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The realities of modern life: how is it I could essentially sit on my ass all day in front of a terminal and yet come home drop dead exhausted at the end of the day? Some vague ancestral spectre in my head is confused as to how I can be tired after essentially doing nothing all day. Little does it know of computer witchery and its demands upon the psyche.
In light of some conversational points touched on by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
grinninfoole, on another level of my brain I spent the day poking some old wounds to test if they, in fact, still hurt or whether I was holding on to a memory of pain rather than actually experiencing it, and if the hurt was still there, why. Ended up spending my lunch hour scarfing the remains of the chicken and root veggie bake I made last night and jotting down a list. I would say that 90% of things poked still legit hurt, but it was more of a twinge or a sore, rather than an OW and in a lot of cases, it pointed to some issues within my own brain wiring that need consideration and work still. Others don't hurt anymore, but I can't forgive their infliction. Overall it was a decent exercise: clarified some things in my head and kept my brain from entirely melting today. There may be a filtered post about it at some point, or it may be one for the Silence*, or I may just put everything back away until the need for omphaloskepsis rises again. Unsure as yet.
Speaking of pointless omphaloskepsis, MOREULTIMATE DESTINY APOCALYPSE INANE QUESTIONS!
301. List 5 things you have not experienced that you would like to experience before you die.
A - a cross continental train trip. I really want to take the train from London to Vladivostok, but I'll settle for getting all the way to California.
B - See the Burj Khalifa with my own eyes.
C - See also any part of Kyoto or Tokyo.
D - Seeing my name, or at least a pen name (I have several in mind) on a cover of an actual book, that I, like, wrote.
E - being a sassy, spry old lady.
302. Will you try to accomplish any of these things within the next year?
I kinda don't want to be a sassy old lady ANYTIME SOON.
303. What do you feel controlled by?
Expectations.
304. If Jesus appeared to you and told you that the moon was made of green cheese would you believe him?
Jesus clearly knows where to get the good stuff. I will follow him if he shares.
305. What is one thing you are sure of?
Not to be super sappy, but I'm 105% surecell23 loves me.
306. At what part of the day do you feel the most alert?
evening.
307. Have you ever played in a band?
Only the goofy made up ones on Rock Band. Well, and I suppose that afterschool activity where you blow air into glorified tubes all together and it sounds like something.
308. Have you ever stared into the ocean thinking 'early creatures crawled outta that'?
No, BUT I WILL NOW THANKS A LOT OBAMA
309. If not, what do you think of when you are staring into the ocean?
I just kinda listen to the static and the gulls and try not to think about all the seaweed getting into my sandals.
310. Do you like the mental challenge of chess or other games?
I wish I was better at chess, but I have no gift for strategy. Knightmare chess, however, hell to the yeah.
311. Do you ever think of where your atoms were before they were in you?
nope. There's a limit to even my existentialism.
312. Do you ever think about where your atoms will go after they have been in you?
Hopefully fertilizing something. I plan to be cremated so that should be reasonably easy. Just stick some compost and a tomato plant in my ashes and think of me whenever you eat salad.
313. If you didn't know that people couldn't fly do you think that you could?
I've never quite figured out the trick of forgetting to hit the ground.
314. Are you someone that others call when they're having a problem and want to talk about it?
Not anymore. I used to be, but then that stopped nourishing me and started draining me and I had to stop. Sometimes I miss being everyone's go-to healer of souls, but its much more peaceful this way.
315. When it comes to literature, do you see beyond the writing and into the meaning intended by the author?
Sometimes? and then there was that one particular middle/high school english teacher I had that would give you higher grades depending on how much buried sexual imagery you could tease out of whatever we were reading. I can never read Madame Bovary with a straight face again. Or for that matter, the first few pages of Gulliver's Travels.
316. Is there anything you can take apart completely, and then put back together, and have no left over parts?
I did this all the time as a kid and got quite good at it, but my days of being the Machine Whisperer are long behind me. These days I stick to maintaining my own small herd of aging machines and that's about it.
317. What are your feelings about the death penalty?
Most of the time, I'm against it. But I have moments of CRISPY FRY THE FUCKER as well. Human nature is sometimes an ugly thing, and I feel like an active death penalty reflects that.
318. If there was a god and you could ask him/her one question what would it be?
"You're totally trolling, aren't you? Fess up."
