waitingman | Entries tagged with friday five

So it was 'Presidents Day' in the USA the other day... Nice that the Great Pumpkin was served a bill for hundreds of millions of dollars... I approve

1. Have you ever been the president of anything?
Back in my primary school days, in the early 70s, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth freely, if you ask any member of Gen Z... it was the 'thing' to have little clubs/cliques for your favourite things - TV shows, or matchbox car racing... that sort of thing. I was, for a few days, the President of the Wombles fan club (For those of a non-British, or British-centric upbringing, this was the show in question...). The club folded quickly due to both general disinterest & a rival club that raced cars down the school footpaths... which even I joined

2. What do you think is the most important leadership trait?
A vision for the betterment of your society &/or the world in general. The courage of conviction. And preferably, a disinterest in just getting richer for riches sake

3. What time period did you find the most interesting to learn about in history class?
I did 'Ancient History' at high school - Greeks, Romans & some Egyptian. Which was fine as a primer for how absolute power can corrupt absolutely, but as any reader of my Journal would know, I'm a much more avid student of 'modern' history... the last 150 years or so

4. What's something you think about doing, but you haven't gotten back into in several years?
Forming a band again... finishing the detective novel I co-wrote with a friend in the late 90s... finding a therapist I can't out-think & therefore respect

5. If you could add one more random holiday to February, what would it be?
There should be a National Holiday for anyone who works in sales of any description... because this modern world insists that shops be open on every other Public Holiday. So once the kids have gone back to school in late January/early February, there should be a day when all retail workers can just enjoy doing absolutely nothing

These questions were written by supernutjapan

1. When did you recently have the feeling, "Life is good."
These days, it's usually when I, or we, are somewhere in the middle of nowhere doing something fun/interesting away from crowds of people. Most recently, it was standing in the middle of the CSIRO Compact Array of radio telescopes outside of Narrabri NSW, trying & mostly failing to photograph the stars amongst the telescope dishes. Despite the weather's non-compliance, it was a wonderful evening

2. Which do you need more, routine or spontaneity?
Now? I'd appreciate a little more routine, but not necessarily of my own making - I need other people to make, or stick to their routines, so I can structure mine a little more consistently

3. Do you have a difficult or annoying neighbor?
Yes. The family directly over the back fence is made up of an anal-retentive, nature-phobic, passive-aggressive creep of a Father, a more-often-than-not heavy drinking Mother, a Son who has had no discipline or boundaries growing up & now that harvest's home... & a Daughter who is only happy in hedonism & loudly complains when the real world intrudes on her pursuit of it

4. What do you want to change about yourself?
I'd like to purge my memory of about half of the stuff it uselessly retains & of all the stuff it retains from my past that randomly comes back to bite me when triggered by something seemingly innocuous & unrelated. I feel I could be more 'present' if I wasn't so assaulted by the past...

5. What do you like best about where you live?
It's cheap. It's about 250 metres from a National Park & we are constantly visited by all sorts of birds & animals... much to the back-fence neighbour's frustration & disdain... Honestly, they'd be much happier on the top floor of a city apartment block

1.Besides work, what takes up the biggest portion of your day?
Other than sleep? Various daily housework stuff, playing, pandering to & feeding the cat, leisure time with Long-Suffering Partner, doomscrolling...

2. If you could do anything as a career, what would it be?
I'm quite happy with my 'career' as such, but I'd be more fulfilled if I could be recognised or acknowledged for my 2 favourite activities - playing music & photography

3. Do you feel too much emphasis is placed on having a career?
Speaking as someone whose full Curriculum Vitae would run to many pages if I listed every job I've had... Yes!! I certainly think that when you're young, too much emphasis is placed on getting 'settled' into a job, career path, marriage, kids, mortgage, self-funded retirement & death from exhaustion

4. If you have a college/university degree, are you working in your field?
No... I think I studied the wrong things at University... but I've never gone back to do anything else

5. What would be the most boring job to have and why?
Sometimes, I think I'd LOVE a boring job with no public contact, no distraction & no pressure on performance... but I'm not so sure a job like that even exists. Of the many jobs I've had over the years, I can say that being a Bank clerk/teller was mind-numbingly dull... & completely thankless

These questions were written by got_quiet

1. What is your work/school commute like?
My work commute varies, depending on where I'm starting my day. Tomorrow, for example, I have to be in southern Sydney at 8am for 2 site inspections, so it'll be an early start to try & beat, but more likely endure the Monday morning traffic. My 'office' is in the northern suburbs of Sydney & only about a 20 minute drive, mostly against the traffic, but through 4 school zones & their inherent chaos

