draliman on life

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

Do You Prefer Salty Foods or Sweet Foods?
It depends on the time of day and what I’m in the mood for. Sometimes I really, really want a chocolate bar. I think that’s my body’s way of telling me my blood sugar is low. So I have to listen to it, don’t I? At the moment it’s telling my that only Easter eggs will do.

Would you rather be in a place where it is excessively hot or excessively cold?
Well, neither, really. I not only live in a temperate zone country, but in a temperate part of that country!

Generally I would say “cold” as it’s always possible to put on more clothes and switch on the heating, but if it was going to be one or the other all the time, I would go for hot and just get used to it. I generally struggle above 25 degrees but I’m sure I would grow to love it 🙂

Favourite Mode of long distance travel (Bus, Plane, Train, Automobile, or other).
My car. I like the autonomy, stopping where and when I want, the music I want, the temperature I want.

What was your favourite holiday growing up?
So a choice between Christmas and Easter… definitely Christmas, of course! Now I’m all grown up, I still like Christmas but it is an awful lot of hassle and money.

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

Are you more productive at night or in the morning? Do you think it’s possible to change and get used to another schedule?
I’m definitely more productive in the morning. I like to get up early and get stuff done, and I naturally wake up early. I expect even I could change given time, though (if I had to).

What’s the biggest vehicle you’ve driven? If you don’t drive, what’s the biggest vehicle you’ve ridden in?
I haven’t driven anything very big. Just a high-roofed Ford Transit van which I used to drive my stuff back home after university. That was 250 miles each way. Three seconds after leaving I nearly scraped the neighbour’s car as I forgot to take the extra length into account when I left the parking spot, so I won’t be driving a lorry any time soon.

What songs would be played on a loop in hell?
Screeching opera. I bet even opera lovers would go crazy after hearing someone hit the high notes constantly for eternity.

What does it mean to be a person? What constitutes “personhood?”
A living human being. Whereas “personhood” is a personal head covering which keeps the rain off.

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

What very common thing have you never done?
I’m sure if someone mentioned something I would realise I haven’t done it, but I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. I’m much better remembering things I have done rather than things I haven’t 😦

Are we morally obligated to be charitable, if we have the means to?
No. I don’t feel morally obliged to do anything. People should do what feels right to them.

What is the most amazing fact you know?
I’m really useless at remembering things like “amazing facts”. I’d be the most useless member of the pub quiz team.

What’s your favourite sandwich and why?
Anything with cheese. Almost every sandwich I make has cheese involved. Sausage, fried egg and cheese with hot sauce is pretty good.

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

How do you tell if someone has a sense of humour?
When they tell a hilarious off-colour joke which causes my coffee to spray out of my nose.

What sort of music do you prefer?
It depends on my mood. Anything pop through to symphonic rock and (lighter) heavy metal. Nothing rap, garage, hip hop or classical.

Thoughts on gravy or ‘sauce”? Yea or nay?
Well, they’re staples. Sometimes I even eat some food with my sauce.

Would you enjoy a hot air balloon ride?
I reckon it would great. I would love to do it. The views, the quiet…

But please no-one offer to take me on one, as it looks terrifying and we would crash and I would surely die.

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

What’s The Strangest Thing In Your Refrigerator?
Strange? In my fridge? Perish the thought. My fridge doesn’t contain the heads of any of my enemies. Absolutely not. How dare you imply otherwise.

Would You Rather Hear The Music Of Johann Sebastian Bach Played By A Barbershop Quartet, Or A Heavy Metal Band?
Definitely Heavy Metal. Everything sounds better in Heavy Metal.

If You Could Erase One Event From History, Which One Would You Erase?
Erasing events from history is not a good idea. How many films have we seen regarding time travel? Changing stuff never works out well. The film industry has the right of it.

If Your Food Is Bad At A Restaurant, Do You Say Something?
If it’s obviously uncooked or cold I’ll say something. If it’s simply not very nice I just won’t go back. It’s tricky these days around here – some places keep changing hands – it’s good, it’s rubbish, it’s good again…

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World. It’s a day earlier than usual as I’m busy tomorrow and I can’t afford to run out of time as Monday will bring a new SYW!

