I can’t believe how lucky I feel and how honoured I am to have been nominated for a second Liebster Award in just two months of running my blog. My nominator was new friend Julian Froment—book lover and reading fanatic—who blogs at http://julianfroment.wordpress.com/.

According to Julian, and as I recall from earlier, the rules for the Liebster Blog Award are:

• List 11 random facts about yourself.
• Answer a series of questions that were asked of you.
• Nominate another 11 bloggers for the Liebster Award and link to their blogs.
• Notify those bloggers of their nominations.
• Ask those bloggers 11 questions they must answer in accepting their award.

Eleven (different) random facts:

1. I missed actually being at the Pentagon (specifically, the metro station) on 9/11 by about an hour.
2. I have an almost paralytic fear of heights and am getting sweaty as I type this because I am thinking of heights of which I have been afraid
3. I adore sleep and positively purr in those moments just before sleep arrives and just as I awake
4. I am a nature/science documentary junkie, but not the ones with overt agendas that border on zealotry (even if I agree with the agenda)
5. To celebrate my 50^th birthday this year, I am trying to plan an evening comedy cabaret in support of some charity, just so I can hang out with funny people
6. I would eat cold cereal for all 3 main meals if I could
7. I typically create my written works long-hand in a notebook and then transfer to the computer
8. I struggle with weight and have been an emotional eater my entire life
9. I am a dog person, but real dogs, not those rats with a glandular condition (no offense to rats)
10. I have a tattoo that reads Julius Caesar V. v. 73
11. When it comes to housework, I am tidy but not clean…I’ll organize, but it’s gotta be pretty dirty for me to mop it

Julian’s questions of me:

1. What is your favourite book? I would pick something by Shakespeare, but as you specified book, I would have to go with Dune, which for all its brevity, provides an amazingly intricate story that also serves as something of an ecological allegory.
2. Do you play an instrument? If so, which one? No, but have often wished I did, as I am envious of the joy others experience while playing.
3. What is your ideal holiday? Sunshine, warmth, water, a breeze, a notebook and my camera.
4. Which author would you most like to meet (they do not need to be currently alive)? As I behaved earlier, I will cheat here and push for Shakespeare, although I must admit to some trepidation that the man could not possibly match the art.
5. What is your favourite genre to write in? I am a natural comedy writer—sketch, sitcom, movie—but don’t like to be hemmed in by specific genre…not wanting to sound pretentious but certain I will, my genre is story.
6. What is your least favourite book? There have been many books I have found lacking, but if forced to focus my animosity on just one, it would have to be Ken Dryden’s The Moved and the Shaken, which if nothing else answered my question why don’t people write novels about normal people leading normal lives (answer: they are boring).
7. Do you have siblings, if so which? Yes, I have two brothers, whom I am happy to say I have finally learned to appreciate as great men—the lack was on my part, not theirs.
8. PC or Mac? PC
9. Do you eat meat? Aggressively so!
10. What is your favourite sport? Hockey (and specifically, my beloved Toronto Marlies)
11. Do you have a day job? No…it got in the way of my storytelling efforts.

Eleven nominees for the Liebster Award:

I believe the idea behind the Liebster is to promote relatively new bloggers who have fewer than some threshold of followers (I’ve seen anywhere from 200 to 500).

Last time, I begged off on this part, because I really didn’t know anyone who fit that category, but I feel it would be a cop out to do the same this time, so I am simply going to nominate people who jazz me in some manner.

1. Ben’s Bitter Blog – for his sardonic wit and the sheer pleasure he takes in bitterness
2. A Day in the Life of Shareen A – she makes me smile
3. BadsPhotoBlog – because I thought he was nuts for considering these bad photos (misread the name)
4. Salty Palette – for the sheer delicacy of these amazing photographs
5. Ryan Hermann – for making me want to try harder with my camera
6. Pressed Words – their sheer elan and joy of food
7. Bite Size Canada – for the tireless efforts to celebrate Canada’s history and culture
8. Life According to Madelin – because her interests are completely unrelated to mine but her joy is not
9. Write, Read, Repeat – for her sheer determination to do just that

Questions for the nominees:

1. What is your primary art, whether desired or actively pursued?
2. Artichokes, brussel sprouts, beets, bok choy, durian. Which, if any, of these do you enjoy eating?
3. What teacher meant the most to you in your life (school or otherwise)?
4. Do you actively or would you consider mentoring someone?
5. Are you funny and can you give an example (either way)?
6. If you could be any other species, which would you choose?
7. Pick a number between 1 and 3.
8. Do you live urban, suburban or rural?
9. What is the most exotic place you have ever visited (define exotic as you wish)?
10. What actor or performer turns you on? Turns your stomach?
11. When was the last time you cried (for whatever reason, positive or negative)?

I look forward to learning more about each of you.