June 2023 Prompts - Part 1
Jul. 7th, 2023 06:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fauxklore1 – June is Audiobook Month: Do you use audiobooks? If yes, do you use them exclusively, or do you also read ebooks or physical books? If you don't use audiobooks, why not? I don’t normally use audiobooks. The only exception is for listening to plays, which I find difficult to read on paper. For the most part, I find reading on paper easier and much much much faster.
2 – Donut Day: Do you like donuts? Have you ever made your own? If/when you buy donuts, what it your go-to place -- is it a major chain (Dunkin' Donuts, Tim Hortons, Krispy Kreme, etc.), or do you have a favourite independent bakery? I eat donuts rarely. There are a few donut shops I like which serve hot donuts with custom topping, e.g. The Fractured Prune in Ocean City, Maryland and Duck Donuts, the nearest of which is in Fairfax, Virginia. I also like fried dough styles, like beignets in New Orleans or zeppoli in New York or malasadas in New England. Once in a while I get a craving for a normal American doughnut, in which case I go to Dunkin’ for a Boston creme or lemon filled one.
3 – World Bicycle Day: Do you regularly ride a bike? If yes, is it mostly for fun, or do is it your main mode of tranportation? Does your town/city have good bike infrasctructure, e.g. dedicated, safe bike paths, etc.? I don’t ride a bike regularly, but I would like to. There are lots of bike paths around here, but they are sort of intimidating, with large numbers of people riding very quickly. The other big obstacles to riding regularly here are the weather (heat and humidity in summer, ice in winter), hills, and the pain in the neck of having to get a bike down two flights of stairs.
4 – Cheese Day: There are people who do not like cheese or cannot eat it for health reasons, while other people think it is one of the best foods, or ingredients for food recipes that was ever invented! Which category best describes you? I can eat only limited amounts of cheese since I am lactose intolerant. I can handle it if I take lactaid, but it’s only worth doing that for things I like a lot, like eggplant parmesan. One of my great annoyances is the frequent difficulty in finding sandwiches which don’t have cheese on them.
5 – Thank God it's Monday Day: everyone is probably familiar with TGIF - Thank god it's Friday. Did you know there's actually a TGIM Day? Thank God It’s Monday Day is all about seeing Monday as a positive day, rather than a negative day. What sort of positive things could you do to make sure your week gets off to a good start? This isn’t particularly relevant since I’m retired. One day is much like another.
6 – Drive-In Movie Day: Drive-in movies have seen a bit of a renaissance recently -- largely thanks to the Covid pandemic. Have you ever been to a drive-in movie, or any other type of open air movie viewing event? I’ve never been to a drive-in movie. But I have been to some open air movies. When I was a kid, they used to set up a screen outdoors from time to time at summer camp, for example. And there are lots of movies in parks here during the summer, though the selections tend to be a bit too child-oriented for my tastes.
7 – Global Running Day: Are you, or have you ever been, a runner/jogger? If yes, do you/did you run mostly indoors (treadmill) or outdoors, or both, depending on the weather? What are the biggest differences between running outdoors vs indoors? If you're not a runner, what is your preferred form of exercise (if you have one)? I am a walker, not a runner, largely because running is too hard on my knees and ankles. I definitely prefer walking outdoors, where there are ever-changing things to look at.
8 – Best Friends Day: Do you have a best friend(s)? Are they someone you've know since forever, or someone you met as an adult? Did you meet online first and if yes, have you since met in person? I have a few close friends, but I don’t think I have a best friend in the same sense that I did when I was growing up.
9 – Movie Night: The second Friday in June is national movie night. If you are/were going to watch a movie tonight to celebrate national movie night, what movie would you watch? Would you watch it at home, or at the cinema? My all time favorite movie is Local Hero, so I’d probably watch that. I wouldn’t really have an option other than watching it at home. Alternatively, I would look at what was playing at Cinema Arts Theatre (my local independent movie theatre) and see if any of that sounded interesting.
10 – Worldwide Knit in Public Day: It's time to take knitting out of the shadows and show everyone that knitting is for all ages and that it’s a fun and enjoyable activity, and something that you can proud of. Do you knit? Do you knit in public? Do you ever get questions or comments from strangers when you do knit in public? I do knit. I have knitted in public, though really only as part of knit in public events (or stitch and pitch at the ballpark). More often I crochet in public and have to explain to other people that I am crocheting and not knitting.
11 – Corn on the Cob Day: Do you like corn on the cob? How do you usually cook it -- just boiled, on the BBQ, etc.? What's your favourite seasoning? I like to microwave corn on the cob. You keep it in the husk and stick it in the microwave on high for about 4 minutes. I then husk it and put on butter and a little salt.
