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I almost never do memes unless I'm asking people for fic ideas.
So, here's one where I ask you for fic ideas...which I'm not going to write! BONUS!
If you had me under your command and could make me write anything, regardless of whether or not I know the fandom or if anybody even writes fic in that fandom and no matter how crack-addled it might be, what would you love to see me write?
"Grown Up" Meme
Tired of all of those surveys made up by high school kids?
'Have you ever kissed someone?'
'Missed someone?'
'Told someone you loved them?'
'Drank alcohol?'
Here are 50 questions for the people who are a little more "mature"...
1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
The rates on my unit: it was a bad purchasing decision and I regret it quite thoroughly. Unfortunately, we have a buyer's market right now, and the unit itself isn't all that crash hot. So I keep paying the rates and it reminds me of my foolishness.
2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
Um. Don't think I've ever had a romantic dinner!
3. Last time you puked from drinking?
Have never puked from drinking. No, not even the time a friend and I took a bottle of tequila, four lemons, and a bottle of salt to a friend's party and finished the bottle between the two of us. I was even bright and chirpy the next morning. Of course, I was about twenty at the time. Young and reckless and immortal.
4. When is the last time you got drunk and danced on a bar?
Hell with the drunk, I'd dance on the bar if I had enough sugar in me and an appreciative audience! :)
5. Name of your first grade teacher?
First grade. Oh, this is hard. I think I had two first grade teachers because I repeated a grade - I was too old for school. Um. I don't remember. It might have been Miss Craddock.
6. What do you really want to be doing right now?
Writing.
7. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A genetic engineer. It sounded cool and technical and impressed people. And now I'm a systems analyst, which sounds cool and is technical, and generally confuses people. Life's funny that way.
8. How many colleges did you attend?
Just one. And we call them universities.
9. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now?
Because it was warm and close-knit, in a lovely dusky pink shade and I was buying a whole slew of the same brandname at the time and this was one of them. It's a brand called icebreaker and it's made from New Zealand merino, and excellent at keeping in body heat.
10. Gas Price?
Too high. Way too high. I saw places charging $1.35/L (do your own math, Americans!) today, although I managed to find one that was selling it at $1.19
11. If you could move anywhere and take someone with you?
Anywhere? I 'd move down to the south coast of NSW, where the beaches are clean, the population is (relatively) sparse, and the land is absolutely gorgeous.
12. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
My alarm didn't. I woke up naturally and was up by 7am.
13. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
It was probably how the hell I'm going to get my characters out of their latest scrape.
14. Favorite style of underwear?
Hipster boy-leg. Cotton Bonds. Size 12. TMI?
15. Favorite style of underwear for the opposite sex?
There's something about a guy in boxers. He's nicely accessible that way. ;)
16. What errand/chore do you despise?
Washing up after cooking. And hanging out the washing. Those two.
17. If you didn't have to work, would you volunteer?
Probably. Most likely with a local church group or a community garden.
18. Get up early or sleep in?
Get up early. Once my body's awake, my brain is awake and there's no stopping it from telling me, "There are all these things you could be doing right now - you should get up and do them!"
19. What is your favorite cartoon character?
Hm. Does Wonder Woman from the Justice League animated TV series count? Otherwise, I have a fondness for Disney's Mulan.
20. Favorite NON sexual thing to do at night with a girl/guy?
Just lie there, talking.
21. Have you found real love yet?
Define 'real love'. If we're talking agape (in the Greek style) then I have it in my mum. If we're talking eros, then nope.
22. When did you first start feeling old?
Honestly? I don't remember anymore. Another sign of getting old, eh!
23. Favorite 80's movie?
The Breakfast Club. Actually, that's probably the only 80s movie I really know.
24. Your favorite lunch meat?
Hot Spanish Salami.
25. What do you get every time you go into Sam's Club? Or Walmart?
I'm going to answer this like I'm going into Target or K-Mart, which are probably the equivalents over here in Australia. Underwear. Cotton Bonds hipster boy-legs. Size 12. See Q14. :)
26. Beach or lake?
Beach. Specifically the south coast of NSW where pristine miles of sand stretch out past azure ocean shores... See Q11.
27. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
Nope. I believe strongly in the institution of marriage, as well as in the need of people to commit themselves to something: body, heart, mind, and spirit. A lot more partnerships would probably do better for a formal commitment that is seen as irrevocable, and not just 'until we get tired of this thing'.
