The Never Ending Toadfish Interview Cycle!

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

1. Windows, Mac, Linux or some obscure flavor of Unix?
I have a Windows XP and a Red Hat Linux.
I like linux much better.

2. Do you own an Apple iPod?
No. I don't intend to give Apple scads of money when I can buy myself an off brand and get just as much space and possibly a cooler look.

3. Does it make sense to watch a movie in such a small screen?
Nope.
______________________________
1. What's your opinion on affirmative action?

2. If you live in the US or have one of these anyway, do you listen to your local talk radio station?

3. Why or why not?

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

1. What's your opinion on affirmative action?
I think it is still necessary even if it causes some problems. There is still plenty of veiled (and sometimes  open) racism in the US and so far it seems like the only thing that helps offsetting it. At some point it should be dropped but IMO not until some sort of balance is reached.

2. If you live in the US or have one of these anyway, do you listen to your local talk radio station?
Erm, does NPR classify as 'talk radio'? There are some shows more opinionated than others so ...

3. Why or why not?
I want to hear some balance, listen to a far right or a far left* character isn't my cup of tea.

*I heard that some exist in the US although with the shift to the right, most people in the left or the greens** are considered far left now. I've heard far left back home and it is completely nutz BTW.

** being environmentally friendly is not my definition of left or much less far left.

1. Chocolate cake, fruitcake or bread cake?

2. Is the new fashion style too liberal? 

3. What new music style do you consider glorified noise?

[Opsa]

1. Chocolate cake, fruitcake or bread cake?

Fruitcake! I like chewy things. But unlike a dog, I am not amused if they also squeek.

2. Is the new fashion style too liberal?  Wink

These low-cut cowls the monks are all wearing now are only disgusting because I look so lousy in them. 

3. What new music style do you consider glorified noise?

All music is glorified noise.


                           

1) Do you ever suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder

2) Do you think that chewy licorice squidlings would sell?

3) What's that supposed to mean?

[Sibling Chatty]

1) Do you ever suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder
Yes

2) Do you think that chewy licorice squidlings would sell?
Not to me

3) What's that supposed to mean?
Don't like licorice. Gummies, especially pineapple with cherry tentacles, would be lovely.


1. Do you wear glasses (or contacts)?

2. What's the most scared you've ever been?

3. Avacado. Yes or no. Discuss.

[Bluenose]

1. Do you wear glasses (or contacts)?

Do plastic intra-ocular lenses count?  Used to wear glasses, but since I had both cataracts removed and replaced with aforesaid lenses, no need for driving, day to day use.  need glasses for reading/computer, but cheap (~$5) +2.5 for reading and +1.5 for computer work fine.  Beats $800+ for titanium multi focals I used to wear!

2. What's the most scared you've ever been?

Pre-flight inspection of a Grumman Tracker parked in "shit spot" (right up against the coming <edge of the flight deck> on the starboard side forward of the island) on HMAS Melbourne during a big storm and fairly big seas, having to climb up onto the top of said aeroplane and out over the starboard engine to inspect the propeller boss and other components.  Yes, I had a safety line on, but the top of the engine was about 15 feet above the deck edge and deck was about 42 feet above the oggin (ocean for all you land lubbers) and it was wet and windy and SCARY.

3. Avacado. Yes or no. Discuss

Yes yes yes yes YES! Especially Haas avocados, the black ones with a rough skin.  Reasons:  Guacamole; Toasted avocado, chicken, bacon and cheese foccacias; Avocado slices in your salad; A few slices of avocado on top of your rice before putting the curry on top of that;  Mashed avocado instead of butter when making sandwiches.  Did I mention Guacamole?




1. Peanuts or cashews?

2. Salted or unsalted?

3. Who was you favourite teacher and why?

Bonus question:  What happened to the bonus question?

[Opsa]

1. Peanuts or cashews?

Cashews. Oh, if I had some right now they's be in my tumtum. (That goes for Hass avocados, as well!)


2. Salted or unsalted?

Salted. Unsalted cashews are too sweet.

3. Who was you favourite teacher and why?

Miss Martha Delaney, who was my creative writing teacher in tenth grade. On our first day of class, she said "Shock me!" My friend Jeanne and I tried to shock her, but she only became more delighted with us. That was the most marvelous challenge I ever got in school.

