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1. What is the most adventurous food you've ever tried?
For me, learning to enjoy spicy food has been the most adventurous activity. I used to flinch at the mere sight of a chilli flake. These days I can eat a madras curry.
2. What is the most adventurous food you'd be willing to try?
I haven't tried much in the way of cooked insect, but I've read that they are crunchy and delicious, so would like to try them someday. Keiki and I once saw an old video of David Attenborough eating a honeypot ant, and we'd both like to try that too.
3. Would you have a problem eating dog meat and why or why not?
Context is important here. If I needed protein and it was the only option, I'd eat it. Or if it would be culturally offensive to refuse something I was being served by my hosts. I don't draw the line on any particular food solely because of its source.
4. For the most part, do you consider your diet to be balanced?
Yes, although my portion sizes tend to be too large, so I'm working on reducing them.
5. Which is more appealing: being a vegetarian for the rest of your life or being a strict carnivore for the rest of your life?
Definitely the former. I would not like to experience the state of my digestion with the latter. With veg, fruit, grain and pulses, there is a lot more readily available variety, and if eggs and milk are allowed I would miss very little apart from seafood. The veggie substitutes for meat items these days are genuinely amazing, unlike twenty years ago.
For me, learning to enjoy spicy food has been the most adventurous activity. I used to flinch at the mere sight of a chilli flake. These days I can eat a madras curry.
2. What is the most adventurous food you'd be willing to try?
I haven't tried much in the way of cooked insect, but I've read that they are crunchy and delicious, so would like to try them someday. Keiki and I once saw an old video of David Attenborough eating a honeypot ant, and we'd both like to try that too.
3. Would you have a problem eating dog meat and why or why not?
Context is important here. If I needed protein and it was the only option, I'd eat it. Or if it would be culturally offensive to refuse something I was being served by my hosts. I don't draw the line on any particular food solely because of its source.
4. For the most part, do you consider your diet to be balanced?
Yes, although my portion sizes tend to be too large, so I'm working on reducing them.
5. Which is more appealing: being a vegetarian for the rest of your life or being a strict carnivore for the rest of your life?
Definitely the former. I would not like to experience the state of my digestion with the latter. With veg, fruit, grain and pulses, there is a lot more readily available variety, and if eggs and milk are allowed I would miss very little apart from seafood. The veggie substitutes for meat items these days are genuinely amazing, unlike twenty years ago.
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1. What is the oldest object in the room with you?
Probably the walls. This is an 18th century house.
2. What is the newest?
A book I was recently gifted.
3. What is your favorite object in the room with you?
At the moment, the Christmas tree.
4. What is the most valuable object?
Humuhumu's electric guitar would be up there. The television probably was when we bought it, but it's a few years old now.
5. What is the ugliest object?
Me, I've got a cold and am all drippy. Bleh.
Probably the walls. This is an 18th century house.
2. What is the newest?
A book I was recently gifted.
3. What is your favorite object in the room with you?
At the moment, the Christmas tree.
4. What is the most valuable object?
Humuhumu's electric guitar would be up there. The television probably was when we bought it, but it's a few years old now.
5. What is the ugliest object?
Me, I've got a cold and am all drippy. Bleh.
tags:
1. What did you want to be when you grew up?
Lots of things, including most unrealistically, Olympic gymnast and dressage champion. The ones that lasted the longest were veterinarian, astronaut, and Nobel-prize-winning chemist.
2. Did you follow through? If not, what happened?
Reality? I mean, I don’t particularly like taking massive physical risks with my body, and I have rarely ever ridden a horse. I did eventually become a PhD chemist, but I don’t rate my chances of winning a Nobel prize in that or anything else very highly.
3. Is your life turning out the way you thought it would when you were a kid? If not, is it better or worse?
It’s definitely better, and certainly not as I envisaged. As a child, I didn't think I’d spend most of my adult life living in another country, didn’t dream of becoming an academic, and was fairly convinced from the point at which it became an option that I’d never have kids.
4. Paradoxes aside, if you could time-travel back to when you were 10 years old, what would you tell your 10-year-old self?
Good job writing that book and getting it printed by your auntie, you’ll be proud of that forever! And yes, you will always have a cat. Sometimes more than one. So don’t worry about that.
