The Never Ending Toadfish Interview Cycle!

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

1. If you had to take a three day train journey, which countries would you go through, what food would you take, and what else would you consider vital to take.
If you start from where I actually live, the only other country I could get to on a three day trip is Mexico. I don't want to go to Mexico, really. On the other hand, if I lived in a place that had little countries all jammed together like Europe, I'd probably go to Greece, Hungary, and the Crimean (yes, I know, not an actual country). I LOVE Greek food, so no worries there, other than the meat bit (I don't know how I fix that - I would rather not be sick for the rest of the trip just because I had a bit of lamb) and I'm sure I can find other delicious things on the way, so I'm not sure I would actually need to bring food with me.
A camera, my eReader, my mp3, the contents of my wallet (credit card, passport, etc.), and my phone. I think that's all I would require.

2. Where/When would you go in a time machine.
Oh god. EVERYWHERE. I'd go bother interesting figures of all different times. And then, I would pull a Bill and Ted and bring several dozen to the present and unleash them on a mall. Or Hollywood. Or DC. I can totally picture Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun teaming up to chase secret service people through Washington DC.

3. What do you consider the most desirable characteristics in a workmate?
Honesty, professionalism, friendliness, intelligence.
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1. What's your favorite way to cook eggs?

2. What's your favorite fruit?

3. What super hero ability (flight, x-ray vision, etc.) would you have if you could.

[Pachyderm]

1. What's your favorite way to cook eggs?

Scrambled, with smoked salmon and pepper.

2. What's your favorite fruit?

Currently, raspberries. but that will change, it always does...

3. What super hero ability (flight, x-ray vision, etc.) would you have if you could.

Flight. That would be awesome. Imagine being able to fly over herds of wildebeest, and them just behaving as they should, not wondering what the noisy metal box with the funny feet was.

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1.Walnuts. Do you approve?

2.What is your favourite historical period?

3 Why?

[Darlica]

1.Walnuts. Do you approve?
-Yes I do and very much so with honey and chevre cheese

2.What is your favourite historical period?
My inner archaeologist loves the "Vendel era" (550-793) and "Viking era" (790-1100), I love the Medieval  and Renaissance eras for the art, architecture, clothes and craft in general, I can go on like that forever... no real favourite

3 Why?
It depends on what I'm interested of at the moment, there are golden nuggets everywhere!


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1) Favourite type of tree

2) Goat cheese,   or  ?

3) What is the oddest cheese you have ever tried?

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

1) Favourite type of tree

Oak.  Hardy.  Drought-tolerant. Long-lived. Has a deep taproot, instead of shallow, all-over-the-yard and into the sewerlines.  Leaves rarely fall in a huge bunch, creating yardwork.  Hard wood, useful for woodworking.  Burns cleanly, too.  Even produces acorns, which with suitable prep, can be made into food.

2) Goat cheese,   or  ?

Mmmmm.  Although I must admit I've only had semisoft creamy type of goat cheese. 

3) What is the oddest cheese you have ever tried?

Aged harvarti.  *sigh* Okay, so this is Oklahomer, where sharp cheddar is considered "exotic"...

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_{(corrugated sheet steel.... ain't it pretty?)}

1) favorite style of pizza;  list toppings and describe crust.

2) favorite seafood; anything goes, here-- price is no object. 

3) When you sit to relax, is it in the same chair?  Sofa?  Bed?  Hammock?  Describe this contrivance. Inquiring minds want to know.

[Earthling]

1) favorite style of pizza;  list toppings and describe crust.
MMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm pizza. I luuuuuuuurrrves pizza. Double garlic with black olives, pepperoni with mushrooms, Hawaiian, Fonzo's Special (pepperoni, ham, sausage, hamburger, green peppers, onions, mushrooms). Extra cheese, garlic white (sans tomate), green pepper and onion. The crust must be chewy, not crunchy, but it doesn't have to be super thick. To render pizza edible requires treatment with hot peppers. I usually just use the crushed red pepper from the "ordinary" spice department, but in hot weather, when I have a sufficient supply of beer (minimum one beer per slice), I'll occasionally break out the thermonuclear habaneros. These things are monitored by the UN and NATO. Mongo like.

