Memes are social viruses.
Look! A meme. Be afraid, and blame dawn_metcalf, who thought it was funny to infect me with a memetic thought-virus. As I usually find infection funny, I am refusing the vaccine, and spreading the disease instead. The stated rules:
A) People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.
B) Tag 8 people to do this quiz. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by. Continue this game by sending it to other people.
Because I believe that pandemics are a choice, not a requirement, I'm not actually tagging anyone. If you want to join the party, join the party. If you don't, stay home and watch television. Whatever makes you happy. Feel free to say I tagged you. I'm a vector.
And now...fun with the meme!
***
1. What are your nicknames?
People who can't pronounce 'Seanan' tend to call me 'Shannon,' which can get irritating at times. (Also, there are a few accents where 'Seanan' just comes out as 'Shannon.' That's kind of neat.) Some folks call me 'Sean,' increasing the odd belief that I might actually be a dude. (Hint: not a dude.) And in high school, I was frequently called 'See-Ann-Ann, the All-News Network.'
2. Have you ever had a dream involving a celebrity?
Yup. I've had a series of stress-related linear dreams involving the adaptation of several of my books for film/television, and those have included meeting the cast and crew. James Gunn, if you're ever reading this, I really want you to direct Newsflesh.
3. What was the last novel you loved?
Loved, having never read before: The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss. Loved, on a re-read (a common occurrence around these parts): Dime-Store Magic, by Kelley Armstrong. Did we mention that I read a lot?
4. What is your favorite scent?
Bad Luck Woman Blues, from BPAL. It's a Limited Edition, so it's not currently available, but the description says it smells of 'a blend of Spanish moss, black pepper, mullein, sweet sage, vandal root, cypress, cigar tobacco, and a puff of goofer dust cloaked by a swarthy cologne of vetiver, lime, dark musk, caramel accord, and lilac.' I say it smells like freaky zombie swamp sex. I am a simple soul who favors complex perfume.
5. If you had a million dollars that you could only spend on yourself, what would you do with it?
I would get all my dental work done before using the remainder to buy a very nice house in Seattle, thus enabling me to spend the rest of my money on things I actually wanted. Like going to Disneyworld.
6. What is your theme song?
'Rain King,' by the Counting Crows. I recommend looking up some of the live versions, as they're the ones that really speak to me with the most volume.
7. Do you trust easily?
Yes, despite the great lengths to which people have gone to beat this tendency out of me.
8. Do you generally think before you act, or act before you think?
It really depends on the time of day, phase of the moon, amount of sugar I've had recently, and overall situation. If the action is 'plunging head-first into a swamp,' it's act-before-think. If the action is 'deal with a speaking engagement,' it's think-before-act.
9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?
The news media; the increasingly 'us vs. them' approach to pretty much everything; the Tivo eating the most recent episode of America's Next Top Model. Again, I am a fairly simple soul.
10. Do you have a good body-image?
Sometimes.
11. Is being tagged fun?
Interestingly, while my answer is absolutely yes -- I enjoy being tagged, I enjoy being thought of -- I refuse to do it, because I'm afraid of getting on people's nerves.
12. Can a preying mantis eat a mouse?
Yes. Nature is awesome.
13. What have you been seriously addicted to lately?
Pendants from chimera_fancies and downloads from LiveCountingCrows.com. Oh, and autumn mix, but that happens every fall.
14. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
Dawn is the kind of person who thinks 'hmm, what should I do today? I know! I should write a book about a girl who can turn herself into A MAGICAL CRYSTAL SKELETON AND HAVE ADVENTURES!' Dawn totally rocks.
15. What’s the last song that got stuck in your head?
'Round Here,' the ten-minute remix version, by the Counting Crows.
16. What’s your favorite item of clothing?
My blue zip-up S.T.A.R.S. sweatshirt. It makes me safe from the living dead.
17. Would you steal a Krispy Kreme donut from a baby?
Ew.
18. What would you do if you see saw $100 lying on the ground?
It depends on where 'the ground' is. If I saw a hundred dollars on the ground in the crossroads at the top of my local mountain, I'd look for someone who could've dropped it, but I'd probably keep it. In a mall, I'd take it to lost and found. And if I have to fish it out of a swamp, it's mine now.
19. What items could you not go without during the day?
My glasses. My thumb drive. My iPod. And my big orange external brain, aka, 'my planner.'
