The Never Ending Toadfish Interview Cycle!

[Sibling Chatty]

1. What was the first "big trip" that you remember taking as a child?

We didn't make 'big trips' when I was a child. When I was 15, we went all the way to the World's Fair!! It was in San Antonio. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HemisFair_'68

2. What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

How crazy you wanna get? Cooking for 300 people on 4 hours notice? Storing 'some stuff', no questions asked, for my cousins, even though I KNEW they'd been running drugs in from Mexico? (It was locked in their car, in my also locked garage, but I was a student at a Baptist college at the time.) Postponing my cancer surgery for 9 days to do funeral flowers for the father of my friends? Agreeing to have a colonoscopy finished up with NO MORE DRUGS because my heart rate went wonky?
I think I will go with the always festive "Slapping the living crap out of a guy at Mardi Gras for getting a little bit too fresh, then finding out that he's from a prominent Italian 'family'." Never slap a Southern Mafioso--unless your husband happens to be "Cousin Guistina's" journalism professor. I coulda been gator food...

3. Your group is putting on a play.  Which would you want to do: Acting, writing, directing, or running the lights... and why?

Heh...I have directed. I have acted, I have written and I have run lights. Writing is difficult, directing is a skill, acting is a talent, and lighting is a breeze.

I'll direct.


1. Describe your favorite footwear.

2. You've got two hours to kill. Book, movie, TV or nap?

3. When did you first realize that you were different, that you were more thoughtful, or more inquisitive, or whatever it is that makes so many of us the rather different people that we are?

[Griffin NoName]

1. Describe your favorite footwear.

My bright blue leather pull on slightly taller than ankle boots. Pull on, push off, and no one else has any like them. They are not what you'd wear with anything so I wear them with everything. I've always liked idiosyncratic style.

2. You've got two hours to kill. Book, movie, TV or nap?

Til I got ill, it would have been a book, always.

Now it's often a nap that kills the two hours not the other way round.

If not, then one of my favourite TV programs, less concentration needed than a movie as all the characters are known.

Lastly, a film (video - can't get out to cinema) but that takes more energy so it would depend what was happening after the two hours.

3. When did you first realize that you were different, that you were more thoughtful, or more inquisitive, or whatever it is that makes so many of us the rather different people that we are?

When a student told me my age didn't make any difference, they could talk with me as if I was their age, and I talked with them as if I was their age. That took me by surprise. And when I thought about it, I realised it was true. It was probably the first time I fetched up against that which I later came to know as self-awareness.

For a long while I did get caught in the "being different". But more recently I have tended to get to know people who are less focused on propping up their incredibly busy lives that exclude anything and everything but keeping the show on the road, and hence have found so many different people that I am losing the sense of difference and tend to see it more as identifying with those who have a wider perspective rather than thinking I am different to those who for whatever emotional reason can't see beyond the end of their nose. Mainly because I suspect that if they could take their eye off the ball, they'd be similarly different.

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1. How do you feel about mobile (cell) phone masts?

2. Do you know anything about your great-grandparents? Great-great-grandparents?

3. What playground games did you play?

[Swatopluk]

1. How do you feel about mobile (cell) phone masts?
I know they exist but I don't know whether I'd recognize one.
I never had a mobile and don't see the need.

2. Do you know anything about your great-grandparents? Great-great-grandparents?
I don't even know my grandfathers personally. Both died either before my birth or not too long after (no legal connection could ever be made ). There are probably some skeletons in the family closet* (there were some hints on my paternal grandmother's funeral) but if someone knows details that person isn't talking.

*probably no crimes but maybe something to do with the Nazi race laws ()

3. What playground games did you play?
I guess the usual things like hide and seek. Memories not very clear. I was always more like sitting at home with a book.

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1. Did you ever smash dishes/glass in anger?

2. Did you ever seriously think about emigrating (and where to?)?

3. How much liquid do you take in on average daily (by drinking, not soups etc.)?

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

1. Did you ever smash dishes/glass in anger?

I did smash glasses while celebrating.

To clarify this: In Serbia, it's more or less a custom, to smash glasses, when celebrating. Mostly there's a song which triggers it, when it becomes difficult to control the emotions.

A few months back (4th January), we were celebrating the birthday of a very good friend of mine and almost all of her glasses/dishes/and other breakable things were smashed.