5. Do you think the child you were, would like the adult you've become?
I think so. She’d certainly be happy that the adult was still a little bit (okay, a lot) weird.
Lots of things, including most unrealistically, Olympic gymnast and dressage champion. The ones that lasted the longest were veterinarian, astronaut, and Nobel-prize-winning chemist.
2. Did you follow through? If not, what happened?
Reality? I mean, I don’t particularly like taking massive physical risks with my body, and I have rarely ever ridden a horse. I did eventually become a PhD chemist, but I don’t rate my chances of winning a Nobel prize in that or anything else very highly.
3. Is your life turning out the way you thought it would when you were a kid? If not, is it better or worse?
It’s definitely better, and certainly not as I envisaged. As a child, I didn't think I’d spend most of my adult life living in another country, didn’t dream of becoming an academic, and was fairly convinced from the point at which it became an option that I’d never have kids.
4. Paradoxes aside, if you could time-travel back to when you were 10 years old, what would you tell your 10-year-old self?
Good job writing that book and getting it printed by your auntie, you’ll be proud of that forever! And yes, you will always have a cat. Sometimes more than one. So don’t worry about that.
5. Do you think the child you were, would like the adult you've become?
I think so. She’d certainly be happy that the adult was still a little bit (okay, a lot) weird.
tags:
1. If the world were to suddenly end right now, what do you wish you would have done?
Finished my beer. [I filled this in on Saturday night.]
2. How many times do you hit the snooze button before getting out of bed?
None. I get up as soon as the alarm goes, and quite frequently before it. Hello, annoying morning person here!
3. What cartoon do you enjoy watching from the present (or the past)?
I still love watching “Danger Mouse” with the kids.
4. If you could go to any time and/or place in history, where/when would it be?
Uh, nowhere, thanks. Things were mostly crap for women in the past, especially ones who had the audacity to have an interest in science. Also, I don't much fancy living in a time when we did not know about bacteria and viruses, and couldn't refrigerate food.
5. If your life were a movie, what would it be rated and why?
I think it would depend on how the filmmaker decided to approach my young adulthood. If they focused on my daytime existence, it would be terribly wholesome and PG as I made my way through getting good marks at university, doing a PhD, and then going off to a postdoctoral position at NASA. However, my evening hours were quite often spent clubbing in the goth/industrial scene along with associated night-time activities, which would immediately turn it into an 18.
Finished my beer. [I filled this in on Saturday night.]
2. How many times do you hit the snooze button before getting out of bed?
None. I get up as soon as the alarm goes, and quite frequently before it. Hello, annoying morning person here!
3. What cartoon do you enjoy watching from the present (or the past)?
I still love watching “Danger Mouse” with the kids.
4. If you could go to any time and/or place in history, where/when would it be?
Uh, nowhere, thanks. Things were mostly crap for women in the past, especially ones who had the audacity to have an interest in science. Also, I don't much fancy living in a time when we did not know about bacteria and viruses, and couldn't refrigerate food.
5. If your life were a movie, what would it be rated and why?
I think it would depend on how the filmmaker decided to approach my young adulthood. If they focused on my daytime existence, it would be terribly wholesome and PG as I made my way through getting good marks at university, doing a PhD, and then going off to a postdoctoral position at NASA. However, my evening hours were quite often spent clubbing in the goth/industrial scene along with associated night-time activities, which would immediately turn it into an 18.
tags:
1. Do you celebrate or observe Halloween? How?
Carving pumpkins. Roasting pumpkin seeds. Helping the kids pick out costumes and taking them trick-or-treating.
2. What is your favorite Halloween candy?
I love mini Butterfingers, but of course you don’t get those in the UK, so I’ll settle for mini packets of Haribo.
3. Do you get trick-or-treaters on Halloween?
We live in the sticks, so no. We take the children into the nearby town to go trick-or-treating with friends.
4. Do you enjoy dressing up in costumes?
I used to. I’m too tired to do so around Halloween these days as it falls in the middle of the university teaching term. But I used to go mad for it.
5. What is your favorite Halloween memory?
I don’t have a favourite memory, but I do have a favourite costume, which was the time I dressed up as the Annihilation Operator or Â, a superhero of my own invention. I had a spandex outfit, an awesome pair of Transmuter boots, a homemade logo, and a ray gun. What else do you need to go out killing particles?
