Fellow blogger Oreneta just passed on one of those virtual awards to me. I know some people hate them, but not me. Perhaps I am pathetically starved for validation? Be that as it may, I’ve got the Premio Dardos Award and am darn pleased about it.

I have received it because I am, "one of the most cultural/literary people I know in the blog world.", according to the talented and kind-hearted Oreneta.

Premio Dardos means "prize darts.” This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his or her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day.

Step 1: Respond and rework — answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
Step 2: Tag other bloggers to do the same.

Here are the questions:
What are you wearing right now? A light blue boat-necked t-shirt with ¾ length sleeves, black yoga pants, light blue fluffy socks and black slippers. Rather pulled-together, actually. Usually, I look like a homeless person. A homeless person with really bad fashion instincts, even.

What part of your house never gets cleaned? The cellar. We all fear the cellar. Giant mutant mountain spiders roam the cellar. When I go down to do the laundry, I feel like Indiana Jones.

Do you nap a lot? Usually the answer to that would be: I NEVER nap. But oddly, for the last two days I have had a nap after lunch. It’s almost spring- I’m not supposed to start hibernating now, am I?

Who is the last person you hugged? Tya

What websites do you visit when you go online? Facebook, I Can Has Cheezburger, Free Rice, and my favorite blogs, which can all be seen in the list in the right sidebar.

What was the last item you bought? I bought groceries on Sunday morning and the full list would be terribly long, but some of the items were: plain yoghurt, lemons and sweetened condensed milk. I’m going to try out a recipe that Oreneta posted for an easy Catalan Lemon Mousse.

.What’s the last book you read? A Feast for Crows by George R. Martin. It's book four in a HUGE epic fantasy cycle called A Song of Ice and Fire. Not for folks with short attention spans.

If you could go to the Oscars, who would you want to sit next to? I’d prefer to sit next to someone that had mild food poisoning or some other non-fatal, but inconvenient illness that would require them to leave at the beginning of the ceremony. Then I could use helping this person as an excuse to leave. In other words, I SO do not ever want to go to the Oscars. Ever.

Has a celebrity’s hair cut ever influenced your own hairstyle? My first response was Bozo the Clown, but that’s not an intentional influence and I suspect that the question is asking if you actually asked the hairstylist to make it look that way. If that's the case , I’d have to say the only time that happened was back in 1976. I was 11 years old and aspired to a Dorothy Hamill wedge. The perky and fashionable cut worked great for a couple of years, until a hormonal surge at age 13 made my hair go mad curly.

What is one skill you wish you had, but don’t: I really wish I could play the piano really well.

What was the last movie you watched? At an actual movie theater? Twilight, which I liked. I’m not a hater. At home on the flat screen? "La Môme" (La Vie en Rose in English), which I enjoyed, though it wasn‘t a great film. The non-linear storytelling gave me temporal whiplash.

What is the luckiest thing that ever happened to you? Being born curious - a thing which led to everything else good in my life.

If you had a whole day to yourself; no work, commitments or interruptions what would you do? Read a book and write in my blog

Is there a major goal you have that you haven’t yet achieved? Yes, there is.

Where did you meet your spouse/partner/bf/cat? I met my husband in Chicago. I met my cats in Burkina Faso. Both stories are very interesting.

What is something that those in blogland might not know about you? While I was at university, I worked as a waitress at a restaurant called« The Country Kitchen » . It was just off the highway, so we got lots of truckers and travelers. I won’t say « tourists », because not many people come to Nebraska on purpose.
Just passing though…

What Countries have you visited as an adult? The USA, Canada, Burkina Faso and France. Those are the obvious ones. As for the rest: England, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, the Bahamas, Mali, Ghana, Togo, and Benin. I have been in airports in Holland, Niger, and Germany, but that’s not really a visit… So, actually, my list is shorter than people might think. I know that Rocky thought I’d have a great list, but hers is way longer than mine!

What do you do to relieve stress? Drink endless cups of decaf coffee.

What is your first clear memory from your childhood? Watching Star Trek on the TV with my mom. I was only three or four years old. And so my serious crush on Mr. Spock began…

As this is supposed to be a cultural award, what is the most recent piece of painting or sculpture that really impressed you? I adore Pre-Raphaelite art. Right now, the wallpaper on my computer desktop is The Rose Bower by Edward Burne-Jones. I just put it up yesterday and I'm really enjoying it.

What is the last piece of music that you heard and what did you think of it? Max the Cat by The Chenille Sisters. I get a kick out of the funny lyrics and great vocal harmonies. Plus, Max is a hero cat that saves the little lost girls! What’s not to love?

Who will I tag to receive the honor after me?
I'll choose Reb at Uh Oh Spaghettios, as she is a bookworm like myself. And her posts about bilingual childrearing are so interesting.
Another fine bookish blogger is found over at Pardon My French.
And who blogs better about her ethical and personal values than Leena ? She's beautiful and a truly good person.

Thanks again, Rocky.