tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post7358031924981646618..comments2024-03-20T08:32:25.794-04:00Comments on Dept. of Nance: It's A Major Award!Nancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-54166271719569949962012-12-06T17:27:39.465-05:002012-12-06T17:27:39.465-05:00I mostly like Atwood's short stories. There...I mostly like Atwood's short stories. There's one (can't remember the title!) with a sentiment I have never forgotten: as you get older, it's not so much a question of how well preserved your face is but rather what sort of dog you will resemble. That is so painfully true, lol.<br /><br />As for Irving: he does have too many bears overall in his novels, but... there are a couple of titles that I cherish. And, no, neither one is Garp. My faves are The Cider House Rules and A Prayer for Owen Meany, the former being his best one for me as far as characters you fall in love with. (Irving, of course, was a huge fan of Dickens... so maybe that's no surprise.)Ortizzlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03709991994425909880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-49157907495961725412012-12-06T15:01:53.488-05:002012-12-06T15:01:53.488-05:00Ortizzle--Thank you for participating. "Sent...Ortizzle--Thank you for participating. "Sent from my iPhone" must be horrifying. Can you imagine using that teensy keyboard <i><b>and your thumbs</b></i> as your primary mode of email transmission? It's beyond impossible. I decided the minute I got my iPhone that I would not set up email on it, and I have not wavered. To be that electronically leashed is abhorrent to me. And sending text messages is difficult enough. It takes forever.<br /><br />It continues to amaze me how similar we are in things, but I suppose I could say that about many of my readers/commenters here. Must be why we all found one another. <br /><br />I will say, however, that the allure of John Irving continues to escape me. I have tried so many times to read and enjoy him, but fail. Ditto Margaret Atwood, who I can take or leave. Oh well. We will always have Dickens and Alcott. XXOONancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-90232998604496482142012-12-06T14:22:00.151-05:002012-12-06T14:22:00.151-05:00Oops! I inadvertently left out a couple of meme qu...Oops! I inadvertently left out a couple of meme questions, to wit:<br /><i>Have you ever Googled yourself and been surprised at what you’ve found?</i> <br />Yes. The first time I did this (and someone informed me that it was called "ego-surfing", ha, ha), it came up with some pages from a few ESL books I edited, a tourist book I translated, and someone with my name who had an impressive rap sheet. Lately, using my married name, it comes up with my faculty profile page, blogs for my students, Facebook, several illustrious people who are nothing to do with me, and, horrifyingly, a page on the Texas Tribune which lists my salary as a state employee.<br /> <br /><i>Who would play you in a movie of your life?</i> <br />Nobody, since I will never be famous enough for a movie to be made of my life. Someone once told me I reminded them of Holly Hunter on <i>Broadcast News</i>. That probably has less to do with actual physical resemblance and more to do with the fact that this came from someone I was directing in ESL recordings for textbooks. (Weird, I know, but I see the connection.)Ortizzlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03709991994425909880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-71452217599762404832012-12-06T13:46:14.284-05:002012-12-06T13:46:14.284-05:00Where do you do most of your writing/blogging?
S...<i>Where do you do most of your writing/blogging?</i> <br />Sadly, I do not have the time to blog anymore. I must content myself with commenting on blogs, and thanks for the mention! <br /><br /><i>What books were your childhood favourites? </i> <br />So many... not wishing to be repetitive, but, to name a few: <i>Beezus & Ramona, Little Women (etc.), Nancy Drew, Blue Willow, Anne of Green Gables, Dr. Seuss</i>. Also <i>Grimm's Fairy Tales, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Borrowers, Mary Poppins</i> --- if there was magic or fantasy in it, it was magic for me. I also loved biographies of real people, oddly enough. Probably inspired initially by reading <i>The Diary of Anne Frank</i>. I loved going to the local public library when I was a kid, and thankfully, my mother used to take us there once a week. <br /> <br /><i>Who is your favourite fictional character?