April 2024 Prompts - Part 1
May. 7th, 2024 08:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fauxklore1. What Is Your Favorite Type of Art? I like a lot of different types of art, so it’s hard to choose one. If I’m really pressed, I supposed I’d have to say fiber art. I also care a lot about how color is used, which is why I love both Van Gogh and Caravaggio, who are otherwise quite different.
2. What Skill Could You Teach in Two Minutes? I could teach somebody to make an origami frog (out of a business card).
3. What Was Your Most Precious Childhood Possession? Probably my Nancy Drew books, though my mother gave them to my cousin.
4. How Much Slang Do You Use? What Are Your Favorite Words? I don’t think I use much slang, other than in specific contexts, e.g, before I retired, I used to joke about being fluent in Pentagon asa Second Language. My favorite slang term, which has nothing to do with that context, is the South African phrase “Henry the Fourth” for HIV.
5. What Was Your Favorite Field Trip? I think I was in junior high when we took a tour of the New York Times. I remember that everyone got a little piece of discarded type to bring home. I may still have this somewhere.
6. Are You Hopeful About the Future? I try to be, but the state of the world right now is scary and depressing.
7. Does It Matter Where You Go to College? Having gone to MIT opened a lot of doors for me which would not have been feasible at other places.
8. What Is Your Earliest Memory? I have a very vague memory of being chased by a cow while visiting my grandparents at their bungalow in the Catskills. But I can never really be sure if that’s a real memory or something my parents told me about. I have a more definite memory of a major storm (which I think of as a hurricane, but was more likely a nor’easter) right after we moved into our house. I was not reassured by my father saying to my mother, “well, Bea, if the house stands through this, I’ll know we made a good purchase.”
9. Do You Believe in Astrology? Like most Virgos, no.
10. How Much Do You Gossip? More than I’d like to.
11. Have You Ever Felt Embarrassed by Things You Used to Like? Sort of, but mostly I think my tastes have evolved so (for example) whatever stupid celebrity crushes I may have had in my youth were just a normal stage.
12. How Often Do You Talk to Yourself? Constantly.
13. What Would You Choose to Do If You Had Unlimited Free Time and No Restrictions? Assuming no restrictions means unlimited money, more travel.
14. Is Struggle Essential to Happiness? Some level of struggle may help you appreciate what you have, but I think you can be happy regardless.
15. What Kinds of Games and Puzzles Do You Like? I do a number of puzzles every day, mostly word puzzles (e.g. crosswords). I particularly like cryptic crosswords. As for games, I probably play Code Names the most often.
16. What Would You Like to Learn to Make by Hand? I really should devote some time to mastering sock knitting. I’m good with other knitting, but I’ve failed at socks a few times.
17. When and For What Reasons Do You Seek Silence? I meed silence to concentrate on tricky problems and planning.
18. What Role Did School Clubs and Teams Play in Your Life? Extracurricular activities were a big part of my life. In elementary school, I went to Hebrew school, took ballet lessons, and took piano lessons. I was also in chorus and played viola for a couple of years. In junior high, I edited the school newspaper. In high school, I did a number of intramural sports (tennis, badminton, archery, modern dance club), was in math club, and was involved in drama club and student council / grade council. In college, I was very active in Hillel and in folk dance club and took other dance classes. I continued to do a lot of dancing of various sorts for most of my life. I discovered storytelling later on and that still plays a major part in my life.
19. Which Photograph Stays In Your Memory? I’m rather partial to a photo from Black Tie Miniature Golf, somewhere in the late 1980’s.
20. How Much Control Do You Think You Have Over Your Fate? There are things you don’t have direct control over, but you do have control over how you react to them and handle the consequences.
21. How Do You Try to Reduce Your Impact on the Environment? I recycle. And I use reusable shopping bags. And I use public transportation whenever possible.
22. How Do You Celebrate Earth Day? I don’t think I really do anything in particular for Earth Day.
23. Did Your School Have A Dress Code? Are School Dress Codes a Good Idea? I am fairly sure that in elementary school we had a dress code, but it wasn’t necessarily written. Back in those days, girls had to wear skirts or dresses to school, for example. That changed in junior high, but we still wouldn’t have been allowed to wear shorts or tank tops.
24. What Have Your Parents Taught You About Money? Mostly about the importance of living within our means. I remember when I started college, Dad helped me draw up a monthly budget, which was just barely enough money to get by on.
25. Are You a Good Driver? I’m an okay driver, but I have to force myself to be attentive.
26. Have You Ever Been Told You Couldn’t Do Something Because of Your Gender? That was pretty much a constant when I was a child. I wanted to be an astronaut, a race car driver, and the first woman to pitch for the New York Mets. At least when I decided to be a chemist, I could point to Marie Curie when people told me that girls couldn’t do that.
27. Do You Have a Best Friend? I have a few very close friends, but I don’t think it’s quite the same as, say, high school, when I’d spend all day at school with my best friend and then go home and talk with her on the phone for hours.
28. Should What You Say on Facebook Be Grounds for Getting Fired? It depends on the context. If you are violating confidentiality associated with your job, for example, that’s something I could justify your being fired for. Similarly for hate speech. In general, it’s a good idea to assume that nothing you say anywhere on-line is actually private.
29. Have You Ever Lost (or Found) Something Valuable? I have lost a couple of pieces of jewelry over the years. One of those was a ring my grandfather gave me when I was maybe 7 or 8 years old. But, since it vanished a good 30 or more years ago, it’s unlikely to ever turn up.
