ask me anything (again) & more
Remember back in July when I needed inspiration to come up with 8 things about me for a meme from JennieBoo?
Well now fabulous artist and blogger Robyn of Have Dogs, Will Travel has tagged me for 7 more things . . . and I need your help again.
Bonus–this will help me get through 30 days of posts for NaBloPoMo. What? You’re not signed up yet? Come join the fun, and don’t forget to add me as a friend!
Please leave your questions in the comments, and I promise to get to all of them (some restrictions apply, of course)–but if you’re afraid something has been asked before, don’t be.
I’m a proud member of the Department of Redundancy Department.
And now some announcements:
WIN!
Robin of My Melange, winner of my Bella Bags contest, is now paying it forward with a contest of her own! Read more about it here, but let me tell you about the wonderful prize:
You can win a fabulous copy of the soon-to-be-released book My French Life by Vicki Archer, and there are a few different ways you can enter the drawing. Get on over there before November 9th and check it out!
Also, if you want to see the Bella Bag that I chose for Robin, she posted about it here (and there’s some eye candy to boot!).
By the way, for the environmentally-interested, Marcia of Bella Bags has a new Be Green Shop Green full of organic goodies, so get shopping!
READ and REMEMBER!
Breast Cancer Awareness month is almost over, but that doesn’t mean we should forget how important this subject is. I put a widget from The Breast Cancer Site over there in my sidebar that you can click every day to help fund free mammograms, so click away!
And when you get to the site, why not click the Hunger, Child Health, Animal Rescue, Rainforest, and Literacy tabs at the top as well?
Now go read one of the most touching posts I’ve read about breast cancer, this by my new buddy through NaBloPoMo, BipolarLawyerCook, about her mother’s diagnosis:
Seventeen Years Later
WRITE!
(1) Halloween is coming up and blogging buddy Tui of Mental Mosaic would like to hear about your spooky encounters for the blog carnival she’s hosting:
Blog Carnival: True Spooks…Share Your Ghost Story
Hurry, post your entry, and send the link to Tui by October 28th. I’m working on mine!
(2) Another great event happening over at Vanielje Kitchen and The Passionate Palate:
Apples & Thyme…
celebrating time in the kitchen with mothers & grandmothers
Here’s your chance to write about the women who have inspired you in the kitchen, even if they weren’t your mother or grandmother. It’s a lovely way to remember and honor the women in our lives, so I hope you’ll participate.
Post your tribute by November 10th and then read the round-up of posts on the 15th.
Is this enough for you this weekend? I sure hope so.
I also have some planning to do for NaNoWriMo, so I know I’ll be busy.
Buon weekend,
and remember to fire away with the questions in the comments!
29 Beans of Wisdom to “ask me anything (again) & more”
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
Recipes
Boy, you weren’t kidding about the “& more” part of your title!
OK, here’s my question and I ask this because you have hinted on several occasions that you are looking forward to having children someday…
When you were a little girl, (if you did) how many children did you dream of having and what were their sexes? Is their anything different from what you thought then and how you feel about it now?
OK, now off to all of those links you posted. Too much homework for the weekend though, teacher! 😉
Wow, talk about busy girl! Thanks for posting about the Apples & Thyme event. It seems to be quite close to everyone’s hearts. It’s great that you’re spreading the word for us but we need a story from you too. Come on, you know you have it in you. PS. Stella and bubs are to beautiful for words.
Giulia, excellent question! I did give a lot of homework, didn’t I? Well, just in case it’s STILL raining where you are too 😉
AV, I’m working on it, believe me!
Ooh; lovely bag you picked out for your contest-winner. I am confident that should I ever win a contest you run, I will be happy with your taste in prizes. 🙂
Also, I cannot believe you are doing both NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo. You are ambitious!!
Aw, heck. You talked me into it. I signed up for NaBlPoMo for the 2nd year running. It’s going to take more motivation and creativity this year to keep me going… last year my blog was still a newborn so I was brimming with ideas… this year… we’ll see.