Bonus question:  What happened to the bonus question?
I don't know. I thought you had it.

                            

1) What would be more fun: a barrel of monkeys or a bucket of squids?

2) If you could make a toast at Sibling Aggie's wedding reception, what would it be?

3) It's a rainy day. Shall we dig through a junk shop, a bargain store, or a used book shop?

Bonus Question: What if we all stopped everything and just had a party?

[anthrobabe]

1) What would be more fun: a barrel of monkeys or a bucket of squids?

a barrel of monkeys!

2) If you could make a toast at Sibling Aggie's wedding reception, what would it be?

"Dearest friend- may your days be long and full, laugh often, love more often. Be yourself and embrace the self of your mate. Never forget the power of chili peppers. Treasure your wife- treasure yourself as well. May peace and joy be your daily companions." (that seems lame- someone please do better)

3) It's a rainy day. Shall we dig through a junk shop, a bargain store, or a used book shop?
Junk Shop!!!!!!! Especially if they have clothing and really don't care if the "older ladies, gents too" come in again to play dress up.

Bonus Question: What if we all stopped everything and just had a party?

If we just stopped and had a party--- isn't that what we are doing already 



1: If you could also make a toast at Sibling Aggies wedding,what would it be?

2: If your coworker leaves- out in the open- an opened box of candy (chocolate, etc)- is is acceptable to eat some? (hurry it's a box of Turtles and they look good)

3: Do you wear socks to bed?

Bonus Question:
Sorry, can't think of a bonus question- the chocolate is staring at me.

[Sibling Chatty]

1: If you could also make a toast at Sibling Aggies wedding,what would it be?

Good health, good fortune and a long, loving and sharing life for my favorite internet nephew and his beautiful bride. May each day be more precious than the previous one, and may every gift and every happenstance fill you both with the wonder of love.
(As a personal, not public part--and Aggie will understand this: I want to pass on the wisdom of another couple that we're related to. Ruthie and Clayton had an agreement that served them well. Never stop considering the other half of you as the most important thing in your life. Your love for one another will cover all the ills, all the misfortune and all the sadness you may encounter if you remember that you are WE, not just ME.)

2: If your coworker leaves- out in the open- an opened box of candy (chocolate, etc)- is is acceptable to eat some? (hurry it's a box of Turtles and they look good)

If the top is on, and it's not in the open middle of the desk, no. Top off? Go for it. Right there out in the open? Yep, fair game (only one, until you check, though.) Hey, if you don't want to share your choccies, don't let me know you have choccies!!

3: Do you wear socks to bed?

Winter, usually, summer, not just no but HELL NO!! (However, once my feet get warm in the winter, the socks come off all by themselves. My feet do not like to be crowded.)

Bonus answer: Pass the chocolate.



1. You have an unexpected windfall of $50 USD (or equivalent) that does not have to go for any specific bill or purpose. It's just for YOU. Books, computer toys, movies or music, chocolate, booze or special food? (Or the ubiquitous other.)

2. OK, ya got an all expenses paid trip to any place you want to go, for 10 days, with up to 5 sidetrips of no more than 75 KM (approx. 50 miles) available--for you and 3 companions. Who do you take, where do you go? (Companions do not have to start where you are, can be anyone from anywhere.)

3. You're walking down the street and a man rushes up and says "They're coming to kill me. Take this. Send it to my family, the address is inside." And he rushes off. When you get home, the news says an "enemy" spy was killed on the street you were on, and his "family" was arrested as spies as well, and are being held pending trial. The package contains 50 diamonds of various sizes, all seem to be of high quality. You check, and the address that you were to take the diamonds to is where the "family" was arrested.

What do you do with the diamonds?

Bonus question: Why do I do such weird questions?

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

1. You have an unexpected windfall of $50 USD (or equivalent) that does not have to go for any specific bill or purpose. It's just for YOU. Books, computer toys, movies or music, chocolate, booze or special food? (Or the ubiquitous other.)
Could be books, or DVDs (if there is something in particular worthy of the money) but if it is rainfall money it is quite likely to go for CDs or downloads of classical music (NOT in iTunes, I despise Apple).