</i> <br />I really cannot single out one all-time favourite; for me, it's more a question of authors who created memorable characters that I loved, usually for their eccentricity, commonality, or a combination of both.<br />From English (language) lit: Charles Dickens, Kurt Vonnegut, Anne Tyler, John Irving, Margaret Atwood, Annie Proulx. From Spanish (language) Lit: So many, but in an effort to reduce this to books your readers might be familiar with: Melquíades from <i>100 Years of Solitude</i>, Don Quixote, Lazarillo de Tormes. <br /><br /><i>What is your favourite time of day and why? </i> <br />Anytime I'm eating, sleeping, drinking a glass of wine, not grading papers or not answering emails to students whose name is "Sent from my iPhone."Ortizzlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03709991994425909880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-91629556304966495252012-12-05T14:53:08.191-05:002012-12-05T14:53:08.191-05:00OK, my response to the award is up! I ended up not...OK, my response to the award is up! I ended up not using the extra questions because I'm doing this at work & for some reason my office internet filter thinks that J. is "social networking" so I couldn't go read them again. WhatEVER. :)The Bughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07509037206264761261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-79913348221636584002012-12-03T12:22:34.180-05:002012-12-03T12:22:34.180-05:00LaFF-Whatever happened to Antonio? He did some voi...LaFF-Whatever happened to Antonio? He did some voice work as a kittycat and poof! Career over. Maybe Melanie keeps the leash too tight.<br /><br />Please tell me that you have a dog named Baskerville somewhere in your lifetime. Please. <br /><br />Now you have me wondering if I've ever, ever read any of the Holmes stories, ever. I really don't think I have. Dimly I recall at one point there being one in an anthology when I had to teach jr. high, but I avoided it and taught something else. Probably I should correct this gap in my canon.<br /><br />Thank you for your continued patronage of the Dept. and for your participation in comments. Your discussions are valuable, and your flattery lovely.<br /><br />Bug--I'm a real windbag when it comes to talking books, and not so much when it comes to other sharing stuff. I look forward to reading your answers, as I do with all the things you chat about on your site. (Did you really want to know if I was ever naked in public or who I kissed way back when?)<br /><br />fauxprof--I used to teach a few of A. Adams' letters in AmerLit. As a matter of context, I would talk about her worldview and her relationship with her husband. The students were very appreciative of her sturdy self-esteem and rather anachronistic sense of women's rights/value to society, esp. when it came to the writing of the Constitution. She was another of those tough women who knew how to work her marriage.Nancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-71423632649708226862012-12-03T11:51:59.572-05:002012-12-03T11:51:59.572-05:00Many thanks for the kind mention of me among your ...Many thanks for the kind mention of me among your faithful readers. As I mentioned in a previous comment on another post, there are really so few people around who have an actual working brain combined with the ability to write well. This blog is definitely run by one such person and that is the reason I keep coming back. Funny, snarky, insightful, thought-provoking, and so much more. Thank you for continuing to make the blogosphere enjoyable.<br /><br />My answers to some of the meme questions:<br /><br />I didn't really read much as a kid, as I was just an unhappy child and don't remember a lot of things from when I was growing up. Mostly I just couldn't wait to not be a kid anymore.<br /><br />When I was a senior in high school, I discovered Sherlock Holmes. By far my most favorite fictional character. Set in the the most amazing city in the most amazing country and in a time that spoke to me like I was there. There wasn't always complete consistency in every detail, but Doyle was a master storyteller, and his people and places come alive as you read the stories. I have no idea how many times I've re-read the stories--they never tire in my mind.<br /><br />My favorite time of day is sunset. I am a night owl by nature, but I don't get to indulge it as much as I used to. For a long time (a long time ago) I worked nights in the hotel industry and loved it. The middle of the night is quiet and you can get so much more done with no interruptions.