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January 2023 Prompts - Part 1
Feb. 7th, 2023 10:22 pm1 – Global Family Day: How do you define family? There’s biological family, of course, but there is also intentional family, i.e. the people we choose to spend our lives with.
2 – World Introvert Day: Do you consider yourself an introvert, an extrovert, or something in between? I consider myself to be an ambivert. That is, I can be very outgoing and bubbly at a party or when I am on stage. But I often do need some alone time to recharge my energy. I have reached the stage in life where I am comfortable telling people that I need some introvert time.
3 – Women Rock! Day: From the Supremes to Janis Joplin to Tori Amos to Billie Eilish, women have made their mark in the world of music. If you were putting together an all-female play list, list five performers who would absolutely have to be on it. I have pretty diverse musical tastes, so let me try for a mix of familiar and un. For the familiar names, I’d have to say Carole King for the depth of her songwriting and Lady Gaga for her talent and graciousness. I’d say Shemekia Copeland is the most exciting voice in blues these days. Angelique Kidjo has been getting more and more recognition - and deserves all of it. And I can’t really ignore Latin America - and, specifically, Brazil - which brings me to Virginia Rodrigues.
4 – World Hypnotism Day: Have you ever been hypnotised? If so, how was the experience? I have never been hypnotized, nor have I ever had any desire to be.
5 – Whipped Cream Day: Do you like whipped cream? Have you ever made whipped cream from scratch? I like whipped cream fine, but consider it inessential. I have definitely made it from scratch, but not in several years.
6 – Take Down the Christmas Tree Day: If you celebrate Christmas, when do you put up your tree and when do you take it down? Not applicable.
7 – I'm Not Going to Take it Anymore Day: What gets you to the point of saying you're not going to take it anymore? People taking credit for my work.
8 – Winter Skin Relief Day: What is the best skin moisturizer you've tried? Do you use different moisturizers for your face and body? Other than moisturizers, do you have any other tips for keeping your skin feeling and looking healthy during the winter months? Mostly I use DNA. But when my hands get dry in some climates, the best I’ve tried is something called Hands of Hope.
9 – Coming of Age Day: What does coming of age mean to you? What, if any, coming of age ceremonies or rituals are practiced where you live? Mostly, I think of school graduations. I always vaguely expected to feel different after flipping that tassel, but never really did.
10 – Shop for Travel Day: First celebrated in 2018, Shop for Travel Day has continued annually on the second Tuesday of the year ever since. The reason for it being situated at this time on the calendar has to do with the fact that, in many cases, the early weeks of January are an especially advantageous time to shop for travel due to many companies offering special deals and discounts. When was the last time you travelled within your own country? How about outside of your own country? If money (and time) were no object, where would you love to travel to? The last time I traveled within the U.S. was the first weekend of January, when I went to New Bedford. The last time I traveled outside of the U.S. was late November / early December, when I went to Costa Rica. If money was no object, I would love to do a cruise through the Northwest Passage.
11 – Take the Stairs Day. Does your house have stairs? If you have the choice of stairs or an elevator, which do you choose? My actual unit doesn’t have stairs, but my condo complex does. While I could take an elevator in one of the other buildings and walk across the garage, it is much easier to walk up the two flights of stairs. As a general rule, given the choice, I will walk up one or two flights and down up to three, unless I was carrying something heavy or awkward.
12 – Marzipan Day: Do you like marzipan? Those little marzipan pieces in the shape of various kinds of fruit are okay, but there are other candies I like better.
13 – Make Your Dream Come True Day: Have you ever had a dream come true? Care to tell the story? I’ve had a few nightmares come true.
14 – International Kite Day: Have you ever flown a kite? Have you ever been to a kite festival? Have you ever flown a kite at a kite festival? I’ve never been to a kite festival, but I have flown kites. The mistake most people make when it comes to kite flying is trying to fly the diamond shaped kites you make as a kid. Go to a kite store and buy a delta kite. Or even a box kite. Those are infinitely easier to fly.