(My description from 2003, OH LOR how this is 21 years ago?!) I am the Annihilation Operator! The dreaded A-hat! I have the power to destroy electrons on sight. My mortal enemy is my transpose, the Creation Operator. Without him, though, I cannot build a Hamiltonian or see my true love, the Kroneker delta, the only one who doesn't go to zero at the sight of me.
Carving pumpkins. Roasting pumpkin seeds. Helping the kids pick out costumes and taking them trick-or-treating.
2. What is your favorite Halloween candy?
I love mini Butterfingers, but of course you don’t get those in the UK, so I’ll settle for mini packets of Haribo.
3. Do you get trick-or-treaters on Halloween?
We live in the sticks, so no. We take the children into the nearby town to go trick-or-treating with friends.
4. Do you enjoy dressing up in costumes?
I used to. I’m too tired to do so around Halloween these days as it falls in the middle of the university teaching term. But I used to go mad for it.
5. What is your favorite Halloween memory?
I don’t have a favourite memory, but I do have a favourite costume, which was the time I dressed up as the Annihilation Operator or Â, a superhero of my own invention. I had a spandex outfit, an awesome pair of Transmuter boots, a homemade logo, and a ray gun. What else do you need to go out killing particles?
(My description from 2003, OH LOR how this is 21 years ago?!) I am the Annihilation Operator! The dreaded A-hat! I have the power to destroy electrons on sight. My mortal enemy is my transpose, the Creation Operator. Without him, though, I cannot build a Hamiltonian or see my true love, the Kroneker delta, the only one who doesn't go to zero at the sight of me.
tags:
My 1SE video is late again! I'm not happy about that, but I am happy about the amount of cats, and about Spooky Season. Will be catching up on all of your videos tonight.
1. Do you like soup?
Yes, yes I do.
2. What is your favorite soup?
Saimin. I am also very fond of the classic chicken noodle. As a child, clam chowder with oyster crackers was another favourite.
3. What kind of soup would you like to try, but never have?
It is an unknown soup. One day I will find it on a menu and try it.
4. Is stew just a soup with extra ingredients?
All I know is that stew has to be chonky.
5. If you were a soup, what soup would you be and why?
Something with a lot of noodles and shoyu in it. Also, fishcake. And probably an egg. I'm just describing saimin now, y'all.
Yes, yes I do.
2. What is your favorite soup?
Saimin. I am also very fond of the classic chicken noodle. As a child, clam chowder with oyster crackers was another favourite.
3. What kind of soup would you like to try, but never have?
It is an unknown soup. One day I will find it on a menu and try it.
4. Is stew just a soup with extra ingredients?
All I know is that stew has to be chonky.
5. If you were a soup, what soup would you be and why?
Something with a lot of noodles and shoyu in it. Also, fishcake. And probably an egg. I'm just describing saimin now, y'all.
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I quite enjoyed the pleasingly random assortment of questions this week.
1. What's a song you'd enjoy screaming along to as you drove down the highway?
“I love rock n roll” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. I have in fact done this very thing many times.
2. What is your favorite place/type of environment to relax?
Either my sofa being sat on by my cats, or in a nightclub with industrial music at top volume. That latter one hasn't happened for a while.
3. What are the best kind of dreams?
The ones I can't remember. Honestly I just want my subconscious to sort out my neuroses and hangups whilst I'm asleep and not bother me whilst I'm awake.
4. What do you look for in a mate?
A similar work ethic and a ridiculous sense of humour.
5. If you were a crayon colour, what colour would you be and why?
Black. The colour of SPACE. It's my favourite colour anyway.
1. What's a song you'd enjoy screaming along to as you drove down the highway?
“I love rock n roll” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. I have in fact done this very thing many times.
2. What is your favorite place/type of environment to relax?
Either my sofa being sat on by my cats, or in a nightclub with industrial music at top volume. That latter one hasn't happened for a while.
3. What are the best kind of dreams?
The ones I can't remember. Honestly I just want my subconscious to sort out my neuroses and hangups whilst I'm asleep and not bother me whilst I'm awake.
4. What do you look for in a mate?
A similar work ethic and a ridiculous sense of humour.
5. If you were a crayon colour, what colour would you be and why?
Black. The colour of SPACE. It's my favourite colour anyway.
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