Rossi (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
deathpixie) wrote2003-08-18 02:13 pm
deathpixie) wrote2003-08-18 02:13 pm
Yet more answers!
Yep, it's the meme that would not die. And seeing how I'm back at work and can get at my work email account (where my livejournal stuff defaults to), I've found a whole bunch of questions.
Questions from [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]
1.) Your bike has a nervous breakdown and is going to be in for a week of repairs. All the shop has to lease you is a unicycle, a bicycle built for two or one of those massive tricycles. Which do you pick?
The tricycle - I'd have less chance of killing myself than on the unicycle, and tandems are a royal pain in the butt to manoever on your own.
Unless I could find a riding buddy, that is. *grins*
2.) That's it! You've had it! You quit your job and spend the next year as a roadie. Who do you go on tour with?
It would have to be the Whitlams. They're a lot of fun live, and I can imagine all sorts of hijinks off the stage as well, if the added bits on the end of their CDs are anything to go by.
3.) Invent a beer. With special/magical properties that are not normally associated with its alcohol content.
*chuckles* It would have to be a beer that had the power to replenish the money in your wallet threefold, every time you went up to the bar. So effectively you'd be paid for drinking. ;)
4.) Are you artistically inclined? If yes, in what area, if no, in what area would you like to be?
One of the things that I regret most is my lack of artistic ability in anything except the written word. I love music and have a good ear, but no talent at singing or playing anything. I can dance, but have way too many joint problems to have done ballet (gymnastics for a year nearly killed me). I can't draw to save myself (or even doodle, for that matter), and my few attempts at acting have been a tad hammy. The closest would be photography - I have a reasonable eye and sometimes can pull off a good shot. Some of my Walkabout pictuers are very good, if I say so myself... So yeah, I'd like to have the money to get a decent camera and maybe do a course or two, including developing.
5.) You're stranded in a train station in a foreign country with the equivalent of $10 and a cell phone with only 30 minutes left on the battery. Where are you and what do you do?
I hie myself to the nearest backpacker place, throw myself on the mercy of the manager and offer to work in exchange for accomodation and food. That settled, I'd then go to the adjoining backpacker bar, talk with the other backpackers and find out about work without visas in the area, and line up some work picking fruit or something. The cell phone I'd use to contact the nearest ficcer/other person I know and let them know I'd be dropping by as soon as travel money was raised, and would they mind me sleeping on their couch for a week or two until the money sitch was fixed.
This would work in Canada or the States (I was actually offered a job in a couple of hostels in the US), and probably in Europe, although not knowing the language might be an issue.
Questions from [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]
1) Okay, so what *angers* you most about us Americans? :)
Arrogance coupled with ignorance. I've met many, many Americans who know nothing about the world outside their own country, and yet pontificate about how everyone should do things the American way. No one country is perfect, and the whole point of a mulitcultural global population is that there are differences. And I'm sorry, the American way of doing things isn't always the right way.
2) If so many people think your Prime Minister is a troll, why hasn't he been thrown out of office? (And after the war, do you think the chances of this have increased?)
Because he's playing the fear card, the same GW did. People are afraid of terrorism, especially after the Bali bombing and the recent bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Jarkarta, where a lot of foreign nationals, especially embassy staff, go for meetings and lunch etc. They want a visibly strong leader to protect them from the Axis of Evil, and unforunately, the opposition have yet to come up with someone who has the personality to counter the Gnome's apparent success. The other reason is that people, as a blobby mass, are stupid. They're willing to sacrifice a lot of things, so long as the economy stays strong. There's also an attitude of fair play, that it's the Liberals' turn at being in charge after many years of Labour.
I hope to God the war has made things different, but the pragmatist in my doubts it.
3) Explain vegemite to me. Seriously. What's the appeal?
For me personally, it's the salt thing. I don't eat much salt at all because I usually prepare meals from fresh food, not packaged stuff, and I find myself lacking in it sometimes. It also has a lot of the B vitamins in it (one of the reasons for the B12 deficiency was I wasn't eating the usual amounts of Vegemite on Walkabout, what with toast being tricky at hostels and campgrounds), and as a vegetarian, I need lots of those. And it's also what I'm used to - kids are brought up on the stuff, and we can't imagine not liking it.
Also, I hate and loathe peanut butter, so it's a good non-sweet alternative on my toast.
4) Considering your previous observations on how BRM influenced your relationships, what would you do to him (provided you could get away with it ;).
To quote Mel "May he sleep in camel droppings". I've gotten past the whole "apologising for him" thing (mainly an attempt on my part to not seem like a complete idiot for staying with him so long), and now I really just want to punch him in the nose. ;) But no, I wouldn't do irreparable harm - despite the damage he's done, he wasn't actively trying to hurt me, and he's hurt himself almost as much. I think I'd just like him to know how it feels like to be belittled and rejected by someone he trusts and cares about.
5) Does Australia have a "national identity" of any kind? If so . . . what is it? (You know, aside from "We've got a lot of poisonous things, plus beer.")
