Six Word Memoir Meme

Tagged by was tagged by Doris Rose of MacBean's Adventures & Silver Fox for this meme to write my own six word memoir. I apologize for the long delay it took before I did it!! So here are three possible six word memoirs for me... (except mine only have 5!).

"Always takes the scenic route"
"Pays attention to the details"

Milkweed

Music Shuffle Meme

edited on 7/14 to add: Okay already, I guess nobody wanted to guess so here are the answers ! I wish you could hear how totally different this music sounds played next to each other.

Tagged by CAE at VWXYnot? I'm not tagging because I suspect that this has already made it's rounds while I was on my blog-break. But if you didn't do it and you want to - have at! - just leave a comment saying so. So the rules are that I am supposed to post the first line from the first 25 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song, and then you all are supposed to guess the artist and song that the line comes from. Erm, just looking at my list there are some really esoteric songs there but okay (and you can probably tell by my list why I'm no good at guess on other people's lists). The other rule is that I am supposed to cross out the line when someone gets it right (and when someone does I'll put it in orange) ...anyone want to enlighten me as to how to do that? Help! 'Cause I haven't' figured that whole text crossing out thing yet. And then I'll post the answers in a week or so.

So here goes nothing!

1/"When I was a child, nobody smiled..." is Nobody Knows Me At All by the Weepies
2/"Something is calling me into the mountains..." is Into the Mountains sung by Lisa Dancing Light (remember this one from the school musicals???)
3/"Es kamm Mamhad Mustafeh aus der Turkei..." is Bruder by Rainhard Fendrich
4/erm, this song has lots of saxophone in it...no words...solo jazz saxophonist is Serenity by Clarence Clemons
5/On the Road Again by Willie Nelson "On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again..."
6/"Trying just to be, and I'm trying hard just to breathe..." is Soul Swimming by Beecake
7/"Well I was sitting, waiting, wishing...." is Sitting, Waiting, Wishing by Jack Johnson
8/"Well it's been a long time, I knew we'd be together another time, another place..." is I'm Alright by Jo Dee Messina
9/"She's beating full of steel and holds a hardy, hardy crew, and there's lots of work to do..." is The Salty Sea by Alaska's Hobo Jim
10/Love Song by Sara Bareilles "Head under water, and they tell me to breathe easy for awhile..."
11/Non je ne regrette rien by Edith Piaf "Non je ne regrette rien..."
12/"I've got you under my skin, I have got you under my skin..." is I've got you under my skin sung by Diana Krall (Propter Doc & ScienceGirl had the right song)
13/"He drove her heart just like he used to..." is What you didn't say by Mary Chapin Carpenter
14/"Ein kalter shower jagt, mir durch die Haut..." is Noch ein Leben by PUR
15/"The years grow shorter not longer..." is Wonder why we ever go home by Jimmy Buffett
16/Superman (It's not easy) by Five for Fighting "I can't stand to fly, I'm not that naive..."
17/"It doesn't get any lonelier than this..." is Lonlier than this by Steve Earle
18/"Stone blind, alibi...." is Alibi by David Gray
19/"Are you breathing when I'm breathing?" is The Consequences of Falling by k.d. lang
20/"Auf dem weg zu mir, habe ich mich oft verlaufen..." is Auf dem Weg Zu Mir by Steppenwolf
21/"Llego la banda q toca todo el dia..." is Esta Borracha by Los Borgi
22/"Home is behind the world ahead..." is The Steward of Gondor from the Two Towers/ Lord of the Rings Soundtrack
23/...this one I'm going to post the title and if you can guess the artist, fabulous. The language is Twi and, to be honest, although I sign along to it I would probably totally butcher the spelling. It's called Wo ho kyere by Daddy Lumba.
24/"I wake up, looking around my room, all my dreams crystalline clear..." is Winter Dreams by Jan Garrett
25/""si, ya es hora de esconder..." is Te Dejo Madrid by Sharira

Step 1: Put your MP3 player or whatever on random.Step 2: Post the first line from the first 25 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song.Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.Step 4: Strike through when someone gets them right. Step 5: Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is cheating.

Archive Meme

I was tagged by Amanda over at A Lady Scientist for the Archive Meme in which you go back through your old posts and find some favorites. I've much neglected this tag as it occurred right before I went on my unplanned break. But I promised her I would do it so here goes...I must say, I don't feel like I've been blogging long enough to do this and even with my small selection it's hard to choose! I'm going to tag anyone because I'm sure it's made its way around the Internets already.

