End of the February Memage...
Mar. 1st, 2025 09:35 amSeries of questions that are not part of the February Memage:
* Has the year been moving fast for you?
No. It's crawling. January took forever and so has February.
I've come to the conclusion this is a matter of individual or personal perception? It's moving the same for everyone, but we just see it based on how busy or happy we are?
Time moves faster when we're occupied or busy. Or enjoying ourselves or distracted. It moves at a crawl when we aren't. Or what we are doing feels repetitive or we're worried about things, or anticipating something. For example? A vacation feel like it moved past us at the speed of light, while waiting in a doctor's office can feel like an eternity. Particularly if I am nervous, anxious, or don't have much to do. The MRI on Tuesday felt like it was taking hours when in reality it was probably only an hour and a half. (I've had one too many doctors appointments in the last few months.) But when I paint, write a story, write in my blog, engrossed in a project at work, watching a really good television show or movie, hiking, wandering around in a book store, listening to an audio book, podcast, cooking something fun, or am reading an engrossing book or talking to a friend - time speeds by.
* What are some things you do that are more whimsical?
I saw this on the Illona Andrews feed and SmartBitches feed - apparently it was a question on TikTok? The responses were things like: "I swing my arms out whenever there is a lot of wind and pretend I'm causing it with my magical abilities", "I talk to the cat or dog and ask it questions about whether it likes doing laundry", "I buy beautiful ceramic jars and pots to put paints in."
I've been thinking about this off and on all week long, and was at loss until maybe today?
I have stuffed animals, one is a little stuffed frog that sits above my painting station, underneath two photographs of sunflowers. Another is a stuff calico kitty sitting on the top of my arm chair. And the third is a stuff hedgehog that I sleep with.
I also tell myself stories or make up stories in my head. Always done that. Sometimes aloud. And I talk to my robot vacuum - I have two, which work intermittently, named Buffy and Spike. Although I forget to call them by their names.
And I read super hero comic books and watch super hero movies.
And, when I write in long hand - it's in multi-colored ink? I often use different colored pens. My favorite is green and purple. I wrote letters that way back when I was in my teens and twenties, prior to the internet and email and texts.
End of February Memage
24. Have you ever been skiing?
Yes. Once for both water and snow skiing. It wasn't pleasant. I scared myself half to death. Haven't tried it since.
Went skiing in Colorado - Telluride, one of the big ski resorts when I was about 19. I'd never skied before, and somehow ended up on the Mogols, and then going down a really steep slope. The fact that I didn't injure myself or kill myself - was a minor miracle. None of it was enjoyable. I decided that was it - I wasn't doing this ever again.
Went water skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks at the age of 15, and almost drowned. And I was a swimmer, who was on the swim team at the time. I will not do it again.
Not a skier.
25. The Venice Carnival runs from February 22nd to March 4th. Wearing a fancy mask is a feature of the carnival – when was the last time you wore a mask?
Outside of COVID? I don't remember. I honestly don't.
26. Are you a fan of opera?
Depends on the Opera. Outside of Gilbert and Sullivan - I don't tend to like classical opera. I do love Rock Operas such as the Who's Tommy, Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita. I also like Les Miz. And I enjoyed Porgy and Bess.
I'm not a fan of most classical opera - mainly because I can't stand high soprano, it's too high, and I lose the sounds, either can't hear them or they annoy me. And most of the better operas are written in languages that I don't understand or know. I do like Carmen, which I've seen three times.
I've admittedly not seen a lot of opera. My parents loved it.
27. Do you regularly snack? What’s your snack of choice? With a hot beverage, or just on its own?
Nuts. I snack on walnuts, pecans, and almonds most of the day. They work well with diabetes, and lower blood sugar. Also act as a good protein. And are filling.
Also chocolate. I have a weakness for it.
Snack of choice at work - Kind Energy Bars.
No beverage required.
Also an apple, sometimes apple with nut butter (that I've made myself), hard cheddar cheese, or bittersweet chocolate.
28. Have you ever eaten a soufflé? Do you know how to make one?
Yes. And...well, yes, but they are wickedly hard and it was a long long time ago.
* Has the year been moving fast for you?
No. It's crawling. January took forever and so has February.
I've come to the conclusion this is a matter of individual or personal perception? It's moving the same for everyone, but we just see it based on how busy or happy we are?
Time moves faster when we're occupied or busy. Or enjoying ourselves or distracted. It moves at a crawl when we aren't. Or what we are doing feels repetitive or we're worried about things, or anticipating something. For example? A vacation feel like it moved past us at the speed of light, while waiting in a doctor's office can feel like an eternity. Particularly if I am nervous, anxious, or don't have much to do. The MRI on Tuesday felt like it was taking hours when in reality it was probably only an hour and a half. (I've had one too many doctors appointments in the last few months.) But when I paint, write a story, write in my blog, engrossed in a project at work, watching a really good television show or movie, hiking, wandering around in a book store, listening to an audio book, podcast, cooking something fun, or am reading an engrossing book or talking to a friend - time speeds by.
