May 2023 Prompts - Part 1
Jun. 2nd, 2023 05:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fauxkloreI forgot to mention in my last entry that I’d gone to a virtual talk about the Abayudaya Jewish community of eastern Uganda. This community began when Sesmel Kakungulu converted to Judaism in the early 20th century. It isn’t actually clear whether he formally did convert, but he started following Jewish practices, e.g. observing Shabbat and Jewish holidays. He had roughly 2000 followers by the time he died around 1920. By the early 1950’s descendants of his followers contacted the Israeli embassy in Nairobi and built more formal connections to the rest of the Jewish world. There are now about 2000 Jews in Uganda, living in 11 communities. They were oppressed under Idi Amin and have been rebuilding since those times. In 2002, they decided to formally convert and there are now 3 Orthodox synagogues, as well as several Conservative synagogues. Overall, this was a really interesting talk.
Anyway, on to the first set of May blog prompts.
1 – School Bus Drivers' Day: When you were young, did you have to take a school bus to get to school? I walked to school through elementary school and junior high. But, since my home town did not have its own high school, I rode a bus about 8 miles each way then.
2 – Bike Month: Do you cycle? If yes, do you do it mostly for fun/occasional outings, or is it your main mode of transportation? Does your municipality have good cycling infrastructure? Do you cycle year-round, even in winter (and in the snow if you get snow where you live)? I loved bicycling as a child and teenager. I got intimidated by urban cycling in college. I did ride a bike some of the time in grad school, but got intimidated again in Los Angeles. That was particularly true of the beach bike path, where people were aggressively fast. And I just haven’t gotten back into it, though I think about it often.
3 – Write a Review Day: Do you write reviews for products or services (e.g. reviews on Amazon, or on a restaurant's or shop's website)? Do you do this regularly, or only if you're particularly happy or dissatisfied with the product or service? Whether or not you write reviews, do you read reviews left by others to help your decision-making process? Do you find negative reviews more helpful than positive ones? I pretty much only write reviews here, which is probably not really useful to other people. I read professional reviews of things like restaurants and shows, but find anonymous amateur reviews pretty useless, since I have no way to gauge how well a reviewer’s tastes align with my own. I do remember that back in the day, I used to find John Simon’s theatre reviews in New York Magazine very useful, because anything he loved, I was sure to hate, and vice versa.
4 – Petite and Proud Day: Petite is used to describe a person about or under 162 cm / 5'4". Are you petite? Do you think petite women maybe have an easier time of it than short men? Would you (or have you) dated someone shorter than you? That’s kind of a screwy definition, since the average height of American women is 5’4. I was 5’6 most of my life, but have lost an inch as I’ve aged, much to my chagrin. I do think being a short woman is easier than being a short man, for the most part, though there are limitations in the ability to find appropriate adult clothing styles for women under a certain height. I have dated someone shorter than me now and then, but I am definitely more attracted to tall men.
5 – Space Day: Ever wondered what lies beyond our skies? Do you think we'll ever have permanent human settlements on the moon, or on Mars? I think we have a pretty good idea of what is in space and it’s gotten more refined with improved space telescopes. I doubt that we’ll have permanent human settlements on the moon within my lifetime. And I doubt we[ll have people reach Mars for a long long time.
6 – International No Diet Day: We usually associate a diet with an attempt to lose weight, but many have to follow special diets for other health reasons. Do you, or have you ever, followed a specific diet? Has it, or did it achieve what it was meant to do? I’ve followed various brief weight loss diets, all of which were effective in the short term and damaging (both physically and psychologically) in the long term. I do try to avoid certain foods because my body doesn’t handle them well.
7 – World Laughter Day: is there anything, or anyone, that is almost guaranteed to make you laugh? How would you describe your sense of humour? I love puns and wordplay.
8 – Etiquette Week: the first Monday of the second full week in May marks the beginning of national etiquette week. Are there any social conventions you wish would go away, or that you wish would come back (or be observed by more people)? The main thing I wish would go away has to do with treating women as if they are frail and incapable. Just hold doors open for anyone who is behind you or who is carrying stuff, instead of basing that on gender. As for what I’d like to see come back, I think it’s mostly a matter of paying attention to other people. That means things like letting people get off a subway car or elevator before you get on.
9 – Sleepover Day: Did you do sleepovers when you were young? Occasionally my best friend and I would sleep over at each other’s houses.