2. What did you want to be when you grew up? Has it changed?
In my pre-teen years, I had a thing about becoming a marine biologist. This was changed by a number of factors, but the 2 incontrovertible ones are that I can't swim very well & it turned out in high school that I wasn't very good at biology either. In my teens & 20s, I was aiming to be a musician successful enough to live comfortably. This was also dashed by a bunch of things, but probably mostly by a lack of self-confidence when some important decisions had to be made & by surrounding myself with musicians who were great people, but didn't have the same drive, or vision that I had, so we all completely failed to get anywhere together

3. What is your weirdest work/school/project related story?
I worked for a Temp Agency for about a year & they dropped me into a warehouse management role at a rehab hospital (physical rehab, not substance abuse!!). I was so far out of my depth & couldn't help wondering what part of my, at the time, slender CV has convinced someone that I was the right person for it. The 'assistant manager' recognised my ineptitude pretty quickly & did most of the important stuff that meant the hospital didn't cease to function. Thirty something years later, I still think I'd struggle in that role...

4. What is something you're closely familiar with that media always gets wrong?
Geopolitics

5. Describe the stuff on your desk/workspace.
Right now? The cat, the printer, an assortment of stationery, some diuretic pills & the detritus of tax-time paperwork... & where's my phone!!??

These questions were written by sabcatt.

1. What’s the last thing you got in the mail?
Dear god... I can't really remember the last real thing I got in the mail, other than the occasional anachronistic bill. Actually I can - it was a Christmas card from an old, anachronistic friend!!

2. What’s the last thing you sent in the mail?
I returned, with extreme prejudice, 2 faulty Foxtel boxes... which they later tried to charge me for not receiving. Say what you like about snail mail - nothing beats a tangible receipt, printed on real paper!!!

3. How many unread emails are in your inbox right now?
Probably about 40 in the account I rarely use these days, as it's so old ALL the spambots know its address. In my current accounts - maybe a couple - I check both at least twice a day...

4. What is your most recent text message about?
Trying to contact a client whose mobile phone was"not accepting inbound calls at this time". Convenient how people always go dark when they're supposed to pay me money

5. Do you have a favorite postage stamp design?
In the absence of any of my favourite guitar players appearing on stamps - Elton John will do quite nicely...

These questions were written by [personal profile] sabcatt.

1. What's your favorite fruit or vegetable to look at?
I love the look of Durian, but it's... shall we say... an acquired taste!!

2. What's your favorite juice?
Orange & pineapple juices have had to be removed from my diet, due to their tendency to start a war in my digestive tract, so these days, it's a tie between mandarin juice & apple juice. Though I remain devoted to the juice of red grapes after suitable fermentation & barrel-aging...

3. What fruit tree would you like to have in your yard?
Mandarin &/or lemon... though I'm afraid I'd have to find an unfriendly method of keeping the local possums away - they killed the last lemon tree we had by eating not only the fruit (!?!?!?) but also the leaves, new twig shoots... some days I don't like possums very much

4. What vegetable name do you think makes the best nickname?
I can only think of slightly derogatory uses for them - you absolute turnip!!!...

5. What fruits and vegetables would your personal "fruit hat" contain?
Red & white grapes, lemons, mandarins, Fuji apples, all on a base of rockmelons & topped with an explosion of really tall spinach leaves

Haven't done one of these in a while...

1. Who would you like to be able to get into contact with?
There are a few people in my social orbit who are a bit like comets - they only turn up once in a quite long while, but generally, I don't think I have a hole in my life in the shape of anyone...

2. How do you make yourself go to sleep when you can’t seem to get to sleep?
I get up, I play some Solitaire or Sudoku on the computer, I read... & try again

3. What language(s) do you wish you could speak?
Mandarin, Spanish...

4. What is it about people that confused you the most?
Their determination to be offended by things they either don't agree with, or more often, don't understand. Their eagerness to abandon personal responsibility, critical thought & any kind of consideration for others.
Their willingness to swallow divisive rhetoric by the truckload

5. What major company do you despise the most?
Rupert Murdoch's Fox group of companies... ALL of them

anais_pf posting in thefridayfive

1. How many stars can you see in the sky at night where you live? (Not looking for an exact number here, just a general description.)
Increasingly less, as Sydney grows brighter... Parts of Orion & the Southern Cross are getting fainter & the sky is nowhere near as full as it was when I was growing up

2. What is your favorite constellation?
Well, as an Australian, it had better be the Southern Cross... though we do see Orion from a different perspective to the northern hemisphere - he's upside down!!