Australia has a lot of identity. We've got identity coming out our arses, mate. *grins* Seriously, there is a very strong feeling that being Aussie means a lot of things: the fair go for everyone, which has filtered into things like our social security and public health systems (you don't need insurance to get medical treatment); the battler, which means we're horribly stoic as a rule, even when we really should ask for help, and those that whinge about things are mocked, horribly; the multicultural country, although this has taken a beating given the current policy on immigrants. It's about being happy-go-lucky, about the wanderlust that results in at least one Australian being in every backpacker hostel anywhere in the world at any one time. it's about the Tall Poppy Syndrome and the cultural cringe, about sport being venerated and intellectualism eyed suspiciously (at least until recent years - we've sufficiently matured to have cut down on that, at least a bit). It's about being pig-headed and stubborn, and about thumbing your nose at authority, especially if it's British. ;)
Questions from [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]
1) Would you ever go sky diving?
Hell yeah. :) One day, when I have the money, and after I've been hang-gliding and white water rafting.
2) Are there any characters you just can't write, no matter how hard you try?
This will probably seem arrogant, but no. Or at least, not yet. *grins* I tend to write stories about characters that interest me (which is a different thing to liking a character, BTW), and one I'm interested in a character, I usually have gotten a bit into their head anyway. Being horribly empathetic sometimes helps.
3) What first got you into writing John Constantine and what keeps you going with him?
I started Suffer the Children because of a discussion I was having with Dex and Tap one day in chat. I realised I was becoming typecast as the "cute and whimsical TCP writer", and decided I wanted to write something that would counter that. I'd also finished reading Original Sins and decided that I wanted to bear Jamie Delano's children for prodcing such a wonderfully conflicted version of John. I also watch and read a lot of crime thrillers, and wanted to try my hand at it, and John seemed to lend himself perfectly to the genre.
I keep writing him because I keep getting ideas. When the ideas stop, so will me writing John. *grins* That and the fact he's a selfish sod of a fictive and won't let me write anything else until his story is done.
4) (I'm running out of imagination here.Sorry.) What attribute of yours are you proudest of?
I was wondering how far you'd get without a "sorry". *grins*
I'm most proud of my ability to understand people, to get an idea of what's going on in their heads, and the way they feel they can trust me. Sometimes my own issues get in the way, but there's always a part of me that's thinking about my friends and hoping they're doing okay.
5) What got you into karate?
*laughs* That's a story, that is. At the time (about eleven years ago now), I was living in a share house with two other girls. Two of us were from the country and one was a private school graduate, and our mothers worried endlessly about us living in Big Bad Melbourne alone with no male protection. Finally, in an effort to counteract the phone calls, we all decided to join the karate club, based mainly on the fact Alex's boyfriend was a green belt there and he'd been saying how good it was for self defence. Of the three, I was the only one who made it to black belt.
More answers to come, when I have more time.
Questions from [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]
1.) Your bike has a nervous breakdown and is going to be in for a week of repairs. All the shop has to lease you is a unicycle, a bicycle built for two or one of those massive tricycles. Which do you pick?
The tricycle - I'd have less chance of killing myself than on the unicycle, and tandems are a royal pain in the butt to manoever on your own.
Unless I could find a riding buddy, that is. *grins*
2.) That's it! You've had it! You quit your job and spend the next year as a roadie. Who do you go on tour with?
It would have to be the Whitlams. They're a lot of fun live, and I can imagine all sorts of hijinks off the stage as well, if the added bits on the end of their CDs are anything to go by.
3.) Invent a beer. With special/magical properties that are not normally associated with its alcohol content.
*chuckles* It would have to be a beer that had the power to replenish the money in your wallet threefold, every time you went up to the bar. So effectively you'd be paid for drinking. ;)
4.) Are you artistically inclined? If yes, in what area, if no, in what area would you like to be?
One of the things that I regret most is my lack of artistic ability in anything except the written word. I love music and have a good ear, but no talent at singing or playing anything. I can dance, but have way too many joint problems to have done ballet (gymnastics for a year nearly killed me). I can't draw to save myself (or even doodle, for that matter), and my few attempts at acting have been a tad hammy. The closest would be photography - I have a reasonable eye and sometimes can pull off a good shot. Some of my Walkabout pictuers are very good, if I say so myself... So yeah, I'd like to have the money to get a decent camera and maybe do a course or two, including developing.
5.) You're stranded in a train station in a foreign country with the equivalent of $10 and a cell phone with only 30 minutes left on the battery. Where are you and what do you do?
I hie myself to the nearest backpacker place, throw myself on the mercy of the manager and offer to work in exchange for accomodation and food. That settled, I'd then go to the adjoining backpacker bar, talk with the other backpackers and find out about work without visas in the area, and line up some work picking fruit or something. The cell phone I'd use to contact the nearest ficcer/other person I know and let them know I'd be dropping by as soon as travel money was raised, and would they mind me sleeping on their couch for a week or two until the money sitch was fixed.
This would work in Canada or the States (I was actually offered a job in a couple of hostels in the US), and probably in Europe, although not knowing the language might be an issue.
