2006-08-22 - 7:55 a.m.
Survey about meeeeeeeee.
Taken from Celyn's diary, because I'm too lazy to write about crop circles today. (Yes, I was going to write about crop circles. A more fully realized set of thoughts about them might appear tomorrow, or I might be bored of the thought by then. Such is the madcap whirl of uncertainty that is my diary.) 1. When was the last time you shaved?
Yesterday, but I normally pluck out the hairs on my legs using an ultra-painful but quick process known as a "GentlyGold[tm]", which sadly, does not live up to its name. It does work fairly well, though, considering I have hair that laughs at "Nair", doesn't bleach, ever, and gets ten o'clock shadow when I shave at nine. Um, that was probably too much information, right? 2. What is your favorite flavor of JELLO?
Uh, Jell-o? I have some splendidly scary recipes for it, but I'm not that big a fan unless I'm desparate for something fruity, gelatinous, and sugar-free. Which, as you can imagine, is not very often. I saw way too much Jell-o during my Jenny Craig[tm] days to really want to strike up a lasting acquaintance again. That said, I kind of like the bubbly stuff one makes with soda water - that's kind of cool. And Pineapple - I like pineapple. 3. Do you enjoy looking at your myspace profile?
I am actually proud to say I don't have one. MySpace managed to go from cool to dorky in record time, so people like me, who are slow to jump on any new trend because we actually want to think it through first (this is why I gave up trying to be fashionable years ago and settled for "interesting") managed to avoid the whole thing entirely. Plus, I'm too old and not enough of a commercial whore. ...Well, only barely not enough. I admit, I love a wide readership (but only when my name is on my writing). 4. What does your favorite candle smell like?
Beeswax. I can't *stand* scented candles. The Glade ones that become scented pools of waxy oil that "scent the whole room" give me a headache just from watching the ads. The cinnamon candle we, er, "adapted" then made a shrine to at Pennsic made me nauseated. No scented candle gifts, please. Just in case you were thinking of buying me something. 5. Are you any good at math?
What kind of math? I'm okay at statistics, because it's part of my job. I can balance a checkbook, calculate the change I'm owed in my head, and add up my timesheet hours. Anything beyond that and I'm not so good - I failed beginning algebra twice in high school. I guess you could say I'm good at survival math. And counting calories. I'm *really* good at that. 6. Are any of your great-grandparents still alive?
No. Nor are my grandparents. My parents are in their 80s. 7. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group of people?
Last Wednesday, when I yelled at a bunch of rapier fighters. I'm loud at public speaking. 8. Who should get number one on People magazine's sexiest list?
Not really into the celeb scene, and no-one I think is heart-stoppingly sexy is that famous. 9. What is one of your favorite things to do when it's cold outside?
Stay inside. 10. What is one of your favorite things to do when it's hot outside?
Stay inside. I'm from England - temperate weather is more my thing. I'd rather be outside in the cold than outside in the heat, though. 11. What was the last TV show you watched?
Animal Cops Phoenix. I refuse to call it "Heroes", because I have some rather strict opinions about what constitutes a hero, and picking up stray animals ain't it. Not that they aren't perfectly nice people, you understand. 12. Do you have any famous ancestors?
Many semi-famous and associated-with-the-famous - My great-great grandfather on my mother's side identified and named Bright's Disease of the Kidneys, my grandfather was Nancy Astor's estate manager, then estate manager for the National Trust. My great-great grandfather on my father's side was Dean of Balliol College, Oxford, and my father is a writer who had a best-selling book about the human body and is the founder of the British Ballooning Club. My mother is a writer and worked for fifty years writing for The Economist. 13. Do you sleep with the door to your room open or closed?
Open, but the bathroom, closet, and other doors have to be closed. I have a creepy enough imagination as it is - I don't need help. 14. Do you have a secret identity?
I have lots of alter-egos - does that count? 15. Have you ever sniffed magic markers?
Only in passing. 16. What was one of your favorite toys as a child?
The giant doll's house my father made for me and my sister. Second was the wooden rocking horse. 17. Are you good at cooking anything in particular?
There's this Banbury Tart recipe that people keep asking for... 18. Do you have any injuries right now?
Chronic pain, but nothing immediately life-threatening. 19. Do you have a credit card?
Who wants to know? 20. Have you ever taken out a loan to pay for school?
No - in England, college is paid for by the state if you go to a state-funded university, so my first year at Cambridge cost me eight pounds and ninety-five pence. 21. Do you know the words to the song on your myspace profile?
Ref. question #3, dork. 22. Do you have DSL, cable or dialup?
Cable - sweet, sweet cable. When we first moved in, the cable wasn't hooked up, and I was bereft. I have since come to terms with my addiction to TV, and have no intention of quitting - I'd never get any sewing done otherwise. 23. Do you ever leave messages on people's answering machines/voice mail?
