chistina's[1] 5 Questions for August. As per usual, I am
reading them and then immediately typing. These are not
thought out in advance. As a result, my answers may ramble
or change direction, or may be non-answers...
1. What trinket, knick-knack, collectible, etc. in your home
would you miss the most if it were gone?
I have no idea. I have a blue pen that I really like that
I keep in the kitchen/dining room. It writes really
nicely. I don't like the other pens we have. I guess I
will miss it when it is gone. It is bound to run out of
ink one of these days. Other than that, I am not too tied
to specific items in the home. I suppose my ereader(s) as
well. But it doesn't have much to do with the specifics
there...any ereader with decent epub support is fine.
2. Whom do you consider a national treasure in your country?
I am in the US. I cannot think of anyone modern. I don't
think the following is my real answer, but the first thing
that came to mind was Charlie Chaplin. This answer has a
number of problems both in realtion to his personal life
as well as the fact that at the time of his death he had,
I believe, renounced his US citizenship. Maybe that last
bit is a good reason to consider him a national treasure.
[EDIT:] Chistina reminded me that he was not a US citizen.
I was thinking of his wife that renounced US
citizenship. Still, he was what came to mind and
I suppose he could still be claimed as some sort
of national treasure as he did a lot of his work
and rose to prominence here. He is certainly an
artistic hero of mine.
A lot of people I really like (either for their art, their
philosophy, or just as good people) have a number of
troubling aspects to them. People are complicated I guess.
Or at the least, have such a range within them.
I also do not tend to think of the US as having any sort
of current "national identity". I certainly do not feel
attached to the politics of place here. I feel attached to
the land (some of it) and the space I am in, but that is
very separate from the idea of a nation. As such, the idea
of a national treasure feels strange to me. It feels like
a term for a "cultural ambasador of the regime". I am not
a fan of the regime(s) here (current or past) and think
that everything is irrevocably broken. It makes me sad. I
wish there was a better world to show my daughter, who
definitely does not understand some of my and my partner's
stances on things (things that have an effect on her).
3. What footwear do you prefer in summer: sandals, or
sneakers/trainers/runners/running shoes?
The later. I dislike sandals. They are useful for avoiding
a foot fungus in a locker room shower at the Y or the like,
but otherwise I prefer to go barefoot or wear actual shoes.
I used to be picky about shoes, but am less so now. They
need to hold up, they need to feel okay, that is it. I have
a good pair of Vasque hiking boots that I have had for a
decade. I have had them partially resoled. I have a pair of
brogues for dressier occasions. I tend to have either a
pair of Brooks or New Balance running shoes for just kicking
around in. I prefer the boots or the running shoes I guess.
4. If the answer is tomatoes, what is the question?
What member of the nightshade family produces an edible
berry that is commonly eaten as a vegetable, but at one time
was feared to be poisonous?
5. What tips do you have for making friends in a new place?
I do not make friends in person easily. When we moved to
the mountain (where I live now) I was the parent of a 1.5
year old. I am, I beilieve, a lot of fun socially...once I
know and am comfortable with a person. I found that the only
way to make friends on the mountain for me was to take my
daughter to the park... see other kids of similar age and
ask their parents questions from a pre-defined script:
"How old is yours?", "Do you all live on the mountain?" (a
lot of people vacation here), etc. If they were similar ages
and the family lived on the mountain I'd try to keep talking
a bit. If things felt alright and we got on well I would ask
"Do you want to trade numbers and meet up at the park again?".
That made me 5 or 6 friends out of maybe 10 numbers exchanged
over the course of two years or so. I am still friends or see,
on occasion, 3 or 4 of those people. Two of them have become
close friends and our families get together a lot and have
the best of times.
If you don't have a kid... or maybe a dog (I don't know, I
kind of dislike dogs, but people treat them like kids)...
I think you may just be s.o.l. or doomed to a lot of awkward
conversations. For some reason, the kid acted as a great
awkwardness buffer. I have not made friends with anyone new
since she grew out of the toddler stage. That said, I am a
fairly isolated person in general (statistically it is true
for most men of my age in the US). I am mostly okay with that
and lean a lot on my partner and family, as well as internet
outlets like netfriends I have made through pubnix or my
fantasy short-fiction magazine[2].
Links:
1.
gopher://zaibatsu.circumlunar.space:70/0/~christina/2025-08-5Q.txt
2.
https://hearthstories.org
