This, That, and the Other

Rory, over at Earthly Comforts, has once again posed a number of intriguing questions this morning. Let’s see if I can come up with some equally intriguing answers.

1. Do you sometimes ‘just’ LIKE posts from those you follow but don’t often read the content, and if so, why do you do this? Is it a time restraint or something else that motivates this action?

I don’t read every post of every blogger I follow, but I don’t LIKE the posts I don’t read. If I do tap LIKE on a post, I will have at least skimmed the post to get the gist, so I know what the post is about and basically liked it. Yes, there are definitely time constraints, given that I follow about 200 bloggers, many of whom post multiple times a day. So it’s close to impossible to read every one of their posts. But if I do tap LIKE, it’s because I opened up the post on my Reader and at least skimmed it.

2. What do you do with gifts you have received but have no use for?

If it’s possible to return it or exchange it, I will do that. If not, I’ll see if someone else I know might want it or I’ll donate it to Goodwill.

3. Have people become lazier concerning cooking do you think, or is it more a case of people not knowing how to cook? Is cooking considered a valuable skill by you?

My wife is a very good cook, but these days, she often prepares meals that will take us through three or four nights without her having to prepare another meal. It’s not a matter of being lazy as it is that she’s tired of spending a lot of time each day preparing and cooking dinner. I don’t blame her one bit.

4. What news stories, in your opinion, have so far defined the 2020s and what do you think they have taught us personally as individuals?

The news story since 2020 that has so far defined the decade is that Donald Trump, his minions, and even the mainstream Republicans have bought into The Big Lie that Trump did not lose the 2020 election, that it was rigged, and that elections don’t matter. That story is followed closely by the pandemic and by the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade.

5. What would you never swallow even if you could?

The Big Lie (see above).

6. How many hours of sleep do you get a night, and how many hours do you think you need and why?

If I turn out the light at 11 and can sleep until 7, that would give me a full eight hours of sleep and that would be ideal. The reality is that I usually get only between six and seven hours of sleep each night.

7. How important is it to you to have a clean house or environment to live in and does it have to be pristine?

I don’t need “pristine,” but clean and tidy is important to me.

8. Could you give up your smartphone and break your addiction to it?

Nope.

9. What have been five of your best TV shows from the dawn of dot to today? Why were they good?

Since the dawn of “dot”? I’m not sure what that means, so I’m going with five of my favorite TV shows of all time.

• Cheers
• M*A*S*H
• Seinfeld
• The Wire
• All in the Family
• Honorable mentions: Taxi, The Twilight Zone, Rocky and Friends, Monty Python and the Flying Circus, the original Star Trek, Laugh In, and, well, that’s enough for now,

10. Why is life not a bed of roses but a bed of thorns? What makes your life good and or bad?

I don’t think life is is either a bed of roses or a bed of thorns. It’s more like a roller coaster, with plenty of ups and downs and twists and turns. I’m very content with my life, and that, to me, makes it good.

11. Toasted waffles or toasted bread, and why?

I’ve never been a fan of frozen waffles that you heat up in the toaster. So I’m going with toasted bread.

12. How do you feel about the ageing process and you?

I suppose, for an aged person like me, the aging process hasn’t been too bad. So I’m okay with it, knowing that there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. I would prefer a few less aches and pains, but I suppose that’s what aging is all about.

13. What is the last rebellious thing you did?

I’m not sure I’ve ever done anything truly rebellious. Yeah, in my youth I used to go to protest marches, I was a hippie, I grew a beard and had long hair in the late Sixties. I still have a beard, but my hair has long since abandoned me. I smoked grass, dropped acid, took a cross-country motorcycle trip, did some skinny dipping at a nudist beach, and maybe a few other things that some might call rebellious. But nothing recently (i.e., within the past few decades).

14. What would be your ideal ‘you experience’ of the following …. museum, theatre, spa day, bungee jumping?

I’ve never been to a day spa, so it might be nice to give it a try. I’ve no interest in bungee jumping. But I do enjoy going to museums and to theaters (for live performances, as opposed to movie theaters).

15. Could you easily step off the planet and away from society and your friends and being social and also away from the Internet for 12 months?

Wouldn’t I die if I somehow stepped off the planet? I suppose, if the choice was to either step off the planet and die or be away from society and my friends and being social, and also away from the internet for 12 months, I’d choose the latter.