Thursday, November 08, 2007

Crazy Eights

I don't generally like to be "tagged" with memes, because they create an obligation to respond that forces me to use my limited free time. But, perversely, I do enjoy some of them for what they make me think about.

The Crazy Eights meme popped up not long ago...Serina Hope and Amanda both responded to it, and I thought I might as well also, because it forces me to think about really skinnying down lists that in some cases are very long. Here we go...

Eight Things I'm Passionate About:
1. Agnes.
2. My Children.
3. My Grandchildren.
4. Ballroom Dancing.
5. Reading (education in general).
6. Cooking.
7. Courtesy.
8. Good writing.

Eight Things I Want to Do Before I Die:
1. Attend the weddings of all my grandchildren.
2. Write and publish at least one book.
3. Get my PhD.
4. Dance a Waltz with Edyta Sliwinska.
5. Visit the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg and the Prado Museum in Madrid.
6. Take a cruise through the Panama Canal.
7. Visit Kathmandu, Nepal (I just love the way the name rolls off my tongue).
8. Spend a Week Exploring London.

Eight Things I Say Often:
1. "What a revoltin' development THIS is!"
2. "Great Caesar's ghost!"
3. "Whatever."
4. "Hope you didn't have to pay extra for that turn signal..."
5. "Oh, for Pete's sake..."
6. "You've gotta be kidding!"
7. "What a dumbass!"
8. "Come on, Schatzi, it's time to get up!"

Eight Books I've Read Recently:
1. The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan (now reading)
2. The Perfect Summer, by Juliet Nicholson
3. Malice, by Robert K. Tannenbaum
4. 15 Stars, by Stanley Weintraub
5. The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman
6. The Museum of Dr Moses, by Joyce Carol Oates (now reading)
7. In At the Death, by Harry Turtledove
8. The Children of Hurin, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Eight Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over:
1. Song for Judith (Open the Door), by Judy Collins
2. Who Am I to Say?, by the Statler Brothers
3. Angel Mine, by the Cowboy Junkies
4. Pachelbel's Canon in D
5. Closer and Closer Apart, by Mary Chapin Carpenter
6. Fields of Gold, by Sting
7. The Ballad of Mr Shorty (full-length version), by Marty Robbins
8. The Perfect Partner, by Jimmy Buffett

Eight Things That Attract Me to My Best Friends
1. Sense of Humor.
2. Trustworthiness.
3. Dependability.
4. Intellectual Stimulation.
5. Reliability.
6. Openness.
7. Similar interests.
8. Different interests.

Okay, there you go. More about Bilbo than you ever wanted to know.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

9 comments:

John A Hill said...

Great list, Bilbo. I especially like the music list--what a variety of artists and styles.

NathanRyder said...

Hmmm, I could very well do Crazy Eights myself later on...

How was The Children of Hurin?

The Mistress of the Dark said...

Number 4 on things you say often sounds like something my dad would say.

Amanda said...

Hi Bilbo, I'm glad you decided to pick up this meme. I particularly liked your list regarding your friends, especially #7 and #8.

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed reading this. Its so nice to know a bit more about you.

Serina Hope said...

Oh, I love the things that you say. You sound like my Dad. I knew you reminded me of someone cool :)

Jean-Luc Picard said...

The thibgs you say often made me laugh...Perry White's "Great Caesars's Ghost" could only come from him!

Bilbo said...

John - thanks! Someone looking at my CD collection or the contents of my iPod would find something of just about everything except really hard rock and rap/hip-hop. I just love music.

Zero_Zero_One - I really enjoyed The Children of Hurin. It was a marvelously-plotted and very gripping depiction of the terrible fall of a proud man. If you liked The Lord of the Rings, you'd like The Children of Hurin too.

Mistress - Yes, around here I use that line ALL the time. The end of it is usually something like, "...since you're not using it."

Amanda - Thanks! While it's fun to be with people who share my interests, it's also a learning experience to spend time with people who are into other things.

Dari - Happy to Oblige! Hope you keep visiting the blog!

Serina - I'll take that as a compliment...it's always a bit horrifying for a man as he gets older and attractive women compare him - however positively - to their fathers!

Jean-Luc - I'd forgotten that "Great Caesar's Ghost!" was Perry White's line...I picked it up from my father, who used it all the time.

FrEeMaN said...

I never thought someone would get the list-it-down practice organized and concise to eights...i have lists but most get to be too long winded, like how you narrow it down to the barest!
p.s. happy birthday!