20. What should you be doing right now?
Processing buckets of edits to Late Eclipses of the Sun, so that I can start my second end-to-end revision of the text.
A) People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.
B) Tag 8 people to do this quiz. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by. Continue this game by sending it to other people.
Because I believe that pandemics are a choice, not a requirement, I'm not actually tagging anyone. If you want to join the party, join the party. If you don't, stay home and watch television. Whatever makes you happy. Feel free to say I tagged you. I'm a vector.
And now...fun with the meme!
***
1. What are your nicknames?
People who can't pronounce 'Seanan' tend to call me 'Shannon,' which can get irritating at times. (Also, there are a few accents where 'Seanan' just comes out as 'Shannon.' That's kind of neat.) Some folks call me 'Sean,' increasing the odd belief that I might actually be a dude. (Hint: not a dude.) And in high school, I was frequently called 'See-Ann-Ann, the All-News Network.'
2. Have you ever had a dream involving a celebrity?
Yup. I've had a series of stress-related linear dreams involving the adaptation of several of my books for film/television, and those have included meeting the cast and crew. James Gunn, if you're ever reading this, I really want you to direct Newsflesh.
3. What was the last novel you loved?
Loved, having never read before: The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss. Loved, on a re-read (a common occurrence around these parts): Dime-Store Magic, by Kelley Armstrong. Did we mention that I read a lot?
4. What is your favorite scent?
Bad Luck Woman Blues, from BPAL. It's a Limited Edition, so it's not currently available, but the description says it smells of 'a blend of Spanish moss, black pepper, mullein, sweet sage, vandal root, cypress, cigar tobacco, and a puff of goofer dust cloaked by a swarthy cologne of vetiver, lime, dark musk, caramel accord, and lilac.' I say it smells like freaky zombie swamp sex. I am a simple soul who favors complex perfume.
5. If you had a million dollars that you could only spend on yourself, what would you do with it?
I would get all my dental work done before using the remainder to buy a very nice house in Seattle, thus enabling me to spend the rest of my money on things I actually wanted. Like going to Disneyworld.
6. What is your theme song?
'Rain King,' by the Counting Crows. I recommend looking up some of the live versions, as they're the ones that really speak to me with the most volume.
7. Do you trust easily?
Yes, despite the great lengths to which people have gone to beat this tendency out of me.
8. Do you generally think before you act, or act before you think?
It really depends on the time of day, phase of the moon, amount of sugar I've had recently, and overall situation. If the action is 'plunging head-first into a swamp,' it's act-before-think. If the action is 'deal with a speaking engagement,' it's think-before-act.
9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?
The news media; the increasingly 'us vs. them' approach to pretty much everything; the Tivo eating the most recent episode of America's Next Top Model. Again, I am a fairly simple soul.
10. Do you have a good body-image?
Sometimes.
11. Is being tagged fun?
Interestingly, while my answer is absolutely yes -- I enjoy being tagged, I enjoy being thought of -- I refuse to do it, because I'm afraid of getting on people's nerves.
12. Can a preying mantis eat a mouse?
Yes. Nature is awesome.
13. What have you been seriously addicted to lately?
Pendants from chimera_fancies and downloads from LiveCountingCrows.com. Oh, and autumn mix, but that happens every fall.
14. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
Dawn is the kind of person who thinks 'hmm, what should I do today? I know! I should write a book about a girl who can turn herself into A MAGICAL CRYSTAL SKELETON AND HAVE ADVENTURES!' Dawn totally rocks.
15. What’s the last song that got stuck in your head?
'Round Here,' the ten-minute remix version, by the Counting Crows.
16. What’s your favorite item of clothing?
My blue zip-up S.T.A.R.S. sweatshirt. It makes me safe from the living dead.
17. Would you steal a Krispy Kreme donut from a baby?
Ew.
18. What would you do if you see saw $100 lying on the ground?
It depends on where 'the ground' is. If I saw a hundred dollars on the ground in the crossroads at the top of my local mountain, I'd look for someone who could've dropped it, but I'd probably keep it. In a mall, I'd take it to lost and found. And if I have to fish it out of a swamp, it's mine now.
19. What items could you not go without during the day?
My glasses. My thumb drive. My iPod. And my big orange external brain, aka, 'my planner.'
20. What should you be doing right now?
Processing buckets of edits to Late Eclipses of the Sun, so that I can start my second end-to-end revision of the text.