Versatile Blogger Award

O look! Someone gave me an award!

 

This is a pay-it-forward award of recognition. Isn't that sweet? This one was passed on to me by my friend Ursa.  Here are the rules for receiving this award:

1. Thank and link back to the blogger that awarded you the badge. - check
2. Share 7 things about you. - see below
3. Award 5 – 15 other bloggers. - see below
4. Contact these bloggers to let them know about the award. - will do this after I publish this one

  

Seven things about me

(and here I will list things that you wouldn't already know from being a regular reader of my blog)(which will be tough, because I share a lot with you, my readers)

1. I grew up in Alberta, left just before I turned 21, lived their for five months in the winter of 2004/5, and hope I never have to live in that province again. I hate the climate, the attitudes, the government, the consumerism, and just how boring the whole thing is. BC suits me way better.

2. For most of my adult life I have been saying I have spent most of my adult life in post secondary institutions. It took me 5 1/2 years to do my BA (started at community college, transferred to university to  finish), did two years of a second undergrad degree before starting my Master's, which also took me two years. That equals nine and a half years. But I have been an adult (more or less) since I was 18, and I'm 37 now. That makes 19 years of being an adult and half of that is 9 1/2. So now, for a little while, I can say "I've spent half my adult life in post secondary education" but soon this will, in fact, be less than half. 

3. I had my right ovary removed in emergency surgery when they discovered a cyst the size of a grapefruit in the summer of 2006. The following year, I had bunion surgery on one foot. The year after that, I had the other bunion surgery. I hope I never have to have surgery again. 

4. I have an extremely difficult time saying "I love you" to people I love. My husband is the exception, we say it all the time. But I rarely say it to my family. It feels awkward in that context, like unlubricated metal grinding on metal. Those words were not said much when I was growing up so I was really unaccustomed to using them for most of my life. My sister works very hard to make sure they say it in their family, but for me it just feels strange. 

5. I have had a lot of therapy/counselling, especially when I was in my 20s and in university. I did a tremendous amount of self-work in order to be less socially awkward, more honest with myself and others, more accountable for my actions and to be a person of integrity. I really didn't like who I was when I was in my early 20s so I heeded the lesson of Richard Laskin, Ph.D., who was my professor for my first year Sociology class: "Pay Attention". 

6. Paying attention was a segue into mindfulness for me. I studied Buddhism for a few years in my early days of religious exploration (and eventually went down the path of Pagansim, which I have since left), and internalized a few Buddhist lessons. I like to think I have developed mindfulness, and for me that means paying attention to what the other person may be feeling/thinking in a situation, considering the context (why are they reacting that way?), and being circumspect. I also learned non-attachment which sometimes manifests as aloofness. And that may have to do with #5. But I can let go of things, places, people, without a huge emotional disturbance.

7. I think I have developed a coping mechanism by which I forget unpleasant things. I say "I think" because I'm not sure. I know there are big patches of my life that I have no recollection of. There have been countless occasions when someone would say "Remember when... " and even if the event wasn't unpleasant, I have no recollection. Even with further detail I don't remember. This goes for times in my childhood as well as in my adult life. Maybe there is a section of my brain where synapses don't form. But lately I have been referring to this as my "delete" mechanism. My sister said "remember when..." and I say "no, I must have deleted that."

Well now that seemed to have turned into an Exploration of Stacey's Psyche. Hm. Don't mean to get so heavy, sorry! And now for the next bit:

Other Versatile Bloggers

1. Oh Sweetie

This is Diandra, who is a young mom, academic, foodie, knitter, designer, all-around crafty gal. She's really into the farming grow-your-own-food movement and has a bazillion ideas about... well... everything. 

2. That's the Life

These are friends of ours in Ucluelet who moved here from Toronto to follow their dream. I often refer to them as The Good People at Stellar Coffee, because they are about to launch their roastery! Dan & I refer to them as 'K2', since both their names begin with K. They spend a lot of time outdoors here and chronicle the movements of the wildlife that surrounds us. 

3. Stacey Homemaker

This is also a friend of mine, Stacey (spelled correctly), who only recently started blogging but she really seems to have gotten the hang of it. We met in 2005 while first year students in the B.Sc. program for Health Information Science. It's hard to believe it's been almost six years since then! Stacey blogs about food, crafty stuff, style, and (at the moment while she is on vacation), Hawaii.

4. Silverrose

I can't remember how I found this gal - was it on Twitter? And she has a few handles so I don't know her first name, either. What I *do* know is that she knits beautifully, loves to spin, blogs about things like My Little Pony biscuits she made, and is about to graduate from... I'm not sure what. But she's a busy gal and always has interesting stuff to say!

5. Backyard Feast 

Another friend, Toni. We met while working at the library in Victoria in 1999. They (she and The Skipper) bought a house with a yard in 2009 and have been working hard to maximize their food-production space in the back yard. Toni not only posts about their seedlings and raised veggies, but also explores workshops and events in her area, discusses books she's read, features photos taken by The Skipper (an excellent photographer), and often waxes philosophical on how gardening/farming/food production changes the way you think about things. Every post is carefully crafted and thoughtfully written (she is a PhD in English, after all).

6. Nerdy Together

Now here is something amazing. Amanda has made it her goal/obsession to create a scarf or some other wearable neck piece every day of 2011 and blog about it. Yesterday was Day 110 and she hasn't skipped a beat, despite having been sick a few times and taking a trip to - where was it? Disneyland? She knits, crochets, sews, and otherwise assembles all manner of textiles & fiber into things you can wear around your neck. I was so darned excited about her project I crocheted two of one of her early patterns, called the Sideways Single Crochet scarf (and my photo for one of them is the feature photo in Ravelry!). Do check her out, you will be amazed at her level of inspiration!

7. Flounder Guts

This is Dan's (as in my husband) blog. He doesn't post very often but when he does, his posts are full of content and photos. They are well-thought out and carefully researched, as Dan used to be a regular blogger when blogging was first invented.

And there you have it!