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Wednesday, November 15, 2006

A warm fuzzy meme for a freakishly cold November day

The snow and hail is falling outside and the kitties keep leaping on my lap with frozen paw pads; I've just done my last full official day at the Bookstud for this year (although I still get to go in and use the space), so it's time to settle back with a hot drink and do a nice meme, thanks to Pav, who filled hers out so nicely she's a hard act to follow, not that I'm trying to compete, just trying to get some words out of my sludgy brain in the hope of kick-starting it.

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
Wow, I'm pimple-free today.* (You know that magazine ad with the woman feeling old but still getting spotty? That's me.)


2. Favorite planet?
When I watched The Planets I got absolutely enthralled with Jupiter... so beautiful, and so many moon nymphs!

3. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
My favorite old lady, AP. She gets worried about all sorts of things and leaves very entertaining messages that go nowhere for ages. I try not to miss her calls because listening to the messages costs so much!

4. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone?
I don't have one on this phone. It's got really boring ring tones, and I've been trying to get an old-fashioned telephone ring for it for ages but I can't find a downloadable one that doesn't involve signing my soul over to some internet pr0n merchant. My last phone had a great croaking noise that called me without intruding.


5. Do you “label” yourself?
Heh, yes, different ones all the time, from 'grant-getting talent queen' to 'useless streak of piss', depending on my mood.


6. What does your watch look like?
It's a phone. I think this is becoming more popular. I tried watches, all types, including a natty silver fob watch, but in the words of a herbal ex-housemate, 'they ruin my meridian lines'. Dunno what that means either, but it made me laugh at the time (offending her mightily). It sounds better than the truth: I tend to be allergic to metals on my skin and I couldn't be arsed remembering to put one on every day.

7. What were you doing at midnight last night?
Sleeping in a very uncomfortable position, trying to find space between and around two huge sprawled cats (who sleep on my side of the bed because BB kicks them in his sleep).


8. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?
'Do you know what time fete is?'... appropriate for this time of year. That was my cousin, whose kids go to the same school as Bumblebee.


9. What's a word that you say a lot?
HOORAY!


10. Last furry thing you touched?
Mr Pooter is sitting on my lap as I type. He's a keybort junkie.


11. Favorite age you have been so far?
Hmmm... probably 35 or 36. I wouldn't go further back than 30 if you paid me.

12. Your worst enemy?
My lack of money sense.

13. What is your current desktop picture?
A photo of the bottom of an old typecase with dirty paper lining after the woodtype has been taken out; no idea how old the typecase is, but it was left on the doorstep of my mother's regional museum wrapped in plastic and covered in bits of hay, so it had been stored in a barn for years. Here's a sample:


I love a bit of dirty paper


14. What was the last thing you said to someone?
I'd go out and pick the herbs before it starts pissing down again. (BB is cooking meatballs with Bumblebee).


15. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be?
Fly. I'm with Pav on this one.

16. Do you like someone?
It's amazing how many people I like, especially if I've had a few.


17. The last song you listened to?
Ahem. This afternoon Bumblebee and I were bouncing around the house to 'Tales of the City' by the Rockmelons (1988). He picks out records for us to play, and of course picks by cover art because he doesn't know the musicians. I'd forgotten how much I like that album.

18. What time of day were you born?
Just before midnight, narrowly missing out on being the day after. Bumblebee was born just after midnight, narrowly missing out on the day before.

19. What's your favorite number?
One or thirteen. Can never make my mind up (Libran).

20. Where did you live in 1987?
In a state of pain between Canberra and Sydney. That's the year my brother died, and I don't remember a lot after August.

21. Are you jealous of anyone?
Yes, absolutely and dramatically jealous of some friends who live in a lovely house in Braidwood with their printing press and letterpress type, making books between meals and sleeps.

22. Is anyone jealous of you?
Maybe. I have got a pretty nice life, and I fully appreciate how lucky I am. But I'd be sorry for them if they were.

23. Where were you when 9/11 happened?
In bed, thinking that the radio news was part of my dream. In those singleton days I had a tv in front of the bed, so once I realised what was going on I lay in bed and watched it all unfold, so to speak.

24. Do you consider yourself kind?
Yes. I believe firmly in reaping what you sow.


25. If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be?
I always wanted a tattoo on one butt-cheek. Since my arse is very white and round, I thought it could be one of those nice handpainted blue fishes you see on the inside of Chinese crockery. I may still do it one day.

26. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be?
This is tough. Russian leaps to mind, and German. But I flirt with Korean too. I love the look of their writing.

27. Would you move for the person you loved?
Absolutely. I urge him daily to get posted somewher exotic. So far he's been offered Newcastle, which doesn't quite do it for me.


28. What's your life motto?
I'm a big fan of 'This too shall pass', but Pav's used that. 'Don't panic' is pretty useful.


29. What's your favorite town/city?
Canberra. Closely followed by Hobart.


30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it?
Um, I don't know if a couple of hastily-written notes to go in parcels count, but I did three at once a few weeks ago, to Laura, Kate and GirlPrinter. The last big letter was years ago, I think.


31. Can you change the oil on a car?
Of course! I can also use power tools. Pwoar.

32. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her?
That he was in love with the girl who first introduced us. I'd moved a long way away across Australia by then, so I guess he was allowed.

33. How far back do you know about your ancestry?
If you mean how far do any of us know, a long way, because my mother is an obsessed geneaologist, and she's tracked it all on both sides. I know that two of my great-grandfathers book-end the Bega Valley with things named after them, but I'm pretty hazy on details. I leave it all to her.

34. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy?
It's not the LAST time, but the fanciest last time was at the National Gallery of Australia for the opening of The Edwardians; I borrowed a full-length deep-red satin tulle-petticoated skirt and a black silk bustier from Zoe and wore my hair up with a black silk flower. BB wore black tie (mmmm). We swanned around the sculpture garden with all the other dressed-up people, had a skinful to drink then escaped to our local Laotian restaurant and ate pork larb with our bare hands. Gosh that was romantic.

35. Have you been burned by love?
Ooh, yeah, baby. I gave him my heart and he mashed it up good and proper. The whole sordid story involved drug abuse (his), infidelity (his) and suicide (his) over about 8 off-and-on years. It was so horrible that I felt an overwhelming sense of relief at his funeral, and I'm sure I wasn't alone in that. There's nothing like a bit of closure to help you move on.



*This only lasted one day. Dang.

12 comments:

comicstriphero said...

Keybort!! Ha ha!

Anyway, power tools eh? Phwoar indeed.

Tim said...

"Last furry thing you touched?"

Where's Mrs Slocombe when you need her?

Anonymous said...

& I thought I was the only person who's range of fancy was endlessly expansive after a few....

Anonymous said...

I really must learn to change the oil in the car, I am feeling quite the useless thing with my inability to do so.

Anonymous said...

Re the crazy weather. I am lucky the roof is still on my flat. I forgot to close the overhead windows and for 15 mins in the middle of the day all hell broke loose. There are places within 1km of me whose roofs were blown away in a blast of hail and rain, including the church where one of my sisters got married. I was surprised to only encounter a strip of damp carpet when I got home.

Great desktop pic. btw

Anonymous said...

Dang! I knew that was meant to be 'rooves'. I'm all confused what with this essay marking and the pronunciation 'roofs' on the ABC news. *blush*

worldpeace and a speedboat said...

well, I can use power tools but I can't change oil!

interesting meme, Ducky. we have some stuff in common. point 35 is kinda spooky, because I'm only halfway at the moment in a similar situation. and yes, it's (his) problems, and it's not fun, and this is TMI...

anyway! look at that interesting thing over there! *points and runs*

Ampersand Duck said...

Oh, you poor thing. All I can say is that if you can make it stop, do.

And let's get together for various beverages sometime.

worldpeace and a speedboat said...

ooh I have stopped it Ducky, but there's still the fallout to shelter from, y'know?

we are definitely going to have drinkies one day. I think we need to organise something before Harry high-tails it out of the country, don't you?

Ampersand Duck said...

Phew, that's a relief. The half-life of fallout is still a long time, eh? ;)

Definitely, although I have no idea when that is! I'm sure it's been mentioned, but I've got a brain like a goldfish.

worldpeace and a speedboat said...

hmmm... a comment I made last night appears to have been eaten - and yet, just when you think that, you try and replicate it, and then the (better) original version appears! so I will hold off just for an hour or two and see what happens :)

worldpeace and a speedboat said...

okay so *that* didn't work - it was something along the lines of - Coz and Ob are leaving in mid Jan, Haz is leaving in early Jan (I think) so it would work to try and get people together for both!