The Four Meme (rhymes with theme) Thing

I should have been put-out that my job for today involves Meme(ing) about four things. Hey, thanks Everydaysupergoddess, you are too kind! but I actually am sitting here kind of enjoying the complete waste of time aspect to all of this. While Memeing I am not cooking, cleaning or thinking of doing those things, which is good, since it is Sunday and all.

(Thank you Wikipedia for explaining…The term "meme" ([miːm] in the IPA; rhymes with "theme"), was coined by Richard Dawkins and first came into popular use with the publication of the book The Selfish Gene in (1976). The choice of word was based on a shortening of the Greek "mimeme" (something imitated) to sound similar to gene. )

And now for my Not-so-Famous Fours (if you have never read Enid Blyton, this makes no sense, but if you have read her, just pretend it was fours, not fives, okay. And since it's my Meme and I mentioned Miz Blyton, here's the whole thing about her books…they made you hungry right when you were trying to go to sleep. Sometimes the food she wrote about was very much the food of rationing or just post-rationing Britain as you can read here. "Anne saw some cows pulling at the grass in a meadow as they passed. 'It must be awful to be a cow and eat nothing but tasteless grass,' she called to George. 'Think what a cow misses - never tastes an egg and lettuce sandwich, never eats a chocolate eclair, never has a boiled egg - and can't even drink a glass of ginger-beer! Poor cows!'"

4 Jobs I’ve had

Waitress at Philip’s Crab House, Ocean City, Maryland. Fired on second day of work for saying, “What…are you fucking stupid or something?” to a [stupid] diner who couldn’t be bothered to listen to me the FIVE times I explained how to use the hammer and pick to open a crab all the while balancing an enormous tray (at least 3 foot diameter) on one hand (at shoulder level) that is heaped high with steaming, poisonous Chesapeake Bay crabs. You can’t say that and keep a job. Hey, I learned.

Cub Reporter for The Georgetowner Newspaper in Washington, DC. Oh how I loved this job. I felt SO important and SO very inside the Beltway.

Secretary at Shell BP in London. Was a super temp and had the job for the last four months of my first pregnancy. Lived, lived, lived for the coffee lady who wheeled a coffee and sweet cake laden trolley with our free snacks every morning at 10:30 and then returned with more good stuff and tea at 4 PM.

Admissions Officer, Queen Anne’s School, Caversham, England. Loved coffee and tea in the staff room (morning and afternoon) and school lunches with the girls. Played lacrosse on the staff team in the annual staff vs. THE GIRLS game. We lost by a humiliatingly high margin

4 Movies I Could and Do Watch Over and Over: Can’t limit it to four but will try

Raising Arizona (Ed: You go right back up there and get me a toddler. I need a baby, Hi. They got more'n they can handle. Hi.I tried to stand up and fly straight, but it wasn't easy with that sumbitch Reagan in the White House ...)

All the rest of the Coen Bros. Flicks, but especially Fargo, The Big Lebowski and O Brother Where art Thou

Anything Christopher Guest touches but especially Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman and Spinal Tap

All Cheesy Musicals. Can’t help it, but I just want to hold a cane and tap dance down stairs all the while singing and smiling.

4 Places I have lived:

Washington, DC. The place where I was born.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. While I made some great friends in Geordieland, I knew I didn’t want to stay there.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Moved there from the south of England and wound up spending 20 years. It's a good place to raise your kids, but it also wasn’t that tough to leave, except for the people...that's always rough.

Topanga Canyon, California. As long as the fires and earthquakes keep their distance, oh how I love it here.

4 TV Shows I Love: (this is where I should type, TV, what TV, never watch it…but alas, I love my TV. That being the case, you’d think I’d have a bigger one)

Arrested Development. If you don’t watch it, I guess I have to blame you for its cancellation.

The Office. Loved the UK version from the very first, but have grown to love the US version, now that they’ve found their groove. Please watch it so it doesn’t get cancelled.

The Royle Family. Cash-strapped family in the English midlands who chain smoke and sit around watching telly all day while the butts pile up in their central ashtray. Yeah, I’m pretty high-brow.

Masterpiece Theatre. Pretty much anything with the theme music, Mouret's "First Suite in D," from his second book of Fanfares for Trumpets, Kettledrums, Violins and Oboes first published in Paris, ca. 1729)

4 Favorite Books

Class, by Jilly Cooper. Brits have always been obsessed with class, except those that truly have it (I am one of the obsessed, apparently). VERY, VERY funny (to me).

Enid Blyton books. Favourite childhood author whose books I just loved and included The Noddy Books, Famous Five Series (up until 1958 then I sadly got too old for them), The Adventure Series, Secret Seven Series, Malory Towers series and lots of her long stories that appeared in my Playways Annuals that frequently involved kids eating, having no adult supervision, getting the mumps, stowing away on cruise ships...you know, normal stuff.

The Tortilla Curtain, T.C. Boyle. I pretty much love all his books. He's got this whacky vibe going that I so appreciate.

Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver. Until I read this book, I'd forgotten just how much The Belgian Congo featured in the news and adult conversations from my childhood.

And since it’s my meme and I can go to five, most books by Anne Lamott.

4 Places I Have Vacationed

Cornwall, England (many, many times in charming little cottages but once, our young family of four was stuffed into a caravan on a rainy, windswept cliff. One of our best holidays ever!)

Apalachicola, Florida (St. George Island many times…the birds, the shells, the dolphins, the oysters (so yummy and so cheap) and the sharks!

Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil (fabulously beautiful part of the world made especially wonderful because of our dear friends who live there. I can attest to the fact that pretty close to ALL Brazilian women get Brazilian waxes! A nation of brave chicks.

Matalascañas, Spain. Our first warm weather holiday when we lived in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Child protective services should have been called in. Himself and I had our hotel room on the ground floor of the hotel and my two children, aged 10 and 5 ½ had a room on the third floor of the hotel. Couldn’t get adjoining rooms and I felt they’d be safer upstairs. I still can’t believe I had so much confidence in my earnest, dear little 10-year old daughter, Jane and equally sweet young boy, Colin.

5 Blogs I Read Every Day:

Granny P

Yidchick

Vit

Ova Girl

Caroline

Of course there are many others that I adore, but I wanted to send anyone who checks out my blog to the above, outside-the-United-States-blogs. I reckon they’re all nothing short of brilliant.


4 Favorite Foods

Greek yoghurt w/frozen blueberries & a teaspoon of demerrara sugar

English sausages

Salt ‘n Vinegar Potato chips/crisps

Dry Roasted, Salted Almonds
(if you had a few hours, I could list my other absolute favorite foods)

4 People I’m Tagging: with apologies and if you don’t have time, just don’t do it…and don’t feel guilty

Think Butterflies

JB

Junebee

Savtadotty