quizzes/I'm not dead/Merry Christmas and other assorted holidays

[rena_librarian]

LotR Fandom Meme (gacked from gamgeefest)

1. How did you get involved in the fandom? What was your first place/haven within the fandom?
I was vaguely aware of the existence of The Hobbit growing up--it was one of the things banhammered by my mother because the ads looked scary and it involved, horror of horrors, MAGIC--and I don't remember exactly where I heard about Lord of the Rings, just that at some point I came to understand it was fantasy and I needed to read it. I finally did read them, and my enthusiasm for the fandom developed about the same time as my enthusiasm for the internet. The first place I found to hang out with other Ringers was the Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza. =) Ah, messageboarding. I also used to hang out on bagginses.com/the Grey Panthers forums, and started DLBE when those died. (I'd link to bagginses but the page that's there now is apparently porn. D= )
2. When did you first read Tolkien's writing? I started them in February of 2001 and finished them two days before FotR was released on DVD.
3. What did you read first? The Hobbit, then the trilogy, later followed by the Silm at some point and other Tolkien anthologies. I need to reread The Hobbit and the trilogy.
4. When did you first see the movies? I saw FotR the night it came to DVD, saw TTT also the day it came out on DVD, and saw RotK on IMAX in January. =D
5. How did you come to be involved where you are now in the fandom? Hmm. Well, thehobbitwaffle and I started DLBE when GP decided to cut itself down to its original core membership. And Shelly and I started writing D2D in January 2004. =D
6. What was the first fanfic story you read? I don't even know.
7. What was the first fanfic story you wrote? Was it Tolkien centric, or another genre? Lol. For LotR, I think the first thing I started writing was Lalaith. I could be wrong, though.
8. Name 3 of your favorite Tolkien characters. Why do you like them? Frodo, of course--I relate. He's bookish and dreamy and wishes to have adventures away from his mundane life. Eowyn, because she's an incredibly strong woman in a man's world, and again, I relate--this time in love. =) And then probably Bilbo--he got his adventure and enjoyed it. =) He's kind of uncle every kid would love to have. ^_^
9. What are 3 of your least favorite characters? Why? Hmm. Well, the bad guys, of course! Denethor just plain pisses me off, trying to drag his son along into his madness. Saruman, for what he did to the Shire out of sheer spite. And Lobelia, because she was hateful and greedy. Grr.
10. What genres do you like to read the most? A little bit of everything; AU, h/c, a little slash now and again. Honestly I don't generally seek out new authors, I read stuff put out by authors I already know I like or stuff they highly recommend.
11. What Tolkien eras/cultures/events/etc. do you feel you have the strongest knowledge in? I'm not gonna lie--movieverse, actor info, that kind of thing.
12. What areas do you feel you can help other authors with? Lol. Grammar.
13. What do you feel are your weaknesses as a writer? What would you like to improve on? I think I have a tendency to be torn between explaining canonical things (this info needs to be here for this to stand alone!) and not explaining them (anyone who's a LotR fan doesn't need to have this told to them again!).
14. What Tolkien era/culture/events/etc. would you like to know more about? I can't think of anything I wouldn't read about if the info was presented in an intelligent way. =)
15. What are you currently writing, what's your latest work in progress? I'm STILL working on In Another World, and of course D2D.
16. What is your favorite story you wrote? Why? Hmm. Probably D2D, because of its sheer...epicness, lol.
17. What is your least favorite story you wrote? Why? Lol. The ones I haven't finished.



Directions: Once you’ve been tagged, you have to write a note with 16 random things, shortcomings, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end choose 16 people to be tagged, listing their names and why you chose them. You have to tag the person who tagged you.

I was tagged (on Facebook) by littlelaiken. I'm not tagging anyone, but here goes:

1. I have never learned to swim or ride a bicycle.
2. I would much rather go on an Alaskan cruise than a Caribbean one.
3. When I get new clothes/shoes/accessories, I like to wait for a special occasion to "premiere" them.
4. Growing up, I thought I would be married before I turned 21 and was more than a little shocked to reach 22 without ever really having a boyfriend.
5. I have beaten six video games all the way to the end--real games with plot, not like Tetris and stuff. The shortest one took me about three days.
6. Purple wasn't my favorite color until I was about twelve, though I've always loved it.
7. I am deathly afraid of being behind trucks hauling logs and if I can't pass them I will pull off to the side of the road and let them get ahead of me, or take an alternate route at the first available opportunity.
8. I love Hello Kitty but will only spend money on pieces that have little to no pink on them. (The one exception is my shower clock radio, which was purchased because I wanted a shower clock radio anyway and just happened to find a deeply discounted Hello Kitty one.)
9. I have owned four lava lamps over the course of my life. I currently 'have only one, and of course it's purple. ^_^ (I'll co-own a fifth when Cody moves in, lol.)
10. I have my passport and have used it once, though I've been out of the country four times. (Have yet to leave the continent, though. =( )
11. I am pretty sure I am the only person (or at least the only person that was alive when it came out, younger people don't count) to have never seen Titanic. Even my parents have seen it now.
12. I own over 30 pairs of shoes and not a single pair of plain white socks.
13. I can solve a Rubik's Cube, generally in under three minutes.
14. I could read (like sentences out of newspapers, not just Dick and Jane) at the age of three.
15. My birthday is on Pi Day, and it's also Albert Einstein's birthday.
16. I'm pretty sure I used a lot of these the last time I filled out an "x-number of random things" quiz.

You Feel Nurturing Toward Your Family

You like to persuade your family that you are right about things. You like to be the leader in your family. You have confidence in your family to take care of itself and make good decisions. You especially have this confidence in the younger generation. When times get difficult, you are able to be the adult in your family. You are able to keep your family together. You are honest and very outspoken with your family. You sometimes hurt feelings by saying things they don't want to hear.

How Do You Really Feel About Your Family?

Hmm. Yeah.

You Spread a Lot of Holiday Cheer

During the holidays, you represent the true spirit of Christmas. You give freely, and you enjoy this special time of the year. There's a good chance that you spread cheer every time of the year... not just during the holidays. You're kind, upbeat, and generous. Anyone who crosses your path is lucky.

Do You Spread Holiday Cheer?

=D

You Should Make 3 Resolutions

Save Money Get a Better Job Get Fit

What Should You Resolve to Change Next Year?

Lol. Yeah.