15 – World Snow Day: Does it snow where you live? If not, have you ever seen snow? If yes, what do you think of snow? It snows some where I live. Except, there has been a significant dearth of snow this year. I am not complaining about that.
16 – Nothing Day: Should we observe this day by not asking a question? Is it literally possible to do nothing? Even when I am not doing anything in particular, I am still breathing and my heart is beating and so on.
17 – Ditch New Year's Resolutions Day: Do you make New Year's resolutions? If so, how successful are you at keeping them? I think in terms of goals, not resolution, and try to make them positive, not negative. I usually finish the year at somewhere between 30 and 60 percent of what I’d aimed for.
18 – Thesaurus Day: Do you own a thesaurus? How often do you consult a thesaurus to find just the right word? I probably have one somewhere, but I don’t remember the last time I used it.
19 – Popcorn Day: Do you like popcorn? What is your favourite topping for popcorn? Or do you prefer it plain? I like popcorn once in a while The only thing I put on it is a little salt.
20 – Take a Walk Outdoors Day: Is being outdoors important to you? How often do you spend time outside/in nature? Do you have easy access to parks or walking trails or other natural areas (e.g. the beach)? Do you feel any benefit if you make the effort to go out into nature? Do you try to get outside regularly? Depending on where you live, January might not be the best month for marking Take a Walk Outdoors Day – do you find it more difficult to venture outdoors in the winter? I like being outdoors if the weather is nice, but not if it’s too cold or too wet. There is a large park with walking trails just about a block from my condo complex and I walk there fairly often.
21 – International Sweatpants Day: Thanks to Covid, many of us have probably lived in sweatpants for the better part of the last couple of years. If this is true for you, has that experience impacted your choice of "work" clothes? Do you now seek out non-sweatpants trousers that mimic sweatpants, e.g. elasticized/drawstring waistbands, stretchier material, etc.? If Covid didn't really impact your clothing choices, do you wear sweatpants? I pretty much only wear sweatpants (or, for that matter, yoga pants) only for sleeping or exercise. Work clothes are no longer relevant for me, but I always adhered to a business casual standard for them - no jeans, no athleisure, collared shirts, etc.
22 – Celebration of Life Day: Every now and then, it’s a good idea to take some time off so you can refocus yourself. It’s about stepping back and looking at your life from a different perspective so that you can appreciate everything that you have. How would you celebrate your life? What can you be proud of having achieved? I’m most proud of things I’ve created - both stories I tell and various crafts items.
23 – Handwriting Day: Do you still write by hand? Can you write (and read) cursive? Do you think cursive should be taught in schools? I do write by hand and I even try to write legibly if I’m writing something I expect other people to read. I print or write in cursive about equally often. I read cursive quite a lot, looking at genealogical records. In fact, I have this theory that the census bureau gave prospective census takers penmanship tests and only hired the ones who failed. And, of course, schools should teach cursive. If I had to learn something, so should those overentitled brats nowadays.
24 – Peanut Butter Day: Do you like peanut butter? What is your favourite way to eat peanut butter? I do like peanut butter sometimes. I eat it usually just on toast, though also have been known to make a satay-like sauce for noodles.
25 – A Room of One's Own Day: Did you have a room of your own when you were growing up, or did you have to share with siblings? Do you have a room of your own now? If you do, what do you use it for? Is it a bedroom or something else? When I was very little, we lived in a one bedroom apartment, so I slept in a crib in the bedroom. When we moved to suburbia (when I was three), I got my own room.
