Questions Bipolar Version #9

We're getting our kitchen and bathroom remodeled, so were without water downstairs for a few days. The really simple things are the ones I tend to take for granted.

I'm old enough to remember the days without computers/cell phones & such. how long do you think you could go without one? Or, do you think you could give up using one at all?

Not so much cell phones/computers, but the connectivity aspect of them. You have to have them anymore to function in society. During my job search, three out of twenty-four employers allowed me to do a paper application. Everyone else instructed me to go online. Any face to face visit was met with some variation of "We'll email you.", "Did you apply online?", or, in some cases, "Our application process is virtual, including interviews."

It is what it is, but it certainly allows for some depersonalization to an extent. If you never see an applicant's face, you have less of a problem dropping them like a hot potato.

I'd be happy to keep more of the "personal touch" in some interactions, but time marches on, I guess.

Do you have a meaningful quote (book, poem, movie) that you remember years later?

The desiderata, I’ve quoted a part of it in my signature now. …, say your truth quietly and clearly, avoid loud aggressive people,…. I try to live my life this way. I first came across this in a reader’s digest way back in the 60’s while on vacation. It’s stuck with me ever since.

Is there a happy memory from your childhood that sticks out for you?

As much as I've complained about my dad, this memory actually involves him. Mackinac Island. The family was on a RV road trip and we stopped close by. My mom was feeling under the weather, so he took me to the nearby island. Think Colonial Williamsburg. We took the fast roostertail ferry there and back, explored, got some tourist kitsch enjoyed ourselves and came back. It's one of the only truly happy memories from my childhood. One that's not tinged with any other emotion.

Do you have a non-Christmas holiday tradition?

Thanks for the memories of Mackinac Island, @Aurelius710. I've been there several times.

On the 4th of July, my partner's brother always buys several hundred dollars worth of the REALLY good fireworks (they're legal here) & has a picnic. After dark, when everyone's good & liquored up (well, not me), they shoot them off. It takes about an hour to exhaust the supply. After 20 years of this celebration everyone is still intact & alive!

What is your favorite ethnic food? Describe the ingredients.

Ohh tough as it has been a while (years)since I’ve been to an Ethiopian restaurant. But they have a meal that’s served on a spongy flat bread with servings of meat, beans and other spicy dishes, with a cooling yogurt. It is soo good. My second choice has also been years since being there is a Vietnam soup, I’ve forgotten what it’s called, but it’s served with fresh veggies on the side that you add to the soup as you eat it.

I’d like to hear about more cultural recipes so, same question.

I love cooking Indian Butter Chicken! You have the chicken, marinated for several hours, added to a very buttery tomato sauce, with ginger paste, garlic paste, ground chilies, and garam masala on top! Cardamom, cinnamon, cumin and pepper are just some of the ingredients for the garam masala spice mix. Done right, you get a warm you up kind of heat. Put a bit of basmati rice on the side, and I am a happy camper!

I wanna keep this going too!

Probably authentic Chinese food, which has a wide variety of regional differences. Mandarin and Sichuan cuisines are my favorite. Sichuan especially since it has some ultra delicious spicy options. Many people have no idea how varied their food is since restaurants outside China often don't reflect that. Plus, isn't as authentic. It's a great cuisine of the world next to French and even beyond Italian, all of which I love.

If you cook at all, what do you consider your "signature dish"?

Probably my borscht. I cook a very, very good borscht that I make from a vegetarian recipes with a few tweaks of my own. If I’m not cooking for vegetarians I add sausage to it. And serve it with sour cream and dill.

Would you rather ride a horse or a bike? Why?

Bike because I've seen people get avulsions from horses. Plus you can go more places and a bike won't ever get scared (but you might get a flat). They're cheaper to maintain too. And don't smell as bad (although frankly I don't mind the smell of horse **** but I lived on a farm for 8 years so I got used to it).

Big birds (ostriches, turkeys, geese, sesame street) or little birds (hummingbirds, cardinals, etc)?

I adore all birds, including the naughtier ones I complain about who make a mess in my garden. I've even had some altercations with strangers about their treatment (abuse) of some wild ones. And for the record, those birds knew I was their ally. As for "Big Bird", they're not really a bird. It's a man in a bird suit. I hope that doesn't disappoint.

Have you ever risen up and defended some living creature (human or otherwise)?

Not physically, but verbally I have.

Question?

I've had some exchanges with my sibling about being patient with animals.


What is the greatest physical pain you've ever experienced?

I don't handle physical pain well and pass out from it. Happened the first time when my brother tackled me and I hit my knee on the kitchen floor. So that was a lot of pain for me, but maybe not for other people.

Do you have any piercings?

I had a piercing in my ear before I got old, fat & ugly.

I was looking at someone's old photos on Facebook tonight, & some of the clothes this person wore were very dated & downright embarassing. Can you think of a style, or outfit you've worn in the past that might fit the bill? Describe it.

I had low riding hip hugging bell bottoms in vertical multicolored stripes that I paired with multicolored shirts. I loved those pants. I wore leather fasteners with silver on my braids and moccasins on my feet. Can you say hippie?

What two radio stations do you listen to the most in the car?

I've got one station that plays blues music from the beginning to today and the other is old soul and Motown.

What was the first album you ever bought for yourself?

Gosh, maybe 45 years ago (I'm 51), and coincidentally a 45 LP record. I know it was some Rolling Stones record. I never really liked that band. I think I bought it because of the interesting label. I doubt I even knew them or their music then. I remember being disappointed with it.

Do you still own any CDs or even cassette tapes or LPs? If so, approximately how many?

Oh yeah. I still buy CDs and they're my main music source. Have probably 70+ of them.

Last book you finished?

Antigone. Preparation, of sorts, for watching the National Theatre version with Jodie Whittaker and Christopher Eccleston when I have the wherewithal to do so.

Have you ever been to a play and/or musical before? If so, which one and did you enjoy it?

Yes, though I'm not usually a big play or musical goer. The last play I attended was about a year ago here in Czech Republic. Forget the name and it was in Czech. The last musical? Hmm. Maybe The Pirates of Penzance. I've seen others in the US. I think only Jesus Christ Superstar sticks out in my memory, in terms of remembering the name. I tend more towards music concerts, operas, and dance performances.

What famous people did you see in person?

The only famous person I met face-to-face (that I know of, could've unknowingly met more when I was working at an amusement park) was Tim Wakefield.

Favorite continent geography-wise?

To read about? Antarctica. I wish I could go there someday.


How did you choose your username?

I love old tales and mythology the ancient gods and goddesses. I asked in a poll if Tiamat was a good name and someone took it. So I went with my second choice Nammu.

Did you ever get inthralled in a good story even though it wasn’t your preferred genre?