2. OK, ya got an all expenses paid trip to any place you want to go, for 10 days, with up to 5 sidetrips of no more than 75 KM (approx. 50 miles) available--for you and 3 companions. Who do you take, where do you go? (Companions do not have to start where you are, can be anyone from anywhere.)
Mmm, that's a hard one, possibly somewhere in Europe, may be Madrid, with my wife and kid (who would never forgive me if I left them).

3. You're walking down the street and a man rushes up and says "They're coming to kill me. Take this. Send it to my family, the address is inside." And he rushes off. When you get home, the news says an "enemy" spy was killed on the street you were on, and his "family" was arrested as spies as well, and are being held pending trial. The package contains 50 diamonds of various sizes, all seem to be of high quality. You check, and the address that you were to take the diamonds to is where the "family" was arrested.

What do you do with the diamonds?
The big questions are: would some interested party be able figure out I have the diamonds and trace me? and, are we talking about big/easy to recognize diamonds or small/nondescript diamonds? If the chances are low of being traced AND the diamonds are hard to recognize as somebody else's property, I would keep a low profile and after a while I would move the diamonds out of the country to sell them in small batches to different people (and different places). OTOH if the probability to be linked with the diamonds is relatively high I would take them to the police.

Bonus question: Why do I do such weird questions?
Because the purse you found had $50 in cash and a bunch of diamonds?


1. Diamonds, emeralds, rubies, or sapphires?

2. Investment in US$, Euros, Suiss Francs or Yen?

3. What is in your opinion the best place to buy real state now?

[Sibling Chatty]

1. Diamonds, emeralds, rubies, or sapphires?

I like color stones. Rubies and emeralds because good ones are valuable, sapphires because they're blue.

2. Investment in US$, Euros, Suiss Francs or Yen?

Investment? What's that? Swiss Francs seem to be the most stable historically.

3. What is in your opinion the best place to buy real state now?

Investment or use? Future investment or something income producing NOW?

Housing prices are plummeting daily in most markets. There will be a residential glut that will rebound horribly on the US economy as the repossessions rise. NOW is not the time, you should wait and plan for the bottom of the market for residential purchases, either  for investment or for a residence.

Long term, you look for an undervalued area that has growth potential. (Someone you know bought a classic Craftman cottage on 2/3 of an acre, needs cosmetic work, has original stained glass in the front windows...outbuildings, big trees--about 3 years ago, for under $30K. It's already worth about twice what it cost, with no improvements.)

In my area, the "escape from Houston's rat race" people are having to pay huge premiums for the closer in areas. The extra 13 miles from Brenham to Somerville cut prices precipitously, and as the pricier areas are starting to suffer, our prices in 'town' here are rising.
-------------
Investment property to be income producing? if you're planning on putting some money into the investment, look for older multi-family housing with 3 and 4 BR units. As houses are repo'd, there will be family groups that will need multiple bedrooms (kids) and can meet a fairly large monthly, but not keep up payments on a growing ARM. Buy older units, refurb and rent them. A friend in Atlanta took a complex of older 2BR/2BA rental units and took the basic floorplan apart and refurb'ed it all into three and four BR units (2 with 5 BRs) with larger kitchens, etc. and some of the baths made into laundry rooms. He bought it with the idea of catering to displaced ARM families, but he's actually got applications for more units than he'll have based on the fact that it's 3 or more bedrooms within a reasonable distance of the 'main part' of the city, instead of a 45 minute to 2 hour commute.
-----------

Across the board, housing in Texas has always been less expensive that most places.

What kind of real estate ya want? (Don't get me started on commercial...)



1. Would you rather live in a single family home on a suburban lot or acreage, or in a city townhouse/condo/apartment?

2. Carpet, tile( incl. lino), laminate (faked wood) or real wood flooring?

3. Sweet snacks or salty snacks at the movies?

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

1. Would you rather live in a single family home on a suburban lot or acreage, or in a city townhouse/condo/apartment?

Single family home.

2. Carpet, tile( incl. lino), laminate (faked wood) or real wood flooring?
Wood with area carpets/

3. Sweet snacks or salty snacks at the movies?
Sweet
-___________________________________-
1. What was your first job?
2. (who is) your favorite email provider?
3. What is your favorite Starbucks/equivalent drink?