319. Do you believe that life will be found on other planets?
I will be VERY surprised if we find it in my lifetime. I mean, we haven't even managed to get back to our nearest cosmic neighbor for fuck's sake.
320. What is something worth suffering for?
A reward exponentially greater than the suffering.
321. If you could put an extra eye on your body anywhere you wanted, where would you put it?
knowing my luck I'd need glasses for the extra ones, so no thank you.
322. Are you in touch with the earth and nature?
much like my Machine Whispering days, most of my tree hugging white light fluffy bunny Pagan days are over. I still pay attention to the phases of the moon, though.
323. Would you rather live simply or extravagantly?
How about extravagant simplicity? By which I mean someday I'd love to have more furniture out of honest to goodness actual solid wood as opposed to chipboard. It doesn't need to be gold plated and covered in dragon heads though.
324. Have you ever been camping?
Yes.
325. Is your heart open when you meet someone new?
Meet someone new in general or just romantically? My mind is certainly open in both cases... you know, unless you chew with your mouth open.
326. Are you able to have conversations with and become friends with people who are not like you and are interested in different things than you are?
Yeah for the most part, though I'm afraid in recent years I've retreated further behind my blue curtain of RAR BLUE STATE COMMIE LIBERALISM.
327. Are strangers more beautiful or frightening to you?
If I'm paying attention, strangers are fascinating. Otherwise they are backdrop.
328. What stops you from doing everything you want to do?
self-doubt, money and a pesky need for sleep.
329. Can you think of three adjectives that do not apply to you at all?
pale, double-jointed, severe
330. How do you feel about Jeremy Jaynes, who got a nine year prison sentence for spamming people with junk email (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Jaynes)?
Never heard of him.
331. Do you know who the current premier of China is?
No, but that's why there is wikipedia
332. Are you very active?
No. I marvel at people who make resolutions to be more so in the dead of winter when I'm much more suited to hibernation as opposed to activity.
333. Is there a city that reminds you of the landscape of your brain?
Maybe not, but my heart will forever beat faster on the sidewalks of New York.
334. Have you ever loved someone who has loved you back?
I should hope so.
335. Is it really being 'in love with' someone if the other person doesn't love you?
I love whatnounsandverbs said here: "if you offer your heart to someone who does not wish to have it ... you are not offering them a gift, but a burden."
336. Do you believe that there is someone perfect for everyone or that people just fall in love with who ever they are with at the time?
Some lovers can grow into perfect for each other, or even out of it. Its really what you're looking for and what you make of the experience.
337. Do you know secret things?
I kinda like having secrets. Much like my husband, I'm an information sponge, though our motivations for being so differ some.
338. Have you ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn't have?
Yep. At least it was valuable life experience.
339. How do you overcome your fears?
either lots of big girl panties pep talks or wimping out and beggingcell23 to take care of the green fuzz I just found in the tupperware.
340. What can you do better than anyone you know?
Handle a crisis quickly and efficiently without losing my shit. At least, not until long afterward.
341. Would you benefit from a wilder existence?
Maybe when I'm in somewhat better health. I think wilder would tire me out. Gettin' old, man, and I wasted my 20s being the freak your mama warned you about.
342. Does it seem to you like the range of socially acceptable behavior is getting smaller or larger?
larger.
343. Have you ever fired a gun?
Yep. Would do it again. Don't think it should be an inalienable right hard coded into the bedrock of our government, though, especially not after reading this artlicle.
344. Are people becoming more afraid of each other?
Yep. In a world becoming increasingly interconnected, it's becoming difficult to separate different groups of people with geography, so people end up trying to erect other barriers to combat that, and it all ends up messy.
345. If you had to choose the percentage of freedom vs. safety what ratio would you decide on (ex: 100% free 0% safe)?
I can't with this question right now. Obviously 100% of either is bad.
346. Does safety stifle you?
Well, not me, but I worry about what things like stranger danger and increasingly stringent measures of keeping children safe are doing to the next generation. I seriously think the way we're going it'll be illegal to release a child from its protective hamster ball until it's the age of majority.
347. Who or what needs to be stopped?
people being mean to each other. However see what I said above about how ugly human nature is.
348. Are human beings becoming more domesticated?
Well, we haven't had to poop outdoors in at least a century and a half so I would say yes.
