draliman on life

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

If you were given $22 million tax free dollars (any currency), what is the first thing you would do? (This is just a dream question, remember anything can happen in SYW.)
Wow, $22 million dollars! But which country’s dollars? Knowing my luck it’s Zimbabwe dollars. So that’s just under GB£45,000. A “dream question”? Mine’s turned into a nightmare, I got lumbered with dodgy currency. That’s just bloody typical.

I’ll use it to pay off some of my mortgage. I can only hope it wasn’t the old pre-2009 Zimbabwe dollar. I just checked and you can buy 100 trillion of those for £1.50 on eBay 🙂

In what do you find the simplest of joys?
Nothing in this life seems to be particularly simple. I suppose something very uncomplicated, away from everyday life, like sitting by a babbling brook.

That’s more contentment than joy, though.

What would be your ideal birthday present, and why?
I don’t know, I don’t really care about birthday presents. Maybe I’ll have the $22m from the first question in a more worthwhile sort of dollar, like AUD or USD.

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

Do you use paper money? If so is your money organised sequentially according to denomination?
You have to use paper money in my business. It can’t be traceable. It can’t lead back to you. Paper money. Or Bitcoins.

No, wait, I work in IT. I’m not a mobster. Forget I said anything. IT, got it?

I always make sure I have some paper money in my wallet and change in my pocket. You never know when you might need it. Everything and everyone is NOT set up for a cashless society. Try buying a 99 with hundreds and thousands from the ice cream van using a credit card.

Just a few weeks ago the card readers were down at the petrol station. Fortunately, I had cash to pay with! And yes, it’s organised by denomination (though I usually only have tenners and fivers).

You are comfortable doing nothing? For long stretches of time?
Am I? No, I’m not. Just sitting there, doing nothing at all? I don’t think so.

What is your greatest strength?
Ooh, I don’t have any. Or they’re all equally strong. Or not strong. One of those.

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week?
My wild garden has begun to bloom.

It’s not supposed to be a wild garden. I just haven’t done any gardening.

I took this photo a few minutes ago, just before 7am. It’s supposed to reach 20 degrees later on, but right now it’s bloody cold.

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

If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?
Hmm, is chocolate food? I would say “pizzas” but I wouldn’t want any of those shop-bought ones. Maybe an endless supply of Indian takeaways.

List at least five movies or books that cheer you up.
Well, there nothing like a good slaughter-fest to make me laugh. There’s “Planet Terror”, that’s fun. Then “John Wick”. I recently watched “John Wick 2” so I’m adding that to the list. There’s this great bit where he whips his car around and catapults a hoodlum into a reinforced pillar. I laughed so hard I nearly wet myself. “Guardians of the Galaxy” 1 and 2 and “Thor Ragnarok”.

If you were a mouse in your house in the evening, what would you see your family doing?
I wouldn’t see them doing anything as there’s just me and apparently now I’m a mouse. Somebody left the TV on, though.

Here is my post for Cee’s Share Your World. Short one this week!

List things or events that changed your life
Well, everything. Almost every single thing I’ve done has changed my life in some way. Every decision has consequences, no matter how small (dum dum DUM).

Complete this sentence: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s…
… a bird on a plane. On a plain. On some grass. Dammit.

What genre of music do you like?
Lots. Pop stuff like Dragonette. Harder stuff like Iron Maiden. Old stuff like Abba. No classical stuff, no rap, no hip hop and no dance though.

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

Been anywhere recently for the first time?
Usually the answer would be no, but on this occasion, yes! My usual doctor’s surgery was full so I had to go to a satellite surgery. Exciting stuff! It was the same 5 minute drive but, and here’s the interesting bit, in the other direction.

Phew. Real seat-of-your-pants stuff.

List three favourite book characters.
Stephanie Plum, Kate Daniels and Kylara Vatta.

What is your favourite non alcoholic drink: hot or cold?
Tesco fizzy lemonade. I’ll see if I can find the picture I took last time we had this question. Once sec.

”’

”’

Ta-da!

Mmmm. Nearly no calories of tasty refreshment.

