#bythegardengate

[kathyalford]

By the garden gate!- first bloom of the season! #alfordsgardens #rosegarden #gardenlove #gardendesign #gardendesigner #rosegarden #bythegardengate #springgarden #gardeninspiration #betterhomesandgardens #gardenlife #gardenflowers #gardenersofinstagram #flowersofinstagram #gardens #garden #gardeninspo #gardenroses https://www.instagram.com/p/CqXDlauulrn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[truestoriesaboutme]

bythegardengate replied to your post “Beliefs, Truth, Morals…”

@truestoriesaboutme​ you said it clearly and approachably, which counts for a lot in internet philosophy arguments

I may not be a good philosopher but I can be a good philosophy teacher!

[andthentheywilleatthestars]

💌

Being into both indie rock and fandoms

[lesmotsincompris]

bythegardengate replied to your post: do you think ned loved catelyn? that was the...

aww this is so lovely and nice

I know, right? ♡

[tricerasox]

I was tagged by @bythegardengate. Thank you!

Rules: Answer the 20 questions and tag 20 amazing people you would like to get to know better.

Name: Sam

Nicknames: I guess Sam is a nickname, technically. I went through a lot of phases with my name, including an elementary of “My name is Samantha because Sam is a boy’s name” and a brief middle school episode as “Sami” with a heart over the “i”.

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Height: 5′3′’

Orientation: Mostly straight, except for one specific lady that I had an intense crush on several years ago. She’s Lithuanian and a now works in fashion in New York and I probably still have a crush on her. 

Ethnicity: White. Probably German, based on my original last name. 

Favourite Fruit: Any fruit that is free at an event, because I love eating fruit, but hate buying it and then struggling to eat it all before it goes bad. 

Favourite Season: Fall, if there’s enough sun. Also Spring, if there’s enough sun. I just want lots and lots of light without the oppressive heat. 

Favourite Book Series: Phew boy. I do love ASOIF. Also Discworld and anything ever written by Gail Carriger and Brandon Sanderson.

Favourite Flower: Do people really have these? I like flowers that are actually lots of little tiny flowers and don’t like lilies because they poison cats. Roses are boring. That is literally all I know about flowers. 

Favourite Scent: The smell the wind gets before a storm, coffee brewing, my current shampoo, and the first sniff you get when the waiter finally brings you your food at a restaurant. 

Favourite Colour: Changes constantly. Right now, I’m really enjoying dark pinks. 

Coffee, Tea, or Cocoa: Coffee, if it’s a fluffy Starbucks sugary thing or hot cocoa with whipped cream. 

Average Sleep Hours: Should be getting 8, usually get about 6. 

Cat or Dog Person: Cats are my favorite, but I do enjoy a brief encounter with a big dog that I don’t have to own or care for. 

Favourite Fictional Characters: That is a stupid question. I’m currently re-reading the Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger, so I’m going to say Professor Lyall. 

Dream Trip:  Somewhere without long drives and where I don’t have to be outdoors too much. 

Blog Created:  Umm... Sometime my freshman year in college. Maybe 2011?

Number of Followers: 207

I think I know most of these facts about a lot of my followers, so whoever wants to do this, feel free! :D

[bookphile]

Tell me about the time you were most surprised by a book! In a good way or bad way, doesn't matter.

Hhmmm, great question, thank you!

I had to peep at my reviews real quick but one of the books I remember being really surprised about enjoying last year was My Life at a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland. I had at the time wanted to just read something light and funny that didn’t require much brain power, and I think it was recommended to me, but the reason I was surprised about liking it was because of the zombie aspect, since zombies are my least favorite monsters. And I would definitely recommend it as a light, funny read. 

As for negatives, it would be Caraval by Stephanie Gerber. I can’t even describe how deeply I disliked the novel, I think the only reason I kept reading it and also one of the reasons I was so surprised at how bad it was, was because it came highly recommended by several of my blogger friends. A lot of things in that novel really made me angry and I could not believe how many people liked it and how many people didn’t seem to react to some deeply troubling things the novel depicted without addressing them (TW: parent’s abuse of a child both mental and physical, sexual assault and harassment, and graphic portrayal of suicide). If you’re curious about my reaction, please read my review before asking other questions: here.

[catastrofries]

bythegardengate reblogged your post and added:

watermelon?!blue>cherry>grape>apple>watermelon

I’m sorry but this is just straight nonsense. 

[firepowerwalkwithme]

bythegardengate replied to your post: man this conference will be the first time I...

I can’t believe you get to call yourself an “icy satellite scientist” you are truly living the dream

ha ha ha thank you. I still hesitate to call myself a scientist at all because i’m still just a grad student and feel like i’m just in the way most of the time

[some-dude-with-a-cat-blog]

Your re-working of Wagner sounds so cool! I hope you finish it one day so I can read it.

Thank you so much! Ditto for your fantasy novel.

[stephanie568]

4, 26, 32, 79

4) What do you think about most?     

I don’t think you want to know; let’s just say it’s not exactly the happiest thing on earth.

26) Are you happy with the person you've become?   

Nope.

32) What's the worst place you have ever been to?

School. I would say New Jersey on the ocean/beach where I got so badly sunburned that the back of my legs were purple for a long time or at my older sisters old apartment (again which was in NJ) but they weren’t as bad as school.

79) What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

Quitting school.

[truestoriesaboutme]

12, 15, 40!