3. Are you able to see and identify any planets in the sky? Which ones?
Mars is easy to spot, as it has a distinct reddish tinge, Jupiter is another easy one. I usually only see Venus if I'm up very early, or it's setting very late

4. Have you ever seen a satellite orbiting above the earth?
Yes. Again, not as often as I used to see them growing up, but that may also be because I don't spend as much time sitting outside looking up as I used to... Every now & then I've seen the ISS going over

5. Have you ever seen a rocket blasted off into space?
No. We don't do much of that down here... & I haven't been to Florida, China, or Russia... yet

1. Do you tend to remember book titles or authors the most?
I remember authors - both the ones I like & loathe... so I can't be fooled into buying a new book just because I like the title, but have occasionally bought a book twice, because I forgot I already have it. Happens with albums as well

2. Do you play any memory games to try and improve your memory
No... I can't wait to start forgetting some events of my life, especially the embarrassing ones my vindictive inner RAM throws up at me, unbidden & unwanted

3. What is the very first movie you remember seeing in a movie theatre?
In a cinema? Good question... I can't really remember. I remember seeing a 1973 stage production of Jesus Christ Superstar & I remember going to the drive-in to see 'The Man With The Golden Gun' in '74 or thereabouts, but I don't remember my first cinema movie... Sorry!!

4. What sense do you tend to rely upon the most?
Sight... both professionally & photographically. Though listening to music gives me the greatest joy

5. When was the last time you felt lonely and what made you feel better?
I don't think I've felt truly lonely in a long time. I've been alone, but that's not the same thing...

These questions were written by mesotablar

1. What is the last song/bit of music you heard?
The last bit of music was today's Heardle - 'Bad Day'

2. What is the song you can't get enough of right now?
'Dignity' from Porcupine Tree's latest album

3. What song/band did you just discover and think are great?
About a year ago I discovered Porcupine Tree for myself, after being told about them back in the late 00s, but for some reason didn't really pay much attention then... I am now!!

4. Do you listen to the same song over and over on repeat? Why?
Not since I was a little kid. No song is THAT good that you need to hear it again immediately, especially repeatedly - I think that would actually put me off the song

5. Do you make music, or do you want to?
Yes, I've been in various original music bands since 1983, along with several covers bands/shows. I co-wrote an ARIA (Australia's 'Grammy') award-winning song in the 90s & have wanted to repeat that little bit of success ever since... I don't want to die a one-hit-wonder!!

Via Spikesgirl58

1. Can you impersonate anyone famous?
I like to think I can, but only in the course of conversations - it's not a party performance piece

2. Can you do any accents other than your own?
We Australians have the knack of being able to imitate a variety of accents convincingly - as evidenced by our actors, who have been playing British or American parts for decades. I can & do drop into accents from other countries quite readily, though they're other white/anglo ones... even though I have an Asian partner, it's not really the done thing for a white guy to imitate anyone from there... & the only African accent I do is the Southern one

3. Do you have a strong local accent?
I don't think so, no. I don't think I even have what's known as the typical Australian accent either (though I can imitate it at will...). Most of my life, I've been mistaken for English - probably the result of watching so many British TV shows when I was growing up

4. What's your favorite accent?
That's a tie between Welsh & Irish... though the Irish can get a little hard to understand when they're either excited or drunk... or both

5. If your family hated your current partner, would you ditch him/her or carry on with him/her despite the protests?
Wow, this has taken a sudden turn!! I would carry on despite the protests. This isn't the Victorian era, when appearances, social mores & 'loyalty' to one's family were more important than the affairs of your heart. 'Those who mind, don't matter & those who matter, don't mind'

spacefem posting in thefridayfive

1. What's your favorite crafty activity?
This is a tricky one, as I don't do anything I would consider 'crafty' - I play musical instruments, I take photos, I dabble in the back yard garden, but it's not like I make clothes or costumes, or knit, crochet, make spaceships out of old pipecleaners & cereal boxes... or anything like that. So I'll go with taking photos, as it's something that not only involves taking the photo itself, but then time on the computer editing & enhancing, then sometimes printing & framing (but not very often)

2. What got you into it?
I always loved looking at storms & sunsets. When digital cameras became affordable, I spent a lot of time on the balcony snapping away at the sky. When I met Long-Suffering Partner, she was doing a photography course that presented different subject challenges & I soon found I liked taking photos of lots of things. Not people though... I don't like having my photo taken, so I try my hardest to keep people out of my shots. I find it's extremely rare that any photograph is made better by having someone standing around in it

3. What was your favorite arts & crafts project as a kid?
As above, I've never been very arty or crafty. I can't draw, or model with clay, or woodwork. Once in a blue moon in primary school we'd tie-dye t-shirts, which was fun, but Lego was more my speed, though I never made anything ambitious with it. These days, it's L-SP who has a Lego fixation & I must say, she's pretty good at it!

4. What has someone made for you?
Various people have drawn, or painted things for me, Long-Suffering Partner has made Lego kits that she thought I'd like & she's been right so far...

5. Are there any unfinished projects in your life you need to pick back up?
Again, nothing crafty, but like everyone else, I have an unfinished novel that I started co-writing with a friend in 1997-8. We finished the initial draft, but it's been in 'editing' mode for the last 20 years... So long, in fact, that several plot points will need to be changed now that mobile phones & the internet are so ubiquitously convenient. I could make it a 'historical' or retro novel, but somehow the 1990s don't have the same nostalgic glow as the 30s-50s do. Not for crime/detective stories anyway...