26 – Australia Day: If you are not Australian, have you ever been to Australia? How much do you know about Australia? If you went to school somewhere other than Australia, how much were you taught about Australia in school? I’ve been to Australia several times. The first time was about 1990, when I went to Sydney and Melbourne. I went to Brisbane in 2002, spending several days there on my way to Papua New Guinea, and again in 2016 on an overnight on the way to the Solomon Islands. I went to Canberra, followed by a few days in Sydney in 2012 (I think) and to Perth, followed by a trip on the India Pacific Railroad to Adelaide the next year. I still have a few more things I need to do there, e.g. taking the Ghan (a train that goes through Alice Springs to Darwin) and going to Tasmania. I don't remember our learning much about Australia in school, beyond a mention of it as a penal colony. But around 4th grade, we had an assignment to write about another country and I chose Australia. I believe my paper mostly was about animals.
27 – Fun at Work Day: Do you think work should be fun? How much fun do you expect to have at work? I think it’s good to have some fun at work to alleviate stress. I’ve had some colleagues who were very good at lightening the mood when things were absurdly busy. Someday, I will write in depth about the cult of Anubis developed by someone I used to work with, which was based on the idea that the ancient Egyptians discarded the brain since it was the only body part they considered useless. However, I also despise mandatory fun, i.e. being expected to attend events outside of work time.
28 – Global Community Engagement Day: Do you feel engaged with your community? How important do you think it is to feel that you belong in your community? I believe that the way that one survives in a large city is to find smaller communities to spend one’s time in. In my case, that has involved different things over the years, including my synagogue, folk dancing, and storytelling.
29 – Curmudgeons' Day: What is a curmudgeon? Do you know any curmudgeons? What do you think of them? Today is also Freethinkers' Day. Do you think a curmudgeon might be just a freethinker? Curmudgeons are people (usually men) who are generally considered to be old, cranky, and set in their ways. They can be annoying, but they can also be amusing. Maybe I think that since I, too am old and set in my ways.
30 – Bubble Wrap Day: Does bubble wrap deserve its own day? Why or why not? Of course. There’s days for all sorts of things and at least bubble wrap is fun.
31 – Backward Day: National Backward Day is a fun day that encourages us to do things in an order that we would not usually do them in! Have you ever taken part in a backward day? How did it go? We had Topsy Turvy Day at summer camp. I don’t remember a lot of the details, but I think campers and counselors switched roles. And we may have done things like eating dinner foods for breakfast.
2 – World Introvert Day: Do you consider yourself an introvert, an extrovert, or something in between? I consider myself to be an ambivert. That is, I can be very outgoing and bubbly at a party or when I am on stage. But I often do need some alone time to recharge my energy. I have reached the stage in life where I am comfortable telling people that I need some introvert time.
3 – Women Rock! Day: From the Supremes to Janis Joplin to Tori Amos to Billie Eilish, women have made their mark in the world of music. If you were putting together an all-female play list, list five performers who would absolutely have to be on it. I have pretty diverse musical tastes, so let me try for a mix of familiar and un. For the familiar names, I’d have to say Carole King for the depth of her songwriting and Lady Gaga for her talent and graciousness. I’d say Shemekia Copeland is the most exciting voice in blues these days. Angelique Kidjo has been getting more and more recognition - and deserves all of it. And I can’t really ignore Latin America - and, specifically, Brazil - which brings me to Virginia Rodrigues.
4 – World Hypnotism Day: Have you ever been hypnotised? If so, how was the experience? I have never been hypnotized, nor have I ever had any desire to be.
5 – Whipped Cream Day: Do you like whipped cream? Have you ever made whipped cream from scratch? I like whipped cream fine, but consider it inessential. I have definitely made it from scratch, but not in several years.
6 – Take Down the Christmas Tree Day: If you celebrate Christmas, when do you put up your tree and when do you take it down? Not applicable.
7 – I'm Not Going to Take it Anymore Day: What gets you to the point of saying you're not going to take it anymore? People taking credit for my work.
8 – Winter Skin Relief Day: What is the best skin moisturizer you've tried? Do you use different moisturizers for your face and body? Other than moisturizers, do you have any other tips for keeping your skin feeling and looking healthy during the winter months? Mostly I use DNA. But when my hands get dry in some climates, the best I’ve tried is something called Hands of Hope.
