Thank you again to Carly of Suburbia for the nod. I notice the rules stipulate that this is a particular award for people who have less than 200 followers with the purpose of getting to know that person better. Yeah, haven’t had that many followers in over a year… but I STILL accept. Yeah, that’s right, I see your two hundred and raise ya! And in the meantime, I am honored that anyone would like to get to know me better, so I shall do my best to answer the questions you’ve posed and honor the rules of this award.

They are:

1. Each person must post 11 facts about themselves.
2. Answer 11 questions the tagger has given you and give 11 questions for the people you’ve tagged.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post. Tell them you’ve tagged them.
4. Remember, no tag backs.

I think I can handle that. It’s been getting hard to come up with new facts about myself for each nomination, so I shall just speak from the heart and not worry about overlap. Let me see if I can come up with a full 11 and still sound interesting…

1. I love animals – I grew up with cats, have learned to love dogs, and generally think animals are of a superior moral disposition than most humans. I can’t stand animal abuse and think people who engage in it should be receive the harshest penalties as meted out by the medieval justice system. I’ve always said they should bring the rack back 😉
2. Aside from a core of oldest friends, my bff’s are seem to be women – Yep, my best friend is my wife, and most of the friends I’ve made since I moved were women. I guess I just like women better, and get along with them on a more mature level. Sure, there’s only so much girl stuff I can stand, and most of these friends were all tomboys in their day, but I just seem to like and respect them more.
3. I love food – I love to cook, I love food that is exotic, and I especially love eating food that puts me in mind of another place and time. It’s a cultural experience, a sensual experience, and a rewarding experience.
4. I love beer – Much like my predilection for food, I love any suds that are a testament to the culture and history of brewing. There’s something about a bottle of a living, breathing elixir that just speaks to me. This is why I love craft brewing, beer made according to ancient traditions or in ancient place, and can’t stand generic stuff that’s rolled out on a factory floor with no attention to detail.
5. I love travel – Strangely, I haven’t seen that much of the world, which is odd because I’ve spent most of my adult life studying it to death. I’ve been all across Canada, been to the US on many occasions, and traveled to Spain, England, Germany, Mexico and Cuba. But that’s it and I want to see more! I want to go to Timbuktu, ancient trade capitol of West Africa. I want to see Shanghai, Beijing and Shangdu, the ancient historic centers of China. I want to visit Central Europe and the Balkans, Turkey and the Middle East. I want to travel through Northern France and the Low Counties in 2014 and share in the centennial that marks the 100 years since the end of the Great War. I want to see the ancient ruins of Babylon and immerse myself in the Cradle of Civilization! I’d like to walk the Amber Trade Route into Eastern Europe and Russia, and dine on perogies and pivo! I’d like to witness the ruins of Carthage and gaze on the civilization that could have beat Rome. I’d also like to visit the ruins of Maccu Picchu, Teotihuacan, and all the Mayan ones I missed last time! The itinerary is long and I need money to make it happen. Pay me!
6. I’m convinced reincarnation is real – Well, not exactly convinced, but I do like to believe in it. How else am I to understand my obsession with history and places I’ve never seen? One explanation is that I really was there, just not in my current form. I like that idea very much, because it considers that history is cyclical for a reason. It’s not just that human beings are essentially the same across time, but that our very souls are constantly being recycled thought it all and bearing witness to it again and again.
7. I feel like we’re at a crossroads in history – After years of reading about where we are going and what’s to come, I feel like things are coming together, and I’m both awestruck and a little frightened. It’s one thing to speculate about a future that’s still a long ways away, but another thing entirely to watch as that future takes shape around you. If what some say is true and we are on the verge of a Singularity, then life as we know it will be speeding up exponentially very soon, to the point where it will no longer resemble life as we know it.
8. I love the West Coast – I consider where I live to be amongst the most beautiful land on this planet. Every land has significance and sentimental value to some people, but I feel truly blessed that I live in a place where oceans, mountains, rainforest and sky are so plentiful. And I feel that these must be protected and preserved at all costs.
9. I still miss my friends – Six years back, I moved to the West Coast to be with my family and met the woman I would fall in love with shortly thereafter. Not a day goes by that I regret this life altering decision, but I still miss my friends from back East. Sure, there’s no ocean, mountains or ancient rainforests there, but I still see the last few years we spent together there as some of the best years of my life. If I had the means, I would see to it that we all lived within driving distance of each other. Either that or I’d just buy a plane and make the trip a few times a year.
10. I’m vain, but not shallow – Yes, I got a bit of a double standard going on. Whenever my wife says she feels out of shape, I tell her not to worry about it. But it’s a complaint I make anytime I miss a few workouts. I can’t be completely happy unless I’m thin, my muscles feel firm, and my shoulders and calves are big and brawny. I feel like a man should look like a man, muscles, hair, six pack and all!
11. Why I Write – I started writing in the hopes of creating the great novel, in the hopes of expressing my ideas and sharing them with the public. But I’ve learned along the way that in the end, what matters is the act itself. Expression for expression’s sake is what makes it sincere, and ironically, more worth reading. And if I found that I suddenly couldn’t’ do it anymore, I think I might go nuts!

And now we come to the QandA portion, which happens to be my favorite. So much easier than telling random tidbits about yourself. Which is I guess one other thing that about me that I don’t often admit to: I like structure!