349. Do you follow the lives of the British Royal Family?
Nominally. My parents were rabid royal watchers and Dad still remembers being a subject of Queen Elizabeth (It was called British Guiana for a reason, y'all). I mean, you sing the tune and he still automatically snaps into God Save The Queen rather than My Country Tis Of Thee. They're just the original variant of celebrities as far as I'm concerned, before movie stars were a thing. And honestly, all kinds of celebrity bemuse me.
That said? The Royal houses of Monaco, Denmark and Sweden are soooooooooooooo much better looking. And the royal house of Japan is just FASCINATING right now, especially with the problem originally presented by the crown prince's daughter. Kinda sad that they didn't end up changing the laws so she could succeed to the throne, how sick would having an Empress of Japan be again?
Anyway. What? I read wikipedia when I'm bored.
350. How did the death of Pope John Paul II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II) affect you?
It allowed me to behold the absurdity of the modern college of cardinals sporting their full red regalia inscribed with centuries of tradition... as well as rocking sunglasses and cell phones. The juxtaposition of the ancient and the modern was fascinating. And while I don't care for the current pope at all, the amount of Pope Palpatine jokes on the internet give me life.
351. Have you ever lost something and never found it?
There is still a children's book somewhere that's about kangaroos in posh victorian dress in a museum that no one seems to have ever heard of. I know I'm not imagining it.
352. Do you listen to any talk radio shows?
Does Car Talk count? Though admittedly I only listen to NPR when we're driving places with the kids, or out to get them. And occasionally the husband subjects me to Bax and O'Brian. Mildly amusing they may be, but they ain't no Z Morning Zoo.
353. Who do you trust more, your friends or your parents?
My friends, honestly.
354. Would you ever date someone outside of your race or religion?
Religion has never been a factor, but I've only dated within my own race twice. I'm not saying that's why it didn't work out, it just didn't happen to. I've found myself thinking about that and why lately.
355. Which of the 7 deadly sins in the worst (gluttony, greed, pride, lust, envy, wrath, sloth)?
There are seven days in a week for a reason, I say. Course my week would be entirely lust and sloth.
356. Which one are you most guilty of?
"Guilty" implies I feel bad about any of them.
357. Are you afraid to be alone with yourself?
Not anymore. Rather enjoy my own company. Not in complete silence though.
Do you try to avoid thinking?
no? Sometimes it's all I have to do. I learned from an early age how to entertain myself with just my brain. I had to go with my Mom to the DMV a LOT growing up.
358. Would you venture to tell someone you loved him or her if they didn't say it first?
I have. It's terrifying.
359. What are you the most sensitive about?
Free ammunition! RIGHT HERE! STEP RIGHT UP! Yeah, no.
360. What can you talk about for hours?
I don't like being That Person because I'm too afraid I'm boring the shit out of everyone around me. But... the NYC subway system would be a pretty safe bet. and web stuff. And stupid cat stories. And silly kid stories. and movies. And music.
361. Do you talk about yourself, other people, or ideas the most?
Oh other people. I'm totally a gossip.
362. Do you believe that spell casting can work?
Not exactly but I seem to remember reading something somewhere about particles that can be influenced by thought, so maybe someday? That'd be cool. Sciency spellcraft! Hmm that could make an interesting story.
363. Are you a fan of The Legend of Zelda games?
Actually? No. And I feel like I'm committing sacrilege every time I admit that. Just never got into either them or Final Fantasy. Give me Tetris, Kirby, Mario, Simon and Kong any day. Link? Zelda? Meh.
364. What old movie would you go see if it were re-released in the movie theaters?
Any of em really. I used to be a regular at Cinemark's Friday night rewind. Musicals, especially.
365. Is there a celebrity that you would be too starstruck to talk to if you met them?
I never have trouble TALKING. Not sounding like an idiot however... I keep thinking about the one time I exploded in fangirl glitter all over Octavia Butler once. But I made her laugh, so it was all good. (I told her that the first book I ever read of hers gave me nightmares. Kindred STILL wigs me out.)
366. Have you ever left a mean unsigned note?
I'm sure I did once or twice in my lifetime. Now I enjoy other people's via passiveagressivenotes.com.
