Game on! I’ve been tagged by another blogger, the lovely and generous Susan of The Most — Of Every Moment to play the I Mustache You Some Questions blogging game. She’s asked me 12 questions and I have to answer them honestly. And then tag four other bloggers and charge them with the same questions.
Before I start let me tell you about Susan. She’s a delight. Both on her blog and in person. Yes, we’ve actually met! Thanks to her reaching out to me when she was recently up in my part of the world visiting relatives. Our quick lunch turned into a five-hour chinwag. The second we shook hands I felt as if I’d known her all my life.
Ok thanks, Susan. Here we go.
Four names people call me other than my real name:
1. Ahwee – my twin nieces came up with this name for me when they were weensy. It stuck.
2. Auntie Kel – by my brother’s kids and also by the kids of good friends of mine
3. K Belle – by my late dad and my mom
4. Throckbottom – A childhood nickname fondly resurrected by my sister and my brother when they want to get a rise out of me.
Four jobs I’ve had:
1. Slide Projectionist – I plopped the slides into the machine one by one during the course of a Fine Arts lecture. My mom was the prof. I was 16 and ever so bored. Poor Mom. I apologize for making all those horrid faces in a dreadful attempt to make you laugh and lose your place.
2. Restaurant Scoper – A friend of my parents hired 17-year-old me to scout out various vegetarian restaurants around Vancouver, noting the advantages and disadvantages. His plan to open one never happened. Hopefully not because of my summer end report.
3. Senior Citizens Bus Tour Coordinator – I planned the bus tours, compiled the brochures and booked the tours. Hopefully no one remembers that one time I had to sub in unexpectedly after a boozy staff Christmas party.
4. Tourist Information Agent at the Vancouver Tourist Bureau – Did this for two summers while in college. Loved it. Wonderful group of people to work with and am still best pals with one of them.
Four movies I would/have watched more than once:
1. The Birdcage
2. Lord of the Rings
3. Bridget Jones Diary
4. Kiki’s Delivery Service
Four books I would recommend:
1. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica – mystery/thriller ***Could not put in down. Loved it.
2. The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins – chiller along the lines of Gone Girl
3. SoulSpace by Xorin Balbes – magical book that’ll get you tidying up
4. Order of Seven by Beth Teliho – a debut novel I’ve yet to actually read. But I won an autographed copy just yesterday and it’s winging its way to me! She’s a blogging pal and it’s getting great reviews. I’ll do a blog post on it asap.
Four places I have lived:
As I’ve always lived pretty much within the Lower Mainland of BC, I’m kind of feathering the nest here a little bit.
1. UBC Endowment Lands – I was lucky. I lived at home during my five college years as our house was minutes from campus. I fell out of bed at 08:15 for those 08:30’s.
2. Kitsilano – trendy condo area minutes from the shops and the beach
3. Burnaby – city located a mere half hour from Vancouver.
4. Auckland, New Zealand – my two and I went to stay with a pal and her family for two months after my husband died. It was a magical time. Loved it.
Four places I have been:
1. Sendai, Japan. Before the earthquake.
2. Bangkok, Thailand
3. Quito, Ecuador
4. Rome, Italy
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. On the back of a horse. Thank you, Susan, for the reminder that I simply must write about that time I went “swimming” with a horse.
2. On the grass high above the beach at the Wailea Elua Village Beach Resort, Maui
3. Sampling a vodka at Hotel De Glace, Quebec
4. Munching on a hummus sandwich with my pal Margaret at that restaurant in Takapuna, NZ
Four things I don’t eat:
1. Liver and onions
2. Liver and onions
3. Liver and onions
4. Liver and onions
Four of my favorite foods:
1. Wild salmon
3. My Uncle Joe’s potato salad
4. Chocolate
Four television shows that I watch:
1. Downton Abbey
2. The Voice
3. American Idol – especially the auditions
4. Modern Family
Four things that I’m looking forward to this year:
1. My nephew’s wedding
2. My son coming home from college for a long stretch
3. My daughter coming home from college for a short stretch
4. Tackling the front lawn and learning how to battle that dreaded European Chafer beetle.
Don’t have that problem? Count your blessings. Truly.
Four things I’m always saying:
1. Done like toast
2. Ohhhh boyyyyy
3. I’m sorry – Yep, I am Canadian after all.
4. Bee Ya Boon – a nervous garble by me meant to be See Ya Soon. Various family members have also adopted it.
And now my turn to Mustache You Some Questions …
So, I get to step off the hot seat and pass the baton on to four other bloggers. If you have yet to meet them, you are in for a treat indeed. I am an avid reader of all of their sites.
Katie of Experienced Bad Mom – Beyond funny and always generous to other bloggers, her tagline says it all “Not just a bad mom, but an experienced bad mom.” We’re getting to know each other through our American vs Canadian series.
Eli of Coach Daddy – wonderful daddy blogger who is beyond unselfish to other bloggers by opening up his site to a different one every Wednesday. Also renowned for his monthly 6 words sentences.
Mo of Mocadeaux – my partner on 2013’s Partners In a Pair Tree blogging series. Need to learn about wine? She’s your gal.
