It's Meme Time Again
Feb. 9th, 2013 04:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
therealsnape I've had two exceedingly busy weeks, but the one ahead is slightly calmer and the two after that will feel almost like a mini-vacation. Which is good, because I'll get my Beholder-assignment soon, so I'll have to do some serious writing.
Last week I've bought the full Ngiao Marsh collection for Kindle online, for just $16,50, at a place called forumsoftware.com, and now all 33 books are mine! I plan to spread the fun and read one per month. I also plan to throw out my old paper copies as soon as I've read the kindle version. Except for the one I bought in Canterbury because, well, books I bought in Canterbury ... they're more than just books.
So, as you can see, ye of little faith who called me a naive old thing and patted my starry-eyed head when I first announced my good Kindle intentions, the Kindle does help to reduce the amount of shelf-space.
Also, The OLSB has missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime. There was a British mansion that was for sale, Wymering House in Portsmouth. We could have bought it for a mere song because it is haunted. And then we could have put in some repairs, and it would have made the OLSB Retirement Home of our dreams.
The ghosts were nothing, really. Sudden drops in temperature? That's called a draught - English houses often have them. Get a door sausage. Inmates feeling hot and cold at the same time? Either a bad cook or a very exiting fanfic. Bad cooks are a risk we can easily avoid, and if it's that good a fic we'll all want to read it.
The house also boasts a choir of nuns. It is reported that they sing to the sound of music, and there's only so much of "Climb Every Mountain" I can take, but Tetley and Minerva's_Eule would have improved their repertoire.
And there seems to be a Lady in Violet who tells tales of dying old aunts. They sound rather boring, but surely the OLSB could have converted her to the joys of true story-telling? She might have been quite a pleasant addition to our merry little brigade - nothing wrong with a Great-Auntie as main character, she just needed to spice up the plot a bit.
Alas, it's not to be. We were that close to The Best Exotic Poppy Hotel and we missed our chance.
1. What’s your favorite candle scent? Scent-free.
2. What female celebrity do you wish was your sister? Judi Dench might make a fun half-sister, and it's just possible; my father would have been a 24-year-old Dad. It's highly unlikely, though.
3. What male celebrity do you wish was your brother? Not sure. Perhaps a really good chef. But not Ramsay. He's too adjective-challenged.
4. How old do you think you’ll be when you get married? I got married at 30.
5. Do you know a hoarder? I am a bit of a hoarder. I do fight the tendency.
6. Can you do a split? Not for the life of me.
7. How old were you when you learned how to ride a bike? Five or so?
8. How many oceans have you swam in? Atlantic.
9. How many countries have you been to? Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Jordania, Oman, Germany, U.K., Ireland, USA, Switserland, Egypt - 15.
10. Is anyone in your family in the army? No.
11. What would you name your daughter if you had one? I suppose Flisty would sound odd?
12. What would you name your son if you had one? He'd have had the traditional first name for the Eldest Son of the Eldest Son in Lord S's family, and probably my father's name and his father's name.
13. What’s the worst grade you got on a test? My math results were Troll level.
14. What was your favorite TV show when you were a child? Calimero! The adventures of the one black chicken in a nest of yellow ones. He always tries to help, and they always blame him. The clip shows his most famous line - it was in every episode. "They is big and I is small and that's not fair!" I still think that. Frequently.
15. What did you dress up as on Halloween when you were eight? Nothing. Stop visualising! I don't mean 'nothing' as in 'nothing'. I meant we didn't celebrate.
16. Have you read any of the Harry Potter, Hunger Games or Twilight series? I'm familiar with the Minerva McGonagall books, yes.
17. Would you rather have an American accent or a British accent? British.
18. Did your mother go to college? No.
19. Are your grandparents still married? They're no longer alive, but my paternal grandparents got a divorce.
20. Have you ever taken karate lessons? No. Given my temper that may be for the best.
21. Do you know who Kermit the frog is? Yes. May I admit to not liking him overmuch? Only in very small doses do I find the Muppets palatable. And they should have kept their filthy paws off the Christmas Carol. *karate-kicks Kermit to Kingdom Come* - and how's that for alliteration?
22. What’s the first amusement park you’ve been to? The Efteling A Dutch theme park - changed out of recognition now. When I was young it was a fairy-tale-wood, all childish innocence. Now they have rollercoasters. Doom!
23. What language, besides your native language, would you like to be fluent in? Fluency is aiming rather high, but I wish my German teacher could have been bothered to teach.
