I've been nominated!!!!! This is a great idea to venture out and discover new blogs and bloggers. Thanks to friend and fellow writer Carl Purdon for the nomination. This is how it works: A blogger is nominated and he/she

•  Posts 11 random facts about themselves and answers the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated them

• Passes the award on to 11 other blogs (while making sure to notify the blogger that nominated them!)

• Writes 11 NEW questions directed towards THEIR nominees.

• Is not allowed to nominate the blog who nominated them!

• Pastes the award picture into their blog.

So here goes. Eleven random facts about me:

1. I spent a summer in the seventies (late seventies -- okay, mid-seventies) hiking up the coast of California.

2. I once helped deliver a baby at home.

3. I am a BIG Bob Dylan fan.

4. I lived in Flagstaff, AZ for five years.

5. I am obsessed with Sons of Anarchy. (Opie, I miss you!) But hey, the new season of Justified began last night! Thank you, F/X.

6. For my birthday this year I took my son to see Drake White, Kenny Wayne Shephard, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

7. A few months before the concert above, I took my granddaughter to see Swan Lake.

8. I once lived in an old church that still had the steeple on it.

9. I am extremely clumsy.

10. I cannot parallel park. (See above.)

11. I once had to go to court because a crazy woman (not me) accused my roommate's dog of stealing her chicken. The police searched my house for the chicken, but found no evidence. Why did I end up in court? My roommate's dog, Mac, was in the yard when they arrived, so they got him on a leash law violation. I had to sign for him right then or let them call animal control. Because I signed for the dog, I had to show up in court as the "owner." Mac was cleared of all chicken related charges, but I had to pay the leash law violation fees. We celebrated with a trip to KFC and the pet store for a toy chicken. I spent the rest of the day teaching Mac to retrieve the toy chicken whenever I said, "Winner, winner. Chicken dinner."

 

Now, here are Carl's questions:

 

1) Before now, had you ever heard of the Leibster Award?

No, I never had.

2) Before now, had you ever heard of me?

Yes, I have heard of you. I am a big fan. Love The Night Train.

3) How long have you been blogging?

For under a year.

4) What is the primary purpose of your blog?

I began mainly because I had decided to get serious about writing.

5) Where do your blogging ideas come from?

From different areas of life. I wrote one about my trip to New York. One I wrote when I had left my computer charger at my son's house after a visit and had spent the time waiting for its replacement watching garbage on TV. It was my first introduction to the world of Honey Boo Boo. Oh my.

6) Do you blog according to a schedule or is it more random?

Too random. My only New Year's resolution is to get on a schedule.

7) If you have a day job, what is it? If not, just say something interesting.

I am fortunate that writing is the only job I have. So if any of you hear that me whining, you are allowed to cuss me. in fact, you should cuss me.

8) Which search engine is set as default on your browser?

That would be Google.

9) Did you have to check your browser before answering #8?

Of course, I did Carl.

10) What is the title of the last book you read?

Almost finished with Auraria by Tim Westover who does a wonderful supernatural story about this Appalachian town in north Georgia. He handles the setting and dialect beautifully even with English as his second language. A good read.

11) Have you ever met a famous person?

I have a great story about Amarillo Slim the great poker player and over-all gambler in Vegas. He was out there for a tournament in 2010 and my husband and I were taking a break from walking around in the Belagio when we spotted him sitting at a table with one gentleman. I really wanted to introduce myself and ask him a few questions because he had written in his book, Amarillo Slim in a World of Fat People, about my distant relative. Chill Wills, the western movie character actor whom I had never met, but who sounded like a real scoundrel from all the stories that had been told at different ancestor reunions by the faction who was into the geneology bit.

So when it looked like a lull in the conversation between Amarillo and his friend, I went up to their table and said, "Mr. Slim, my name is Kat Kennedy. my mother was a Wills and  I was wondering if you might remember Chill Wills."

Slim looked up at me, tipped the hat of his tan cowboy hat with the skinned rattlesnake serving as a hat band, its head facing me, mouth wide-opened, fangs intact and menacing, "That damned Chill Wills, yeah I remember him. He caused me to get dang near knocked offen an escalator in Hollywood (Florida) one time! Pull you on up a chair little lady. Chill Wills, now that's a name I aint heard in awhile. He was always a-getting me in trouble."

And so my husband and I spend the next couple of hours with the notoriously famous Amarillo Slim as he regaled us with stories of the escapades of these two very talented and adventurous men. There came a point when Amarillo, now into his nineties, said, "Miss, do you have any aspirin in your purse? I fell the other day and could sure use a Tylenol or aspirin." I did not, but walked all over the Belagio until I found some. I paid $4.29 for four Tylenol.

On the way back to our hotel Randy and I were talking about how great it was to have met Amarillo and gather the stories when I stopped in mid-sentence, the cold, hard realization dawning on me. I, just as so many before me, had been taken by the greatest of all. Amarillo Slim. The multi-millionaire had beat me out of $4.29 for a pack of Tylenol! But this time Mr. Slim, the sucker at the table came out ahead. I wouldn't trade the hour I spent talking with you for a million bucks.

Amarillo Slim died last summer. I will always treasure that night as one of my favorites with a wonderful man who knew how to tell a story and make a buck.

Now -- my questions.

1. What was your favorite discovery from last year?

2. Did you make any New Year's Resolutions?

3. Have you broken any New Year's Resolutions?

4. What would be your dream vacation?

5. What is your favorite SNL skit, past or present (or both)?

6. Do you have a favorite cult classic movie?

7. Downton Abbey, Yes or No?

8. Where do you write?

9. When do you write?

10. What is your guilty pleasure?

11. What is the best advice you were ever given?

There it is. Now I get to pass on the torch to eleven bloggers.

Lauren Clark                                 Melinda McGuires

Janet Nodar                                  Carrie Cox

Laura Howard                               Stephanie Lawton

Christine McKnight                       Angela Quarles

Molly Greene                                Christopher Cox

                         Mahala Church