the hallelujah interview

[metawidget]

Comment with an interest in being interviewed and I'll think up some questions for you. Comment with some questions and I'll try to answer them.

When you were a kid (subjected to religious brainwashing), did you believe in God?

I was a natural atheist when I was a kid, my folks were pretty mum on the whole subject and I had trouble understanding other people's belief in God. Later on, at seventeen, I stared a late teenage rebellion by going to a fairly evangelical/pentecostalish church pretty regularly. I tried to believe in God, maybe even did from time to time, but was rather frustrated that He wasn't making himself make more sense. That house of cards eventually came tumbling down.

Do you ever eat junk food? If so, what?

I will plug holes in my calorie intake with chocolate bars from time to time, and like chips, particularly the salty-tangy flavours like lime and pepper, salt and vinegar and the salt and salt chips referred to as "regular". I think I keep it reasonable and eat a fair amount of real food, but I'm no purist.

Do you have any very secret interests that wouldn't be acceptable to "hippiedom"? (Examples ... cars, blowing stuff up, styrofoam ...)

Well, I hang around some pretty accepting hippies. I guess chemical warfare against basically peaceful bedbugs just doing their thing is an un-hippie-ish approach. So is Western Medicine in my conception of hardcore hippiedom, even when used on a pet rat. So is having worked at a government agency to help The Man count and classify all us Canadians. But none of the above are really very secret.

What's something you really liked as a teenager that you're not keen on now?

My tastes in music have changed a bunch (in some cases — I'm not so keen on the Barenaked Ladies anymore, they pretty much didn't make it when I moved from tapes to CDs) and in my late teens I liked the church a lot more than I do now. Doctor Who isn't terribly important to me now, but that might just be the lack of TV. Perhaps when it's available to me I'll lap up all the new episodes.

Have you ever dyed your hair or pierced anything?

I have never done either — I've shaved my head down to smooth before, but the only holes I get made in me are for vaccinations and blood donations, and my hair colour changes only in relation to how much sun it's getting.

Comments

[star-holder.livejournal.com]

Hit me with your best shot.

For you: hmmm, what can I think of now? The next time I visit Montréal, what should I do? Have you ever considered living in the US? How do you feel when Americans make fun of Canadians? Why do you guys call it "Canadian bacon" when it's really just "ham"? ;)

[metawidget]

If you had to drop a year (pick start and end dates as you like) from your post-high-school life, which one would get the axe and why?

Do you find food tastes different in Canada?

What incongruous aspect of you surprises people getting to know you the most?

Share a choice silly user question from work.

What is the meaning of life?

[star-holder.livejournal.com]

1. I would choose 2005, because it was a really crappy year. I called off my engagement, broke up with a boyfriend, lost to sister to murder, and had to move back in with my parents. Also, I was really sick that year.

2. Yeah! But moreso in Windsor than Montréal or Québec City, for some reason. Maybe because I've been to a McDonald's in Windsor. But it was weird.

3. I'm extremely insecure.

4. "Can I send and receive e-mail if I don't have an internet connection?"

5. Hope.

[metawidget]

You seem to be able to think of only four real questions ;)

You should come in winter and skate on top of Mount Royal.

I haven't seriously considered living in the US, except for a few years to study.

I generally don't care, I know Canada collectively gives as good as it gets on the making-fun front. Maybe I'll feel different if someone gets "freedom bacon" to rise to the prominence that "freedom fries" once had. Unless that person is a Canadian. Which it probably will be.

I've only had Canadian bacon once, but I think it's a little smaller than ham. It (what is called Canadian bacon in the US) also comes from the back of the pig, whereas ham comes from the leg (thank you, Wikipedia).

[tylerpistol.livejournal.com]

Go for it...it's the closest I'll ever come to a Barbara Walters interview!

[metawidget]

Would you recommend moving Montreal to a younger Manitoban self? What advice would you give?

What is presently within reach of your desk that you could happily do without?

