Memes
27 April, 2008
Spring music meme
A quick music meme, discovered via Tim:
List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs.
It seems it's not necessary to comment on each song, but an unelaborated list seems rather pointless, so I will.
Even if "shaping your spring" wasn't LiveJournal-ist pretention from which I recoil, it wouldn't be accurate. I've been listening to a lot of music recently, but largely to discover new music rather than using music I already own to accompany activities or affect my mood. Hence, I haven't been exactly obsessed with many songs. A few (well, seven, obviously) which stand out from the past couple of weeks are:
Emilie Autumn – Misery Loves Company
Goth techno-pop (self-described as 'Victoriandustrial'), is an interesting idea, and Ms Autumn is an excellent vocalist & violinist, but having explored online samples, ordered two recent albums then played more samples whilst waiting, I suspect her earlier (2003) material is more my thing (less repetitive lyrics, for one thing). The 'Opheliac' album will either grow on me a lot or drop out of my awareness rapidly (that seems obvious, but I mean it's not the sort of thing I could imagine liking casually), but I keep returning to this track, probably for the vocal rhythms.
Pagan's Mind – Hallo Spaceboy
The rest of the 'God's Equation' album is unlistenable, but there's something about this Bowie cover; I can honestly say it's a drastic improvement on the original.
Imogen Heap – Speeding Cars
I picked up the 'Goodnight And Go' single from eBay for £1 last week, and have been playing this 'b'-side repeatedly – in contrast to the crappy prog-metal I've been trying to offer a fair chance, this is bliss.
Frost* – Here Is The News
I don't know whether this ELO cover has made it onto an album; I heard it on an archived Rogue's Galley podcast. I don't normally do upbeat 'happy' music, but this got through somehow, perhaps for the same reasons as 'Speeding Cars'.
BTW, the asterisk is part of the band name, not one of my footnote identifiers.
3 – Wake Pig
Another from Frans' weekly podcast and like 'Here Is The News', a track I haven't bought on CD yet: I'm playing it to decide whether I want to hear more from the band which supported Porcupine Tree in N.America last year. I'm not sure about Joey Eppard's voice in this context though, oddly, I knew immediately that I liked his solo material.
Porcupine Tree – The Rest Will Flow
As I've said, the remixing & remastering of the 'Lightbulb Sun' reissue seems to insert the freshness of a brand new album. This is the track which seems most enhanced – I hadn't particularly noticed it on the 2000 edition.
Nina Simone – Feeling Good
Not Muse's cover version. I bought all Muse's studio albums last year in a fit of enthusiasm which wore off very rapidly; I can no longer bear more than handful of tracks. Definitely mere shallow entertainment, not saying much.
Anyway: I heard the definitive 1965 rendition on A's .mp3 player returning from the Lakes a couple of hours ago, and it just seemed to fit the moment.
Less?
26 December, 2007
Typical
Just as I complete one meme questionnaire, I see that Krys has made another available.
Oh, go on, then.
1. Do you hate your last boyfriend/girlfriend?
No. H. is both my current and previous gf. It's complicated.
2. When was the last time you took a nap?
9 December, the day after I'd cycled 37 km between 00:30 & 02;00, itself after a week of insomnia. I try to avoid napping during the day, but sometimes I'm so tired or run down.
3. Do you only drink bottled water?
I never drink bottled water.
4. How are you feeling?
Okay, thanks.
5. Who was the last person you texted before you fell asleep last night?
I didn't.
6. Who was the last person to send you a MySpace message?
I'll look....
... The last person was Jackie, in June.
7. What was on your mind most today?
Time passing.
8. Have you dated people who were not good for you?
Not seriously bad for me.
9. How will you spend your next birthday?
That's eleven months away!
10. What's your current problem?
That I can't think of an answer to this question (ooh! circular logic!).
11. Do you like to snowboard?
Never had the opportunity. Nor the inclination, now you mention it.
12. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?
I don't believe in the concept of 'deserving'.
13. What instant messaging service do you use?
Never used IM.
14. Would you believe your ex if they said they still loved you?
See Q.1....
15. What's your most hated food?
Eggs, as eggs – no problem with egg as an ingredient of other foods.
16. What's your favourite colour?
Black.
17. Would you date your best friend?
That'd be weird.
18. Who was your favourite teacher in middle school?
If US 'middle school' equates to UK 'junior school', none. Didn't like junior school.
19. What colour is your hair?
Dark-ish brown.
20. How old are your siblings?
K's 32 for one more week.
21. What do you want most right now?
A cup of tea. I'm easily pleased.
22. What is a major pet peeve of yours?
I don't have a cup of tea.
23. What are you doing tonight?
Making a cup of tea.
24. Is your MySpace display name from a song?
Not one I know.
25. Are you happy at the moment?
No more or less so than in Q.4.
26. Do you have a wood floor or carpet in your bedroom?
At home, the roughly-painted floorboards are strategically covered by two rugs. The bedroom I'm occupying this week has a fitted carpet.
27. Do you have a hidden stash of candy somewhere?
I don't particularly like sweets, and have no reason to hide them anyway.
28. Do you have over 100 CDs?
More like over 1,000.
29. What are you wearing right now?
Police trousers (baton pocket and all), pants and a Porcupine Tree T-shirt. All black, of course. No boots or socks.
30. Is your phone right beside you?
No, next door, I think.
31. Who are you texting?
I'm not. I'm typing this. Obviously.
32. Done anything you regret?
I'm thirtysomething. What do you think?
33. Ever trip over your own feet?
It's been known.
34. favourite colour ink pen to use?
Black.
35. Do you wish someone would call you?
Now? Not really.
36. Ever kissed a brown eyed and brown haired person?
Frequently.
37. Can you see a phone right now?
No. I think I'll live.
38. What are you listening to right now?
The Pineapple Thief – 'What We Have Sown' and frankly, getting really bored of it.
39. Where is it coming from?
The pixies enslaved within my iPod are teasing it out of the æther.
40. Last thing you ate?
Prawn & lettuce sandwiches and an individual jelly (US: jello).
41. Song stuck in your head?
I tend to avoid music that might infect me with an earworm.
42. Do you dance while getting ready for whatever?
No. I might fall over.
43. What are you wearing right now?
A scarlet ballgown or the items I already specified in Q.29. You decide.
44. Who was your last text from?
Probably my mother.
45. What does it say?
Something like 'why are you two hours late?'.
46. Have you ever made out on an aeroplane?
No, but I have in an airport.
47. Are you currently pregnant/have you recently gotten someone pregnant?
Given gestation periods, I think I'd know by now if I had. Unless it was an elephant, of course.
48. What are you thinking about right now?
This sentence.
49. What scent are you wearing right now?
None.
50. Ever thought you were going to get married?
What, accidentally? No.
51. Last person you loved?
Same one as now. See Q.1.
52. Last person who told you they loved you?
As above.
53. Favourite time of the day?
Depends on the day.
54. Biggest regret?
Not having a profound and/or witty answer to questions like that.
55. Do you want children?
No.
56. Last person you called when you were drunk/high?
Hasn't happened.
57. Ever driven when you were drunk/high?
No, but I did ride my bike home from pubs a few times in the 1990s.
58. Last time you had butterflies in your stomach?
I tend to be either fine or rigid with all-consuming fear; I rarely experience mild intermediary stuff like 'butterflies'.
59. What was your last alcoholic beverage?
I don't remember; that was at least 15 months ago.
60. How is your mood today?
Much as in Q.4 and Q.25, but with slight irritation at having to repeat myself.
61. Where was your last vacation at?
That's appalling grammar.
London, anyway, if a single day counts. Before that, Wien.
62. Do you have close friends?
I'd like to think so.
63. Do you like anyone?
Of course!
64. What's the largest age difference between yourself and someone you have hooked up with/ dated?
No more than a couple of years.
65. When was the last time you cried?
Friday, whilst reading details of of the Lockerbie bombing on its 19th anniversary. Things like that always upset me, even though I had no personal involvement.
66. What is one thing you miss about your past?
Big question, which I can't readily answer, neither seriously nor flippantly.
67. What is one thing you've learned about life?
Meme questionnaires take longer to complete than one thinks initially.
68. Is anyone jealous of you?
I'd be surprised.
69. Has a friend ever used you?
I can't think of an occasion, and I'm likely to remember. That largely depends on one's definition of 'friend' – acquaintances have, but I've regarded few acquaintances as friends.
70. What was the last movie you watched?
'Monsters, Inc.' Pretty good.
71. How many things in your past do you regret?
Seven. Oh, and the thing with the suspender belt. But we don't talk about that.
72. What is something that you want to do within the next week?
Weather permitting, I'd like to take my camera for a walk along the Atlantic coast of Devon.
73. Who was the last person you hugged?
I'm not sure. Either my mother or H.; it was a few months ago, anyway.
74. Have you ever wanted someone but you knew you couldn't be with them?
Yes, I'm human.
75. Is there anyone you are excited to see soon?
I'm not sure exactly when it'll be, but I'm looking forward to seeing H.
76. Has one of your friends ever stabbed you in the back?
As Q.69.
77. Do you have more friends that are girls or boys?
Girls. Well, women.
78. How long have you had MySpace?
That sounds like 'how long have you had running water?'. It's not that big a deal.
Nineteen months, anyway.
79. Has anyone ever talked about you behind your back?
Would I know?
80. Have you ever cried yourself to sleep?
Oh yes....
Less?
Posted by Ministry at 22:22
| 1342 words
26 December, 2007
In case of emergency, break seal
I've had a meme questionnaire hanging around to complete when I had little substantial to say and limited opportunity to use the time more productively. Plus, I find these things somewhat therapeutic, for some reason.
I've translated the questions into English, omitting four. Americans and those with the remotest interest in celebrities' private lives might prefer an earlier version of the questions.
1. Where were you for New Year 2007?
Manchester.
2. How did you get the idea for your MySpace name?
I only use MySpace to funnel visitors to this, my main site, so using a derivative of 'Ministry of Information' is obvious.