1. What’s your favourite book?
   That’s like asking to me say which of my illegitimate children I love the least! Since just about everyone says 1984, I’ll go with Guns, Germs and Steel. Much like the Orwellian classic, it changed the way I look at the world and human history.
2. What’s your least favourite book?
   That is another toss up but I’ve have to go with Hunters of Dune. It was the single-most disappointing experience since Attack of the Clones and Batman and Robin. Daniel and Marty were NOT killer robots, dammit!
3. Have you met any authors?
   Yes, but just one, but on two separate occasions. I’ve met Gwynne Dyer, my hero when it comes to cool reads about geo-political issues and world events. I was pretty much in awe of him, but still managed to ask some important questions on two occasions. Nice man, and very well informed!
4. Do you own an e-reader? If not, will you make the switch to e-reading?
   I do, I have the Amazon Kindle program for iPad. I think it’s better than a Kindle itself, in that it has color and can approximate the experience of reading a book far more closely than a grey screen.
5. What’s your favourite colour?
   Green! There’s nothing quite like a rainforest or emerald green, and I’m told it brings out the color in my eyes.
6. What is your favourite childhood book?
   Not sure I had one. The literary bug didn’t bite me until I was in my teens, really. My other tried, bless her soul, but it took military fiction and pulp sci-fi to light my fire, and years later I’d be reading classics like The Iliad, A Tale of Two Cities, and Brave New World.
7. Do you have a favourite genre you like to read?
   Science fiction generally, but anything satirical and historical is aces in my (ahem) book as well.
8. Sunrise or Sunset?
   Sunset. It’s beautiful, relaxing, inspiring. Plus you can drink without worrying about ruining your health or getting fired.
9. Favourite pass time, other than reading?
   Taekwon-Do. I’ve done martial arts since I was about ten and haven’t looked back. In fact, if I couldn’t punch, kick and generally wail on things, I’d probably go insane!
10. What’s your favourite day of the week?
    Friday, without a doubt. Something about the energy, the promise of sleeping in, and having an open canvass before you. It just can’t be beat!
11. Finally, two men walk into a bar.. ?
    Well that was stupid of them. Surely with two of them they’d be able to notice a metal beam in their way!

And now for my list of nominees. Gee, I can’t think of many people I know with less than 200 followers, so this might take some time… My apologies too for anyone who’s well over 200, sometimes it’s hard to tell. And remember you’re free to disregard this if you don’t want to participate.

1. Clowie’s Corner – The adventures of Clowie, a Pyrenean mountain dog who’s perspective on life is nothing if not interesting and refreshing!
2. Inside the Mind of a Fantasy Writer – The home of Heidi N. Sieverding, Fantasy writer extraordinaire! She;’s authored 27 fantasy books by my last count, and maintains this site to communicate her insights about the world of Fae, fantasy and the supernatural to her fans. An with a name like Heidi Sieverding, you gotta know she’s the real deal!
3. advocatemmmohan aksharaalu – An interesting site, clearly that of a man who’s dedicated to the law and has plenty to say about life and the world around him, but curiously very little about himself! Hence, I call upon him to answer questions and be a little narcissistic for a moment.
4. Better With A Pen – The site of the author who shall remain nameless, at least that’s the impression I got from his blog! Sure, there’s plenty of information on his likes, his process, and the book he’s been writing for the past eight years. But no photos or real bio info. This could be just the thing to shake some of that info loose!
5. restaurantbastards – The unrelentingly and unrepentantly honest scribe of the service industry, telling it like it is to all you potential patrons out there. I have no idea if they have 200 or 200,000 followers, I’d just like to see what they have to say to some of these questions!
6. I think about beer – The site of a certified beer server (yes, they do have certification for that). Like me, this person loves beer, beer culture, and is well-situated to talk about it being in the Pacific Northwest. Frankly, I can’t understand why tons more people aren’t following this person! Get off your asses people and listen to what this beer enthusiast has to say. It just might save your taste buds!
7. 8 Bit Beer Blog – Another beer snob, like myself (that’s a compliment, don’t worry!), who’s also based right here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I’m so happy to find like minded people around here, especially in that it they provide reviews of beers which I may not have tried, but which are actually accessible to me since we are in the same geographic area. Rock on 8 Bit!
8. The Millennium Conjectures – The site of author and journalist Mark Sackler, who is writes about the ridiculous and the sublime (his words) and is based in the eastern seaboard of the US. In short, he is a man who delights in observing things both trivial in nature and profound. Interesting… one could say he’s got life summed up right there!
9. Better With a Pen – The site of sci-fi indie writer who shall remain nameless. At least, that’s my impression since I can’t seem to find a name, a picture or anything identifying about this site. But dangit if he doesn’t delve into his process and the book he’s been hard at work on for the last eight years. Maybe this award will shake something loose…
10. The Wandering G0urmand – Here is someone I just started following recently. Now I love food, cooking and travel, but compared to some of heavy-hitters (like this guy), I’m a total novice. Hence why I turn to the professionals who know a thing or two about the world and the fine food, wine and culture to be experienced therein.
11. Serenity Spell – The site of photographer and adventurer Feygirl, a woman who grew up on Three-Mile Island and now photographs the world, its animals and its habitats as a means of exploring it and expressing her creative side. I have a feeling she has a lot of worthwhile things to say, and so I bat this award to her in the hopes of hearing all about her journeys!

Done and done. Remind me to start a campaign to make sure these awards are finalized every year, and come with a cash prize! They seem to just bounce around endlessly otherwise. Of course, they do kind of serve the purpose of achieving cross-promotion between bloggers, and do help us get to know each other a little better. But dammit if I’m not just a little tired of their being endless nominations and no winners! I want something I can brag about to my peers, something I can rub the noses of my illegitimate kids in when I tell them how much of a disappointment they are! But most, I want the cash and the ass-kissing adulation of acolytes and fans. Is that such a bad thing?

Until next time, take everything I say with a dose of salt and keep doing what you love. The rest will surely follow… 😉