# 5 answers: Spooktober edition
=> gemini://gemini.circumlunar.space/~christina/index.gmi for Christina's 5Q
## 1. Are "hidden" (possibly non-carbon life forms) aliens hiding in our midst?
On Earth, probably not. Elsewhere, perhaps! I think it's possible that we haven't found any other life simply because we're not looking for the right thing. Who knows, maybe carbon-based life is the "weird" type in the Universe as a whole!
## 2. Germans have "Fruehlingsmuedigkeit" - literally "spring tiredness". Does any change of season have a physical effect on you.
Living in Louisiana, especially this year, the end of summer has brought a sort of relief, definitely. I'm sure that a lot of it is due to me driving to work in a car sans air conditioning, but it's also been extremely hot this summer, and humid too. The past week or so has finally started to cool down a little, to where I wake up in the morning cold. I'm excited to begin wearing sweaters in a couple of weeks!
More generally though, I think I'm glad when every season comes to its end. I like to move, to experience change. So I'm glad to say hello to each new change of temperature and weather pattern.
## 3. If you could stockpile something delicious for wintertime, what would you pick? (You do not have to bury it!)
Probably tomatoes -- imagining that I'm stockpiling them in a magical place where they can stay in suspended animation without freezing or any other kind of "traditional" (or realistic) method of preservation. I absolutely *love* tomatoes, but they are so bad when they're not perfectly ripe.
## 4. What is your favourite book and why? And yes I know this is probably a mundane question but as a reader...
I've only re-read one set of books on any kind of regular basis, so I think I'd have to go with them: /The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy/, by Douglas Adams. The entire trilogy (minus the sixth volume, which I haven't read) is incredible and funny and thought-provoking and all sorts of things. It definitely had an outsize effect on my life.
## 5. Are there things that you enjoy eating or cooking in the Autumn?
Honestly, I love pumpkin-spice stuff. I've bought multiple pumpkin-spice cereals, including Cheerios and the Sprouts store brand of Cheerios, though I've got to say the best in that space is Trader Joe's Pumpkin-O's. I still have to get to the store and buy those this year.
I also enjoy squash and satsumas -- which are just beginning to ripen. Satsumas are like a Louisiana version of mandarin oranges, and they're so sweet and delicious, though they have a thin skin and are annoying to peel.
Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention gumbo, which starts to make an appearance in cooler weather. I've not had the meat-filled traditional version (chicken and sausage), but there's a variety of absolutely delicious vegan versions to be had if you know where to look, as well as some good recipes online.
These questions are reminding me how much I love autumn! It's a great time of year -- though I do miss all the changing leaves, living in a more evergreen locale as I do now.
gemini://gem.acdw.net:1965/raw/2020-10-01-5-answers-Spooktober-edition