2. Did you ever seriously think about emigrating (and where to?)?

Not really. I prefer travelling.

3. How much liquid do you take in on average daily (by drinking, not soups etc.)?

Interestingly enough, we're now doing a project in statistics, where we write down all we drink. In the last three days, I've found out that I drink way too much (I have up to now about 5 litres of beer per day, 1,5 litres of wine, and 1 liter of hard stuff, together with around two litres of non-alcoholic beverages). Now a few days of detoxication period awaits me...

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1. Do you save money, or spend every penny?

2. How do you listen to your music? (radio, tv, dvd, cd, vinyl, mp3?)

3. How many movies do you own (legally and illegal copies, you don't have to specify)?

[Swatopluk]

1. Do you save money, or spend every penny?
Currently living on savings

2. How do you listen to your music? (radio, tv, dvd, cd, vinyl, mp3?)
Yes, no, rarely, yes, very rarely now(lacking equipment, the only working one is used by my mum), occasionally (not mobile, only on PC)

3. How many movies do you own (legally and illegal copies, you don't have to specify)?
If documentaries are included, somewhere between 1000 and 1500 (the few illegals now covered by having an original too)

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1. Do you speak "high" language or an easily discernible/recognizable dialect?

2. Would you temporarily join an organization you despise because you'd be otherwise at a significant disadvantage (or where do you think would be your tipping point on that)?

3. Are you (or were you in the past)on non-speaking terms with a close relative due to political differences?

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

1. Do you speak "high" language or an easily discernible/recognizable dialect?
Mmm.. I guess dialect? It is a gray area, if I speak in spanish I might use words that are part of Bogota's slang, but there isn't as much deviation from the canon language. With english it is even harder for me to determine if I am talking 'high' language or not. I believe in german there is a clearer distinction, no?

2. Would you temporarily join an organization you despise because you'd be otherwise at a significant disadvantage (or where do you think would be your tipping point on that)?
If that is the only way to bring bread home, I may cave, but I would try to look for alternatives.

3. Are you (or were you in the past)on non-speaking terms with a close relative due to political differences?
Non-speaking terms is too much, perhaps avoid discussion or not talk as often, I have a (so called) libertarian cousin who sometimes says things with which I am in complete disagreement. Funnily, dubya's administration has de-radicalized him a bit.

1. Mandarin or Japanese?

2. Red wine or White wine (if you can't drink, apple juice or grape juice ).

3. Have you heard a Fortepiano? Do Mozart/Haydn/Beethoven sound better or worse on one of those?

[Sibling Chatty]

1. Mandarin or Japanese?

Food or language??

2. Red wine or White wine (if you can't drink, apple juice or grape juice Wink ).

Can't drink, but when I could I preferred a dry white wine. Both apple and grape juices are fairly empty calories unless they've been fortified with extra vitamins, because the processing eliminates most of the nutritional value.

3. Have you heard a Fortepiano? Do Mozart/Haydn/Beethoven sound better or worse on one of those?

Yes, the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University has a fantastic collection of keyboard instruments through the ages. Here's a quote about their "new" Fortepiano.

The fortepiano ... is owned by Rice University and was built by Paul McNulty in Amsterdam in 1993. The piano is modeled after an instrument made by the Viennese builder Johann Walter in 1794. It has a pitch range of five octaves and is typical of the Viennese pianos used by the composers on this evening's program in that it has an action (known as the "Viennese" action) which yields a lighter and shallower touch than Italian or English instruments and which greatly facilitates performance of the sparkling passagework characteristic of piano music in the late eighteenth century. Instead of pedals, the piano has two knee levers. The left lever (called the moderator) acts as a damper of sound, and the right lever sustains the notes. The dampers are made of leather rather than felt, which is used in modern pianos. The hammers striking the strings are covered in leather, causing the fortepiano to have a sound that is shorter in duration than the sound of today's pianos.