2) favorite seafood; anything goes, here-- price is no object.   
I'm kinda boring here, I'm afraid. I grew up right next to the Atlantic, seafood is not even almost exotic. I like swordfish steaks on the grill. If you want to include all fishies, I might switch over to broiled salmon fillets marinated in chipotle sauce. Yum.

3) When you sit to relax, is it in the same chair?  Sofa?  Bed?  Hammock?  Describe this contrivance. Inquiring minds want to know.
What is this "relax" you speak of?
I get five or ten minutes of actual sit-and-relax after dinner, but most of my sitting is not very physically relaxing. after dinner I sit in a bar-height chair, with my feet up on the counter extension, for a few minutes. Other than that, if I'm sitting, I'm usually doing something - like right now I'm attempting to type stuff into the magic box without too many typos.

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1. What is your favorite non-alcoholic beverage?

2. What is your favorite alcoholic beverage?

3. Swimming?

[Darlica]

 
Earthling:
In the On The Beach section there is a food and cooking area with a special thread dedicated to cooking with Chilli if you want to check that out.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

1. What is your favorite non-alcoholic beverage?
Lulo juice. If you find a Colombian (or perhaps Ecuadorean) restaurant ask for it.

2. What is your favorite alcoholic beverage?
Wine. More specific you say? Good wine.

Also a shot of Havana Club Añejo.

3. Swimming?
With fins in a reef. I wish I could do it more often.

1. When was the last time you got drunk?

2. Was worth the hangover?

3. Do you have a teenage mishap worth telling?   

[Griffin NoName]

1. When was the last time you got drunk?

Probably about 18 months ago, although not the totally head spinning degree, more like just the very silly stage.

2. Was worth the hangover?

Yes. I was able to speak French perfectly !!!

3. Do you have a teenage mishap worth telling?

No. But I have some adult ones !

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1. Would you trust anyone with your life (apart from medics, fire service etc)?

2. What three objects would you take with you to the moon?

3. If you had to be someone else, who would it be?

[Earthling]

1. Would you trust anyone with your life (apart from medics, fire service etc)?
Yup, I have a few friends who served in combat with various branches of the US military, and I'd trust any of them with my life - even Tom L., who I really only know from work. Those guys do not mess around with anything that's even moderately serious. I'd like to think I could trust my brothers, but they're both fairly inept. I'd trust their intentions, but not their abilities. I'd trust my brother in law, my cousin (well, he is a trauma surgeon after all, maybe he doesn't count), my friend Patty the Forester .... ummm, can't think of anyone else. My wife is too panicky, sad to say.

2. What three objects would you take with you to the moon?
A really good telescope (talk about no interference!!!), a bunch of bacteria to leave behind, and a guitar. gotta have my guitar.

3. If you had to be someone else, who would it be?
I would probably choose some really great guitarist whose name starts with "S". Segovia, Satriani, Santana ...


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1. If you knew you were going to die, where would you go to do it?

2. Do you think you are in good physical condition for your age?

3. Have you ever put yourself in physical danger to help another, either human or nonhuman?

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

1. If you knew you were going to die, where would you go to do it?
I assume you mean that I knew I was going to die soon, since I'm going to die eventually.  Also, I assume you mean what I would do before that as well.
Let's assume I have a month: I would go up the mountains and spend a couple days wandering around there. I'd blow my savings on a trip to the Caribbean or something and spend days and days swimming and shopping and loving every last minute. And then I'd go home that last week or so to my family and spend those last hours with them.

2. Do you think you are in good physical condition for your age?
I'm kind of out of shape, but I have a stellar immune system so that helps? Also, I'm going to be rectifying the out of shape bit soon.

3. Have you ever put yourself in physical danger to help another, either human or nonhuman?
Um, I live a safe life, physically speaking, but I did save my sister from getting stuck under a huge raft in a pool one time.

1. Can you find me a tutorial on making balloon animals?

2. What's your favorite radio station (internet or otherwise)?

3. What was your first (paid) job?

[Swatopluk]

1. Can you find me a tutorial on making balloon animals?
I think that art is passed only from master to pupil.

2. What's your favorite radio station (internet or otherwise)?
It was RIAS Berlin but did not really survive the fall of the GDR (it was zombified later)

3. What was your first (paid) job?
A mandatory industrial internship during my chemistry studies.

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1. Be honest, what are your personal racial prejudices?