30. Do You Like Being Alone? I am fine with my own company. I’m good at keeping myself entertained.
2. What Skill Could You Teach in Two Minutes? I could teach somebody to make an origami frog (out of a business card).
3. What Was Your Most Precious Childhood Possession? Probably my Nancy Drew books, though my mother gave them to my cousin.
4. How Much Slang Do You Use? What Are Your Favorite Words? I don’t think I use much slang, other than in specific contexts, e.g, before I retired, I used to joke about being fluent in Pentagon asa Second Language. My favorite slang term, which has nothing to do with that context, is the South African phrase “Henry the Fourth” for HIV.
5. What Was Your Favorite Field Trip? I think I was in junior high when we took a tour of the New York Times. I remember that everyone got a little piece of discarded type to bring home. I may still have this somewhere.
6. Are You Hopeful About the Future? I try to be, but the state of the world right now is scary and depressing.
7. Does It Matter Where You Go to College? Having gone to MIT opened a lot of doors for me which would not have been feasible at other places.
8. What Is Your Earliest Memory? I have a very vague memory of being chased by a cow while visiting my grandparents at their bungalow in the Catskills. But I can never really be sure if that’s a real memory or something my parents told me about. I have a more definite memory of a major storm (which I think of as a hurricane, but was more likely a nor’easter) right after we moved into our house. I was not reassured by my father saying to my mother, “well, Bea, if the house stands through this, I’ll know we made a good purchase.”
9. Do You Believe in Astrology? Like most Virgos, no.
10. How Much Do You Gossip? More than I’d like to.
11. Have You Ever Felt Embarrassed by Things You Used to Like? Sort of, but mostly I think my tastes have evolved so (for example) whatever stupid celebrity crushes I may have had in my youth were just a normal stage.
12. How Often Do You Talk to Yourself? Constantly.
13. What Would You Choose to Do If You Had Unlimited Free Time and No Restrictions? Assuming no restrictions means unlimited money, more travel.
14. Is Struggle Essential to Happiness? Some level of struggle may help you appreciate what you have, but I think you can be happy regardless.
15. What Kinds of Games and Puzzles Do You Like? I do a number of puzzles every day, mostly word puzzles (e.g. crosswords). I particularly like cryptic crosswords. As for games, I probably play Code Names the most often.
16. What Would You Like to Learn to Make by Hand? I really should devote some time to mastering sock knitting. I’m good with other knitting, but I’ve failed at socks a few times.
17. When and For What Reasons Do You Seek Silence? I meed silence to concentrate on tricky problems and planning.
18. What Role Did School Clubs and Teams Play in Your Life? Extracurricular activities were a big part of my life. In elementary school, I went to Hebrew school, took ballet lessons, and took piano lessons. I was also in chorus and played viola for a couple of years. In junior high, I edited the school newspaper. In high school, I did a number of intramural sports (tennis, badminton, archery, modern dance club), was in math club, and was involved in drama club and student council / grade council. In college, I was very active in Hillel and in folk dance club and took other dance classes. I continued to do a lot of dancing of various sorts for most of my life. I discovered storytelling later on and that still plays a major part in my life.
19. Which Photograph Stays In Your Memory? I’m rather partial to a photo from Black Tie Miniature Golf, somewhere in the late 1980’s.
20. How Much Control Do You Think You Have Over Your Fate? There are things you don’t have direct control over, but you do have control over how you react to them and handle the consequences.
21. How Do You Try to Reduce Your Impact on the Environment? I recycle. And I use reusable shopping bags. And I use public transportation whenever possible.
22. How Do You Celebrate Earth Day? I don’t think I really do anything in particular for Earth Day.
23. Did Your School Have A Dress Code? Are School Dress Codes a Good Idea? I am fairly sure that in elementary school we had a dress code, but it wasn’t necessarily written. Back in those days, girls had to wear skirts or dresses to school, for example. That changed in junior high, but we still wouldn’t have been allowed to wear shorts or tank tops.
24. What Have Your Parents Taught You About Money? Mostly about the importance of living within our means. I remember when I started college, Dad helped me draw up a monthly budget, which was just barely enough money to get by on.
25. Are You a Good Driver? I’m an okay driver, but I have to force myself to be attentive.
26. Have You Ever Been Told You Couldn’t Do Something Because of Your Gender? That was pretty much a constant when I was a child. I wanted to be an astronaut, a race car driver, and the first woman to pitch for the New York Mets. At least when I decided to be a chemist, I could point to Marie Curie when people told me that girls couldn’t do that.
27. Do You Have a Best Friend? I have a few very close friends, but I don’t think it’s quite the same as, say, high school, when I’d spend all day at school with my best friend and then go home and talk with her on the phone for hours.
28. Should What You Say on Facebook Be Grounds for Getting Fired? It depends on the context. If you are violating confidentiality associated with your job, for example, that’s something I could justify your being fired for. Similarly for hate speech. In general, it’s a good idea to assume that nothing you say anywhere on-line is actually private.
29. Have You Ever Lost (or Found) Something Valuable? I have lost a couple of pieces of jewelry over the years. One of those was a ring my grandfather gave me when I was maybe 7 or 8 years old. But, since it vanished a good 30 or more years ago, it’s unlikely to ever turn up.
30. Do You Like Being Alone? I am fine with my own company. I’m good at keeping myself entertained.
