0033 - ten pointless questions about me

The dark lady stands as gatekeeper and guide to the dark pool.

"Come, jump into the water", she says as she extends her hand to you.

Pale flesh of moonlight draped in shadow.

"Come, jump, jump. JUMP!"

As I write this I'm again lying in my tent. Everything is the same as yesterday except for the fact that it's not raining today (well, raining less), and there's a lot more people around.

Yesterday I mentioned I was worried about all the extra people, but I really shouldn't have. I guess I was expecting to be in a party-like situation where you're supposed to speak and interact with others. But really, everyone seems to be doing their own stuff, with small impromptu groups forming every now and then to socialize or play.

I'm starting to feel more comfortable here and, in so doing, I've also started to notice more things about where we are. For one, the river itself is the director of the energies of this place. It just plays such a prominent role as it cradles the campsite and offers both beauty and tons of entertainment for the little ones. There's also the fact that everything is so wet all the time! It's almost like living underwater.

...

Some days ago I was reading issue #2 of Manu Moreale's Dealgorithmed newsletter, at the bottom of which he shares a short list of "writing challenges". I hadn't really thought about it before, but why don't I participate in them? They're usually quite easy, as they either already provide you the prompt or go so far as to directly give you the structure. It's almost like a free post!

I chose to go with Ten Pointless Facts about Me, which is one of the ones Manu mentioned in his newsletter. The idea is, as you guessed, to answer ten questions about me.

So yeah, here we go...

Do you floss your teeth?

I know I should, but no, I don't. I do brush at least once a day before bed! (Yeah, I know I should do more), but flossing doesn't usually make an appearance unless I feel something stuck between my teeth (which only happens rarely).

Interestingly, in my 30-something years I've never had a full-on cavity, and routine visits to the dentist have caused the preemptive cleanup of three. I guess I have good teeth, though I agree I should take more care of them.

Tea, coffee, or water?

(Not long ago I actually started weaning off my high coffee consumption.)

To be honest, I like both. I'm a huge fan of proper green tea. I even have a Camellia sinensis plant in my backyard and have tried making my own tea more than a couple of times now. Sadly, it always ends up tasting like fried Lipton tea. (If you know, you know.)

But I also love coffee and love trying new blends/roasts, as well as new ways to prepare it. I love the deep taste and aroma.

Recently I got a bag of good decaf coffee and have mostly been drinking that, with the odd cup of green tea here and there. I'm not usually a person who tolerates having anything with caffeine after ~ 3 pm, so it's great to be able to drink coffee whenever I want.

Footwear preference?

Sandals. It's been multiple years that I live in sandals every day and only wear shoes for sports or for hiking or special occasions.

Lately I've been trying to spend more time barefoot. It's working great, but where I live is a bit cold¹, so I alternate between that and sandals.

Favourite dessert?

Brownies! But not any brownie. I like the ones that are chewy as hell, tough even, that you can only unstick from your teeth with a good brushing session.

Though in general I'm not really one for sweets. I eat a lot, but dessert has never been a big thing for me.

The first thing you do when you wake up?

Well, my kids are the ones who usually wake me up, so I guess that's what I do? I "parent".

Our usual morning routine is that we go to the living room/kitchen, I make something hot to drink and maybe a quick snack, and then we play.

Lately I've also noticed that my mental health is much better if I clear my mind with a good hand drum session almost first thing in the morning. We have a djembe, and I really like playing it.

Age you'd like to stick at?

Heh. Does now count? I think I'm in a pretty good place. It's definitely not the healthiest or fittest I've been, but I feel good in myself.

How many hats do you own?

Hmm, four. A sports cap, a Tyrolean felt hat, a big straw hat I use when I really want to cover myself from the sun, and a battered Stetson "vagabond hat" I inherited from my dad.

Describe the last photo you took?

The river right next to our camping place. It's actually attached at the end of this post!

Worst TV show?

No idea, sorry! I can't abide anything that has to do with reality shows or characters that make dumb decisions just for the plot's sake.

As a child, what was your aspiration for adulthood?

I was not one of those kids who know exactly what they want to be when they grow up. I knew that writers probably had the most fun job ever, but also astronauts had it pretty sweet. I liked plants and saw myself doing something related to them.