Nikki of Redboots – an absolute gem of a writer. Funny, genuine and ever so perceptive.
24 Responses
Ooh, this was fun! I love “done like toast” – I’m going to start saying that. And you won a copy of Order of Seven? Awesome! I read it on my iPad but I have a hard copy on its way to me, because I like to hold books that I love. Looking forward to hearing what you think, Kelly!
I am so looking forward to reading Order of Seven, Dana. Tried to preorder but my Canadian Kindle wouldn’t let me so this is a HUGE treat to win. One it’s read and “done like toast” I’m eager to review it!
Funny!
Thanks Maja! And bless you for leaving a comment.
First off, Kelly – thanks for the lovely mention and for participating. I, too, feel as though I have known you forever – and our afternoon together went by much too quickly! I loved all your answers – and need at least another 5 hours of chatting to ask you more about each one.
I also have a story of swimming with a horse. That particular ride didn’t end so well for me; I hope yours went better! Maybe I will write about that sometime as well 🙂 So very happy that our blogs introduced us!
Yes, give me a shout when you’re next up. I’m game for anything. Except perhaps liver and onions. Oh we must swap swimming horse stories too! Mine didn’t end well either. Probably took a good ten years off the lives of my watching children…
So many nuggets of things I didn’t know about the wonderful Kelly! Did you know that I lived in married student housing at UBC when I went there in the 90s?! So I know all about the endowment lands. And Kits. See, look how knowledgeable I am by calling it Kits! But I’m getting ahead of myself. I shall share more about little ol’ me when I take the baton you’ve passed and answer these questions. How fun, thanks for thinking of me!
Oh man Katy we do have a lot in common. Look at you with your “Kits!” Damn impressive. I can’t wait to read your answers. Thank you so much for being so keen to play along.
So glad that you participated in this – so much fun to learn more about you. Loved your liver and onions answer – I wonder, does anybody like them? Isn’t Susan wonderful? We had a chance to meet last year, right after we both started blogging, and she has become my best “blogging” friend. I hope you and I can have a meet up one of these days – we’re not too far apart!
My mom adores liver and onions. Shudder, shudder. That’s why we had them so often when I was growing up. She’d cook the liver beyond shoe leather texture and “disguise” it with a handful of slippery onions. Pure torture choking them down. Love to meet up with you too, Lana! Susan spoke so highly of you at our meet and greet and I sort of feel I know you a weensy bit.
Man, you are a real wild woman ain’tcha Kel. You were in NZ and didn’t pop over the ditch to see me? Yeah, I know, you probably didn’t know me then 🙂 If you ever do get to Oz, I’ll take you to this little cafe that has the most wonderful coffee and they make their own chocolate. You can watch the process through a viewing window.
Oooh, I can’t wait to see what Eli says 😀
Oh I would like to book a ticket and come for a visit RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE, Lyn. What fun! And yes – I’m eagerly awaiting Eli’s responses too.
I thought liver and onions as a dish died with the idea that smoking cigarettes wasn’t bad and seatbelts weren’t essential!
Challenge accepted, friend, and it’ll post April 14. I have another challenge out there I have to nail down and get on the calendar, too!
Bless you Eli. I look forward to reading your answers. Yay! And would you mind telling my mom that liver and onions went out with cigarettes? Thank you.
Love this, what fun, and I learned a few more things about you ! On our next outing, we must stop for liver and onions !!
Oh, does Pizza Hut do liver and onions?
Ohhh I like this a lot. I really enjoyed finding out more about you. I love the fours format. And the liver and onions answer. And I want to know the horse story, too.
Bee ya Boon is cute.
Thanks Lizzi! I shall share the swimming with the horse story soon. Thanks for the nudge. It really has become a family classic and one that I’m sure my darling children will NEVER let me forget.
Oh- I’m with you on the liver and onions – just the smell grosses me out!!!
You have been to some pretty awesome places.
My “wish I was” place is always a beach (with a drink!! actually with a pool boy bringing me drinks and whatever else I need:).
YES! Kim the concept of you on a beach with a drink served to you by a charming and good looking pool boy sounds like just the ticket!
Loved learning and loving more about you Kel! This is the one that totally gets me: “my two and I went to stay with a pal and her family for two months after my husband died. It was a magical time. Loved it.” This says everything about your strength, your spirit, your parenting, your SELF. Inspiration.
Challenge accepted! Thank you (and for the kind words). Delighted to be in the company of Katy, Eli and Mo 🙂
Aw thanks Nicki. It was a magical time. My NZ pal is a lovely, genuine, warm soul who opened up her house for us all. She allowed me to just relax and get away from the all consuming sympathy of my well meaning friends and family. By the time we got back folks treated us more normally. Totally restorative.
Looking forward to your answers! Thanks for playing along and Yes, I’ll come a knockin’ if I haven’t heard back from you by December …
Thanks, Kelly!!!
So no liver and onions, eh? EEEEWWWWW…. me neither! I love that your mom and dad called you K Belle. That was my mom’s special name for my sister.
Wow they called her K Belle, too? That’s cool. Thanks for sharing that bit of info. She sounds like she was a lovely person and the more I hear about her, the more I think that.