<br /><br />People used to say that I looked a lot like Melanie Griffith, so I guess she would be the choice to play me in the movie. If that would include me getting to hang out with Antonio Banderas, I'm good with that.Life at the Funny Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13163009005598548100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-782968214777637802012-12-03T10:32:39.287-05:002012-12-03T10:32:39.287-05:00Yep - it's 40 miles each way, but mostly throu...Yep - it's 40 miles each way, but mostly through the country. Very scenic. I go through a lot of audio books! (Oh, and it's really more like 50 minutes each way, not an hour - I like to Dramatize.)<br /><br />I'll have to consider my award very carefully. And I might use some of those questions you skipped from J's site. Because my "literary" answers will be a lot thinner than yours :)The Bughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07509037206264761261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-60741041833701938272012-12-03T10:20:12.791-05:002012-12-03T10:20:12.791-05:00Oh, tough one, but fun! Let's start with form...Oh, tough one, but fun! Let's start with formidable ladies. Eleanor Roosevelt, of course. She's always number one on my guest list. Add another Eleanor--of Acquitaine, this time. You'll forgive me if she looks and sounds more than a bit like Katharine Hepburn. Abigail Adams could more than hold her own at this table.<br /><br />For the gentlemen: Charles Dickens, a host of characters in himself; and finally, on of my greatest personal heroes, Dr Jonas Salk. <br /><br />Do you think they'll like my lasagna? I blend chopped spinach and a touch of nutmeg in the ricotta.fauxprofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06517754643773601799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-8327084515228358562012-12-03T09:39:40.844-05:002012-12-03T09:39:40.844-05:00faux--I forgot to thank you for your very kind wor...faux--I forgot to thank you for your very kind words. They are, sincerely, much appreciated.<br /><br />On my now defunct blog, Stuff On Our List, which I co-wrote for a few years with my eldest son,Jared, I had a series of posts called The Dinner Party. I chose a theme and invited guests from different walks of life, then asked commenters to do the same.<br /><br />One was the Dead Dinner Party. My guests were Mary Lincoln, President Lincoln, Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, and Cleopatra. You can read about it <a href="http://stuffonourlist.blogspot.com/2009/10/bring-out-your-dead.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br /><br />Who would you have invited?Nancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-29840488425654804252012-12-03T09:30:44.195-05:002012-12-03T09:30:44.195-05:00Mary Gilmour--You know, I had to dredge up Anne fr...Mary Gilmour--You know, I had to dredge up Anne from the deepest, dustiest recesses of my Victorian Novels Class memory. <b>Persuasion</b> was the first book we read in that course, and I have very little recall of it. Jane Austen has a huge and devoted following, but I am not among that group. Do you like all of her books? Did you read the confic novel <b>The Jane Austen Book Club</b> in which the characters each echo Austen's? Thanks for commenting, and don't forget to pick up your Major Award!<br /><br />The Bug--Don't forget your Award. And you have an HOUR to and from work? How horrid. I had 2 and a half minutes, and believe me, I knew how lucky I was. An hour seems like taking a car trip EVERY DAY. I cannot imagine. In order to be worth it, there would have to be an ice cream stand on the way or something. LOL.<br /><br />fauxprof--Oh, <b>Little Women</b>! How I adored that book! And when I found out that <b>Little Men</b> existed, I almost lost it from excitement. It was impossible to have a favourite in that book, for me, because they were all so wonderful to me as I read it. Coincidentally, one of the film treatments was on last night--the June Allyson/Peter Lawford/Elizabeth Taylor version. Not too terrible, although June Allyson makes me want to punch someone in everything she does. She overacts something fierce, and is so broad and literal in all her roles. But we stopped watching after an hour because Oprah (ugh) was interviewing DD-L & Spielberg.<br /><br />(That was so painful, btw.)Nancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-79577959304704074932012-12-02T15:20:47.640-05:002012-12-02T15:20:47.640-05:00Thanks. A lot. I may give the meme a run, but in ...Thanks. A lot. I may give the meme a run, but in the meantime - Anne Elliot. No question. <br />Um, did I spell her name right? Ex-English teachers have Standards.