draliman on life

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World.

In your opinion, what’s the closest thing to real magic?
Ever since I watched the excellent multi-part documentary “Star Wars” I’ve been intrigued by the “Force”. There’s some incredible things you can do with it. However, I have tried and failed to move so much as a paper clip. I guess my midi-chlorian count isn’t high enough 😦

Where is the worst smelling place you’ve been?
I don’t really know. When they put manure on the fields, that’s pretty smelly though. It gets right into the office. That’s the thing about living in a rural area.

What are some things that you’ve heard in your own life, which sounded like compliments but were actually insults?
I can’t really recall much in the way of passive-aggressive stuff in real life. Unless it’s coming from me. The best stuff is heard around the dinner table in Downton Abbey. They really knew how to politely insult people back then!

What incredibly common thing have you never done?
I’m sure some things are thought of as “incredibly common” to some people that aren’t to others. I’ve never been to a gym? That seems a bit common. I’ve never been to America or Spain – lots of people I know have.

I’ve never risked reversing up to the edge of a drop like this van in the village. Okay, there’s a bit of a lip but even so, I’m sure I’d find a way to topple over.

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World.

Must we have evidence to know the truth?
As a scientist by training, I feel obliged to answer “yes”.

How much control does a person have over their life?
Maybe 50%? You start off in some circumstance which may not be in your control, for example where you were born, you might lose your job etc, then it’s up to you to take it from there. Hey, life’s all about damage control!

What is gravity and how does it work?
I’m glad you asked! As a physicist, I can answer this.

There was this chappie called Isaac Newton and one day an apple fell on his head. That made him think – how useful! Up until now everything everywhere tended to float away. Everyone had to always tie stuff down or it would disappear off into space. So he got a big bag and he captured a bunch of gravity and sold it to all his mates and made a fortune.

It’s basically a bit like Velcro.

Can a person be happy if they have never experienced sadness? How about vice versa?
I reckon so. They just might not recognise it.

Gratitude
Who knew you could bulk-buy Aero bars on Amazon?! Yum 🙂

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World.

Have you ever ‘”dined and dashed” (i.e. eaten the meal and then run out the restaurant door without paying)?
No. Who would do that? I guess if you’re starving and have no money.

Have you ever been in a car accident and either left the scene of the accident (providing it was a fender bender and not serious) or denied culpability for causing it when you did, (if it were minor or serious)?
No.

Have you ever found a wallet or purse or some money (over $20) in the street and just taken it, thinking ‘finders keepers, losers weepers? Or would you be ‘good’ and hand it in?
No. But that was back in the day, when it was still easy to find a police station that was open to the public. I’m not sure where to hand something like that in to be honest. In the village, I’d hand it into the little shop/post office.

It’s technically theft to keep money you find on the street, but I bet handing in a £20 note would create £100 worth of paper work for the police and piss them off.

What was the last thing you stole or shoplifted? If you never ever considered doing that, tell us your secret!
The “last thing I stole or shoplifted”? That makes it sound like a thing loads of people do! My secret? I’m not a thief.

Here’s a picture I took on a recent wander. It’s foxgloves, which I left alone and didn’t steal.

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World.

What do you think of professional motivational speakers? Do you think they motivate?
For sure! They motivate people to spend their hard-earned cash to turn up, buy their book and come back again. They have that knack of getting people really excited about changing their lives during and shortly after the talk, but then the feeling fades and you have to go back for another fix.

Do you have a favourite flavor?
Yes.

While out walking, you hear a rustling in some bushes. What do you think of?
Someone’s getting frisky! Or it’s a werewolf. Or a vampire. Or a small rodent.

What’s your ideal temperature (nature-wise)? Hot, cold, temperate and mild, humid or bone dry?
Low 20’s and sunny during the day. Mid-teens overnight. Low humidity. I can’t express it in terms of hot/cold etc I’m afraid – scorching hot in Cornwall is mid to high twenties, which I know many people would scoff at and not consider hot at all!

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World.

How comfortable are you speaking in front of large groups of people?
Love it, being up there, the centre of attention, all eyes on me, standing in the spotlight.

Wait, that doesn’t sound like me at all.

Hate it, being up there, the centre of attention, all eyes on me, standing in the spotlight.

Final answer.

What would be the best thing you could reasonably expect to find in a cave?
Buried treasure. A dead body. A hitherto undiscovered monster crab. A huge vein of old (this is supposed to say “gold”, thanks Peter!). Ooh, a mermaid.