1. About Family: It seems that the majority of my posts on my family seem to be "In Memoriam". I tend to be circumspect about my family here because they don't know I have a blog and I want to respect their privacy. So that leaves me a few posts to choose from that aren't in memoriam. I guess it will have to be REAL BEACHES which is about my niece on a visit with her grandmother (my mother) to Alaska.

2. About Friends: I think I have to chose my post IN HOLLAND which is about time spent in a dear friend who lives there. More of my real life friend grace these pages but I think this one sums up the joy of deep friendship.

This photograph of a mountian lion was taken by Mitch Starr, a ranch hand, 11 miles from my parents' house

3. About me, who I am, what I think I'm all about: Hmph. This one is very tough. Because I think different bits of me are represented in different posts. So I guess I'm going to choose IM BAYERN GEHN DIE UHREN ANDERES. Im mostly choosing it because many of you won't have read it but it also meets the topic. It's about how different viewpoints are important, how things are not always straightforward or how we expect, how diversity, whether it be cultural or biological, is of great value.

4. About something I love: For this my dear Disreputables in A CAT AND HER DOG.

5. Just a good post, any post: I think I'll choose my PRIZE CONVERSATIONS WITH TURONS for this one mostly because it's always good for a laugh.

The Disreputable Dog does a Meme

The Disreputable Dog on boat guard duty in Ft. Yukon, Alaska

You might think I'm prevaricating; I am. I am swirling with so many thoughts that I can't yet commit them to blog or form tangible evidence of their existence...but since Penny & Parlance have tagged the Disreputable Dog for a meme I shall do that instead.

Here are 5 random facts from the Disreputable Dog:

1. Although I am a fixed male I am rather maternal. In fact that's how I got the Disreputable Cat - I just couldn't bare to see that little kitty out on her own where the bald eagles would snap her up. I knew if I got the Boss' niece into her she'd be permanent. But shhh! don't tell anyone, it might get in the way of my tough dog exterior.

2. I am not a treat inclined dog. I like treats now but when I was a puppy the Boss could drape a piece of bacon by nose and I'd run right past it.

3. Everyone loves to give me nicknames. Every human I've ever spent any time with has come up with a new one. I respond to them all. What can I say? I'm adorable and sweet.

4. I can respond to commands in English, German, French, and Tagalog.

5. Boss got me at the pound or animal control in Fairbanks. I was 6 months old and had been with 6 families already by the time she got me! She moves a lot but at least she always takes me with. I've been on planes, trains, boats, and of course, automobiles.

I tag anydoggy who wants to do this...have your owner leave a comment so we can follow along!

Rules: Link to your tagger's owner and post these rules on your blog. Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

End of the Year Meme

I was tagged by Cae at VWXYNot? for this end of the year meme. It looks like I have my work cut out for me for 2008!

1. Will you be looking for a new job? Erm, yes. But hopefully not a new career.
2. Will you be looking for a new relationship? yes, not in a romantic one currently. And always on the outlook for new friendships as well as old.
3. New house? yes, it goes with moving...maybe this will be the year I get to build my own tiny house? Whether renting or owning I will be in a new place for sure.
4. What will you do differently in 08? Differently then what?
5. New Years resolution? Publish the damn thesis already and as always get out of doors whenever possible!
6. What will you not be doing in 08? Working at my former work place or living in Very Small Wet Alaskan Town (which incidentally is named one of the top 3 summer tourist destinations for 08!)
7. Any trips planned? not currently but there are sure to be some! Can't have a year without one.
8. Wedding plans? none of my own but a least one to attend
9. Major thing on your calendar? nothing big but lots of little job application closing deadlines
10. What can’t you wait for? well, I can always wait but I am excited to see where I will end up next!
11. What would you like to see happen differently? The US to sign the Kyoto agreement
12. What about yourself will you be changing?
13. What happened in 07 that you didn’t think would ever happen? The Disreputable Dog fell in love with a cat
14. Will you be nicer to the people you care about? This seems to imply I'm not at the moment and I think I am quite nice and will continue to be so.
15. Will you dress differently this year than you did in 07? not likely although if I move south I may require less layers.
16. Will you start or quit drinking? neither.
17. Will you better your relationship with your family? It's pretty good as it is although there are always little things that need working at.
18. Will you do charity work? of course!
19. Will you go to bars? Probably, especially if i live in more places where the entire social structure revolves around bars.
20. Will you be nice to people you don’t know? I am & will continue to be.
21. Do you expect 08 to be a good year for you? I hope so!
22. How much did you change from this time last year till now? I started a blog!
23. Do you plan on having a child? uh, not currently. See #2.
24. Will you still be friends with the same people you are friends with now? Certainly although depending where I end up the mode of communicating with those friends will change.
25. Major lifestyle changes? Perhaps. Although the base things that are important to me will remain that way.
26. Will you be moving? laugh, YES, see #1 & #3. Don't know where I'll be going to.
27. What will you make sure doesn’t happen in 08 that happened in 07? erm, all the things that I don't want to happen are not things I could ensure not happening in the future...
28. What are your New Years Eve plans? probably hanging out with friends in hot spring...maybe skiing to them?
29. Will you have someone to kiss at midnight? Not sure, but unlikely.
30. One wish for 08? ah, well, to get a satisfying new job, fall in love...oh, wait, you said only one :)