3. What are you listening to right now?
The Pineapple Thief – 'What We Have Sown'.
4. Has the death of a celebrity ever made you cry?
Of course not.
5. Do you live in a zoo?
Sorry; can't think of a smart answer. No.
6. What did you do this morning?
Woke later than usual (08:45ish), read in bed for a while ('Quicksilver', by Neal Stephenson), had breakfast, then went for a walk to Ewloe Castle.
7. What does your mother do for a living?
She retired a few years ago. One could say she cooks & cleans for my sister....
8. Where do you work?
At a remarkably prestigious University ('remarkably' because I don't particularly rate it, personally).
9. What are your favourite smells?
Fresh bread, perhaps. Fresh tarmac?
10. What are the last two digits of your phone number?
I hadn't noticed until you asked, but it's a number of significance to my family, which has been recurring throughout my life.
11. What was the last concert you attended?
Porcupine Tree (w. Anathema) at the Manchester Academy, 8 December. This one.
12. Who was with you?
I went alone, and didn't meet anyone I knew.
13. What was the last movie you watched?
'Million Dollar Baby', for the second time. Knowing the twist, it didn't have the same impact as first time.
14. What do you dislike at the moment?
Pressure to do things communally, such as watch trashy TV simply so my mother feels we're doing something together.
15. What do you crave right now?
My bike and, well, H.
16. Did you dream last night?
I don't remember doing so.
17. What was the last TV show you watched?
Perhaps the final episode of 'Heroes' (series 1), a fortnight ago.
18. What is your favourite piece of jewelry?
I don't have any myself, but K. has attractive dolphin-shaped earrings and I like A's bracelet/ring.
19. Name someone on your MySpace Top 8 who is just like you?
They're all bands, so it doesn't really apply.
20. Who is your best friend of the opposite sex?
Not counting H., A.
21. Who last IM’d you?
I've never used IM. I think someone sent me a PM in a discussion forum within the last month, but I forget who.
22. Are you on any medication?
Nope. Just tea.
23. What side of the bed do you sleep on?
At home, the right (as seen from the foot of the bed), but I'm sleeping in a single bed this week.
24. What colour shirt are you wearing?
Black.
25. What colour is your razor?
I don't own a razor, but I think my beard trimmer is black & grey.
26. What is your favourite frozen treat?
Er, a photogenic frozen waterfall? I don't really do frozen confectionery, if that's what's meant.
27. How many tattoos/piercings do you have?
Still none. Is that question compulsory when compiling meme questionnaires?
28. What are your favourite stores?
Amazon, I suppose. I don't even remember the last time I visited a high-street shop, apart from accompanying H., when I wasn't exactly choosing the destinations.
29. Are you thirsty right now?
No, I have a mug of tea right here. [slurp]
30. Can you imagine yourself ever getting married?
No.
31. Who’s someone you haven’t seen in a while and miss?
H.
32. What did you do last night?
Failed to watch 'Garden State' on DVD (too much 'bad language' and insufficient plot development for my mother – within the first ten minutes), so wrote a blog entry instead.
33. Do you care what people think about you?
Only friends.
34. Have you ever done something to instigate trouble?
I don't think so; it's not in my nature.
35. Do you like your nose?
I suppose so. That's lucky, as it's rather substantial.
36. What colour is your room?
At home... I don't remember. I think 'my room' i.e. the 'back office' (spare bedroom) where I spend most time is painted peach-ish, but that was done by the previous owner and I feel no urgency to redecorate.
The room I'm in right now was properly 'my room' throughout my childhood, though now it's a combined computer room and conservatory (try not to think about the moisture implications). One wall is glass (a sliding door), one is mirrored (hiding wardrobes) and two are... hmm, that's a nasty yellow.
37. When was the last time you worked out?
I don't, though rapidly cycling to and from work might count.
38. Do you like pedicures?
Never had one. I doubt it.
39. Where do you live?
'Home' is Lancaster, UK.
40. Are you an aggressive driver?
I suspect that comes with familiarity, and I drive very, very rarely, so I'm pretty cautious.
41. Who is your cell phone carrier?
Not a clue. It's 'pay-as-you-go', so I don't receive bills, and I've only topped it up once since 2004, so I don't have reason to know. 'V' seems familiar: Virgin? Vodaphone?
42. What is the thing you’d most want to change about yourself?
I suppose I'd like to be more casually intimate with friends.
43. What colour is your car?
I don't have a car. My bike is dark grey.
44. What do you smell like right now?
Like, right now? I don't think I smell of anything: I don't wear any form of scent and I haven't been exercising since I last showered.
45. What is your favourite colour?
Black.
46. Do you like mustard?
In moderation.
47. What do you tell yourself when times get hard?
"This too will pass."
48. Would you ever sky dive?
I doubt I could muster the absolute confidence in the equipment.
49. What do you sleep on?
On? Er, a mattress, on a bed. Weird question.
50. Have you ever bid for something on eBay?
At least 200 items.
51. Do you enjoy giving hugs?
Yes, immensely, but see Q.42.
52. Would you consider yourself to be fashionable?
Routinely, not remotely, but I'm less unfashionable amongst certain groups of people or if I make an effort.
53. Do you own a digital camera?
Yes, though I'm planning to upgrade to a proper DSLR soon.
54. What celebrities have you been compared to?
Er... my father compares himself to Tom Cruise (similar nose – he's right), and I look a bit like my father.
55. What does your 19th text message say?
I don't keep many received text messages, and certainly don't have nineteen archived.
56. How ’bout your 30th?
I'm not sure if I've even received that many.
57. Who did you hang out with last night?
I didn't.
58. What are you doing this Saturday?
I'll be in Devon visiting K., but I don't know what we'll do. Depends on the weather.
Less?
Posted by Ministry at 17:31
| 1253 words
10 October, 2007
BookThing
Calephetos reports that the following are currently the 106 books most often marked as 'unread' by LibraryThing users.
Meme rules: indicate those you've read in bold, those you started but couldn't finish in italics, and underline those on your to-read list. Add an asterisk (*) to those you've read more than once, or strikethrough those you couldn't stand.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell*
Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi: a novel
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
A Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods*
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran: a memoir in books
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver*
Wicked: the life and times of the wicked witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales
The Historian: a novel
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Love in the Time of Cholera
Brave New World
The Fountainhead
Foucault's Pendulum*
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible: a novel
1984
Angels & Demons
The Inferno
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver's Travels
Les Misérables
The Corrections
The Amazing adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Dune*
The Prince*
The Sound and the Fury
Angela's Ashes: A Memoir
The God of Small Things
A People's History of the United States: 1492-present
Cryptonomicon*
Neverwhere*
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-Five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake : a novel
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion*
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics: a Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: an Inquiry into Values
The Aeneid
Watership Down*
Gravity's Rainbow
The Hobbit*
White Teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The Three Musketeers
I've read 34 (10 more than once), failed to read four and plan to read four. Of those, I disliked three, coincidentally all by Jane Austen. I think I've read four more, but have no recollection of their content, so they plainly don't count.
It's strange that Volumes 1 and 2 of Neal Stephenson's 'The Baroque Cycle' are on the list, but not Volume 3 – did people read the end but not the beginning and middle, or didn't they bother with the third after failing to read the earlier two? Either way, I think they were mistaken: it has a very slow start and demands concentration, but by the end it's wonderful.
Less?
Posted by Ministry at 17:16
| 537 words
21 September, 2007
'Can you believe it?'
Meme time. It's been a while. This questionnaire is via Proggrl:
What is the story behind your couch?
A nasty crack in the wall, which I try not to think about. It wasn't there when I bought the place, unless the vendor had simply papered over it. I suspect I might need to do the same.
What do you use your kitchen table for most?
Accumulating card and paper for recycling. I also tend to keep a 24-can box of Coke there, too.
Do you make your bed?
No. I only have an undersheet, duvet and pillow, so there isn't much to tidy, but a while ago I read that a bed retaining one's body heat and moisture offers optimum conditions for mites, etc., so I deliberately throw back the duvet until I return from work.
How did you spend Sunday night?
I don't remember. I may have watched a film.
Beer? Wine? Liquor? What's your poison?
I don't drink alcohol. I favour tea, Coke or orange juice instead.
What happened to your first love?
First childhood crush? Dunno. I think my mother told me B. has lost both her parents (they lived a couple of streets from my mother).
First 'real' love? She's in Warszawa.
How do you get your laundry done?
Slowly. I have an annoying habit of forgetting to remove clean clothes from the washing machine for several days, before drying them on a rack in the bedroom (I don't have a dryer, nor a washing line).
Coffee... want or need?
Neither. I don't especially like coffee, and I used to be mildly allergic to it. Tea's great.
Are you over ramen noodles?
I'm not entirely sure what they are. If they're what I think, I suppose I am.
What is your guilty pleasure movie?
I can't think of one.
How do you justify using your credit cards?
Purchase protection means a credit card can be a good idea sometimes.
I don't have to justify purchases to myself, if that's what the question means. I don't feel a need for guilty indulgences.
How do you feel about Harry Potter?
Like Proggrl, I don't.
What do you look for in 'the one'?
Trustworthiness, I suppose.
What newspaper do you read?
I haven't bought a newspaper for years (not counting expensive DVD packaging which I discarded unread), but I do read the local free paper each week and cherrypick articles from the Guardian website each weekday. I tend to avoid political commentary and opinion pieces, though; I certainly wouldn't class myself as a natural 'Guardian reader', with the middle-class 'socialism-lite' complacency the label implies.
What is the mantra you use to get through the rough days?
I was going to say I don't do 'mantras', but I suppose I remind myself that "this too will pass".
How do you "pick up" at bars?
I'd find that excruciatingly embarrassing.
How many one-night stands have you had?
No comment. Okay: low single figures.
Do you remember your dreams?
Some. Whilst dreaming them, too: the dreams I remember tend to be lucid.
Do you want kids?
No, I'm not really drawn to goats.
