So the lovely ladies over at Two Good Eggs (whose wonderful blog has the uncanny ability to make me laugh when I’m feeling down) nominated me for a Liebster award and gave me a list of questions to answer. Thank you for thinking of me! As far as I can make out, the rules are that I have to answer their questions. After that, I make my 10 nominations (check them out in the links below!) and post 11 questions for them. Then my nominees get to pass it on. (And the circle never ends?)

Here goes:

1. What was your worst job and why?

I had an amazing job turned nightmare a couple of years ago. I worked as a copyeditor and had a dream of a boss. The material was interesting, I had my own office, and I loved my coworkers. And then– it went something like: “Surprise! Meet your new boss. This guy is great. He doesn’t know anything about what he is supposed to be an expert in, he’ll yell at you in front of people to make himself feel bigger, and he’ll treat the people around you like dirt.” After a few months of that, I went to the HR director and said, “I’ll work from home or I’m leaving. And as long as he’s here, I won’t be the last to go.” I left. And that’s when I started my own business. DH calls it my problem with authority. (The bully boss lasted a few more months. Everyone else in the department under him left before he did. I think he was fired, but I’m not certain.)

2. What do you notice first when meeting someone?

I’m REALLY bad with faces. If you’re wearing a name tag, I will notice how you spell your name. If you’re not wearing a name tag, I will imagine how you spell your name. Or I will ask you how you spell your name. Later, I’ll remember that I met a person with a particular name. And I’ll remember pertinent details of whatever conversation we had. But I might as well have been blind, because I wouldn’t be able to describe the person’s face after just one meeting.

3. What is your favorite condiment? What do you put it on?

Barbecue sauce. I put it on french fries, hamburgers, pulled any kind of meat… you know, the normal stuff barbecue sauce belongs on.

4. What’s your favorite sexual position?

The one that gets me knocked up. Or, since it appears that may not happen in the standard way, ummmm…

5. Why did the chicken cross the road?

I’m pretty sure that was where the fertility clinic was.

6. What was your worst idea ever? Did you act on it?

DH wanted to run a marathon. I had never run a race before (not even a 5k). But I was working a terrible job (see no. 1), and running at the end of the day helped me destress. So I told him I’d run with him. That wasn’t the worst idea, but insisting on “just running” and not doing any crosstraining beforehand may have been. My knee took a little over a year to recover. But we did finish, darn it!

7. What do you most often forget to do that you should do?

Blog. I want to blog a lot more often. It’s been so cathartic for me to put words on a page. It helps me process things. But I don’t take advantage of having a blog as often as I should. When I’m feeling low, I often forget I have this great space to vent.

8. What is your favorite movie quote?

“I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” ( Billy Crystal as Harry in When Harry Met Sally. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. NOW.)

9. Where was the worst place you visited? What made it so bad?

Badascony, Hungary. The first big trip DH and I took together was to Hungary. We spent about half our time in Budapest (which is a very interesting city) and the other half we biked from town to town along the north side of Lake Balaton. We started on the West side and ended on the East side of the lake before heading back to Budapest. On our way to the second town (and the first real bike day), it poured rain. And it was so cold. As we got close to our destination for the night, in the middle of Hungary’s wine country, we stopped at a winery/restaurant to ask for a bit of help finding our hotel. The waitress made a mean face at us (dripping wet with our big backpacks, and I bet our lips were blue), looked at the address we showed her, and acted like that zip code was not even in the same country. When we found our hotel, it was about three blocks away. We had originally planned to eat at that winery that night. Instead, we stayed in, drank hot tea, and took warm baths. The next morning, we headed out of there quick.

10. Do you poop while talking on the phone?

No. I mean, I guess if DH called while I was using the toilet, I’d answer. But I wouldn’t initiate a call from the pot.

11. What is your personal mantra?

This year: Fruitfulness. We’re going to make it a fruitful year, no matter what our circumstances.

DH says my personal mantra is skepticism. I don’t believe things I hear. I don’t take things at face value. Especially from doctors, teachers, and people in authority in general. (Okay, maybe I do have a slight problem with authority…)

Bonus Question: Do you own pajama jeans? If so, where do you wear them?

No. But now that I am faced with this question, I think I should. I have the perfect office environment for it. I usually wear pajama pants to work (at home). If I had pajama jeans, I could answer the door with confidence when the FedEx guy rings the bell.