Time for a little distraction from international doomscrolling...

These questions were written by conuly.

1. You have superpowers! Are you a hero, a villain, or just trying to get by?
I think I'd just try to get by, as quietly as possible... You can't be a hero to, or for, everybody - somebody won't like what you do... Then again, I'm starting to think Thanos had the right idea...

2. What's your origin story?
Find an ancient artefact, give it a clean, grateful pagan deity bestows 'powers'

3. What is your superpower?
Persuasion - by word, or telepathy if my mouth's full

4. Every superpowered individual has a weakness. What's yours?
Single-malt Scotch whiskey... enough of that & I'm the one who's easily persuaded to do dumb stuff

5. What is the most mundane use you've put your powers to? Do you use laser vision to cut your hair, for example?
"Look, I know the card says every tenth coffee is free, but six is close enough, isn't it?? Of course it is!!"

Via spikesgirl58

1. What do you hope never changes in your life?
My questing curious intelligence. Take that away from me, you may as well give me Tontine Therapy...

2. Where would you rather be from?
Much as I love being Australian & living here, far from the madding crowds & maddening politics of elsewhere, travelling to other countries is a MAJOR expedition & expense. So it might have been nice to be born somewhere in Europe, where you can be in different countries for breakfast, lunch & dinner... all on the same day

3. What are you absolutely determined to do?
My best at whatever I try... otherwise what's the point?

4. What takes up too much of your time?
Self-doubt, second-guessing, over-zealous risk analysis, what-ifs & procrastination

5. What is something you’ve had to unlearn?
Wow, these questions have become rather metaphysically heavy... I'm still unlearning a lot of defensive habits from childhood - white lies, misdirection, obfuscation, deflection... all from dealing with physically disciplinarian parents who, while they instilled a lot of 'valuable' values, did it in a way that left me anxious to avoid unpleasant confrontations, conflict & consequences. I'll still do all I can to avoid the situation, but I'm a lot better at dealing with it once I'm inevitably involved. In much the same way, I've had to 'unlearn' bringing a rocket launcher to a gunfight... meaning that if I get in in argument with someone, I look for the fastest way to settle or end it & often that means I can get pretty verbally ruthless, especially if I know the other person isn't going to be swayed by any presentation of facts, so might as well just blow the whole thing up & get it over with...

These questions were posted by Anonymous.

1. What is the last book you read and what book(s), if any, are you currently reading?
I just finished Donald Fagen's collection Eminent Hipsters, which I borrowed from a musician friend, along with Tom Waits On Tom Waits, which I can't wait (sorry!!) to get into, but I also started reading an omnibus of The Boys ~~comics~~ graphic novels & will see how that goes first...

2. How about moving pictures? Are you a fan of any TV show or movie right now?
Long-Suffering Partner & I have been pretty terrible about going to the cinema even before the Plague made it a risky venture. Before early this year, when we went to see the latest Wes Anderson movie The French Dispatch at a small cinema, the last movie we saw on the big screen was Avengers: Endgame. Since then we've only been once - to see a 70mm screening of Baraka

Edit L-SP reminds me we've also seen the Foo Fighters schlock horror movie Studio 666 & the wonderfully off-the-wall Everything, Everywhere, All At Once this year as well. My movie memory is obviously faulty

TV-wise, we've caught up on The Boys & Stranger Things, been watching the latest season of The Blacklist, our 2 favourite quiz shows Have You Been Paying Attention & Hard Quiz, plus various 'reality' shows for L-SP & the 2nd season of Picard for me...

3. What's your favorite genre, and why?
I don't know that I have a favourite genre as such, as long as the premise is interesting, the characters are likeable, or at least relatable, if not sympathetic & the writing is sharp. Could be crime drama, could be SF/Fantasy, a 30 minute sitcom, or animation...

4. If we were all evacuating the planet, and you could only bring 3 unique works of entertainment for posterity, which would you pick? Let's just assume that we've coordinated it so there are no repeats.
Book: It would have to be an omnibus... & I'm not even sure if one exists... of the crime novels of Edmund Crispin, a criminally (sorry!!) under-rated author & composer
Music: Impossible to narrow down to one, so let's assume I grab any of the following... a Steely Dan compilation, the 'Discipline' album by King Crimson, Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies... & maybe the 'Love' soundtrack for the Cirque Du Soleil's Beatles show, which was a kind of mash-up/remix of a lot of the best of the Fab Four...
Movie: 2001: A Space Odyssey... seems appropriate under the circumstances
TV: Monty Python's Flying Circus... still funny after 50 years...

