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Sunday, March 31, 2013

#atozchallenge: About Arlee Bird

   
Arlee Bird's First Birthday
Arlee Bird many years later
     Since I didn't do my about me post yet, I thought I'd slip in quietly on this Easter day and do my quick little turn at a few of the questions.


"Where do you hail from?" (D.G. Hudson)  -- I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, where I lived for the first seven years of my life.   But I feel like East Tennessee is my home.
 
"Have you ever wanted to be a rock star?" (Alex J. Cavanaugh) -- Oh of course!  I've fantasized about this since high school and still imagine it now and then, though now I think more country than rock.

"Would you rather have your own personal sailing ship or spaceship? What would you name your ship?" (L.G. Keltner) --  Since I have a bit of a fear of water and don't take too well to being out in open water, I'll probably go with the spaceship.  Although I guess being in airless space is a somewhat scary thought as well.  It is kind of exciting to imagine though.  My ship would be named "Imagination".

"Favorite childhood memory" (Tina) -- I had such a great childhood that it's really difficult to single out any favorite childhood memory.  I guess this is why I like writing memoir--I like remembering and telling the fun stories.   My favorite memories would probably be related to fun times at home and with family.

"How do you use those HTML tags .. and I've yet to learn about the signature line too .." (Hilary Melton-Butcher)   -- I've been a huge proponent for the signature link and the HTML tags.  They are so handy to direct people to specific links I want them to see and to my own blog.  It's so much quicker to visit blogs if I have a link that takes me right there.  I just hate that WordPress, other systems, and often the other bloggers mistake a link in a comment or the signature link to think the comment is spam.  I really have a strong distaste for spam and spammers.

"Describe the last Halloween costume you wore." (Nicole) --- Many years ago when my kids were still in school and before I got remarried, I dressed in old green coveralls, sprayed my hair green, and put on green make-up and went out with my kids.  When people asked what I was supposed to be, I answered, "Broccoli".   Why do some people find broccoli to be so scary?

"What's more important, space exploration, or under-sea exploration?" (Matt Conlon) -- That's kind of a tough one as they are both fascinating frontiers.   I love the idea of forging on into the outer reaches of the universe as well as a concentrated study of our own solar system.  So much adventure!  But on the practical side of what could be more immediately useful and accessible to us I'd have to put the priority on sea exploration.  It will be probably be easier to access the resources of the sea before what's in space.  I hope we don't give up on either.

Coke or Pepsi?" (Mina Lobo) -- Funny how things can change.  In the 80's I had a clear preference for Pepsi, then somewhere along the line I started preferring Coke.  Maybe they had the better sales?  

"If you could sing any song with the artist who wrote/performed it, what would it be and with whom?" (Tracy Bermeo-A2Z Mommy) -- What a strange experience this would be!  I'll go with "Living for the City" with Stevie Wonder and I'd want to do a bluegrass arrangement of the song.  I wonder if Stevie would approve?

"How old were you when you realized your passion for writing?"   "Who inspired you to write in the very beginning?"    "Who inspires you now?" (Magical Mystical MiMi)--  My mother inspired me to tell stories when I was perhaps five or so and my father inspired me to write when I was about eight.  Writing and reading have been passions since I was young.  Now my writing inspirations are Flannery O'Connor, Cormac McCarthy, and many great bloggers out there.

         Happy Easter to all!   And now let the Challenge begin!



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51 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a cute one year old Lee? though you looked perfectly good when we met. Good questions and answers,
Yvonne.

Laura said...

Nice pics! And lovely to get to know you a bit better - looking forward to your A-Z
Lx

Philip Verghese 'Ariel' said...

Hi Arlee,
THis is really interesting to know a bit more about you. OMG! how good that little one looks like,and now LOL. I have a suggestion here pl remove the blod and put the questions in a different color. that gives a pleasant reading. Tina posted today my portion of Getting to know if time permits pl do have a look.
Have a wonderful time of blogging this season. Best Regards
Phil
Happy Sunday and week end

Rob Z Tobor said...

Good luck with the A to Z I hope it all goes Hunky Dory. My own master plan is almost complete, (sort of).


Rob Z Tobor

Unknown said...

I like your blanket picture.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Broccoli! That is original. And come to my neck of the woods and I can take you to where Pepsi began.

Jo said...

Don't drink Pepsi or Coke. Haven't for years.

Nice to know more about you Lee. Looking forward to your blog posts. There are still people there without hyperlinks and others with Captcha.

JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE

Jemima Pett said...

Very honoured to meet you properly, Arlee! That kid in the high chair still looks cute in his blue blanket.

