draliman on life

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

What would be your ideal birthday present, and why?
Hmm. I really have no idea. I’m not really bothered about birthdays any more. They come, they go…

What colour would you like your bedroom to be?
I’m not all that bothered. Nothing too “in your face”. I don’t notice these things. I’ve lived here going on two years and I have no idea what colour my bedroom is now, or whether it’s paint or wallpaper. Everywhere else is wallpaper so I guess my bedroom is too. If I haven’t noticed it I guess it’s currently some sort of off-white or cream.

Would you prefer snowy winters, or not, and why?
I would ideally, but I have to drive to work and therefore I wouldn’t.

Would you rather go a week without bathing, but be able to change your clothes, or a week without a change of clothes, but be able to bathe?
If I really have to choose, the same clothes but be able to bathe. I could probably make that work for a few days anyway. It would be pretty manky though.

Here is my post for Cee’s Share Your World. Week 48? I suppose I need to start thinking about Christmas cards and stuff. I’ll have to go up into the loft in a couple of weeks and get the decorations down, I guess. Yay!

Are you a hugger or a non-hugger?
I’m not a big hugger. I especially never initiate a hug, I’m not about to force me on anyone. And I’m more comfortable hugging women than men. You know us blokes, all macho and whatnot :-).

The only person I hug regularly is my mum :-).

What is your favourite toppings on pizza?
Everything “normal”! “Normal” does not include seafood or pineapple or anything like that. Meat, pepperoni, cheese, tomato, stuff like that.

Is that extra cheese? Why yes, yes it is.

A friend of mine gave me a recipe for pizza base so yesterday I bought flour and yeast and whatnot. I’ll give it a go next week. I haven’t “baked” anything since the 1980s (a jam tart which ended up splattered all over the classroom floor), so wish me luck!

If you were the original designer of one existing corporate logo, which one would you select?
I’ve looked at loads of logos and I can’t really choose one. I’m sure after posting this a really cool one will catch my eye. Therefore, though it’s a charity and not a corporation, I’m going for the World Wildlife Fund, as they have a cute panda.

Complete this sentence:  Where I can seek my solace is…
… at home, I guess!

Here is this week’s Share Your World, hosted by Cee.

In your native language which letter or character describes you best?  Why?
Hmm. I don’t know. To me letters are just letters. None of them mean anything on their own, or symbolise anything in particular.

Thinking about it, I’m often confused so I’ll go for “Y”. “Y” is also confused. Is it a consonant? Is it a vowel? Is it a consovowel or a vowelsonant? Nooooobody knooooows.

What is your greatest extravagance?
I guess games for my PS4. ‘Cos they’re not cheap. But if you get the right one, like a big open-world adventure, they’re worth the money I reckon. Witcher 3 cost around 40 quid but I played it for well over 100 hours.

Do you prefer exercising your mind or your body? How frequently do you do either?
Neither. Never 🙂

Unless you count being at work when I’m constantly thinking. So exercising my mind is the last thing I want to be doing when I get home. As for exercising my body, that’s incompatible with my Netflix habit.

List at least 5 things that makes you laugh.
Ooh.

• Funny comedies
• An unexpected and possibly rude comment out of nowhere
• When someone’s head unexpectedly and graphically explodes in a film or video game
• Cats doing funny things
• Funny stories

Here’s my post for Cee’s Share Your World challenge. Some tricky questions this week!

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “fun”?
Oh no. Someone’s organising something “fun”. Will I have to participate? I want to go home, have tea and watch the telly. Maybe play some PS4. That’s what I’ll do.

I prefer “quietly enjoyable” to “fun”. Fun sounds like hard work.

What is your favourite time of day?
The morning, I suppose. I feel less tired in the morning (once I’ve got going). Though on a work day, the evening’s good!

Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want to have a evening with?
Ah, so many women, so little time :-). I really don’t know. Not someone I admire as an actor or whatever, as there’s the risk that I’ll be disappointed. It’s hard to know what these people are really like in real life. I’ll think I’ll have to pass on this evening.

Complete this sentence: Something that anyone can do that will guarantee my smile is…
… say something spontaneously funny (possibly rude and/or slightly inappropriate).

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

If you were on a debate team, what general subject would you relish debating?
This wouldn’t be a very good idea for me. You don’t want to get me started on something.

I’m thinking maybe

“Is it okay to illegally steal music and films off the web rather than pay for them like a law-abiding citizen? If you feel something in a shop is too expensive, do you steal it instead? DISCUSS!”

You can see by the slightly (!) biased way I phrased the question where I stand :-). I’ve already started my debate in the question, even!

The trouble is I might have to argue the opposite to what I believe on a debate team. Maybe I could do that, maybe not.

What’s your strongest sense?
My eyesight is pretty poor (though fine with corrective lenses). My sense of taste isn’t what it was thanks to decades of Tabasco abuse. My sense of touch is somewhat desensitised (at least on my thumbs) thanks to chewing on them. My sense of smell isn’t great either. So I’ll go for hearing, which is fine apart from the usual age-related degradation.

What would you name the autobiography of your life?
“Was that it, then? The life and times of draliman.”

List your favourite flavours or types of tea.
I don’t really like “normal” tea. I sometimes drink “fruity” tea, like blackcurrant and stuff. I suppose technically that’s a “fruit infusion” rather than a tea. Here is what’s in my cupboard right now. The worktop thingy I put it on for this picture was one of my birthday presents from my friends from round the corner. I have another flavour in my drawer at work.