24. Do you spell the color as grey or gray? Grey.
25. Is your father bald? No. It took some careful work with the comb, though.
26. Do you know triplets? Louie, Huey, and Dewey. And the Three Little Piglets, but we're not on first-name terms.
27. Do you prefer Titanic or The Notebook? Apple Notebook? I approve of the comparison with the Titanic.
28. Have you ever had Indian food? Yes.
29. What’s the name of your favorite restaurant? L'huitre et Demie in Paris used to be fab - haven't been there for too long. Also, there's a rainbow-coloured Currywurst stand I'd like to have near me.
30. Have you ever been to Olive Garden? There is a restaurant of that name in my town. No idea they were this famous. Must check it out. Will report back.
31. Do you belong to any warehouse stores (Costco, BJ’s, etc.)? Those of you who know my real first name know that I can only be purchased at the best kind of warehouse store. I'm a luxury few can afford.
32. What would your parents have named you if you were the opposite gender? I've no idea.
33. If you have a nickname, what is it? TRS.
34. Who’s your favorite person in the world? Until five minutes ago that would have been Lord S. But he just came in to tell me that, now that he has a tablet that will double as an e-reader and now that a friend has given him lots of Dutch ebooks, he may throw out paper books including the Dutch translation of Harry Potter. That sort of thing makes one reconsider one's relationship.
35. Would you rather live in a rural area or in the suburbs? the City.
36. Can you whistle? A little bit.
37. Do you sleep with a nightlight? No.
38. Do you eat breakfast every morning? Not every morning, but I would if I had the time.
39. Do you take any pills or medication daily? No.
40. What medical conditions do you have? None.
41. How many times have you been to the hospital? Five times for several-night-stays. Not after the age of 9, though.
42. Have you ever seen Finding Nemo? No.
43. Where do you buy your jeans? Erm ... actually ... if I'm to be totally honest ... I don't have any.
44. What’s the last compliment you got? "This was such a very useful training," from yesterday's students.
45. Do you usually remember your dreams in the morning? No, but when I do it's a nasty one.
46. What flavor tea do you enjoy? Anything from Mariage Frères.
47. How many pairs of shoes do you currently own? Define 'shoe'. Do we count boots? Espadrilles? Let's just say a fair amount.
48. What religion will you raise your children to practice? Tolerance, and a reasonable knowledge of the Christian culture.
49. How old were you when you found out that Santa wasn’t real? I always knew Santa wasn't real. The real thing is Sinterklaas. As I would teach my children.
50. Why do you have a tumblr? I don't.
Last week I've bought the full Ngiao Marsh collection for Kindle online, for just $16,50, at a place called forumsoftware.com, and now all 33 books are mine! I plan to spread the fun and read one per month. I also plan to throw out my old paper copies as soon as I've read the kindle version. Except for the one I bought in Canterbury because, well, books I bought in Canterbury ... they're more than just books.
So, as you can see, ye of little faith who called me a naive old thing and patted my starry-eyed head when I first announced my good Kindle intentions, the Kindle does help to reduce the amount of shelf-space.
Also, The OLSB has missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime. There was a British mansion that was for sale, Wymering House in Portsmouth. We could have bought it for a mere song because it is haunted. And then we could have put in some repairs, and it would have made the OLSB Retirement Home of our dreams.
The ghosts were nothing, really. Sudden drops in temperature? That's called a draught - English houses often have them. Get a door sausage. Inmates feeling hot and cold at the same time? Either a bad cook or a very exiting fanfic. Bad cooks are a risk we can easily avoid, and if it's that good a fic we'll all want to read it.
The house also boasts a choir of nuns. It is reported that they sing to the sound of music, and there's only so much of "Climb Every Mountain" I can take, but Tetley and Minerva's_Eule would have improved their repertoire.
And there seems to be a Lady in Violet who tells tales of dying old aunts. They sound rather boring, but surely the OLSB could have converted her to the joys of true story-telling? She might have been quite a pleasant addition to our merry little brigade - nothing wrong with a Great-Auntie as main character, she just needed to spice up the plot a bit.
Alas, it's not to be. We were that close to The Best Exotic Poppy Hotel and we missed our chance.
1. What’s your favorite candle scent? Scent-free.
2. What female celebrity do you wish was your sister? Judi Dench might make a fun half-sister, and it's just possible; my father would have been a 24-year-old Dad. It's highly unlikely, though.
3. What male celebrity do you wish was your brother? Not sure. Perhaps a really good chef. But not Ramsay. He's too adjective-challenged.