28. How many people do you stalk on Facebook?
None. Don't have Facebook.
29. Favorite guilty pleasure?
Hot baths and swedish massage.
30. Favorite movie you wouldn't want anyone to find out about?
I wouldn't tell! But my favourite movie that I don't mind sharing with people is Terminator 3: because it's not just action and explosions and Arnohld, but the development of John Connor into the leader he has to be. It's a story that's driven as much by character as by action and high speed chases and reckless destruction of property.
31. What's your drink?
Chocolate Port. I'm drinking it now.
32. Cowboys or Indians?
Indians. Fer realz.
33. Cops or Robbers?
Cops. 'Cos I like the chase and I'm not a very good 'bad person'.
34. Who from high school would you like to run into?
Nina, who was one of my friends from Year 7 to Year 10, and then we kinda drifted apart in 11 and 12. Or Marcia. (Yes, I went to school with a girl called Marcia.)
35. What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now?
My radio has been broken for years now. I use the silence while driving to formulate plotbunnies and get characters out of crises.
36. Norm or Cliff?
Why be like Norm, welded into your chair!
Give us a chance to get your feet in the air!
If you're too old or too thin or too plain,
there's no excuses 'cos we need you today!
Come on and join in the fun, come absolutely everyone!
There are no excuses!
The time has come to hop, skip, and run,
So Life, Be In It today!
Sorry, late 80s advert in Australia, advocating a lifestyle with exercise. Ain't advertising amazing?
37. The Cosby Show or the Simpsons?
Simpsons. And I don't even like them that much.
39. Do you like the person who sits directly across from you at work?
He's okay. A slightly odd sense of humour. I think he might be Indonesian Chinese. (Racially Chinese, from Indonesia.)
40. If you could get away with it, who would you kill?
Ahahahahaa! This one person, who's been shitting me off for months now... Actually, I'd kill her and her friends and her friends' friends, burn her house to the ground, and kill anyone she's ever shaken hands with, and then *poof!* Just like that, I'd be gone...
*snickers*
41. What famous person(s) would you like to have dinner with?
Ooh, this is a tricky one. Right now, I'm curious about Barack Obama.
42. What famous person(s) would you like to sleep with?
...none, really.
43. Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
Nope. I've never had to use a fire extinguishere for an unintended purpose, either.
44. Last book you read for real?
Arabella by Georgette Heyer.
45. Do you have a teddy bear?
Nope. But I have a little blue pony that goes by the name of Teyla. :)
46. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
New York City. Man, that was a strange place. There was this fire hydrant that was painted like the American flag. And weirdos on the subway. Bizarre man.
47. Somewhere in California you've never been and would like to go?
Napa Valley and a winery. They do have wineries in Napa Valley, don't they? And Napa Valley is in California, right?
48. Do you go to church?
I used to. I don't any more. It's got nothing to do with my faith, or disillusionment in organised religion or the church, I just got out of the habit and never got back into it again. And it's always hardest to start at a new church when you don't know anyone. It gets worse the older you get, too.
49. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship?
It would depend on the kind of career and whether it was wildly successful or not. Relationship... I'd like to be in a relationship, but I don't see it happening. No candidates around for starters.
50. Just how OLD are you?
Okay, this last question makes me curious. If you, oh person reading this meme, had no idea how old I was...how old would you guess me to be, just from my posts?
I'm particularly curious because people always underestimate how old I am when they meet me in person.
So, here's one where I ask you for fic ideas...which I'm not going to write! BONUS!
If you had me under your command and could make me write anything, regardless of whether or not I know the fandom or if anybody even writes fic in that fandom and no matter how crack-addled it might be, what would you love to see me write?
"Grown Up" Meme
Tired of all of those surveys made up by high school kids?
'Have you ever kissed someone?'
'Missed someone?'
'Told someone you loved them?'
'Drank alcohol?'
Here are 50 questions for the people who are a little more "mature"...
1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
The rates on my unit: it was a bad purchasing decision and I regret it quite thoroughly. Unfortunately, we have a buyer's market right now, and the unit itself isn't all that crash hot. So I keep paying the rates and it reminds me of my foolishness.
2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
Um. Don't think I've ever had a romantic dinner!
3. Last time you puked from drinking?
Have never puked from drinking. No, not even the time a friend and I took a bottle of tequila, four lemons, and a bottle of salt to a friend's party and finished the bottle between the two of us. I was even bright and chirpy the next morning. Of course, I was about twenty at the time. Young and reckless and immortal.
