Finding out meme

[lexin]

Gacked from fjm...

I know very little about some of the people on my friends list. Some people I know relatively well. But here's a thought: why not take this opportunity to tell me a little something about yourself. Any old thing at all. Just so the next time I see your name I can say: "Ah, there's Parker ...she likes money and cereal." I'd love it if everyone who's friended me did this. (Yes, even you people who I know really well.) Then post this in your own journal. In return, ask me anything you'd like to know about me and I'll give you an answer.

Comments

[marcelo]

I drink a lot of tea, and once in elementary school I fell from the stage while dancing (unrelated facts, I think).

[lexin]

I drink a lot of tea, too. I've never fallen off a stage, though I once ripped my jeans from knee to hip jumping off one.

[oursin]

I used to have a plastic bag containing bones from the Broad Street plague pit in my office (but I think you might know that already)

[lexin]

I used to work in Colquhoun House Broadwick Street, which I think was the building on which the plague pit was built!

[forestfairy]

I like cheese.

[lexin]

I like cheese, too. Particularly fond of soft cheeses like Camembert.

[alienor77310]

I moved from France to Britain a couple of months ago, and I like peanut butter in my oatmeal/porridge.

[lexin]

Peanut butter doesn't sound as if it goes with porridge, but thinking about it, it could be quite nice.

[hunningham]

My family & upbringing were a lot more religious than anyone realises. The church I grew up in didn't believe in evolution; I'm closely related to about seven or eight Baptist ministers and several missionaries and I went to church and bible groups until I was about 19.

[lexin]

I went to church regularly until I was 18, but it was Church of England. I even taught Sunday School for a while!

[montanaharper]

I love music that's in a minor key, and have a fascination with covers that switch from the major key of the original to a minor key.

[kaz]

I jump in here randomly to say I sometimes feel as though I am the only person in the WORLD who prefers minor keys to major. \o/

[montanaharper]

My son prefers it, too, so you're really not alone. :-)

[lexin]

I'm so musically ignorant, I'm not sure I'd notice!

[montanaharper]

I don't really know much about music, myself, despite coming from a family of musicians—my mother started competing and getting trophies for her accordion playing at age 5, and was in her school orchestra all through school.

Here's an example, though, just so you can see what I mean. The original of REM's "Losing Your Religion" on youtube, which is in a minor key, and then a version that someone used some kind of technology to alter so that it was in a major key.

What I like is stuff that goes the opposite direction, but this is a cool example in that it isn't a cover, so there's absolutely no difference in the performance to distract from the difference in the music itself.

[stranger]

There's a thing where early 20th-century composers (Ravel, Shostakovich, and others) give the ballroom or concert waltze a minor, or polytonal, or jazz twist. It's like an AU of Johann Strauss. I love these. Even the ones in Rosenkavalier that aren't really minor, just fitted into dramatic scenes.

[montanaharper]

I'll have to look into that; it sounds interesting!

[kaz]

I was quite possibly the pickiest eater in the world as a kid. Almost all the foods I like now I remember learning to like during the course of my teens, and if I try to think back to what I ate back then I come up with toast, cornflakes, pizza and... that's about it, really. My mother thinks I somehow pulled vitamins in from the air, and I am still embarrassed how astonished she acts when I tell her that no, I totally eat X food now.

[lexin]

Wow. I wouldn't eat cauliflower for the longest time, but that is because my father grew his own and it tended to be a bit insect-y.

[raincitygirl]

When I was 16 months old, I abducted myself. My jet-lagged parents were at a hotel check-in counter, and when they looked around for me, I was in an elevator with the doors closing. Cue massive panic, and the entire hotel being locked down by security. I was eventually found wandering around happily alone on one of the higher floors. My mother claims this incident gave her the first grey hairs of her life.

I don't actually remember this, of course. But it makes a good story. And apparently the Holiday Inn is a terrible place for would-be child abductors, because they locked down the building lickety-split, at no small inconvenience to other guests.

[lexin]

When I was three I ran across a road into oncoming traffic and nearly gave my father a heart attack.

[amberfox]

I collect office supplies; pens and pencils and notebooks mostly, but also bottled ink and (a little) calculators.

I'm also the only person in my house that our dog has never bitten.

[lexin]

I'm totally with you about office supplies. I love them.

[marahmarie]

I drink tons of coffee. I like Sarasa gel pens in dark pink. I think I'm Sampson, that if you cut off my hair, I'll lose all my power. For realz.

[lexin]

I drink a lot of tea. Really, a lot.

[watervole]

I used to run SF cons. That was bad enough. Now I'm running a folk festival. Aaargh!

[lexin]

A folk festival? Isn't that even more like herding cats than running an SF con?

[watervole]

Worse. You're in a multiple venue situation, with multiple funding sources - almost none of which are under your control. As a large part of the event is in the streets, you can only charge for specific ticketed events. You've got a whole raft of new health and safety and security issues, plus all the usual headaches you have with a con.

[stranger]

I really like knitting and needlepoint, but I'd rather use a fiber that's not wool. Which is a pity, because wool is great for holding shape when it's knitted, but it still makes me itch.

[lexin]

I knit, but I'm easily bored. Having said that, I've gone and started a green pullover - I feel I could die before I finish it...

[starlight2463]

Hello,

From Enterprise Florida, I work in the Commercial Insurance Industry (dredfully boring, but pays well enough) and enjoy a lovely cup of tea in the evening. My tea of choice is Boston Tea Party Tropic Orange and Spice (truly it is called Boston Tea Party).

[lexin]

What drew you to insurance?

I hear you about tea, though my tea of choice is English breakfast.

[starlight2463]

I ended up in insurance purely by accident. Back during the late 1980's I was out of work and having a hard time finding a job. So I decided to try a temp agency. They sent me to an Insurance company as a typist. Toward the end of my contracted time they asked me if I would like to train for another position with the company and get hired on permanently. And so 25 years later I am still in the insurance industry.

[lexin]

I ended up a civil servant by accident.

I was looking for work in the late 80's, and was signing on to collect unemployment benefit, when my 'signing officer' said, "Oh, you have qualifications, apply for this job or I'll stop your money." The job was in the benefits office on the other side of the road, as a casual. So, I applied and got the job. Initially this was for 6 weeks, which was extended to 8.

Time passed and I was contacted by them to become a short term member of staff on what was a fixed term contract of a year. So I took that job.

While I was there, they said, "Apply to join as a direct entrant manager - you have good qualifications." So I did, and had to do an exam. I passed the exam, but only if I was prepared to work in London. (My arithmetic stinks!) So I moved to London. And I'm still here, and still with the civil service.