McNulty's site has a lot of cool photos.
http://www.fortepiano.eu/

It's not as simple as "better" to me. I don't assume a 'better or worse' mentality on the sound of original instruments versus modern ones. Of course, I used to have season's tickets with these folks: http://www.houstonearlymusic.org/

Then again, I can be a music geek. I spent $300 to rent an "antique bassoon" for 2 weeks (an Italian faggotto over 200 years old) back in the 70's, and that was when my private college's tuition was only $550 a semester. I wasn't able to figure out the sound differences between the German antique I had access to and the Italian one I had heard, so I blew over half a semester's tuition to rent the damn thing. I have an expensive curiosity, always have had...and I am a self professed geek and weirdo.



1. What color car do you prefer?

2. Name three foods that you really, REALLY dislike.

3. Did your parents keep a baby book about you? Do you know where it is?

[Swatopluk]

1. What color car do you prefer?
a dark blue

2. Name three foods that you really, REALLY dislike.
leek, anything that looks like vomit (even if I like the taste), certain types of cabbage.

3. Did your parents keep a baby book about you? Do you know where it is?
Yes, yes (about 4 m to the west from here and about 2 m up, i.e. upper shelf in book cabinet next room)

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1. What epoch of classical music do you like best (or do you dislike them all)?

2. Do you like to swim (even if you should not be able to do at the moment)?

3. what educational degree(?) do you have? (dropout, college, university etc.)

[Bluenose]

1. What epoch of classical music do you like best (or do you dislike them all)?
Hmm, tricky.  Let me see, some of my favourite composers are Beethoven, Mozart, Tchiakovsky, Mahler, Wagner (when I'm in the mood), Stravinsky, Sibelieus, J.S Bach (with or without Goedel and Escher), Berlioz, Bizet (certainly not a complete list of favourites)  So, I guess I would say mstly post baroque and pre modern (I just can't take the "modern classic", sounds like discordant self indulgent wankery to me). So I would say probably the nineteenth century and some of the early twentieth century, but my tastes are pretty broad and I can quite happily indulge in all manner of classical music.

2. Do you like to swim (even if you should not be able to do at the moment)?

love swimming.  Actually taught myself to swim.  When I was about 8 or so, I used to go to our local swimming pool practically every afternoon after school.  I couldn't swim, but was unafraid of the water and could just manage a dog paddle to keep my head above the surface.  However, I quickly became adept at swimming underwater and since my mother had banned me from "going past the six foot" (the pool was about 4 foot deep at one end and twelve foot deep at the other, I got around the prohibition by staying on the deep side of the divide.  (You're right, I was a little shit.)  I would dive off the diving board, swim under water until I needed some air, burst out of the water, like a whale breaching I suppose, to grab a lungful of air and then swim underwater again and so on, until I reached the side.  Eventually I got sick of this and had a look at what the swimmers were doing and taught myself how to do it one afternoon.

3. what educational degree(?) do you have? (dropout, college, university etc.)
Diploma of Programming Technology.

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1. Have you ever watched a cricket match?

2. Devonshire Tea, or a Latte and cookie from some fancy coffee shop?

3. Plane or train?

[Swatopluk]

1. Have you ever watched a cricket match?
No, and that Indian movie is still resting on the shelf waiting to be watched

2. Devonshire Tea, or a Latte and cookie from some fancy coffee shop?
Tea (called Westminster, no idea where it's actually from but cheap and mild)
Or are you referring to a British Tea ceremony? I just drink about 0.5l tee a day (one big cup for breakfast, another in the late afternoon or evening).

3. Plane or train?
Neither, if it can be avoided (I am rarely out of town). Inside the city train.

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1. How far to the next cinema?

2. Do you go there sometimes/often/never?

3. What do they charge on average?

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Whoops.  I'm too slow.

As a bonus, I've also included my answers to Bluenose's questions.

1. How far to the next cinema?

About 3 or 4 kilometers.

2. Do you go there sometimes/often/never?

That one, not so often.  It's more expensive than others around here, and we usually just watch DVDs anyhow.

3. What do they charge on average?

$12, I believe.



1. Have you ever watched a cricket match?
I've passed by people playing cricket in the park (and my high school had a cricket team), but I've never really stopped to watch.

One of my friends once inadvertently fired on a cricket match, though.  He was in the park as well (it's a big park), launching a new model rocket of his own design.  It turned out not to be completely stable, since it went up about 20 feet, then turn 90 degrees and took off toward the cricket game.  He had some rather angry West Indian people telling him not to launch any more missile at them.