Question for you, very random and off the top of my head: What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever splurged on?
Stefanie, well if I ever do a contest with lip gloss involved….
No questions?!
Shelley, yeah! Another participant! I signed up to do 30 days of thanks (one of the groups on the NaBloPoMo site), which ensures I’ll have *something* to say for 30 days 😉
Excellent question.
Now that’s 2….
Here is a hypothetical question for you…
If you were the world leader of a country (country of your choice)for 100 days what would you do?
PS: I am curious to see which country you would pick!
Dee, what a great question! Hmmm….
Sognatrice-
Thanks so much for posting about my blog *party* contest! You are now entered!!! I sure hope some of your readers are able to pop over and enter!!
And about that question….hmm, since I asked you all those questions in my *interview* with you..I have to get back to you–maybe a follow-up question is in order!
xoxo
Robin
You are the ultimate blogger, Sognatrice! You pay it forward all the time by promoting others. Thank you so much for spreading the word about the Apples & Thyme event…as you know it, is very close to my heart.
xo, jeni
My goodness! If I did all of this I’d be busy all weekend, lol! I’m certainly going to look into at least some of this.
Thanks for all the links, lots of reading fun!
Ha! I am doing the questions thing too.. so come by and help me out.
Let me see.. What is the best thing about living in Italy?
Ok here’s my question. After just reading *At home in Rome* it got me thinking about all the bureaucratic things she went thru with her *papers*. She ended up just staying for quite sometime not be *legal*. I was wondering if you are *legal*, have you always been, and what was that process like for you?
Hi,
haha I almust must smile when reading about you, your interest’s you are still a great writer
Question:
I just wondered why you did not visit my blog yet? This because I publiced many photo’s from my visit to Italy-Sicily-Taormina,
have a great weekend:) JoAnn
Oooh, you’ve inspired me… I think I might go for NaBloPoMo… it’ll be like my half-marathon in the blogging world!
Okay, I’ve signed up, but I don’t know how to add you as a friend, so if you let me know how, I’ll be all set! Thanks!
Don’t know if this has been asked before….how often do get back to the states to visit?
See any “mafia” activity lately? 😉
Oh man! Those are just too sweet for words! You must be one proud nonna! 🙂
The guinea fowl have hatched five chicks in the next door neighbour’s garden – too sweet for words. I’ve been hanging over the wall with a zoom lens trying to get snaps of them!
My true love laughed at me because as I was serving him dinner one night a week ago he noticed my digital camera sitting on the cutting board. I explained that I am a little worried about running out of things to write about during NaBloPoMo, so I’ve been taking pictures of every dish I make up that is even remotely interesting just in case.
“Oh, so you’re cheating then?”
“Not at all!” I insisted. “I’m just taking pictures. I’m not pre-writing the posts.”
He finds all this ridiculously amusing. Or just ridiculous. And so do I, but that’s kind of the appeal, right?
Questions…questions… All I can think of are recipes for Italian cookies. What is your favorite Italian cookie? And if it’s not too much to ask, what is the recipe?
I love Italian cookies because they don’t tend to be overly sweet and my very favorites often have lovely, almost savory seasonings in them. Mmmm…I’m thinking happy thoughts about crispy brown things with fennel and almonds. I don’t even know if they’re real, or if they’re a melange memory of every Italian cookie I’ve ever eaten all rolled into one taste.
Oh, and about Pink October… Not to be a killjoy (though I hear I’m quite good at it), maybe visit these sites for more information and a different perspective:
Breast Cancer Action’s Response to “Click” for Mammograms Buttons
Think Before You Pink (which is about all the pink-themed shopping and marketing, which I know is not what you are doing)
Boycott October, by Jeanne Sather of The Assertive Cancer Patient, who has also been running a “How Low Will Komen Go?” contest for the most tasteless piece of pink marketing spotted this month — in fact, you can read much of what Jeanne and a number of other cancer patients have to say about the pinkery here. It’s not what most people are used to seeing, hearing, or thinking.
