Tag Archives: 31 Day Blog Prompt Challenge

31 Day Blog Prompt Challenge Day 31

Day 31: Free day. Whatever you like!

I’m so tired writing this now (and Coraline just threw up in her crib) that I’m drawing a blank as to what to write about. Aha — how about some of the stranger search terms that have brought people to my blog? In no particular order:

  1. Good Will Humping (awkward … this is why people land here when they search for that term)
  2. cow repellent (yeah, that’s me alright)
  3. curly crazy haired baby (that would be Coraline)
  4. what is the black market? (because I know)
  5. let’s blow this popsicle stand (OK!)
  6. names of black cabbage patch kids (this one’s new)
  7. TV shows about vampires witches and werewolves (I’m an amateur authority)
  8. Simon Baker’s father (he’s a personal friend)
  9. Aidan Turner pretty (why yes, yes he is)
  10. freaking out about nose surgery (with good reason — it hurts like hell)

And this brings an end to my 31 Day Blog Prompt Challenge. This month is the most consistently I’ve blogged in ages, and I have to admit, it’s been fun. At least for me, anyway.

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31 Day Blog Prompt Challenge Day 30

Day 30: Your spouse or significant other.

I’ve been pretty open about expressing my fondness for Rich in the past. And since I’ve already poured my heart out like that, I’ve resorted to creating a fake profile for him based on how well I know him and what I love about him. Let me just say that it is next to impossible to find a fill-in-the-blank dating profile using Google. Without actually signing up for a dating service, that is. Which is why I resorted to modifying one of those American Express cardmember profiles — because it’s free.

A fabulous recent photo of Rich taken by our amazingly talented friend, Jeff. Who I need to get to take headshots for me. You can see some of Jeff's photography here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/romaniuk/

Name: Richard Lee

Married Since: 2000

Occupation: website guy/poppa extraordinaire/geeky gamer/squasher of bugs

Proudest Accomplishment: having my own art gallery showings/becoming quite handy at home improvement/having made an awesome daughter with my awesome wife/teaching Coraline to fist bump

Perfect Day: Convincing Pattie to go to Mirage to smoke a hookah (someday …)/convincing Pattie to go to Amsterdam (hey, I can dream)/not having to change a poopy diaper — hell, any diapers

Most Unusual Gift: That I received from someone else? African fertility statue (don’t ask). That I gave to someone? Two rolls of nickels (again, don’t ask).

Recent Impulse Buy: my iPad (here iPad, iPad, iPad)

Internet Therapy: World of Warcraft/reading up on and geeking out about coding languages/watching Archer via Netflix streaming

Can’t Shop Without: Pattie making me

My Wife: ROCKS

Doing what he does best: being a great dad to Coraline

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31 Day Blog Prompt Challenge Day 29

Day 29: Your dream vacation.

Years ago, my dream vacation would’ve been to see the pyramids and Valley of the Kings in Egypt or to traipse through Spain. More likely, it would’ve been to Atlantis in the Bahamas. Don’t get me wrong — I still hope to go to all those places someday. But now, after having read a certain book series and the subsequent movies and embracing my inner geek, I would kill to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. I could walk through Hogsmeade! Ride a roller coaster that’s set inside Hogwarts! I could die happy!

While I’d jump at the chance to go now, I’m hoping it stays open for many years to come since I want to take Coraline to visit it. After she’s read the books and seen the movies, of course.

Hogwarts coaster (Image found via Google)

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31 Day Blog Prompt Challenge Day 28

Day 28: If someone gave you $1,000 to spend on YOURSELF, what would you buy?

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzt! Sorry, that was my drool shorting out my laptop keyboard. One thousand dollars? To spend on myself? Lawdy, I have no idea. Last time I spent that kind of money on myself was when I saved up in 2009 for my solo vacation at the Toronto International Film Festival (I paid for everything for that trip with good old-fashioned cash). My most recent splurge? A Coach wallet to go with the Coach purse my parents gave me for Christmas; I paid nowhere near the $218 retail price thanks to the outlet store. But $1000? Maybe I’d take another solo vacation. More likely, though, I’d update the hell out of my wardrobe — I still have and wear pieces I’ve had since high school and college. I’d say I’m due for a complete wardrobe overhaul at this point, wouldn’t you?

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31 Day Blog Prompt Challenge Day 27

Day 27: Your favorite meals or recipes.

My specialty is lasagna. My mom taught me how to make it ages ago, when I was in high school. I tweaked the recipe a bit in that I now make it with ground turkey instead of ground beef (since it’s leaner) and with Arrabbiata sauce instead of marinara for a spicy kick. In addition to those ingredients, I make it with mozzarella, Parmesan, and ricotta cheeses; I add mushrooms to about half the lasagna for Rich. It’s one of my favorite things to make, even though it takes a while (about an hour of prep time), because it’s beyond delicious and when I make it just for Rich and myself we have a bunch of leftovers for the next couple of days. It’s also a favorite of both my dad’s and my father-in-law’s, so it’s good for family dinners (the rest of the family likes it, too, but the dads really like it). Alas, like the best family recipes (I also make a fab beef stew, taught to me by Dad), this one’s not written down. It’s on a recipe card in ye olde noggin.