[anthrobabe]

1. What was your first job?
At the Weinerschnitzel at the intersection of Oracle and Orange Grove in Tucson, Arizona. Absolutely a fun place to work, we had a manager/franchise owner who was this total mafia guy from up north/back east somewhere-- I swear that once their was a body in the walk in. And we'd put bottles of beer in the big ice maker to chill and then forget them and he's loose his mind and call us at like 4 am screaming his head off in Italian or something. Not all Italians are mafia- I realize this is a stereotype- but he was.  Pretty amazing we aren't dead from it- this was evidently before OSHA and such- we used to drain the fryers and then carry the hot liquid fat in big pots across the parking lot to the 'grease trap'- Oy Vay if one of us had fallen.


2. (who is) your favorite email provider?
I use hotmail and whatever the university uses for the other- so I guess hotmail. I'm not very familiar with any other.

3. What is your favorite Starbucks/equivalent drink?
I don't do franchise coffee very often-- I like good old iced coffee when I do indulge.



1: Are you an only child or one of two or more?

2: Where are you in the ranking if not an only- 1st, 2nd, 3rd-etc?

3: What was the absolute worst trouble you got into as a child- the worst single event and if you had/have siblings were they involved?

Bonus: Did your parents do something really spectacular as punishment- like for real send you to boarding school or what?

[Sibling Chatty]

1: Are you an only child or one of two or more?

One of four.

2: Where are you in the ranking if not an only- 1st, 2nd, 3rd-etc?

Second, although my sister died at age 20. Parents spread us out after having my sister and I within 18 months of each other. Brothers are 8 and 12 years younger than me.

3: What was the absolute worst trouble you got into as a child- the worst single event and if you had/have siblings were they involved?

A family squabble turned into a bloodbath...and I got the blame because I was being the sensible one. Sister was locking older little bro out of house, he kicked through the plate glass patio door and hacked up his ankle badly. He lost a lot of blood, went into shock, and when he was finally coherent enough to tell Mom about it, he blamed me, because I was the one he remembered doing something about it. (Yeah, I bandaged it and took him to the ER for stitches--but all he remembers is blood all over my hands as I was pulling out shards of glass.)

Mom and Dad were on their way home from an out of town trip, and came in to a note saying I had taken Les to the ER although I didn't have a driver's license, our sister was at her best friend's and Larry was at Tony and Michael's...could they come to the ER, please? And there was the residue of the blood everywhere.

Parents got there, Les got back to talking eventually, and blamed me. My sister figured she'd gotten away with it and didn't say a word. Mom and Dad were being VERY hard about it--I had to pay to replace the door glass (not their homeowner's insurance, me) and they were barely speaking to me. Larry tried to tell them it hadn't been me, but he was 4, so they ignored him.

A week later, Sister's best friend called, got Mom, and asked if she was still grounded, or would she be able to talk on the phone or even go somewhere with her? Mom says "Why should she be grounded" and the truth came out...

Bonus: Did your parents do something really spectacular as punishment- like for real send you to boarding school or what?

They acted as though it was STILL my fault. If I had stopped her, it wouldn't have happened, he wouldn't have been hurt, the glass wouldn't have been broken. That she was just turned 18, I was 16 and he was 8 and I couldn't control them made no difference, I should have  stopped it. No, I did NOT get my money back, no, she did not get punished, but I stayed on "restriction" until I was called back to work on threat of losing my job.



1. Favorite fruit?

2. Favorite vegetable?

3. Favorite entree'/main dish?

Bonus question: Favorite dessert?

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

1. Favorite fruit?
Raspberry

2. Favorite vegetable? Toooomato

3. Favorite entree'/main dish? Gumbo. God, I looove gumbo (sans seafood)


Bonus question: Favorite dessert?

Hmm, anything with chocolate and raspberries. Or multipul kinds of chocolate.
____________________________________________
1. DO you use an internet radio site of any kind?

2. Favorite almost-swear word?

3. Finish this lyic, "The internet is for ____" (Hint: four letter word)

[Sibling Chatty]

1. Pandora
2. frickin'
3. PORN!!



1. How much water (not other beverages, water) do you drink in a day?

2. Do you use sunscreen/sunblock products?

3. Do you have any birthmarks? What and where?