Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Tag! Meme Questions



I was tagged by my writing buddy, Kara to answer a few meme questions. For those wondering what meme is, I thought I’d give you a little definition. "Meme is an idea or element of social behavior passed on through generations in a culture, especially by imitation." So I will answer these repeated questions and pass them along to others.

1) If you could have any superpower, what would you have? Why?

Interesting question, but I’ve always known what superpower I’d want—invisibility. Being invisible would allow me to move around without notice and listen in on conversations. If I submitted any works for publishing, I could hear what they thought about my writing. I could sneak into friends and families houses and listen to their conversations, and find out if they’re talking good or bad about me. Invisibility opens up possibilities, such as blackmail. Just kidding.

2) Who is your style icon?

I read Kara’s blog about writing and/or fashion style icon. I’d have to go with writing icon, since I don’t have any fashion sense to talk about.

My big writing icon is Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I read his book, The Shadow of the Wind, and was literally enraptured by his story, and devoted to his characters. It was the first book I ever read and said, “I want to write like that.” The dialogue in his book is so real, and I have to point that out because many books move away from real dialogue. Dialogue strengthens your characters, which ultimately strengthens the story.

3) What is your favorite quote?

This is a tough question because there are so many wonderful quotes out there. My bedroom walls are full of phrases and quotes from books, movies and authors. Many of these come from Shakespeare, one who feeds inspiration from his works. To be fair, I have to quote from a book, movie, and authors. These are not the only quotes I love, but ones I’ve voiced before.

Book: This is from another one of my favorite books, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This quote comes from the narrator, Death when he talks about Liesel, the main character.

“She was the book thief without the words. The words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like the rain.”

Movie: This is from one of my favorite movies, It’s a Wonderful Life. Clarence, the angel writes it in a book he leaves for George Bailey.

“Dear George, Remember no man is a failure who has friends. Thanks for the wings, Love, Clarence.”

Author(s): I must quote two authors since I am trying to become one myself.

Shakespeare – “All hearts in love use their own tongues; Let every eye negotiate itself and trust no agent.”

Samuel Johnson – “It is always a writer’s duty to make the world better.”

4) What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?

In my days of bartending, I was talking to one of my bar regulars about life. It was early on in the day, so no, he wasn’t drunk yet. We were discussing our pasts and presents, and things we would like in life, and he turned to me with this serious face and said, “If I had a daughter, I’d want her to be just like you.” I actually got tears in my eyes when he said it.

5) What playlist/CD is in your CD Player/iPod right now?

I don’t have a particular CD on my iPod. I have a favorites playlist and the last song I listened to on it was “Back to the Earth” by Rusted Root.

6) Are you a night owl or a morning person?

Up until two years ago, I was a night owl. Now I wake early—carpe diem.

7) Do you prefer dogs or cats?

Definitely dogs and definitely at someone else’s house. I’m not the typical writer, who owns a dog, cat, or both. I’m use to flying solo.

8) What is the meaning behind your blog name?

I picked Skipping Stone Memories because what I post here are memories. Skipping Stones is from a pastime of throwing stones across a body of water and trying to make the stone skip on top. Since I am not posting all of my memories, meaning I’m skipping many, I decided to go with Skipping Stone Memories. And my alias, Bea Sempere, is a character from The Shadow of the Wind.

So now I will tag my blog buddies!




And I tag you, my readers. Please answer the above questions and either post them as comments or send in an email from my profile.

7 comments:

  1. Ah! I always wondered where the name Bea came from! I feel like I know you a little better now. Might that be the purpose of meme questions? ;-)

    On the other hand...oy...now I have to answer all these? And tag blog buddies? The buck might stop with me because I'm so new and don't have a lot of blog friends out there.

    Still looks like a fun post to write though. Thanks Bea :)

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  2. :D See what you learn when you read blogs?!

    I only tagged a few blog buddies, so don't worry about having to contact a lot of bloggers. I would love to read your responses too.

    Hope I see your post. If not, I'm sure I'll read another great post.

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  4. 1) If you could have any super power, what would you have? Why?
    Ability to predict the accurate future direction and timing of the stock/bond/commodity markets. There are so many commentators on TV and the internet that get it wrong. This is understandable as usually the emotions of fear and greed rule the markets. Facts and logic more often take second place. With this ability I’d be rich and could share the wealth with those in need.

    2) Who is your style icon?
    Was never into fashion. Glad I don’t need to wear suits and ties much any more, just very comfortable clothing.

    As far an admired style of a person it would be those that promote humor quite well and make me smile/laugh. These are some good friends and David Letterman’s monologue most of the time.

    3) What is your favorite quote?
    A lot of them but these kind of come to mind:

    Past teachers/mentors in life:
    “Read the problem” or “RTP”
    You can’t solve any problem unless you know and understand exactly what it is. Sounds simple but the more you analyze a problem the more the solution pops up. Have passed this along to people I have mentored in auditing and reconciling with much success. Prior to using this concept they believed the problem was insurmountable. It’s got a good blend of PMA in it as well.

    “Say what you mean and mean what you say” I like this as it promotes clarity and truth. If you’re telling the truth you can easily remember what you said and things should not come back and bite you in the butt.

    Poems
    “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark” Very old quote mostly attributed to R. Tagore with a few variations. What an amazing thought.

    Movies
    “We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!” The Treasure of Sierra Madre with a few variations. Was an appropriate humorous saying in my prior line of work.

    4) What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?
    One of the ones that seems to come to mind:

    Manager telling me my style of review and written reports was impressive and that others in the group were adopting the same styles which pleased her greatly.

    5) What playlist/CD is in your CD Player/iPod right now?
    CD of songs from almost all of the James Bond movies. There are some good ones in there.

    6) Are you a night owl or a morning person?
    It varies depending on my mood and what I’m working on. Now days I don’t have a set schedule. When I was working I wanted to be a night owl.

    7) Do you prefer dogs or cats?
    Dogs are absolutely the best. I rather have a dog that worships me rather than a cat that ignores me.

    8) What is the meaning behind your blog name?
    N/A I don’t have a blog. I’d rather read and enjoy this one.

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  5. YAY! Veejay! I love you responses, especially question 7. Great answer. Thanks for participating.

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  6. Great answers!! Thanks for playing Bea! I liked your compliment the best :)

    Hope you are enjoying your time abroad!

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  7. crap... I'll get to this when my break is over :) I swearz.

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