Anisha over at Charlie and the Cerebration Factory nominated me (with 10 others) for The Sunshine Blogger Award. If I understand correctly, this makes me unique just like everybody else.

The rules* are stuck down at the end of this post. If you make it there, you can read them all. First, though, I need to answer eleven questions.

1. Name one thing unique to your country that you’re proud of and why.
   So… I’m American. There are a heck of a lot of people here, and a wide variety of them at that. I am proud of how clean and functional most things are here. Most things.
2. Would you rather read a Sci-fi or a medieval fantasy?
   The choice of what to read depends on the day, but I enjoy both science fiction and medieval fantasy. I do not enjoy purely romance stories.
3. What’s the best quote you’ve come up with so far?
   For today: “(O)ur friends and family don’t have to be idiots.” From Depression for Dummies.
4. Do you have any life mottos that you abide by? If yes, what are they?
   I do not really have a life motto. I do enjoy a good, inspirational quote occasionally and like to post the ones I’m fond of.
5. If you could bring back one dead person to life, who would it be?
   If I could animate a dead person without negative repercussions, I’d pick Jesus. No, seriously. We need healing.
6. Name a famous person you’d like to go on a date with.
   IF a famous person would agree to go on a date with me and be cordial about the whole thing, I’d pick Emma Thompson. I’m married so I can’t pick a dude, after all.
   
7. If you could be omnipotent for a day, what would you do? (And no, you can’t wish to be omnipotent forever, all you Chandlers)
   With all power, I would first play with the dynamics of time so that I might accomplish much more than everyone else in the cosmos. I’d create some light and dark, separate waters, create animals, build people that look like me, then take a long sleep.
8. List some things you want to do before you die.
   Before I leave this world, I’d like to publish a book and get rich and famous. Really, though, my goal of never having to do housework again might be more attainable.
9. Would you rather be able to read minds or to control time? Why?
   Given the choice between mind-reading and time-control I’d pick playing with time ANY DAY. Do you know the sick things people are thinking about? Just talk to my boys and they’ll tell you.
10. Does blogging ever feel like a burden to you?
    When it’s about time for a serial story to be due and I haven’t read my reader’s feed for three days and the dishes and laundry still need to be done EVERYTHING feels like a burden.
11. What’s your favourite kind of weather?
    I love LOVE LOVE the ominous, wild, windy period just before a storm. It’s almost as fantastic as standing in the storm as it rages around me.
    

I hope you had fun reading my responses, or at least exercised your skimming muscles. In terms of who to torture nominate next, I’ll give you my list of cool blogs to follow:

1. Cricketmuse: a highly intelligent writer who will get published before I do and will then send me a signed copy out of pity. (Please?)
2. Sunshine and Robins: a sweet, talented writer who tells about daily struggles and then shares tasty recipes I can’t eat because she lives on the other side of the world.
3. Fractured Faith Blog: Stephen (and his family, occasionally) share thoughts on writing, life-ing, running, and faithing in a personal and relatable way.
4. Beauty Beyond Bones: Caralyn hardly needs the attention, but I like to read her posts because she is also an excellent writer who has spot-on opinions about life and recovery.
5. Little Fears: The Pun King. He’d argue he was working on his punmanship. He also draws little pictures, narrates them, and is extremely good at the whole networking/blogging thing.
6. Heylookawriterfellow: Mike doesn’t need the attention either, but he’s a funny guy and you’ll like his posts. Just try him.
7. Myths of the Mirror: Diana is a (darn good!) published author whom I don’t know very well but whom I respect. She always responds to comments and is always the nicest person for it.
8. Lunch Break Fiction: It is what it is, and they are interesting stories.
9. Trefology: Short, odd, and possibly to a point.
10. Read After Burnout: Yet another great writer. You watch: he’ll be published before me, too. Yes you will, Mike.
    You may want to fix your header, though. I can’t read a thing.
11. Waking up on the Wrong Side of 50: LA has astute and engaging observations of her daily life in New York City. I enjoy reading her perspective.

If you felt left out not being named, don’t. I already named a few last award thingie, plus I need to save some in case it happens again.

If those who were named feel like it, here are my questions:

1. Why did the chicken cross the road?
2. What’s black and white and red all over?
3. Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?
4. Where do you see yourself in five years?
5. What would you say is your greatest weakness, and how have you learned to overcome it?
6. Why is 6 afraid of 7?
7. Why am I here?
8. Why is the sky blue?
9. Why do bad things happen to good people?
10. What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t come back?
11. What is the meaning of life?

I may have plagiarized a bit, but you get the idea.

*The rules

• Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you in the blog post and link back to their blog.
• Answer the 11 questions the blogger(s) asked you.
• Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
• List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award Logo in your post and/or on your blog.