Reading on the F Train

Yay!  I've received the Liebster Award from Marcie Colleen at The Write Routine!  I really like the idea behind this award:  it's for blogs with fewer than 200 followers, to help get the word out!

So, before I share this with some of my fellow bloggers, I'm meant to share five things about myself:

This is the backyard of our house.  Yes, it was beautiful.  But.  37 other people.

1) The first time I ever left North America, I was 21.  Not one to do anything by halves, I flew for 19 hours to get to Johannesburg, South Africa.  (Did I mention I hate flying?)  I spent three weeks living in a house with 37 other people--yes, 37, half from my college theater department and half from a theater conservatory in Jo'burg--and taking the public bus through Jo'burg to work each day.  (Did I mention I adore public buses?)  It was undoubtedly the most intense three weeks of my life: literally across the planet from anywhere I had ever been before, living with 37 other people, and having another day of flying to look forward to.  And, not to be a total cliche, but: I'm so, so glad I did it.

Find this candy bar.  Now.

2) PSA: Trader Joe's has started making speculoos-filled chocolate bars.  Speculoos, if you haven't tried it, is like a spice-cookie spread.  Like the texture of peanut butter, except it's made of cookie.  Needless to say, they have become a staple in our house.

Who took the picture?  Why, our new friend, the cabbie.

3) My Blogger picture is me, on my great-grandmother's farm in Ireland.  My great-grandmother grew up there and then came to the States when she was about 18, leaving behind her parents and nine siblings.  Mr. S and I honeymooned in Ireland and found our way to this tiny farm, which we only got to because our cabbie kept stopping and asking after my great-grandmother's sister-in-law, and everyone in the village knew her.  When we got there, the door was open--I mean, standing ajar--and the cabbie led us inside.  I introduced myself--Kitty's great-granddaughter from the States--and just like that, I was handed a beverage and given a tour of the farm.  My great-grandmother may have planted the rosebush that I'm standing in front of in that photo.  And above is me with my newly-discovered relatives (and newly acquired husband!)

4) I can recite at least 50% of the following movies:  Beauty and the Beast, The Sound of Music, A Christmas Story, Clue.  Also the entire run of Sports Night and at least the first season of The West Wing.

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5) I have performed the following embarrassing numbers in front of my classes:  Gold Digger (rap) and the Dougie (dance).  Both times students laughed so hard other faculty members came running to see if everything was ok.  They were not laughing with me, except that I was also laughing...at me.

Ok, now to pass the award along!

1) Jaime Morrow at Jaime Reading and Writing, who is a friendly and encouraging blog pal, and who is always one step ahead of my TBR list!

2) Kristen Pelfrey at Kristen Pelfrey Writes, who writes about teaching with a clarity and honesty that I really admire. 

3) Colin D. Smith, who is a tireless advocate for all the things he loves, including Doctor Who, Divergent, and Scott Westerfeldt's Leviathan trilogy (excellent taste, no?)

4) Jim Randolph at Teacher Ninja, who I discovered through a recent comment challenge, and whose blog totally fascinates me because being a school/children's librarian is like, the secret dream I keep where most people keep their dreams of playing pro sports and winning American Idol, and he makes it seem exactly that cool.

5) Bailey Hammond at Over Yonder..., who has excellent taste in books (read: is also a fan of The Scorpio Races) and hobbies (read: oh Bailey why did you have to blog about Skyrim, now I am going to have to PLAY it, there goes spring break...)