The Question-Answer Game - Page 76  

Here it is:

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That's appalling, hedonist. How could you bear to be seen in that filthy monstrosity.

I drive a 2003 Ford Focus hatchback that I bought in 2003. I like hatchbacks, even my crappy old one. I would enjoy driving a nice one - maybe an Alfa Romeo if they were available in the US, or the Subaru Impreza WRX. I've owned nice cars in the past, though, and I really don't care enough to bother with them anymore. I don't see enough benefit to justify the cost, and I don't care enough to take care of it. I'll drive my Focus until the wheels fall off, and then buy another new-ish hatch.

The bad habit question is still pending.

Quit smoking.........

SQ

Biting my nails which thankfully I overcame as a youth.

Do you have a good memory or are you a forgetful person?

I remember pretty well

Are you afraid of showing your face on your avatar picture?

Not at all.

What is the longest word you are familiar with in your own language?

I can hardly think of any, simply as a "side effect" of my profession, a profession which forces me pretty much to know or at least to learn, to gradually master and become familiar with almost any word in my language (being a translator/interpreter would become very difficult if I did otherwise)

What topics or subjects do you feel most comfortable or even pleased, relaxed, motivated, positively stimulated, involved, passionate etc. about while discussing them?

Politics, linguistics, travel, economics, business, among others.

What was a popular discussion topic in your home growing up around the dinner table?

Where we'd go on vacation, what careers we'd choose.

Same Q

What happened in school that day and if we met anyone interesting.

When you pick up the morning newspaper, which section do you tend to read first?

Never had my paper delivered to it in the morning, since I only read the online editions of several newspapers, but if I would read the morning paper, my attention would hardly evver be attracted by politics and much more likely, the sections I owuld read first and with greatest interest would be: either economics or culture or the TV program or even ads - not just the classifieds, almost any large scale and easily visible/legible ads

Likewise, if you access an Internet browser, what category of sites are you most likely to look up first and/or more frequently?

I look at my email, come to Basenotes, google things I want to know more about.

sq.

News sites

Which time of the day would we most like find you on the internet?

Most likely, anytime between 9.00-10.00 AM and 23.00-24.00 PM


What is the hourly interval of the day when you are in your best work-related, task-performing/-accomplishing, problem-solving shape?

8:00 to 10:00 a.m. is pretty productive for me. I also get great ideas around 2:00 a.m., but I'm rarely up then.

Do you go through phases of doing a particular thing very often until you get sick of it, and then move on to something else?

OH yes, I go through those phases - not nearly as much as when I was in my twenties though. Then I could include activities which I want crazy with, buying supplies, and wanting more related stuff and then not finishing the project, etc. I'm far more discriminating now, although I have my moments!

Same question:

Yup, I'm a bit of a excessive personality and volatile too - I blame being Gemini. Thankfully, I have some recurring obsessions though - I dive into them, overdo it, lose interest and after a while it starts over again - with the stuff I already learned in the backround.

Same question...

No, not really. With important things (like work, where I can't afford to get sick of it) I can stick with a routine almost indefinitely, and only some external factor will stop me. Hobbies/interests are a bit different. I don't overdo these so that I tire of them completely. New things may come along that bury old interests for a while, but they'll resurface later.

What do you think is the least attractive aspect of your personality? (Me: various - self-centredness, moodiness, impatience, bad temper).

Definitely impatience ranks high for me.

Which genre of film is not to your liking?

LEAST ATTRACTIVE: I'm sure i could fill volumes on this, but I would imagine if others were polled, it would be that I am fiercely intransigent about everything. I am aware of this, yet defend it with equal steadfastness: My father, who is quite a brilliant man, taught me ONE THING that forever stuck with me, which is not surprising considering how often he repeated it. That thing runs thus:

If you are not absolutely certain of something, keep your mouth shut and listen and think until you are aware to an extent that allows you to defend your position with relative certitude of success. Do not act, speak, or do until you have reached that point.


(sounds crippling, but it's not if you've learned to live with it, and successfully apply it to all things over the course of your whole life)

Result: I am impossible to deal with if on a mission and convinced it is worthy and right, if the unfortunate one who disagrees is persuaded otherwise. Obviously, this never applies to personal things and choices. I, as it is been said, demand freedom and respect on all levels: There is no discussing that. Aware of this intrinsic element of my very essence as I am, I try very hard to offer everyone around me an equal amount of freedom, and remember to always respect all living things, even, as we are taught in my Faith, to be reverent to things that are not necessarily alive in an Earthly way.

That's the "if a poll were taken" answer. If it were up to me to provide the answer, I would say: I am forever in a muddle. This answer would surprise many: We do our best to disguise our most tenacious defects. As a result, my "song and dance" has always a tint, which blooms through in one way or another, of "I know precisely what I am doing."

