That "Seven Interests" Meme
tansu asked me to explain:
1) Cleveland - the city of my parents' birth. I grew up about an hour away from there, but my grandmother lived in the suburbs when I was a kid so we visited often. Cleveland is and always will be one of my very favorite cities because it was such a big part of my growing up. It is also the home of two of my very favorite sports franchises: the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
2) despair.com - You know those motivational posters? The ones from Successories? The ones with a black-bordered photo of some nature scene, a short title (e.g. "ATTITUDE"), and an expository caption (e.g. "A positive attitude is a powerful force - it can't be stopped!")? Well, despair.com has the same things, except THEIR posters are funny. For instance, their attitude-related poster (titled "BURNOUT") bears the caption "Attitudes are contagious. Mine might kill you." I love their stuff.
3) Elfquest - The glorious comic book created by Wendy and Richard Pini. It's going on 30 years, now, and still wonderful (though infrequent now). The source for my alter-ego, Winnowill (who is the nemesis of all good folk in it, but nice to look at). It's about a small tribe of elves, the Wolfriders, who are forced to venture out into the world, discovering other tribes of elves as they go. It's their story of survival and exploration, both physical and emotional. It's a lot deeper than one would think it would be.
4) Fountain pens - I love fountain pens. I have quite a few, but my favorites are the Sensa Meridian line (which, of course, isn't made any more, so I've had to stock up). They write very nicely, they don't leak (a bane of fountain pens), and they're not too expensive for an every-day writing instrument. They've become just about all I ever write with at work. That doesn't stop me, though, from lusting after some of the gorgeous, $1500 fountain pens I see in catalogs.
5) Michael Medved - Conservative radio talk show host and movie critic (to whose show I happen to be listening right this instant). After Siskel and Ebert left "Sneak Previews", Michael Medved was one of the critics who replaced them - he was on the show for eleven years. He's absolutely stunningly brilliant, and an incredible debater. He gets callers on who ask him about some obscure fact of history, and he's all over it - knows and explains all the details. It's truly and amazing intellect he's got. He's unusual because he actually DEBATES with people who disagree with him, and really tries to have guests and callers on who disagree with him. His is my second-favorite talk radio show.
6) Polar bears - I love polar bears. Yes, I know they're vicious. But, darn it, they're just so cute! My mousemat (which I don't, strictly speaking, need) features the same picture as on the icon I'm using. I have been known to send out polar bear-related Christmas cards. Of all the non-domestic animals in the wild kingdom, polar bears are probably my favorites.
7) Shoes - It started with the website "Go Fug Yourself". It escalated with The Devil Wears Prada. My shoe fetish, that is. Without GFY, I probably wouldn't have seen some of the really, really cute shoes out there. I was a sensible pumps kind of girl - no shoes with heels over three inches high, most shoes pretty plain. Then GFY happened, and I realized that there was more to life than sensible pumps. So I bought a couple pairs of shoes that were out of my normal oeuvre - a pair of festive red plaid peep-toes for Christmas (with three-and-a-half inch heels!), and some others that couldn't REALLY be called sensible. And then I saw The Devil Wears Prada last July, after which I realized that really high heels are very much in style. Since then, I have purchased more than a dozen pairs of shoes with four-inch-plus heels, and am constantly on the lookout for more.
If you want me to pick seven of your interests for you to explain, respond below!
1) Cleveland - the city of my parents' birth. I grew up about an hour away from there, but my grandmother lived in the suburbs when I was a kid so we visited often. Cleveland is and always will be one of my very favorite cities because it was such a big part of my growing up. It is also the home of two of my very favorite sports franchises: the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
2) despair.com - You know those motivational posters? The ones from Successories? The ones with a black-bordered photo of some nature scene, a short title (e.g. "ATTITUDE"), and an expository caption (e.g. "A positive attitude is a powerful force - it can't be stopped!")? Well, despair.com has the same things, except THEIR posters are funny. For instance, their attitude-related poster (titled "BURNOUT") bears the caption "Attitudes are contagious. Mine might kill you." I love their stuff.
3) Elfquest - The glorious comic book created by Wendy and Richard Pini. It's going on 30 years, now, and still wonderful (though infrequent now). The source for my alter-ego, Winnowill (who is the nemesis of all good folk in it, but nice to look at). It's about a small tribe of elves, the Wolfriders, who are forced to venture out into the world, discovering other tribes of elves as they go. It's their story of survival and exploration, both physical and emotional. It's a lot deeper than one would think it would be.
4) Fountain pens - I love fountain pens. I have quite a few, but my favorites are the Sensa Meridian line (which, of course, isn't made any more, so I've had to stock up). They write very nicely, they don't leak (a bane of fountain pens), and they're not too expensive for an every-day writing instrument. They've become just about all I ever write with at work. That doesn't stop me, though, from lusting after some of the gorgeous, $1500 fountain pens I see in catalogs.
5) Michael Medved - Conservative radio talk show host and movie critic (to whose show I happen to be listening right this instant). After Siskel and Ebert left "Sneak Previews", Michael Medved was one of the critics who replaced them - he was on the show for eleven years. He's absolutely stunningly brilliant, and an incredible debater. He gets callers on who ask him about some obscure fact of history, and he's all over it - knows and explains all the details. It's truly and amazing intellect he's got. He's unusual because he actually DEBATES with people who disagree with him, and really tries to have guests and callers on who disagree with him. His is my second-favorite talk radio show.
6) Polar bears - I love polar bears. Yes, I know they're vicious. But, darn it, they're just so cute! My mousemat (which I don't, strictly speaking, need) features the same picture as on the icon I'm using. I have been known to send out polar bear-related Christmas cards. Of all the non-domestic animals in the wild kingdom, polar bears are probably my favorites.
7) Shoes - It started with the website "Go Fug Yourself". It escalated with The Devil Wears Prada. My shoe fetish, that is. Without GFY, I probably wouldn't have seen some of the really, really cute shoes out there. I was a sensible pumps kind of girl - no shoes with heels over three inches high, most shoes pretty plain. Then GFY happened, and I realized that there was more to life than sensible pumps. So I bought a couple pairs of shoes that were out of my normal oeuvre - a pair of festive red plaid peep-toes for Christmas (with three-and-a-half inch heels!), and some others that couldn't REALLY be called sensible. And then I saw The Devil Wears Prada last July, after which I realized that really high heels are very much in style. Since then, I have purchased more than a dozen pairs of shoes with four-inch-plus heels, and am constantly on the lookout for more.
If you want me to pick seven of your interests for you to explain, respond below!