Tag only if you want to...
As Fine As Froghair
Ravenwater
The Trouser Press
Saxifraga at Rising to the Occasion

7 Random Facts Meme

I was tagged by EcoGeoFemme over at The Happy Scientist for 7 Random facts meme. Not long after I started this blog I posted 10 Random Facts about me as sort of an introduction and I will try not to duplicate the results here. (Click on that link if you want to see what I posted then.)

A Beach in Newfoundland (2005)

1. My high school diploma is on rawhide. Yep. And no, I don't have a paper copy. It was a requirement at my school to climb the highest local mountain in order to graduate. And our school mascot? Rocky Mountain Oysters.

Rock with Coral in Newfoundland (2005)

2. I am notorious for blistered feet. I always joke that if I haven't worn a pair of slippers in two days I would blister in them but the sad thing is, it's probably true. As a result I go nowhere without my niffty little blister kit and have been wrangelled into treating other peoples blisters on more hiking trips then I can remember. When I was doing field work in Utah we used to entertain ourselves by guessing how many new blisters WS got at the end of the day. Believe me, I have tried absolutely everything when it comes to preventing blisters and can say that I have happily figured the magic formula for making particularly painful blisters still walkable. And yes, duct tape travels as part of my blister kit (when in Scotland recently my friend S said "no! you didn't! you brought that duct tape just for C!" and C said "you can take the girl out of Alaska but you can't take Alaska out of the girl" in a delighted tone).

Humpack Whale, Russian Far East (2006)

3. I had surgey on my right hip in 2000. This year is the first time post surgery that I have been able to run on it! Wheeee! Unfortunately, I still have residual problems with a pinched sciatica on the left side as a result of the problem in the hip and so I really have to restrain myself. And? Standing for long periods of time is extremely painful so I have tendency to lean against things when standing around chatting at any gathering or finding myself the only person in the room sitting down.

Shell with Lichen on Prince Edward Island Beach (2005)

4. I've been shot at while working more often then a friend of mine who is a cop. Seriously. In Washington, Montana, Utah, and Alaska. The last time I was shot at I was defending sonar equipment on a sandbar somewhere north of the arctic circle from some lovely local blokes who had taken their firefighting pay to the only non-dry town in the area (via boat mind, as we were way beyond the reach of roads) and gotten sodden with drink & smoke. They came back full of piss and vinegar in the middle of the night determineed to either a) steal the Disreputable Dog or b) wreck vengenace on the US government for all of the wrongs ever commited against Native Americans (this was a US Fish & Wildlife Project). Luckily they were too pissed to have any decent aim and luckily the Direseputable Dog was having absolutely nothing to do with getting in their boat despite the newly dead moose lying in the bottom of the boat (shot, before drinking I believe). I was understandably cranky about getting out of my sleeping bag at 2am and was none to understanding with being shot at but nonetheless managed to talk them into dropping their weapons (and staying out of camp because once there they would be there for a LONG time and we had work to do) and collapsing in tears on the riverbank. Needless to say I also refused the offer of an awesome pair of firefighting pants in return for marriage to one of the blokes. But you know, it was tempting.

Beach grass, Prince Edward Island (2005)

5. Once upon a time I actually danced for a professional ballet company. I know, I can hardly believe it either! I wasn't particulary good (read, I was never prima donna/ solo, material) but there you are. On a daily basis people wrote up everybody's thigh circumferences on the wall for comparison and near performances we would get locked in the theatre between rehersals so no one would sneak out and eat anything. My least favorite director came from Russia and would put her cigarettes out on our legs when she was displeased with something. I still cannot bear to watch the Nutcracker Suite and everytime I hear the music (which is daily this time of year) I have a little reel of characters running through my head practicing for the big show.

