11 Random Things

Random shot of aspen trees

My first meme -- 11 Random Things -- tagged by the multi-talented materfamilias. This was a fun way to get to learn a little more about a few bloggers I'm familiar with and meet some interesting new ones. Here goes...

The rules are:
1. Post these rules
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag people!

11 Really Random Things about me
1. I spent a whole summer in Germany with my grandparents when I was nine and upon my return I could not remember how to speak English! Wish learning a language was that easy now.
2. I once had an out-of-body experience during the meditative part of a yoga class. I really was looking down at my body on the floor and watching the class gather their things to leave, but there I lay. The instructor held my ankles and gently rocked them back and forth to "bring me back." A truly wierd and unexplainable experience.
3. Our family makes wine as a hobby, lots and lots of wine. We make about 1600 bottles of Zinfandel and Barbera per year or about 132 cases. The grapes come from San Joaquin County near Sacramento. We transport the two tons of grapes back to Colorado in custom made vats. When the wine is ready to bottle we have a huge bottling party with lots of friends and Italian food.


Charles Bridge (Karlovy Most) in Prague

4. Prague is my favorite city because it cherishes artists of all varieties. They have an entire cemetery reserved exclusively for artists. I'm not an artist, but I appreciate and admire the Czech's deep love for beauty and truth. I also love that they elected a poet as their president!
5. At 46 I can still do the splits (yup, a point of pride for me)
6. I once sold Goldie Hawn a swimsuit, although I didn't know who she was until she signed her credit card reciept. I'm still not very celebrity aware.
7. I'm a triathlete. Sprint triathlons only, my favorite portion is the swim and I will take open water over a pool any day.
8. The movie Brokeback Mountain took me completely by surprise. I was devestated for days after seeing it. Something about beautiful, tragic love stories I guess.
9. On the first date with my now husband, we went cross-country skiing, 3 miles round-trip. He built a fire (yes, he's an Eagle Scout) and we drank hot cocoa. Somewhere along the way, I lost a mitten. He escorted me to the car so I would be warm and went off to find the errant mitten, which he did. Needless to say, I was smitten, still am.

The girl who started it all

10. I am an archer. I never would have picked up a bow and arrow were it not for my daughter who at the time was doing eye therapy and archery was a recommended activity. Now I love the sport and spend an entire week each summer in the high country shooting foam targets while pretending to be a more "mature" version of Katniss Everdeen.
11. Once in second grade at Catholic school, I had a crush on a red-haired boy named Brian and I desperately wanted to kiss him so I divised a plan. Our school yard was divided into two sections: big kids and pip squeaks. I lured the unsuspecting Brian to the big kids side of the school yard where I reasoned no one would recognize me and a planted a big kiss on the stunned boy. He turned bright red and I got turned over to the nuns for disciplinary action. They told my mom she'd have to keep a close eye on me so I didn't turn out "promiscuous." My mom laughed her ass off, Brian stayed far away from me, and I married my high school sweetheart.

To answer materfamilias questions --

1. What was your favourite film last year and why? Midnight In Paris because of the scenery and the charm. Owen Wilson is pretty adorable too.
2. If money were no object, where would you spend your next vacation? and why?
At the moment I would choose Buenos Aires. I've never been to South America and would love to explore that part of the world. My husband and I have taken tango lessons and I have real tango shoes from Buenos Aires; would love to take him and them for a spin at an authenic milonga.
3. Describe the earliest meal you can remember enjoying. Spaetzle topped with gravy. The homemade noodles were always a staple at family gatherings growing up. For the adults, the meat was the highlight, for me a plate of gravy-soaked spaetzle was heaven.
4. If you were dividing domestic chores with a new roommate, which ones would you try to claim? Believe it or not I'd want to wash the dishes. I kind of find it relaxing, but would gladly hand off the vacuuming.
5. Do you play a musical instrument? If so, which one? I don't. I tried learning piano as an adult but perfectionist tendencies meddled with my progress. The instrument I wish I could play is the harmonica.

6. When you're bothered by prolonged muscle or joint soreness that's interfering with your workout plans, do you visit a General Physician, a Chiropractor, a Physiotherapist, or a Massage Therapist? First I would go to yoga class, all that stretching does wonders for a multitude of ailments. If that didn't help I head to the GP.
7. What activities do you hope will sustain you throughout your 80s and 90s? I've been in a bunco group for going on 11 years. It's a great group of women, we laugh, drink wine, eat delicious food, and eventually  we settle down to roll the dice and play bunco. I hope we'll be playing well into our 8th and 9th decades. I also hope to continue snowshoeing, hiking, knitting, reading and continually trying new things.
8. What was the first important car in your life? Toyota Siena for ease of toting kids and stuff around.
9. What was the most significant course you ever took? Hmm, so hard to decide. What made my favorite classes memorable had less to do with the subject matter and more to do with the passion my profs had for their subject. I had some very colorful, enthusiastic lit professors.
10. If you had the resources, which elementary or high school classmate would you try to track down, and why? It was junior high and Linda Nonneman. She had an older sister, so I learned a lot about boys, boobs, hair and makeup when I stayed at her house. We had lots of laughs, but when my family moved from New York to Colorado, we lost touch.
11. Which chef would you like to have come to your house to prepare a meal for your guests -- or, alternatively, give you a cooking lesson in that chef's professional kitchen? Really, any meal lovingly prepared is a gift and a joy to share. I love Viana La Place's cookbooks, so she would be my choice. Her recipes are Italian with a twist and feature simply prepared meats and lots of veggies.

And  now a few questions for you
1. What is your favorite travel destination and why?
2. What is your hidden talent? Have you always had this talent or has it developed over time?
3. What's your favorite wine and what in particular do you like about it?
4. If you never had to work again, what would you do with your time?
5. Do you speak any other languages besides English?
6. Is there some recipe you insist on making from scratch, even though it would be more convenient to just go out and buy it?
7. Do you have a collection (stamps, regilious symbols, cookie cutters)?
8. What "words of wisdom" resonate with you?
9. Do you have a favorite musican or group?
10. If money and time were no object, what hobby or area of interest would you pursue?
11. What do you love most about your home?

I'm a new blogger and have interacted with only a few blogs out there. I don't know if they are game, but  I will be tagging the following because I would love to get to know them all a little better.

From Magpie to Minimalist
The Rich Life (on a budget)
Frugal Scholar

From Magpie to Minimalist's 11 Random Things Post