Mmm ... lasagna

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31 Day Blog Prompt Challenge Day 25

Day 25: Something you are looking forward to.

In the near future, I’m looking forward to both a long weekend getaway with Rich and Miss Baby, maybe to Biltmore in Asheville (my strongest preference), or Charleston, Savannah, or Charlotte. Then later in the summer we’ll likely take a week-long vacation to the Virginia Beach area so we can visit friends we haven’t seen in years, introduce them to Coraline, and take her to the beach for the very first time.

Biltmore Estate (image from the official Biltmore Estate website, www.biltmore.com)

What I’m most looking forward to in my immediate future is hopefully a night of much better sleep than I had last night. Lord knows I need the rest.

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31 Day Blog Prompt Challenge Day 24

Day 24: Your favorite book or author.

I have to say, I really can’t pick just one author, so I’ll break it down a bit.

As a kid, I devoured books by Beverly Cleary. The Ramona Quimby series was my favorite. And when I read Ramona Forever and the Quimby family cat, Picky-Picky, died, I was devastated. I couldn’t believe their beloved cat died; I really thought he’d live forever. I think I was so upset in part because, if memory serves, Picky-Picky was an orange tabby, like my cat, Morris. So I projected a lot of what I felt about Morris onto Picky-Picky’s death. That was the first time a book made me cry.

As an adult, one of my favorite novelists is the late Sidney Sheldon. That man knew how to tell a story (Bloodline is my favorite). My autographed copy of Nothing Lasts Forever is one of my most cherished hardcovers; I only wish I’d been the one to meet him in person to get his autograph.

As a parent, I love all of the books I read to Coraline, even when I don’t actually love the book. Her love of books is just so wonderful to behold, so it makes every book enjoyable (she’s very into her Olivia books these days). That said, one book I really do love reading to her is No Matter What; I’m always disappointed when she shakes her head and says “no” when she’d rather hear another story. It’s just such a sweet, seemingly simple story about how even on our bad days or when we feel unlovable or when we want to be left alone, the people who matter most to us still love us — no matter what.

No Matter What

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31 Day Blog Prompt Challenge Day 23

Day 23: How you came up with the name of your blog.

I originally started my blog while living in Virginia to keep our family here in Knoxville (and elsewhere) up to date on what was going on in our lives. I also started it at Rich’s behest to hone my writing skills. Ahem. It was originally named Pattie’s Rants because I started it on a day I was very cranky after driving in Hampton Roads traffic. Read: I was stuck in traffic for a ridiculous amount of time. Again. That blog name lasted about five minutes. I quickly decided a rant-centric blog was way too negative, even for me, so why not focus on pop culture instead? This was back when I had a lot more free time to watch TV and movies and read books at a far faster pace than I manage these days. Hence Pattie’s Pop Culture Paradise came about. When I made the leap to WordPress a while back I decided that was as good a time as any to rename my blog. While I still talk about pop culture here and there, it’s certainly not my focus anymore. I basically blog about my life now more than anything else. And yes, a certain curly-haired toddler is a huge component of my blogging. So I settled on iPattie.

Now all 26 of you (see what I did? I added a few) who read this blog know how it was named. Yay.  😉

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31 Day Blog Prompt Challenge Day 22

Day 22: Your favorite holiday.

Most people would say Christmas, or maybe their birthday. I’m going to go with Thanksgiving, because that’s when I get a chance to shine (food-wise, anyway) in that I eat my own weight in turkey. I’m almost always the last person left at the table because our family gets tired of waiting for me to fill up. And you know how tryptophan in turkey is supposed to make you sleepy? I’m convinced it’s an urban legend. Either that, or I’m completely immune to it. Which, come to think of it, is probably the case since medications known for causing drowsiness don’t work on me (Benadryl, Ambien). But where was I? Oh, yeah: turkey. Since my family is Puerto Rican, we usually celebrate holidays like Easter and Christmas with a pernil, or roast pork shoulder, which, while absolutely delicious (my dad can prepare and cook them in his sleep), is most decidedly not a turkey. So I have to get my fill at Thanksgiving, or find/fabricate a reason to make a turkey on another occasion during the year. This past Thanksgiving was probably my favorite in that Coraline was old enough to really get to try the food. And boy, did she love eating everything — especially the turkey.

The bad boy I prepped and roasted for Thanksgiving 2011

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31 Day Blog Prompt Challenge Day 21

Day 21: Something you love about yourself.

My warped sense of humor. It comes through better in person than it does in my writing, believe me. A lot of telling believable stories has to do with delivery. Which is why I have friends who believe Rich and I met in a police lineup, that Rich is my fifth husband, that I’ve been arrested, that I really did need my resume updated for a new career in “circus trapezery,” and so on. I also enjoy engaging in silly physical comedy when the mood strikes me, like the night I happened to find these very long ribbons and wordlessly did a goofy ribbon dance around the living room, much to Rich’s surprise. Being able to still surprise Rich like that after all these years is a badge of honor for me. Well, that and when he lovingly calls me “so weird.” Gotta keep the spouse on his toes, you know.

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