12 – Red Rose Day: Are roses -- red or otherwise -highly overrated? Roses that are bred only for appearance are overrated. Roses with a strong scent are not.
13 – Kitchen Klutzes Day: Even if you're not a klutz in the kitchen, we've all had a significant kitchen mishap at some point. What was the klutziest thing to ever happen to you in the kitchen? I’m sure I’ve accidentally added a large quantity of something by having the lid of a bottle fall off or done something like that. My greatest cooking disaster was not due to klutziness per se, however. I made a soup recipe that called for 12 chili peppers for 4 servings. I should have read that and thought better of it.
14 – International Bath Day: Do you take baths regularly, or are you strictly a shower aficionado? I take baths from time to time. There are few things more relaxing than soaking in a hot tub with bubble bath or bath salts. Add a trashy novel, a glass of sparkling wine, and a couple of chocolate truffles and it’s sheer bliss.
15 – Nature Photography Day: Have you ever enjoyed a photo of a flower? Or a close up of a bee landing on the entrance to its hive? Have you taken any photos of nature that you're particularly proud of? Care to share it with us? I’ve enjoyed many photos of nature. I’m most likely to take pictures of landscapes or interesting animals, though I have taken orchid photos, too.
16 – Take Back the Lunch Break Day: When you're at work (or when you worked or were still going into the office), did you fall into the habit of eating at your desk and continuing to work while eating? Did your working conditions include a proper lunch break? If you're mostly working from home, do you still eat at your desk and continue working during your lunch? Some places where I worked had nowhere to go out to lunch, so I often brought my lunch and ate it at my desk while surfing the web. At other times, I went for a walk at lunchtime and came back to my desk to eat lunch.
17 – Eat Your Vegetables Day: Do you love veggies? Do you have favourites? Do you have a favourite veggie recipe -- either main meal or side dish? Will you share it? I like most vegetables. I eat green salads almost every day, for example. Some that I like a lot are asparagus, spinach (sautéed with a little garlic), mushrooms, and carrots. My favorite vegetable recipe is Adina Sussman’s roasted tahini-glazed carrots. I also like to sautee mushrooms in butter and add just a little bit of cream and sherry. That is particularly nice with chanterelles.
18 – International Panic Day: Contrary to what it sounds like, this is a day dedicated to reducing panic and stress in your daily life, not celebrating it! How to you go about reducing the stresses, anxiety and yes, panic, in your life? The major source of stress in may life is being disorganized and, thus, scrambling to find things like a bill that needs to get paid. Getting organized would help.
19 – Watch Day: Do you still wear a watch (assuming you ever did wear one)? Is it just a regular time telling watch, or is a smartwatch or fitness/health device that also tells you the time? My grandfather was a watchmaker. Of course, I wear a watch every day. I mostly wear cheap drugstore watches, which are more suitable for traveling in dicy places, though at least I stick to analog watches.
20 – World Productivity Day: What did you do today (or are you planning to do) that was particularly productive? I’ve been going through some accumulated household paperwork. I’m also trying to finalize some travel arrangements.
21 – World Music Day: How important is music in your life? Do you play any musical instruments, or are you part of a choir or other vocal group? Have you ever been in a band (rock or school or other)? Music has always been a big part of my life. I took several years of piano lessons off and on while I was growing up (and 2 years of viola in elementary school) and I have fooled around with various other instruments (e.g. accordion, tin whistle, bowed psaltery) at various times. I was also in chorus in elementary school. But, frankly, I have no real talent and my best instrument is the stereo system.
22 – Onion Ring Day: Onion rings or fries? I like both. It’s very hard to find good onion rings, however.
23 – Typewriter Day: Are you old enough that you remember using typewriters in school/university/for work? Is there anything about typewriters that you kind of miss? I had an Olivetti portable typewriter that I used through my undergraduate days. Once I was in grad school, I started writing on the computer instead. I am old enough that when I started working, the norm was to write something by hand and give it to a secretary to type. Writing things on the computer myself was considered a bit eccentric.
24 – World UFO Day: UFO simply means Unidentified Flying Object – not necessarily that it's an alien spaceship. Have you ever seen anything in the sky that you honestly couldn't figure out what it was? Even if you're pretty sure what you saw wasn't an alien space craft, do you think it's possible that earth is being visited by aliens? I’ve already said several times that I don’t believe in extraterrestrial life. I do, however, have UFOs of a different sort - it’s crafter slang for “unfinished objects.”