When do you want to get married?
I don't. Thankfully, H. agrees that we have nothing to prove to society.
What is your magic number?
Six, and numbers containing six, particularly 16. Seriously. A disproportionate number of life events, good and bad, have occurred on days containing that number, even including the death of my maternal grandfather on the sixteenth, exactly six months before I was born at 06:30 on the sixteenth.
Where is that special someone right now?
Right now is 22:21, Warszawa time, so it's likely H. is out with friends.
Do you have a will?
Um. No. Well reminded.
What was the best day of your life?
I'm hoping it's ahead of me!
Is it harder to be rejected or to reject someone else?
[Pause for careful thought.]
Depends.
I don't mean to be evasive – it's a good question – but it does depend.
Who's your favorite person?
Too reductive! I'd need to know the context.
What are you listening to?
Porcupine Tree: 'Nil Recurring'. I'll post a longer review soon, but in short, it's mostly excellent. I'm unsure about one track of the four.
What's the last thing you drank?
A decent cup of tea.
Have you been on a date in the past week?
Not in the past week.
Where are you going on your next vacation?
Not sure. Maybe Norway, to visit my father.
Have you ever thrown up from working out?
No.
Are most of the friends in your life new or old?
Fairly old; I've known most of them for over a decade.
Have you ever gotten so wasted you didn't know what was going on?
'Fraid so. Not since my mid-twenties, and not often; even less frequently as a result of alcohol.
Do you like pulpy orange juice?
It's okay. It tends not to have as intense a flavour as, er, non-pulpy, which I prefer.
Are you touchy-feely?
Very much not, though I sometimes wish I was more casually intimate with close friends.
Do you prefer the tanning bed or the sun?
Nether, really, as I have no wish for tanned skin. For the sake of argument, I'll choose 'the sun', as that means being out in the open air, doing things (never sunbathing – appalling waste of time).
What are your biggest pet peeves?
Read the blog!
Fundamentally, it probably all amounts to collectivist invasion of privacy.
Do you consider yourself bi-polar?
What? That's a serious psychiatric condition, not a fad to opt into by self-diagnosis!
No, I haven't been diagnosed as bipolar by a qualified professional. Like most people, I experience periods of productivity and cheerfulness, balanced by (sub-clinical, nowadays) depression.
What's something your friends make fun of you for?
You'd have to ask them.
What's your worst personality flaw?
Prevarication?
Would you ever parachute off of a plane?
In English that's "out of a plane", and probably not. I doubt I could muster absolute trust that the equipment would work.
Have you ever ridden an elephant?
Only plastic or glassfibre ones on children's rides.
Are you Irish in any way?
Not knowingly.
Have you ever been to a nude beach?
No.
Have you ever drank Jack Daniels?
I don't think so.
What are you saving your money up for right now?
I'm not. Well, I suppose I am saving to make overpayments on my mortgage, but not actively. Generally, I'm in the fortunate position of not wanting items beyond my immediate means.
What was the last gift card you received?
Gift card? Do you mean a gift token i.e. a prepaid voucher to be used with a particular retailer? I don't remember; it must have been at least a decade ago.
If you mean greetings cards, it may have been from my mother, on the occasion of my last birthday. She's pretty much the only person I know who cannot grasp the fact that shiny folded cardboard is meaningless to me.
Does the number of people a person's slept with affect your opinion?
Depends on the circumstances. Promiscuity might, as I find the concept slightly alien, but one of my best friends has had a fairly large number of medium-term relationships over the years, and I think no less (or more) of her for that.
Have you ever gone to a party where you were the only sober person?
Er... I don't drink, remember?
What do you do when you spot a bug in your house?
Spiders are welcome to stay (except large ones in my bedroom!). Beetles are gently evicted, as are bees and individual ants. Flies are evicted if they'll go readily, but I don't risk them corrupting food or laying eggs in the plant pots, so I've killed a few. Wasps die – no hesitation.
Where's your cellphone?
Probably in my bedside table, turned off until next time I specifically need it.
Who are you talking to?
I'm not. I'm typing this, obviously.
Who are you crushing on?
Sorry? I've never encountered that form of words – sounds like a rather specialist fetish.
I presume I know what you mean, though, and the answer is that I don't think I have a crush on anyone at present.
Ever had sex in a graveyard?
Yes.
Next question!
Ever had sex in a church?
No. That sounds like breaking a 'taboo' merely for effect. Churches are not holy to me (an atheist) but nor do I feel a need to make some sort of protest. Therefore, there'd be no particular frisson in it.
Ever tried the 'Bloody Mary' trick in the bathroom?
Never heard of it.
Ever played strip poker?
Ooh; a very long time ago. I can't have been more than 14 or 15.
Ever played video games?
Occasionally.
Ever played pool?
Very badly. Not even amusingly badly.
Do you love weapons?
Whoa. No.
Ever killed someone?
[Backing away carefully.] No.
Ever been arrested?
Briefly. It was resolved very quickly, and there were no formal consequences.
Do you watch 'Jackass'?
I once watched about a minute, whilst bewilderment turned to horror then distaste. Not my thing.
Less?
Posted by Ministry at 21:43
| 1542 words
3 June, 2007
Forty (38) assorted questions
A quick 40-question, er, questionnaire discovered, as nearly-always, via Neil. So quick, in fact, that there are only 38 questions.
1. When you're home alone, do you still close the door when you go to the bathroom?
Not fully.
2. If you have to go grocery shopping, would you rather go alone or with someone?
Going to the supermarket with someone who has a car is useful, but I prefer to doing the actual shopping alone. I tend to concentrate rather intensely, and shop very quickly – I don't need assistance with purchasing decisions.
3. It's your best friend's birthday, do you buy them a gift even though they didn't buy you one for yours?
Definitely. It's a gift, not a reciprocal debt.
4. You win the lottery. Lump sum or small payments over a period of time?
Whichever has greater financial efficiency (bank interest vs. tax). Lump sum, I suppose, though I'd simply put it in my own bank account and draw an income. I certainly wouldn't spend it all at once, if that's what's meant.
5. Do you like your music loud or at a reasonable level?
Reasonable. At home, I like to listen to the music, to appreciate it, not merely experience the sensation. Intellectual over (literally) visceral. That said, loud music is great in a concert setting, so long as it isn't distorted.
6. Are you a beach person or a snowy mountain person?
Mountain. I don't have the ability to lounge on a beach, but love to explore mountains with my camera.
7. When do you brush your teeth?
Morning and night.
8. Can you watch scary movies alone?
Yes, though I don't deliberately seek 'scary' films. I don't derive pleasure from being scared.
9. Soft bed or firm?
No question: firm.
10. Would you rather stay home all day, or be out and about with some friends?
Out with friends, though don't mind the alternative.
11. What's one of your worst memories?
I'd rather not dwell on the negative; I do too much of that instinctively.
12. Do you like to keep the peace or be confrontational?
The former, but I have absolutely no qualms about saying one thing to avoid pointless conflict then doing something entirely different. I feel no urge to display dominance within a group, as I don't seek to be a group member.
13. Are you more likely to be with a large group of people or a few close friends?
The latter. A small number of people genuinely matter to me, but I struggle to sustain interest in acquaintances.
14. What are your plans for October?
I'm not sure. That's the start of the academic year, so I'll have work and College expectations to address, though I'm rather inclined to take some leave before the weather breaks.
15. If money were not a problem, where would you like to live?
Lancaster and Warszawa and SW Norway and Manchester, though if I'm dreaming of a house in a metropolitan centre with access to arts events, I suppose London would make more sense than Manchester.
16. Are you close to your Mum and Dad?
Not really. I get on fairly well with my mother whilst we're together, but she's not foremost in my thoughts whilst we're apart and she frequently annoys me. I get on with my father but I haven't seen him since 2002 and we don't speak more than 2-3 times each year, so there's a strange intimacy between people who don't really know one another. I think I see a lot of myself in him, but it could be projection.
17. What is one fear that you can't seem to overcome?
I can't think of any; it'd have to be something abstract like 'failure'. Maybe loss of dignity.
18. Are you good at maths?
Not remotely. If presented with anything more than very basic arithmetic, I have a tendency to freeze and not even try to work out the answer.
I was going to say I remember next to nothing of geometry or algebra, but I used both in cartography. Similarly, I've used statistics a lot in the context of geographical research. I suppose I'm not too bad at formulating problems for a calculator or computer – just don't expect me to do it in my head.
19. Do you kiss on a first date?
Heh. It's been a l-o-n-g time since I experienced a first date. Hypothetically, I doubt it.
20. Is there anyone that you regret ever meeting?
Yes. My PhD supervisors.
21. Rate your life on a scale from 1 to 10.
Seven? Ask that at an emotionally-naked, insomniac 03:00, and I might have a different opinion.
22. Would you rather have roommates or live alone?
Definitely, without equivocation or hesitation, alone.
23. Do you like any of your friends a little more than just a friend?
Hmm. Do I love any of my friends? Yes. Do I find any of my friends sexually attractive? Yes. Would I wish to have a non-platonic relationship with any of them? No. They're my friends. It'd be wrong.
24. Do you like to drive?
No. I can drive, but I don't enjoy it at all.
25. Do you hate anyone at the moment?
No.
26. Do you give money to homeless people when they ask?
Very rarely.
27. A weekend in Las Vegas or Miami?
Ew. Neither.
28. When you go to the store, do you have a list or just buy random things?
Somewhere between the two. I don't have a written or even planned list, but I know when I reach a particular aisle or shelf whether I need the contents. I don't browse, and I rarely buy on a whim.
29. What do you wear to sleep in?
Shorts, if anything.
30. You have 3 months left to live, what do you do?
Verify the prognosis. Travel.
31. You're having a bad day, what's one thing can make your day better?
A cup of tea tends to help.
32. Tanning beds?
Eh? What about them? They have no relevance to my life. Does that answer the question, whatever it was?