4. When is the last time you got drunk and danced on a bar?
Hell with the drunk, I'd dance on the bar if I had enough sugar in me and an appreciative audience! :)
5. Name of your first grade teacher?
First grade. Oh, this is hard. I think I had two first grade teachers because I repeated a grade - I was too old for school. Um. I don't remember. It might have been Miss Craddock.
6. What do you really want to be doing right now?
Writing.
7. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A genetic engineer. It sounded cool and technical and impressed people. And now I'm a systems analyst, which sounds cool and is technical, and generally confuses people. Life's funny that way.
8. How many colleges did you attend?
Just one. And we call them universities.
9. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now?
Because it was warm and close-knit, in a lovely dusky pink shade and I was buying a whole slew of the same brandname at the time and this was one of them. It's a brand called icebreaker and it's made from New Zealand merino, and excellent at keeping in body heat.
10. Gas Price?
Too high. Way too high. I saw places charging $1.35/L (do your own math, Americans!) today, although I managed to find one that was selling it at $1.19
11. If you could move anywhere and take someone with you?
Anywhere? I 'd move down to the south coast of NSW, where the beaches are clean, the population is (relatively) sparse, and the land is absolutely gorgeous.
12. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
My alarm didn't. I woke up naturally and was up by 7am.
13. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
It was probably how the hell I'm going to get my characters out of their latest scrape.
14. Favorite style of underwear?
Hipster boy-leg. Cotton Bonds. Size 12. TMI?
15. Favorite style of underwear for the opposite sex?
There's something about a guy in boxers. He's nicely accessible that way. ;)
16. What errand/chore do you despise?
Washing up after cooking. And hanging out the washing. Those two.
17. If you didn't have to work, would you volunteer?
Probably. Most likely with a local church group or a community garden.
18. Get up early or sleep in?
Get up early. Once my body's awake, my brain is awake and there's no stopping it from telling me, "There are all these things you could be doing right now - you should get up and do them!"
19. What is your favorite cartoon character?
Hm. Does Wonder Woman from the Justice League animated TV series count? Otherwise, I have a fondness for Disney's Mulan.
20. Favorite NON sexual thing to do at night with a girl/guy?
Just lie there, talking.
21. Have you found real love yet?
Define 'real love'. If we're talking agape (in the Greek style) then I have it in my mum. If we're talking eros, then nope.
22. When did you first start feeling old?
Honestly? I don't remember anymore. Another sign of getting old, eh!
23. Favorite 80's movie?
The Breakfast Club. Actually, that's probably the only 80s movie I really know.
24. Your favorite lunch meat?
Hot Spanish Salami.
25. What do you get every time you go into Sam's Club? Or Walmart?
I'm going to answer this like I'm going into Target or K-Mart, which are probably the equivalents over here in Australia. Underwear. Cotton Bonds hipster boy-legs. Size 12. See Q14. :)
26. Beach or lake?
Beach. Specifically the south coast of NSW where pristine miles of sand stretch out past azure ocean shores... See Q11.
27. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
Nope. I believe strongly in the institution of marriage, as well as in the need of people to commit themselves to something: body, heart, mind, and spirit. A lot more partnerships would probably do better for a formal commitment that is seen as irrevocable, and not just 'until we get tired of this thing'.
28. How many people do you stalk on Facebook?
None. Don't have Facebook.
29. Favorite guilty pleasure?
Hot baths and swedish massage.
30. Favorite movie you wouldn't want anyone to find out about?
I wouldn't tell! But my favourite movie that I don't mind sharing with people is Terminator 3: because it's not just action and explosions and Arnohld, but the development of John Connor into the leader he has to be. It's a story that's driven as much by character as by action and high speed chases and reckless destruction of property.
31. What's your drink?
Chocolate Port. I'm drinking it now.
32. Cowboys or Indians?
Indians. Fer realz.
33. Cops or Robbers?
Cops. 'Cos I like the chase and I'm not a very good 'bad person'.
34. Who from high school would you like to run into?
Nina, who was one of my friends from Year 7 to Year 10, and then we kinda drifted apart in 11 and 12. Or Marcia. (Yes, I went to school with a girl called Marcia.)
35. What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now?
My radio has been broken for years now. I use the silence while driving to formulate plotbunnies and get characters out of crises.
36. Norm or Cliff?
Why be like Norm, welded into your chair!
Give us a chance to get your feet in the air!
