I am all that (whatever that may be!)

Kat of Krafty Kat recently bestowed the "I am all that!" award on me a few days ago!  Like some of the other awards floating around, this one has a little survey attached to it.  I found these questions a little more challenging than most, but I'll give it my best shot.


1.  What size shoe do you wear?  If you wear size 7, can I borrow your shoes?

I have biiiig feet.  (And loooong toes.)  Size 10 to 11 in US sizes, 41 to 42 in European sizes.  So probably 8 to 9 in UK sizing, I reckon?   Technically my feet measure to size 10.5, but most shoe manufacturers stop making half sizes at 9.5, so I am very loyal to brands whose 10s run a little big!

As for borrowing shoes ... while it's not as bad as, say, borrowing someone's toothbrush, I have only shared shoes with people I knew well.  For the brief period of time in junior high when I wore the same size as my mom, I test-drove all her running shoes.  And I inherited a beloved pair of shoes from one of my best friends in high school and wore them to death.   Of course this hypothetical size-7-shoe-wearer isn't gonna want my shoes anyhow!

2.  30s or 60s?

In terms of sewing patterns and women's fashion, I'll take the late 30s or the early 60s.  But I'm guessing I'm not allowed to assemble my own tailor-made decade from just the parts I like (especially as I am not willing to loan out any shoes).  Early 60s styles are probably the best look for my figure type, so I'll settle for that!

3.  Have you ever kissed someone you shouldn't have?

Well, yes, but I was framed.  Actually, it's kind of a funny story.

I was in high school at the time.  One morning before classes started, I was heading toward my locker when my German teacher rounded the corner from the other direction.   Now this teacher was in the habit of calling out a verb to decline whenever he encountered one of his students in the hall, so I was getting into a German frame of mind as quickly as possible.   Before 8am, this required serious focus!  

At the same moment the dreaded verb burst forth,  someone slammed into me, and before I knew it, that person's tongue was in my mouth.   I was completely unprepared for this, not least because my attacker was my best friend's boyfriend.  Oh, and this was also my first kiss ever.   I can't say I enjoyed it, as I was too worried about where my best friend and my own boyfriend were, and how I was going to handle the whole German verb situation.   (I don't think I did handle it, actually.)   Naturally the whole thing was my best friend's idea: she had a twisted sense of humor.  My boyfriend was in on it too, so maybe I shouldn't have been surprised when that relationship didn't last even three weeks.

4.  Have you ever been poisoned?  Was it by the girlfriend of the person you kissed?  That is awesomely "Knot's Landing".

I've only been poisoned by a negligent Chinese restaurant.  No funny story there.

5.  Who is on your "Celebrity Free Pass" list (top five)?

I'm just not up on my celebrities.   My husband is always proud of me if I even recognize someone I've seen before in a movie or TV show.     I'm not sure why I have so much trouble ... maybe it's because I didn't have too much exposure to celebrities as a kid.    So I guess the short answer to number five is "nobody" ...  boring, but true.  But here are some of my favorite celebrities (and maybe this goes some way towards explaining the problem):

Hint:  it's the one on the left!

Ook, the owl who played Hedwig in the Harry Potter.   What could be more awesome than an owl named Ook?  Oh yeah, an owl named Ook with an acting career!

Alex the African Grey, who invented terms like "banerry" and "cork nut".

Alas, Alex is no longer with us -- he died a few years ago at age 31.  But he devoted his life to science!  You can read about him at http://www.alexfoundation.org.

Now who shall I bestow this award upon?   (Hey now, don't all run away at once!)   I'm not at all offended if prefer to let this one pass you by, but should you wish to jump on board ...

Handmade Jane
Jenny at Chronically Uncool
Jenny Stitches
Sassy Lassie
SuzySewing