The Friday Five!
A collection of stuff.
1. What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to do, but never have?
Does this mean practical thing or wish like thing ‘cuz I’ve always wanted to own and ride horses but really they are too much work and money and they need an awful lot of space. In the practical and feasible realm, I’ve been working on being in every single state but haven’t yet (I’m really close though, 17 more to go. Hey, that is pretty close when you think of how big the country is and how expensive it is to go traveling). Then again I’ve always wanted to go hang gliding and I still think it would be really neat to learn but it probably wont happen. I’d first have to be somewhere where there are mountains, and then I would probably have to take some classes and then I’d go soaring in the skies with my man. Well, I would if TheMan wasn’t a tad acrophobic and I wasn’t a tad nervous about going gliding without someone else I know tagging along for the experience. Maybe one day all these factors will be in my favor and I will go gliding but I don’t think so. Ah well, I can live without it.
The states thing though, I am determined to complete that goal. I suppose TheMan and I will just have to start taking vacations to places we haven’t been.
2. When someone asks your opinion about a new haircut/outfit/etc, are you always honest?
Unfortunately, yeah. My sis has been on me for years about my lack of ability to smile and say “lovely” but I just can’t really do that whole gush about something that is hideous. I have been working on picking out good parts of things and saying “Oh, I really like the green swirls in the pattern!” or something like that. Besides, I’d want to know if a swirly green skirt makes me look like a marshmallow in lime sauce or not so I kinda just extend the thought to other people. I guess not everyone wants to hear how the bestest cutest swirl green skirt makes them look like a bizarre campfire treat. Mmmm, lime sauce.
Which brings me to a couple of tips from different cultures. My aunt and uncle lived in Argentina for a handful of years and they told me about the local custom of dealing with this sort of thing. Mostly, it had to do with visiting new parents and having to say something about their grotesquely ugly new born. When asked to oooh and ahhh over a tiny lump of lizardy looking human and extol the cuteness of said creature the proper response is “That’s a fine baby.” I suppose it works for other occasions as well (“that’s a fine lime green skirt”) but I only know it from the “Saving the pride of the new parents” point of view.
Then, while visiting The Qs, I learned the northern way of saying this, which is to tell the person “It’s as nice as it can be.” Either or works for me.
3. Have you ever found out something about a friend and then wished you hadn’t? What happened?
I suppose I must have at some point in time but I just can’t think of anything right now. Maybe I just am fine with all of my friend’s deep secrets and it just doesn’t bother me. OH! I know! When I was 20 or so the family finally told me that my aunt was gay and that sorta freaked me out. Not that her being a lesbian was freaky, but that I had thought of her as one way (straight but not ready to marry) for 20 years and such and all of that was pretty much a farce. It took me a while to absorb the new info and then I was kinda mad at the fam for not saying anything sooner. I gotta think it’s tough for gay people to be out and around in a predominantly straight society and having to go about and pretending you are one thing when you are not has got to be rough. I just hope I didn’t upset my aunt any when I asked about guys she hung with or marriage or whatnot when I assumed she was straight.
Hmmm, I just re-read the question and I don’t wish I hadn’t found out about my aunt, I just wish I hadn’t gone on so long thinking something that wasn’t true about her. That’s as close as I can get to answering the question ‘right’ so that will have to do.
4. If you could live in any fictional world (from a book/movie/game/etc.) which would it be and why?
Oooo! Ones with lots of aliens because aliens are neat and interesting things. I would love to be able to talk to another sentient being whose whole point of view wasn’t anything close to human. I’d probably choose the Star Trek universe because they have a good mix of aliens and swanky space ships and transporters plus they seem to be the most orderly and more or less most peaceful of the future fictional worlds. Oh, and they have Klingons. Klingons rock.
5. What’s one talent/skill you don’t have but always wanted?
Perfect pitch. I figure I’d be a better musician and maybe I could even sing somewhere near on key if I knew what the key was for certain. I could sing acappella without a pitch pipe to start me off and I wouldn’t have to worry about if I was singing the right note. I could even pick up a guitar and tune it without worrying if I was tuning it true or not because I’d know.