A note about Wordpress & spam/links. WP users can set the tolerance for links in Settings-Discussion. The default is two links before the spam filter kicks in and sends them to be approved. Hope that helps.

And thanks for all your tips (and Shannon's guide to signatures!)

Jemima at Jemima's blog

Al Diaz said...

Hahaha, yes I also noted some people think broccoli is scary. Perhaps is the fact that it cause some people gas. Those are great pictures, Arlee!

Nicole said...

Under-sea exploration might help conquer that fear of water thing. Broccoli is delicious! Nothing scary about it. After all, they're lucky you didn't dress up as beets! THAT'S what I call scary. Lol.

Tim McGraw and Toby Keith (sp?) are about the very few things I know about country. Nice choice for your singing performance...of all Stevie's songs, I either always forget about "Living for the City" or i get it confused with "Ghetto Life" by Rick James...don't know how that happens. Coke is always a winner. HAPPY EASTER, Arlee! :)

Arlee Bird said...

Yvonne - I haven't changed much at all, have I.

Laura -- Thanks for visiting.

PV -- I kind of rushed through this and agree that a different contrast between q & a would be better, but I've got posts to write and time's running out.

Rob -- Remember what happens to those best laid plans!

Lacey -- It's kind of a weird picture and I don't know why we took it.

Alex -- I always like factory tours and such. Do they provide samples like Budweiser does on their tours?

Jo -- Some people are just resistant to change or they're just not listening.

Jemima -- I figured there was something in WP like that. I hope WP users start fixing their sites so they are more comment friendly.

Al -- Some people don't like vegetables. They don't know what's good for them!

Nicole -- I'll leave that undersea exploration to others. You won't find me there. Stevie Wonder has so many great songs.

Lee

Jolie du Pre said...

This was fun to read! I stopped linking in my comments because of exactly what you noted. WordPress, for example, started thinking my links were spam.

Jolie
(No Pepsi OR Coke for me!)

Rosalind Adam said...

Broccoli! That's hilarious!
Rosalind Adam is Writing in the Rain

DL Hammons said...

Broccoli?? Now that's a first! :)

Empty Nest Insider said...

Cute baby photo, and I love that you dressed up as broccoli!
Great lead in for tomorrow, and thanks for making it all possible Lee! Happy Easter!

Julie

L. Diane Wolfe said...

It is a big ocean and I bet we haven't seen even 10% of what's down there.

D.G. Hudson said...

It's nice learning more about you, Lee. It seems that some places seem more like home than our birth homes. Perhaps that's where we are meant to be.

Now I know where you hail from!

Chuck said...

Great info about you, Lee. I really love that old TV set in your baby picture! Oh and nice "hoodie"!!

Chuck at Apocalypse Now

MunirGhiasuddin said...

You look cute in your first birthday pic. Who would have thought that you would start something like A to Z Challenge that would become international.

MunirGhiasuddin said...

Alex thanks for coming up with the blog post on Lee.

Sharon Hamilton said...

Love this insight into your creative past life, Arlee. Let the games begin. How nice that we have a forum where we can just meet people and other bloggers, and not be entering a contest or winning prizes. Meeting new friends is a gift greater than gold, in my book, and is the greatest prize of all.

Julie Jordan Scott said...

What a fun post - great to get to know all these ins-and-outs of your life. I wonder how many of us got our start as storytellers because of favorite family stories?

I'm chomping at the bit for tomorrow!! YAY for A to Z and THANK YOU for all the work you do for us!

Julie Jordan Scott
Our Literary Grannies from A to Z
tweet me - @juliejordanscot

Jarm Del Boccio said...

What a blessing to have such a wonderful childhood, Arlee! Broccoli, eh??? Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed learning more about our fearless leader!

Catch My Words said...

I'm glad to know everyone and am looking forward to the AtoZ Challenge.

http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

Andrea said...

Hooray for the a-z! Nice to meet you!

Unknown said...

Getting to know you posts are so much fun. I think most kids spend some time singing into their hair brush in front of the mirror or playing Zeppelin songs with their air guitar :) So Arlee, did you want to be a rock, pop or country star?

Unknown said...

Great to know you a little better. Happy Easter. God bless, Maria at Delight Directed Living

Susan Kane said...

I was expecting you to say Mr. Green Jeans from Captn. Kangaroo. All the answers say much about who you are--very interesting.

Arlee Bird said...

Jolie - I still maintain the signature link is a great tool. I'd like to teach the world to link.

Rosalind -- I thought it was funny, but I don't know if my kids were all that thrilled to be seen with Dad dressed like that.

DL -- And perhaps the last...

Julie -- I almost forgot to do my "about me"!