Kelp, Newfoundland (2005)

6. One of the questions that comes up with my funding ending is whether or not to leave AK. I am really torn about whether or not to leave Alaska more permanently after the holidays. I was talking to a friend here about this over a glass of wine and she feels the same way. It's not that we are ambivalent, in fact, we feel passionately about both staying and leaving. What is it about Alaska that does this? Then looking around the blogosphere I found this post from an aquaintence (Ben Huff) agonizing over the question of 'When are we Alaskan?" . And it seems part of the problem is that Alaska does take root in your heart; it feels as if the identity of being an Alaskan is something that you sweated blood and tears for; it's as if it is it's own country. And there's a feeling that if you leave for the realtively cush life in the lower 48 that you're just not tough enough, that you failed somehow. I have lived in many different US States & Canadian Provinces over the years and yet Alaska is the only one that I ever claimed as a home when people ask where I'm from. How does one go back to not being an Alaskan? And yet, there are such wonderful things about living in a place where there is more regular daylight, where life isn't so tough, where dating isn't a game of Russian roulette. But do I want to live in a place where people find so much to be busy about nothing? Where they forget that so much of what we do are to fufill our basic requirements of food, water, and shelter? Where people are always talking and yet always lonely? So you see... my mind goes round and round.

Autumn grass (2007)

7. My master's thesis advisor was very upset when the University banned guns from the campus. He could be heard complaining to the secretary in loud cursing tones and I quote "How am I supposed to defend myself if one of my graduate students decides to come in and shoot me?". He never seemed to realize that perhaps the fact that he thought this was a likely possibility was disturbing in itself. Unfortunately, he wasn't the type to inspire people to go after him but rather to attempt to take their own lives.

Whale vertebrae & driftwood, Bering Island, Russia (2006)

7 people who's blogs I enjoy and who may consider themselves tagged if they wish. If you're listed & you've done it please just ignore.

(again, going with the theme of people I haven't yet mentioned in my blog)

Liv of Madness, Maddnes, I say
QT of Can we Kick the Bar Here
CAE of VWXYNot
Trousers of The Trouser Press
Crazymumma of Crazymumma
Mad Hatter of A Mad Tea Party
Mad of Under the Mad Hat

Rules: Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.2- Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.3- Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.4- Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Lists of 8 Tag

I was tagged by the lovely DJ Kirkby for the following meme which involves answering the following questions in blocks of 8. And she has been patiently waiting for me to get around to responding. Although I have numbered the below responses it isn't an indication of rank, merely a keeping track of whether or not I've hit 8 yet.

8 passions in my life [and incomplete list]
1.the world around me (but that about sums it all up doesn't it?), in all it's variations and expressions
2.exploring that world through walking, hiking, biking, skiing, boating, and general recreating in the out of doors and travel
3.the creatures in this world, wildlife, ecology, biology, and the human relationships to it
4. Science
5. Writing & Reading
6. small myths and little rituals
7. cultures, languages, and travel - people, how we explore and interpret the universe and deal with problems we face
8. my loved ones: family & friends & pets

8 things to do before I die
1. build my own home! My own tiny, energy efficient home (no more then 500 sq. feet). Everyone around me my age is having babies, but me? I have cabin building fever. I think it's something that's hard to avoid if you live in Alaska for a long enough time.
2. fall in love & be loved in return in a romantic relationship that has both length & durability 3. be a parent
4. travel & do research in Antarctica!
5. tell the people that I love that I love them (I do this but I never forget that this might be my last chance to do so)
6. learn how to play the harmonica & guitar (isn't the harmonica just the perfect backpacking instrument?)
7. take my niece & nephew backpacking (they're a little young for it now)
8. find a place to put down roots

A snowladen boat in the harbor

8 things I often say [er, I think I might have to get some help on this one...what do I say frequently? Honestly, I'm not sure I am much of a repeater of phrases, but maybe that's just because I live alone and there is no one to point them out to me. I keep trying but I'm coming up blank and it's holding up this post.]

November Birch trees in Fairbanks (2003)

8 Books I read recently [whew! something I can answer easily! I must admit that I read a lot and that my book pile is ever changing. I had to resist the temptation to just post my 8 favorite recent reads. Here is a list of the exact 8 last books I've read.]