9 – Coming of Age Day: What does coming of age mean to you? What, if any, coming of age ceremonies or rituals are practiced where you live? Mostly, I think of school graduations. I always vaguely expected to feel different after flipping that tassel, but never really did.
10 – Shop for Travel Day: First celebrated in 2018, Shop for Travel Day has continued annually on the second Tuesday of the year ever since. The reason for it being situated at this time on the calendar has to do with the fact that, in many cases, the early weeks of January are an especially advantageous time to shop for travel due to many companies offering special deals and discounts. When was the last time you travelled within your own country? How about outside of your own country? If money (and time) were no object, where would you love to travel to? The last time I traveled within the U.S. was the first weekend of January, when I went to New Bedford. The last time I traveled outside of the U.S. was late November / early December, when I went to Costa Rica. If money was no object, I would love to do a cruise through the Northwest Passage.
11 – Take the Stairs Day. Does your house have stairs? If you have the choice of stairs or an elevator, which do you choose? My actual unit doesn’t have stairs, but my condo complex does. While I could take an elevator in one of the other buildings and walk across the garage, it is much easier to walk up the two flights of stairs. As a general rule, given the choice, I will walk up one or two flights and down up to three, unless I was carrying something heavy or awkward.
12 – Marzipan Day: Do you like marzipan? Those little marzipan pieces in the shape of various kinds of fruit are okay, but there are other candies I like better.
13 – Make Your Dream Come True Day: Have you ever had a dream come true? Care to tell the story? I’ve had a few nightmares come true.
14 – International Kite Day: Have you ever flown a kite? Have you ever been to a kite festival? Have you ever flown a kite at a kite festival? I’ve never been to a kite festival, but I have flown kites. The mistake most people make when it comes to kite flying is trying to fly the diamond shaped kites you make as a kid. Go to a kite store and buy a delta kite. Or even a box kite. Those are infinitely easier to fly.
15 – World Snow Day: Does it snow where you live? If not, have you ever seen snow? If yes, what do you think of snow? It snows some where I live. Except, there has been a significant dearth of snow this year. I am not complaining about that.
16 – Nothing Day: Should we observe this day by not asking a question? Is it literally possible to do nothing? Even when I am not doing anything in particular, I am still breathing and my heart is beating and so on.
17 – Ditch New Year's Resolutions Day: Do you make New Year's resolutions? If so, how successful are you at keeping them? I think in terms of goals, not resolution, and try to make them positive, not negative. I usually finish the year at somewhere between 30 and 60 percent of what I’d aimed for.
18 – Thesaurus Day: Do you own a thesaurus? How often do you consult a thesaurus to find just the right word? I probably have one somewhere, but I don’t remember the last time I used it.
19 – Popcorn Day: Do you like popcorn? What is your favourite topping for popcorn? Or do you prefer it plain? I like popcorn once in a while The only thing I put on it is a little salt.
20 – Take a Walk Outdoors Day: Is being outdoors important to you? How often do you spend time outside/in nature? Do you have easy access to parks or walking trails or other natural areas (e.g. the beach)? Do you feel any benefit if you make the effort to go out into nature? Do you try to get outside regularly? Depending on where you live, January might not be the best month for marking Take a Walk Outdoors Day – do you find it more difficult to venture outdoors in the winter? I like being outdoors if the weather is nice, but not if it’s too cold or too wet. There is a large park with walking trails just about a block from my condo complex and I walk there fairly often.
21 – International Sweatpants Day: Thanks to Covid, many of us have probably lived in sweatpants for the better part of the last couple of years. If this is true for you, has that experience impacted your choice of "work" clothes? Do you now seek out non-sweatpants trousers that mimic sweatpants, e.g. elasticized/drawstring waistbands, stretchier material, etc.? If Covid didn't really impact your clothing choices, do you wear sweatpants? I pretty much only wear sweatpants (or, for that matter, yoga pants) only for sleeping or exercise. Work clothes are no longer relevant for me, but I always adhered to a business casual standard for them - no jeans, no athleisure, collared shirts, etc.
