8 Answers (replies to Tomasino and Christina)
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Early this month, Tomasino posed three questions [1] to the
phlogosphere. A few days later, Christina posed another set of 5
questions [2] to geminispace. In this truly multiversal entry, I'll
attempt to answer all of them!
Firstly, from Tomasino:
T1. Think back and try to remember the most satisfying drink of water
in your life. What's the story of that drink?
I spent a few years as a fairly dedicated climber, which culminated in
actually running away to the "mountains" (scare quotes because
Australia only has "mountains"). There were several times during this
brash period of my life where I under-budgeted on the water and wound
up desperately thirsty and thankful for the water when that was
finally an option. However the single most satisfying drink of water
was almost certainly at the top of Mt Tibrogargan [3] after a
particularly terrifying ascent. I'm getting sweaty palms just
thinking about it; honestly, I really have no business still being
here given the numerous bad decisions I made on that climb. I wasn't
dehydrated, but the water I slurped from a camelbak sitting in the
dark with my friends at the top of that hill was definitely the most
satisfying I've tasted.
T2. Have you ever personally witnessed an act off human compassion
that brought you to tears?
Honestly, no. That's not to say I've never witnessed compassion, but
I'm not a very teary person. Since reaching adulthood I can think of
only two times I've cried: sad tears after the sudden death of a
friend, and happy tears at the birth of my twin daughters.
T3. When is the last time you fell off a bicycle?
I don't own a bike (or a car), but I use a push scooter as my main
transportation (besides walking) and I fell off it late last year due
to a car swerving in front of me.
Now, from Christina:
C1. One of my favorite things to do in the summer is drive with my
window rolled down and the music turned up. What is on your summertime
playlist?
I don't have a car, but I'm enjoying listening to a lot of
synthwave/retrowave by bands I've discovered on Bandcamp, including
albums by Gunship, The Midnight and Kristine.
C2. I recently moved back to the area where I grew up. Tell me about
where you grew up - has it changed? If you left, what would induce you
to return? If you've always lived there, what would induce you to
leave?
I haven't really been back since I left. My younger brother left home
before I did, and my parents moved overseas soon after, and I don't
have any extended family or friends who've stayed in the area. It's a
bit strange, I feel a bit "at sea" whenever I think about it.
C3. What tree is your favourite and why?
A specific tree? Or a type of tree? Assuming the latter (I'm not
sure I currently have a favourite specific tree) I'd probably say the
Strangler Fig [4]. The way these plants completely envelope other
trees, sometimes surviving even after the host tree dies, has always
repulsed and fascinated me in equal measures.
C4. What were you afraid of as a child? Are you still afraid or did
you "grow" out of it?
Apart from obvious things like "the dark" and stick insects, probably
the scariest thing for me was coping with social situations where I
didn't know anybody. This is less of a problem now, but it still trips
me up.
C5. Who are some poets that you enjoy? What is it about them that
speaks to you?
Wow, I'm going to come off (rightly so) as an uncultured doofus here.
I've never really found poetry that I enjoy. Somehow I can't get past
the literal meaning of the words, so I'm always just confused. I know
that this is because poetry is often about the "colour" of the words,
the emotions they invoke. But while I'm able to enjoy the analogous
effect caused by music, I've never encountered poetry that I felt I
could "understand" in the same way as I can, say, a Bach prelude.
Ciao!
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[1]: gopher://gopher.black/1/phlog/20200605-fun-questions-part-2
[2]: gemini://gemini.circumlunar.space/~christina/
[3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tibrogargan
[4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strangler_fig
gemini://thelambdalab.xyz/phlog/2020-06-23-Eight-Answers-(Replies-to-Tomasino-and-Christina).txt