5. Do you make new works as well (fannish or original both count)? Or is that not your skillset/interest?
No... I'm not really a writer/film-maker - music & photography are my 'side-gigs'... & I've never really set out to copy anyone directly, though I've been directly influenced by so many

spacefem posting in [community profile] thefridayfive

1. What kind of bugs do you see outside this time of year?
Only the brave & well insulated ones - it's officially winter now. Even our Daddy Long Legs Spiders have retreated to only the warmest, darkst corners. That said, up in Narrabri last weekend, at around sunset, there were HUGE mosquitos buzzing around our heads

2. What's your favorite food to eat outside?
Fish & chips on the beach...

3. How much rain is too much rain?
When the water & all it's washed away blocks up the drains & the back door is in danger of being breached & the kitchen flooded. Happens quite regularly, but we haven't been inundated yet...

4. What are you celebrating this month?
Some birthdays...

5. What's your favorite color combination?
Blue, black & brown

These questions were written by mesotablar.

1. Do you buy and use canned food?
Not as much as I used to when I was a 'bachelor'... I still buy tuna & occasionally salmon in a can - quick, easy protein base for a simple meal at the end of a shitty day

2. What is your favourite canned food?
Other than canned tuna... I used to always buy canned corn kernels. Somehow, the flavour is improved by the kernels sitting in their own juices... in a can... in the dark...

3. Do you like some canned food better than the fresh or dried version of it?
See above. I like canned corn, but I do like cooking my own piece of tuna as well - it's a different thing

4. Do you have a can that just sits at the back of the cupboard? has anything weird happened to it? or do you still plan on using it in the future?
When the Plague kicked off in 2020 & everyone was sure there'd be food shortages & rioting in the streets, Long-Suffering Partner & I did stock up on some canned soups, just in case. Of course, the world didn't end & those soups are still in a box somewhere... waiting for the nuclear apocalypse I suppose...

5. What is the weirdest thing you have seen canned?
Ox tongue? Cheese?? Caffeine-free, vanilla flavoured Diet Coke??!!??

By spikesgirl58...

Memorial Day is almost here (at least in the US) and it’s the unofficial start to the summer season

1. Do you have any big plans for the summer/winter (depending upon your hemisphere)?
We've just had 6 months of rain, humidity, flooding, rising damp & mould. Hoping for a dry Winter...

2. Have you ever been or are you a fan of camping?
I don't know that I'm a 'fan' as such, though I've camped a lot over the years & do enjoy it

3. Did you ever go to a sleep-away camp in the summer when you were a kid?
For the first 4 years of high school, we were sent on 8-10 day Outward Bound camps, which involved hiking, abseiling, caving, river rapid riding & extremely basic camping. Sometimes in Summer, once during a bitterly cold Winter. A friend of mine went on the first one, lasted 4 days & walked to a not-so-nearby farm to phone his parents to get him the hell out of there... He never had to go on another one!!

4. What is going to be the high point of the fast-approaching season?
I love the cold. you can always put on another layer of clothing, or a blanket. In Australia's Summers there are times when you'd tear your own skin off if it meant you could cool down more...

5. What is your favorite way to beat the heat/ be warm and toasty?
Beat the heat: Standing in my local Dan Murphy's cold room. Be warm & toasty: Blanket, cat, L-SP, heater & big-screen TV

The Friday Five for 13 May 2022

1. Where are you right now?
At home, in the computer/music/spare room, debating whether to have 2nd breakfast or not... it is Saturday after all...

2. Where would you like to be right now?
Waking up in a room at the View Hotel at Monument Valley, with this view...

3. Where have you always wanted to visit (but have not yet)?
The Scottish highlands, Ireland, Iceland, Antarctica, Easter Island, Tierra Del Fuego...

4. What is the most peaceful place you’ve ever visited?
Hunt's Mesa above Monument Valley. So quiet you could hear a cow calling from a loooong way away - I needed my camera's zoom lens to find it down in the Valley a few miles away & even then it was a speck in the distance

5. Where do you want to visit in your dreams tonight?
Anywhere will do... I submit to my subconscious

These questions were written by paintedblue120.

1. Do you think the media have created a negative effect on self image?
Simply... Yes. The use of models with 'perfect' bodies is bad enough, but to then digitally alter the images further & create a body that is physically unattainable is surely enough grounds for a class action against false advertising

2. Do you think the entertainment industry is the main reason why there are so many men and women with eating disorders?
Yes. See above... but the accepted adage that 'the camera adds 5 (6, 10, 12 whatever) pounds', means that when you see actors in real life they are much thinner than you'd expect - as well as shorter! And that may be fine for them, with no constant, full-time job & a personal trainer & nutritionist on call, but for the rest of us, it can be a dangerous role model

3. Have you ever had an eating disorder?
Not officially, but I do have a quite negative self-image that is rooted in weight & appearance

4. Do you believe that depression is a disease or an excuse?
It is a disease that can be treated, if not cured. That said, I have known people who use it as an excuse... & never seem to want to get help

5. Do you believe that it is possible to develop depression, or are you born with it?
I don't believe you're born with it as such. Maybe there are genetic chemical imbalances that can make you more susceptible than others, but otherwise, it's various external factors placing stress on your mental well-being. Sometimes you can handle it, but other times...

