Lokasenna's birthday

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

Happy Birthday
Devil nabs a card carrying Medievalist



http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/ae114/tabuka1/Europe%201988%20through%20a%20Pentax%20ME%20Super/Europe%201988%20digital%20conversion%20from%20slid es/1820820-R02-065cropped02-1.jpg

[papayahed]

Happy Birthday

[qimissung]

Happy Birthday!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tVCodnoaB0

[Calidore]

Happy birthday!

[Jackson Richardson]

Happy birthday, L. Love the hat.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Have a good one. Go get a nice pint!

[Volya]

Happy Birthday :)

[mona amon]

Happy Birthday, Lokasenna! :party:

[cacian]

Happy Birthday Lokasenna :)

[Helga]

Til hamingju með afmælið!

[Lokasenna]

Thank you very much, everyone!

I know I don't post all that much these days, thanks to my crazy 13-hour-day workload, but I really do love this site and the people on it - spending a few minutes checking through the threads helps keep me sane!

[Paulclem]

I'm late - sorry. Happy birthday. I hope you did/ are doing something nice.

[Scheherazade]

Happy Birthday, Loka! :)


An interview with Lokasenna:

*Why are we doing this interview thing?*
Your guess is as good as mine!

*So, how old are you?*
25. Officially no longer young.

*What is the best birthday present you've ever received?*
A stripper..? No..? Oh, alright then - lots of books.

*If you had a personal theme song what would it be?*
Knowing my luck, probably 'Send in the Clowns'...

*Are you male or female? *
Male, though I like to think I'm in touch with my feminine side.

*If you could build an entire planet from scratch, what would it look, sound and smell like?*
It would be very green, smell of roses, and sound like Mozart.

*Would you like to join Maximilianus' Air Force?*
Only if I get to make 'knnnneeeeee-ooooooowwww' noises at all times.

*If you owned the site, what would you change?*
I'm not sure I would change anything - though I would probably post more often!

*What was the inspiration for your LitNet username?*
It's the title of one of my favourite poems - it means 'The Insults of Loki' in English.

*Which countries did you visit?*
I'm pretty well travelled. I've seen most of Europe, as well as China, Russia, Japan and the Carribbean.

*Which languages do you speak?*
English, Old English, Old Norse and Icelandic, with a smattering of French, Spanish, Danish, and Old High German.

*What is the last thing that you have done that you have been really proud of?*
I organised my own conference last April, and it was rather successful (if I do say so myself!).

*If you could live somewhere different, where would it be and why?*
A remote cabin in the Icelandic wilderness: lots of peace and quiet, a roaring fireplace, and some fantastic night skies.

*Do you have any pets?*
Nope.

*What makes you happy?*
In the long term, friendship and family; in the short term, whiskey.

*What's your favourite song for singing in the shower?*
There are far too many to name, but at the minute I'm singing a fair bit of Gilbert & Sullivan in there.

*Which actor should play you in a movie based on your life?*
I'd like to think Benedict Cumberbatch, but knowing my luck I'd probably get Pee-wee Herman

*What's your signature dance move?*
I don't dance. Under any circumstances. I have a court order.

*How do you like your coffee? *
In the bin. Revolting stuff.

*Given the option, what animal would you choose to be?*
Well, rabbits seem to have a lot of fun...

When you were younger, what did you want to be?
A publisher - being paid to read books seemed like a dream job...

*What makes you feel great about yourself?*
The satisfaction of doing a job well.

*How did you meet your significant other?*
Sadly, there isn't one at the minute. I am, I'm afraid, one of life's bachelors.

*What was the best day of your life?*
Probably my birth..? I don't know - most days are naturally good!

*What are you naturally good at? (Skills, abilities, gifts etc.)*
I have a very good memory for words, which is useful. I'm also good at handling an audience.

*What is the one thing you must do before you die?*
Um... make a will..?

What’s the geekiest thing about you?
That I understand more dead languages than I do living ones..?

*If you had to teach something, what would you teach?*
I do teach, as it happens. Mostly Old Norse and Old English literature.

*What would you regret not fully doing, being or having in your life?*
I sometimes wish I'd gone in for a more financially profitable degree. But only sometimes.

*If you were to be stuck at a particular time in your life, which one would you choose and why?*
University undergrad life looks fantastically easy and fun in rose-tinted retrospection...

*What one thing would you NEED to have on a deserted island if you didn't have to worry over food and water? *
Only a fully-loaded kindle would keep me sane. Either that, or a branch of Waterstones.

*If you were a king/queen for a day, what would you do?*
Order all the politicians, sportsmen and z-list celebs in the country to be thrown into the Tower.

*What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?*
Mint choc-chip.

*What song is in your head at the moment?*
Ray Charles - Hallelujah I love her so

*Which book are you reading at the moment?*
Several, including some Lord Dunsaney and Neil Gaiman - both of whom have been on the 'to read' list for far too long.

*What is your favourite quote?*
Have a look at my siggy below.

*What’s your favorite word?*
'Fimbulfambi' - it means 'nincompoop' in Old Norse, and I just love the sound of it.

Which comedians or cabaret artists do you like?
I'm something of a fan of Billy Connollly and Eddie Izzard, and there are a few others too.

*Favorite avatar on the Forum?*
Well, certainly not my own!