10 – Stay Up All Night Night: When was the last time you stayed up all (or most of) the night on purpose (e.g. not because you were tending to an ill child or suffering from insomnia)? It was probably at one of the National Puzzlers’ League conventions, when I had an early flight on Sunday and it just wasn’t worth going to bed on Saturday night.
11 – World Ego Awareness Day: Do you know anyone with an incredibly inflated ego? When was the last time someone's ego came into conflict with your own? There are some public figures who I think qualify, but they don’t interact with me directly.
12 – Limerick Day: Do you like limericks? Do you have a favourite? I do like limericks, but I can’t think of a specific one offhand. Maybe this one:
One Saturday morning at three
A cheesemonger’s shop in Paree
Collapsed to the ground
With a thunderous sound,
Leaving only a pile of de brie.
Or maybe this classic I first learned at MIT, as part of the freshman quiz, though it was apparently actually written by Leigh Mercer:
A dozen, a gross, and a score.
Plus three times the square root of four,
Divided by seven
Plus five times eleven,
Is nine squared and not a bit more.
13 – World Fair Trade Day: Do you try to buy certified fair trade products? Only in a few cases, like coffee and chocolate.
14 – World Migratory Bird Day: World Migratory Bird Day is observed twice a year during the second Saturday in May and again on the second Saturday in October. The goal is to raise awareness of issues affecting migratory birds and to inspire action around the world to take measures for their conservation. Do you live in a region that sees bird migrations in the spring and fall? Light pollution is a major threat to migratory birds. Does your municipality have any "Dim the Lights" policies in place to protect migratory birds? We do see a certain number of migratory birds here in northern Virginia. The Canada goose is the most obvious (and, in my opinion, most annoying). There are also several raptors and songbirds that migrate through here. I don’t know of any particular light-related policies where I live, however.
15 – Bring Flowers to Someone Day: When was the last time someone gave you flowers? When was the last time you brought flowers to someone else? I don’t remember the last time someone gave me flowers. The last time I remember giving someone flowers was having some sent to my mother for her 80th birthday in 2014.
16 – Biographers' Day: Do you like reading biographies? What have been some of your favourites? If you're not a fan, why not? If you were going to write a biography of someone, who would that be? I like reading biographies sometimes, though I more often read memoirs - and travel memoirs in particular. One biography I’ll recommend is A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar, about John Nash. I can’t really think of anyone I’d want to write a biography of.
17 – World Baking Day: Do you bake or are you more of a fan of watching others baking, for example, watching the Great British Bake Off or other shows of that type? If you do bake, what are some of your favourite things to bake? I used to bake bread fairly often, but I’ve been lazy of late. I do sometimes bake muffins, which are quick and easy.
18 – International Museum Day: When was the last time you visited a museum? Which one was it, and what was your favourite exhibit? I visit museums quite often. The last one I visited was the National Portrait Gallery, where I enjoyed the 1898 exhibit.
19 – World Meditation Day: Do you meditate? If yes, describe your usual practice. If not, is meditation something you'd consider trying? I don’t meditate on a regular basis. I have tried it from time to time, but I find rhythmic exercise (e.g. swimming laps) to be more effective for turning off my mind.
20 – Weights And Measures Day: Imperial or Metric or a combo of the two depending on what you're weighing/measuring? Being an American, I mostly use imperial measures. But I can handle metric measures for the most part, with the major exception being temperature, where I have no instinctive feeling for Celsius.
21 – International Tea Day: Do you like tea (proper tea, not those herbal infusions [tisanes])? What is your favourite type of tea and how to you take it (black, or with milk and/or sugar/honey, etc.)? Do you use an actual teapot to make your tea, or are you a "tea bag in a cup" person? I like several types of tea. My favorite is a nice smoky lapsang souchang.. I most often use a tea bag, but I do have some loose leaf teas, which I usually use with an infuser.
22 – Solitaire Day: Remember when solitaire was a default thing on Windows PCs (along with Minesweeper)? Do you play solitaire, either with real playing cards or on your computer/phone? I haven’t played solitaire in a long time, but I did play it both on my computer and with cards at various times.
23 – Title Track Day: Title tracks, or the songs after which an album is named, are often the greatest singles/best tracks on the album. Do you have a favourite title track? Or can you name a title track that is definitely NOT the best track on the album? Is the concept of a title track a thing of the past given how most people listen to music now? I absolutely love “Sympathique” by Pink Martini. “Tapestry” is not the best song on Carole King’s album of that name, though it isn’t a bad song. I am still known to buy CDs (mostly at concerts) and title tracks are useful for remembering what album is which.