33. Is there anything you would change about your body if you could?
I'd like greater upper-body strength, without having to specifically exercise in order to achieve and maintain it.
34. You wake up in an unfamiliar place, what is your first reaction?
Depends on the context. So long as I feel safe, I don't have a problem waking in a hotel or a friend's house.
35. Is there anything that you should be doing right now?
Yes.
36. If there was a way to know when and how you're going to die, would you want that information?
Not when. It'd affect the rest of my life. If my death was a long way away, I'd prevaricate now and regret it later. If my death was imminent, whatever was left would be wasted in panic and despair.
If knowledge of how I'd die could allow me to avoid it, I'd want to know.
37. What is your favourite breakfast food?
A full British cooked breakfast (without the egg) is good occasionally, but I couldn't eat one every day, never mind prepare one every day.
38. It's 4am, and your phone is ringing, who would it be?
Not sure, but it'd be an emergency, so I'd definitely answer. I don't know anyone who'd ring to casually pass the time of day (er, night) nor anyone foolish enough to use a phone whilst drunk.
Less?
Posted by Ministry at 10:27
| 1261 words
27 May, 2007
Music Memories
The idea of this meme, discovered via Tim, is to list one's ten most played artists, then answer random questions about each one. For most people, 'most played' would be a statistic derived from iTunes or similar, but my Creative Zen doesn't collect such data (nor would I particularly want it to, except when completing trivia such as this), so like Tim's, the following list is a bit of a guess.
It's also partly a reflection of the number of tracks in the library – I choose to listen to, say, Imogen Heap rather more frequently than Jethro Tull, but my player contains 1 CD by the former and 21 by the latter, so if I hit 'Random', Tull is presented more often.
The List:
1. Porcupine Tree
2. Marillion
3. Peter Gabriel
4. Pink Floyd
5. Bass Communion
6. Sigur Rós
7. Radiohead
8. Jethro Tull
9. Anathema
10. Fish
The Questions:
1. What was the first song you ever heard by 6?
Probably 'Viðrar Vel Til Loftárása', which is still a favourite.
2. What is your favorite album of 2?
'Brave'. No, 'Marbles'. No, 'Brave'.
3. What is your favorite lyric that 5 has sung?
Heh. Bass Communion is a dark-ambient project: instrumental-only, if one doesn't count the sampled EVP voices on the Andrew Liles 'reconstruction' of 'Ghosts On Magnetic Tape'.
4. How many times have you seen 4 live?
Never, though I've seen videos.
I have mixed feelings about that. I would have loved to see 'The Wall' live, but I don't think I'd have enjoyed stadium-sized concerts.
I certainly wouldn't be interested in seeing Roger Waters solo, David Gilmour solo, or a reformed Pink Floyd unless they had an album of brand new music to promote. No, 'On An Island' doesn't count; I don't need 'easy listening' music just yet, thanks.
5. What is your favourite song by 7?
Hmm. Not easy. Maybe 'Fake Plastic Trees'.
6. What is a good memory you have involving the music of 10?
Involving the music? There's one I'm not telling you about....
The concert at The Cavern, Liverpool in 2001 is a good memory. Oddly enough, the one concert I've attended which I no longer remember clearly was by Fish, too, in 2004 – stupidly, I drank too much.
7. Is there a song of 3 that makes you sad?
'I Grieve'.
8. How did you get into 3?
Via Genesis. Obvious answer.
9. What was the first song you heard by 1?
I don't remember. I must have liked it!
10. What is your favorite song by 4?
'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' is my all-time favourite piece of music, by any artist in any genre.
11. How many times have you seen 9 live?
None, yet. I've seen a DVD.
12. What is a good memory you have involving 2?
Again, several which are too personal to share.
The first few seconds of hearing the band play 'Bridge/Living With The Big Lie' live was a thrill I'll remember.
13. Is there a song of 8 that makes you sad?
I can't think of any. Well, apart from the entire contents of 'J-Tull.Com', which made me realise the band were has-beens (that doesn't diminish my respect for the 1971-95 albums!).
14. What is your favorite album of 5?
'Bass Communion II'.
15. What is your favorite lyric that 3 has sung?
No particular phrases stand out as extra special.
16. What is your favorite song of 1?
'Even Less'.
17. What is your favorite song of 10?
Maybe 'The Company'.
18. How many times have you seen 8 live?
Once. It was more than enough.
It's funny: I was familiar with the band's music for a surprisingly long time – a matter of years – before I saw video footage or even still images of a Tull concert. The stage show didn't remotely match the preconception I'd derived from the music, and not in a good way.
I was largely prepared for that by the time I saw them in Manchester in 1995, but it was worse: a 47-year-old Anderson visibly strained to reproduce the stage act of an energetic 30-year-old (I mean himself c.1978), which was, well, embarrassing. It was also the loudest concert I've ever attended.
19. What is your favorite album of 1?
'Stupid Dream'.
20. What is a great memory you have considering 9?
I've only known about them for less than three years, but I do favourably recall the day I bought 'Alternative 4', for reasons unrelated to the music.
21. What was the first song you heard by 8?
'Strange Avenues'. Again, it's still a favourite.
Less?
Posted by Ministry at 12:32
| 806 words
20 April, 2007
Quick meme
Via Proggrl:
1. Where is your pet right now?
That's not a term of affection I use, but Helen is in Warszawa. I don't have a cat, dog, armadillo, etc.
2. Last time you kissed someone?
Weeks ago.
3. Name five things you did last night:
- Bought milk on my way home from work.
- Listened to Porcupine Tree's wonderful new album, 'Fear of a Blank Planet'.
- Updated the Jethro Tull Tour History, as the first setlist of the South American tour had arrived.
- Forgot to cook a meal until too late; just toasted a few currant buns instead.
- Watched 'ER'.
4. Last time you consumed alcohol?
I don't remember. The middle of last year?
5. What colour phone do you have?
<blank look> I have no idea. I think my landline is white/cream, and my mobile is probably dark grey. My work phone is, er, pale grey (I can see that, if I move the box file covering it).
7. Where do your best friends live?
Lancaster.
8. How many kids do you have?
None. Nor human children.
9. What outfit do you have on at this exact moment?
Porcupine Tree 'Arriving Somewhere...' T-shirt, combats and para boots. All black, of course.
10. What color are your eyes?
Brown. I'm told they're getting darker as I age. Is that possible?
12. When was the last time you drank a martini?
I don't think I ever have.
13. Did you do any chores today?
Not yet – I rolled out of bed into the shower, onto my bike and to work. Somewhere in there I had breakfast and put on some clothes, but there wasn't time to wash dishes, etc.
14. What are you doing tomorrow?
Depends on the weather. There's a good chance I'll be writing a review of tonight's Porcupine Tree concert at some point, but I wouldn't waste clear, sunny weather, and will probably go for a bike ride.
15. Do you know someone who likes you?
Don't make me paranoid. I have good friends. I choose to believe they like me too.
16. Have you ever had a friend named "Fred, Frank, or Felipe"?
I work with a Fred and a Frank, who seem okay, though the former is rather extrovert and demonstrative, so I find him a bit tiring. I've never knowingly met a Felipe.
18. What color is your hair?
Mid-brown.
20. Have you ever said "I Love You" and not meant it?
No. Really. I've declined to say it in instances when it'd have been expected, and it's caused conflict, but still, no.
21. Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
Yes.
22. What is the closest green object to you?
Hmm. A plastic in-tray, the London School of Economics' undergraduate prospectus and a bottle of washing-up liquid are equidistant from me.
23. Have you ever been teased really bad?
Yes. I survived, but I wouldn't choose to repeat it. That may partly explain my... reserve in the company of others.
24. Do you still have feelings for anyone from your past?
To some extent. I wouldn't have thought of it unless you'd asked.
25. Did you enjoy your last kiss?
No. Unhappy circumstances, and I've never liked kissing anyway. Dunno why. Any psychologists in the audience?
26. Do you believe in ghosts?
Maybe.
28. Best friend?
What about him/her?
30. When was the last time you were interested in someone?
I'm always fascinated by people. I just have to consciously stop myself regarding them as sociological specimens....
31. Have you eaten popcorn in the past 48 hours?
Not in the past 48 days, nor 96. I may have eaten a handful at my mother's in December.
32. Do you miss someone right now?
Yes.
33. Do you believe the statement 'bigger is always better'?
Definitely not.
35. Do you have a 'friend with benefits'?
That's a very contentious point. Helen & I are very independent people, and I don't really see us ever living together. Certain mutual acquaintances (jokingly?) accuse us of being mere '****-buddies', but that's totally wrong.
36. What is one thing you've learned about life?
Not to look for life lessons. Just live.
37. What's your favorite color?
Black, then jade green.
38. Are you jealous of anyone?
Genuinely not. Occasionally envious, I suppose, but I never wish I had something instead of someone else.
39. Ever fell down the steps?
Never a full flight, but I hospitalised myself by falling across the stairs a few years ago.
40. What does your mother call you?
Eh? She uses my name. What else would she use?
Oh; a term of affection? You haven't met my mother, have you?
41.What does your best friend call you?
Again, my name.
42. What does you hair look like right now?
Dunno. I've taken it out of its ponytail to dry, so it's probably messy.
43. Has a friendship ever turned into something more?
Yes. I've never gone into a relationship thinking it would be a 'relationship'.
44. Has anyone told you that they like you more than a friend?
I don't think anyone has ever said that.
45. What have you eaten today?
Crunchy Nut cornflakes.
46. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?
Straight-ish.
48. Who was the last person you drove with?
Not sure. Maybe my mother.
49. What are you looking forward to?
Porcupine Tree are playing in Preston about nine hours from now!
50. How are you today?
Pretty good, thanks.
Less?
1 April, 2007
Eco-meme
This meme questionnaire, discovered via Calephetos, is an opportunity to elaborate on an aspect of my belief system: I don't like the Green party.
Environmentalism is a religion like any other, pushing its morality just as much as evangelist christianity. I consider all evangelism offensive, and no less when it's non-theistic: I react badly when I'm told to act in a certain way not for any sensible reason but because it's the 'right' thing.
