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Hope you are having a great birthday!
Don't rock the boat too much! :smilewinkgrin:
An interview with BibliophileTRJ:
*Why are we doing this interview thing?*
Because we find it amusing to horrify other LitNetters?
*Are you sure you want to do this?*
Not really, but I’ve found that in life its often the things that we don’t want to do that bring us the greatest rewards.
*Who killed Roger Rabbit?*
Roger is dead?!? I had no idea!
*Whose footprints would you find in the fridge?*
The family of Lilliputians that has taken up residence in my pantry sometimes take skiing trips in my freezer; but I’ve never found any footprints in the fridge.
*So, how old are you?*
Will turn 39 on Labor Day.
*If you had a personal theme song what would it be?*
I wish I could answer that question with The Weather Girls’ “It’s Raining Men”, but alas my life is in the grips of a major man drought.
Jimmy Buffett’s “Pirate Looks at 40” is resonating strongly with me these days; but in truth it’s another Buffet song that I most identify with.
Happily Ever After (Now And Then)
I've been a stand-in, a stunt man
I've takin' some falls
Troubles... I've had my share
But one has to learn how to run before walkin'
'Round breathin' that million air
Take it from me cuz I found
If you leave it then somebody else is bound
To find that treasure, that moment of pleasure
When yours, it could have been
Some people never find it
Some... only pretend, but me:
I just want to live happily ever after every now and then
I've been in vans and in bands
On and through stages
One thing I can conclude
One has to learn havin' fun is just smilin' through
Those Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
Take it from me cuz I've found
If you leave it then somebody else is bound
To find that treasure, that moment of pleasure
When yours, it could have been
Some people never find it
Some... only pretend, but me:
I just want to live happily ever after every now and then
Some people never find it
Some... only pretend, but me, hell:
I just want to live happily ever after every now and then
*Are you male or female? *
Male, thankfully.
*What makes you keep coming back?*
There is nothing I love more than relaxing (escaping) with a good book… that seems to make me unusual these days. Here at LitNet Forums I am surrounded by others who feel the same way. Makes me feel less alone in the world.
*Are you happy with the way things are here?*
I love it here. This is one of, if not THE most genial, respectful and civilized sites on the web. Even when strong opposing opinions clash the participants here never seem to resort to petty sniping like on other sites. Here we present reasoned well thought out (for the most part) arguments even if we know there is no hope of persuading the other party or parties.
Should JBI get an + beside his name?
Absolutely not! It would make him happy and that would be too far out of character for him.
*Which countries have you visited?*
Oh my! Do you really want me to list them all?
Here goes….
Netherlands, France, Canada, Russia, China, Taiwan, Phillipines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, (all I’ve seen so far is Christmas Island, but it’s a territory of and so it counts as) Australia, Sri Lanka, India, Madagascar, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland, Namibia, Angola, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’lvoire, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Senegal, and finally I am currently in port in Mindelo, Cape Verde.
I’ll be leaving soon for the Canary Islands (Spain), then Morocco, the Straights of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, so the list just keeps growing.
I hope to someday be able to answer this question with a simple, “All of them.”
*Which languages do you speak?*
Embarrassingly… Only English. (Although, in my travels I have learned to swear in at least a dozen various other languages)
*How do you like your home town?*
I live on a boat that goes wherever I tell it to go… I have no hometown and I love it!!!
*If you could live somewhere different, where would it be and why?*
See above… If I want to live somewhere different, I sail my house there.
*Do you have any pets?*
General Chat (still love that name… Thanks, Niamh) is an Orange Tabby Cat that is so fat I can always tell where he is by how the boat is listing in the water!
*What makes you happy?*
Learning new things, exploring the world around me, meeting new people that are vastly different from myself (but almost always very much the same despite the external differences of culture, race, religion, etc)
*What is mankind's biggest achievement, and its greatest downfall?*
Achievement: My iPod
Downfall: Religion
…. And speaking of religion….
*Do you feel comfortable in your walk with God/atheism? *
Totally!
I don’t believe in God (or even god) and clearly He/She/It doesn’t believe in me either.
I’m going to get myself in trouble here, and probably spark a debate in the Forums; but… I have never understood how rational and intelligent people can buy into the concept of an all knowing, all powerful deity in this day and age.
It was understandable several hundred years ago when all that was known of the world had to be observed with the naked eye and most people never travelled far from the place they were born; but today we have satellites and particle colliders and microscopes and CAT scans and the internet (yadda, yadda, yadda) and the accumulation of lifetimes of scientific knowledge.
The universe is so vast and made up of stuff that is so small that the very idea it could all be controlled or even monitored by a single entity is (to me) absurd… then to believe that this entity would care if I have coveted my neighbor’s wife!?!?
*Which actor should play you in a movie based on your life?*
LOL… When I saw him in “Sideways” I decided that Paul Giamatti was the one for that role… he’ll have to gain a lot of weight and the f/x department will have to scar him up a bit; but he’s quirky enough to pull it off convincingly.
Who is your favourite Beatle?
The smartest, sexiest, most talented one. Ringo!
*Given the option, what animal would you choose to be?*
A suburban housecat. They sleep all the time, eat and play when the feel like it and can’t be coaxed into doing anything they don’t want to do.
*How did you meet your significant other?*
I purchased him from my Cantonese translator. (I’m referring, of course, to General Chat since he sleeps with me every night and is currently the closest thing I have to a “significant other”)
*What are you naturally good at? (Skills, abilities, gifts etc.)*
Nothing. That’s very different than not being good at anything…
It’s not easy to do nothing; but I’m a pro at it!
*What is the one thing you must do before you die?*
Skydive
*If you had to teach something, what would you teach?*
The only thing I would be even remotely qualified to teach would be fishing.