Questions from [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]
1) Okay, so what *angers* you most about us Americans? :)
Arrogance coupled with ignorance. I've met many, many Americans who know nothing about the world outside their own country, and yet pontificate about how everyone should do things the American way. No one country is perfect, and the whole point of a mulitcultural global population is that there are differences. And I'm sorry, the American way of doing things isn't always the right way.
2) If so many people think your Prime Minister is a troll, why hasn't he been thrown out of office? (And after the war, do you think the chances of this have increased?)
Because he's playing the fear card, the same GW did. People are afraid of terrorism, especially after the Bali bombing and the recent bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Jarkarta, where a lot of foreign nationals, especially embassy staff, go for meetings and lunch etc. They want a visibly strong leader to protect them from the Axis of Evil, and unforunately, the opposition have yet to come up with someone who has the personality to counter the Gnome's apparent success. The other reason is that people, as a blobby mass, are stupid. They're willing to sacrifice a lot of things, so long as the economy stays strong. There's also an attitude of fair play, that it's the Liberals' turn at being in charge after many years of Labour.
I hope to God the war has made things different, but the pragmatist in my doubts it.
3) Explain vegemite to me. Seriously. What's the appeal?
For me personally, it's the salt thing. I don't eat much salt at all because I usually prepare meals from fresh food, not packaged stuff, and I find myself lacking in it sometimes. It also has a lot of the B vitamins in it (one of the reasons for the B12 deficiency was I wasn't eating the usual amounts of Vegemite on Walkabout, what with toast being tricky at hostels and campgrounds), and as a vegetarian, I need lots of those. And it's also what I'm used to - kids are brought up on the stuff, and we can't imagine not liking it.
Also, I hate and loathe peanut butter, so it's a good non-sweet alternative on my toast.
4) Considering your previous observations on how BRM influenced your relationships, what would you do to him (provided you could get away with it ;).
To quote Mel "May he sleep in camel droppings". I've gotten past the whole "apologising for him" thing (mainly an attempt on my part to not seem like a complete idiot for staying with him so long), and now I really just want to punch him in the nose. ;) But no, I wouldn't do irreparable harm - despite the damage he's done, he wasn't actively trying to hurt me, and he's hurt himself almost as much. I think I'd just like him to know how it feels like to be belittled and rejected by someone he trusts and cares about.
5) Does Australia have a "national identity" of any kind? If so . . . what is it? (You know, aside from "We've got a lot of poisonous things, plus beer.")
Australia has a lot of identity. We've got identity coming out our arses, mate. *grins* Seriously, there is a very strong feeling that being Aussie means a lot of things: the fair go for everyone, which has filtered into things like our social security and public health systems (you don't need insurance to get medical treatment); the battler, which means we're horribly stoic as a rule, even when we really should ask for help, and those that whinge about things are mocked, horribly; the multicultural country, although this has taken a beating given the current policy on immigrants. It's about being happy-go-lucky, about the wanderlust that results in at least one Australian being in every backpacker hostel anywhere in the world at any one time. it's about the Tall Poppy Syndrome and the cultural cringe, about sport being venerated and intellectualism eyed suspiciously (at least until recent years - we've sufficiently matured to have cut down on that, at least a bit). It's about being pig-headed and stubborn, and about thumbing your nose at authority, especially if it's British. ;)
Questions from [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]
1) Would you ever go sky diving?
Hell yeah. :) One day, when I have the money, and after I've been hang-gliding and white water rafting.
2) Are there any characters you just can't write, no matter how hard you try?
This will probably seem arrogant, but no. Or at least, not yet. *grins* I tend to write stories about characters that interest me (which is a different thing to liking a character, BTW), and one I'm interested in a character, I usually have gotten a bit into their head anyway. Being horribly empathetic sometimes helps.
3) What first got you into writing John Constantine and what keeps you going with him?
I started Suffer the Children because of a discussion I was having with Dex and Tap one day in chat. I realised I was becoming typecast as the "cute and whimsical TCP writer", and decided I wanted to write something that would counter that. I'd also finished reading Original Sins and decided that I wanted to bear Jamie Delano's children for prodcing such a wonderfully conflicted version of John. I also watch and read a lot of crime thrillers, and wanted to try my hand at it, and John seemed to lend himself perfectly to the genre.
I keep writing him because I keep getting ideas. When the ideas stop, so will me writing John. *grins* That and the fact he's a selfish sod of a fictive and won't let me write anything else until his story is done.
4) (I'm running out of imagination here.Sorry.) What attribute of yours are you proudest of?
I was wondering how far you'd get without a "sorry". *grins*
I'm most proud of my ability to understand people, to get an idea of what's going on in their heads, and the way they feel they can trust me. Sometimes my own issues get in the way, but there's always a part of me that's thinking about my friends and hoping they're doing okay.
5) What got you into karate?
*laughs* That's a story, that is. At the time (about eleven years ago now), I was living in a share house with two other girls. Two of us were from the country and one was a private school graduate, and our mothers worried endlessly about us living in Big Bad Melbourne alone with no male protection. Finally, in an effort to counteract the phone calls, we all decided to join the karate club, based mainly on the fact Alex's boyfriend was a green belt there and he'd been saying how good it was for self defence. Of the three, I was the only one who made it to black belt.
More answers to come, when I have more time.