So why do the cultists consider me a fellow-traveller, and presume I'm indoctrinated? Perhaps because my lifestyle isn't actually far from their regime; the fundamental difference is that I act rationally, not 'ethically'.
The instructions:
A. Copy the list below to your own blog and:
- Bold the actions you are already taking
- Underline the actions you plan to start taking
- Italicise the actions that don't apply to you
B. Add one (or more) suggested action(s) of your own.
C. Leave a comment here, so the originator can track the meme and copy your suggested action(s) back to the master list.
- Replace standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs.
All but the desk lamps.
- Choose energy efficient appliances
Those I bought myself, yes, but I inherited my cooker, fridge and freezer.
- Wash clothes in cold(er) water
- Turn the thermostat of your hot water tank down to 50°C (125°F)
I'm pretty sure it's lower.
- Install a programmable thermostat (or turn the heat down over night and when you're out of the house)
The thermostat came with the boiler, so I can't claim credit, but I don't recall living in a house which didn't have one. I couldn't imagine living in always-on heat – it'd be awful.
- Register with the [Canadian Marketing Association's] Do Not Contact Service to reduce the amount of junk mail delivered to your house.
Well, the UK equivalent, the Mailing Preference Service (MPS). Also the Royal Mail's underpublicised opt-out facility: the MPS only covers junk mail addressed to named individuals, so it's necessary to decline unaddressed junk separately. Don't overlook it!
- Eat less meat (particularly feedlot beef)
Not a chance. I eat meat daily, and animal welfare is not remotely a priority for me (barring deliberate cruelty).
- Walk, bike, carpool or take public transit as often as possible
I walk to locations within ~2 km, cycle anywhere within ~25 km, and travel longer distances by train. I don't own a car.
- Make sure you know what can be recycled in your area, and try to recycle as much household waste as possible
Yes, but the local council fails to accept major categories of recycleable waste, so I'm obliged to discard rather more than if I lived elsewhere. I get round that to some extent via my purchasing decisions – not buying in the first place is better than buying then recycling.
- Compost using an outdoor compost bin or an indoor vermicomposter
I don't have a garden, nor a yard large enough for a composting bin.
- Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
- Buy local, organic or fair trade food where possible
If the food I want is produced locally, and is available where I shop anyway (supermarkets), I'll buy it. However, I wouldn't shop elsewhere to specifically seek-out local produce, and I buy local goods solely to reduce food miles, not to artificially support local producers.
I would never knowingly buy organic (pointless excuse to inflate prices) and never Fairtrade (appalling tokenist slacktivism).
- Reduce air travel
Not a chance. International travel is far too important to me. As my other responses demonstrate, I make reasonable efforts at sustainability, but I'm damned if I'm going to curtail my lifestyle 'for the planet'.
- Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket
I go one better: I use a boiler which only heats as much water as is needed, when it's needed. Why maintain a larger quantity of water at an elevated temperature, just in case it's wanted?
- Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible
I don't have either; I dry clothes on an indoor rack.
- Plant a tree
I was a conservation volunteer in my teens (when I was considering a career in forestry), so it's safe to say I've done my share....
- Buy fresh foods instead of frozen (Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce)
I buy frozen peas and chopped tomatoes in cans, but otherwise everything is fresh. And unpackaged – if buying, say, a red pepper, I put a red pepper in my shopping basket, protected by its own skin. No bag is required.
- Keep your car tuned up and your tires inflated to their optimal pressure
No car.
- Use biodegradable dishwashing liquid, laundry soap powder, etc.
I can't say this affects my purchasing decisions, though I think the ones I buy anyway qualify.
- Drink tap water (filtered if necessary) rather than buying bottled water
I've never understood the desire for bottled water, except if travelling in areas where the local water quality is in doubt. No, London doesn't count.
- Turn the tap off while brushing your teeth
- Unplug seldom-used appliances and chargers for phones, cameras, etc., when you're not using them
I hadn't realised there were people who did otherwise.
- Plug air leaks and drafts around doors and windows with weatherstripping
That's a problem in this house. The back door is warped, so the air gaps are a bit too big for standard remediation. I need a new door and doorstep. There are also airbricks in the front and back walls (one each), which allow an appreciable draught, but I cook & heat using gas, so can't block off the necessary ventilation.
- Switch from disposable to reusable products: food and beverage containers, cups, plates, writing pens, razors, diapers, towels, shopping bags, etc.
- Consider garage sales, Freecycle, eBay, or borrowing from friends/family before buying a new tool or appliance
Hmm. Maybe. Depends what it is. I'd be concerned about the safety, reliability and remaining lifespan of some items, and would be more inclined to buy new.
- Reuse bathwater, maybe to flush the loo, water the garden, etc.
It's an interesting idea, but frankly water isn't that scarce in NW England. I suppose it'd be marginally better to reuse water than to use fresh, treated drinking water, but that's a bit too marginal for me. Besides, I very rarely take baths; I shower.
- Make sure your roof is well-insulated.
It was when I bought the house, but if it hadn't been, that's something I'd have done.
- Always wear a jumper/sweater and socks indoors unless it's warm enough outdoors to go without both.
Well, yes, obviously. That is obvious, isn't it?
And my extra:
Consider your needs, not merely your wants. I'm not saying 'renounce material possessions', but don't accumulate things too casually, on a whim.
Less?
Posted by Ministry at 12:02
| 1138 words
30 March, 2007
You.Can.Only.Type.One.Word.
Title says it all. Should be quick to complete.
Via Calephetos.
1. Where is your cell phone?
Bedroom.
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend?
Elsewhere.
3. Your hair?
Neat.
4. Your mother?
Well.
5. Your father?
Neglected.
6. Your favorite thing?
Bed.
7. Your dream last night?
Wishful.
8. Your favorite drink?
Imminent.
9.Your dream car?
Irrelevant.
10. The room you're in?
Hot.
11. Your ex?
Forgotten.
12. Your fears?
Internal.
13. Where do you want to be in 10 years?
Advanced.
14. Who did you hang out with yesterday?
Computer.
15. What you're not?
Passive.
16. Muffins?
What?
17. One of your wish list items?
Stuff.
18. Where you grew up?
Ongoing.
19. The last thing you did?
Meeting.
20. What are you wearing?
Black.
21. Your TV?
Misconfigured.
22. Your pet?
Eventually.
23. Your computer?
Adequate.
24. Your life?
Stressed.
25. Your mood?
Neutral.
26. Missing?
Helen.
28. Your car?
Bicycular.
29. Your work?
Overwhelming.
30. Your summer?
Unplanned.
31. Like someone?
Very.
32. Your favorite colour?
Black.
33. When is the last time you laughed?
Monday.
34. Last time you cried?
Tuesday.
35. School?
Distant.
Less?
Posted by Ministry at 12:00
| 186 words
21 March, 2007
Roll yer own
... again.
Here's a meme questionnaire generated 'randomly' by answering twenty questions from the YouThink.com database. Answer the same questions, or generate your own set.
1. Do you think the Bible is repulsive?
Repulsive? No, not at all. It has no especial message to me as an atheist, but I don't hate it. That'd be perverse.
2. Does your jaw click when you chew?
No. A's does, which can be disconcerting. I'd imagine it to be infuriating to hear it inside one's own skull, but I suppose one would become accustomed to it, especially if it had happened since childhood.
3. Have you ever seen an adult throwing a temper tantrum?
An ex-landlord habitually punched through doors (a rage later sublimated into chopping wood, something I've tried myself), but I don't recall seeing a full-on, petulant tantrum.
4. Do you like sinks that rest above the countertop?
Do I seem like someone who'd remotely care?
I suppose they'd be slightly more awkward to keep clean, so I suppose I'd have to say 'no'.
5. With the rise in popularity of the BNP do you fear that Britain is becoming a fascist state?
I think the BNP is a distracting side-issue; it's the encroachment of mainstream 'big government' into the lives of individuals that I fear. I was about to say that's something which fascists could exploit, but I don't honestly think that'd really happen.
6. Are you a master of disguise?
Of course, said the small grey penguin, projecting his voice from three rooms away.
More seriously, I don't think my exterior appearence is a true representation of the inner 'me'.
7. Do you eat meat everyday?
No, I eat meat every day. Learn how to use the word 'everyday'.
8. Would you like to visit Pakistan?
It's not high on my (metaphorical) list of priorities, but not because of any political or personal safety reasons. I just prefer cooler climates. If given the opportunity, though, I'd like to visit.
Answering the loaded question between the lines: I'd be appreciably less reluctant to visit Pakistan than the USA under the current regime.
9. Can love preclude trust?
That's an odd question. I really can't see how it could, or even why the question would arise. I even wonder whether 'preclude' was really the word the questioner meant.
Answering for myself, I don't think love could survive a loss of trust.
10. Do you not find negative poll questions unnecessarily complicated?
I do find that questions phrased in the negative can be unnecessarily complicated, and are often worth rephrasing.
11. Do you always think of the perfect comeback 20 minutes after you have left the scene?
No. Whether through luck or personality, I rarely find myself in 'scenes', and I tend not to dwell on them.
I do love the French phrase for this phenomenon, though: 'l'esprit de l'escalier': 'staircase wit'.
12. If you had to endure 7 minutes of excruciating pain for a chance to not experience pain for the rest of your life, would you take it?
My initial thought was yes, but on reflection pain has an important purpose and I wouldn't want to lose a vital indication of damage to my body.
If there was some way of eliminating chronic, purposeless pain, I suspect I'd take it.
Oh, and I'm not a gambler: I'd consider the proposition in order to definitely eliminate pain, not for a chance to eliminate pain.
13. Do you ever order a glass of Pepsi or Coke with a wedge of lemon or lime in it?
No, never, though it sometimes comes that way anyway.
14. Do you think that everyone looks better with a little bit of a suntan?
No! Not remotely. Then again, I think everyone looks better in black clothing.