Yes, how do Italian women stay thin in Italy with all the great food? What is a normal day of eating and or excercise like in Italy? I have a few (ahem) pounds to lose..so help me out, won’t you? haha
Wow, tons happening here! It’ll be hard to keep up but I will try! 🙂
I don’t know that I could come up with anything more creative than the questions already asked . . . maybe ask your favorite food? Living in Italy where I dream of the cuisine you must get I could live vicariously.
I have a question! How do you like your gnocchi, if you eat them? I blogged about it today, trying to decide what to do with my gnocchi. 🙂
Sognatrice,
I love your blog and I have added it to my links on my own blog. I enjoy the smart writting! I find a lot of inspiration and really interesting links (you have kept me busy lately!)
Here is my question:
I know P. does not read your blog, does he really know how smart you are? and Do you feel you are the “same” when speaking, writing in Italian?
I guess this makes it two questions, sorry.
Sognatrice, I came by to let you know that I used your recipe for the carrot cake (I made muffins instead) on Saturday and they were a success. Everyone really liked them. I REALLY don’t like carrot cake, and even I thought they were pretty good. So, thanks!
And on that note, here’s my question:
What are your top 3 recipes that you KNOW you have mastered, and love how they come out?
A few additional questions, but not for the NaBloPoMo as much as for my own knowledge:
1. Can I steal this idea and have people ask me questions on my blog for NaBloPoMo too?
2. How do I seriously go about taking one of those puppies without flying to Italy? (okay, maybe this one isn’t entirely serious, but my parents want a puppy really badly! 😉
Lot’s going on in this post. I did enter My Melange’s contest.
So, my question isn’t really a question, but a request. Will you join us on Fridge Friday and so us a picture of your fridge?
Just in case you need another idea for your month of daily blog posting, I’ve tagged you for an easy Meme. Enjoy!
I’m so behind on comments! Sorry! If you’ve read my latest post, you’ll see that my internet connection has been horrible.
Anyway, let’s see where we were:
Robin, I know that this wasn’t a full post for you, so I’m happy I still get entered anyway 🙂 And thanks for the question!
PP, I’ve been working on my entry and it’ll be up soon!
Jen, I hope you paced yourself 🙂
Janet, enjoy!
Alyndabear, sorry I haven’t been over yet; I’m on my way! And thanks for the question 🙂
JoAnn, I’ve been I swear! I’m sure I didn’t comment b/c of trying to rush around before my connection gives out–the whole month of October has been awful for it. Hopefully November will be better, and I’ll be over with some comment love, I promise 🙂
Bonggamom, woohoo! I don’t know if you’ve figured it out yet, but I’m headed over there shortly 🙂
Karen, good questions 🙂
AV and A, I hope you got those shots. Would love to see them!
Sara, as always I thank you for your enlightening information; very good stuff there that I’ll have to read more in depth. And thanks for the question!
Maryann, excellent question 🙂
Shameless, thanks for even trying!
Scribbit, thanks for the question…could take a while to answer that one. I could probably make that alone into 30 posts 😉
Tina, mmm, gnocchi! LOVE gnocchi!
Beatriz, why thank you, and what great questions 🙂
Karina, recipes! Fun since I can put this answer up on a Wednesday 😉 Also, definitely feel free to use this idea to get some blog posts generated! I’d love to say you can virtually adopt a puppy, but I’m not sure where they’ll physically be yet…we’ll see. But there’s always the local ASPCA 🙂
Geggie, last Friday was a no go, but maybe this week….
Smtwngrl, I’m pretty sure I did this one, but it looks like there are some different questions. I’ll figure something out….
Thanks everyone for the questions. Keep ’em coming!!!