Is any one person’s life worth more than another’s? Why or why not?
No. Or, if you like, you could measure someone’s life by the number of other lives it would affect. Like, if someone were to die, how many other’s lives would get better/worse? If, just as an example, off the top of my head, some random dictator, from Eastern Europe, say, fell in the bath tub tomorrow and broke his (or her) neck, would a whole lot of people’s lives suddenly get a lot better?

Can a good person do evil things and remain a good person? Under what circumstances?
I don’t reckon so. A good person can do bad things and remain a good person, but “evil” takes a certain sort of person.

Is somebody morally culpable if they take a morally wrong action at the orders of a superior? What if their life is at stake?
Ooh, the “I was just following orders” defence. According to the war crimes court, yes, they’re culpable.

People had widely mixed opinions about illegal bananas, so let’s take that a step further this week: What would be the worst thing for a government to make illegal?
The world wide web. I’d have to, like, talk to people. IRL. Urgh 😦

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

What’s the most useful thing you know?
How to find the toilet.

What impact do you think it would have on the world if bananas were illegal?
Bananas? Illegal? What madness is this? What mad despot has passed this law?

I expect it would make quite a difference to the banana growers and pickers.

What social stigma does society need to just get over?
Wearing red and green at the same time. Okay, it’s not nice, it makes you look like a Christmas elf, but just get over it, people.

Do you prefer the moral viewpoint of consequentialism, which focuses on the consequences of actions, or deontology, which focuses on the innate rightness or wrongness of the actions themselves?
This sounds like “do people avoid wrongdoing because they’re afraid of getting into trouble, or because it’s actually wrong”. The latter is preferable, we have laws and police for the former.

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

Which traditional Valentine’s Day gift would you rather receive: chocolates, flowers, or a card with a personal message?
I’d like a card with a personal message. And chocolates to seal the deal. I literally don’t have a free surface to put flowers on.

Do you like romantic movies?
Yes, if they’re also comedies, for example “There’s Something About Mary”, that kind of thing. Otherwise they’re just boring.

Is Valentine’s Day only about romantic love? Or is it a good occasion to celebrate friendship as well?
Let’s keep it to romantic love. We’ve just had Christmas with all its expense and expectations, let’s not expand yet another day out of control.

According to Wiki (font of all knowledge) St Valentine is also the patron saint of beekeepers. So let’s show some love for the keepers of our stingy little insectoid friends.

How do you deal with unwanted romantic attention?
I’ll let you know if it ever happens.

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

What would be the most surprising scientific discovery imaginable?
That we’re all actually robots, with perception filters to make us all believe we’re organic.

You’re going to worry about that all day now, aren’t you bwhahahaha 🙂

If aliens landed on earth tomorrow and offered to take you home with them, would you go?
No. I’m sure they’d have ulterior motives. I wouldn’t want to sign a “take me with you” permission slip only to end up in an alien zoo 😮

What breed of dog would you be? If you’re more a cat person – what breed of cat?
I’d just want to be a moggie, no particular breed. They’re far cuter than most breeds, and the cuter and fluffier you are, the more food and treats you get 🙂

Bubble gum? Yea or nay?
Nay. I used it as a kid, but it gets everywhere, sticks to everything and then you have to work out how to get rid of it.

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

What is one topic you love to talk about?
My mind has suddenly gone blank. Which probably means there isn’t anything specific. I expect I’m a conversation leech, latching onto other people’s conversations and making them my own. You know, that guy at the party who steams in and arrogantly offers unsolicited advice on a topic he knows nothing about.

Suppose there was a magical wizard standing right in front of you and you could turn your life into anything you wanted, what would you do?
Ooh, I’d get him to make me half an inch taller. That would sort me out nicely.

Or maybe my “usual” – Lord Master of the Universe. Hard to choose between those two.

Could you adjust to life without any internet?
Yes. We never had any of that when I was growing up. I’d prefer we had it, but I could adjust to life without it. I’m assuming here the “World Wide Web” rather than the “internet”. Obviously the WWW needs the internet to work, but the internet’s just wires and devices, so not so useful by itself.

What do you think is unique about the human ‘animal’ (homo sapiens)?
I used to think it was it was our “ability” to hurt others “just because”, but apparently various animal species do that as well so we’ve lost our one defining unique feature.

So, um… wearing clothes?