15. Which tells you more about an individual's personality: The movies they watch or the music they listen to?
I'd question whether either offers a particularly penetrating insight, but if I had to choose one, it'd be music.
16. Do you express yourself better verbally or in writing?
Definitely in writing, though I have a suspicion that maintaining this website has improved my ability to formulate an argument, which extends to spoken conversations.
17. Are many of the booklets that come with your CDs missing?
Not one, so far as I'm aware. What does that say about my personality?
18. Do you think it's ironic to sell alcoholic drinks at gas stations?
No, that's paradox, not irony. The two concepts are often confused.
I have no idea whether British service stations sell alcohol; I suspect not.
19. Do you think it’s as bad for a grown man to live with his father as it for a grown man to live with his mother?
Strangely enough, no, not at all. I wonder why. I certainly do think, on a visceral, unexplored level, that there is something 'wrong' about a man being too emotionally and domestically close to his mother. Maybe that's a personal thing, reflecting my own relationships with my parents.
20. Atheists and agnostics: do you say bless you after someone sneezes?
Of course not. Even for theists it's an empty social ritual. Why acknowledge a sneeze at all?
Less?
11 March, 2007
B-i-g meme
This massive meme questionnaire is via Calephetos. It's so long that I was soon reduced to single-word answers, but if I remembered answering a question before, I've linked back.
Basics
1.1: What is your full name: NRT (100 Things No.1)
1.2: Date of birth: Early 1970s.
1.3: Male or female: Hang on; I'll check... [WHAT THE...!?] Okay: male.
1.4: Astrological sign: Scorpio (sun, moon & ascendent). (100 Things No.38)
1.5: Nicknames: None I'd wish to publicise.
1.6: Occupation: Web... hmm... editor?
1.7: Height: 6'1" plus boots.
1.8: Hair color: Mid-brown.
1.9: Eye color: Dark brown.
1.10: Where were you born: Chester, England, UK but ~3-4 km from the Welsh border, which I crossed straight from the maternity ward. I'm not English. (Q.21)
1.11: Where do you reside now: Lancaster, UK.
1.12: Age: Mid-thirties
1.13: Screen names: Consistently related to this site's name, except for those activities I wouldn't want linked to this site.
1.14: Why those names?: See above.
1.15: Pets: Not at present. (Q.29)
1.16: Number of candles you blew out on your last birthday cake: I don't recall having a birthday cake.
1.17: Piercings: None.
1.18: Tattoos: None.
1.19: Shoe size: 9-10.
1.20: Righty or lefty: Sinister, though dextrous with scissors.
1.21: Wearing: Black 'Firefox' T-shirt, black police trousers, para boots.
1.22: Hearing: Distant traffic. It's surprisingly quiet. Too damn quiet....
1.23: Feeling: Okay, thanks.
1.24: Eating/drinking: Not at present.
Guys/Girls/Love/Kissing/And Other Stuff
2.1: Have you ever been in love: Yes.
2.2: How many people have you said 'I love you' to: A very few.
2.3: How many people have you been in REAL love with: About the same number.
2.4: How many people have you kissed: A very, very few.
2.5: Have you ever kissed someone of the same sex: I don't think so.
2.6: How many people have you dated: Not many.
2.7: What do you look for in a girl: I don't; I'm not so calculating as to evaluate people like that. The question makes it sound like choosing a chicken from a supermarket chill cabinet (firm breast, good thighs, yellowish puckered skin, etc.), whereas I'm just not browsing.
2.8: What do you look for in a guy: I'm even less likely to think in those terms!
2.9: What's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex: Height? (Q.33)
2.10: What type of girl do you usually go for: There's no 'usually'.
2.11: Do you have a crush right now: No.
2.12: If so, who is it: Still no.
2.13: Do you believe in love at first sight: No. Lust, certainly.
2.14: Do you remember your first love: Yes.
2.15: Who is the first person you kissed: Anna R.
2.16: Do you believe in fate: No.
2.17: Do you believe in soul mates: No.
2.18: If so do you believe you'll ever find yours: See previous.
Family Stuff
3.1: How many siblings do you have: One.
3.2: What are your siblings' names: No comment.
3.3: What are your parents' names: No comment. Online security, yeah?
3.4: How many siblings does your mother have: Three.
3.5: How many siblings does your father have: Two; one other died.
3.6: Where are your parents from: Merseyside, but their families weren't. (Q.47)
3.7: Is your family close: No. That's my immediate family; I have no contact whatsoever with my extended family. (100 Things No.8-10)
3.8: Does your family get together for holidays: I see my mother and sister each December.
3.9: Do you have a drunk uncle: He died, of causes directly related to alcoholism.
3.10: Any medical problems run through your family: Bad circulation (I'm not affected), the Cystic Fibrosis gene (though no-one in my family has the condition itself).
3.11: Does someone in your family wear a toupee: Neither I nor my father do, and I have no knowledge of (or interest in) members of my extended family.
3.12: Do you have any nieces or nephews: No. I can't imagine my sister having children.
3.13: Are your parents divorced: Yes.
3.14: Do you have step-parents: No, though my mother has a partner and my father has remarried. 'Step-parent' is just the wrong concept.
3.15: Has your family ever disowned another member of your family: One member disowned another, yes.
Music Stuff
4.1: What song do you swear was written about you or your life: Jethro Tull's 'Sparrow On The Schoolyard Wall' was a little too penetrating, and spurred a change, but that was 16 years ago. Otherwise, none.
4.2: What's the most embarrassing CD you own: If I think the music is meretricious or I just plain like it, why would I be embarrassed? Conversely if I was embarrassed by a CD, it follows that I wouldn't enjoy it, and would get rid of it.
4.3: What's the best CD you own: 'Stupid Dream' (Porcupine Tree, 1999).
4.4: What song do you absolutely hate: I don't. If I dislike something, I just ignore it.
4.5: Do you sing in the shower: No.
4.6: What song reminds you of that special someone: Several, and none. There's no 'our song', anyway.
Favourites
5.1: Colour: Black. Duh.
5.2: Food: Seafood. (Q.20)
5.3: Song: Porcupine Tree's 'Even Less' or Pink Floyd's 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond Pt. 1-5'.
5.4: TV Programme: Maybe 'ER' (Q.1), maybe 'Doctor Who', but I wouldn't say I'm an especial fan of any TV programmes. (Q.46)
5.5: School subject: Geography, probably. It could have been English, if the teachers had been better.
5.6: Animal: Human. Okay; domestic cat. (Q.19)
5.7: Outfit: Helen has this shiny black... <ahem>. I'm happiest in a black T-shirt, combats & boots.
5.8: Radio station: I don't listen to the radio at all.
5.9: Movie: Perhaps 'Trois Couleurs: Bleu'.
5.10: Cartoon: None.
5.11: Actor: No fixed favourite.
5.12: Actress: Likewise. I don't think I'd watch a film primarily because of an actor/actress.
5.13: Crisp: Salt & Vinegar. (Q.40)
5.14: Alcoholic drink: None. (100 Things No.52)
5.15: Soft drink: Coke. That's specifically Coca Cola, not other colas. (Q.26)
5.16: Holiday: Do you mean public holiday (none) or vacation (the next/most recent one)?
5.17: Perfume/cologne: Myself, none. Can't stand male fragrances. I quite like Helen's chosen perfume (Dior). (Q.33)
5.18: Pizza topping: Ham & pineapple? Whatever.
5.19: Jelly flavour: I don't even remember the last time I ate jelly (US: jello). Raspberry?
5.20: Sandwich meat: Chicken? All these food-related responses are rather arbitrary, and they're very trivial issues to me.
5.21: Card game: None. Never liked cards.
5.22: Video game: What's the difference between a video game and a computer game? If it means arcade machines, none.
5.23: Book: No single favourite. I don't 'comfort read'.
5.24: Computer game: None, really, though I've been mildly diverted by various versions of 'Sim City', 'The Sims', 'Resident Evil' and 'Tomb Raider', over the years
5.25: Number: Sixty-three.
5.26: Cereal: Crunchy Nut Cornflakes
5.27: Comedian: Maybe Eddie Izzard.
5.28: Dessert: I'm not a desserts person. Perhaps something chocolatey.
5.29: Disney character: None. I don't recall liking Disney cartoons even as a child.
5.30: Clothing store: Does Afflecks Palace count?
5.31: Pastime: Taking my camera for bike rides.
5.32: Teacher: I left school seventeen years ago....
5.33: Childhood toy: No one toy springs to mind. (Q.35)
5.34: Fairground game/ride: None. Never liked fairs. (100 Things No.42)
5.35: Chocolate bar: Dairy milk chocolate i.e. solid UK-style chocolate, not some nasty chocolate-coated sickly sweetness. (No.23)
5.36: Magazine: 'White Dwarf', by default, as I rarely read others. Runners-up would be 'Classic Rock' and 'Record Collector', though I don't think I've ever read more than specific articles from either.
5.37: Salad dressing: Thousand Island? Who cares? (Q.23)
5.38: Thing to do on the weekend: Walking, cycling, photography, visiting friends, watching films,... lots of things!
5.39: Hot drink: Tea,
5.40: Season: Spring or Autumn, though the others have attractions too.
5.41: Sport to watch: Female beach volleyball. What? More seriously: none.
5.42: Person to talk to online: I'm not quite sure whether I understand the question: with whom do I most enjoy exchanging e-mails? I suppose that'd be H & A.
Your Bedroom/Sleeping Habits
6.1: What color are your sheets: I think the current set is green.
6.2: What color are your bedroom walls: Purple, I think.
6.3: Do you have posters on your wall: Framed, yes.
6.4: If so of what: If this means my bedroom, there's a framed poster of Waterhouse's 'Hylas And The Nymphs'. On other walls.
6.5: Do you have a TV in your bedroom: Yes, but it's stored there, not plugged in.
6.6: How many pillows are on your bed: Two.
6.7: What do you normally sleep in: The bed.