1. currently reading The Road to McCarthy by Pete McCarthy (which interestingly is a book I have only seen on a bookstore in New Zealand and it mentions a small town in a National Park in Alaska that I did my thesis work in so when I saw it on a friend's shelf - he had been in Ireland - I begged it off him), a humorous book of travel.
2. The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro (one of my all time favorite Canadian authors with amazing punch-you-in-gut stories)
3. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, translation by Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky (oh my gosh, this new translation is AWESOME. What a fabulous, amazing love story.)
4. A Far County by Daniel Mason (lovely, lovely writing...and amazingly set in a country that you know but can't identify )
5. When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin (about a white African in Zimbabwe when Mugabe came to power)
6. My Dream of You by Nuala O'Faolain (I fell in love with her when I heard her book Almost There on tape, a book I have listened to again and again. A truthful story about the places that we find ourselves in that aren't like the fairy tales.)
7. Sabriel by Garth Nix (This was a re-read. A book aimed at teenagers that I picked up in an airport bookstore that turned out to be a great read as did the other two in the series...however, I tried to pick up one of the author's other series and I didn't like it so much)
8. The Children of Hurin by JRR Tolkien (wasn't sure what this would be like but it actually hung together very well and made a lovely story)

Birch bark up close (2003)

8 songs that mean something to me
1. Superman (It's not Easy) by Five for Fighting (interestingly enough I don't like most of the rest of the band's music but this song? It's the top of my list.)
2. The Edge of Night by Billy Boyd (this song, it's from a soundtrack I know, but it saved my sanity when I was stuck on an sandbank for 5 months with 4 teenage boys with the occasional visit from drunk firefighters who wanted to steal my dog or shoot our equipment)
3. Serenity by Clarence Clemons (listen to those saxophones, it will make your sould soar)
4. Let it snow by Sammy Cahn (you just knew this one would be on the list, didn't you? I love snow and I love frightful weather)
5. Nobody Knows Me At All by the Weepies (a good song when you are in a new place and feeling boxed in your own head)
6. A Road is Just A Road by Mary Chapin Carpenter (the new top hit on the radio when I lived in the middle of NoWhere, Montana where the two radio stations were either country or the God Station. I seem to live places like that a lot. Anywho, it came at a time when it seemed I was always on the road.)
7. Kribbeln im Bauch by Pe Werner (it's German so don't stare at it too hard if it doesn't makes sense to you. This song is about those butterfly stomachs and of course always brings me back to being in Germany on exchange)
8. I'm Alright by Jo De Messina (another hit song on the radio...this time NoWhere, Utah which expresses how I feel a lot. I'm far from home and from family and many of my friends and everyone thinks I'm crazy but I'm doing alright, all things considered.)

November boat harbor reflections

8 Qualities I look for in a friend
1. openness/ tolerance 2. honesty 3. kindness 4. an interest in common 5. independence 6. thoughtfulness 7. passion for something (anything) 8. sense of humor

The Direputable Cat in her favorite sleeping spot

8 people who's blogs I enjoy and who may consider themselves tagged if they wish. [I thought about not doing this part as some people don't like being tagged but I decided that I am going to list 8 blogs here, a random assortment that have not been previously mentioned on this blog before, whose work I like and if they decide to participate, great! If not, I'm okay with that. And either way it may give the rest of my readers someone new to read. If you go visit them tell them I sent you - because some of them I haven't delurked to!]

1. Tundra Medicine Dreams a blog about life and practicing medicine in the remoter communities of Alaska.
2. The Arctic Tern a sailboat blog of Devi & Hunter who inspire me by their willingness to retire early, sell everything they own, and take to the seas for as long as it is still enjoyable.
3. The Travels of Stacey and her Runaway Rubber Duckie who remind me of places I've traveled to and loved as well as inspiring me with new places yet visited.
4. Hypoglycemia Girl a fellow scientist and traveler.
5. Painted Maypole and the adventures of a thespian mom.
6. The Ed-ventures the chronicles of an outdoor Fairbanks guy who doesn't know me but who knows lots of people I know very well (and whose page I am totally guilty of lurking on). He has a recent post up on skiing to the bus where Chris McCandless (Into the Wild) lived & died.
7. The Happy Scientist another fellow scientist who is relatively new to blogging.
8. Pilgrim/Heretic a professor who will blog for cake and who has a marvelous post up on banishing your demons (which becomes more marvelous if you read the comments).