2. Is this cartoon racist (and does it actually matter)?
[youtube=425,350]qSfGvptL_TY[/youtube]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSfGvptL_TY

3. How many stanzas of your national anthem can you quote from memory?

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

1. Be honest, what are your personal racial prejudices?
I don't feel I have a particular racial prejudice as much as cultural prejudice. For instance, I do have a very negative perception about white southerners specifically linked to their accents. I know that in all likelihood only a minority exhibit the negative traits I associate with them, and in consequence I have to tell myself that I isn't fair to judge a person by his/her accent, but it is a conscious effort.

2. Is this cartoon racist (and does it actually matter)?
It might have one or two questionable elements at the beginning but it seems very minor. Racism in cartoons may matter depending on how it can perpetuate negative stereotypes.

3. How many stanzas of your national anthem can you quote from memory?
Just the one. There was a time when I knew two or three more but I forgot them due to lack of use.

1. How important is patriotism to you?

2. Is there any particular prejudice you have against any particular group of people. How do you manage it?

3. What do you usually do with your evenings?

[Pachyderm]

1. How important is patriotism to you?

Depends how you define patriotism. I don't go for the "My country, right or wrong", but am proud of my Scottish heritage, and of the fact that I am British. I also recognise that we did and do many things badly, or that I consider wrong. I am glad of the fact that we can remove our politicians without having to resort to coups, and that our military doesn't run our country.

2. Is there any particular prejudice you have against any particular group of people. How do you manage it?

Not especially, no. At least, not based on race, creed or any of the usual separations. I don't suffer fools gladly, and simply try to avoid idiots, and any activity where the idiots would be in charge. I try to be tolerant, and accept differences, but blind adherence to any set of conditions annoys me.

3. What do you usually do with your evenings?

Depends on the time of year. Mostly, as I spend so much time wandering around outside, poking sticks and holes and crawling through hedges, I quite enjoy being inside, with a book and a cuppa. Bat season, I'll be out, detector in hand, chasing the wily Pipistrelle.

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1. What is your favourite animal?

2. What is your favourite plant?

3. Where is your favourite restaurant?

[Swatopluk]

1. What is your favourite animal?

http://www.focusonnature.com/SouthA44.jpg
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/cm/goodhousekeeping/images/TQ/siberian-husky-fb.jpg
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Travel/Pix/pictures/2006/12/19/shark276.jpg

2. What is your favourite plant?
More difficult. Blooming cacti, large pine trees, Venusian flytrap

3. Where is your favourite restaurant?
I have no special favorite. There was a nice Chinese one a few minutes walk from here (one that avoided the usual 'palace style').
I actually rarely go to restaurants (if take-away Asian diners and company cantinas don't count).

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1. How far back can you trace your family?

2. Do you have children or have intention to get some (of your own or adopted?)?

3. In what way do your religious views (or lack thereof) influence the eductaion of your children (or would, if you don't have any)? What role did religion play in your own education?

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

1. How far back can you trace your family?
Depends on which side. On my dad's, back to Switzerland in the 1600s (right before they were kicked out of sheep theft) and on my mom's, 1620s Paris, France...right before he was sent to Quebec.

2. Do you have children or have intention to get some (of your own or adopted?)?
Ahhh, no. I can deal with kids, and I think they're cute, but I don't think I'd be a good mother and my tolerance for crying is pretty low.

3. In what way do your religious views (or lack thereof) influence the eductaion of your children (or would, if you don't have any)? What role did religion play in your own education?
I would probably never really talk about religion, and they would probably get an ear full about it from their grandparents on my side (especially from my mom!). If they asked about it, I'd explain that some people believe in god(s) and some people don't.
Religion had a murky place in my upbringing. We were Catholic, and sometimes went to church, but it was never "say your prayers at night, learn the rosary, etc." status so it was kind of an abstract. When I was about 15, my mother became a lot more religious and it was suddenly a force to be reckoned  with my house. About a year later, I left the Church, and two years after that I accidentally told my mom I wasn't Catholic, so I suspect she wishes she had made it a bigger deal when I was a kid.
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1. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?

2. African or European swallow?

3. Who is your favorite piratical figure of all time?