22 – Celebration of Life Day: Every now and then, it’s a good idea to take some time off so you can refocus yourself. It’s about stepping back and looking at your life from a different perspective so that you can appreciate everything that you have. How would you celebrate your life? What can you be proud of having achieved? I’m most proud of things I’ve created - both stories I tell and various crafts items.
23 – Handwriting Day: Do you still write by hand? Can you write (and read) cursive? Do you think cursive should be taught in schools? I do write by hand and I even try to write legibly if I’m writing something I expect other people to read. I print or write in cursive about equally often. I read cursive quite a lot, looking at genealogical records. In fact, I have this theory that the census bureau gave prospective census takers penmanship tests and only hired the ones who failed. And, of course, schools should teach cursive. If I had to learn something, so should those overentitled brats nowadays.
24 – Peanut Butter Day: Do you like peanut butter? What is your favourite way to eat peanut butter? I do like peanut butter sometimes. I eat it usually just on toast, though also have been known to make a satay-like sauce for noodles.
25 – A Room of One's Own Day: Did you have a room of your own when you were growing up, or did you have to share with siblings? Do you have a room of your own now? If you do, what do you use it for? Is it a bedroom or something else? When I was very little, we lived in a one bedroom apartment, so I slept in a crib in the bedroom. When we moved to suburbia (when I was three), I got my own room.
26 – Australia Day: If you are not Australian, have you ever been to Australia? How much do you know about Australia? If you went to school somewhere other than Australia, how much were you taught about Australia in school? I’ve been to Australia several times. The first time was about 1990, when I went to Sydney and Melbourne. I went to Brisbane in 2002, spending several days there on my way to Papua New Guinea, and again in 2016 on an overnight on the way to the Solomon Islands. I went to Canberra, followed by a few days in Sydney in 2012 (I think) and to Perth, followed by a trip on the India Pacific Railroad to Adelaide the next year. I still have a few more things I need to do there, e.g. taking the Ghan (a train that goes through Alice Springs to Darwin) and going to Tasmania. I don't remember our learning much about Australia in school, beyond a mention of it as a penal colony. But around 4th grade, we had an assignment to write about another country and I chose Australia. I believe my paper mostly was about animals.
27 – Fun at Work Day: Do you think work should be fun? How much fun do you expect to have at work? I think it’s good to have some fun at work to alleviate stress. I’ve had some colleagues who were very good at lightening the mood when things were absurdly busy. Someday, I will write in depth about the cult of Anubis developed by someone I used to work with, which was based on the idea that the ancient Egyptians discarded the brain since it was the only body part they considered useless. However, I also despise mandatory fun, i.e. being expected to attend events outside of work time.
28 – Global Community Engagement Day: Do you feel engaged with your community? How important do you think it is to feel that you belong in your community? I believe that the way that one survives in a large city is to find smaller communities to spend one’s time in. In my case, that has involved different things over the years, including my synagogue, folk dancing, and storytelling.
29 – Curmudgeons' Day: What is a curmudgeon? Do you know any curmudgeons? What do you think of them? Today is also Freethinkers' Day. Do you think a curmudgeon might be just a freethinker? Curmudgeons are people (usually men) who are generally considered to be old, cranky, and set in their ways. They can be annoying, but they can also be amusing. Maybe I think that since I, too am old and set in my ways.
30 – Bubble Wrap Day: Does bubble wrap deserve its own day? Why or why not? Of course. There’s days for all sorts of things and at least bubble wrap is fun.
31 – Backward Day: National Backward Day is a fun day that encourages us to do things in an order that we would not usually do them in! Have you ever taken part in a backward day? How did it go? We had Topsy Turvy Day at summer camp. I don’t remember a lot of the details, but I think campers and counselors switched roles. And we may have done things like eating dinner foods for breakfast.