Yes, bu they're usually pretty terse - I sound like a pinhead on recordings. 24. Have you ever wanted to look like someone else?
More like a thinner me, most of the time. I'm fairly happy with the way I look, though I can't see anything special about it. 25. What's your favorite frozen treat?
EggNog milkshake from McDonald's. Failing that, Haagen Daz's raspberry sorbet/vanilla yoghurt swirl. Needless to say, both are rather hard to find. 26. Are you an organized person?
I attempt to give off the illusion of being organized, but I prefer to work in a frenzy of last-minute panic. Don't ask me why. That, and if I tidy everything away, I forget about it - I need to keep current work in little piles where I can see them. I try not to obstruct major walkways in the apartment. I'm mostly successful. Mostly. 27. Do you think you have an OCD about anything?
A general compulsion about certain things, and a dislike of having my plans changed at the last minute. Plus, I find plucking my eyebrows rather soothing. 28. Who did you lose your CONCERT virginity too?
Billy Joel. I don't go to many concerts. Technically, the first concert I went to was the London Philharmonic, but I don't think that's the kind of concert the question refers to. 29. What are your guilty pleasures?
Who needs guilt? 30. Are you a fast reader?
Too fast, sometimes - plane rides can be tedious. I've taken to doing crossword puzzles instead. 31. Have you ever put "yes please" by sex on something you had to fill out?
Too many other people have done it before me. 32. Have you ever vandalized anything?
All sorts of things, but nothing too valuable was ever destroyed. I prefer to think of it as "guerilla art". 33. Are you afraid or bothered by something that others find strange?
If others find it strange too, it's not really very odd that I'd be bothered by it, don't you think? Oh, okay. But use better grammar next time. I find making phone calls terrifying, for some reason. I've gotten better about calling for pizza (as in, I will call one time out of ten), but I find it almost impossible to cold call someone. Go figure. 34. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
Occasionally. Rude words are fun, too. 35. Do you use Twizzlers as straws?
No. In fact, that sounds kind of nasty. But that could be because I don't particularly care for Twizzlers. 36. What's the most painful dental procedure you've had?
Eh - they're all irritating, but I've had far more painful procedures done on other parts of my body. The most painful one of those was a blood drawing from the top of my foot when they couldn't find any veins in my arms - son of a bitch. 37. Can you name all 50 states?
If given enough time. Sadly, I have a better chance of naming all fifty states than I do of naming all the counties/shires in England (let alone Great Britain). Probably because they don't divide up English maps by county as often. 38. Is there a celebrity that you would like to punch in the face?
Many, but why use *my* knuckles? I would prefer to see them punch each other in the face. 39. Have you ever stepped on something sharp and had it go through your foot?
Eek! Aah! No! But I did step on a yellowjacket once and get stung on the sole of my foot. I thought I'd stepped on a piece of glass at first. Foot and hand injuries make me squick. Those, more than anything, make me close my eyes at the movies. 40. Have you ever been stung by a jellyfish?
Many times, but the jellyfish in the North Sea aren't that vicious - kind of like nettles. On my first trip to Florida, Bob managed to stop me from poking the pretty man-o-war jellyfish before I got stung, so thanks, Bob. They are pretty, though - the North Sea ones are usually transparent, with faintly coloured rings that are hard to see in the water. 41. What's one of the dumbest home remedies that you've heard of?
Eating a black spider between two slices of home-made bread for health. While I'm sure the spider would do no harm (I heard this one in England, where the spiders are large, hairy, and black, but not particularly venomous), it's still pretty nasty, as any non-fried creepy-crawly tends to have a rather bitter taste. I'm not really sold on the nutritive value of spiders, either, even though I know tarantulas are a foodstuff in the Amazon. 42. Have you ever saved anyone's life?
No, but I've almost killed a couple of people. Does not being successful at that count? 43. Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?
Not particularly - the salt-ridden tangle of wodgy hair just isnt that attractive a look on me. I was not cut out to be a mermaid, I guess. 44. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different kinds of popcorn for Christmas?
No, but my mother did once, and I gleefully appropriated the tin after the popcorn had been disposed of. 45. Have you ever been to a planetarium?
Yes, in London. Mind you the best planetarium I've ever seen was the night sky at the farm - the stars are so bright, they cast shadows. 46. Do you use a lot of salt?
Mmmmm, salt. Before I moved in with Bob, I almost never salted my food. He has since turned me onto the wonders of salt. My blood pressure has dropped since I started using more salt, and my hair has become more lustrous and red (coincidence? Maybe, maybe not). The wonders of salt cannot be denied, especially on perfectly crispy french fries. 47. Is your closet organized?
By colour. All the black things are on one rack. 48. What is a funny sound to you?
Bob doing "Wonder Warthog". 49. Have you ever been complimented on something other than your looks?
*blush*mumble* 50. Do you re-use towels after you shower?
Sometimes - it depends.
Dorsal - Ventral
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