These questions were written by whatistoday.

1. Do you like children?
Children are fine. I have zero-to-low expectations of them up to the 'tween' age years, so while young kids having tantrums is one of the most annoying sounds in the world, I mostly blame the parents for allowing things to get to the point where the kid goes into meltdown. This is the legacy of my upbringing, when I was rigorously taught that tantrums/screaming/general petulance in a public place was completely unacceptable & there would be consequences later... See also: running amok in restaurants - the child should be taught right from the first trip to McDonald's that you sit in your seat until it's time to leave. Restaurants/cafés/food courts etc are not playgrounds. So... do I like children? Sure, but I hate lazy or bad parenting

2. How many children would you like to have in the future?
From the age when I was first biologically capable of contributing to the population, I've known I didn't want children. People have been telling me for decades that I'd change my mind "soon", but it's never happened. I'm now in my mid-50s & even if I did change my mind, I'm pretty sure that dealing with a teenage child when I'm in my 70s would lead to one of us getting arrested

3. What if you were expecting sextuplets?
I'd be having serious words with the urologist who performed my vasectomy about a decade ago!!!

4. If TLC offered to share your life on TV, would you accept the offer?
'You & Me & Cat Bella Makes Three'? With cameo appearances from my annoying family & from Long-Suffering Partner's family (who have become my preferred family unit). It would probably be a crossbreed of 'GoggleBox', 'Cats Make You Laugh Out Loud' & 'Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares'... with not even the slightest hint of a Kardashian lifestyle. That sounds like real reality TV to me!!!

5. What would you name the sextuplets?
Beki (short for Uzbekistan), Zak (short for Kazakhstan), Bodi (Cambodia), Nia, Sia (Lithuania & Indonesia) & Bob... Or maybe Bob, Hannah, Anna, Gig, Llewell & Solomon (Islands)

These questions were written by apologiesqueen.

1. How many hours a day/night do you usually sleep?
Somewhere around 7 hours total, usually, but it's not consecutive... I'm forever waking up to drink, or am woken by Bella the Night Terror at anywhere between 2-5am for breakfast. No, she does NOT get fed at 2am... but it can take a couple of increasingly vehement rebuttals for her to get the message... Once a week I tend to crash for about 10 hours. I love those days!

2. What do you do when you can't sleep?
When insomnia strikes, I usually get up & head for the computer/music room, check the news sites, see if there's anything to read on DW/LJ, play either a sudoku or solitaire game or 10, then go back to bed & try again

3. How often do you devote time to just thinking about something?
My vindictive brain can decide to devote time exclusively to thinking about something - usually at a time that's pretty inconvenient like when I'm driving somewhere, or trying to fall asleep... at which point, refer to answer no. 2!!

4. If you had to choose one person to never talk to again, who would you choose?
I don't think I have anyone in my personal life at the moment that needs ostracising... & once someone is gone from my life, they're just gone & taken their drama with them so I don't have to think about it any more... There are plenty of public & media figures I wish I never had to listen to ever again, but that would be a long & probably contentious list!!

5. If you had to choose one person, NOT your significant other, who you would speak to every day for the rest of your life, who would you choose?
Apart from Long-Suffering Partner? Nobody... well no one I can think of that I feel the need to speak with every day. In a fantasy world unfettered by timeline or being dead - probably someone like Terry Pratchett, whose humanitarian ideals I admire(d) almost as much as his comic imagination... or Gautama Buddha for the life philosophy without the religious bullshit

spacefem posting in [community profile] thefridayfive

1) What's the best idea you've gotten from the internet?

To switch it off occasionally?

I don't know if I've got ideas from the internet, but I've discovered a lot of stuff - information, new artists/authors... I've found answers to obscure questions, learned even more obscure facts & am more informed on life in general & the world around me than I sometimes think I want to be...

2) What's the best advice you've heard from someone much older than you?
I had a friend in the 80s & 90s who was both the best & worst life coach a maturing male could have. He was about 14-15 years older than me (which seems like a lot in your late teens) & I'm probably an amalgam of his advice & example, but his antithesis in many aspects, having seen what to definitely not do

I had another friend in the 00s whose best advice was about self-confidence "Fake it 'til you make it". Easy to say, much harder to do, but once you start faking it gets easier, until you're not even sure you're faking any more, or if you actually are reasonably self-confident now. Is anyone ever really sure about that?

3) What advice would you give your younger self?

Pain is only temporary, but its experience is invaluable

4) What advice have you received, but chose not to take?