25 – Global Beatles Day: The Beatles still stand as one of the most influential bands of all time, famous all over the world to this very day. Do you have a favourite Beatles song and/or album? If you're one of those "I don't like the Beatles" people, why? I preferred the Rolling Stones for the most part, but there are several Beatles songs I like. My favorite is probably “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
26 – Coconut Day: Some people love coconut in things, some people really don't. Where do you fall? Do you use coconut mostly in baking, or do you cook with coconut milk? Or is coconut in any form just not a thing in your house? I use dried coconut mostly in curries and, less often, in desserts. I make a soup with coconut milk once in a while.
27 – Onion Day: True or false: onions improve the taste of pretty much every savoury dish they're in, even if the original recipe doesn't specifically include them. Are onions a staple in your kitchen? Do you have any tricks to avoid tears while chopping? Onions are definitely a staple in my kitchen. Almost everything I make starts with onion and garlic. As for avoiding tears, I cut the onion in half and refrigerate the halves for about half an hour before chopping.
28 – International Body Piercing Day: Do you have any piercings? That aren't your ears? I don’t have any piercings, not even my ears. Around the time when my friends were getting their ears pierced, I read Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott. The one girl in that book wants to get her ears pierced and her uncle tells her she’d have to get her nose pierced, too! That was decidedly not a thing that was done on Long Island in the 1960’s and it turned me off to the whole idea. Clip-on earrings do perfectly well for me, especially as there’s no risk of injury with the big dangly earrings I like.
29 – Camera Day: Do you still own and use an actual camera? If you've mostly or completely transitioned from using a real camera to just using a phone camera, do you find you take more photos now than you did before? I have a Panasonic Lumix camera that I use sometimes when traveling. I am bad about downloading photos from it to my computer, however. I definitely take a lot more photos with my phone since I pretty much always have it with me.
30 – Social Media Day: In its short life, social media has redefined how people interact, communicate, and share with family, friends, and the world – in both good ways and bad. What social media do you use? Do you occasionally take breaks from social media? Do you have any ideas on what might improve the social media experience for most? I was an active user of Usenet back in the mid-late 1980’s through about the mid 1990’s or so. Nowadays, I use livejournal and dreamwidth obviously. I also use Facebook, which is useful for keeping in touch with old friends and inflicting atrocious puns on people, as well as good for shameless self promotion. I’ve never really seen the point of twitter (and its recent clones) for most people. I look at tweets from the Capital Weather Gang and sometimes use it to look up what food trucks will be somewhere. But I can’t think of any reason why I would ever tweet anything.
2 – Donut Day: Do you like donuts? Have you ever made your own? If/when you buy donuts, what it your go-to place -- is it a major chain (Dunkin' Donuts, Tim Hortons, Krispy Kreme, etc.), or do you have a favourite independent bakery? I eat donuts rarely. There are a few donut shops I like which serve hot donuts with custom topping, e.g. The Fractured Prune in Ocean City, Maryland and Duck Donuts, the nearest of which is in Fairfax, Virginia. I also like fried dough styles, like beignets in New Orleans or zeppoli in New York or malasadas in New England. Once in a while I get a craving for a normal American doughnut, in which case I go to Dunkin’ for a Boston creme or lemon filled one.
3 – World Bicycle Day: Do you regularly ride a bike? If yes, is it mostly for fun, or do is it your main mode of tranportation? Does your town/city have good bike infrasctructure, e.g. dedicated, safe bike paths, etc.? I don’t ride a bike regularly, but I would like to. There are lots of bike paths around here, but they are sort of intimidating, with large numbers of people riding very quickly. The other big obstacles to riding regularly here are the weather (heat and humidity in summer, ice in winter), hills, and the pain in the neck of having to get a bike down two flights of stairs.
4 – Cheese Day: There are people who do not like cheese or cannot eat it for health reasons, while other people think it is one of the best foods, or ingredients for food recipes that was ever invented! Which category best describes you? I can eat only limited amounts of cheese since I am lactose intolerant. I can handle it if I take lactaid, but it’s only worth doing that for things I like a lot, like eggplant parmesan. One of my great annoyances is the frequent difficulty in finding sandwiches which don’t have cheese on them.
5 – Thank God it's Monday Day: everyone is probably familiar with TGIF - Thank god it's Friday. Did you know there's actually a TGIM Day? Thank God It’s Monday Day is all about seeing Monday as a positive day, rather than a negative day. What sort of positive things could you do to make sure your week gets off to a good start? This isn’t particularly relevant since I’m retired. One day is much like another.