If you're too old or too thin or too plain,
there's no excuses 'cos we need you today!
Come on and join in the fun, come absolutely everyone!
There are no excuses!
The time has come to hop, skip, and run,
So Life, Be In It today!
Sorry, late 80s advert in Australia, advocating a lifestyle with exercise. Ain't advertising amazing?
37. The Cosby Show or the Simpsons?
Simpsons. And I don't even like them that much.
39. Do you like the person who sits directly across from you at work?
He's okay. A slightly odd sense of humour. I think he might be Indonesian Chinese. (Racially Chinese, from Indonesia.)
40. If you could get away with it, who would you kill?
Ahahahahaa! This one person, who's been shitting me off for months now... Actually, I'd kill her and her friends and her friends' friends, burn her house to the ground, and kill anyone she's ever shaken hands with, and then *poof!* Just like that, I'd be gone...
*snickers*
41. What famous person(s) would you like to have dinner with?
Ooh, this is a tricky one. Right now, I'm curious about Barack Obama.
42. What famous person(s) would you like to sleep with?
...none, really.
43. Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
Nope. I've never had to use a fire extinguishere for an unintended purpose, either.
44. Last book you read for real?
Arabella by Georgette Heyer.
45. Do you have a teddy bear?
Nope. But I have a little blue pony that goes by the name of Teyla. :)
46. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
New York City. Man, that was a strange place. There was this fire hydrant that was painted like the American flag. And weirdos on the subway. Bizarre man.
47. Somewhere in California you've never been and would like to go?
Napa Valley and a winery. They do have wineries in Napa Valley, don't they? And Napa Valley is in California, right?
48. Do you go to church?
I used to. I don't any more. It's got nothing to do with my faith, or disillusionment in organised religion or the church, I just got out of the habit and never got back into it again. And it's always hardest to start at a new church when you don't know anyone. It gets worse the older you get, too.
49. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship?
It would depend on the kind of career and whether it was wildly successful or not. Relationship... I'd like to be in a relationship, but I don't see it happening. No candidates around for starters.
50. Just how OLD are you?
Okay, this last question makes me curious. If you, oh person reading this meme, had no idea how old I was...how old would you guess me to be, just from my posts?
I'm particularly curious because people always underestimate how old I am when they meet me in person.
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SG1. Daniel-heavy. Possibly Tok'ra/Ancients related. I think you could pull that off.
Okay, this last question makes me curious. If you, oh person reading this meme, had no idea how old I was...how old would you guess me to be, just from my posts?
Tough question. Late twenties, I suppose. 28/29.
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Heh, interesting. You know, I never wrote much about Daniel and the Ancients when I was in SG1. A little bit of Daniel/Paul Davis slash, but beyond that... The Tok'ra are more connected to Sam, IMO, and I think they wasted Sam's "former host" storyline...rather like the way they're wasting Teyla's "Wraithgene" storyline.
I'm not sure I could write a longer story entirely about Daniel, to be honest. I had a plotbunny where he and Sam had to come to Atlantis to take over the running of the city because of a personnel crisis...but I exchanged him for an OC (which I could make a little less sympathetic without feeling guilty for it).
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how old would you guess me to be, just from my posts?
I would say late 20s/early 30s. It's so hard to tell sometimes.
LJ is so interesting that way. The youngest person on my flist is 18 (which I had NO idea - it wasn't until she was talking about starting uni that I realized she wasn't in her early/mid 20s.) Then there is a woman I run into in the BSG fandom who acts like shes 13 (she's in her late 30s.)
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But, yes, I suspect that the broad majority are early to mid-twenties.
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Yeah, I can think of a couple of people I've known whose abuse of grammar, punctuation, and the *squee* button drifts my estimation of their age towards the adolescent.
It is hard to tell. I know a couple of f-listers who I thought were at least in their early twenties if not older, and then discovered they were still in high school, or only just into college.
So, yeah, it's quite fascinating. :)
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How old do you think I am? (which isn't hard to guess from the pictures and million personal things I post - but I'm still curious.)
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I do seem to have quite a few f-listers in the early twenties, "college age" range.
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I think most of my flist is in the 22-35 range.
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Oh well, I landed close enough. :)
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I would guess you to be within about five years of my age, lol!
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Actually, come to think of it, we probably are about the same age...
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Old enough to no better than to get involved in all that fandom wank.