* What are some things you do that are more whimsical?
I saw this on the Illona Andrews feed and SmartBitches feed - apparently it was a question on TikTok? The responses were things like: "I swing my arms out whenever there is a lot of wind and pretend I'm causing it with my magical abilities", "I talk to the cat or dog and ask it questions about whether it likes doing laundry", "I buy beautiful ceramic jars and pots to put paints in."
I've been thinking about this off and on all week long, and was at loss until maybe today?
I have stuffed animals, one is a little stuffed frog that sits above my painting station, underneath two photographs of sunflowers. Another is a stuff calico kitty sitting on the top of my arm chair. And the third is a stuff hedgehog that I sleep with.
I also tell myself stories or make up stories in my head. Always done that. Sometimes aloud. And I talk to my robot vacuum - I have two, which work intermittently, named Buffy and Spike. Although I forget to call them by their names.
And I read super hero comic books and watch super hero movies.
And, when I write in long hand - it's in multi-colored ink? I often use different colored pens. My favorite is green and purple. I wrote letters that way back when I was in my teens and twenties, prior to the internet and email and texts.
End of February Memage
24. Have you ever been skiing?
Yes. Once for both water and snow skiing. It wasn't pleasant. I scared myself half to death. Haven't tried it since.
Went skiing in Colorado - Telluride, one of the big ski resorts when I was about 19. I'd never skied before, and somehow ended up on the Mogols, and then going down a really steep slope. The fact that I didn't injure myself or kill myself - was a minor miracle. None of it was enjoyable. I decided that was it - I wasn't doing this ever again.
Went water skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks at the age of 15, and almost drowned. And I was a swimmer, who was on the swim team at the time. I will not do it again.
Not a skier.
25. The Venice Carnival runs from February 22nd to March 4th. Wearing a fancy mask is a feature of the carnival – when was the last time you wore a mask?
Outside of COVID? I don't remember. I honestly don't.
26. Are you a fan of opera?
Depends on the Opera. Outside of Gilbert and Sullivan - I don't tend to like classical opera. I do love Rock Operas such as the Who's Tommy, Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita. I also like Les Miz. And I enjoyed Porgy and Bess.
I'm not a fan of most classical opera - mainly because I can't stand high soprano, it's too high, and I lose the sounds, either can't hear them or they annoy me. And most of the better operas are written in languages that I don't understand or know. I do like Carmen, which I've seen three times.
I've admittedly not seen a lot of opera. My parents loved it.
27. Do you regularly snack? What’s your snack of choice? With a hot beverage, or just on its own?
Nuts. I snack on walnuts, pecans, and almonds most of the day. They work well with diabetes, and lower blood sugar. Also act as a good protein. And are filling.
Also chocolate. I have a weakness for it.
Snack of choice at work - Kind Energy Bars.
No beverage required.
Also an apple, sometimes apple with nut butter (that I've made myself), hard cheddar cheese, or bittersweet chocolate.
28. Have you ever eaten a soufflé? Do you know how to make one?
Yes. And...well, yes, but they are wickedly hard and it was a long long time ago.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-01 05:29 pm (UTC)25. Non-COVID masks? Not since I was barely in my teens to go trick-or-treating one last time.
26. I've said before, screaming in tune is not my kind of music. I love classical music, but not classical opera.
27. Regularly snack? Yep, in fact, I was out for breakfast this morning, and on the way home I decided to skip stopping at the grocery store to buy snacks. I mostly eat chips, once in awhile, jerky, once in a while, black licorice. I lost about 10 pounds from being ill about this time last year, and haven't gained it back. I have less appetite. Still eat junk, just eat the same amount over a longer period of time!
28. Oddly, I haven't actually seen a soufflé since I was a kid. My mother made one. It came out lopsided and the family wasn't impressed with the taste.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-02 12:29 am (UTC)27 - sorry you will last year? COVID?
28 - Souffle's are wickedly hard to make well. Best to have in a restaurant, and they tend to be expensive and you have to order in advance. I've had the cheese and chocolate variety but not recently and not since long before 2005.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-02 01:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-03-02 01:32 am (UTC)COVID is frigging weird. It has a wide-range of symptoms, and since I've had it, most of my family has had it, and many of my co-workers and various folks I know and friends - I know all the symptoms now. I also know a lot of people with long-COVID.
I had a sinus infection last year around this period of time, too - but not with those symptoms. Mine was a slight fever, the shakes, and vertigo headaches. I took antibiotics and it was gone. (And it is wasn't COVID - I tested negative for COVID.) This year I got walking pneumonia. (Probably from the RSV virus that is going around - it either gives folks walking pneumonia or bronchitis, my friend got bronchitis, I got pneumonia and according to my doctor a lot of people have come down with pneumonia this year.)
Seriously, the world is trying to kill us. I can't say I blame it...considering the current ahem political situation. I just wish it would target the right people?