What is your principle "song and dance?"

Inconsistency, I suppose, and a certain vagueness.

sq.

Generosity to a fault.

Re-posed: Which genre of film is not to your liking?

Slasher/horror.

sq.

Martial Arts films

When you eat out in a restaurant, do like to hear background music while you're eating or not?

@Lilybelle: Anything too commercial, not wanting to sound patronizing or high-brow, but most of the soap-operas, blockbusters, super-productions (though I do like some historical films shot in monumental, even histrionic style), even part of the theater which values too many striking, overpowering sensations over true meaning and depth, even too anecdotal, unsubstantiated, pseudo-scientific/pseudo-intellectual documentaries etc.

However, thanks a good art film any time (no, NOT because of snobbery), simply because small budgets, relatively unknown actors can create miracles of both style, but more importantly of substance and I can assure that will feel way more comfortable, relaxed and mentally stimulated while watching this type of film.

@Hednic: if it's something classical or at least, not tacky or tasteless, also not too loud, not only that I do hear it, but I sometimes even enjoy listening to.


What is your least favorite musical genre and why?

Rap - I find it vulgar and not music to my ears.

For which vocalist, given the opportunity to see him or her perform live up close, would the cost not matter.

Sarah Brightman.

SQ

Ken Russell, I hate the pseudo in films, too -- pseudo-intellectual, pseudo-documentary, pseudo-historical. Lack of research and clumsy handling irritates me. Not that I am an expert - I am not - but if even I am aware of this...just how slipshod is commercial film making becoming? Except for special effects, that is.


I do, but only if it is certain types of instrumental music that don't interfere with dinner conversation. Music can really elevate a dining experience. It's fun to play with that.


Off the top of my head: Sarah Vaughn.

sq.

Films:(disclaimer: This is only my opinion. I do not expect nor do I encourage that others should agree)

I have such a seething hatred for what has become known as "Grindhouse Horror" that I feel it should be illegal. Furthermore, I believe makers of it should be succored and given appropriate therapy, as its content betrays a true sickness of mind. This "genre" is defined by plots that involve unspeakable cruelty and unimaginable evil carried out with no remorse whatsoever: A form of perversion so hideous that, irony of ironies, it makes the monstrosities conducted in the past of our Western Civilization seem just to a certain, limited extent, in as much as there in could always be found some sort of reasoning, principally, questions of Faith. Much ado, for instance, is made of the unpardonable acts of horror perpetrated upon the Jewish People by the State of Germany. Less is made of equally unpardonable acts of an even more savage nature perpetrated on Christians by other Christians. Still less attention is paid to truly monumental epics of history which savagely took the lives of countless innocent souls such as the Armenian Massacre, (Genocide of Orthodox Christians) the "Other Holocaust" that is now nearly forgotten, as the State which conducted it to this very day formally denies that it ever occurred, when there is so much undeniable evidence that it did, to an even more grotesque extent than we have ever imagined. The young of this State are still educated to believe that this monument of untold ferocity never happened: That it is merely a myth, invented by countries and powers unsympathetic to their beliefs. Of all of these atrocities, none were bereft of a certain reasoning, albeit savage, faulty, diabolical: Whatever term suits the reader may here be applied. I betray my own beliefs in my suggestions, but do not in so doing attempt to force them on others. "Grindhouse Horror," now a kind of cult movement, guarantees massive success at the box office. The main audience envisioned for these films and their spin off electronic games, music, and sundry productions are young people in their formative years. In these films, and in their "offspring," the viewer is relentlessly shown torture in its most graphic form, cleverly veiled in a kind of glamour, which presumably has for prime motivation the idea of making human suffering somehow appealing. (Example of "Grindhouse Horror: the "Saw" series) Lately, an offshoot of this type of media has blossomed in the form of yet another kind of horror, aimed at a more evolved audience, even at intellectuals and "glitterati," of which type we have seen many examples since the late sixties: The Misogynist Horror. Perfect examples of this could be found in any work of Lars von Trier. Most recently, in the film "We Need to Talk About Kevin." These films seem to perversely illustrate a form of intellectual suffering that is specific to women, making it, as does the latter genre, seem glamourous and acceptable. It fascinates me to witness how our media can stand by and allow these types of monstrosities to be shown to our youth without posing some sort of questions about what the results will be on their psyche: These films are designed to be scarring, and to leave indelible marks on society, as were certain blockbusters of the late 60's through the mid 70's: "the Exorcist," for example. It would be difficult for any of us who saw that film at the time of its advent to not carry certain elements of it with us for the rest of our lives. The most disquieting thing about our current culture is, simply put, such media "is" our culture: Regular forms that we have known in the past, The Fine Arts, visual or otherwise, have become footnotes whilst Cinema, Internet Games, Fashion, Television, which at this point in history has "become" reality, dominate what precisely is educating our youth. It is no wonder that those who have the means would sooner starve than allow their children to set foot in a public school, as Education has necessarily become a kind of "Confinement." Interestingly, this omnipotent uber-God, now all-controlling, leaving not behind the News of the World as it is fed to us, "The Media," fits snugly into the predictions made in the Book of Revelations: Obviously, all such things occur differently than we imagine or predict. In the early days of the rise of Hitler, for example, few, if any, Jews could have ever imagined or predicted what the very near future would hold for their kind: As it unfolded, there was still a kind of denial that lingered, since, as humans, we are hard wired to believe that Humankind is good. We discuss here purely Western Culture, making abstraction of Near Eastern Culture and all of its complexities. This harkens something I myself was taught to recite by memory as a youth: In my day, being made to recite things by memory, using perfect diction and making a display of irreproachable poise was an integral part of Education, where most "exams" were oral, and the pupil would be made to stand alone in a room, at a podium, facing a panel of "profs," knowing not beforehand on which matter he or she was to be grilled. Here it is, as best I can translate:

"Would you know the History in brief of all things that have gone astray and lead us into our troubles? Here it is: There once existed a Natural Man. Into this Man was forcefully inserted an Artificial Man by means of Society, and there sprang up between these two, which live as one, a Civil War which lasts as long as does Life itself." -Denis Diderot, inventor, and principal editor of
"The Encyclopedia," considered so dangerous as to be banned by King Louis XV of France.

On the note of History, it is my theory that we are currently living in a downward spiral that is so swiftly quickening by the day, making it by sheer speed of advancement more threatening than it has ever been since it's beginnings, which, by my estimations, were the result of the French Revolution.
This degeneration is happening now with such speed, that our Society is fast becoming one of Warriors outright, prepped to fight, without even being aware of it. Does it not stand to reason, then, that, ultimately, a battle to the Ultimate Death will be fought, and this, in our lifetime?

I'll take advantage of this space: the infamous double post, to answer questions posed while I was in my furious fit of rage banging out the above.

MUSIC: Actually, music irritates me when dining out. Already, the food itself irritates me when dining out. Dining out for me is essentially an opportunity to savour the company of someone I love. Everything in a restaurant irritates me save for the shared mutual attentions of my dining mate or mates. Noise is high on the list of annoyance, right around the food itself. (People who dine with me know they also will have to order for me. I can't begin to look at a menu. Typically, I can't, or won't eat the food anyway, so it's a given that the only thing I care about at a restaurant is: Do they have a liquor license, as I don't drink wine, beer, or champagne: Only vodka, which I absolutely require when dining out.)

Music II: I have been accused of being a "Music Racist," which accusation pains me. It is a fact that, though, that of my very very vast collection of CD's, so vast that it takes up an entire wall, floor to ceiling, it can be said that it is as white as white gets. Interestingly, though, I really get aroused when white vocalists adapt black styles: The Black Keys, for example, (there are so many examples) or, in pure vocalist form, Annie Lennox, even Florence Welch, who both have their moments when it is obvious that they are channelling some of the Great Black Vocalists of which their have been so many, all hugely influential. Some Black Artists I have loved, proving the 100% rule inaccurate: Joan Armitrading, Diana Ross, Dakota Statton, Billie Holiday, Grace Jones, Nat King Cole, Lenny Kravitz, Jennifer Hudson, The Jackson Five, The Supremes, and there are more. Like Hedonist, I can not honestly say that I consider rap, or any music vaguely tainted by rap, white, black or otherwise, music. If that admission makes of me a "music racist," then I apologize.

Music III: The thing that happened to me that makes people seethe with jealousy the most is this: There was a dumpy coffee house across the way from my apartment when I lived in lower Manhattan in the 90's that had live bands and vocalists at night, and also had the advantage of staying open until 3:30-4:00am. I saw there Jeff Buckley perform with two band mates, without even knowing who he was, because at the time, he wasn't really anybody: They were selling their one and only CD, which contained 4 songs. After the performance, my friend and I "hung out" with them: There must have been no more than 10 to 15 people in the audience. Jeff Buckley never made mention that he was the son of Tim Buckley, whom, of course, I knew, and worshipped. I remember this oddity about seeing Jeff live: His vocal style was strangely reminiscent of Judy Garland's. When "Grace" came out, and, overnight, he was instantly a walking, living legend, it was my friend who reminded me: "Don't you remember? That's the guy we saw that one night we ended up talking to for over an hour!" Then, before he could release his second CD, "My Sweetheart the Drunk," Jeff drowned in a river, where his band had stopped to cool off as they drove their bus across the country for the "Grace" Tour. I would say: I would now give anything to see him alive and performing.
As it stands, RADIOHEAD is now the band I will pay any amount of money to see, or go anywhere if required. If ever there were such a performance, which i doubt, I probably would shell out any amount to see Kate Bush live.

