Pay attention, it's time for ... me!

I didn't foresee being tagged for a Meme, but it happened and now I'm trying to figure out what exactly to divulge. I'm not shy, so don't worry, I'll give you something juicy to read. Astra Libris of Food for Laughter tagged me and surprisingly we share one Meme in common. :-)

Here it goes -- 5 things you didn't know about me ...

1.] Oddly enough, just like Astra Libris, I grew up on a sheep farm! We had about 200 sheep and I baled hay, plowed the fields, and helped raise the animals. During lambing season, I was responsible for checking the barn every hour to check on any sheep giving birth. Just like with humans, there is an occasional breach birth or other issue which requires your assistance.

A few years ago, a close friend/coworker was pregnant and she knew of my farm history. She elected me as the one to take her to the hospital should she go into labor while at work. She was impressed with my background and knew that if we encountered traffic or if the delivery proceeded quickly, I could deliver her baby :-) Unfortunately, she had her baby over a weekend.

2.] You'll have to take my word for it that today I'm a pretty normal looking 'guy next door' type of person. Most people find it surprising that for many years I had my nose pierced, my tongue pierced, and often had a variety of hair colors (blue, green, magenta ...). To this day, I miss my nose ring the most. I no longer have any piercings and my hair color returned to a basic brown color. Let's just say, I am artistic and creative soul.

3.] You may know that this year I started working from my home office for the first time. What you don't know is that I've literally replaced my normal commute (45 minutes or so, each way) with my passion for food. Any baking that you see on the site was likely done before 8am and any cooking done after 5pm. The earliest I've started was probably the other day when I made english muffins -- they were started around 6:30am or so.

4.] I have an addiction to small bowls. I don't know why, but I am drawn to little mixing, dipping, condiment holding bowls. I have a big drawer filled with them and must stop myself from buying more. I've limited myself to only what will fit into this one drawer. They're just so cute. (I have a similar issue with miniature versions of condiments, liquor bottles, etc.)

5.] I LOVE BOURSIN!! There, I said it. The taste and texture is absolutely magical to me. It takes all of my self restraint not to eat an entire package in one sitting. I don't mind that it makes me smell all garlickly ... it keeps people at a manageable distance :-)

And that concludes my Meme -- not too exciting or damaging to my reputation, at least I hope not. You know that these Memes always require a passing of the torch. I'll admit that I'm somewhat skeptical of this part and actually don't know too many food bloggers to whom I can pass this along. For anyone interested it doing this Meme, just let me know. I'll update my posting to TAG you! There are five positions open, so first-come, first-served:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

But, keeping in the spirit of giving a few shout-outs, I am going to list a few bloggers who I've come across recently and enjoy reading.

The first two who I immediately think of are Mark of No Special Effects and Peter from Kalofagas and everyone seems to know these guys. I read them religiously. Mark makes the most elaborate creations -- always something exciting to see. Peter brings his Greek heritage to the table and makes the most mouthwatering foods, like the grilled halloumi or Spanakopita in which he MADE his own phyllo!

I've also recently discovered Cafe Fernando by Cenk who lives in Turkey and always makes the most beautiful foods -- like this Clementine and olive oil cake. In addition to food, we share a common love for the Golden Girls. Rose is my favorite character too :-)

Then there's Peter from Australia who writes Souvlaki for the Soul. His photography is amazingly beautiful and his food is amazing. Check out his 'Biteclub', which sounds like such a wonderful dining experience.

And finally, some royalty. If you haven't heard of The Queen, then I suggest checking out Jenn of The Leftover Queen fame. She's widely known but I have to call her out for providing a nice food blogger forum and for bringing us foodies together. She also finds time to run The Foodie BlogRoll ... not sure how she pulls it all off and makes it look so effortless. Super kudos to Jenn!