8...one more than 7

For the longest time I took up issue with "blog tags". In my mind they seemed like elitist forms of those absurd facebook applications like "throwing a goat" at someone or giving them a "super poke". I appologize for associating any of the fine blogs that I love and read with the superficial world of facebook applications. But the truth was, blog tags both confused me and made me feel like a loser. With no one tagging me I was left to think I didn't belong in this exclusive cyber game.

Until one day...all that changed. That was the day that I discovered that Cheese on Rye had tagged me. And this is my response. This is the story of how I became Cate the Great being tagged for questions eight.

8 Things I'm passionate about
1. My dear, charming Matt
2. Brooks and Sweeney fams
3. Running (especially where I can smell Sage Brush)
4. Mary Jane shoes
5. Art and understanding the visual world I live in
6. Baking up a party that bring friends into my home
7. Tomato Soup
8. A good book

8 Things I want to do before I die
1. Complete a full triathlon
2. Blow up the Glenn Canyon Dam (I got this from Claire and thought it sounded neat)
3. Have some chilluns'
4. Write a memoir
5. Learn the intricacies of French pastry cooking
6. Go to Argentina with Matt and sit in that tea shop he always tells me about
7. Learn the French language good and proper
8. Teach an art history course

8 Books I have read recently
1. Speak Laurie Halls Anderson
2. Out of the Dust Karen Hesse
3. My Antonia Willa Cather
4. Swimming to Antartica Susan Cox
5. Morality for Beautiful Girls Alexander McCall Smith
6. The Fountainhead Ayn Rand (well I tried at least-until page 350)
7. Twilight Stephanie Meyer
8. The Good Earth Pearl S. Buck

8 Things I often say
1. "I'm calling in a minute..."
2. It's not hip-hop, it's electro....
3. super much or super great
4. Can I have a bite?
5. Ain't no thing...
6. "I'm not okay with...."
7. lovely
8. "brrrriisssskyyyy" (thanks to TR)

8 Things that attract me to friends
1. sincerity
2. non-competitive
3. compassionate
4. loves good, interesting things
5. unassuming
6. non-judgemental
7. finds humor in irony
8. dedicated to being a good friend

8 Songs or albums I could listen to over and over
1. Anything Andy B.
2. About A Boy soundtrack
3. Underacheivers Please Try Harder Camera Obscura
4. "Mr. Tough" Yo La Tengo
5. The Il Postino title track
6. Quelqu'un qui m'a dit Carla Bruni
7. Round Our Way The Mint Juleps
8. Best of Sam Cooke

8 Things I learned this last year
1. No matter how much you love someone, you can love them more the next day.
2. Being engaged isn't hard....it's planning a freaking wedding that will ruin you
4. Fear doesn't help anything
5. How to write a coverletter
6. I am worth more than $7.00 an hour
7. Organic milk really does taste better
8. 1st graders might be cute but they are dumb

8 Random things about me
1. I am currently planning a high school reunion that I won't be able to attend
2. I adore Paula Deen (I have two cookbooks and I've read her memoir)
3. I hope I never have to go on a cruise
4. I once played Hamlet in the "15 Minute Hamlet"
5. I want a cardigan the color of split pea soup
6. I enjoy not liking Provo culture
7. The smell of pine and sage made me cry when we drove through a forest in France
8. I once ate a bowl of jam for breakfast as a kid until Mr. Swirly Patterns made me stop

I hereby tag the following:
1. Ellen
2. TR
3. Joy
4. Mary C.
5. Lauri J.
6. Chrissy
7. Allyson Ham.
8. Mairzy D.

Now you can all feel as blogily validated as I.