Here is my contribution to Cee’s Share Your World.

Are you usually late, early, or right on time?
No usually about it. I’m always early. I calculate how long I’ll need based on time of day and so on and then add some time on in case of getting stuck behind tractors and whatnot. Usually if I’m going for a meal with my parents, I’ll arrive, sit in the car for 10 minutes, then go into the restaurant 10 minutes early.

The further I have to go, the earlier I will typically be.

If you were or are a writer do you prefer writing short stories, poems or novels?
If I were a writer I would probably prefer to write short stories. Novels sound like they would take far too much planning!

Where did you live at age ten?  Is it the same place or town you live now?
At age ten I lived in Truro, Cornwall. I’ve moved all around but now I’m back in Cornwall, about 7 miles from Truro. Full circle!

Would you rather be able to fly or breathe under water?
Who’s cooler? Superman or Aquaman? I rest my case.

Here is my post for Cee’s Share Your World for week 41.

What genre of music do you like?
I like all sorts! Pop and rock are the ones I listen to most. Currently early at work when I’m there by myself I’m alternating between Froot (Marina and the Diamonds), the eponymous album Evanescence and The Book of Souls (Iron Maiden).

Sometimes when a particular chap gets in early he sets the radio channel to Classic FM. It drives me nuts. I keep wanting to order dessert because it makes me feel like I’m in a posh restaurant, or maybe in a lift. I know many people find classical music calming but it winds me up something fierce :-).

What is the worst thing you ate this last week?
I didn’t eat anything bad this last week. I always eat much the same stuff week to week, so it’s unlikely that I’ll eat anything “bad”.

Would you like to be famous?  In what way?
No, I wouldn’t like to be famous. Imagine having people always trying to sneak a peak into your life, taking long-range photos when you’re out shopping and the like. Yeeks!

Complete this sentence:  This sandwich could really use some…
… self respect.

Look at you, sitting there with no mayonnaise. No mustard or condiment of any kind in fact. Call yourself a sandwich? You make me sick, sick I say. Sort yourself out, mister. At least garnish yourself with a little pickle, for Heaven’s sake.

Here is my contribution to Cee’s Share Your World. Week 40 already!

If you have been to a foreign country name those you have been to?
Well, to Cornish Nationalists England, Scotland and Wales are foreign countries so can I claim them? 🙂 On top of those,

• Germany (up in the north) twice on school exchanges
• Germany (Stuttgart, in the south) for a year during my first degree
• Switzerland (for a day trip during the afore-mentioned year in Germany)
• France a couple of times (day trip and business meeting)
• The Netherlands a couple of times (business meetings)
• Ireland (four years)

That’s it, I think. I haven’t been to most of the usual places like Spain. And some places many people go to have become too dangerous or have “changed hands”. My parents managed to visit Crimea shortly before it became unexpectedly Russian.

Is the glass half empty or half full? What type of glass is it and what is in the glass?
Any old glass will do! I’m known as a pessimist (though apparently I’ve been showing a more positive attitude over the last year). So my glass has a dribble of water left in the bottom. There’s a fly floating in it. It’s struggling to get out. But it won’t.

If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?
Hmm, tricky. All the foods I would like an endless supply of would cause massive obesity and early death, like ice cream, chocolate and pizzas. But if the calories, fat, sugar and salt weren’t an issue I’d either go for a premium expensive(ish) chocolate like Thornton’s or Lindt, or an expensive cheese.

List:  List at least five places worth shopping.
Five? FIVE? I pretty much buy everything on Amazon. I buy my groceries at Tesco but it’s neither good nor bad, it’s just “there”. I occasionally get stuff from Argos (like my bed, or small things like shower curtains). I bought my cooker from Appliances Online – I can recommend them, they were very efficient. I bought bedding for my new bed from Dunelm, they have a good range.

There you go, five. Though I’ve only used the last two once each! Looks like I really do buy nearly everything from Amazon.

It’s time to Share My World again, with the questions posed by talented photographer Cee.

Which way does the toilet paper roll go? Over or under?
Over, obviously :-).

As well as ensuring that one doesn’t smack one’s hand into the wall while using this configuration, according to the excellent website and essential research tool Toilet Paper History (hey, you really can find anything on the interwebz) the “official” inventor of the toilet roll holder, Seth Wheeler, clearly showed the toilet paper in an “over” configuration in his patent application.

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

So there.

If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?
Recently I had to be a pen, now a crayon. I’m regressing. Soon I’ll be a finger paint.

I guess some sort of purple/mauve/indigo/deep blue colour. That’s my favourite.

You are comfortable doing nothing? For long stretches of time?
That depends on what “nothing” means. I’m assuming just sitting there not reading, watching TV or anything. I don’t really do that. But if I’m in a situation where I’m waiting for something, say at the doctor’s, I’m okay just sitting there watching people come and go.

Would you accept $5,000 to shave your head or dye it bright lime green and continue your normal activities while not explaining the reason for your haircut or colour?
Well, five grand is five grand! I’d go for the shaving of the head, I think. It would only take around three months for my hair to grow back to the way it is now. I don’t know how I’d get away without telling anyone, though. They might think I’m having chemo or something and that wouldn’t be fair on them.

I suppose bright lime green would quickly grow out, too. And think of all the lovely things I could buy!