24 – Brother's Day: Do you have a brother? If you don't, or if you don't get along with your actual brother(s), do you have someone else in your life who is like a brother to you? I have a brother. We get along fine as long as we don’t actually see each other.
25 – Towel Day: According to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.” Do you agree with this statement? Are towels equally useful to those of us not engaging in interstellar travels? Towels are useful, but sarongs are even more so and can double as towels if necessary.
26 – Paper Airplane Day: Can you make a paper airplane? Can you make one that actually flies more than a foot or two before crashing? I can make a paper airplane that flies reasonably well. My trick is to use good, stiff paper.
27 – Sunscreen Day: Do you use sunscreen regularly? Do you use it on its own, or do you buy other skin care products that include a sunscreen? I use high SPF sunscreen pretty much any time I expect to be outdoors for more than a few minutes. The best sunscreen in the world comes from Australia and I always stock up when I go there.
28 – Hamburger Day: Let’s face it, there isn't anything in the world quite so delightful as your first bite of a rich, juicy hamburger. Do you love hamburgers (or veggie burgers)? What are your favourite toppings to put on your burger? I like hamburgers once in a while. I like to top them with onions (either raw or caramelized) and pickles and a little ketchup.
29 – Paperclip Day: Paperclips are not just for holding papers together. There are many other things that you can do with them! What are some of the uses you've found for paperclips beyond holding papers together? Do you think Microsoft's Windows 97 personal assistant "Clippy" did irreparable harm to the reputation of paperclips worldwide? Paper clips are great to unbend and play with. You could also stick the end of a straightened out one into various small holes to reset electronics, though I haven’t done that in years.
30 – Loomis Day: Mahlon Loomis, a humble dentist, revolutionized the world when he created the “wireless telegram” in 1886. How different would your life be without wi-fi, TV, or radio? Wifi is definitely useful for staying in touch with the world when traveling. I listen to the radio in the car pretty often. But I very rarely watch TV at all. (I don’t have a functioning television at home, in fact.)
31 – Web Designer Day: We all visit various websites every single day of the year. What are "features" on some websites that really annoy you? What features do you appreciate the most on well-designed websites? I dislike pop-up ads. And websites that play music without my specifically clicking on a music clip. And I really hate websites where it is hard to find the sign off button. Well-designed websites make it easy to find what I’m looking for. For example, I often go to restaurant websites and I want to be able to find menus and appreciate a link to make a reservation.
Anyway, on to the first set of May blog prompts.
1 – School Bus Drivers' Day: When you were young, did you have to take a school bus to get to school? I walked to school through elementary school and junior high. But, since my home town did not have its own high school, I rode a bus about 8 miles each way then.
2 – Bike Month: Do you cycle? If yes, do you do it mostly for fun/occasional outings, or is it your main mode of transportation? Does your municipality have good cycling infrastructure? Do you cycle year-round, even in winter (and in the snow if you get snow where you live)? I loved bicycling as a child and teenager. I got intimidated by urban cycling in college. I did ride a bike some of the time in grad school, but got intimidated again in Los Angeles. That was particularly true of the beach bike path, where people were aggressively fast. And I just haven’t gotten back into it, though I think about it often.
3 – Write a Review Day: Do you write reviews for products or services (e.g. reviews on Amazon, or on a restaurant's or shop's website)? Do you do this regularly, or only if you're particularly happy or dissatisfied with the product or service? Whether or not you write reviews, do you read reviews left by others to help your decision-making process? Do you find negative reviews more helpful than positive ones? I pretty much only write reviews here, which is probably not really useful to other people. I read professional reviews of things like restaurants and shows, but find anonymous amateur reviews pretty useless, since I have no way to gauge how well a reviewer’s tastes align with my own. I do remember that back in the day, I used to find John Simon’s theatre reviews in New York Magazine very useful, because anything he loved, I was sure to hate, and vice versa.
4 – Petite and Proud Day: Petite is used to describe a person about or under 162 cm / 5'4". Are you petite? Do you think petite women maybe have an easier time of it than short men? Would you (or have you) dated someone shorter than you? That’s kind of a screwy definition, since the average height of American women is 5’4. I was 5’6 most of my life, but have lost an inch as I’ve aged, much to my chagrin. I do think being a short woman is easier than being a short man, for the most part, though there are limitations in the ability to find appropriate adult clothing styles for women under a certain height. I have dated someone shorter than me now and then, but I am definitely more attracted to tall men.
