Tag, Apparently I am It.

I was tagged twice today (update: three times!) for the same meme. And as I sadly wasn't able to keep up with the last two tags earlier this Spring, I feel doubly (triply!) obliged to behave myself today.

So thank you to Jen and Michele (and Susan!) for the tags, and here goes....

First, the rules:

Each participant lists eight facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning of the post, before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags eight people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

And now, on to my 8 things:

1. I've lived in 12 different places since graduating from college 17 years ago, including 6 in Los Angeles, 3 in Massachusetts, 2 in New Jersey and 1 in Pennsylvania.

2. I was in Los Angeles during the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and rode out the quake under my desk (after a very stumbly run across the room to get to my desk). Later, while waiting for our building to get the "OK to re-enter" sign (and the power to come back on), I went to the Westin Bonaventure with friends, and we camped out in their basement shelter where we were treated to pastry, sandwiches, coffee and clean cots with blankets and pillows. Note to self: pricey hotels have back-up generators AND snacks.

3. During my 7 years in Los Angeles I had a reasonable amount of star sightings: Brian Dennehy, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael J. Fox, Donald Sutherland, Virginia Madsen, and Bill Pullman. I helped Donald pick a blouse for "an 80-year-old-woman," shopped for toiletries with Virginia, and pretty much just avoided coughing and sneezing all over Bill Pullman.

4. I do word puzzles every day. There are 10 quick puzzles I do early in the day, and one hard puzzle I do every night at 10PM. My mother does the same puzzles, and we compare notes by phone.

5. I'm a Leo. I'll be 39 this August, and I'm starting to look forward to turning 40 just as much as I looked forward to turning 30. I mean that sincerely -- I loved turning 30!

6. Living authors I admire: Stephen King and John Irving, as well as many authors of children's books. Not-so-living authors I admire: C. Bronte, Nabokov, C.S. Lewis.

7. I am a terrible impulse shopper, especially for antiques or odd objects. My worst (or best, depending on how you look at it) was buying an old record player in a wooden cabinet that stands about 3 to 4 feet tall. It is one of the ones with the huge arm, and the crank on the side, and it plays the really thick old records. Terrible music, but cool furniture.

8. I spared my pear trees this year, though they're cut way back. You'll probably hear more about them in several weeks, when the pears start pelting the passers-by and the cars on my street. And when the squirrels start getting angry at me again....

And now, I am going to stand up for my right to not tag anyone! Because so many have already been tagged.

Though if featherbee and stidmama wanted to take part, they could consider themselves tagged.