MdM I agree with you on the subject of films, and I find it particularly disturbing to think that
. Do you really think so? I don't believe any such coordinated effort by humans is feasible - we always want to think so, but I think these impulses/intentions originate within unconscious levels and mainly stay there. How many people do you know are truly aware of what is going on around them, even as they participate? I have come to believe that there is evil at work in the world, a deliberate and pointedly evil intelligence as a power per se. I thought that was a naive belief when I was younger, but I don't think so now. I see the downward spiral, too.

Yes, dining out can be irritating but it depends on the restaurant, they're not all irritating. Having a dinner at home is nice, though. No rush, no wait, no menu, no intrusive waiters, and you can select your own music. Now that I think about it, we have mostly ignored whatever music was on at a dinner party at home (which we have not done since we moved to Virginia as we have no friends here, except for one couple I invited on Christmas - people here are sooooo reserved they are like icebergs & impossible to get to know unless you've been born and bred here). When I was young and lived in NYC we used to go downtown to the cheapie Indian byob restaurants in the east village and the music they'd play, that instrumental raja (?) music, in combination with the spicy food and Belgian beer we'd bring always made us high as kites, and NEVER interfered with conversation. On the contrary. Another type of music that works well on the psyche is the type of jazz that Miles Davis played.

I haven't been to see a live performance in ages. I don't like crowds, and I don't like the way people behave anymore. I used to hate rap, but now I like some of it, particularly some of the early stuff. It sounds quite tame now!

No question posed above so I'll pose a new one:

What is a nervous habit you have that bothers the person you are closest to?

None as far as I know, simply because the person (s) closest to me never complained to me so far

What famous cook/chef would you like to see live, in person while preparing dishes, meals etc.?

Wolfgang Puck

Which room in your house do you spend the most time in?

Lounge

If someone very close to you was in pain and terminally ill with one month left to live and wanted to die, would you help them commit suicide ?

If they would be in severe, constant pain and suffer greatly, yes, else I'd just tell them to chin up

Sq

No, I don't think I could do it.

How were you disciplined as a child by your parents?

As far as I can remember by being told off, not allowed to go somewhere, the odd slapped bottom.

Sq

My father would take his slipper or belt off though he rarely used it the fear he would kept us all in line.

Would you rather have every detail of your love life made public or have the details of you finances made public?

If I had to choose from these two - my finances.

How much free time on average do you have all to yourself on any given day?

10-12 hours the least, but they have to be used with maximum efficiency for sleep, leisure etc.

How many hours on average you watch TV during your regular daily schedule?

I'd say an hour to ninety minutes, but I guess this is probably one of the things that people generally like to underestimate, so better make that about three hours!

How much reading (books, newspapers, magazines, etc, not online stuff) do you reckon you do in an average day?

I don't get TV programming at home, so I don't watch any TV. However, I watch stuff on Youtube sometimes, mostly music videos. I'd say about an hour a day, on average.

How often do you see live music?

Not as often as I would like. The last concert I attended was for Cher.

How would you describe your penmanship?

Not at all. I rarely enjoy all songs from one artist. So going to a concert or performance would be boring.
Opera and jazz id watch the which performance.

What is your most embarrassing moment as a child and then as an adult.

Child: Forgetting my lines in a high school play in front of a large audience.
Adult: At a meeting with both male and female associates years ago, gave a 50 minute presentation with my fly opened, and was only told after.

Re-posed: How would you describe your penmanship?

Sublime.

Would you rather have $50,000 free and clear or $150,000 that is illegal?

50k free and clear.

How much reading (books, newspapers, magazines, etc, not online stuff) do you reckon you do in an average day?

At least 5 hours

Your favorite British actor/actress?

Oh well, I would have to say Robert Powell.

Anyone a hockey fan in the house?

Love hockey. Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr were among my favorites.

Which sport do you find the most difficult to understand?

I like to watch hockey live -- fun to watch, fast game.


American football. I've watched it for most of my life more or less passively, and I still don't understand the rules of the game. I haven't actually tried to understand the rules of the game because I don't really care, but you'd think I would have just picked it up by now.

sq.

Golf, LOL. don't know the lingo and don't care to know!

Favorite candy/sweets?

@Lilybelle: Lots of sports, but especially rugby, cricket, baseball - not that I don't like them, it's far more that I don't know the rules in the first place

@Kalli: Belgian chocolates and chocolate in general, especially dark and white

What sport or any kind of workout activity is the best for helping you relax and/or become energized?

Energized: Soccer

Relaxed: Biking

Have you ever failed a class in high school or in university? If so what subject?

Nope.

Favorite pie? Yes, I am into food today, lol.

Cherry crumb

Favorite exotic fruit?

Rambutan.

SQ.