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

What was or is your favourite cartoon?
Hmm. Back in the day I liked Scooby Doo. Who doesn’t? These days it’s stuff like “King of the Hill” and “F is for Family”.

Which cooking utensil (other than the usual pots and pans etc) would you miss the most?
My Mum. Hahahahaha. No, seriously, my fish slice. I use it for turning and serving loads of stuff.

Would you dare to sleep in haunted house overnight?
Given that a “haunted house” is probably just a “house”, what’s in it for me? Is it comfortable? Is there WiFi? What’s for tea?

If it’s an old, chilly, uncomfortable house I suppose it would be okay with a group of people looking forward to the full “haunting experience”. Might be a laugh.

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week?
This advert in my gmail made me laugh.

What, seriously? Why did I dismiss this ad? For a Chinese mud pump? Why does Google think I want to buy a mud pump? Why would I be so desperate to pump mud that I’d consider importing a whole machine from China for the purpose?

Let’s have a show of hands. Who here wants to buy a Chinese mud pumping machine?

No one?

Thought not.

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

What is your favourite colour of hair? You can name your hair colour or a colour that you just like.
Wow, I had to add four letter “u’s” to that sentence to make all the red lines go away 🙂

For myself, nondescript brown with grey bits is fine. Woman-wise, any sort of brown, natural blond, or any hair with cool colouring. Highlights, all bright red – it says something about the personality I think.

List at least 5 things that you are good at.
Huh. I’m not particularly good at anything. I’m acceptable at lots of things. Everything I do, I tend to reach “okay” level and get no further. It’s like my job title, which basically means “jack of all trades, master of none”.

What is your favourite animal or type of animal? (pets, dolphins, stuffed, wild cats, etc)
Anything that’s stuffed. In real life, widdle kittens and kitty cats. And bunnies 🙂

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week?
I appreciate having a week off this coming week. 10 days off in a row for the price of 4 leave days. Cheap at the price!

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

What is your earliest memory?
I have a very vague memory of my brother’s birthday, which was announced on the TV on a little segment called Gus Honeybun’s Magic Birthdays. Gus, a puppet, would do a handstand or whatever was asked of him. I was about four or so at the time I guess.

Which way does the toilet paper roll go? Over or under?
Over! Over, I say. Here, once again, is the original patent for the toilet roll holder. Note, “over”.

Picture via cnet.com, but since it’s a patent I’m assuming it’s public domain

What makes you feel grounded?
Being out for a walk in nature, I suppose. I spend most of my life either at work or lost in TV/vide game/book-induced fantasy. Reality is overrated, I find.

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week?
My friends’ oldest, who has a birthday next week, named me as being someone he wants at his birthday tea 🙂

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

If a distant uncle dies and you were always his favourite and leaves you $50,000 (any currency) in his will, what would you do?
Wow, over the past couple of years I’ve lost an awful lot of distant relatives hereabouts, and they’re all leaving me money!

I’d start by paying off a chunk or my mortgage, I guess. Because 50 grand off a mortgage is a lot more than 50 grand once they recalculate the interest.

What sound or sounds do you love?
Trickling water in a bubbling brook. Also the swish of the waves on the sand. Water-related things.

St. Nectan’s Glen, Cornwall

What’s your middle name? Why?
Francis. Why? That’s the one my parents gave me 🙂

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week?
Nothing springs to mind 😦 Just very busy at work.

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

What did or did you not like about the first place you lived without your parents?
Well, it was a room in university halls. About half men, half women and half first years, half final years. Fourteen rooms on my floor, sharing a kitchen. So it was what it was. Noisy but not lonely. A nice sense of community.

What is your most favourite smell/scent?
Mmm, bacon. Nom nom nom.

Would you prefer snowy winters, or not, and why?
It’s a wonderful magical sight to look outside and see everything white and still and quiet. However, I have to drive to work and my whole area is very hilly. The other week I couldn’t get off my drive until I cleared it let alone up the hill. The gritted road was 100 metres away and I couldn’t reach it.

So while I have to drive to work then no, I would not prefer snowy winters.

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week?
We had a nice birthday tea for Mum on Friday out at a local pub. It was a good evening.