367. Do you think it's cheesy to paste things you didn't write into your diary?
If you ever open up my first diary, be careful. I used to save clipping and pictures in that thing. I kinda curse ten year old me for not gluing them in.
368. What are three things that you try not to think about?
death, dreams deferred, bills.
369. Is casual sex acceptable for you?
Its not my thing but I have no trouble with anyone else having it. An ye harm none, have fun.
370. What form of sexual protection do you use?
I like to imagine there's one of these signs somewhere incell23's testicles:
371. What is expected of you that you feel is unnatural or not right?
I have friends more eloquent than I that have deconstructed the Strong Black Woman expectation/mystique. This has led to some THINKS about my interactions with certain women at points in my life and how that expectation came into play.
372. Do you sometimes place your own expectations on other people?
I try not to, but only because I am invariably disappointed.
373. Do you sometimes act overeager to make friends when you are around strangers?
I used to, and then I saw it for the hyperactive need for attention it was. I try to redirect that energy into something more constructive these days.
374. Do you take everything that is said literally?
I have been chastised before for taking nothing and no one at face value. It was a learned pattern of behavior from when learning to suss out subtext from EVERYTHING was a critical skill and you either learned or got burned. It takes a lot of effort to take anything simply as said or expressed.
375. Do you take most things others say seriously?
I take nothing seriously.
376. Do you have a quick wit?
Sometimes. It used to be quicker.
377. Do you believe in the need for political correctness?
I believe in the need to be kind, understanding, mindful and most of all respectful that words have power and can be and are used as weapons against others.
378. Do you have strong opinions and beliefs?
Yes, but I'm often not willing to dedicate the spoons towards expressiong or fighting about/for them.
379. If yes, can you still hang out with and be friends with people who disagree with you?
yep
380. Are you uptight?
No.
381. Do you sometimes do risky things?
I speed occasionally?
382. Could just about anyone hold your interest in a conversation for at least ten minutes?
depends on what they were talking about for those ten minutes.
383. Are you self-conscious?
Fuck yes, I'm constantly terrified of looking silly.
384. What would be your ideal destination for a Saturday afternoon?
I don't know, but it's been a long ass while since I've been to the Book Mill.
385. Does anyone have a video tape of you doing something embarrassing?
I have a tape of my seventh grade play somewhere. I vaguely wonder if I still look incredlbly silly in a kimono.
386. What is Kevin Smith’s(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Smith) best movie?
I've enjoyed the ones I've seen. I guess out of all of them, Dogma is my favorite.
387. Where do you like to go on Friday or Saturday nights?
I've become such a homebody in the past few years. Maybe when it warms up I should fix that and go on more adventures.
388. Do you like your friends to act the same way all the time or do you accept their moods and changes?
I like multiple dimensions to my friends, thank you.
389. Do you often feel like other people are judging you?
remember that self conscious question earlier?
390. What do you think other people judge you to be like?
Bitchy/stupid/self-important/failtastic?
391. Are you quick to judge others?
Not usually, though I have a few instant dealbreakers when forming opinions of people.
392. When you have a fight with someone do you want to talk about it right away or calm down first and then talk?
I used to want to talk about it right away, now I tend to shut down and not want to talk at all. Constructive, I know.
393. Some say love is a river (according to the old song). What do you say love is?
According to another song, it's a contact sport. I like that version better.
394. What is the worst fault a person can have?
Complete unwillingness to compromise.
395. Do you have it?
I have the opposite problem - I used to joke that I should have "WELCOME" as a tramp stamp. I'm better about that, but still need work.
396. Which do you think has more impact on a person’s character, genetics or environment?
Environment. Though since environment eventually influences genetics, there's a bit of a self-perpetuating loop there.
397. Who was your first best friend?
The first real BFF I had for serious was Sheela Pai in grade school. We even had the BEST FRIENDS heart necklaces where you each get half.
398. If you are not best friends anymore, what came between you?
She got into Stuyvesant. *shakes fist* Stuyvesant actually stole a lot of my friends in 9th grade, lol.
399. Who have you read a biography about?
I can't narrow it down, I've read lots of em. I find books about the lives of other people fascinating.
400. What would your own autobiography be called?
After all this damn journal writing, even if I do get famous enough to warrant an autobiography, I'll just refer people here. Though I kinda want someone to write a history of my family so we can call it "A Christmas Tree Grows in Brooklyn." because there's been this pine tree in our front yard since before I was born and it's now gaining on the third floor windows. Hell, these days we could probably put lights on it and not get them immediately stolen.
