Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's Theme: Non-Bookish Hobbies.

I decided to tweak this one a bit, so instead of just listing 10 of my hobbies, I'm going with 10 things about me you may, or may not, find interesting:


🌎 Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. I've gone down into the catacombs of Paris, climbed to the top of the Statue of Liberty, ridden an elephant in Thailand, explored the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, spotted blue-footed boobys in the Galapagos Islands, sailed down the Nile, and floated across the Valley of Kings in a hot air balloon. And someday soon I hope to visit both Morocco and Easter Island. Oh, and Cornwall and Wales, too.

🐠 I love the idea of snorkeling, but every time I try it, I feel like I'm drowning.

🌄 I used to run cross-country in high school, but now I prefer walking or hiking. 

📸 Photographing old cemeteries is one of my quirkier hobbies.

🧩 I look forward to doing the New York Times crossword puzzle everyday at lunch ...in pencil though, not in pen.

🏅 When the winter Olympics came to Salt Lake City in 2002, I was lucky enough to attend several events from short track speedskating to freestyle aerials to women's hockey. It was awesome and one of my most favorite memories!

😐 Two things I really hate:  karaoke and charades. 
(I don't like having to perform in front of people.)

😊 Two board games I love to play: 10 Days in Africa and Small World.
(I could've listed at least a dozen more, like Pandemic, Star Realms, Ex-Libris, etc., but I restrained myself.)

📚 I got to eat lunch with author Jane Yolen once at a writer's conference. She's super nice, and funny, too. And she has very good manners. 

🥞 Pancakes are my favorite breakfast food. And I know how to make 20 different kinds.


So, there you have it, 10 tidbits about me.
Hope you weren't too bored.


Happy Reading!



(Oh, and here are some images of those two board games I love. They're awesome and I highly recommend them to anyone who loves a good game.)

56 comments:

  1. Oh... I've read about the Paris catacombs in one of Fred Vargas's books and just recently in Underground by Robert Macfarlane. Fascinating and I'm so intrigued that you've been down there. Wow! You've done some amazing things.

    If you ever get back to England I'll show you around some Cornish graveyards. :-D

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    1. The Paris catacombs are very cool...and a little creepy, too. I first read about them in one of Barbara Hambly's vampire novels. So when my sisters and I went to Paris I insisted we go to the catacombs, too, so I could see them for myself. And I love for you to show me around all the cool cemeteries in Cornwall someday. :D

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  2. OK, I'm most impressed that you had lunch with Jane Yolen! No, I'm even more impressed with your travels!

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  3. You've been to a lot of places! And it's always so exciting to meet authors in person! :)

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  4. I love crosswords puzzles, too. Do you also like Sudoku and/or jigsaw puzzles?

    And pancakes are amazing.

    My post.

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    1. I love doing jigsaw puzzles...as long as they're 1000 pieces or less. And I usually take Sudoku puzzles with me when I travel. They're great to do on planes. :)

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  5. I love board games! I haven't played Smallworld yet but I want to. :)

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    1. It's the best! I really love playing it. Especially with the expansion cards. :)

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  6. It's nice to learn more about you! That's a really impressive list of places you've visited.

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    1. And there's so many more places I'd love to go someday! :)

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  7. Very nice to learn new things about you, Lark! Loved your take on this and you've definitely been to some interesting areas of the world. I'd take Cath up on visiting Cornish graveyards. She knows her Cornwall well I believe. LOL

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    1. I'd love to go to Cornwall and have Cath show me around! That would be the best trip ever. :)

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  8. I adore old cemeteries, so I don't think photographing them is weird at all! I love that that's one of your hobbies :)

    Happy TTT!

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    1. Old cemeteries are the best! I love going up to Salt Lake City Cemetery and wandering by all the old pioneer graves. :)

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  9. Great list! I love travelling too. It sounds like you've seen some amazing places! And definitely agree with the board games... Pandemic is super fun but feels a bit too real these days. :D

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    1. Pandemic does feel a little too real these days. And it can be a bit depressing when you lose the game with everything that's going on in the world. :)

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  10. Snorkling can be fun, but I totally get what you're saying here!

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  11. It sounds like you've been to lots of awesome places and experienced so many great things! And I don't like charades either. I feel so embarrassed doing it. :)

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    1. Charades is completely embarrassing and awkward; not something I choose to do ever! :)

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  12. I love travelling too, definitely can't wait till we're able to do it again.
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2020/11/03/top-ten-tuesday-288/

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    1. Here's hoping that happens sooner rather than later! Thanks for commenting. :)

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  13. I love this one, Lark. Wow, you are quite the traveler. That's one of my favorite things to do, and the thing I miss most during this awful pandemic, but in recent years I've confined my travels to parts of the US that are still new to me.

