I win!

Did you know that Weight Watchers gives you little stickers or magnets when you reach milestones for weight loss? Well, they used to anyway.

And I was ridiculously proud of that 10% ribbon. I stuck it on my cubicle wall and hoped people would notice because, dayumm!, I was proud of that. It took hard work (and forgoing of Tiramisu) and had results that might not have been perceptible to those who worked with me, so a little sticker/magnet was great.

Isn't that the way with life? We just want a little recognition for our efforts.

Well, let me tell you, folks, I done been RECOGNIZED! A friend (whom I've only met once and with whom I've never really had a long conversation, so maybe "friend" is stretching it, but I feel like, if we lived in the same province, we would be besties) has nominated me for a pair of blogger awards.


Bronwyn, the witty, irreverent author of I, MayB, nominated me, and I am honoured.

However, she had the audacity to attach strings to this momentous award: I have to (a) post 11 things about myself and (b) nominate three other bloggers. It's sort of like a chain-mail disguised as an honor. (Do you remember those things?)

But I'm still tickled, so here I go: 11 Things You Didn't Know about Me.

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This is difficult because I am such an over-sharer that there really are few secrets to spill.

1. I'm afraid of dogs. Yep. I'm a dog owner who is afraid of almost every other dog on the planet. Scooter is almost as much of a wuss as I am.
2. I love black licorice.
3. I can't wear antiperspirant every day because I break out in pustulous hives and have to scratch my pits like a lice-infested baboon. (I compromise on 2-3 times per week.)
4. I have two chin hairs that I pluck on a regular basis. Stephen only knows about one of these chin hairs and has promised to pluck it for me if I am ever old and enfeebled. It didn't occur to me that, by the time that happens, chin hairs will be the least of my worries.
5. Man. This is hard.
6. I love my garden, but I really don't enjoy gardening. It's so much work! It ruins my manicure! Half the stuff dies!
7. I have a sweet tooth that rivals anyone's. Once, when I was  a grade-schooler, I came home and peeled all the frosting off a cake my mother had made. It started with just a little finger swipe, but gradually extended to the entire top of a 9" x 13" cake. To this day, I am astounded that my mother did not offer me up to human traffickers.
8. I play an unhealthy amount of solitaire on my iPad. The only good thing about this is that I can't drink wine while doing so (because I play in bed and I can't reach my wine glass easily without spilling it all over myself and the iPad).
9. I used to sew a great deal - everything from bathing suits to ball gowns, but my most recent foray into hemming involved iron-on tape. 
10. I wear a 34GG bra and I'm only 5'2" which renders me astonishingly top-heavy. You should see me try to rock forward to a sitting position in yoga. It is a hoot and a half, lemme tell you. 
11. I also have rather small feet, size 6. Which is great because I can fit sample shoes and thereby save some cash, but when you combine the 34GG with size 6 feet and long hair worn in a topknot, well . . . 

I'm not quite as asymmetrical as Granny.

And now, part b: the nominations. May I have the envelope, please?

I nominate:

• My niece, Diane, at Diane, Diapers, and Drool, for her wonderful posts about life with two wee ones -- joys, misery, and all.
• Spence Kennedy at Siren Voices, for his erudite writings about the life of a paramedic.
• Clare Law of Three Beautiful Things, for her simple observations of the things that make life worth living.

I'm not sure any of these three will continue the chain, and that's okay. Just want you to know that I enjoy the effort you put into your writing. Thank you.

And I would nominate Bronwyn back, but I think she'd make a voodoo doll out of me if I forced her to post another 11 8 factoids. Likewise, another friend, but she is ambivalent about making her blog really public.