Category: Memes & Asks

Answer’s to today’s questions on https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/106784.html

1) What was the biggest thing that happened to you in 2021?

I was approved for a new biological medication developed for migraines, and started it on December 29th!

2) Where was the most exciting place you went?

I didn’t go anywhere special, partly due to COVID-19 and partly due to my illnesses. I always enjoy visiting my Mom, and also an older friend of mine. That’s special because of the persons involved.

3) Who helped you the most this year?

My Mom.

4) What’s your favorite new thing you bought?

I can’t name a favorite above others, but I’ve enjoyed the following things so very much: Tomoe River paper that I used to make my own note books, Oxford Black n’ Red notebook, Yamamote Cosmo Air Light notebook, MU print on stickers, PenBBS 456 Sakura with white cap and an RM nib fountain pen (bought in mid-December in 2020 but received in January 2021 so I count it for 2021 obviously), and all the washi tapes from https://www.thewashitapeshop.com; all the various fountain pen inks and ink samples I bought this year and the TWSBI Smoke Rose Gold ECO fountain pen. I bought several digital papers from Etsy sellers that I’ve loved using for my wallpapers.

5) What was your most memorable dreamwidth entry?

Donno.

Friday 5 for December 24: Brainstorming – http://f.riday5.com/2021/12/24/friday-5-for-december-24-brainstorming/

1. If you owned a new professional sports team (pick any sport!), what would you name it, and what be its team colors?

Well, since I loathe all sports, the only way I ever could possibly own a sports team is by inheriting one somehow. I’d let them keep whatever name and colors they had, while I got rid of it as quickly as I could, in any way I could. I’d sell it, if possible but if not, I’d dismantle it. Maybe, if it was already making lots and lots of money for the previous owner, I might hire someone to manage it or whatever it is that sports teams owners do with them and just enjoy the money it generated me. But it’d have to be like millions or billions a year.

2. If you owned a new restaurant, what would you name it, and what kind of cuisine would it serve?

Something about home cooking. The food would be “normal”, “traditional” Finnish foods such maksalaatikko, mashed potatoes with meatballs and gravy… food I grew up eating. And it really would be hand made from fresh ingridients so potatoes for mashed potatoes would be cooked and mashed in the kitchen, instead of using commercially available frozen mashed potatoes etc. which almost all mashed potatoes taste like being in restaurants these days. Mine would be and taste like real home made food.

3. If you owned a little independent retail shop, what would you name it, and what would it sell?

Don’t know about name, but I’d love a small stationary shop which sells fountain pens, fountain pen inks and ink samples, and fountain pen friendly paper/notebooks/pads. And of course things used for bujo etc. And also possibly artisan, hand made chocolates. I’d mostly likely go bankrupt within the first year because I don’t see a specialty shop like that surviving here.

4. If you launched a charity, what would be its cause?

This is based on personal observations, and the kind of help I’d have needed if it existed at one point or another as a working age person with serious health problems and long term unemployed.

Those are who poor because they are unemployed, and particularly those struggling badly with their health while working age (so ages 18-65), and can’t support themselves by working because of their health problems and are poor or low income because of that, and have no hope of things improving on the health/work front in the foreseeable future. And all the things that go with that such as helping with the bureacracy related to disablity applications, medical appointments, medical advocacy and help find and get other things people like me need but can be hard to find and harder to get. A holistic approach to advancing and advocating the financial, medical and mental well-being of the unemployed and the medically challenged working age people.

5. What kind of recreation is sorely lacking in your town?

I don’t know, I don’t go out much because I don’t have extra money for them and things I’ve wanted to do like movies or theatre, we have. I’d have loved a bookbinding course but that’s so unusual I can’t hold out a hope for it.

The Friday Five for 24 December 2021 – https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/106653.html

1. If you had to build a Christmas tree with just items around your house, what would definitely be part of it?

Fountain pens! I have many pretty ones and they’d look really nice and decorative.

2. What’s your favorite holiday to decorate for?

I don’t decorate for any holidays. I do keep on display a postcard or two when I get a one that I think is particularly beautiful, but that’s no way seasonal – as an example, I still got out a card I received this year for easter, and also one I got for my birthday (which was in November). I just switch them out when I get the next very pretty one, whenever that is.

3. What are you best at baking?

I don’t really know! Usually when I’m successful at baking something, it comes out really well. Before I got ill, I usually did well in most things I tried, even if I didn’t like the taste and ended up never baking it again. But since I got ill, I’ve failed even in some bakes that I’ve been making since I was about 10 years old so… for 30+ years now… because I get too tired in the middle to pay attention to what I’m doing and add too much salt, or leave out the eggs, or something stupid like that. Or am too tired when I start but don’t realize it until half way through making the bread rolls and run out of energy. I’ve had to throw a way batter when it’s for rolls or something like that because I’m too exhausted to make them all.

Before I was ill though, it was usually me who would bake the “big” cake for birthdays etc. This is the cake/gateau/layer cake that is a spongecake sliced in three or more parts, filled with whipped cream, smashed fresh or frozen strawberries and banana slices, then covered with more whipped cream, fresh fruit (such as strawberries if it’s summer) or canned fruit (such as peach slices if winter) and maybe shaved chocolate/chocolate chips. I would be the one to bake it partly because I never failed at it, and partly because I LOVE that cake – it’s my favorite even though it’s so basic. I’ve made finer, more complex gateaus too but they never stick – the taste isn’t good enough to make it worth while the extra effort they require. I always come back to that basic whipped cream cake.