What did you think was going to be amazing but turned out to be horrible?
Salted chocolate. No, that’s a lie, I expected that to be horrible.

What’s the silliest thing you’ve observed someone get upset about?
All sorts of things. It could be me, it could be someone else. It’s usually something where you get into a “heated discussion” and both sides are so stubborn they refuse to back down, even though it gets sillier and sillier.

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World.

Is it ever okay to commit a crime? Please explain.
Only if you’re very rich and have no conscience. That way you’ll get off with it and you won’t care who got hurt.

Do you deal with change well?
I don’t like change. It always takes me a while to get used to things.

Do you like birds? The sound of bird song in the morning, taking pictures of them, as food? 
Yes to all! I don’t have many photos of birds though as they keep flying away. Here’s a couple of gulls.

What’s the least used item of clothing you own?
Probably my suit. I wear it one to two times per year (Christmas parties). It’s cool, though. It has a little waistcoat 🙂

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World.

In your opinion, does patriotism require the belief that one’s country is the greatest on earth?
No. And people who blindly believe that scare me. There are lots of ways you can define “greatest on Earth” anyway. I believe the UK is one of the best places to live overall, but not the best. Basing it on economic and military, it’s probably China but I wouldn’t want to live there.

Why is patriotism considered by some to be the highest of virtues? What is so important about love of country? Shouldn’t we be more concerned about humankind, or the planet as a whole, rather than a single country?
It’s good to love your country. I don’t know who considers patriotism to be the absolute highest of virtues. Sounds like blind faith, no questioning.

What is the relationship between decisions and consequences?
Absolute. You make a decision, it has a consequence. Any decision, big or small. Decision – get out of bed. Consequence – day has begun.

What is social justice?
That’s when someone in the village does something wrong and a mob shows up and dangles them from the nearest tree.

Oh, wait, I just Googled it. It’s not that at all.

What’s one body part you wouldn’t mind losing?
My head. No, I need that. My little toe.

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World.

What’s something you really resent paying for?
All types of insurance. I don’t like having to pay “just in case”. Grr. Of course, you’re glad of it if your house burns down or your house unexpectedly explodes.

What was the most unsettling film you’ve seen?
Star Trek 5 – The Final Frontier. How could they make something that bad in the midst of the great Star Trek, and actually think it was okay to release and not burn it?

Do you judge people?
I think everyone judges people, whether intentionally or not. The moment you see someone you form an opinion, which will alter over time, but that’s a form of snap judgement.

Finish this sentence: “Back in my day, we…”?
…spent long hot summers riding around the place on our bicycles during long hot summers holidays, not a care in the world…

Gratitude – Please feel free to share an uplifting photo, thought or meme to show your own gratitude. We can all use some good vibes!
A small but significant easing of our lockdown has allowed us to meet one person from outside our household outside, as long as we maintain the 2 metre distance. I went for a couple of walks in the country roads around the village with my friend.

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World.

Do you have a favourite kind of tree?
Yes, definitely. I’m trying to remember what it’s called. It’s that one with a sort of rough brown bit at the bottom, then it gets narrower as it goes up and sort of branches out into smaller bits. And there are green bits on it higher up.

Hopefully someone can identify it from that description. To summarise – brown at the bottom, branching out, green bits at the top.

What bridges are you happy you burned?
I don’t recall burning any bridges. I like to keep open a way back.

Would you sacrifice yourself (die) for a stranger?
Ha! No, I seriously doubt it. Nobody can truthfully answer that question until they’re actually in the situation, though.

How have your priorities changed since the C-19 virus took over?
I don’t think they have. I’m doing the same things in a different way, that’s all.

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World.

What can you break even if you don’t touch it?
My first thought was “the heart”. Other people have gone with “a promise”. Apparently there is “a real answer to this”. I wonder if it’s something real rather than an abstract noun.

I, of course, can break many things without touching them due to my Jedi powers.

What’s the most useful thing you own?
My brain. Without it I can’t remember how to use all the other useful things I own.

What’s The Silliest Reason You’ve Ever Gotten Into A Fight With Someone Over?
I can’t remember the last time I got into a “fight”. Probably with my one of my ex’s. You know how that goes, eh? 🙂

If You Were A Snake, How Long Would You Want To Be? No, size does not matter.
Ah, the snake. Universally a symbol of insidious back-stabbing nastiness. Slipping through the grass of life, a word here, a remark there, causing trouble and moving on, slippery, slidey, they cheat, they lie and are never seen, motes of dust, shadows in the night…

Sorry, what was the question again?