Just Gimme The Prize, There Can Be Only One

I won a freaking award! The esteemed Liebster Award, given from blogger to blogger (and therefore WAY cooler than any corporate schlock) has been levied upon FrazzledSlacker and I must admit I feel so very honored!

I have suffered a massive case of writers block lately and this little assignment kicked me right in the ass to get moving again, so thank you Bob, of My Not So Humble Opinion, for thinking of me (and I will forget that you outed me as a familial relation…the cries of nepotism are going to deafen me, but I GOT AN AWARD!!)

OK,compose yourself before the music plays you off the stage!

So, first the rules of how this whole thing works:

1. Each nominee must link back the person who nominated them. (Follow http://mnsho.com/ …it will make you smarter. And taller. And more attractive to the opposite sex. No, really. It will.)
2. Answer the 10 questions which are given to you by the nominator. (See below)
3. Nominate 10 other bloggers for this award who have less than 200 followers.

4. Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer. (The fun part! Down at the bottom)
5. Let the nominees know that they were nominated by going to their blog and notifying them. (that wasn’t spam I posted on your page, People!)

Now, my answers to the questions I was given:

1. What would you consider to be your core value?

Damn! Right out of the gate with a question that requires me to Google. I know what a core value is, yet I don’t know how to answer this question in relation to myself. I would love to put a core statement here that makes me look like a wonderful person, but I don’t have one. What I do have is this: I try to live my life in a way that keeps me happy. My word is my virtue, I’m nothing if not loyal, and I can respect anyone who has honor regardless of where life has taken them.

2. Under what circumstances would you violate that core value?

Almost any. No joke. I should say “never” but I like to be as honest as possible and the truth is that everyone really DOES have their  price. My price you ask? Well that’s easy. I violate my core values when I feel like it. I know that sounds seriously aberrant, but it’s the truth. If my gut tells me that something is right, I go with it, and if it tells me it is wrong I avoid it. Unless it is fun. Then I’m willing to try it out and see if it fits. I try to operate with integrity at all times, but I do not operate under the guise that we should live our lives on faith alone, I like to test my beliefs so I can be sure I truly have faith in them.

3.  What is your ultimate indulgence, whether you can afford it or not?

Harnessing the power of The Force. Ha! No. Really. If it was a possibility (and I haven’t given up my tireless research to discover if it is so) I would make it my life’s journey to own The Force. I’m pretty sure it’s that desire right there that keeps me from becoming a Jedi and squarely plants me into Sith-ville, but it’s a work in progress, People. The Death Star wasn’t built in a day. (and now because I’m an elitist asshat, if anyone is reading this and has no idea where these references are from, leave. Just leave now. You have brought shame upon the name of your father.)

4. Who do you miss the most?

Crap. I hate this question. I want to say something stupid and witty because that’s my wheelhouse and I am very comfortable there. But this question deserves a truthful answer. If you are not in for the long haul with me, jump over this question because I can’t promise this will be enjoyable for anyone.

I have lost so many people in my life that it’s hard to pick one. So many family members were taken way before it felt appropriate, many friends never made it out of high school, so many more didn’t make it to their 20’s. My closest girlfriend died unexpectedly just a little over a year ago and I have felt a deep untouchable loneliness in the loud empty spaces she left behind. But in the grand scheme of life I miss my father the most.  I was 16 when my father died and at this point I have actually lived longer without my father than I had with him. This makes his absence more familiar but does not lessen the genuine feeling of loss. My father was not just a good man, he was honorable to a point I have never been able to embody or witness in another person. Maybe one day I will write to that testament, but suffice it to say I miss him more than anyone else I have ever encountered. I am a lucky person for having had him in my life for whatever time I was given.

1. 5.       What sensation reminds you of them? (A song, a scent, a food, etc.)

Holy. Friggen. Crap! Are you trying to crush me here? Ugh. OK, I’m going to just lay it out there. The smell of tires. Yes, tires. I can’t walk into the tire department of any store without instantly thinking of my father. And it’s very odd, because my father was an accountant. HA! No, my father worked in tires his entire life and the smell makes me happy.

6. If you could live a boring life without having made any mistakes or live an exciting life with plenty of regrets, which would you choose?

Choice C please. I believe we only regret the things we don’t do, mistakes are necessary in order to learn, life’s excitement lies in how you live it, and boring can be good sometimes. I think that as long as you aren’t hurting people and make it a point to never make the same mistake twice, you’re golden.

