draliman on life

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World, once again augmented by “Harry Potter-themed” questions from Roger Shipp.

You have just been gifted a magic wand that specialises in completing household chores. You can request the completion of only two household chores. Which chores would you assign your wand to complete?
Well, this wand is a bit disappointing, to be honest. Only two chores? Vacuuming and cleaning the oven. My oven’s instructions said it was self-cleaning, so I never cleaned it. And it’s filthy. So that needs doing.

At the local Wizards-R-Us store there was a sale on handshake shockers, instant darkness pellets, and levitation pills. Which of these ‘party thrillers’ are you more likely to purchase?
The instant darkness pellets. They’d be useful in all sorts of situations, like random street muggings and the like.

In the alley behind Wizards-R-Us, there was a tradesman selling a Love Potion. The sales pitch was too much for you and you yielded and purchased one vial. What do you do with it?

COMBINED WITH

You are the Great Clearinghouse Winner of a new ‘good luck’ potion – Felix Felicis. It has to be used within the next thirty days or its potency becomes diminished. Do you use it? Do you give it to a friend in need?
Yes, I’m combining these two. Think of the “significant other” I could hook with these two babies in my “chat up” arsenal.

If everyone spoke their mind, would this world be a better or worse place? Why?
It would be simpler but a disaster. Think of how many people would get beaten up by strangers, fired from their jobs, divorced by their partner…

Can achieving nothing make a person happy?
Yeah, if they’re really lazy and unambitious. Like me.

How do you know if you love someone enough to marry them?
You never will. Take a chance.

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World, co-hosted by Roger Shipp with his Harry Potter-inspired questions.

What happened to cause you to discover ‘bullies” were real?
It was when I went to “big” school. It was just low-grade bullying. I only ever got punched once and that was right in front of a teacher. Heh heh.

Eavesdropping – When given the chance, how often do you eavesdrop?
I don’t really eavesdrop. I just sometimes hear other people’s conversations 🙂

Escalators, at one time, were the ‘next big thing’. When was the last time you rode an escalator?
Whenever I was last in Marks & Spencer. They have an escalator up to the first floor (if you’re American that’s probably the “second floor”), which is where menswear is. That was at some point before lockdown.

Have you ever ‘let’ someone win in a sports competition or a board game? How did it turn out?
Nope. I don’t think that does anyone any favours. No, you lost, get over it! Stop crying and man up, you snivelling little three year old!

Do our fears start with our DNA?
For sure. I’m terrified of DNA.

If you could have your hair any colour for 24 hours, what colour would you choose?
I’d leave it the way it is. Brown with edges of grey. Very distinguished, I reckon 🙂

When do you think a person gets old?
When they’re around 10 years older than me.

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World, this week co-hosted by Roger Shipp who has provided Harry Potter-themed questions.

One of my favourite gifts that Harry Potter received came from the Weasley Twins; and was “Mrs. Mooney’s Marauder’s Map”. This magical document showed every classroom, hallway and secret corner in all of Hogwarts. It also showed you the location- by name- of every person in Hogwarts. If you had such a magical map of your town, what would you use it for? If you would not use it, is there another person to whom you would gift it?
I would have liked one of my school way back when. I don’t know what I’d do with one of my town. It would be quite useful for burglars! Maybe I’d gift it to the police, that would be a very useful intelligence tool.

When was the last time you made a snowball? Were in a snowball fight?
Way back when I was a kid. We don’t get much snow down here, and it doesn’t stay “usable” for long.

Many cultures set great value in each child of the family having godparents. Did you have godparents? Are you a godparent yourself?
I did have godparents though I can’t remember them. I am a godparent to a toddler.

You have found a secret tunnel under your house. Where does it go?
It goes to the Dralicave, of course. My secret base from which I secretly control the world bwahahaha.

Is intelligence or wisdom more useful?
Wisdom comes first. Intelligence without wisdom can be dangerous.

How important is play in living a healthy and fulfilling life?
It depends on the “play”. Although PlayStation has the word “play” in it, I don’t think it’s making me any healthier…

Is happiness just chemicals flowing through your brain or something more?
The actual feeling is chemicals, just like everything else. You have to get yourself into that state to get the “happy” chemicals flowing, though.

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World, this week co-hosted by Roger Shipp.

Harry Potter can speak to snakes. If you were able to have conversations with any one animal, what animal would you like to speak to? What would be the topic of your first conversation?
Mice. They get everywhere. They shall be my spies, and I shall rule the world BWAHAhahahaha!

The portraits in Hogwart’s dormitories can talk. If your graduation portrait could speak to people passing it by, what would it tell them?
It would say “meh”.

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger use the Pollyjuice Potion for finding new clues for the happenings at Hogwarts. (The Pollyjuice Potion is a magic potion that allows your body to form into that of another and live their life for a few hours.) If you could transform into another being, who would you chose to be? What would you hope to learn?
I wouldn’t be much good at being someone else. I’m sure I’d blow my cover within seconds, no matter what I looked like.

There was a flooding in the girl’s bathroom where Moaning Myrtle resides. What has been the most dangerous (or comical) ‘flooding’ where you reside?
I can’t recall any flooding incidents anywhere I’ve ever lived.

How do you think you’ll die? If you do think about it?
I don’t really think about it, that’s a bit morbid!

What’s the best on-line screen name you’ve seen? “Best might mean the oddest.
I’m sure I’ve seen a few, but that’s not something I remember.

