Tag, You're it! - Ten Random Things Meme

Chers Amis,

I have been tagged by Angel in the 10 Random Things meme. Hmm. Most of my life seems random :-) which ten things to pick. . .

1. I once spent a magical summer working on an Etruscan and Roman archeological dig in the countryside of Chianti. Heaven.
   
2. I love to eat adventurously and adore trying new dishes, the spicier the better. There is something about Thai food I especially enjoy. Red wine, good cheese, bread, dark chocolate and coffee are also on my A list.
   
3. I am notoriously clutzy. My dh calls me "Grace" as a joke as I have been know to run into trees, corners of walls, doors - don't even mention me on skis!
4. I am addicted to reading. I read constantly, books, poetry, the Wall Street Journal, magazines, cookbooks, cereal boxes, labels, receipts. I HAVE to have something to read at all times. I am getting pickier as the years go by and eschew novels with disfunctional families or dark themes. See #5. I also enjoy writing.
   
5. I have vivid dreams every night that are very affected by what I see and read. My dh, who almost never remembers a single dream, finds this very strange and loves to tell the story of how after watching a HGTV piece on painting murals of Orcas in a children's room, I had nightmares about, well, whales. I do not watch scary movies or read Stephan King.
   
6. I have read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (and the Hobbit) a ridiculous number of times - I stopped counting at 8x - or was it 9. No, I have not named any of my children Elbereth, Sam, Eowyn or the like nor do I write Elvish. I don't know why I love this work so, but I think that there are certain aethetics that resonate with each person. Tolkien was a renown scholar of Beowulf which I also enjoy. Go figure.
   
7. I like music (I played clarinet for 12 years) but can't listen to it while I study or write. The Mozart effect doesn't work for me, too distracting.
   
8. I lack the female shopping gene. I hate shopping (especially for shoes!) - The exception is shopping for food and books. I do like window shopping in galleries and shops with lovely or handmade objects. Online shopping and catalogs is much better - it is like reading! See #4
   
9. I taught myself to recover a sofa, quilt and make curtains (none perfectly!).I am a bit of a tightwad. When I saw how much they wanted to do the sofa I decided that I should at least try my had at it. Seven years, three kids and one puppy later, the sofa is no longer with us. The quilts are curtains are holding up. (Dog can't reach them) I really enjoy making things by hand - I just have to be careful. I put a sewing machine needle clear through my thumb last time I pieced a quilt. See #3.
10. As you can tell from my blog, I love France. I love the language and the country is beautiful, so varied and rich. The food, the literature, the architecture, the mountains, the memories, the friends, they helped to define and shape me.
    

I thing that everyone on my blogline has been tagged. If not, tag, your it!

-- Marjorie