7. If you had to live in any decade of the 20^th century, which would you choose and why?

I actually LOVE this question! But I don’t really have an answer. Mostly because, like tying my shoes in the standard 1-loop-wrap-around fashion, I have never learned what exactly the 20^th century is. I always get confused, is it one number behind the first two numbers of a year? The 1700’s were the 16^th century? Or is it the 18^th century?  Assuming that all years occurring between 1901 and 2000 ARE part of the 20^th century (and seriously? Could someone please let me know!) the decade I am drawn to most is the 1920’s. Things were booming! Technology, music, women’s rights, consumerism, all fronts rapidly changing and expanding. I would love to have been immersed in a world fraught with excitement and discovery, truly on the edge of new ways of life and ripe with potential.

1. 8.      What is the stupidest joke you’ve ever laughed at?

Every single thing I’ve ever said? No? Not a good answer? Ok, how about this one:

How do you get a one-armed Polish person out of a tree? Wave.

Courtesy of my Frazzled Polish Uncle. Polish Pride!  I have it. I just don’t know how to use it.

9. Could you kill someone in self-defense?

Sure, if that’s the defense you prefer I use, I can go with self-defense.

10. What would your perfect date be like?

Not a serial killer?

I have no idea. I haven’t been on a date in 15 years. But I have had reason to think about dating lately and from what I gather it sucks ass. There are rules involved. You have to be nice (barf), neat (impossible), and concise (that’s a knee slapper!) You are supposed to present yourself in a cute package like a sacrificial lamb up for offer to all the eligible folk you encounter. And you can’t let your crazy show (I’d rather try to move heaven and earth, thanks).  You need to do all that while trying to decipher what crazy the other person is packing, mentally bargaining with yourself what constitutes a true deal breaker (“yes, yes I think I can handle his low-grade narcolepsy and penchant for buggery. He IS semi-employed after all!”). Crap. I’m guessing I won’t be receiving any invitations to the ball anytime soon. Yep. I’m going to die alone.

And I’m OK with that.

Now my nominations:

While almost none of my nominations fit the bill of “less than 200 followers” I like to pass on the good word when I find something I like. The thing is, I actually follow these blogs and I look forward to their posts. They run the gamut of style and I enjoy each of them for very different reasons.

1. Listful Thinking http://listfulthinking.org/ . I came across this blog because I love making lists and I love all things awkward and the author really captured me out of the gate with her take on life.
2. Dear #$&!%  Baby http://dearexpletivebaby.com/  While I don’t really fall into the category of “mommy blogger” I AM a mommy and I AM a blogger, so when I come across a blog that addresses those requirements in one spot with an implied obscenity in the title I get sucked right in.
3. Some Species Eat Their Young http://somespecieseattheiryoung.com/  no explanation needed, the title says it all J
4. Punk Meets Pink http://justalittlestuck.wordpress.com/  Just a really cool blog. Read it!
5. Stuck In The Middle http://justalittlestuck.wordpress.com/ I read this because I know if it wasn’t creepy or stalkery, if she met me in real life, we would totally be BFF’s.
6. Mommy Man: Adventures of a Gay Superdad http://jerry-mahoney.com/  This blog is read, and it deserves to be. But I still absolutely love it and want everyone I know to know about it.
7. Maleficus Amor: A playground for the musings and scribbling’s of a Sith http://maleficusamore.wordpress.com/ Words cannot describe the happiness this blog brings me. If you know me, you know why.
8.  Dave’s Place http://dtaylo85.wordpress.com/ I follow this blog because I love to hear everything this person has to say. I wish they wrote more because there is a world of words just waiting to be put to paper and he knows the grammatically correct way to use each one J ❤
9. Not a Typical Mom: One Moms crusade against all things mommy http://notatypicalmom.com/ It’s really self explanatory, if you read me, you will understand
10. A Smith Of All Trades http://asmithofalltrades.com/  This blog gives me my DIY fix in all the ways I like my DIY.

And these? Right here? The ten questions you are tasked with answering:

1. Has your overall impression of FrazzledSlacker’s awesomeness quotient improved by being awarded the Liebster Award by her?(what?? These are MY questions dammit…you’ll get a chance to make up your own!)

2. What fictional character do you most identify with?

3. Would you rather live your entire life with sausages for fingers or grass for hair, and why?

4. What do you think is the single most important thing you have learned in life?

5. What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to you?

6. Dessert Island, 1 book, 1 album, 1 movie…what are they?

7. For 24 hours you can do anything you want with absolutely no repercussions. How do you spend your time?

8. Favorite song lyric?

9. What, exactly, constitutes the 20^th century?  (Humor me. Please…)

10. What did you expect to get out of blogging and have you achieved it?

I look forward to reading your responses and finding out if I am the only one who doesn’t have a clear idea of what the 20^th century is. Now go nominate some great blogs and help spread the word!

Slack on!