Cactus Watcher Strikes Again

Via shadokat

22. Do you have many lamps in your home, or do you rely on overhead lighting?

I have overhead lighting in every room, but I only have bright bulbs in the overhead in the kitchen and my bathroom which have flood light fixtures. I use pole lamps in the library to work by, and have one in my bedroom, which I only use occasionally for extra lighting. I have a table lamp in the guest bedroom, but it doesn't get used much.

23. Do you own any clothing you only wear for a specific activity?

Yes, I only wear "good clothes" a time or two a week to go out shopping or to a restaurant. I wear "work clothes" most of time, because I don't care if they get dirty or worn or torn. It's a habit I picked up from working in a machine shop as a teenager in the summers and only paused while going to college and grad school.

24. Are you good at packing when you go away, or do you pack all the things ‘just in case’?

I'm decent at packing. Rarely needed anything I didn't pack.

25. If you ended up on a deserted desert island, what luxury would you want to have with you?

Lots of pens and paper.

26. Do you have any tattoos?

No. I remember seeing tattoos when I was a kid on ex-sailors and thought they looked silly. I think most men and women look better without them.

Via shadowkat

8. Do you own or rent your home?

Own

9. Boop-Oop-A-Doop! Everyone can get their ‘boop’ on because it’s time to enjoy and celebrate Betty Boop Day! Are you familiar with Betty Boop?

Yes. The wide-faced flapper with a sexy body and almost no chin or neck. "Boop-oop-a-doop." Probably was more relatable for the generation born in the nineteen teens, than for baby boomers like me.

10. Are your fingernails strong and in good condition? How long are they?

I wouldn't call them strong, but then again most men don't try to wear wear half-inch-long nails.

11. Have you ever made a sandcastle on a beach?

No, there weren't many sandy beaches in Missouri where I lived as a kid. My father put some sand on the ground to play in when I was a little kid, more of a sand pile than a sand box.

12. Do you own any sunglasses (and if you have prescription glasses, do you have prescription sunglasses too)?

Yes, like A/C, sunglasses are a necessity in AZ. I have at least three pair I use in different circumstances (driving, working outside in the yard, walking to the communal mail box.)

13. It’s National Internet Friends Day, which celebrates the special connections we form online. How do you feel about your online friendships?

They are fine.

14. Have you ever haggled and got something for a cheaper price – or would you never do that?

I've done it a few times. I'm not fond of it.

15. Would you rather read a romance novel or a mystery novel?

Mystery. There are men who like romance novels. Can't say I'm one of them.

I was out early doing some quiet-type yard work. Had to go outside the wall (5-foot high, block fence typical in AZ subdivisions) to check on something. Down the street a rabbit took off, and right behind it a coyote. Not really odd. I hear coyotes howling occasionally and we are aware that there are rabbits (both desert cottontails and jack rabbits) about. But I'd never *seen* either in my subdivision here in Tucson or near Phoenix in years past.

I've had lots of lizards, and few harmless snakes around the house, here. I saw a couple of bobcats strolling through my backyard one day (which means they easily jumped the wall to get in and out, a very good reason not to leave pets outside even in mild weather). About once a year in the fall we have Javelinas (think small wild pigs) wander our streets in the dark. (I could be wrong, but I think they come into the subdivisions after smelling Halloween candy kids may have dropped.) You wouldn't know they were there, but they move in small packs and leave their poop scattered up and down the sidewalk.

19. Do you like spicy foods such as chili peppers?

Yes, after living in AZ for many years, I'm a lot more tolerant of hot spice than I once was. I use hot sauce liberally on a lot of things I eat. I really like jalapenos. I don't bother with really hot peppers like habaneros. I use red pepper on my pizza, but oddly I don't use black pepper much at all.

20. Are there any artisan food markets or farmer’s markets held close to where you live? Do you visit often?

No. Arizona is not a big state for truck farming, which is what you need for farmers' markets.

21. Have you ever traced your family tree?

Yes, I traced it back to Charlemagne and beyond many years ago. I don't know how good all the links are to Europe, but I'm certain I have a number of ancestors who came to Massachusetts in 1630, when a whole fleet of ships arrived from England. Nobody I know on the Mayflower.