4. What memorable gift do you still appreciate?

My laptop! My Mom bought it for me for my 40th birthday, and it still works great even though it’s close to 8 years old now and I use it daily for hours.

Another one I really appreciate is the large non-stick sauté pan my Mom bought me for another birthday several years ago. We prefer buying usable, practical gifts so I asked her for a pan with a lid because my skillet was too small to comfortably make sauce in it and doesn’t have a lid at all, and she bought me a good sauté pan 😀 Every time I use it, I remember my Mom bought it for me. It’s nice 😀

5. What would be a good reindeer name?

I’m going to go with Petteri…

Answers to Friday 5 for December 3: The work of the child – http://f.riday5.com/2021/12/03/friday-5-for-december-3-the-work-of-the-child/

1. What musical instruments have you played?

Like I know what I’m doing? Never nothing. We did have one of those kid’s electric cheapish pianos when I was growing up, but it wasn’t something I was interested in – I didn’t like the sound it made – and I didn’t learn anything, except maybe do-re-mi-so. When I was 12-15 years old, I would have been interested in learning at least some quitar at school, but the music teacher didn’t allow us to touch the instruments in the music class room – only the ones in the band/choir were allowed, not us regular students. She didn’t teach us anything except music history and some singing, and wasn’t excited to do that either – again, we were just the regular students, not her special kids. This was the same teacher who was put to teach me, my friend and one other person the alternate thing (elämänkatsomustieto, which the dictionary gives translation to as “ethics”) to religion, and she forgot our planned lessons completely about a dozen times, instead giving extra lessons to her special band/choir kids when she was supposed to be teaching us. You might guess I didn’t think much of this particular teacher.

2. When do you play with your food?

I don’t think I do anymore? I just eat it until I’m done. When I was a kid, I’d play with my food when it was something I didn’t like much and I wasn’t really hungry. Now that I’m an adult and live one my own, I get to decide what to eat and when so I don’t have to play my food anymore 🙂

3. What’s your favorite stage play?

I can’t think of one. I’m not into theatre. Although Gillian Anderson was awesome in A Streetcar Named Desire which I saw a recording of last year. That’s the only one I’ve seen recently enough to remember. But I saw it & enjoyed it because Gillian Anderson, not because of the play itself.

4. What games do you play on your phone?

None. I can’t describe how deep and abiding my disinterest in games is – when I say I couldn’t care less, I genuinely mean I couldn’t care less.

5. When did you recently play it by ear?

I don’t play instruments, and I haven’t had an occasion recently to proceed at something without having at least rudimentary plan to back me up.

A couple of additional notes:

I’ve never had the extra money to put into theatre tickets/music concerts or instruments/hobby lessons as an adult (they’re all too expensive! I’ve looked), so even if there have been something I’ve been interested in seeing or trying out, I couldn’t afford it. After a few years it just became easier to not think about them because then I’d feel left out.

Re: playing by ear: the last 13 years almost nothing could be done without planning because of my illnesses, or I might end up with literally shit in my pants and no rescue, whether that’s bringing extra clothes or additional meds with me.  Even when I was healthy I preferred having some sort of vague plan no matter what we were doing; I don’t really miss doing unplanned stuff in general. I only miss not having to account for diarrhea/stomach pains/migraine attack whenever I leave my home. But all that has become business as usual, even that!

Picture from Pixabay.

Answers to f.friday5.com questions.

1. November is National Peanut Butter Lovers Month. Are you a peanut butter lover? What are some ways you enjoy consuming it?

Nope, can’t stand it. Disgustingly sweet.

2. November is National Roasting Month. What did you most recently roast, and how did it come out?

It’s been such a long time since I roasted something that I can’t remember what it was! Probably chicken (it’s usually chicken), and probably delicious (it’s usually delicious).

3. November is National Gratitude Month, which of course leads to the American Thanksgiving holiday. What are you particularly grateful for this month?

I’m particularly grateful right now for the basic social assistance I was approved again for for the next several months (assuming my monthly income doesn’t change which is unlikely). This means I can pay my medical bills and get my medications as soon as I need to, instead hoping I can get to them in due course. The tax return always messes this up because all the benefit norms are much too low, and calculatorily the tax return is supposed to stretch for far longer than it does in reality with the real prices of food/rent/gas etc. There’s a lot of bureacracy involved in getting approved again, even though this happens every damn year.

4. November is National Inspirational Role Models month. Who are some of your inspirational role models?

I don’t have role models, really. I’m really impressed though how a lot of writers such as Dean Koontz or Camilla Läckberg can produce such good text book after book, especially since I wrote my few fanfics and it’s so hard for myself.

5. November is National Family Stories Month. What’s an oft-told story in your family?

We reminisce various things more than tell stories – like “Do you remember how Caro (our Beagle) used to have the tips of her ears always crusty with dried food? Her ears were so cute and silky!” or “Always had to be extra careful while cooking or baking in the kitchen because Caro would be right behind me and I might step on her paws when stepping back or to the side if I didn’t remember to be extra careful about moving around!” or “Remember when we went camping when I was a kid every summer? I loved swimming in the ocean when it was raining; kid!me thought it was so much fun [Mom and Dad didn’t think it was fun on the other hand…]. ” That sort of thing.