6.8: Describe your favorite pair of pyjamas: Oh; I see. I wear shorts.
6.9: What size bed do you have: I've forgotten the difference between double and king-size. One of them, anyway.
6.10: Do you have a waterbed/bunkbed/daybed: No.
6.11: Do you have your own phone line in your bedroom: No, the connection is downstairs.
6.12: Describe the last nightmare you had: The few dreams I remember tend to be lucid (100 Things No.90), so aren't nightmares (I'd be odd if I could control my dreams yet didn't tweak them in a favourable manner!).
6.13: Do you sleep with stuffed animals: My childhood teddy is on a chest of drawers across the room. On top of that stored TV, in fact.
6.14: Any unusual sleeping positions: Not so far as I'm told.
6.15: Do you have to share your bedroom with a sibling: In a sense. My old bedroom at my mother's house was remodelled as a computer room/conservatory (don't think about that too hard) with a sofabed, so if I'm ever there whilst my sister isn't, I use her old bedroom (which still is a bedroom) instead.
6.16: Do you snore: I'm told I do occasionally, especially if I've been in a smoky environment.
6.17: How about drool: If so, it vanishes before I wake, so I presume not.
6.18: Do you have an alarm clock in your room: I routinely use two, but wake a few minutes before either anyway.
6.19: What color is the carpet in your room: Bedroom? Tatty white floorboards.
6.20: What's under your bed: A bed. Yes, really; I keep a spare single mattress there. (Q.43)
This or that (no neither or boths)
7.1: Loser/wannabe: ¿Que?
7.2: Doughnuts/bagels: A doughnut. Just one at a time.
7.3: Day/night: Must choose one, eh? If forced: night.
7.4: Heaven/Hell: Atheist.
7.5: Make love/have sex: Sex. Usually.
7.6: Coffee/tea: Tea.
7.7: Hamburgers/hotdogs: Hamburgers if fresh, hot dogs if in Norway.
7.8: Rap/rock: Rock.
7.9: Silver/gold: Silver, definitely.
7.10: McDonalds/Taco Bell: McDonalds is unpleasant but occasionally useful if desperate in an unfamiliar city. I've never encountered Taco Bell.
7.11: Sweet/sour: Sour.
7.12: Punk/emo: Punk. I wouldn't recognise 'emo'.
7.13: Hot/cold: Cold.
7.14: Winter/Summer: Summer. (Q.26)
7.15: Spring/Autumn: Spring.
7.16: Operas/plays: Plays.
7.17: Read/watch TV: Read.
7.18: CDs/tapes: CDs.
7.19: DVDs/VHS: DVDs.
7.20: Old/new: New.
7.21: Shorts/skirts: As the wearer, shorts. As the observer, skirts.
7.22: Pink/red: Neithe... if I must choose: red.
7.23: Coloured pictures/black and white photos: Colour.
7.24: Meat/vegetables: Meat.
7.25: Mexican food/chinese food: Chinese.
7.26: Scary movies/comedies: Scary, by default. My sense of humour seems incompatible with most people's idea of 'comedy'.
7.27: Bikinis/one piece bathing suits: As a viewer, obviously... er... dunno. Depends.
7.28: Dogs/cats: Cats.
7.29: Water/land: Water. (Q.47)
7.30: Sugar/spice: Spice.
7.31: Black/white: Black.
7.32: Passionate kiss/peck: Peck.
7.33: WWE wrestling/real wrestling: Don't care.
7.34: Back rub/foot massage: Back rub. Oh yes....
7.35: Pens/pencils: Pens, I think.
Have You Ever....
8.1: Mooned anyone: No.
8.2: Been on a diet: Ha! No. If I did, it'd be to gain weight.
8.3: Been to a foreign country: Numerous times.
8.4: Broken a bone: Yes. (100 Things No.23-4)
8.5: Swallowed a tooth/cap/filling: Yes.
8.6: Sworn at a teacher: I think so, but not in a hostile manner, if that makes sense.
8.7: Talked to a Blurty/LiveJournal/Blogger member via emails or instant messages: Yes.
8.8: Got in a fight: Yes, though only one since school. (Q.10)
8.9: Dated a teacher: No.
8.10: Laughed so hard you peed your pants: No.
8.11: Thought about killing your enemy: Never had that much of an enemy.
8.12: Gone skinny dipping: A few times.
8.13: Met another Blurty/LifeJournal/Blogger member in the flesh: Only (that's 'solely', not 'merely') Calephetos.
8.14: Told a little white lie: No. Not counting that one.
8.15: Told a secret you swore not to tell: No. Never. Never would. No joke: for me, secrets are absolute.
8.16: Stolen anything: Yes. See Layer 7, 'Shoplifted'.
8.17: Misused a swear word and it sounded absolutely stupid: Probably.
8.18: Been on TV: Possibly. Cameras were present when I visited Rockefeller Plaza, NYC on presidential election night 2004, so I might have been in the background.
8.19: Been on the radio: No.
8.20: Been in a mosh pit: Briefly.
8.21: Been to a concert: Several.
8.22: Dated one of your best friends: No.
8.23: Loved someone so much it makes you cry: Yes.
8.24: Deceived somebody close to you: Yes.
8.25: Broken the law: Yes.
8.26: Been to a rodeo: Never knowingly been withing a few thousand kilometres of a rodeo.
8.27: Been on a talk show: No.
8.28: Been on a game show: **** no.
8.29: Been on an aeroplane: Frequently.
8.30: Ridden in a fire engine: No.
8.31: Come close to dying: I've been in dangerous situations occasionally. Who hasn't?
8.32: Cheated on a girlfriend: No.
8.33: Given someone a piggy back ride: Yes.
8.34: Terrorised a babysitter: I don't think I was still being babysat at an age when I might have tested the boundaries.
8.35: Made a mud pie: I'm not sure what that is.
8.36: Had a dream that you're falling off a cliff: Not that I remember.
8.37: Snuck out of the house at night: Sneaked. And yes. (Q.11)
8.38: Been so drunk you don't remember your name: Only if I was so drunk I forget the forgetting.
8.39: Had an eating disorder: Nothing worthy of the name. I can comfortably go without food for extended periods, but it's just a lack of appetite or preoccupation rather than something deliberate.
8.40: Felt like you didn't belong: Often.
8.41: Felt like the 3rd wheel: Occasionally.
8.42: Smoked: Have done.
8.43: Been arrested: Briefly; was dearrested fairly promptly.
8.44: Gone to camp: Yes. (Q.30)
8.45: Won a bet: I'm not a betting man.
8.46: Written a love letter: I try to forget.
8.47: Gone out of your way to be with the one you love: Is ~1,500 km far enough out of my way?
8.48: Written a love poem: No.
8.49: Kissed in the rain: Yes.
8.50: Slow danced with someone you love: I'd just be embarrassed.
8.51: Participated in an orgy: Ha! No.
8.52: Faked an orgasm: Not especially easy when male.
8.53: Stolen a kiss: No.
8.54: Asked a friend for relationship advice: No.
8.55: Had a friend steal your girlfriend: No!
8.56: Watched the sunset/rise with someone you love: Yes.
8.57: Gotten a speeding ticket: No. I very rarely drive, and have a zero-tolerance attitude to speeding.
8.58: Done jail time: No.
8.59: Had to wear a uniform to work: Not really. One employer gave out polo shirts, but they weren't required. Another asked staff to wear black trousers and company-provided T-shirts, but they weren't specifically staff T-shirts. I think the idea was to give a visual impression that an empty shop actually had a few customers.
8.60: Won a trophy: Ahem. Several: nine Golden Demons, a silver, a bronze and the Demon Slayer Sword. (100 Things No.56-8)
8.61: Thrown up in public: I don't think so. Not in public.
8.62: Bowled a perfect game: Never bowled; no inclination to try.
8.63: Failed/got held back: The only context in the UK education system in which that could happen is by marginally failing one's first year at University, with mitigation. It's not possible in the school system.
8.64: Got perfect attendance in grade school: I'm not entirely sure what grade school entails. I didn't miss many full days of primary (4-10) or compulsory secondary (11-16) school, but I did evade certain sessions (sports, mainly) from ~15-18. (Q.18)
8.65: Roasted pumpkin seeds: No.
8.66: Taken ballet/karate lessons: My mother sent me to judo lessons for a couple of weeks. Another misjudgement.
8.67: Attempted suicide: No way!
8.68: Cut yourself: Not deliberately.
Childhood Stuff
9.1: Did you play with Barbies/G.I. Joes: That's Action Man in the UK, and yes.
9.2: Did you own Treasure Trolls: That's the first time I've encountered the phrase.
9.3: Did you watch Beverly Hills 90210: Not even once, though I have at least heard of it.
9.4: Did you play Simon Says: The traditional children's game? Yes. I somehow get the impression the question refers to something specific, proprietory and TV-related; in which case, no.
9.5: Did you watch Fraggle Rock: Yes, but I only remember the Doozers.
9.6: Did you wet the bed: no.
9.7: Did you believe there were monsters in your closet or under your bed: No. Actually, now I think of it, I did think of being attacked by entities outside the bed, below the level of the mattress, but never actually under the bed.
9.8: Did you wear the underwear with the days of the week on them: Er, no.
9.9: Were you shy: More than averagely.
9.10: Were you spoiled: I wouldn't say so....
9.11: Were you abused: Not remotely.
9.12: Did you go to the circus: I vaguely remember one occasion.
9.13: Did you go to the zoo: At least annually until my mid-teens, when my sister objected. I like zoos.
9.14: Were you in a car accident: Only very minor. (Q.37)
9.15: Did you build snowmen: Yes.
9.16: Did you cry when you scraped your knee: Probably, but I get the impression I did so less than most – I remember other children who were distinctly prone to tears, and my mother's scorn. It wasn't encouraged, anyway.
9.17: Were your older cousins mean to you: No. I was one of the oldest, anyway, and the oldest boy apart from a cousin in Canada.