"You'd be a great teacher" "You'd be a great Father" "You should be an actor" "Why don't you join/form a covers band?"

5) Do you need advice on anything going on in your life these days?

Constantly. My professional career is floundering in a financially shallow backwater, but mercifully, my Long-Suffering Partner is here to help with advice, support & practicality

Achoo! Spring is in the air for us, although I know other parts of the country are still hip deep in snow and still other parts of the world are heading into fall.

1. Do you have Spring or Fall allergies?
Not significantly... I don't think pollen really gets to me that much. Most of the time if I have a sneezing fit, it's because of dust of some kind... & you get that all year!!

2. Do you have something in particular that you are allergic to or is it just general?
Not allergies as such, but I can't drink cow's milk any more, nor orange juice, nor pineapple juice. They all tend to get down in my digestive system & start fights that inevitably end in the bathroom

3. What do you take, if anything, to help?
Soy milk... & I've found that mandarin juice is much kinder to my insides

4. Do you seem to be saying, “It’s just allergies” a lot more than usual these days (i.e. because of Covid)?
I've had a sporadic, slightly phlegmy cough for years - probably the legacy of a double-whammy lung infection years ago - & I have found myself automatically saying "It's not Covid!!" when I cough in company. So far, I've been right!!

5. What do you hope to get out and do this spring, allergies and pandemic willing?
Ask me in 6 months... we're heading into Autumn down here - my favourite season of the year... the humid Summer heat starts to back off, the weather isn't too stormy or windy... it's about as mild as Australian conditions get!!

These questions were written by Dreamwidth user tozka.

1. What's your favorite candle scent?
I'm not much of a scented candle person... Long-Suffering Partner likes a particular brand, but they're all a bit overpowering to me. Call me strange, but I like the smell of a candle I've just blown out - the dying flame on the wick & the smoke. Latent pyromania??

2. Do you have an artistic or crafty hobby? What is it?
I'm equal parts photographer & musician, as my small readership would know...

3. What's one weird way you save money on food?
I don't know if it's weird, but I usually only have any 2 of the 3 daily meals. 3 meals in a day is too much food & I get uncomfortably full. Maybe it's my glacially slow metabolism...

4. Do you collect anything weird or unusual?
Not really - I've always collected books by authors I like, or albums by musicians I like, but I don't get obsessive about it. I have a few autographed books & albums, but no locks of hair or fingernail clippings!!

5. Do you fear the deep ocean, or does its unknown depths excite you?
Depends what kind of boat I'm in!! Like many people, I love the ocean & I live quite close to it, but I'm not a strong swimmer & if you're born & raised in Australia, you have a healthy mix of fear & respect for the numerous shark breeds that will take anything from a nip, to a chunk out of you. I am fascinated by oceanography & the strange creatures from the real depths that we know so little about, but personally, I prefer to stick to the shallower waters

There's a "National Read In The Bathtub Day" coming up next week, of all occasions...

1) Read any good books lately?
I'm currently working my way though the box set of The Witcher books by Andrzej Sapkowski, translated into English. Having watched the 2 seasons of the TV show, I have to say I wasn't expecting the depth, slower pace & different storyline that the books (I'm on the 3rd now) are providing... in a good way! Non-TV tie-inwise, I recently read the 2nd novel by Australian author Trent Dalton 'All Our Shimmering Skies' set in the Northern Territory during WWII & every bit as good as his first novel 'Boy Swallows Universe'

2) Taken any good baths lately?
I don't think I've had a bath this millennium... Before you accuse me of being unclean, I DO shower every day (& sometimes twice!!), it's just that there's no bathtub in WaitingManor. If spa-baths count, Long-Suffering Partner & I had one of those about 7 yeas ago

3) Do you read paper books, or do you prefer another format? I read physical books - both hard-cover & paperback. L-SP has a Kindle, but we just don't seem to get around to loading much onto it... there are a couple of Terry Pratchett books on there that, indicatively, I've been looking for physical copies of, but that's probably more to do with the fact I'm a completist when it comes to collecting authors', or musicians' works

4) Where's the most comfortable place in your home?
Depends what you're after. In the back yard there's a wooden bench that catches the morning & later afternoon sun which is nice in Winter, but a bit punishing in the Australian Summer, our sofa is nicely padded & long enough to stretch out on. But for reading, nothing beats the bed!!