L.Diane -- And I'm all for someone else going to check out the ocean. I'll watch the TV special about it.

DG -- I think one's age has a lot to do with making roots. High school and college tend to be very socially formative years and that when I was in TN so that's where most of my friends are now.

Chuck -- I love the stuff in old photos.

Munir -- I was planning my blogging strategy even then, but I had no idea I was doing it.

Sharon -- Thanks for that outlook on the Challenge. I agree!

Julie -- I'd say most writers got a lot of inspiration from the storytellers in their lives.

Jarm -- I feel very blessed with my life.

Joyce -- I guess A to Z has already started where you are.

Andrea -- Thanks!

Jen -- Like my blog I guess I wanted to be eclectic. I wanted to perform all sorts of music. Maybe progressive country jazz rock?

Maria -- It's been a peaceful Easter day for me.

Susan -- Maybe it's good that we don't have a profile follow-up by a psychiatrist!!

Lee


J.L. Campbell said...

Happy Easter to you, Arlee and the team. Thanks for starting this Challenge. Through it, I've met some really nice people. Looking forward to blast off day!

Donna Smith said...

Happy Easter today and happy A tomorrow!
This was really fun last year. I'm looking forward to starting again! I met some great new blogger friends last time - and there are even more this year!

Tina said...

Broccoli is a great costume! Pictures? That would be SO awesome! I enjoyed this GTKY, glad you sneaked it in!
Tina @ Life is Good
Co-host, April 2013 A-Z Challenge Blog
@TinaLifeisGood, #atozchallenge

Mary Aalgaard said...

Happy Birthday, Arlee. Great interview answers. Thanks for starting the A to Z Challenge. It's a hoot!

Play off the Page

Anna (herding cats-burning soup) said...

Aw what a cute baby photo!! And how funny you went as broccoli. ::snort::

~Anna
herding cats & burning soup

Arlee Bird said...

JL -- It's already started in some parts of the world!

Donna -- This year should be better than ever.

Tina -- I really cut this one close. Actually I almost forgot.

Mary -- I guess this birthday rumor started with my picture on this post. Aha!

Anna -- I sure look happy in that photo. I guess I'm excited about that cake.

Lee

Cassmob (Pauleen) said...

Fun stories from the Q&A Lee. Thanks for kicking off the A to Z.

D..J. Kirkby said...

"Broccoli" hahaha! Arlee, that is a genius idea for a Halloween costume. Looking forward to the month ahead...just wish I could remember the twitter hashtag for it. *wanders off in search of hashtag*

A Daft Scots Lass said...

Happy Blog Hopping and Happy Easter everyone!

Unknown said...

Love the pictures, Arlee...and it's very nice to meet you. I'm super excited to be a part of the challenge this year. Thanks for providing us all with this awesome opportunity to stretch our blogging wings and meet a bunch of great new people!

Unknown said...

Nice to meet you Arlee! Cute pics!

Michelle Wallace said...

Woo-hoo! Let the fun begin!
Thank you Mr. A to Z!

Barbara White Daille said...

Arlee - great to "meet" you, and thanks for giving us all this opportunity!

Looking forward to my first A to Z Challenge.

Best,
Barbara

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Lee - love the photos! Thanks for answering my question .. I live on the wrong side of the curve I think - still might get myself organised in a few days with HTML etc ..

Enjoy the A-Z - it's an amazingly creative idea for us to meet others ... so many great bloggers out there ..

Cheers Hilary

annisblogging said...

Hi Arlee, Its really good to be here again. Though i am a bit late i am so happy that you started this venture again for the benefit of many.
Keep up the good work.
Here comes a bit belated greetings on this happy day and occasion. Happy Birth Day to You.

Unknown said...

great choice, Stevie Wonder! :)
Loved the interview!

Deanna said...

What a great way to start. The Q and A was cute (as were the pictures). I'm looking forward to this - am hoping to breathe a little life back into my blogging (and my blog!)

Deanna

Anonymous said...

Nice to read your blog Arlee.Look forward to reading your posts.Roll on day two of A2Z..Bring on the B!! :)

jp@A Green Ridge said...

While I love his answers...I love his name even more...nice to you, Arlee!...:)JP

L.G. Keltner said...

Great pictures! And thanks for answering my question! The spaceship Imagination sounds like a great place to be!

Anonymous said...

Hope you had a wonderful Easter, Arlee! Sure enjoyed learning more about you through this post. Incidentally, my seed pods for my broccoli plants are almost ready to harvest for next year's crop. Nothing scary about broccoli at all:)

AJ Lauer said...

Happy birthday, Arlee!