*What would you regret not fully doing, being or having in your life?*
If I should die tomorrow I will have lived a full life. No regrets.
(maybe I should have picked that as my theme song earlier in this questionnaire… “No Regrets” by Edith Piaf)
*What method do you cherish above all others, as means to improving your life?*
Travelling and exploring
*What one thing would you NEED to have on a deserted island if you didn't have to worry over food and water? *
As a sailor, I’m probably one of the few people on LitNet to answer this question that actually runs the risk of ending up stranded on a deserted island…
I’ve thought about this question over the past few years. A LOT.
I think I can honestly say that I’ve become the type of person that wouldn’t NEED anything other than food/water/shelter. I could adapt to a life of building sandcastles on the beach every day and stargazing every night.
(Though it would be VERY nice if I could have my iPod and a way to keep it charged!)
*If you were a king/queen for a day, what would you do?*
I AM a queen. Everyday.
But, if you mean were I to rule the world for a day; I would enact a law legalizing the slapping of people who are being stupid. Nothing unduly violent… just a good smack upside the back of the head, just like my mother used to do to me when I was being stupid as a kid. No one is exempt from being slapped and no one is allowed to get upset about it either. We all do stupid things on occasion and we could all use a good jolt back into sensibility before we hurt ourselves or others.
Think about it… wouldn’t it be great to slap that chick who’s putting on eyeliner while driving her car in rush-hour traffic… or the guy who’s reading the paper as he walks down (and crosses) the street… or the clerk who put your eggs in the sack underneath the 5 pound sack of potatoes?
(I personally would probably get smacked an average of half a dozen times a day.)
*What song is in your head at the moment?*
“I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz….. it’s a cute little ditty.
*Which book are you reading at the moment?*
“The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” by Steig Larsson
*What is your favourite quote?*
"There are two kinds of people in this world that go around beardless—boys and women—and I am neither one."
*Favorite avatar on the Forum?*
Mine!
What's your favorite sandwich?
Pastrami Rueben on Rye
*What time of day do you most often find yourself on the LitNet*?
In the wee hours of the morning when the “normal” people around me are asleep.
*What are you wearing at the moment?*
Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian Shirt.
*Favorite poem?*
John Masefield’s “Sea Fever”
*First novel you remember reading on your own?*
“Watership Down” by Richard Adams. Yes, I admit that I picked it up assuming that it would be about boats or shipwrecks… was I ever wrong! And I’m all the better for being wrong… it’s a wonderful story about rabbits… I’ve reread it many times and get more out of it with every reading. I highly recommend it!
*Favorite TV shows?*
I refuse to allow the television to be turned on in my presence.
*Which Forum members would you like to meet in person if you could*?
What? You meant to tell me that there are real people out there behind those avatars? I thought they were one big masterwork of fiction!
*Last words you said out loud?*
“Unless the boat is sinking, leave me alone…. I have a lot of questions to answer!”
*Last person you hugged/kissed?*
I don’t kiss and tell; but he was a handsome young man by the name of Marcel.
*What do you do (for a living) to be able to keep your LitNet addiction going? And are you happy with your chosen profession?*
I’m retired. A few years ago I sold my business for a tidy sum and am currently using up all of my money sailing and exploring this little globe of ours.
*What question would you like to ask yourself?*
“Where did I leave that bottle of wine?”
*What would you like to be if you could change your profession?*
An astronaut…. Then I could explore other worlds, too!
*Which one of the seven dwarves are you and why?*
Sleepy… I love naps. More people should nap more often.
*What is your most outstanding feature?*
My scars… I have some quite prominent frostbite scars on my cheeks, nose and forehead. And a pretty gnarly scar that I got from snapping winch-line across my lips and chin.
*If you could change one thing about the way you look, what would that be?*
I’d be fit and in shape. (and I don’t mean the round shape that I am in now)
*Which book do you wish you had written?*
“The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams.
If only I could be so out-there creatively funny…….
*What should you be doing at the moment instead of answering these questions?*
Steering the boat.
*Describe your ideal day, please.*
!!!CENSORED!!!
Can’t…. this is a family-friendly forum.
*Favorite movie?*
Tim Burton’s “Nightmare Before Christmas”
Everything about it was so original and amazingly different from anything I had ever seen before it. And it’s a musical!
*Last movie you watched?
“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”…. Another musical.... (Yes, I know I’m perpetuating the gay stereotype!) this one in French. 1964 Directed by Jaques Demy. Nominated for 5 Oscars. Starring a very young Catherine Deneuve.
*Favorite painting?*
“Girl with a Pearl Earring” Johannes Vermeer.
*Wonderful Superman or depressing Batman?*
To hell with those two! Wonder Woman all the way!!
*Something you want to forget but you never can?*
Junior High
If you could relive one moment in your life whenever you wanted to, what would it be?
The time I climbed onto my boat and sailed away into a new life entirely of my choosing.
Oh, wait! I DO relive that moment… every day!
What was the best thing that happened to you during this year?
I lived through it. (There sere a few times I was unsure that I would)
*If you could send one thing to the Room 101, one would that be?*
The concept of “God”
*Are you mostly happy with life or are you still in pursuit?*
Life is always about the pursuit of happiness… it’s such a fleeting thing.
I am very fortunate to catch it more often than not.
*Which care bear are you and why?*
Whichever one wears the Gay Pride Rainbow on his chest.
(I know it’s not really a Pride rainbow, but, hey, you see the world your way I’ll see it mine!)
*One final word of wisdom for LitNet users?*
Get out into the sunshine! (Take the darn book with you if you must, but GO OUTSIDE!)
*What question would you like to ask to the person to be interview after you?
How long did it take you to answer all of these questions?
(I have to admit that it took me nearly 6 hours and 3 bottles of wine)
