Wednesday 10 June 2009

I've Been Meme'd!

How exciting - I've never been meme'd before - what a whole new world this blogging lark has opened up for me. I didn't know there was quite so much tucked down the back of the internet along with all the chocolate wrappers and crisp bags.

So, Jeff Kingston Pierce at The Rap Sheet tagged me (is that the correct terminology?), with this meme:

4 movies you would watch over and over:
  • The Bishop's Wife with Cary Grant and David Niven. I watch it every year before Christmas and each time I watch it I start crying at an earlier point. I'm now at the stage where I'm bursting into tears as I take the DVD out of its well worn case. "The only people who grow old were born old to begin with."
  • Night of The Hunter with Robert Mitchum - that singing of his sends chills down my spine every time. "There are things you do hate, Lord. Perfume-smellin' things, lacy things, things with curly hair."
  • Kind Hearts and Coronets - comic genius from Alec Guinness. "It is so difficult to make a neat job of killing people with whom one is not on friendly terms."
  • Little Miss Sunshine - sweet, lovely, funny and quirky. "Everyone, just... pretend to be normal."

4 places you have lived:
  • Glasgow
  • London
  • Newport Pagnell
  • St Ives - not very thrilling, really!

4 TV shows you love to watch:
  • The Wire
  • Mad Men
  • The Apprentice
  • Later with Jools Holland.


4 places you have been on vacation:

  • Alaska (the most beautiful place in the whole world, and the nicest people. I spent 2 weeks there last year and 2 weeks the year before teaching creative writing in Yup'ik schools - the link is my other blog)
  • Corfu
  • Santa Fe, New Mexico
  • Bracklesham Bay (and that's absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it's on the Manhood Peninsual - we used to go there for years and years when I was little and I have very fond memories of fresh doughnuts on the way down to the beach, ice cream, sandcastles, and spitting sunflower seeds at my little brother from my lofty position on the top bunk).

4 of your favorite foods:
  • Aqutak (eskimo ice cream - beautiful light, fluffy, tangy stuff (sounds lovely doesn't it?) made of fish, lard, sugar and fruit (doesn't sound quite as appetising now, huh?)
  • tapas
  • olives
  • raspberries.

4 Web sites you visit daily
:

4 places you would rather be right now:

Right now I would rather be in the loo, because I am desperate for a wee, but other than that:

  • at a Ramones gig
  • taking tea with Cary Grant
  • sitting chatting to family/friends
  • walking along the banks of the Kuskokwim river with the kids from Alaska.

4 things you want to do before you die:

4 books you wish you could read again for the first time:

4 people you think will respond:

I have no idea, so I'm not going to answer this one and tag anyone, but please leave any answers in the comments if you like!

14 comments:

  1. No David Corbett under books you want to re-read for the first time? I'm shocked Donna!

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  2. I wanted to put Machu Picchu but couldn't think how to spell it. Thanks!

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  3. I've been tagged for this meme, too. Re "Night of the Hunter," I have just returned from a local farmers' market, where I bought a chicken pot pie and some scallions from a soft-spoken soul who was apparently a former biker. He wore leathers, lots of silver, and plenty of tattoos. Across the knuckles of one hand was tattoed H-A-T-E. Across the other was B-U-M-P, oddly enough.

    Aqutak sounds way cool. Love that fish lard!
    ==============
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
    http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

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  4. Gordon - I only got 4 choices - that was harsh!
    Patti - don't take MY spelling as correct whatever you do!
    Peter - LOL, that's brilliant. I would have had to ask him about the BUMP. Maybe his toes say - SADAISY. Aqutak is gorgeous. You take a white fish, boil it, squeeze all the water out of it until it's dry flakes, add a pound of lard, a pound of sugar, a bit of condensed milk if you're feeling decadent, or some seal oil if you're feeling sadistic and fluff the mixture up until it's light and airy. Then add loads and loads of berries. Eat, and listen to your arteries as they harden.

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  5. BUMP -- SADAISY. It took me a minute to figure that one out. Maybe the guy was trying to project an ambiance at once threatening and cute.

    In re aqutak, is fish oil supposed to be beneficial, or at least less harmful to the cardio-vascular system, than other kinds of oil?

    I've put up my responses to the meme here/ , if you'd care for a look.
    ==============
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
    http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

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  6. just because: My brother in law Jimmy has the love/ hate tattoos on his knuckles but then he's got loads of tattoos. 'Thank You' in the palm of his hand used to raise a laugh but he's 62 now and it's faded so it says 'hank'...

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  7. Peter - seal oil is very beneficial, and keeps you warm. Unfortunately, it tastes really minging in ice cream :o) When I was there one of the elders was telling me how much he loves aqutak. He went to the coast to visit some friends and they made aqutak and he took a HUGE plateful before remembering that at the coast they are more likely to make it with seal oil than Crisco. Since it's considered rude not to eat everything you put on your plate, he had to wade through the whole fishy tasting mess. Luckily, I was warned in advance about Yup'ik customs - it meant I only took very small portions of anything dodgy looking - I could go back for second helpings of aqutak, but only had to gag my way though one piece of blubber :o)

    I also ate bear meat which was probably the most delicious tasting, tender meat I've ever had, but that's only because it was eating fruit (they knew this, since they caught it in a blueberry patch with its little face all covered in blueberry juice). If they have been dining on fish their meat tastes horrible. And you don't want to eat black bears that have been foraging in the town dump. I'm saying no more...

    I shall go and check out your list shortly!

    Paul - LOL - that's brilliant, although I'm extremely glad for him that 'thank' isn't spelled 'twank' :o)

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  8. The Bishop's Wife is a favorite Christmas film around our house.

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  9. "My brother in law Jimmy has the love/ hate tattoos on his knuckles but then he's got loads of tattoos. 'Thank You' in the palm of his hand used to raise a laugh but he's 62 now and it's faded so it says 'hank'... "

    How many times has he been asked ! Who the ---- is Hank?"

    I take fish-oil capsules every day for their supposed beneficial effect. No taste ot spectacular preparation, though.
    ==============
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
    http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

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  10. Donna, the Gallery of Regrettable Food is both a marvelous name and a marvelous site. It explains the phenomenon that may lie at the root of the perhaps not so old proverbial refusal of children to eat their vegetables. I would love to see the site turned into a regularly updated blog.
    ==============
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
    http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

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  11. Congratulations on your first meme! LOL

    Reading the last book on one´s TBR? - Well, how can one be certain when the right moment has come?

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  12. Peter, that reminds me of a regular in one of the local pubs who did the dotted line/ cut tattoo on his neck by himself, in the mirror. His nickname very quickly became 'Tuc'.

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  13. Paul, I know of no nickname story better than that.
    ==============
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
    http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  14. David - your house has good taste.

    Peter - I'd love to see it as a regular blog too. The first time I found the site I was there for hours.

    Paul - LOL - bless his heart.

    Dorte - I'll be scratching at the lid of my coffin saying "Just a few more pages."

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