In light of some conversational points touched on by
grinninfoole, on another level of my brain I spent the day poking some old wounds to test if they, in fact, still hurt or whether I was holding on to a memory of pain rather than actually experiencing it, and if the hurt was still there, why. Ended up spending my lunch hour scarfing the remains of the chicken and root veggie bake I made last night and jotting down a list. I would say that 90% of things poked still legit hurt, but it was more of a twinge or a sore, rather than an OW and in a lot of cases, it pointed to some issues within my own brain wiring that need consideration and work still. Others don't hurt anymore, but I can't forgive their infliction. Overall it was a decent exercise: clarified some things in my head and kept my brain from entirely melting today. There may be a filtered post about it at some point, or it may be one for the Silence*, or I may just put everything back away until the need for omphaloskepsis rises again. Unsure as yet.Speaking of pointless omphaloskepsis, MORE
301. List 5 things you have not experienced that you would like to experience before you die.
A - a cross continental train trip. I really want to take the train from London to Vladivostok, but I'll settle for getting all the way to California.
B - See the Burj Khalifa with my own eyes.
C - See also any part of Kyoto or Tokyo.
D - Seeing my name, or at least a pen name (I have several in mind) on a cover of an actual book, that I, like, wrote.
E - being a sassy, spry old lady.
302. Will you try to accomplish any of these things within the next year?
I kinda don't want to be a sassy old lady ANYTIME SOON.
303. What do you feel controlled by?
Expectations.
304. If Jesus appeared to you and told you that the moon was made of green cheese would you believe him?
Jesus clearly knows where to get the good stuff. I will follow him if he shares.
305. What is one thing you are sure of?
Not to be super sappy, but I'm 105% sure
cell23 loves me.306. At what part of the day do you feel the most alert?
evening.
307. Have you ever played in a band?
Only the goofy made up ones on Rock Band. Well, and I suppose that afterschool activity where you blow air into glorified tubes all together and it sounds like something.
308. Have you ever stared into the ocean thinking 'early creatures crawled outta that'?
No, BUT I WILL NOW THANKS A LOT OBAMA
309. If not, what do you think of when you are staring into the ocean?
I just kinda listen to the static and the gulls and try not to think about all the seaweed getting into my sandals.
310. Do you like the mental challenge of chess or other games?
I wish I was better at chess, but I have no gift for strategy. Knightmare chess, however, hell to the yeah.
311. Do you ever think of where your atoms were before they were in you?
nope. There's a limit to even my existentialism.
312. Do you ever think about where your atoms will go after they have been in you?
Hopefully fertilizing something. I plan to be cremated so that should be reasonably easy. Just stick some compost and a tomato plant in my ashes and think of me whenever you eat salad.
313. If you didn't know that people couldn't fly do you think that you could?
I've never quite figured out the trick of forgetting to hit the ground.
314. Are you someone that others call when they're having a problem and want to talk about it?
Not anymore. I used to be, but then that stopped nourishing me and started draining me and I had to stop. Sometimes I miss being everyone's go-to healer of souls, but its much more peaceful this way.
315. When it comes to literature, do you see beyond the writing and into the meaning intended by the author?
Sometimes? and then there was that one particular middle/high school english teacher I had that would give you higher grades depending on how much buried sexual imagery you could tease out of whatever we were reading. I can never read Madame Bovary with a straight face again. Or for that matter, the first few pages of Gulliver's Travels.
316. Is there anything you can take apart completely, and then put back together, and have no left over parts?
I did this all the time as a kid and got quite good at it, but my days of being the Machine Whisperer are long behind me. These days I stick to maintaining my own small herd of aging machines and that's about it.
317. What are your feelings about the death penalty?
Most of the time, I'm against it. But I have moments of CRISPY FRY THE FUCKER as well. Human nature is sometimes an ugly thing, and I feel like an active death penalty reflects that.
318. If there was a god and you could ask him/her one question what would it be?
"You're totally trolling, aren't you? Fess up."
319. Do you believe that life will be found on other planets?
I will be VERY surprised if we find it in my lifetime. I mean, we haven't even managed to get back to our nearest cosmic neighbor for fuck's sake.
