11 things

Louise at Nekomentsu very kindly nominated me for the Leibster blog award, which is designed to promote small blogs with fewer than 200 followers.  The rules of the award are:

• List 11 random facts about yourself
• Answer the 11 questions which are given to you by your nominator
• Ask 11 new questions for all the bloggers that you nominate to win the award
• Nominate bloggers with 200 followers or less
• Go to each of the bloggers pages and let them know about their nomination

So, first to answer Louise's questions:

1. If you could be any animal, which would you be and why?
A cat: they seem to lead such lovely lives, basically curling up and sleeping for 20 hours a day, punctuated by periods of eating too much and running around like a loon.
2. Who is your TV show/film doppelganger?
My dad's girlfriend has this random idea that I look like Dani Harmer, aka Tracey Beaker.  But I really don't. 
3. Can you speak other languages? If so, teach me a phrase please!
Despite getting an A for GCSE, I can't recall a word of German. 
4. If you could only wear one colour for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Blue.  I wear a lot of navy and dark blue when I'm being me, and when I'm teaching I like teal and turquoise shades.
5. Who is your favourite fictional cat?
Garfield, because we share a birthday (19th June - and he was even 'born' the same year as me) and because he loves lasagne and hates dogs as much as I do.
6. Sum up today in a song lyric please.
"I'll pretend that I'm kissing/the lips that I'm missing/and hope that my dreams come true," from All My Loving by The Beatles.  Six more days till I see The Boy, and it's all I can think about.
7. What is your favourite biscuit?
Terribly boring, but I love ginger nuts.
8. What is your favourite nail polish?
Right, this is a good place to make a confession.  I don't get this obsession with nail polish.  Most blogs I read are awash with nail art fans.  Life is too short, and my nails are too short and crappy, to faff around with that stuff.
9. Tell me about your worst holiday.
I don't think I've ever had a truly terrible holiday (or if I have, I've blocked it out).  Sorry, boring answer.
10. What is your life motto?
My mum shared a wonderful Helen Keller quote with me recently: "Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all," and I have tried to keep it in mind ever since.
11. What words or phrases do you overuse?
Amazing, fuck, dude. I call everyone 'dude', even my boyfriend. I love the word 'fuck' but have to watch my mouth at work, for obvious reasons. And at the moment, everything is 'amazing' or 'amaze', which irritates me but I can't seem to stop it.
Bonus: Do you like cats?
I do, but I'm allergic to them.

Me and my mum, for some reason posed as if for a local newspaper photographer covering a diplomatic visit. 

Long-time readers will realise that this is the first time I've posted an actual, proper, not-blurry or of-my-feet photograph of myself.  I thought it was time.  Also, my hair does not look like this anymore.

For my 11 facts I've cheated slightly and used some questions which I think I actually nicked from Louise's blog ages ago, and that have been languishing in my draft folder ever since.

1. Radio 1 or Classic FM?
Both.  I quite enjoy listening to Classic FM on the way to work, because I am old and too much noise upsets me first thing in the morning.  I also love Scott Mills on Radio 1, and am enjoying Nick Grimshaw's new tenure of the breakfast show. But at home, 6 Music is what I listen to most often, especially Steve Lamacq's late afternoon show, which I usually have on as I potter in the kitchen, cook dinner, or sit and blog.
2. Favourite tipple?
Aspalls or Thatchers cider.  Yum.
3. What super power would you have?
The ability to speak confidently to strangers would immeasurably improve my life.
4. All time favourite song?
This is so hard to answer! I can't narrow it down to one, and I think even five will be difficult, but I'll give it a go:
Impossible Soul by Sufjan Stevens
Hummer byThe Smashing Pumpkins
Cosmia by Joanna Newsome (although Only Skin is equally as brilliant)
While You Wait For The Others by Grizzly Bear (those harmonies!)
Grown Ocean by Fleet Foxes
5. Perfect Sunday?
It would involve a long lie-in, but I'd miraculously not sleep half the day away, (which I hate doing).  I'd have pancakes for breakfast while reading the bits of The Guardian I hadn't managed the day before. It would be a sunny day, so I'd go out hiking in the Peak District with my brother and we'd spend the time making lists a la Rob in High Fidelity. There'd be time for a pub lunch with some good cider, maybe a visit to a secondhand bookshop, then home to cuddle up with The Boy. I'd light the fire and sit and read while he cooked dinner... and on a truly perfect Sunday, I wouldn't have to get up for work the next morning!
6. Tea or coffee?
Tea all the way. I love coffee flavoured things - like cake or chocolates - but can't stand actual coffee, whereas I don't really function until I've had my cup of tea in the morning.
7. Ideal dinner party guests?
Even though everyone says this, I'd invite Nelson Mandela plus my late Grandpa, Theo (who knew Mandela so that'd making the seating plan easier!), Thomas Cromwell, Hilary Mantel (they can sit together), and Joseph Gordon Levitt. After all, I need someone to sit with...!
8. Best piece of advice?
From my mum, four years ago: "you should buy a house." She was right, it's the best thing I ever did.
9. What would you do with one million pounds?
The amount of free time that I spend pondering this question is ridiculous (especially given the fact that I don't play the lottery, so have no chance - however infinitesimally tiny - of ever getting my hands on such a sum).  I would do much the same as anyone else, I imagine.  Pay off my debts (and those of my family), donate some to charity (to the inspiring educational charities along the Wild Coast in South Africa), and then... party!
10. What one word best describes you?
Strictly speaking it's two words - 'space cadet'. It's ridiculous how stupid I can be, considering I'm actually pretty intelligent. I definitely lack common sense and struggle with logic.
11. What infuriates you?
On a mundane level: lorry drivers who overtake on dual carriageways. Hey! Driver! You're limited to the same speed as them, so it will take you eons to overtake and you will cause a queue of traffic a mile long! On a more important note, women who say they aren't feminists drive me up the wall. I want to say, "oh, in that case why don't you pack in your job and never wear trousers again and stop taking birth control and give up the vote". Don't take all the advantages that feminism has bestowed upon you but then refuse to recognise them as anything other than hard-won and fairly tenuously held.

As for nominations, I don't think I regularly read any blogs (barring Louise's) with fewer than 200 followers, which is a bit crap of me.  So anyone who wants to answer the 11 questions above is more than welcome to have a crack.