Do you do your own taxes?

Name a guilty musical pleasure.

What's the longest bus/plane/train/car ride (one way) that you've experienced? How'd you survive?

[almond-tiger.livejournal.com]

I'd like to be interviewed.

Which interests you more: finding out about other people, or finding out what other people want to know about you?

[metawidget]

I think I like finding out about what other people find interesting is the best part, but crafting questions for people is fun, too.

1) You are one of the few random-adders I have: your name just appeared on my friend-of list one day. Why? Have you been getting what you came for?

2) Is that your cat?

3) How close or far from the bleeding edge of Mac/OSX releases do you keep?

4) Tell me all your thoughts on god, or at least a summary of your views on Life, the Universe and Everything.

5) Tell me a little about your favourite artwork and why you like it. Link to an image for bonus credit.

[almond-tiger.livejournal.com]

1) I can't remember what I came for, except that your journal seemed interesting and your interests were promising. I'm not disappointed or bored, if that answers your question. I think it may have been the math connection, actually, that started it off. And now I just like you.

2) Yes, that's my cat. :)

3) I don't really check the Mac/apple official page unless someone tells me something new is absolutely wonderful, and I don't have the money to buy everything I want, so I'm basically pretty far from the cutting edge except that I have a wonderful working ibook with Tiger and so I *appear* to have it together. Oh, and a mini ipod - but I purposefully bought the old gold style rather than a new one because at the time I was running 10.1.5 and the new ones wouldn't work. Hm. Maybe I'm more into it than I think.

4) ALL my thoughts on god? What, now, in this finite bit of time between this moment and death? :) Is that even possible? Okay, let me explain. No, let me sum up. I think it's all - by that I mean the universe, etc - fascinating, wonderful, beautiful, and incredible, and I don't have a problem believing that it was random, and if a god made it I'm okay with that, too. I'm thankful that I get to experience it a bit but not necessarily thankful to anything in particular. I think there's a lot of wisdom is realizing that we're all connected in ways we can't possibly break down and understand, and that compassion is an integral part of peace. Half my family were mennonites and I think I've inherited a great fondness for peace in all forms. I could go on like this forever.

5) I used to love escher, and I still do to a certain extent but now I seem to adore statues more - the three dimensional, semi-real things that surprise you when you're travelling.





http://images.google.ca/images?q=escher

[metawidget]

Extra credit granted. Yummy.

I'm flattered and intrigued by your answers, as appropriate.

One measure of bleeding-edgeness is your Software Update check frequency (as sometimes Apple releases a bum upgrade that the early adopters have to figure out how to dig themselves out of). What's your frequency set to?

[almond-tiger.livejournal.com]

It's set to weekly, but I usually only download and install every second week or so, or whenever I find I'm not doing anything important online. I don't download anything to do with programs I don't use or hardware I don't have. Is that l33t? ;)

[almond-tiger.livejournal.com]

And since you prefer finding out what other people find interesting, here's what I would find interesting:

What is your favourite thing in the world?

Have you ever had a revelation, and if so: what was it?

Who do you admire?

What are you afraid of?

What do you want?

Hooo boy, you ask big questions.

[metawidget]

i) Love and understanding. So that's two things. Could you pick one?
ii) I don't think so -- stuff sinks in with me rather than arriving with a bang.
iii) I think my dad is way up there in a lot of respects. The family legacy is a lot to live up to.
iv) Grievous physical harm, losing my beloved, everyone finding out that I'm not as smart or competent as they thought previously.
v) I want to have a little hilltop, big enough for me, a family and a cat, with a good view of the surrounding landscape and a pleasant bike-ride to work that I like. I want to be happy, productive and see a good future ahead of me. I want to die after a good long time, still loved by and still loving a few cherished people, and satisfied that doing my best was good enough for those alongside me and anyone I've helped give a start in the world.

Re: Hooo boy, you ask big questions.

[almond-tiger.livejournal.com]

Good answers. Especially the last one.