO funny! Did you make it? And I loved the algebra one at the end. I have yet to find a practical use for graphing things on coordinate planes. (Although I'm not sure if that's algebra).

Scullery Maid said...

I love the "Long-distance relationship" one! I have not time to do the whole thing, so I'll just do eleven random facts and your questions.
Eleven random facts:
1. My dream vacation is trip to the Library of Congress.
2. I like ketchup and spaghetti sauce, but hate fresh tomatoes.
3. Henry Tilney is my favorite Austen hero(He understands muslin! He reads NOVELS! HE HAS A PUPPY.)
4. I count my reading by pages instead of books(I used to count books, but I discovered that the month I read 48 books, most of them were Really Short)
5. Last year I read 71,241 pages.
6. I have an Eponine/Newsie cap.
7. I'm 7 years younger than the second youngest in my family.
8. I have a pile of 51 books next to my bookshelf that I have'nt read yet(and still I keep buying more).
9. I'm building a model of the U.S.S. Constitution.
10. I have a cat named Hobbes.
11. I've wanted to learn French for years, having got it into my head that all proper young ladies learn French(obviously, I read too many historical novels too young), and I have started at last!
Your questions:
1. No, and probably not, as I'm not much for trying new and unusual foods.
2. When I was, ummm.....Seven? Or eight? I only remember that it was long after all my friends had learned.
3. Dickens all the way! He is Brilliant! A fact I realized quite calmly in the middle of Our Mutual Friend.
4. Rendezvous. It's just fun to say.
5. Carrying the Banner, I feel Pretty, and Show me.
6. I don't dream very much, and when I do they aren't usually very funny, so I'll tell the strangest dream. I dreamed there was a huge battle in a place that looked a lot like our front yard, and every time someone died they turned into a leaf, and finally everyone was dead except for one person, and they took a hose and watered all the leaves, and when the water touched a leaf, it turned into mist. It was weird.
7. One, so far, but I'm going to see Les Mis the end of this month!
8. Chinese food, because it's awesome!
9. I can't think of any. Usually when I mispronounce something, someone is right there to tell me so.
10. Eponine, which is nice, because I already have the outfit.
11. Apples to Apples. or Clue. or Scotland Yard.
And sorry for the Very Long Comment!
~C. Cruz
P.S. My favorite musical is Everyone Dies. http://pinterest.com/pin/512003051357163097/

Emma Jane said...

I just wanted to let you know, I've tagged you! http://allthingsbonnyandbeautiful.blogspot.com/2013/05/elevensies-tag.html

~Emma Jane

Anonymous said...

BAHAHAHAHA!!! Love your answers, Amy dear! (Father Gilbert is awesome. Just sayin'. The Gray Lady and Dead Air were both a little freaky, but the others are ah.mazing.)

And thanks for the tagback! I'll do it after I find some time. *rolls eyes*

-Eowyn-

Miss Jane Bennet said...

Hi,
I am a newbie on your blog and I recently created a blog myself, regencynovel.blogspot.com. I am having trouble finding people to follow my blog- which is still somewhat in construction- so if you'd follow and recommend it- assuming you find it appropriate and satisfactory- I'd really appreciate it. Thanks very much!

Jane B said...

Ok, I've never answered blog questions before but I enjoy reading them, so I'll give your questions a shot!

1. No. I'm not exactly sure what it is but since I believe it's a kind of expensive, weird French food, I'm not sure that I would want to try it. (I'm not very good with new foods!)
2. I guess I was about 7,8 or 9. I can't really remember how old I was but I remember my first ride!
3. Hmm...I've only read Charles Dickens and never Elizabeth Gaskell but I've seen Wives and Daughters and North & South and since I liked both of those, lets got wtih EG
4. Supercalafragalisticexpialidoious
5. "Reflection" by Jackie Evancho, Hymns of Grace, "Serenade to Spring" by Secret Garden
6. Well, I can't really remember any hilarious dreams I've had but being a midwife means I have a lot of dreams about delivering babies!
7. Ahh well, if you count very amateurish ones done for fun by homeschoolers then 2 or 3.
8. Probably Chinese if forced to choose, since I haven't ever tried Mexican.
9. er..yes. We have an ancestor with the surname of Hele and I pronounced it "hell", in front of everyone, who were greatly astonished at hearing such a surname and upon asking how it was said, replied "oh Hele!" Oh I was mortified!!
10. Sorry the link doesn't work for me.
11. Well there's more than one! Articulate, Telestrations, The Game of Life, Pictionary & Careers

Analiese said...

Tagged you here: http://portrait-of-a-maiden-29.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-eleven-questions-tag-see-if-i.html ~ I'd love to see your answers if you have time to do this. :D

Miss Dashwood said...

So I just realized that I never told you which random facts were true and which were tallydiddles, so I'm popping in again to do that (and to thank everyone for their swellissimus comments!). If you've subscribed to comments you'll see this... if not, you'll be left in suspense for the rest of your days.

Anyways.

1. False. I've never been out West. Which is sad. But that could change. ;)
2. True. You do not realize how many things have milk in them until you cannot eat them. But I have discovered almond milk. CHEERS.
3. True. I specify first because I had another when I was seven. Only this was of the Billy Andrews type--that is, the gentleman's sister, who was a good friend of mine, offhandedly informed me one fine day that her older brother intended to marry me when we grew up and she would like having me for a sister-in-law. (I did not particularly admire her older brother and told her rather decidedly that I was not in favor of the idea.)
4. True. I met Shawn Johnson at the National Spelling Bee and got her autograph.
5. False. I have never owned a pet of any kind, nor much wanted to. I'm not opposed to cats, though... but I'm afraid one might be more trouble than it's worth.
6. True. I was on a hike with some friends and we were eating our lunch when the wind kicked up and a dead branch came crashing down on us, narrowly missing my friend Becky and hitting me on the head and arm. (No concussion or anything, but if I ever act crazy--which I would never do--I can just blame it on the branch injury.)
7. False. I only wear glasses.
8. True. Ramin Karimloo is a close second. But he's still second.
9. False. My mom and three of my younger siblings did, but I was too chicken. I do not regret this decision.
10. True. It was the Metro in Washington, DC, and they close those doors without warning. It was not particularly painful, but it was a startling experience.
11. True, true, true. Especially if it were Les-Mis-themed. A dear friend has made me promise to organize one at her wedding. I'll do my best. :D

Miss Elliot said...

LET'S BUILD A FORT: THE MUSICAL??!!!!!
I am still giggling as I turn the caps off. You. are. a. genius. as I have said SO MANY TIMES before.
Yes, I like Jane Eyre a lot, because her life story (yes, I know it's a story) is more real to me. Life is not just fiddling around waiting to get married (no Elizabeth Bennet, I am NOT calling you down) and I like that Jane has such a strong moral character.