320. What is something worth suffering for?
A reward exponentially greater than the suffering.
321. If you could put an extra eye on your body anywhere you wanted, where would you put it?
knowing my luck I'd need glasses for the extra ones, so no thank you.
322. Are you in touch with the earth and nature?
much like my Machine Whispering days, most of my tree hugging white light fluffy bunny Pagan days are over. I still pay attention to the phases of the moon, though.
323. Would you rather live simply or extravagantly?
How about extravagant simplicity? By which I mean someday I'd love to have more furniture out of honest to goodness actual solid wood as opposed to chipboard. It doesn't need to be gold plated and covered in dragon heads though.
324. Have you ever been camping?
Yes.
325. Is your heart open when you meet someone new?
Meet someone new in general or just romantically? My mind is certainly open in both cases... you know, unless you chew with your mouth open.
326. Are you able to have conversations with and become friends with people who are not like you and are interested in different things than you are?
Yeah for the most part, though I'm afraid in recent years I've retreated further behind my blue curtain of RAR BLUE STATE COMMIE LIBERALISM.
327. Are strangers more beautiful or frightening to you?
If I'm paying attention, strangers are fascinating. Otherwise they are backdrop.
328. What stops you from doing everything you want to do?
self-doubt, money and a pesky need for sleep.
329. Can you think of three adjectives that do not apply to you at all?
pale, double-jointed, severe
330. How do you feel about Jeremy Jaynes, who got a nine year prison sentence for spamming people with junk email (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Jaynes)?
Never heard of him.
331. Do you know who the current premier of China is?
No, but that's why there is wikipedia
332. Are you very active?
No. I marvel at people who make resolutions to be more so in the dead of winter when I'm much more suited to hibernation as opposed to activity.
333. Is there a city that reminds you of the landscape of your brain?
Maybe not, but my heart will forever beat faster on the sidewalks of New York.
334. Have you ever loved someone who has loved you back?
I should hope so.
335. Is it really being 'in love with' someone if the other person doesn't love you?
I love what
nounsandverbs said here: "if you offer your heart to someone who does not wish to have it ... you are not offering them a gift, but a burden."336. Do you believe that there is someone perfect for everyone or that people just fall in love with who ever they are with at the time?
Some lovers can grow into perfect for each other, or even out of it. Its really what you're looking for and what you make of the experience.
337. Do you know secret things?
I kinda like having secrets. Much like my husband, I'm an information sponge, though our motivations for being so differ some.
338. Have you ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn't have?
Yep. At least it was valuable life experience.
339. How do you overcome your fears?
either lots of big girl panties pep talks or wimping out and begging
cell23 to take care of the green fuzz I just found in the tupperware.340. What can you do better than anyone you know?
Handle a crisis quickly and efficiently without losing my shit. At least, not until long afterward.
341. Would you benefit from a wilder existence?
Maybe when I'm in somewhat better health. I think wilder would tire me out. Gettin' old, man, and I wasted my 20s being the freak your mama warned you about.
342. Does it seem to you like the range of socially acceptable behavior is getting smaller or larger?
larger.
343. Have you ever fired a gun?
Yep. Would do it again. Don't think it should be an inalienable right hard coded into the bedrock of our government, though, especially not after reading this artlicle.
344. Are people becoming more afraid of each other?
Yep. In a world becoming increasingly interconnected, it's becoming difficult to separate different groups of people with geography, so people end up trying to erect other barriers to combat that, and it all ends up messy.
345. If you had to choose the percentage of freedom vs. safety what ratio would you decide on (ex: 100% free 0% safe)?
I can't with this question right now. Obviously 100% of either is bad.
346. Does safety stifle you?
Well, not me, but I worry about what things like stranger danger and increasingly stringent measures of keeping children safe are doing to the next generation. I seriously think the way we're going it'll be illegal to release a child from its protective hamster ball until it's the age of majority.
347. Who or what needs to be stopped?
people being mean to each other. However see what I said above about how ugly human nature is.
348. Are human beings becoming more domesticated?
Well, we haven't had to poop outdoors in at least a century and a half so I would say yes.