5) What's the most relaxing sound you can put on?
I'm a 70s ambient fan, so Fripp & Eno's 'Evening Star' comes to mind first, followed by Eno's Ambient 4 - On Land', or 'Apollo' albums. To calm down for a while, before getting your energy back up to face the world, I strongly recommend 'Starless' by King Crimson... Starts gently, but you're up & running by the end

The moving finger writes; and, having writ, moves on…
...
Nor will I: ever write a word that fades in light, this I must be certain; else lay desolate at bight. <3”

― Omar Khayyam, Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

1. Do you write letters on a regular basis or just for special occasions?
I used to... back in the last Century, when letter/postcard writing was the thing to do. I would always run out of room on postcards because I kept thinking of things to say, even in a short format. My letters were commonly multiple pages. As I got older & my friend circle contracted & stabilised, less letters were sent, but I'd still write postcards on my travels. Once the new Millennium arrived with e-mail & digital photography, it pretty much replaced both written formats, though Long-Suffering Partner & I still sent some postcards home when we travelled across the USA in 2012

2. Do you stockpile cards and notepaper?
I'm forever looking for pieces of paper to make notes or lists on, even though I know there are half a dozen pads or notebooks somewhere around here, I can never find one when I need it. Cards are kept long-term only for extra-special occasions, or if the message in the card is worth keeping

3. Are you in the habit of writing thank you notes or just send something via e mail and call it good enough?
The only time I've ever written thank-you notes was for our wedding, as tradition dictates. Birthday & Christmas gifts don't seem to warrant that kind of formal response & I find that it's sometimes nicer to call a person & thank them

4. Do you have any stickers or fun ink stamps?
We have a few stickers around the place, but no 'fun' ink stamps. In fact, I'm not sure if there's any kind of ink stamp in WaitingManor...

5. Without looking (and I’m going to have to trust you here), how many stamps do you currently have on hand (a roll, a sheet, something like that)?
Easy... none whatsoever. Or at least, none readily to hand. Maybe if I looked long enough in the motley collection of storage boxes I might come across some, but I somehow doubt it

1) What sort of alarm wakes you up in the morning?
At 4.30 am it's Bella, who jumps onto my side of the bed & not-so-gently insists that it's breakfast time. I used to equally not-so-gently insist that it wasn't, but she can be pretty persistent, so breakfast time is now at 4.30 am... after which I go back to bed for another couple of hours of intermittent dozing before having to get up

2) If you can sleep in, how late do you sleep?
Usually until around 10-10.30am, when the neighbourhood noises are getting a bit too loud to ignore

3) What's for breakfast?
2 pieces of toast, or some bready equivalent, with Vegemite on one & peanut butter or honey on the other... & COFFEE!!

4) What makes you late to your next big thing?
My own procrastination, or getting distracted by the next little thing

5) What's your favourite caffeinated beverage?
At home - a Nespresso pod. Black with one sugar. At a café - a soy flat white with honey. On a hot day - Coke Zero

Crossposts: https://waitingman.livejournal.com/674729.html

These questions were written by archersangel.

1. What is the first TV show you remember watching?
Early 70s, so probably Sesame Street, or the Australian kids show Play School... I have clearer memories of the Super Flying Fun Show on weekday mornings, a bit later in the 70s - hosted by Miss Marilyn & featuring Marty & Emu, a prizewheel segment & the occasional band who could be convinced to get up that early - most memorably Mother Goose

2. What is the first “grown up” TV show you watched?
The first one that springs to mind is a BBC drama called When The Boat Comes In set in northern England in the 1920s-30s. To this day, I've never seen the final episode, though I know how the show ended...

3. What is the first TV show you watched from the start to finish when it aired live (i.e., not via reruns)?
Well, as explained above, not When The Boat Comes In!! I'm old enough to have seen all episodes of Fawlty Towers when it first aired

4. What is the oldest TV show you’ve watched?
Probably Dr Who episodes from the early 1960s...

5. What is one TV show you will stop and watch if you come across it on TV, even though you've seen every episode at least 20 times?
So many... Monty Python's Flying Circus, Mad About You, QI, 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Boston Legal, MASH...

Crossposts: https://waitingman.livejournal.com/674271.html

By spacefem...

1) What was the biggest thing that happened to you in 2021?
Reasonably explosively walked out on a job, after being personally abused & already being something of a physical wreck. While working for myself has its own worries & the money hasn't been as good as I was led to expect, we've managed to get through the year pretty well, without starving or falling behind in any bills - not being able to go anywhere significant for a holiday probably helped that too...

2) Where was the most exciting place you went?
Our only little trip away this year was to a small, off-grid cabin in the west of New South Wales, for a few nights of not quite camping, not quite motelling either. Nice to see I still know how to make a fire without it turning into a bushfire & that I can cook on it as well !!

3) Who helped you the most this year?
Long-Suffering Partner without a doubt... gave me permission to leave a job that was killing me by degrees & has supported me (almost) unquestioningly as I've found my new feet

4) What's your favourite new thing you bought?
A tie between the new work car... & last year's Christmas present that turned up this year

5) What was your most memorable entry?
For me, it was the edited & photo-annotated diary of our USA roadtrip in 2012 that I finally got 'round to posting. Not sure how many others enjoyed it, but it was memorable for me...

Crossposts: https://waitingman.livejournal.com/672982.html

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