A Meme about Various Things

Okay, okay (as Kelly put it). I don't usually do memes, especially if they aren't directly book related. But both Megan Germano from Read, Read, Read and Sarah from The Reading Zone tagged me for this one. And they're both very nice people, who comment on my blog, and whose blogs I appreciate. And this meme does seem to be everywhere. And I don't really feel like working, after a very long day yesterday. So here I go:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

Okay, now the heart of the meme:

What were you doing ten years ago?

10 years ago I was living in Boston, consulting and working on my Ph.D. in industrial engineering, while Mheir was in medical school. In June of that year we moved to Houston, Texas.

What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

1. Follow up with sales contacts (for my paying job)
2. Send out my work newsletter (in process as I write, it takes a long time to send)
3. Go to the grocery store, and put steaks in to marinate (done)
4. Fill out my absentee ballot for some small-scale election that's coming up (in CA you can do a permanent absentee ballot that lets you vote by mail for everything - for me I find that it makes me more likely to vote for these smaller elections than I would be otherwise). (done)
5. Post about several recent book award announcements (done)

What are some snacks you enjoy?

- Chips and salsa (the hotter the better)
- Cheese and crackers (or bread)
- Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate

What would you do if you were a billionaire?

Retire from my job so that I could work full-time on things related to children's books and literacy. Buy houses on the East and West Coasts (to live where I want, but be able to visit with family and friends back east frequently). Start some sort of foundation that gives books to kids (though I would want to hire someone to deal with anything administrative). I would probably still have to travel a lot, but I would at least be able to fly first class.

What are three of your bad habits?

1. I don't exercise enough (this is partly because I hurt my knee, but I know that it's an excuse).
2. I email or write people who I should just call, because I don't like talking on the phone.
3. I sometimes make decisions too quickly, without thinking through the consequences.

What are five places where you have lived?

1. Boston (Lexington and Chestnut Hill)
2. Durham, North Carolina (for undergrad at Duke)
3. Austin, Texas (for grad school at UT)
4. Houston, Texas (2 years at the start of Mheir's residency)
5. San Jose, CA (with one year in Menlo Park when we first moved out here)

What are five jobs you have had?

1. Clerk in a hardware store
2. Clerk and deli person in a convenience store
3. Ticket seller for a box office on campus
4. Intern for a town engineering department
5. Founder and COO of a software firm

(There were some other steps between 4 and 5)

What six people do you want to tag?

If I rarely do memes, I even more rarely tag other people. But I will give a nod to Nan from Anokaberry, Jenny from Wildwood Cottage, Patty from Capturing Joy, Kathy from Library Stew, Aerin from In Search of Giants and Anamaria from Books Together Blog, because I've commented back and forth with all of them recently, and I haven't seen any of them tagged yet. Truly, though, my friends, feel free to skip the meme if you aren't interested.

That was more fun than I expected. Thanks, Megan and Sarah! 

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.