<br />Hugs!<br />MMARY Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13178370815712313585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-30396580986731223452012-12-02T14:04:51.618-05:002012-12-02T14:04:51.618-05:00What a fun post! And I AM chatty, this is true. Al...What a fun post! And I AM chatty, this is true. Although I'm feeling rather introverted after posting EVERY. STINKING. DAY. in November (the days only started to stink around the 26th - before that they were lovely).<br /><br />We had a canned food drive at work several months ago, and each department was challenged to create a work of art with their food. There were some amazing entries, but my favorite was a pirate ship made of canned food that had that leg lamp as its mast. Hilarious.<br /><br />I guess I don't mind 7:30 - 9:00 too much - I spend the 7:30 - 8:30 hour driving in to work & then I try to sneak & read my comics before 9:00. <br />The Bughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07509037206264761261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-81971184493722410842012-12-01T15:44:52.143-05:002012-12-01T15:44:52.143-05:00Nance, thanks for the kind mention, and I am proud...Nance, thanks for the kind mention, and I am proud to be a Nanceketeer. I loved your list of favorite characters, and it got me to thinking; however, I tend to think more in terms of historical personages (except for Jo March. I wanted to BE Jo March). <br /><br />James A. Garfield. What a tragic, unnecessary STUPID death, for a man who held such promise, decency and good humor.<br /><br />George VI. Long before "The King's Speech", I admired his courage and determination, especially in contrast to the shallow, selfish Duke and Duchess of Windsor.<br /><br />Top of the list, the one person in history I'd love to spend time with...Eleanor Roosevelt. If she'd been created as a work of fiction, who would have believed her?fauxprofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06517754643773601799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-31311794953825833392012-11-30T17:02:38.014-05:002012-11-30T17:02:38.014-05:00TeacherPatti--Elaine wasn't Jewish in the show...TeacherPatti--Elaine wasn't Jewish in the show, was she? Jerry was, but I don't think Elaine was. <br /><br />Not important.<br /><br />Thanks for commenting!<br /><br />J.@jj--Oh, you're welcome. I couldn't resist getting a little Cleveland plug in there. Did you know you can tour the actual Christmas Story house here in NEO? And you can buy a Major Award/Leg Lamp there, too. LOL.<br /><br />Thanks for the nice things you had to say about my post. It is much appreciated. I could Talk Books at a moment's notice.<br /><br />Ally--I didn't make the connection that you were Ally Bean from over at J's place. A great deal of my traffic comes from Thinking About. Glad to have you here, and pick up your Award!<br /><br />Nancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-41471522929488563852012-11-30T12:54:08.009-05:002012-11-30T12:54:08.009-05:00I've gotten the "you look/act like Elaine...I've gotten the "you look/act like Elaine" stuff too. I've never seen a whole episode of Seinfeld but I still take this as a compliment. I think a lot of people think all Jews look alike and that is why they mix up Elaine and me :)TeacherPattihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17873195451474843927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-11361420998838165732012-11-30T12:25:52.601-05:002012-11-30T12:25:52.601-05:00I love the detail that you put into your favorite ...I love the detail that you put into your favorite character section! I'll bet you really made these books come alive for your students. :)<br /><br />And what a lovely award! Thank you for putting that together, it's great.Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00653383372182667361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-63120550874682190002012-11-30T11:43:20.449-05:002012-11-30T11:43:20.449-05:00[This is my second try at commenting-- hoping to m...[This is my second try at commenting-- hoping to make sense this time.]<br /><br />Thank you for thinking of me with this meme. However, as I'm the one who foisted it upon J at Thinking About... I feel that I've done my bit for the meme-ification of the blogosphere, so I'll pass on this opportunity. <br /><br />[Now there's a sentence.]<br /><br />Love that your favorite time of day is now what used to be your least favorite time of day. How cool is that?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com