22. Do you know how to play backgammon? How about chess?

I can play chess, I have played backgammon, but I can't say I know the rules, right now. I was pretty good at chess as a kid (easily beat all comers in my grade school), but never played seriously.

23. Do you own a coffee machine? What’s your favorite type of coffee?

No. I don't like coffee or coffee flavored things.

24. How are you feeling today?

I had some problems getting enough sleep lately. But I feel fairly rested and well today.

Via shadowkat

9. Have you ever been on a journey and been held up for a long time? What happened and how late were you at your destination?

Yes, the most memorable was when coming home for Christmas from Ohio State one December. It was snowing that evening in St. Louis and our plane was diverted to Kansas City. They put us up in a hotel for the night, and gave us a voucher for some dinner. They put us on a bus and the hotel was very far from the airport, if there were more flights diverted from St. Louis that was understandable. The voucher wasn't enough for much of the things on the menu at the hotel restaurant. I felt a little cheap ordering the least expensive meal, but I was a grad student and couldn't afford a lot. We got up fairly early the next day and caught a flight back to St. Louis (In those days St. Louis was a hub airport, so there were lots of flights from KC.) We were probably no more than 12 hours late, but it seemed like a very long time.

10. Do you enjoy salad? What would be in a typical salad that you would serve/eat?

Yes. I like mixed salads with iceberg lettuce, carrots and whatever is handy like celery, spinach, green or black olives, radishes, green onions, raw turnip, cheese, etc.

11. Have you ever used an old-fashioned typewriter? Can you touch type (type without looking at the keys?)

Yes. I learned how to type on one in junior high. Our family business had a big old manual typewriter, which I used as the default secretary when we didn't have a full time secretary, off and on for many years. My sister-in-law gave me a German keyboard, full-sized manual typewriter for Christmas one year when I was in college. Can't say I got a lot of use out of it, but I liked having it for a while. In graduate school, I didn't like using the Cyrillic keyboard typewriters in the department office (to type up my weekly tests) with everyone I knew hanging around. A store close to campus advertised that they had foreign language keyboard typewriters on sale, so I went there and bought one with a Cyrillic keyboard. It was a portable manual. The joke was that the high school graduation present I'd asked for was an electric portable typewriter, which was a lot more advanced than the foreign keyboard models I got years later. I used that for papers in English through college and grad school.

Yes, can touch type, but that mostly came after I traded my typewriters for computer keyboards. Yes, I can touch type in more than one language now.

12. Do you like sushi?

I don't know, never had it, probably never will. I'm not a big fan of Japanese style food. Chinese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese and Indian, yes. Japanese, not so much.

13. Have you ever tried Tai Chi?

No, but one of my nieces has taught serious Tai Chi classes.

Eggs are less than $2.75 a dozen this week, so I bought some this week, and made myself an omelet for lunch. It's been a long time!

via shadowkat

28. When was the last time you wore flip-flops (Zories/thongs)?

I don't remember, on some vacation with my sister's family long ago, perhaps. Like others are saying they are fine for certain circumstances, but totally inappropriate for some terrain like rocks, tall grass, swampy areas, places with lots of flies or mosquitoes...

29. Do you like mustard? What type, and what do you put it on?

Yes, I like several kinds of mustard. Dijon mustard is very good tasting, but honestly for food I want to put mustard on I prefer something else. Good old turmeric mustard (for example French's) is best on burgers, hot dogs and ham, on Chinese food, hot mustard is really good.

30. It’s the International Day of the Potato! What is your favorite way to eat potatoes?

I like potatoes a lot of ways, baked, boiled, roasted, fried, mashed, and in potato salad (I prefer American style with mayo over German style with vinegar). ( Read more... )

via shadowkat

10. Ellen Ochoa was born today in 1958 and was the first Hispanic woman to travel to space in 1993. Would you like to travel to space?

Back in the 1950s, we kids figured we'd be the first ones to get to the moon, and then some "old" guys got to do it.

Essentially we're still in the ox-cart-speed stage of space exploration. It would take so long to get anywhere instead of taking a joyride. It wouldn't be much fun unless it was safer and hell of a lot faster!

11. What’s your favorite way to eat eggs?

I like mixed veggie omelets.

12. Do you regularly moisturize your feet?

Does it count as moisturizing when I spill water on my shoes when I'm watering the plants in the yard?