4. How old do you think you’ll be when you get married? I got married at 30.
5. Do you know a hoarder? I am a bit of a hoarder. I do fight the tendency.
6. Can you do a split? Not for the life of me.
7. How old were you when you learned how to ride a bike? Five or so?
8. How many oceans have you swam in? Atlantic.
9. How many countries have you been to? Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Jordania, Oman, Germany, U.K., Ireland, USA, Switserland, Egypt - 15.
10. Is anyone in your family in the army? No.
11. What would you name your daughter if you had one? I suppose Flisty would sound odd?
12. What would you name your son if you had one? He'd have had the traditional first name for the Eldest Son of the Eldest Son in Lord S's family, and probably my father's name and his father's name.
13. What’s the worst grade you got on a test? My math results were Troll level.
14. What was your favorite TV show when you were a child? Calimero! The adventures of the one black chicken in a nest of yellow ones. He always tries to help, and they always blame him. The clip shows his most famous line - it was in every episode. "They is big and I is small and that's not fair!" I still think that. Frequently.
15. What did you dress up as on Halloween when you were eight? Nothing. Stop visualising! I don't mean 'nothing' as in 'nothing'. I meant we didn't celebrate.
16. Have you read any of the Harry Potter, Hunger Games or Twilight series? I'm familiar with the Minerva McGonagall books, yes.
17. Would you rather have an American accent or a British accent? British.
18. Did your mother go to college? No.
19. Are your grandparents still married? They're no longer alive, but my paternal grandparents got a divorce.
20. Have you ever taken karate lessons? No. Given my temper that may be for the best.
21. Do you know who Kermit the frog is? Yes. May I admit to not liking him overmuch? Only in very small doses do I find the Muppets palatable. And they should have kept their filthy paws off the Christmas Carol. *karate-kicks Kermit to Kingdom Come* - and how's that for alliteration?
22. What’s the first amusement park you’ve been to? The Efteling A Dutch theme park - changed out of recognition now. When I was young it was a fairy-tale-wood, all childish innocence. Now they have rollercoasters. Doom!
23. What language, besides your native language, would you like to be fluent in? Fluency is aiming rather high, but I wish my German teacher could have been bothered to teach.
24. Do you spell the color as grey or gray? Grey.
25. Is your father bald? No. It took some careful work with the comb, though.
26. Do you know triplets? Louie, Huey, and Dewey. And the Three Little Piglets, but we're not on first-name terms.
27. Do you prefer Titanic or The Notebook? Apple Notebook? I approve of the comparison with the Titanic.
28. Have you ever had Indian food? Yes.
29. What’s the name of your favorite restaurant? L'huitre et Demie in Paris used to be fab - haven't been there for too long. Also, there's a rainbow-coloured Currywurst stand I'd like to have near me.
30. Have you ever been to Olive Garden? There is a restaurant of that name in my town. No idea they were this famous. Must check it out. Will report back.
31. Do you belong to any warehouse stores (Costco, BJ’s, etc.)? Those of you who know my real first name know that I can only be purchased at the best kind of warehouse store. I'm a luxury few can afford.
32. What would your parents have named you if you were the opposite gender? I've no idea.
33. If you have a nickname, what is it? TRS.
34. Who’s your favorite person in the world? Until five minutes ago that would have been Lord S. But he just came in to tell me that, now that he has a tablet that will double as an e-reader and now that a friend has given him lots of Dutch ebooks, he may throw out paper books including the Dutch translation of Harry Potter. That sort of thing makes one reconsider one's relationship.
35. Would you rather live in a rural area or in the suburbs? the City.
36. Can you whistle? A little bit.
37. Do you sleep with a nightlight? No.
38. Do you eat breakfast every morning? Not every morning, but I would if I had the time.
39. Do you take any pills or medication daily? No.
40. What medical conditions do you have? None.
41. How many times have you been to the hospital? Five times for several-night-stays. Not after the age of 9, though.
42. Have you ever seen Finding Nemo? No.
43. Where do you buy your jeans? Erm ... actually ... if I'm to be totally honest ... I don't have any.
44. What’s the last compliment you got? "This was such a very useful training," from yesterday's students.
45. Do you usually remember your dreams in the morning? No, but when I do it's a nasty one.
46. What flavor tea do you enjoy? Anything from Mariage Frères.
47. How many pairs of shoes do you currently own? Define 'shoe'. Do we count boots? Espadrilles? Let's just say a fair amount.
48. What religion will you raise your children to practice? Tolerance, and a reasonable knowledge of the Christian culture.
49. How old were you when you found out that Santa wasn’t real? I always knew Santa wasn't real. The real thing is Sinterklaas. As I would teach my children.
50. Why do you have a tumblr? I don't.