*Favorite threads?*
Classical Listening is always my favourite place to be.

What's your favorite sandwich?
Coronation chicken.

*What is your answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything?*?
A single word: 'bugger'.

*How could English teachers make reading literature more meaningful to students (young or old)*?
Enthusiasm. One's success as a teacher depends entirely on that one factor.

*What are you wearing at the moment?*
Navy jumper, blue checked shirt, jeans and slippers.

*Favorite poem?*
No idea - it changes constantly.

*First novel you remember reading on your own?*
I can barely remeber what I read last week, nevermind years ago.

*What era do you find most of the books you read are from?*
The early medieval period.

*Favorite TV shows?*
Some of the classic British comedies, with Yes Minister being first among equals.

*Which Forum members would you like to meet in person?*
I think we should have a big party sometime and all try and meet up.

*Are you a winter or summer?*
Definitely winter.

*Last words you said out loud?*
"Sod that for a game of soldiers. No chance" to my housemate who was trying to encourage me to come to the gym five times a week with her.

*Last person you hugged/kissed?*
The aforementioned housemate, when I saw her for the first time post-Christmas the other day.

*What do you do to be able to keep your LitNet addiction going? And are you happy with your chosen profession?*
Sadly, these days I don't post as often as I should like to - just don't have the time.

*What would you like to be if you could change your profession?*
Taste-tester in an ice cream factory?

*Which one of the seven dwarves are you and why?*
Doc (come on PhD!).

*What is your most outstanding feature?*
Probably my height..? I'm 6'4''.

*If you could change one thing about the way you look, what would that be?*
Oh sod it, just start from scratch. It'd be easier.

*Which book do you wish you had written?*
Harry Potter. Then I'd be fantastically wealthy, and would be guarenteed to have anything else I wrote published.

*What book would you recommend to others of all types and ages as a must read?*
Anything from the corpus of Old Norse literature - it is seriously brilliant stuff, and deserves to be more mainstream than it is.

*What should you be doing at the moment instead of answering these questions?*
Working on my thesis, though actually today has been quite productive.

*Describe your ideal day, please.*
In no particular order it would involve a hike of several miles through the countryside, dinner with a few friends, curling up with a good book for a while, and then maybe doing a bit more socialising.

*Favorite movie?*
Like the poetry question, this would change every time I thought about it.

*Last movie you watched?
Blues Brothers - probably the best soundtrack to any film ever.

[*How are you going to pick just one favourite painting?*
I'm not.

*Favorite painting?*
Told you!

*Are you gellin'?*
Probably..?

*Wonderful Superman or depressing Batman?*
Batman.

*Something you want to forget but you never can?*
My deadline.

*What is the wisest thing that has been said to you?*
'Of course, it's all nonsense really.'

If you could relive one moment in your life whenever you wanted to, what would it be?
Probably graduation - that was an awesome day.

What is the best thing that happened to you since your last birthday?
I visited Ireland - I've been meaning to do that for a while.

*If you could send one thing to the Room 101, one would that be?*
My deadlines. Or possibly the French.

Tell us something scandalous about yourself.
Um... nope, can't think of anything.

*How long did it take you to answer all of these questions?*
Far too long.

*One final word of wisdom for LitNet users?*
Do your best. It's all you can do.

*What question would you like to ask to the person to be interview after you?
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

[kiki1982]

And one nice (belated) birthday from me too. I hope you had a nice day. :)

[The Comedian]

Hope you have a great personal new year!

[tonywalt]

Happy Birthday!

[Helga]

nice interview, you know there is a board game here on the ice called Fimbulfambi :)

[LitNetIsGreat]

Good interview or should I say inquisition?

[Calidore]

Couple of questions:



*Which languages do you speak?*
English, Old English, Old Norse and Icelandic, with a smattering of French, Spanish, Danish, and Old High German.

Do Old Norse and Old German bear as little resemblance to their modern versions as Old English does to modern English?


How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

If this is as bouncy in Old Norse as "fimbulfambi", can you translate it?

[Lokasenna]

Thanks again everyone!


nice interview, you know there is a board game here on the ice called Fimbulfambi

Ooh, just looked it up - it's the same as the Anglo-American game Balderdash, which makes sense!


Good interview or should I say inquisition?

The interviews do seem to get longer every year! Not that Scher had to torture me or anything to get it filled in...


Do Old Norse and Old German bear as little resemblance to their modern versions as Old English does to modern English?

Old Norse is very similar to modern Icelandic - you can speak ON to an Icelander, and they would understand you perfectly (if perhaps think you a little odd) - but whilst you can see echoes of it in Norwegian, Swedish and (especially) Danish, the languages have changed significantly. That are actually several different dialectical variation of Old High German, and I would say they are about as similar to modern German as Old English is to modern English - though I must confess to being no great expert on the matter. It just happens that occasionally I have to sit down with some OHG poetry and a dictionary, and try my best!


If this is as bouncy in Old Norse as "fimbulfambi", can you translate it?
I haven't the faintest idea what 'woodchuck' would be in Old Norse - I know the words for 'raven' and 'sparrow', but that's about the limit of my ornithological knowledge. As for Icelandic tongue twisters, how about 'Hnoðri í norðri verður að veðri þótt síðar verði' or 'Það fer nú að verða verra ferðaveðrið'?