draliman on life

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.

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 🙂