A Time Killer
Jan. 15th, 2024 09:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taz_39Woke up too early, and now our departure has been delayed by an hour.
So! Killing time before the icy/snowy bus ride to Mississippi.
Questions are from "spiffkins" over on DW.
1. What’s the Coolest Thing You’ve Ever Seen in Nature?
- Tough to pick just one thing!! I've watched the entire process of eggs becoming caterpillars becoming butterflies. I've seen foxes kill rabbits. I've run into many small animals (skunks, possums, groundhogs) and gotten close enough to touch them while following animal trails. I've also seen the Milky Way in a dark sky, and a desert sunrise and sunset, and strange flowers and mysterious woods. Probably the thing that stands out most is traveling across Salt Lake on the circus train. It was like flying across a mirror.
2. Could You Stop Shopping for an Entire Year?
- Sure. Everyone could. Shopping is a "civilized society" construct, not a necessity. There's always bartering or self-sustaining.
3. What National or International Events That You Lived Through Do You Remember Best?
- Obviously, 9-11 and the pandemic. I also have strong memories of the Kuwait War (I guess it's called the Gulf War now) because my dad watched it incessantly when I was a child.
4. Are Your Eating Habits Healthy?
- Mostly and comparatively yes. I love to eat breads and carbs, and sweets, but I have a lot of self-control. Being able to eat the foods that I love is more important to me than being able to eat giant servings of the foods that I love. It's due to portion control that my eating habits are "healthy."
5. How Do You Fight the Winter Blues?
- Remind myself that every single moment in life is temporary.
6. Does Technology Make Us More Alone?
- No. In fact I think we're all feeling a little crowded lately. Interaction with each other and with global events is now constant, whereas before you had to wait for the newspaper or phone calls or letters or whatever. There's so much engagement and information saturation, it can be overwhelming. I think we are not adapted to handle the constant interaction that's being imposed on us, yet.
7. What Are the Most Important Changes, in Your Life and in the World, in the Last Decade?
- Sorry but who would be so insolent and self-centered to think they speak for the globe regarding the most important changes in the world?? I'm one of eight billion people and what feels globally important to Caucasian American Female Me probably has ZERO importance to most people.
- I AM qualified to have opinions on my own little life, though :p One important upcoming change is, I'm turning 40 and about to experience physical changes and degredation soon. Another is that at some point I'll have to sit down and form a plan for when I can no longer play the trombone and/or no longer tour. As for changes to my life in "the last decade", Jesus, I don't know...the pandemic? Inflation? Letting go of the ideal of capitalism and/or slaving away for a few dollars to make some random wealthy people happy, as our parents and grandparents seemed to think was the entire purpose of human life?
8. How Do You Greet Your Friends and Family?
- "hi." WTF stupid question is this.
9. Would You Want to Be a Space Tourist?
- No. Space scares the hell out of me. A void where exposure or radiation or the tiniest miscalculation can kill you. No thanks.
10. Do You Trust Your Government?
- Another dumb question!! All eight billion of us, unless we have been brainwashed, would give the same answer!
11. How Much Do You Think About Your Weight?
- Not so much any more, except to check it once in a while to see that it's within what I consider "normal and good", i.e. anything between 119-125 (8.5-9 stone.)
12. How Much Do You Trust Online Reviews?
- Depends on what it is and who is presenting the review. Reviews from magazines (Good Housekeeping, Oprah, etc) are typically sponsored so "the best" product is one that has paid for that placement. Prefer reviews from real people, i.e. reviews from forums like Reddit where normal people chime in at random instead of a vetted and curated article. For restaurants I use a combo of Reddit reviews, Google reviews, and food website/blogger reviews, because restaurants generally don't pay for review placements.
13. How Do You Feel About Zoos?
- I'm sad that they're necessary but also glad that they exist. Scientists have learned so much about animal biology and behaviors because of zoos, which benefits both us and the animals. It wasn't always that way, zoos used to be more of an exhibition and a profiteering thing, but I think now they're a lot more than that. And I have many veterinary, husbandry, animal technician/trainer friends who have taken me behind the scenes, where I've seen the real animal welfare that zoos foster, firsthand.
14. What Could You Not Live Without? What Could You Live Without?
- Stupid Answer: Could not live without: Oxygen. Food. Shelter. Water. Vital Organs. Both A Mother And Father.
- Stupid Answer: Could live without: Desserts. Governments. Money. Cars. Gallbladders.
- Emotionally Correct Answer: Could not live without: Friendships. Warm Clothing. A Book. Animals. The Logical Part Of My Brain.
- Emotionally Correct Answer: Could live without: Meat. Men. Societal Constructs. Jobs. Expectations.
15. What Are Your Experiences With Severe Weather?
- I've been through two hurricanes, one serious enough to flood the basement and knock out power (Hurricane Irene, 2011 in Virginia.) Several snowstorms/blizzards resulting in feet of snow, loss of power and getting snowed in ("Storm of the Century," 1993.) One or two ice storms in which the ice was several inches thick. Several floods (my hometown is in a valley between two rivers so flooding happens every 3-5 years.) Having to wade through waist-deep flood waters to get somewhere safe. At least two earthquakes, neither of which were serious (One in California circa 2015, another in Virginia in 2011.) One tornado that passed right in front of me while I was driving, (Brooklyn 2007.) Many times driving through incredibly dangerous storms with hail, lightning, hurricane-force winds, whiteout conditions, ice, etc. Heat waves as hot as 125F (Phoenix, AZ), arctic snaps as cold as -20F (Philadelphia, PA.) That's all I can think of right now.