13. Do you remember when you bought your first computer?

Yes. It was a Radio Shack Color Computer with a whopping 16K ram. (You could also get one with only 4K.) My brother, who had a much better computer already, helped me increase the ram to 64K. At first I only had a tape cassette for storage, but eventually I got a 5" disc drive for it. The graphics weren't great, but it ran programs faster than the Apple IIs of the day. I sold it when I bought an Amiga. The guy who bought it told me his kids loved it.

14. Have you still got access to an Avon representative locally? Have you ever bought products from Avon?

No. Back near Phoenix a representative used to leave a catalog at the door every few years. I never bought anything from them. My first college roommate, who I already knew from high school, was a bit gullible about some things. He had his mother buy a very large horsehead shaped glass bottle of aftershave from Avon for him (i.e. I don't think she bought it for him as a gift). It turned out the aftershave did not smell good at all, and he never used the stuff on his face. But the bottle looked impressive on his shelf in the dorm.

15. Who cleans the toilets in your home?

The same guy who mops and vacuums the floors, cooks the meals, does the dishes and the laundry, feeds the cat, and sits around playing video games in the evening.( Read more... )

via shadowkat

21. In Egypt, National Food Day is a day to celebrate the country's diverse cuisine. Do you like falafel?

Yes, though I haven't had it very often.

22. What do you have hanging on the walls of your home?

I have several of my sister's paintings, including two of my cat, one of which she did from the picture from my DW icon. I also have a photo-poster of a pronghorn antelope, a wooden 3-D scene of an old-fashioned Mexican bar and a half-century-old black velvet painting of a bull fighter and bull. Black velvet paintings were cheap and considered tacky back in the day, but I've always enjoyed it.

23. What is your favorite kitchen gadget and why (excluding the large appliances such as the oven/fridge/freezer)?

Honestly, the only notable kitchen gadget I own is an air-fryer I bought last fall. I like heating up frozen French fries and onion rings with it.

24. On average how far do you walk every day?

Outside, a 100 yards or so back and forth to the communal mail box. I probably do much more wandering around the house every day.

25. Do you ever watch the birds in nature? Can you identify any by their song or by their appearance?

California quail nest in my front bushes in spring. Humming birds enjoy the grapes in my back yard in summer, I see mourning doves and white winged doves frequently. Cactus wrens like my tree-sized prickly pear cacti especially in late summer when they are full of fruit. Ravens don't come in my yard, but I like seeing (and hearing!) them in the palm trees on the way to my mail box.

via shadowkat

12. Do you like playing card games? Which is your favorite?

I am genuinely really bad at card games when I first try them. Then usually I soon catch on, and then no one wants to play against me. In college we used to play a partnership game called Ten-Point Pitch. I teamed up with a math major. He was bold and I was usually conservative in playing the game. Together we played every weekend and never lost a multi-game 'match' for months against all comers.

There is a wild card game called "I Doubt It." With enough decks of cards 10 or 12 people can play at once. It involves planning ahead and spur of the moment bluffing. Knowing the odds doesn't help all that much. I think my mother's aunt and uncle taught it to us. It was one of the few times I remember my father really enjoying playing cards.

13. Have you ever made yoghurt or kefir?

My grad school girlfriend made her own yogurt in her little room. You just need the right bacteria in the air, and milk turns to yogurt instead of sour milk.

14. What’s your geography knowledge like? If you were given a world map, how many countries could you confidently identify?

I'm okay in geography. Probably not as good as I was in school.

15. Have you a good sense of direction, or do you rely on maps/online navigation? When was the last time you got lost?

I have a good sense of direction, but that doesn't mean I can always find things. I know where I am and which direction is which, but I might not know where to go to find what I'm looking for. It happened to me yesterday. Should have looked up on Google street view where I was going the night before, but ended up having to text the people waiting for me for help!

16. Today, in 1850, the French artist Madame Tussaud died. She is known for her wax sculptures of famous figures and for founding Madame Tussaud’s wax museum in London. Have you ever visited the London Wax Museum or any other wax museum worldwide? What did you think of the likenesses of the models?

I think I have been to a wax museum somewhere, but I don't remember where it was. I thought the figures were done well, but I didn't think they looked life-like.