349. Do you follow the lives of the British Royal Family?
Nominally. My parents were rabid royal watchers and Dad still remembers being a subject of Queen Elizabeth (It was called British Guiana for a reason, y'all). I mean, you sing the tune and he still automatically snaps into God Save The Queen rather than My Country Tis Of Thee. They're just the original variant of celebrities as far as I'm concerned, before movie stars were a thing. And honestly, all kinds of celebrity bemuse me.
That said? The Royal houses of Monaco, Denmark and Sweden are soooooooooooooo much better looking. And the royal house of Japan is just FASCINATING right now, especially with the problem originally presented by the crown prince's daughter. Kinda sad that they didn't end up changing the laws so she could succeed to the throne, how sick would having an Empress of Japan be again?
Anyway. What? I read wikipedia when I'm bored.
350. How did the death of Pope John Paul II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II) affect you?
It allowed me to behold the absurdity of the modern college of cardinals sporting their full red regalia inscribed with centuries of tradition... as well as rocking sunglasses and cell phones. The juxtaposition of the ancient and the modern was fascinating. And while I don't care for the current pope at all, the amount of Pope Palpatine jokes on the internet give me life.
351. Have you ever lost something and never found it?
There is still a children's book somewhere that's about kangaroos in posh victorian dress in a museum that no one seems to have ever heard of. I know I'm not imagining it.
352. Do you listen to any talk radio shows?
Does Car Talk count? Though admittedly I only listen to NPR when we're driving places with the kids, or out to get them. And occasionally the husband subjects me to Bax and O'Brian. Mildly amusing they may be, but they ain't no Z Morning Zoo.
353. Who do you trust more, your friends or your parents?
My friends, honestly.
354. Would you ever date someone outside of your race or religion?
Religion has never been a factor, but I've only dated within my own race twice. I'm not saying that's why it didn't work out, it just didn't happen to. I've found myself thinking about that and why lately.
355. Which of the 7 deadly sins in the worst (gluttony, greed, pride, lust, envy, wrath, sloth)?
There are seven days in a week for a reason, I say. Course my week would be entirely lust and sloth.
356. Which one are you most guilty of?
"Guilty" implies I feel bad about any of them.
357. Are you afraid to be alone with yourself?
Not anymore. Rather enjoy my own company. Not in complete silence though.
Do you try to avoid thinking?
no? Sometimes it's all I have to do. I learned from an early age how to entertain myself with just my brain. I had to go with my Mom to the DMV a LOT growing up.
358. Would you venture to tell someone you loved him or her if they didn't say it first?
I have. It's terrifying.
359. What are you the most sensitive about?
Free ammunition! RIGHT HERE! STEP RIGHT UP! Yeah, no.
360. What can you talk about for hours?
I don't like being That Person because I'm too afraid I'm boring the shit out of everyone around me. But... the NYC subway system would be a pretty safe bet. and web stuff. And stupid cat stories. And silly kid stories. and movies. And music.
361. Do you talk about yourself, other people, or ideas the most?
Oh other people. I'm totally a gossip.
362. Do you believe that spell casting can work?
Not exactly but I seem to remember reading something somewhere about particles that can be influenced by thought, so maybe someday? That'd be cool. Sciency spellcraft! Hmm that could make an interesting story.
363. Are you a fan of The Legend of Zelda games?
Actually? No. And I feel like I'm committing sacrilege every time I admit that. Just never got into either them or Final Fantasy. Give me Tetris, Kirby, Mario, Simon and Kong any day. Link? Zelda? Meh.
364. What old movie would you go see if it were re-released in the movie theaters?
Any of em really. I used to be a regular at Cinemark's Friday night rewind. Musicals, especially.
365. Is there a celebrity that you would be too starstruck to talk to if you met them?
I never have trouble TALKING. Not sounding like an idiot however... I keep thinking about the one time I exploded in fangirl glitter all over Octavia Butler once. But I made her laugh, so it was all good. (I told her that the first book I ever read of hers gave me nightmares. Kindred STILL wigs me out.)
366. Have you ever left a mean unsigned note?
I'm sure I did once or twice in my lifetime. Now I enjoy other people's via passiveagressivenotes.com.
367. Do you think it's cheesy to paste things you didn't write into your diary?
If you ever open up my first diary, be careful. I used to save clipping and pictures in that thing. I kinda curse ten year old me for not gluing them in.
368. What are three things that you try not to think about?
death, dreams deferred, bills.