2. Devonshire Tea, or a Latte and cookie from some fancy coffee shop?
Latte and cookie.  In any choice between tea and coffee, I choose coffee.

3. Plane or train?
Not too much train lately, unfortunately.  Usually when I'm travelling, if I need speed, then plane.  Otherwise car.

I'd take trains more often, but I tend to travel to places that are inconveniently far away from railway stations.



1. What fictional character do you most closely identify with?

2. What historical figure would you most want to spend an afternoon with?

3. Which current world leader do you think would have had the best shot at an Olympic medal, if he or she had pursued athletics instead of politics?

[Sibling Chatty]

1. What fictional character do you most closely identify with?

Esme Weatherwax (I started as Agnes Nitt, always wanted to be Gytha Ogg, but ended up Esme Weatherwax, sorta in Nanny Oggs's body.)

2. What historical figure would you most want to spend an afternoon with?

Yeshua bar Joseph

3. Which current world leader do you think would have had the best shot at an Olympic medal, if he or she had pursued athletics instead of politics?

Is there an Olympic medal for moronic behavior? If not, I would think probably Angela Merkel for something in the swimming/diving areas.



1. What did you have for dinner last night?

2. Are you an optimist, a pessimist or do you consider yourself a realist?

3. You're assigned to a project with 7 other people. You know 5 of them and distrust three of the five. YOU are given the responsibility of pairing up teams to work together to complete the project. How do you assign the three you distrust? (Each with you or someone that you trust, or two together and one elsewhere, or do you assign them to strangers?)

Why?

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

1. What did you have for dinner last night?
Some fruit, some brie cheese, some crackers, cookies, marshmallow brownies... a little bit of everything, everyone brought food for the concert and we all ate it in the camerino.

2. Are you an optimist, a pessimist or do you consider yourself a realist?
A realist but I have been called pessimist more than once (as the saying goes: a pessimist is a well informed optimist ).

3. You're assigned to a project with 7 other people. You know 5 of them and distrust three of the five. YOU are given the responsibility of pairing up teams to work together to complete the project. How do you assign the three you distrust? (Each with you or someone that you trust, or two together and one elsewhere, or do you assign them to strangers?) Why?
Distrust their competence or them as human beings? Even the nastier individuals can work properly to save their own ass. It is a balancing act but in most cases you will not have much flexibility because in a big team you most likely will have to play to the strengths of each member no matter how you feel about them.
If they are incompetent then you have no option but to put someone to babysit each of them. 

1. "A friend will help you move, a real friend will help you move a body" True in your case?

2. A good theater company is showing a play you love at the same time a good orchestra is playing a work you love, you will not be able to see both, which one would you choose?

3. Piccolo or Tuba?

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

1. "A friend will help you move, a real friend will help you move a body" True in your case?

I have a couple of friends I know (or at least I think) I can rely on.
One is sure, if a friend of mine asks me for a service, and I am able to do it, I do it. I'd even move bodies if necessary. It's what real friends are there for.

2. A good theater company is showing a play you love at the same time a good orchestra is playing a work you love, you will not be able to see both, which one would you choose?

I'd probably go with option no. 3 - go and get some beer. Because I couldn't decide.
I'd probably go where my friends would like to go. As much as I like entertainent, I don't like entertainment alone.

3. Piccolo or Tuba?

Probably tuba...

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1. Do you bet?

2. What was the stupidest or most insane or weirdest thing you had to do because losing a bet? (like dancing in snow in a red g-string (don't ask) or similiar)

3. If someone dared you to do walk in your underwear through the town centre you live in, would you do it?

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

1. Do you bet?
Not money.

2. What was the stupidest or most insane or weirdest thing you had to do because losing a bet? (like dancing in snow in a red g-string (don't ask) or similiar)
I don't loose bets. My friend, who is Muslim, had to go home and pretend to be drink, though. (NOT my idea. I wanted her to sing a stoopid song for her school talent show)

3. If someone dared you to do walk in your underwear through the town centre you live in, would you do it?
Considering my town is 95% suburban, filled with old/blind people, or people who aren't home until 5:30pm and work on the otherside of town, mostly, sure.
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1. Did you get into your college of preference?
2. Keep NASA or get rid of it?
3. What do you think of when you hear "Muffin-Kong Goes to Jesus School"?