Little Ol' Quixote Me

Having eaten at plenty of Chinese restaurants over the years, and being an avid reader of anything with words on it, including placemats, I knew that my Chinese zodiac sign was the Rooster.

But it had never occurred to me that I am, indeed, very rooster-ish. I stumbled across a website yesterday: chingoracle.com. What I found was an eerily spot-on description of me:

"The Rooster is the Don Quixote of the Chinese cycle. It is the intrepid hero who needs to keep its feet firmly on the ground. In order to survive, it's the most eccentric and misunderstood of all the signs. From the outside, we see aggression and self-confidence but deep down, he or she is conservative and old-fashioned.

Those born in the Year of the Rooster, especially men, will be attractive, even really handsome. They are proud of their fine feathers and carry themselves well. You'll never see a listless Rooster. They are very dignified and even the most timid of the Rooster family will be elegant and will be noticed wherever he or she goes.

There are different types of Rooster: chatty ones (me) and solemn observers. It's difficult to deal with both. (Ouch!) The Rooster has many noticeable qualities and is shrewd, attractive, precise, organized, decisive, honest, on the ball and very frank. But he or she can also be brutally critical. Never ask a Rooster for his or her honest opinion as you may never get over the trauma! (Me? Never!)

Roosters love discussing and debating (to show just how intelligent they are) and sometimes don't respect others as they ought to. (Guilty.) When someone ruffles the Rooster's feathers, he or she becomes intolerable. Roosters are not cut out for diplomacy, so situations which demand tact, delicacy and discretion are difficult for them. They go around trying to convince others to think their way, with the zeal of a missionary. (Ouch, ouch, and triple ouch.)

A showy type, the Rooster loves being the center of attention (coughcough). He or she has an imposing personality and could work in a career in the public eye. Cheerful, lively and amusing, the magnificent Rooster never misses a chance to list his adventures and feats.



Looney Tunes (In)famous Foghorn Leghorn

Eloquent, Roosters have good verbal and written communication skills and are prepared to talk on any topic. If you want to challenge the Rooster to discuss a controversial topic, be ready for a long, hard battle: the Rooster is extraordinarily resistant."

Oh. My. God. Well, if nothing else, it's food for thought as I look back at 2010 and forward to 2011. Thank you to Andrew Rosenberg at The WriteRunner for getting the ball rolling in that direction. And thank you to chingoracle.com for dangling my idiosynchrosies in front of me.

As for 2011, the first six months I'll be focusing on poundage: letting go of 35 pounds and pounding out a 110,000 word manuscript. That's about 1 1/2 pounds a week and 600 words a day, both doable. Then, as a birthday present to myself on June 30th, I will be 35 pounds lighter and hold the first draft to my new bestseller!

What are you looking forward to in 2011?

"Every single life only becomes great when the individual sets upon a goal or goals which they really believe in, which they can really commit themselves to, which they can put their whole heart and soul into." ~ Brian Tracy

Here's to a brand new year, one in which we all get a little closer to that big brass ring.

~ Olivia J. Herrell

Public domain images courtesy of bing.com.