So! Killing time before the icy/snowy bus ride to Mississippi.
Questions are from "spiffkins" over on DW.
1. What’s the Coolest Thing You’ve Ever Seen in Nature?
- Tough to pick just one thing!! I've watched the entire process of eggs becoming caterpillars becoming butterflies. I've seen foxes kill rabbits. I've run into many small animals (skunks, possums, groundhogs) and gotten close enough to touch them while following animal trails. I've also seen the Milky Way in a dark sky, and a desert sunrise and sunset, and strange flowers and mysterious woods. Probably the thing that stands out most is traveling across Salt Lake on the circus train. It was like flying across a mirror.
2. Could You Stop Shopping for an Entire Year?
- Sure. Everyone could. Shopping is a "civilized society" construct, not a necessity. There's always bartering or self-sustaining.
3. What National or International Events That You Lived Through Do You Remember Best?
- Obviously, 9-11 and the pandemic. I also have strong memories of the Kuwait War (I guess it's called the Gulf War now) because my dad watched it incessantly when I was a child.
4. Are Your Eating Habits Healthy?
- Mostly and comparatively yes. I love to eat breads and carbs, and sweets, but I have a lot of self-control. Being able to eat the foods that I love is more important to me than being able to eat giant servings of the foods that I love. It's due to portion control that my eating habits are "healthy."
5. How Do You Fight the Winter Blues?
- Remind myself that every single moment in life is temporary.
6. Does Technology Make Us More Alone?
- No. In fact I think we're all feeling a little crowded lately. Interaction with each other and with global events is now constant, whereas before you had to wait for the newspaper or phone calls or letters or whatever. There's so much engagement and information saturation, it can be overwhelming. I think we are not adapted to handle the constant interaction that's being imposed on us, yet.
7. What Are the Most Important Changes, in Your Life and in the World, in the Last Decade?
- Sorry but who would be so insolent and self-centered to think they speak for the globe regarding the most important changes in the world?? I'm one of eight billion people and what feels globally important to Caucasian American Female Me probably has ZERO importance to most people.
- I AM qualified to have opinions on my own little life, though :p One important upcoming change is, I'm turning 40 and about to experience physical changes and degredation soon. Another is that at some point I'll have to sit down and form a plan for when I can no longer play the trombone and/or no longer tour. As for changes to my life in "the last decade", Jesus, I don't know...the pandemic? Inflation? Letting go of the ideal of capitalism and/or slaving away for a few dollars to make some random wealthy people happy, as our parents and grandparents seemed to think was the entire purpose of human life?
8. How Do You Greet Your Friends and Family?
- "hi." WTF stupid question is this.
9. Would You Want to Be a Space Tourist?
- No. Space scares the hell out of me. A void where exposure or radiation or the tiniest miscalculation can kill you. No thanks.
10. Do You Trust Your Government?
- Another dumb question!! All eight billion of us, unless we have been brainwashed, would give the same answer!
11. How Much Do You Think About Your Weight?
- Not so much any more, except to check it once in a while to see that it's within what I consider "normal and good", i.e. anything between 119-125 (8.5-9 stone.)
12. How Much Do You Trust Online Reviews?
- Depends on what it is and who is presenting the review. Reviews from magazines (Good Housekeeping, Oprah, etc) are typically sponsored so "the best" product is one that has paid for that placement. Prefer reviews from real people, i.e. reviews from forums like Reddit where normal people chime in at random instead of a vetted and curated article. For restaurants I use a combo of Reddit reviews, Google reviews, and food website/blogger reviews, because restaurants generally don't pay for review placements.
13. How Do You Feel About Zoos?
- I'm sad that they're necessary but also glad that they exist. Scientists have learned so much about animal biology and behaviors because of zoos, which benefits both us and the animals. It wasn't always that way, zoos used to be more of an exhibition and a profiteering thing, but I think now they're a lot more than that. And I have many veterinary, husbandry, animal technician/trainer friends who have taken me behind the scenes, where I've seen the real animal welfare that zoos foster, firsthand.
14. What Could You Not Live Without? What Could You Live Without?
- Stupid Answer: Could not live without: Oxygen. Food. Shelter. Water. Vital Organs. Both A Mother And Father.
- Stupid Answer: Could live without: Desserts. Governments. Money. Cars. Gallbladders.
- Emotionally Correct Answer: Could not live without: Friendships. Warm Clothing. A Book. Animals. The Logical Part Of My Brain.
- Emotionally Correct Answer: Could live without: Meat. Men. Societal Constructs. Jobs. Expectations.
15. What Are Your Experiences With Severe Weather?
- I've been through two hurricanes, one serious enough to flood the basement and knock out power (Hurricane Irene, 2011 in Virginia.) Several snowstorms/blizzards resulting in feet of snow, loss of power and getting snowed in ("Storm of the Century," 1993.) One or two ice storms in which the ice was several inches thick. Several floods (my hometown is in a valley between two rivers so flooding happens every 3-5 years.) Having to wade through waist-deep flood waters to get somewhere safe. At least two earthquakes, neither of which were serious (One in California circa 2015, another in Virginia in 2011.) One tornado that passed right in front of me while I was driving, (Brooklyn 2007.) Many times driving through incredibly dangerous storms with hail, lightning, hurricane-force winds, whiteout conditions, ice, etc. Heat waves as hot as 125F (Phoenix, AZ), arctic snaps as cold as -20F (Philadelphia, PA.) That's all I can think of right now.
