I've Been Tagged...

I was tagged by Rissi from Scribbles, Scripts, and Such. It's rather providential, because even though I've been working on a review of The Hunger Games since Friday, I still haven't been able to finish it, due to being sick with some sort of lung infection/virus. So this is a nice, simple post to do, and I promise to have that Hunger Games post finished by the end of the week.

The Rules

1.) Post these rules.
2.) Post 11 random things about yourself. (although this one can be optional)
3.) Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
4.) Create 11 new question for the people you ask to answer.
5.) Go to their blog and tell them they have been they have been tagged.

Here are the eleven questions from Rissi:

1. Is there an author whose works you admire? If so, why? 

There are so many! I especially admire Agatha Christie, just for the sheer volume that she was able to write during her lifetime. Her mysteries almost always stump me.

2. How did you get started blogging?

I used to keep a journal, which got me into the habit of writing out my thoughts. Then, when I discovered blogging, I thought I want to do that. But I didn't want my blog to be the same as my journals - a rundown of my day or bits and pieces of my life. I wanted it to be a place where I could write about things I care about, the kind of things that I can talk about for hours on end. Which is why I decided to have a writing-themed blog.

3. What inspired you to name your blog Word Art?

In the recent Trinity Arts Festival at our church one of the categories to enter was the word art category. Seeing it beside the other art categories - painting, photography, sculpture - made me think about writing as an art. A story is a work of art. Good writing should be like a painting with words. The idea kind of stuck with me for a few days until I came back to my blog (which I was having trouble coming up with a name for) and thought, "perfect!"

4. Do you have a favorite story-book (or fictional) couple?

I like Pepper Potts and Tony Stark in the movie Iron Man. They both complement each other beautifully - she's very practical and down-to-earth, and he's very carefree and thinks outside the box. She keeps him in line, and he draws her out. I bet they would be the perfect match on the Kiersey temperament test.

My other favorites are Mary and Matthew from Downton Abbey, Elinor and Edward from Sense and Sensibility, and Aragorn and Arwen from LOTR.

5. Do you have a favorite Sunday comics strip?

I've always liked the Baby Blues comic. It's usually pretty accurate at portraying what it's like to live in a family with kids.

6. Mac or PC?

Definitely PC. I've used both, and the PC is without a doubt easier to use (not to mention the keyboard on the Mac I have is so small I kept mistyping everything.) Not that I'm against Apple products - I wrote half this review on an iPad. I like their mobile devices, just not their computers.

7. Given a choice do you: a.) have a picnic or b.) enjoy dinner at a restaurant?

Picnics are nice in the summer, but they can be kind of messy. I would much rather eat at a restaurant, where the food is prepared for me, the tables are clean, and there's no worry about ants or bees or mud or weather.

8. Pepsi or Coca-Cola?

Coca-Cola... but that's mostly out of habit. I'll drink Pepsi if it's there, but I normally reach for the Coca-Cola first.

9. How do you define modesty, and what do you think of modern fashion?

I've heard modesty defined as a heart issue, and I do agree with that, but I think modesty is a clothing issue as well. There are modest and immodest clothes. Some aspects of modesty are just common sense (e.g. wear clothing!). But other aspects are a little harder to pin down. Personally, I have standards that I wouldn't necessarily impose on others (except for my someday children).

As for modern fashion - I think some of it is atrocious. But I also think some of it is really good. I tend to like the more timeless fashions, the kind that I can see myself wearing for the next five to ten years or longer (adjusting for age, of course). Some of the modern fashions just aren't practical - pencil skirts and strapless dresses are one example. I know this sounds kind of odd, but if I can't see myself running from a mad dog or a psychopath with an ax while wearing it, I normally don't wear it.

10. What did 2011 teach you?

I think one of the main things 2011 taught me (and 2012 is still teaching me) is how to juggle multiple activities without having a nervous breakdown, and also how nice it is to relax and have a few moments with nothing to do.

11. What is one of your "guilty pleasures"?

Keeping up with politics (especially the Presidential election, this year). Maybe not so much a "guilty pleasure," though.

Those were some good questions, Rissi! I hope some of my answers weren't too long and boring...

Okay, eleven random things about me:

• I don't really like peanut butter, but I do love Hershey's peanut butter cups.
• My middle name is the same as my mom's and my friend Kerilynn's.
• I love both the word and the color "turquoise."
• I used to want to be the President, until I learned more about the job (and the traditional gender).
• I look horrible in yellow.
• Two of my favorite heroes, Sherlock Holmes and Tony Stark, were both played by Robert Downey Jr.
• I've been on Facebook since 2007. Five years. I've been through a lot of the Facebook changes (and I'm still alive!)
• My favorite numbers (can you have favorite numbers?) are 2, 7, and 8
• I've rarely gone more than a year without visiting the ocean.
• I've read all 60 of the original Sherlock Holmes stories.
• I love sour candy. 

All right, my eleven questions to ask the people I tag:

If you could have dinner with one fictional character, who would it be?

What's your favorite kind of blog to read? Journal blogs, or more focused blogs?

Who would you most like to get a book signed by? 

The Summer Olympics are this year! What is your favorite activity to watch?

Classic question: which three books would you take on a desert island?

Africa or Alaska: if you had to visit one, which would you visit, and why?

What are three places you'd like to visit before you die?

Have you been keeping up with the Republican primaries? Who would you choose for president and why?

Which type of poetry do you prefer: rhyming or blank/free verse?

Which movie are you most looking forward to this year?

If you could have the powers of any superhero, which hero would it be?

And I tag:

Kerilynn (cause I mentioned her) 

Daniel (cause he likes tags)

Josiah (cause I want to know his answer to question 8)

KayleeBeth (cause she was my 9th follower!)

Bethany (just because)

Sara (just because)

Spidophile (cause I promised her I would)

If you haven't been tagged, but would still like to answer my eleven questions, please do! (Leave me a link in the comments).

Thanks for tagging me, Rissi, this was a lot of fun!