draliman on life

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?

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

What’s the worst day of the week for you? Why?
Tricky. Monday’s pretty bad because the week has hardly begun. Tuesday’s got the week properly started but there’s loads to go. Wednesday is halfway through! Thursday’s a good way through the week but there’s the lingering thought that it’s not Friday. Then Friday arrives!

I reckon Monday or Tuesday.

Would you ever consider posing naked or semi-naked for the camera or a live audience (acting in a play)?
With my bod and stunning movie star looks? It would be a crime not too.

😉

With the recent energy crisis here in the UK, would you prefer electric, gas, oil or some other means of heating your home?
I would prefer some sort of efficient eco-friendly solution but since I’m not rich I’ll have to stick with electricity.

In your household, who takes care of the bills, taxes, and other financial stuff? Is one person responsible or is it a shared chore?
I took care of setting up the direct debits and now they take care of themselves. The government takes care of the taxes, I’m not self-employed so I don’t have to do anything myself.

If you can have any one job (real or fiction) in the galaxy (yes, the galaxy, I’m widening the search radius, imagining relocation to other planets possible), what is that job?
Intergalactic Traffic Enforcement Officer. “You can’t park your flying saucer here, mate, this is a no-parking moon.”

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

Fill in: ‘If I were really completely honest, I would say that …’ (This is a question for ‘radical honesty’)
… “radical honesty” is a great way to really upset people and get your face smashed in.

Have you ever broken anything? What about rules?
I’ve broken lots of things, though not as many as you might expect by my age. I’ve never broken any “significant” bones (just potentially little toes, apparently they break all the time I’ve heard).

As for rules… me? I’m a little angel, me…

Are you also afraid of spiders? What is your biggest fear, other than spiders? (if you’re not afraid of spiders, use your biggest phobia instead).
I don’t know if “afraid” is the right word. I know they can’t hurt me. Screaming and rushing across the room is just a result of being “startled”.

Do you think time goes faster as you get older?
Yes, because it does.

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

Who do you think is an example of a successful person?
You’re successful if you believe yourself to be successful. That’s a determination people have to make for themselves. Everyone has a different metric. A great job, a successful relationship, power, a shit ton of cash…

I’ll have all of those, please.

Why are you doing what you’re currently doing?
It’s Sunday morning and that’s when I do my Share Your World post 🙂

What is your personal theme song?
I don’t have a theme song. Sounds a bit weird, like “new age motivation”. Singing it to myself in the mirror every morning before tackling the day 😮

What do you think about tofu?
I don’t think about tofu. I think about steak, burgers, bacon and sausages.

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World. This week we have more questions from the Nest critters.

What frivolous, but annoying thing that people do be considered a sin (crime)? And how should violators be made to repent (be punished) for it?
I’m with Dawn on this one. Littering. Okay, it’s technically a crime but even so. There’s no need for it. The punishment? The bin men make a delivery rather than a collection, and dump a load of rubbish in their living room. See how they like it.

Imagination IN and impracticality and logic aside, if you could pick one animal to have as an exotic pet based solely on how cute and adorable it is, what would it be?
One of those cute baby animals, like a baby panda or one of those baby wild cats.

Do you have any siblings? If so, where do you rank in birth order? And do you think either of these facts contributed to the person you became?
I’m the older of two brothers. I don’t know if that has contributed to my current state of being.

We all have things that make us happy, but what makes you deliriously, giddily, tail wagging-ly happy?
I don’t get that happy. I have quite stable moods. I like to keep things somewhere in the middle.

If you had an alter ego, who or what would it be? Describe some fun or interesting things about them!
I would be Dre’Zar, lord of the universe. Living incognito on Earth for whatever reason, I would have many special powers. For example, if I saw someone doing something absolutely frivolous but annoying (like littering) I would be able to instantly obliterate them.

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

At 12 a.m. on December 31st/Jan 1st, what will you be doing?
Since that has been and gone, I can tell you exactly what I did! I watched TV and played Assassin’s Creed Valhalla until just before midnight, at which point I read until the year had passed.

Is there a tradition you have for New Year’s Eve?
Just to stay up late and have some nibbles in to eat.

Do you have any hope or reason you find that next year will be better?
Nope.

What’s the biggest personal lesson you learned during 2021?
I don’t do “personal lessons”. I just keep making the same mistakes over and over again. It’s how I roll.

