I’m It! Another Meme about Me

Mardel at SewDistractedtagged me with this meme several weeks ago, even before I got back from holiday. I’m enjoying reading these at numerous blogs lately, and I thought it might be fun to join in.

What was I doing 10 years ago?
10 years ago, I would have just finished the year of coursework towards my PhD and would have been putting together my thesis proposal and drawing up the accompanying reading list, hoping to get all this accepted by the Grad Committee so that I could begin studying for comps. Meanwhile my youngest two, then 16 and 13, would have been out of school for the summer, so I would have been dealing with the usual things one deals with through adolescence — in fact, I remember clearly (’cause it’s become a bit of a family joke), my 16-year old daughter telling me, at this time, “Why don’t you just ask us to do things, instead of nagging at us?” — (the obvious answer being, of course, that if they just did those things, there would be no nagging!) My oldest daughter and her partner were living with us (altho’ in the little cottage rather than in the house) — they’re very easy to live with, but still, two extra bodies!). Our dog was then a youngster, and if you’ve ever lived with a Golden Retriever pup, you’ll know how crazy that can be. And we would have finally got our house working for us, having just moved back in the previous fall after a massive renovation (lifted the 800-sq.ft. cottage to put a proper foundation beneath it and then built a 2-storey 900 sq-ft addition — with all the predictable-yet-unexpected glitches along the way!)

What are 5 things on my to-do list today?
Try to get the garden under control — weeding, clipping, etc.
Make a start on an essay I’ve been thinking about
Drop a cheque off at my pet-sitter’s
E-mail city councillor about island Community Gardens
Make appointment for pedicure

Snacks I enjoy:
Popcorn (hot-air)
Anna’s ginger thins
Almonds
Sliced pear and Cambozola

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Establish bursaries and fund housing.
Give a big boost to those friends who go directly to work in Third World countries each year, but not so much that the immediacy of their work would get lost in layers of bureaucracy.
Make sure all my nieces and nephews could do post-secondary education if they wanted and that all my kids had a down payment for a decent, but still modest enough, house — I think I’d still want them to have to make moderate mortgage payments and feel they could earn their own way.
Finally, if my daughter, the GirlCook, and my son, who’s in hospitality management, were interested, I’d work with them and my husband to buy a boutique hotel or a B&B or perhaps a restaurant that we could run together (actually, they could all do the work; I’d be in my own suite, reading)

Places I have lived:
New Westminster, BC
Prince Rupert, BC
Nanaimo, BC
Vancouver, BC
and vicariously, since my husband worked and maintained an apartment there that I visited regularly (for 4-5 years),
Ottawa, Ontario

What type of work have I done?
Berry-picking, After-hours support at a Veterinary Clinic (cleaning, feeding, assisting at emergency care, etc.,), Library page, Office/Clerical, Bookstore Assistant, Piano/Music Theory Teacher, Literature and Composition Prof, and all the work that goes under that huge umbrella labelled “Parenting”

6 Bloggers I’d like to Know More About:
I think almost everyone has already done this blog, but if you haven’t, and you think it looks like fun, let me know once you have your post up and I’ll happily link to you.