5 – Space Day: Ever wondered what lies beyond our skies? Do you think we'll ever have permanent human settlements on the moon, or on Mars? I think we have a pretty good idea of what is in space and it’s gotten more refined with improved space telescopes. I doubt that we’ll have permanent human settlements on the moon within my lifetime. And I doubt we[ll have people reach Mars for a long long time.
6 – International No Diet Day: We usually associate a diet with an attempt to lose weight, but many have to follow special diets for other health reasons. Do you, or have you ever, followed a specific diet? Has it, or did it achieve what it was meant to do? I’ve followed various brief weight loss diets, all of which were effective in the short term and damaging (both physically and psychologically) in the long term. I do try to avoid certain foods because my body doesn’t handle them well.
7 – World Laughter Day: is there anything, or anyone, that is almost guaranteed to make you laugh? How would you describe your sense of humour? I love puns and wordplay.
8 – Etiquette Week: the first Monday of the second full week in May marks the beginning of national etiquette week. Are there any social conventions you wish would go away, or that you wish would come back (or be observed by more people)? The main thing I wish would go away has to do with treating women as if they are frail and incapable. Just hold doors open for anyone who is behind you or who is carrying stuff, instead of basing that on gender. As for what I’d like to see come back, I think it’s mostly a matter of paying attention to other people. That means things like letting people get off a subway car or elevator before you get on.
9 – Sleepover Day: Did you do sleepovers when you were young? Occasionally my best friend and I would sleep over at each other’s houses.
10 – Stay Up All Night Night: When was the last time you stayed up all (or most of) the night on purpose (e.g. not because you were tending to an ill child or suffering from insomnia)? It was probably at one of the National Puzzlers’ League conventions, when I had an early flight on Sunday and it just wasn’t worth going to bed on Saturday night.
11 – World Ego Awareness Day: Do you know anyone with an incredibly inflated ego? When was the last time someone's ego came into conflict with your own? There are some public figures who I think qualify, but they don’t interact with me directly.
12 – Limerick Day: Do you like limericks? Do you have a favourite? I do like limericks, but I can’t think of a specific one offhand. Maybe this one:
One Saturday morning at three
A cheesemonger’s shop in Paree
Collapsed to the ground
With a thunderous sound,
Leaving only a pile of de brie.
Or maybe this classic I first learned at MIT, as part of the freshman quiz, though it was apparently actually written by Leigh Mercer:
A dozen, a gross, and a score.
Plus three times the square root of four,
Divided by seven
Plus five times eleven,
Is nine squared and not a bit more.
13 – World Fair Trade Day: Do you try to buy certified fair trade products? Only in a few cases, like coffee and chocolate.
14 – World Migratory Bird Day: World Migratory Bird Day is observed twice a year during the second Saturday in May and again on the second Saturday in October. The goal is to raise awareness of issues affecting migratory birds and to inspire action around the world to take measures for their conservation. Do you live in a region that sees bird migrations in the spring and fall? Light pollution is a major threat to migratory birds. Does your municipality have any "Dim the Lights" policies in place to protect migratory birds? We do see a certain number of migratory birds here in northern Virginia. The Canada goose is the most obvious (and, in my opinion, most annoying). There are also several raptors and songbirds that migrate through here. I don’t know of any particular light-related policies where I live, however.
15 – Bring Flowers to Someone Day: When was the last time someone gave you flowers? When was the last time you brought flowers to someone else? I don’t remember the last time someone gave me flowers. The last time I remember giving someone flowers was having some sent to my mother for her 80th birthday in 2014.
16 – Biographers' Day: Do you like reading biographies? What have been some of your favourites? If you're not a fan, why not? If you were going to write a biography of someone, who would that be? I like reading biographies sometimes, though I more often read memoirs - and travel memoirs in particular. One biography I’ll recommend is A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar, about John Nash. I can’t really think of anyone I’d want to write a biography of.
17 – World Baking Day: Do you bake or are you more of a fan of watching others baking, for example, watching the Great British Bake Off or other shows of that type? If you do bake, what are some of your favourite things to bake? I used to bake bread fairly often, but I’ve been lazy of late. I do sometimes bake muffins, which are quick and easy.