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

What is your least favourite holiday side dish? (for any holiday)
I’m not sure what the definition of “side dish” is here. In a restaurant, it really is a dish on the side, but at home nobody I have ever known has had a separate dish. We British tend to bung everything on the plate at once, chuck on a load of gravy and then tuck in.

What is the ugliest or most tasteless decoration you’ve ever seen?
I’m sure I’ve have seen a few, but they have been apparently wiped from my memory in disgust.

What is a cherished or unusual (either or both) family tradition from your childhood?
Me and my brother always woke up early on Christmas morning, went through our Christmas stockings and then woke Mum and Dad up to show them what Santa had brought us 🙂

You’re walking down the street, feeling great — what holiday song would be playing in the background?
I took this photo while walking to the next village over a couple of days ago. So maybe “Mud, Glorious Mud”. Though it’s not technically a holiday song, it seems most apt for this Christmas, where we’re seeing a lot of drizzle and temperatures as high as 12 degrees, so very warm!

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

What is your opinion of the state of health care in your country? Adequate or inadequate? What could be done to improve it?
I reckon it’s pretty good. I’ve never had any complaints. There are delays etc for some things and it’s generally understaffed but at the start of the year when I had blood pressure issues they were all over it with all sorts of tests and whatnot. I even sent my GP surgery a box of choccie biccies for Christmas last week to say thanks – they’ve all been so friendly and smiling this whole time.

And, of course, it’s all completely free (paid for through “National Insurance” – about 12% of salary plus employer contribution). I do pay for prescriptions but I get as many as I need for just over £100/year so nothing compared to the actual cost.

To improve it? As with many things – more money. Though it already costs the government over £150bn a year. And if you don’t like it, you can always “go private” and pay for health care, though most British people wouldn’t even consider that. It’s very expensive!

What are two words that describe you best?
Largely inconsequential.

Do you have a morning routine? If so, what it’s like?
Yes. Most people with “standard” 9-5 jobs will. Get up, get ready for work, commute two metres from the couch to the desk…

What’s something that really makes your blood race?
Woohoo! Nudge nudge wink wink… um, I mean, nothing, really.

Do you enjoy singing festive songs during Christmas?
Nope.

‘Nuff said.

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

What really turns your stomach? (politicians aside)
It takes a lot to turn my stomach. You’d be surprised at some of the gory stuff I happily watch while I’m munching away at my tea.

The behaviour and evil deeds of some people, that would do it.

What would YOU do with the immense amount of ‘garbage’ in the world, if there weren’t dumps or barges (Sorry New York/New Jersey) where it was taken to be processed?
Fire it into the sun. Nature’s incinerator!

What’s the oddest container you’ve ever gotten a gift in?
I can’t think of any odd containers used for gifts. I tend to get stuff in the original box wrapped in paper.

Do people behave differently during Christmas?
Everyone seems to be jollier. And less willing to do any actual real work. We used to get the afternoon of Christmas Eve off work. Now we get the whole day as the bosses realised no-one was actually doing anything in the morning.

Here is my post for Melanie’s Share Your World. This week is another squirrely one courtesy of the critters of the Shelf.

Mr Fox – If you had the power to strike one person in your life permanently speechless, who would it be?
I strike people speechless on a daily basis purely from the power of being me.

Tina – If you could relive your childhood over again, what’s one thing from this modern world today you’d want to take back with you?
Relive my childhood? Are you mad?

Rainbow Donkey – Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple are the standard colours of the rainbow. Name something you love (or greatly admire/appreciate) for all six major colours of the rainbow!
Purple? That’s history-changing. In this country we use the rhyme “Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain” to remember the colours. He died in battle, you see. If we change Indigo/Violet to Purple we’ll have to change it to “Properly” and he wins! Oh no!

Red – spectacular sunset
Orange – normal sunset
Yellow – sun(set)
Green – sunset viewed through tall grass
Blue – sunset under water
Purple – sunset on Venus

Here’s sunset from my bedroom window a few days ago.

Hung-Lo – If you were to open the world’s most accurate fortune cookie, what would your fortune inside it read?
Hmm, let me see… how exciting! And… it’s blank! How can it be blank? What can this mean? What can this mean?

Shelf Santa – Santa’s tired of people leaving him out cookies and milk on Christmas Eve night! If you really wanted to get on Santa’s good side, what would you leave out for him to eat/drink instead?
Milk and cookies? What sort if treat is that for Santa? Over here it’s sherry and mince pies. I’ll add some Cornish clotted cream for him.