6 – Drive-In Movie Day: Drive-in movies have seen a bit of a renaissance recently -- largely thanks to the Covid pandemic. Have you ever been to a drive-in movie, or any other type of open air movie viewing event? I’ve never been to a drive-in movie. But I have been to some open air movies. When I was a kid, they used to set up a screen outdoors from time to time at summer camp, for example. And there are lots of movies in parks here during the summer, though the selections tend to be a bit too child-oriented for my tastes.
7 – Global Running Day: Are you, or have you ever been, a runner/jogger? If yes, do you/did you run mostly indoors (treadmill) or outdoors, or both, depending on the weather? What are the biggest differences between running outdoors vs indoors? If you're not a runner, what is your preferred form of exercise (if you have one)? I am a walker, not a runner, largely because running is too hard on my knees and ankles. I definitely prefer walking outdoors, where there are ever-changing things to look at.
8 – Best Friends Day: Do you have a best friend(s)? Are they someone you've know since forever, or someone you met as an adult? Did you meet online first and if yes, have you since met in person? I have a few close friends, but I don’t think I have a best friend in the same sense that I did when I was growing up.
9 – Movie Night: The second Friday in June is national movie night. If you are/were going to watch a movie tonight to celebrate national movie night, what movie would you watch? Would you watch it at home, or at the cinema? My all time favorite movie is Local Hero, so I’d probably watch that. I wouldn’t really have an option other than watching it at home. Alternatively, I would look at what was playing at Cinema Arts Theatre (my local independent movie theatre) and see if any of that sounded interesting.
10 – Worldwide Knit in Public Day: It's time to take knitting out of the shadows and show everyone that knitting is for all ages and that it’s a fun and enjoyable activity, and something that you can proud of. Do you knit? Do you knit in public? Do you ever get questions or comments from strangers when you do knit in public? I do knit. I have knitted in public, though really only as part of knit in public events (or stitch and pitch at the ballpark). More often I crochet in public and have to explain to other people that I am crocheting and not knitting.
11 – Corn on the Cob Day: Do you like corn on the cob? How do you usually cook it -- just boiled, on the BBQ, etc.? What's your favourite seasoning? I like to microwave corn on the cob. You keep it in the husk and stick it in the microwave on high for about 4 minutes. I then husk it and put on butter and a little salt.
12 – Red Rose Day: Are roses -- red or otherwise -highly overrated? Roses that are bred only for appearance are overrated. Roses with a strong scent are not.
13 – Kitchen Klutzes Day: Even if you're not a klutz in the kitchen, we've all had a significant kitchen mishap at some point. What was the klutziest thing to ever happen to you in the kitchen? I’m sure I’ve accidentally added a large quantity of something by having the lid of a bottle fall off or done something like that. My greatest cooking disaster was not due to klutziness per se, however. I made a soup recipe that called for 12 chili peppers for 4 servings. I should have read that and thought better of it.
14 – International Bath Day: Do you take baths regularly, or are you strictly a shower aficionado? I take baths from time to time. There are few things more relaxing than soaking in a hot tub with bubble bath or bath salts. Add a trashy novel, a glass of sparkling wine, and a couple of chocolate truffles and it’s sheer bliss.
15 – Nature Photography Day: Have you ever enjoyed a photo of a flower? Or a close up of a bee landing on the entrance to its hive? Have you taken any photos of nature that you're particularly proud of? Care to share it with us? I’ve enjoyed many photos of nature. I’m most likely to take pictures of landscapes or interesting animals, though I have taken orchid photos, too.
16 – Take Back the Lunch Break Day: When you're at work (or when you worked or were still going into the office), did you fall into the habit of eating at your desk and continuing to work while eating? Did your working conditions include a proper lunch break? If you're mostly working from home, do you still eat at your desk and continue working during your lunch? Some places where I worked had nowhere to go out to lunch, so I often brought my lunch and ate it at my desk while surfing the web. At other times, I went for a walk at lunchtime and came back to my desk to eat lunch.
17 – Eat Your Vegetables Day: Do you love veggies? Do you have favourites? Do you have a favourite veggie recipe -- either main meal or side dish? Will you share it? I like most vegetables. I eat green salads almost every day, for example. Some that I like a lot are asparagus, spinach (sautéed with a little garlic), mushrooms, and carrots. My favorite vegetable recipe is Adina Sussman’s roasted tahini-glazed carrots. I also like to sautee mushrooms in butter and add just a little bit of cream and sherry. That is particularly nice with chanterelles.
18 – International Panic Day: Contrary to what it sounds like, this is a day dedicated to reducing panic and stress in your daily life, not celebrating it! How to you go about reducing the stresses, anxiety and yes, panic, in your life? The major source of stress in may life is being disorganized and, thus, scrambling to find things like a bill that needs to get paid. Getting organized would help.