369. Is casual sex acceptable for you?
Its not my thing but I have no trouble with anyone else having it. An ye harm none, have fun.
370. What form of sexual protection do you use?
I like to imagine there's one of these signs somewhere in
cell23's testicles:371. What is expected of you that you feel is unnatural or not right?
I have friends more eloquent than I that have deconstructed the Strong Black Woman expectation/mystique. This has led to some THINKS about my interactions with certain women at points in my life and how that expectation came into play.
372. Do you sometimes place your own expectations on other people?
I try not to, but only because I am invariably disappointed.
373. Do you sometimes act overeager to make friends when you are around strangers?
I used to, and then I saw it for the hyperactive need for attention it was. I try to redirect that energy into something more constructive these days.
374. Do you take everything that is said literally?
I have been chastised before for taking nothing and no one at face value. It was a learned pattern of behavior from when learning to suss out subtext from EVERYTHING was a critical skill and you either learned or got burned. It takes a lot of effort to take anything simply as said or expressed.
375. Do you take most things others say seriously?
I take nothing seriously.
376. Do you have a quick wit?
Sometimes. It used to be quicker.
377. Do you believe in the need for political correctness?
I believe in the need to be kind, understanding, mindful and most of all respectful that words have power and can be and are used as weapons against others.
378. Do you have strong opinions and beliefs?
Yes, but I'm often not willing to dedicate the spoons towards expressiong or fighting about/for them.
379. If yes, can you still hang out with and be friends with people who disagree with you?
yep
380. Are you uptight?
No.
381. Do you sometimes do risky things?
I speed occasionally?
382. Could just about anyone hold your interest in a conversation for at least ten minutes?
depends on what they were talking about for those ten minutes.
383. Are you self-conscious?
Fuck yes, I'm constantly terrified of looking silly.
384. What would be your ideal destination for a Saturday afternoon?
I don't know, but it's been a long ass while since I've been to the Book Mill.
385. Does anyone have a video tape of you doing something embarrassing?
I have a tape of my seventh grade play somewhere. I vaguely wonder if I still look incredlbly silly in a kimono.
386. What is Kevin Smith’s(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Smith) best movie?
I've enjoyed the ones I've seen. I guess out of all of them, Dogma is my favorite.
387. Where do you like to go on Friday or Saturday nights?
I've become such a homebody in the past few years. Maybe when it warms up I should fix that and go on more adventures.
388. Do you like your friends to act the same way all the time or do you accept their moods and changes?
I like multiple dimensions to my friends, thank you.
389. Do you often feel like other people are judging you?
remember that self conscious question earlier?
390. What do you think other people judge you to be like?
Bitchy/stupid/self-important/failtastic?
391. Are you quick to judge others?
Not usually, though I have a few instant dealbreakers when forming opinions of people.
392. When you have a fight with someone do you want to talk about it right away or calm down first and then talk?
I used to want to talk about it right away, now I tend to shut down and not want to talk at all. Constructive, I know.
393. Some say love is a river (according to the old song). What do you say love is?
According to another song, it's a contact sport. I like that version better.
394. What is the worst fault a person can have?
Complete unwillingness to compromise.
395. Do you have it?
I have the opposite problem - I used to joke that I should have "WELCOME" as a tramp stamp. I'm better about that, but still need work.
396. Which do you think has more impact on a person’s character, genetics or environment?
Environment. Though since environment eventually influences genetics, there's a bit of a self-perpetuating loop there.
397. Who was your first best friend?
The first real BFF I had for serious was Sheela Pai in grade school. We even had the BEST FRIENDS heart necklaces where you each get half.
398. If you are not best friends anymore, what came between you?
She got into Stuyvesant. *shakes fist* Stuyvesant actually stole a lot of my friends in 9th grade, lol.
399. Who have you read a biography about?
I can't narrow it down, I've read lots of em. I find books about the lives of other people fascinating.
400. What would your own autobiography be called?
After all this damn journal writing, even if I do get famous enough to warrant an autobiography, I'll just refer people here. Though I kinda want someone to write a history of my family so we can call it "A Christmas Tree Grows in Brooklyn." because there's been this pine tree in our front yard since before I was born and it's now gaining on the third floor windows. Hell, these days we could probably put lights on it and not get them immediately stolen.