12. what is something you want right now?

More time. I have to leave soon to go watch Jean and John at the Bell house (with special guest Travis McElroy!) and I have a bunch of stuff I want to do first.

15. personality description

80% Chidi Anagonye 20% Eleanor Shellstrop. It's mostly a lot of worrying about philsophy but also being kind of messy and isolated and cursing a lot

40. favourite memory

This is a tough one. Maybe wandering in that bizarre candy/antique/random shit store in Omaha during the first Runaway. Maybe watching Day of the Doctor in theaters on the actual fiftieth anniversary

[geeneelee]

bythegardengate replied to your post “i have a good joke to make but it would make my friends sad”

ME TOO

I’m glad we are united in this dilemma.

[lesmotsincompris]

Tag Game!

I was tagged by @annedey, thanks for tagging me even though I take forever to do it hahaha

RULES: Bold in what you prefer and tag ten people!

Coffee or tea

Early bird or night owl

Chocolate or vanilla

Spring or fall

Silver or gold

Pop or alternative classic & instrumental

Freckles or dimples

Snakes or sharks

Mountains or fields

Thunderstorm or lightning

Egyptian or Greek mythology

Ivory or scarlet

Flute or lyre

Opal or diamond

Butterflies or honeybees

Macaroons or eclairs

Typewritten or handwritten

Secret garden or secret library

Rooftop or balcony

Spicy or mild

Opera or ballet

London or Paris

Vincent van Gogh or Claude Monet

Denim or leather

Potions or spells

Ocean or desert

Mermaids or sirens

Masquerade ball or cocktail party (I’ve never been to one, but I think it should be fun?)

Tagging @therebelgalaxy, @adiffrntbeat, @lovelysalander, @bythegardengate and not sure who else? Do it if you want to and tag me back so I can see it :)

[tricerasox]

Daffodil, Violet, Azalea

DAFFODIL: What’s the most thoughtful present you’ve ever received?My family has always been really open about presents (we provide wish lists to each other for pretty much anything), so it’s usually super casual and not a surprise. But one year I needed a laptop and Ethan (we were already married, but our bank accounts are separate) not only bought the damn thing for me, but helped me pick it out and move everything over. I get really nervous about purchasing technology, so the hand-holding and reassurances were really great. I still have the laptop and it’s perfect for my needs.

VIOLET: Do you like where you’re from?Haha, no. I’m from this small town about an hour north of Cincinnati. I went to christian schools / was homeschooled / did virtual school until my junior year of high school, when I finally went to public school. Since I had never really interacted with people from my own town, I somehow hadn’t realized that I lived in a horrid little hick town. It was an upsetting realization. The “downtown” area is kinda cute, because of the library and antique malls, but the rest of the town in a racist, conservative hell hole filled with john deer merch, Cincinnati I really like, though, and living here is a vast improvement. 

AZALEA: What’s a movie you cried while watching?

Most recently? Finding Dory omg. In general? Anything with grieving spouses absolutely kills me. Ever since I got married, I’ve become a total wuss about fictional marriages dissolving or ending up with someone widowed. It’s so obnoxious. 

[scientia-rex]

bythegardengate replied to your post:  Whenever I see someone who has followed me in the...   

i was so on board and then I got to canadian bacon and pineapple and and oh dear :( :(   

I LOVE mixing salty and sweet. Orange chicken! Plum duck! I will take basically any kind of candied meat you can give me. Pineapple goes great with pizza because its acidity brightens the otherwise heavy, greasy taste.

And hey, if you don’t want the Hawaiian pizza, more for me!

[fierce-little-miana]

Tagged by @integrathegreat...Thank you very much!

Name: Confidential, but you can call me Anne Star Sign: Cancer Height: 1m73 (I wish I was 1m80) Put your music on shuffle. What are the first 6 songs to show up? Under Pressure - David Bowie & Queen My Boy Builds Coffin - Florence and the Machine Numb (Live) - Linkin Park Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me - The Rocky Horror Picture Show Remember Me? - Saltillo Electric Blue - The Cranberries Grab the book nearest to you and turn to page 23. What’s line 17? Well since there aren’t 17 lines on page 23 (end of the chapter) you are stuck with page 22 “It did have a mouth, a yawning, twisting hole that spread open to reveal row upon row of teeth.” Ever had a song or poem written about you? No. What was the last time you played the air guitar? To be perfectly honest I don’t really keep track of this sort of things. Who is your celebrity crush? Now? Adam Driver. Always? Natalie Dormer. What’s a sound you hate and a sound you love? I hate the sound of the subway. I love the sound of pouring water. Do you drive? if so, have you ever crashed? Yes and... I never crashed but I did stuck a car in an impossible way will attempting a maneuver. Last book you read? Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo Do you like the smell of petrol? Depends on my mood. What was the last movie you saw? Star Wars the Last Jedi What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had? I opened my skull when I was very young. Fell from a chair I was standing on. Do you have any obsessions right now? The Mongol Empire (Duh). Do you tend to hold grudges against anybody who’s done you wrong? I have to join integrathegreat on this. I keep a list. I don’t know if I will ever retaliate though. In a relationship? No.

Tagging: @some-dude-with-a-cat, @morgauseoforkney, @lucreziaborgia, @latristereina, @son-of-priam, @christmasace, @lesmotsincompris, @bythegardengate

Happy New Year to everyone!