19 – Watch Day: Do you still wear a watch (assuming you ever did wear one)? Is it just a regular time telling watch, or is a smartwatch or fitness/health device that also tells you the time? My grandfather was a watchmaker. Of course, I wear a watch every day. I mostly wear cheap drugstore watches, which are more suitable for traveling in dicy places, though at least I stick to analog watches.
20 – World Productivity Day: What did you do today (or are you planning to do) that was particularly productive? I’ve been going through some accumulated household paperwork. I’m also trying to finalize some travel arrangements.
21 – World Music Day: How important is music in your life? Do you play any musical instruments, or are you part of a choir or other vocal group? Have you ever been in a band (rock or school or other)? Music has always been a big part of my life. I took several years of piano lessons off and on while I was growing up (and 2 years of viola in elementary school) and I have fooled around with various other instruments (e.g. accordion, tin whistle, bowed psaltery) at various times. I was also in chorus in elementary school. But, frankly, I have no real talent and my best instrument is the stereo system.
22 – Onion Ring Day: Onion rings or fries? I like both. It’s very hard to find good onion rings, however.
23 – Typewriter Day: Are you old enough that you remember using typewriters in school/university/for work? Is there anything about typewriters that you kind of miss? I had an Olivetti portable typewriter that I used through my undergraduate days. Once I was in grad school, I started writing on the computer instead. I am old enough that when I started working, the norm was to write something by hand and give it to a secretary to type. Writing things on the computer myself was considered a bit eccentric.
24 – World UFO Day: UFO simply means Unidentified Flying Object – not necessarily that it's an alien spaceship. Have you ever seen anything in the sky that you honestly couldn't figure out what it was? Even if you're pretty sure what you saw wasn't an alien space craft, do you think it's possible that earth is being visited by aliens? I’ve already said several times that I don’t believe in extraterrestrial life. I do, however, have UFOs of a different sort - it’s crafter slang for “unfinished objects.”
25 – Global Beatles Day: The Beatles still stand as one of the most influential bands of all time, famous all over the world to this very day. Do you have a favourite Beatles song and/or album? If you're one of those "I don't like the Beatles" people, why? I preferred the Rolling Stones for the most part, but there are several Beatles songs I like. My favorite is probably “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
26 – Coconut Day: Some people love coconut in things, some people really don't. Where do you fall? Do you use coconut mostly in baking, or do you cook with coconut milk? Or is coconut in any form just not a thing in your house? I use dried coconut mostly in curries and, less often, in desserts. I make a soup with coconut milk once in a while.
27 – Onion Day: True or false: onions improve the taste of pretty much every savoury dish they're in, even if the original recipe doesn't specifically include them. Are onions a staple in your kitchen? Do you have any tricks to avoid tears while chopping? Onions are definitely a staple in my kitchen. Almost everything I make starts with onion and garlic. As for avoiding tears, I cut the onion in half and refrigerate the halves for about half an hour before chopping.
28 – International Body Piercing Day: Do you have any piercings? That aren't your ears? I don’t have any piercings, not even my ears. Around the time when my friends were getting their ears pierced, I read Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott. The one girl in that book wants to get her ears pierced and her uncle tells her she’d have to get her nose pierced, too! That was decidedly not a thing that was done on Long Island in the 1960’s and it turned me off to the whole idea. Clip-on earrings do perfectly well for me, especially as there’s no risk of injury with the big dangly earrings I like.
29 – Camera Day: Do you still own and use an actual camera? If you've mostly or completely transitioned from using a real camera to just using a phone camera, do you find you take more photos now than you did before? I have a Panasonic Lumix camera that I use sometimes when traveling. I am bad about downloading photos from it to my computer, however. I definitely take a lot more photos with my phone since I pretty much always have it with me.
30 – Social Media Day: In its short life, social media has redefined how people interact, communicate, and share with family, friends, and the world – in both good ways and bad. What social media do you use? Do you occasionally take breaks from social media? Do you have any ideas on what might improve the social media experience for most? I was an active user of Usenet back in the mid-late 1980’s through about the mid 1990’s or so. Nowadays, I use livejournal and dreamwidth obviously. I also use Facebook, which is useful for keeping in touch with old friends and inflicting atrocious puns on people, as well as good for shameless self promotion. I’ve never really seen the point of twitter (and its recent clones) for most people. I look at tweets from the Capital Weather Gang and sometimes use it to look up what food trucks will be somewhere. But I can’t think of any reason why I would ever tweet anything.