    And...I could spend hours and hours exploring every old cemetery I run across - and sometimes still do even during the pandemic because they are usually empty of other wanderers like me.

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    1. Cemeteries are such interesting places to wander and explore. I love looking at the names, and wondering about their lives; and I love photographing the old headstones. :)

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  14. I love pancakes. They are my favorite food!
    My TTT: https://herbookishdesires.wordpress.com/2020/11/03/%f0%9f%9a%ab%f0%9f%93%9atop-ten-tuesday-non-bookish-hobbies%e2%9b%b8%f0%9f%93%93/

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    1. :D Pancakes are the best! Thanks for commenting. :)

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  15. I like the idea of snorkeling as well but I can't even swim. Better to just watch movies with people snorkeling instead.

    Walking is good, I should do that more often.

    I have only visited one cemetery and it is in the middle of a busy city street right behind a church but I refrained from taking photos of the stone/graves, something about photographing them seems morbid or maybe I'm just spooked by them.

    I can never solve those NYT puzzle so I don't do them but I like to do those sudoku that some paper has, the easy ones that is.

    I love pancakes but with a restrained amount of syrup, well, sometimes a large amount if I'm feeling particularly in need of something extra sweet.

    Have a lovely week.

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    1. Hi Lissa! Always fun to hear from you. Thanks for your comments. :)

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  16. You know how to make 20 kinds of pancakes? Wow. I want to come over for breakfast some day. :)

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    1. Pancakes are one of the easiest breakfast foods to make...which is probably why I like them so much. :D

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  17. I'll have to check out 10 Days in Africa and Small World. (I looove pancakes! I made pumpkin spice pancakes recently and they were delicious!)

    Here's my list of hobbies!

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  18. I would love to take a look at your passport some day! You have been to some amazing places! And I haven't tried snorkeling, but the reason why is I think it'll feel like drowning too.

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    1. I find snorkeling tricky because you have to hold your breath, then breathe out before you breathe back in, and it doesn't always work for me. ;D

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  19. 20 kinds of pancakes? My hero! You're so adventurous.

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  20. Nice list! Traveling the world sounds like so much fun. I would love to go to Europe someday!

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  21. I didn't have time to properly put this together so I'm going to work up this TTT for next week. Traveling is at the top of my list, though too, for top things I like to do besides reading. I loved Paris, but I didn't go to the catacombs while there. I'll have to put that on my list for the next time, whenever that happens to be with covid and all.

    Old cemeteries are interesting. I just had to go through and old one recently to get to a hiking trail in Mendocino.

    Board games aren't really my thing, but my son-in-law loves them and so we get dragged into playing quite a bit when in Northern California. Code Names is one we play a lot. I'll have to check into some of your favs. Great post, Lark! :)

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    1. Code Names is a great game! I like playing that one, too. And how fun that you got to traipse through an old cemetery on your way to your hike. :D

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  22. Ooh how exciting. Angkor Wat, how awesome, and I hope you get to Easter Island. Always wanted to go there.

    Pandemic is fun!

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    1. I love playing Pandemic! And Angkor Wat was completely amazing. I'd go again in a heartbeat. :)

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  23. I used to enjoy photography and when I went on holiday, I'd take photos of everywhere I visited. I love castles, rivers, lakes and mountains. Anything scenic or of historic interest.

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    1. That's the kind of photography I love to do, too. Although I liked it better with my old camera; my new digital one isn't as good. I might have to upgrade it. Someday.

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  24. I loved finding out all these cool things about you. You have done so much traveling, and to such amazing places! I'd love to go to the Galapagos Islands someday. (I have been to both Cornwall and Wales, though -- they are well worth a trip.)

    Snorkeling scares me, too. And I love crossword puzzles, and pancakes. We thought about going to the Olympics in SLC, since my dad and stepmom live there, but the timing and our budget didn't work out. I have occasionally regretted that.

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    1. You should have come to the SLC Games. They were so fun! But I get why you didn't; I hate that things often come down to timing and money. :D

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  25. You must have some amazing pictures from your travels, I’d love to visit the catacombs, they sound super creepy!

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  26. This is the best - I love learning more about you. You've been to some amazing places. I love to travel too and miss it so much. So cool about the winter games too. And, you are a real pancake connoisseur!

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