9.18: Did you think slinkies were cool: Yes, especially as my paternal grandparents lived in an upstairs flat with a huge (to a small child) flight of stairs.
9.19: Did you think the Ninja Turtles really lived in the sewer: They were a bit after my time....
9.20: Were you afraid of the dark: I insisted on a night light until well into my teens, which is odd, as I prefer darkness at home now.
9.21: Did you have slumber parties: No. I think that's a girl thing anyway.
9.22: Did you have New Kids on the Block sheets, pillows, pajamas, sleeping bag: Er, no. I was far too old, and entirely uninterested in teen bands.
9.23: Did you tease your hair out like Tiffany: I very vaguely remember Tiffany (I think), but not her hair.
9.24: Did you believe in the Easter Bunny/Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy: We didn't have the easter Bunny in the UK in the 1970s (I don't think we do now, either), and certainly not as something to 'believe in'. I did believe in Father christmas ('Santa Claus' was a foreign term, too), and the Tooth Fairy, I suppose, without really think about it.
Random stuff
I really can't be bothered with these, but will republish the questions for the next person:
10.1: If you could meet god, what would you say? What would he/she say? Would you go for coffee afterwards?
10.2: Since Monday is so terrible, which day of the week would you prefer to start on?
10.3: You are God. Hi. What's the first thing you do? What's the second?
10.4: If you could, would you? If not, why not?
10.5: Did the chicken cross the road? If so, why?
10.6: Who should direct the movie of your life? Would you go and see it?
10.7: Where will it all end?
10.8: What is the meaning of life? Answers equalling 42 will be disqualified for reasons of lack of originality.
10.9: Aliens land in your back garden, who according to all known laws of sci-fi, speak English rather well, if with a slight accent. Where do you take them for dinner, why, and what will you talk about on the way back?
10.10: if a = 16, and q = 4, how many times did you read this survey thinking "what the **** is this?" and wondering what the author might be taking? what am i taking? what are you taking?
Less?
Posted by Ministry at 14:16
| 3508 words
27 January, 2007
A to Z of me
Here's a (rather long) meme questionnaire discovered via Calephetos (someone other than Neil, for once).
THE LETTER A:
Are you available?
No.
What is your age?
Thirty-five.
What annoys you?
Hypocrisy.
THE LETTER B:
Do you live in a big house?
I'd like somewhere slightly larger, or perhaps better laid-out. I need more storage space, but not actual everyday living space.
When is your birthday?
They seem to occur annually.
Who is your best friend?
I don't think it's fair or strictly accurate to limit that to one person, but if we don't count Helen, A.
THE LETTER C:
What's your favorite candy?
I'm not a sweets sort of person. Maybe UK-style milk chocolate.
Who's your crush?
It's a secret.
When was the last time you cried?
I don't remember. I got pretty close on Tuesday, watching 'Mar Adentro'. Excellent film.
THE LETTER D:
Do you daydream?
Sometimes.
What's your favorite kind of dog?
Maybe an Airedale (I owned one in my teens) or an intelligent Border Collie, but I prefer cats, really.
What's your favorite day of the week?
Saturday, because, as I said, it's not a working day, but also because I don't have to go to work the following day either.
THE LETTER E:
How do you like your eggs?
In cakes, pancakes or otherwise undetectable as eggs. Don't like eggs.
Have you ever been in the emergency room?
No, because that's the terminology of an entirely different continent. I've been to A&E, aka Casualty, a few times.
What's the easiest thing ever to do?
Weird question. Emit heat?
THE LETTER F:
Have you ever flown in a plane?
On every available opportunity, and I don't have the remotest intention of stopping.
Do you use fly swatters?
No, spiders or rolled-up newspapers.
Have you ever used a foghorn?
Eh? I wouldn't have thought many people have. At least in the UK, they're not exactly available to the public.
THE LETTER G:
Do you chew gum?
No, never. Horrible habit.
Are you a giver or a taker?
Both.
Do you like gummy candies?
I have no idea. If they're what the name implies, no.
THE LETTER H:
How are you?
Okay, thanks.
What's your height?
1.83 m.
What colour is your hair?
Mid-brown.
THE LETTER I:
What's your favourite ice cream?
Stock answer: mint choc chip. I'm not a big fan of ice cream. I could say 'not vanilla', but that might be understood.
Have you ever ice skated?
Yes, though not recently.
Would you live in an igloo?
Depends on the network connection.
THE LETTER J:
What's your favourite jelly bean?
The type that's actually a chocolate digestive. I suppose 'jelly beans' must be sold in the UK nowadays, but I don't recall seeing them.
Have you ever heard a really hilarious joke?
Presumably, but I don't remember it.
Do you wear jewellery?
I used to wear an Anorankh, but not any more.
THE LETTER K:
Who do you want to kill?
I don't.
Do you want kids?
No, nor human children.
Where did you have kindergarten?
I went to nursery school in my home village, but was too old for kindergarten when we moved to Norway. Since returning, I haven't lived anywhere where the word 'kindergarten' has been used. Besides, one might attend a nursery school, but few would have one.
THE LETTER L:
Are you laid back?
It might seem that way.
Do you lie?
No.
Heh. Do you believe me?
I do tend to answer direct questions honestly, though ambiguity is useful.
Have you ever been to London?
A few times.
THE LETTER M:
What's your favourite movie?
I always used to say 'Brazil', but I've seen a lot of other good films in the last couple of years. Perhaps 'Three Colours: Blue'.
Do you still watch Disney movies?
No, never.
What type of music you listen to?
No single type. Anything thought-provoking, requiring one to listen. I definitely don't use music as background or for comfort, and can't bear anything formulaic. Overall, I like progressive music (emphatically not 'prog'), but more specifically that ranges from death metal to dark ambient. Oh, and as that implies, I favour downbeat music. Happy music merely annoys me.
THE LETTER N:
Do you have a nickname?
Only one person (not me!) uses it nowadays. I do have online identities, of course.
Favourite number?
Sixty-three.
Do you prefer night over day?
I suppose so, though both have favourable aspects.
THE LETTER O:
What's your one wish?
Nothing springs to mind. To avoid dying?
Are you an only child?
No.
Do you wish this was over?
It is starting to drag on a little....
THE LETTER P:
What one fear are you most paranoid about?
I don't think fear and paranoia are necessarily associated.
I don't have an answer to the question, either.
Do you love the colour pink?
Not remotely.
Are you a perfectionist?
By nature, yes, but it's impractical and I'm no longer bothered by second-best for work purposes. Not for my own purposes, though.
THE LETTER Q:
Are you quick to judge people?
I tend to form an initial impression, but I think I'm open to additional data.
Do you wish you were a Queen?
Like Calephetos, I don't think I'd suit 8" hot pink vinyl thighboots (though I don't entirely agree that she wouldn't. ;) ).
Have you ever rode a quad?
No, but I have ridden one. Past participle, not past tense, please.
THE LETTER R:
Do you think you're always right?
Far from it!
Do you watch reality TV
No, not even in some sort of masochistic horror.
What's a good reason to cry?
That's a deep question, which would require more thinking time than I can spare.
LETTER S:
Do you prefer sun or rain?
Sun, in moderation.
Do you like snow?
Unless I have to travel in it.
What's your favourite season?
Spring, maybe autumn, but I don't dislike the others.
THE LETTER T:
What time is it?
09:32.
What time did you wake up?
08:00
When was the last time you slept in a tent?
Some time in 2005, I think; perhaps even 2004.
THE LETTER U:
Do you own an umbrella?
No.
Can you ride a unicycle?
Never tried. I suspect I could.
Have you ever said someone was ugly?
I don't think so, and I'm likely to remember.
THE LETTER V:
What's the worst veggie?
Whichever evangelist attempts to challenge my omnivorous diet.
Worst vegetable? The humble parsnip.
Where do you want to go on vacation?
Iceland, though I have more immediate plans to visit Venezia, Warszawa and maybe Amsterdam.
Where was your last family vacation to?
Family holiday? I don't remember. Probably North-west Wales in the early 1990s.
THE LETTER W:
What's your worst habit?
Prevarication.
Where do you live?
Lancaster, UK.
Who's your hero?
I don't have any.
THE LETTER X:
Have you ever had an x-ray?
Yes, several.
Have you seen the x-games?
Never heard of them.
Do you own a xylophone?
Oh, very funny. No, I don't own a xylophone. Are you about to ask about my zither?
THE LETTER Y:
Do you like the colour yellow?
Not especially. A rich buttercup yellow can be attractive in some contexts.
What year were you born in?
1971.
What's one thing you yearn for?
I don't think in such terms.
THE LETTER Z:
What's your zodiac sign?
Scorpio (sun, moon & ascendant).
Do you believe in the zodiac?
To quote myself: "empirically, I believe the three birth signs (not just sun sign) do reflect general character, but daily horoscopes are superstition".
What's your favorite zoo animal?
I'm choosing to interpret that as 'favourite non-domestic animal'; in which case I'd select something like a leopard or panther, or perhaps a wolf. I wouldn't wish zoo captivity on any of them (not that I inherently disapprove of zoos).
Less?
Posted by Ministry at 09:41
| 1327 words
24 January, 2007
Just in time, a meme
Yet another meme discovered via Neil.
Anyone care to explain the title?
1. Elaborate on your default icon.
Favicon? It's the Ministry of Information logo; 'M' and 'I' in dark green overlaid by a white 'of'.
Avatar? Same again: the Ministry logo.
2. What’s your current relationship status?
Monogamous heterosexual distance relationship, which puts me in a weird limbo between 'single' and 'couple'.
3. Ever have a near-death experience?
No.
4. Name an obvious quality you have.
Silence.
Of course silence is a quality.
5. What’s the name of the song that’s stuck in your head right now?
None. I rarely listen to 'catchy' music, so I'm spared the irritation of such earworms.
6. Name a celebrity you would marry.
I wouldn't marry.
7. Who will cut and paste this first?
Dunno. I don't think of memes as chains of specific people.
8. Has anyone ever said you look like a celebrity?
My father once accused m