18 – International Museum Day: When was the last time you visited a museum? Which one was it, and what was your favourite exhibit? I visit museums quite often. The last one I visited was the National Portrait Gallery, where I enjoyed the 1898 exhibit.
19 – World Meditation Day: Do you meditate? If yes, describe your usual practice. If not, is meditation something you'd consider trying? I don’t meditate on a regular basis. I have tried it from time to time, but I find rhythmic exercise (e.g. swimming laps) to be more effective for turning off my mind.
20 – Weights And Measures Day: Imperial or Metric or a combo of the two depending on what you're weighing/measuring? Being an American, I mostly use imperial measures. But I can handle metric measures for the most part, with the major exception being temperature, where I have no instinctive feeling for Celsius.
21 – International Tea Day: Do you like tea (proper tea, not those herbal infusions [tisanes])? What is your favourite type of tea and how to you take it (black, or with milk and/or sugar/honey, etc.)? Do you use an actual teapot to make your tea, or are you a "tea bag in a cup" person? I like several types of tea. My favorite is a nice smoky lapsang souchang.. I most often use a tea bag, but I do have some loose leaf teas, which I usually use with an infuser.
22 – Solitaire Day: Remember when solitaire was a default thing on Windows PCs (along with Minesweeper)? Do you play solitaire, either with real playing cards or on your computer/phone? I haven’t played solitaire in a long time, but I did play it both on my computer and with cards at various times.
23 – Title Track Day: Title tracks, or the songs after which an album is named, are often the greatest singles/best tracks on the album. Do you have a favourite title track? Or can you name a title track that is definitely NOT the best track on the album? Is the concept of a title track a thing of the past given how most people listen to music now? I absolutely love “Sympathique” by Pink Martini. “Tapestry” is not the best song on Carole King’s album of that name, though it isn’t a bad song. I am still known to buy CDs (mostly at concerts) and title tracks are useful for remembering what album is which.
24 – Brother's Day: Do you have a brother? If you don't, or if you don't get along with your actual brother(s), do you have someone else in your life who is like a brother to you? I have a brother. We get along fine as long as we don’t actually see each other.
25 – Towel Day: According to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.” Do you agree with this statement? Are towels equally useful to those of us not engaging in interstellar travels? Towels are useful, but sarongs are even more so and can double as towels if necessary.
26 – Paper Airplane Day: Can you make a paper airplane? Can you make one that actually flies more than a foot or two before crashing? I can make a paper airplane that flies reasonably well. My trick is to use good, stiff paper.
27 – Sunscreen Day: Do you use sunscreen regularly? Do you use it on its own, or do you buy other skin care products that include a sunscreen? I use high SPF sunscreen pretty much any time I expect to be outdoors for more than a few minutes. The best sunscreen in the world comes from Australia and I always stock up when I go there.
28 – Hamburger Day: Let’s face it, there isn't anything in the world quite so delightful as your first bite of a rich, juicy hamburger. Do you love hamburgers (or veggie burgers)? What are your favourite toppings to put on your burger? I like hamburgers once in a while. I like to top them with onions (either raw or caramelized) and pickles and a little ketchup.
29 – Paperclip Day: Paperclips are not just for holding papers together. There are many other things that you can do with them! What are some of the uses you've found for paperclips beyond holding papers together? Do you think Microsoft's Windows 97 personal assistant "Clippy" did irreparable harm to the reputation of paperclips worldwide? Paper clips are great to unbend and play with. You could also stick the end of a straightened out one into various small holes to reset electronics, though I haven’t done that in years.
30 – Loomis Day: Mahlon Loomis, a humble dentist, revolutionized the world when he created the “wireless telegram” in 1886. How different would your life be without wi-fi, TV, or radio? Wifi is definitely useful for staying in touch with the world when traveling. I listen to the radio in the car pretty often. But I very rarely watch TV at all. (I don’t have a functioning television at home, in fact.)
31 – Web Designer Day: We all visit various websites every single day of the year. What are "features" on some websites that really annoy you? What features do you appreciate the most on well-designed websites? I dislike pop-up ads. And websites that play music without my specifically clicking on a music clip. And I really hate websites where it is hard to find the sign off button. Well-designed websites make it easy to find what I’m looking for. For example, I often go to restaurant websites and I want to be able to find menus and appreciate a link to make a reservation.