What’s invisible that you wish people could see?
My awesomeness 😉

If over time you replace parts on a car, at what point does it stop being the same car you bought? How many parts do you need to replace to make it a new car?
l’m going to repeat my answer from last August as it was rather witty:

The rear view mirror. That’s the thing. Once you’ve replaced that it’s the beginning of the end. Because you’ll never get a new one to stick to the windscreen. There’s your new car right there.

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World. This week is a special edition, with additional “Harry Potter” themed questions supplied by Roger Shipp!

I got confused trying to track down this week’s film theme – “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”, as it doesn’t exist, I thought! However, I finally tracked it down – it’s “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, but for some reason they released it as a film in the US and India with an alternative title. Bit of trivia for you there.

Because of the state-wide quarantines many of the local SPCA’s are having an influx of animals. You have decided that you would love to have a new pet. Would you go the normal wizardry route and pick and owl, a cat, or a toad? Or would you become a more eccentric wizard (like Hagrid, the games keeper) and seek out a three-headed dog, a dragon, or a unicorn? Please explain your answer.
I’d have a cat. Cats are cool.

Neville Longbottom was gifted a Remembrall. This was a glass ball that would assist you in maintaining memories of things that you often forget. What would you want your Remembrall to help you remember?
The phone number of that girl I met that one time…

Professor Dumbledore gave Harry Potter an invisibility cloak that Dumbledore said was from Harry’s father. Now, you have inherited a cloak with similar powers. Would you use it? When?
Heh, I’d use it to… no, that’s creepy 😉

While cleaning your attic, you have discovered the Mirror of Erised. (“Erised” is “desire” spelled backwards, as if reflected in a mirror) The Mirror of Erised is a magical mirror, which, according to Professor Dumbledore, when you gaze into it, it shows the “deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts.” You have chosen to look in the mirror. What do you see?
The phone number of that girl I met that one time…

Would You Rather Live 120 Years That Are Comfortable But Boring, Or Live Half As Long, But Have An Exciting Adventure Packed Life?
That would rather depend on my quality of life over 80. As long as arthritis hasn’t nixed my ability to manipulate a games controller, I’ll go for the 120!

What’s Something That Overwhelms You?
All the household cleaning tasks. It’s like I only vacuumed six months ago and it needs to be done again. What’s that all about?

What Do or DID You Take For Granted?
Instantly being able to remember the phone number of that girl I met that one time…

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

What will finally break the Internet? Do you believe it can be broken at all?
I think I’ll leave this to the experts on highly popular Channel 4 sitcom “The IT Crowd” and their clueless manager, Jen.

What are some ‘red flags’ to watch out for in daily life?
When you’re walking down a dark alley at 3 o-clock in the morning and a guy wearing a hoodie pulls a knife and yells “I’m gonna stick ya!” There’s a vague possibility that’s going to turn nasty.

What’s the silliest thing someone has argued with you about?
I can’t remember what it was unfortunately but it was really silly and trivial. Neither of us was willing to give way. I was right though. Obviously.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve found lying on the ground/side of the road?
No idea. If I knew that in later life I was going to be answering blog questions about stuff like this, I would have kept a diary 🙂

No I wouldn’t, I’m too lazy 😦

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

Are you a clean or messy person?
Yes. By which I mean, both. Stuff tends to get left lying around at home until it annoys me to the point where I tidy it up. At work, I’m very tidy and organised.

If I asked you to describe yourself in five words – what would they be?
Unobjectionable. Just the one word required! I win.

Do you enjoy being out in nature?
Yes. Rambling about, taking the occasional photo. We have a lot of country roads around the village. Here’s a mysterious little opening just off the road I’ve never seen before.

What could you spend all day talking about?
I can’t really talk for long about anything. Except to myself.

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

Where Do You Not Mind Waiting?
I don’t mind waiting in most places as long as whatever the scheduled appointment is starts more or less on time. You have 5 minutes people. Then I start getting tetchy.

What Is In Your Fridge Right Now?
Fizzy drinks. Chilled water. Various meats. A variety of sauces (mainly hot). Loads and loads of different cheeses.

If You Could Only Speak One Word Today, What Would It Be?
Pardon?

Dammit, what a waste.

Would You Rather Be Trapped In An Elevator Full Of Men With BO Or Three Soaked Dogs? (this is with the codicil that C-19 doesn’t exist)
I wouldn’t be as I wouldn’t be in a lift. I don’t do lifts. I use the stairs. But if I had to choose, definitely not the dogs, wet or no.

Here is my contribution for Melanie’s Share Your World. There’s a new image this week!

What song always gets you out on the dance floor?
No song whatsoever, thank you so very much. And if one were to come close, it would be a traditional song with actual music in it rather than a thumpy-thumpy “dance” track.

What’s your favourite sleeping position?
There are two ways to go, but I prefer dangling upside down from a pole with arms crossed, in a dark cupboard just in case I sleep past dawn and burst into flames.

I find coffins a bit constricting.

If you could snap your fingers and instantly make the world better, what would you do?
I would make myself Absolute Super Supreme leader (wHole Of Life and Everything). Once I am supreme leader of the world, things would definitely get better.

For me.

Don’t worry, I would be a patient and kind supreme dictator.

What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done, and why did you do it?
Go on a roller coaster. I’ve never done that. On account of it being too scary. What was the question again?

If I’ve ever done anything scary, my brain has blocked the memories to protect myself.