Words and Other Malarky

What is UP, my dudes and dudettes? I am excited to say that I have been tagged (again!) for the Mystery Blogger Award, and I am stoked! (And definitely not because I had no plan for this week’s post!)

I was nominated by Heidi of Rise Love Live. She blogs about inspiration, love, self-care, and more! She makes beautiful Instagram graphics and you should definitely check out her blog! Thank you so much for nominating me, Heidi!

what is the mystery blogger award?

This award was created by lifestyle and fashion blogger Okoto Enigma. It was created as a way for blogs that haven’t been discovered to gain recognition.

Mystery Blogger Award is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates.They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging, and they do it with so much love and passion.

Okoto Enigma

the rules

1. Put the award logo/image on your blog
2. List the rules
3. Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog
4. Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well
5. Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
6. Nominate 10 – 20 people
7. Notify your nominees
8. Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)
9. Share a link to your best post(s)

3 things about yours truly

1. I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada–born but not raised. We moved to the Midwest when I was about three and never looked back! I’ve been to Vegas to visit relatives and such, but I have yet to visit as an adult over the age of 21… which is to say, I haven’t really been TO Vegas yet!
2. I play viola (the bigger, better cousin of the violin!) in my local community orchestra, where I’ve been playing since college. I wish I could say I was good, but the truth is, I’m only mediocre. I just enjoy it as a hobby! For our spring concert we’re doing Star Wars… I’ve played it before, and let me just say, it’s hard!
3. I’m a runner! I’ve been running since middle school (at first, because my mom coerced me into it) and did cross-country most of high school. Now, it’s honestly the most sustainable form of exercise I’ve found (not to mention the cheapest)! Plus, since I have a husky now, I gotta wear her out somehow!

5 questions from heidi

1. What do you think is the best service a blogger can provide to his/her readers? Gosh, honestly, just to add a little something to their readers’ day–whether it’s some useful information, life advice, or just some entertainment. I think it’s a blogger’s job to make their readers’ day just a little better than it was before they read your post. I feel like that’s almost vague, but hey, it’s an answer! And I really mean it, too!
2. What was your greatest failure and what did you learn from that? Oh, this is a good question. I don’t know if this is my greatest failure, but the biggest one I feel like I can share happened in college, when I was taking a creative writing workshop. On a day when my story was going to be workshopped, I went in thinking that I had it in the bag. Everyone hated it–I mean, that might be exaggerating, but they sure as hell ripped it to shreds! It was a humbling experience to say the least, and definitely a time when I felt like I truly failed at something.
3. What do you do in your spare time? You mean, besides blogging, haha? Actually, that’s true, this is my spare time. I also read, write my own stories, and make YouTube videos (*shameless plug*). I also enjoy eating good food and hanging out with my fiancé… can’t count the poor bastard out!
4. If you could have been a child prodigy, what would you have wanted to be skilled at? Honestly, viola. Maybe it would’ve been a blessing and curse, but there’s a part of me that always truly wanted to master a string instrument (but of course, I put neither the time nor the will into it). How awesome would it have been if it all had just come naturally to me in my childhood? Would’ve saved so much time and stress. I wouldn’t even want to tour or play with professional orchestras or anything like that–just to be able to pick up any piece of music and play it beautifully in whatever context would suit me just fine.
5. And the funny one (sort-of) – Would you rather have someone special bring you breakfast in bed tomorrow morning or be able to sleep in as late as you want? ¿Porque no las dos? Just kidding! As much as I love breakfast… sleeping in as late as I want tomorrow would be nice because I currently have a puppy who insists I be up at 6:00 am every morning to wait on her hand and foot (or paw and foot, I suppose). Usually this is ideal for my productivity, but could I please just… have… one… day?

my nominees

I’ll make a Twitter post to alert you guys…

• Jackie of All Trades @jofalltradesb
• Faye @female_original
• Nancy @ex_quisitely
• Ron Sampson @RDSampson_25
• Passport Explored @passportexplor
• The Prepping Wife @ThePreppingWife
• I Go By Katie @igobykatieblog
• Jess Ling @Jessling1205
• The Nuanced Notebook @NuancedNotebook
• A Finn On The Loose @afinnontheloose
• Ashlee Nichole @AshNExplained
• Quill and Bean @quillandbean
• Help Me, I’m Adulting @gemmanewberry88
• Fadima Mooneira @Mooneira
• Chandrayan Gupta @ChandrayanGupta

Honest to God, I just went through my Twitter and grabbed the first fifteen bloggers I recognized, so if you’re like, “Who the heck are you?” consider this an introduction! Hi, I’m Becca! I guess it’s technically more egalitarian this way, if you want to call it that. I think I’d probably call it laziness. And of course, as always, participation is optional!

my questions for the nominees

1. If you could go back in time to when you were a teenager, what would you tell yourself (unless you are a teenager, then what do you hope your future self would tell you)?
2. What type of person do you find yourself drawn to as a friend? (For example, I tend to make friends with the shy, awkward types, probably because I empathize with them.)
3. Would you rather go without makeup or without hair styling tools? (If you’re a guy, shaving or hair style?)
4. If you could have lunch with a fictional character (movie, TV, book, whatever), who would it be and why?
5. And now the funny one (I guess): You must choose one song with which to torture your enemies by playing it on repeat. What song do you choose?

the best of malarky!

• The all-time winner is still that darn short story I posted last year, The Enemy of My Enemy. I mean, I do think it’s good, but it still baffles me how many views it’s gotten.
• For recent posts, table for one: writing for yourself did surprisingly well. That one came out of nowhere–usually I’m struggling to pick a topic to write about, but this one just flowed. Pretty cool.
• And then because I’m petty, I’m gonna plug the one I think is the best even though it didn’t perform the best, and that’s writing lessons from the mandalorian. I had a lot of fun with that one.