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Actually, I haven't had much chance to actually read the f-list lately, so it's been nice and calming. :)
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Oh, that *is* an interesting question! I hope you don't mind me chiming in! (Never ask a lady her age, and all of that.)
I guess that I would generally assume you to be about my age (I'm 31) or at least in my generation (late 60s to late 70s children). But there is one of your answers above that makes me think I'm underestimating, and it's this one:
22. When did you first start feeling old?
Honestly? I don't remember anymore. Another sign of getting old, eh!
This makes me think that you're probably quite a bit older than me, because I'm not only nowhere near feeling old yet, but I can't really wrap my head around the idea of feeling old at age 30. I've heard turning 40 can also have that effect (though it still seems young to me, but maybe that's just me.) So, maybe older than 30 or 40? *laughs* That's non-specific, I know! Erm. Uh. 42? That has a nice Douglas Adams ring to it! I've never been interested in birthdays (in fact I sometimes have trouble remembering my own exact age) but I just might make an exception for that one!
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You were closer with your original guess, actually. :)
For me, "feeling old" is the sense of all the things I haven't done yet that I really thought I'd have down pat by now.
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Hmm, good question. I guess I'd say that generally I can tell if someone I'm discussing stuff with online is significantly outside my age range -- either a lot older or a lot younger -- because the style of their online "speech" and the cultural references they make are different. But I couldn't really point to something specific and say, "Yeah, that's why I think she's about [x] years old!" It's just more like a general feeling.
In Stargate fandom, too, the odds are good that most people I encounter online *are* going to be in my own age range; it seems like online SGA fandom, at least the ficcing part of it, concentrates in women around the same general age as most of the series' stars. Back when I was in anime fandom, I was usually the oldest person in the room; it was usually assumed that most people in the fandom were somewhere in the 15-21 age range, and there was a *very* different style of speech and just different feeling to the fandom generally. Similarly, a lot of Star Trek fandom (well, TOS and TNG fandom) is older than me by a couple of decades, and I get a different "feeling" talking to people in those fandoms. It's tough to describe.
I guess it's a combination of playing the odds, and just having generally gotten the idea from your posting style that you're a little older than me, but not much.
For me, "feeling old" is the sense of all the things I haven't done yet that I really thought I'd have down pat by now.
Ahhhh ... I see! It makes sense that it'd be a definitions sort of thing. I realized recently that I no longer get those weird flashes of "OMG, I'm living in my own house paying my own bills. I'm an ADULT!" I've finally internalized the idea that yes, I am a grown-up now, although it's still a bit weird when I encounter someone on a professional level (doctor, lawyer, etc) and realize that they're about my age. I'm still used to thinking of those sorts of people as being significantly older than me.
But I don't think of myself as "old", and I'm not entirely sure what would constitute feeling old, really. I guess to me, it would mean spending the majority of your time looking back, rather than forward. I get that feeling from talking to my grandmother, who's 90 ... she doesn't really plan for the future anymore, because she doesn't have much of a future left. There's something very sad about that to me, and that, to me, is being "old". You've gone about as far as you can and there's not much to go forward to. And it doesn't have to go along with being THAT old, either. My aunt, who's in her early 50s, was talking to me recently about how she decided not to plant fruit trees in her yard because she probably won't live to see them grow to maturity and bear fruit. And that's just ... to me ... I mean, why NOT plant the trees? You'll still get to watch them grow!
And I'm still planning on having a geek party when I turn 42. ;)
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Actually, you're doing better than me on that front. I still think, "When I grow up..." and then realise that, why yes, I have technically 'grown up'...
Which is probably part of my 'feeling old' issue, I think.
Ironically, the whole 'paying my own bills' hasn't been an issue - I moved out at 18 and have mostly been paying my own bills since then, and still thought "when I grow up..."
My aunt, who's in her early 50s, was talking to me recently about how she decided not to plant fruit trees in her yard because she probably won't live to see them grow to maturity and bear fruit.
See, I don't get this either.
Mostly because fruit trees (if you buy the young tree) will start producing within five years, so unless she expects to die really soon, there's no reason not to expect a harvest!
And even if she planted it from a sapling, it would still only take 8-10 years to grow and mature.
Besides...fruit trees! Fruit! (Sorry, I love gardening.)
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And yay, fruit trees! I've been thinking about getting some this summer. My options are limited, as I'm in a very cold climate zone, though...
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There've got to be options. I'm in a warm temperate zone, which means everything up to 'just frost' in the dead of winter. It makes gardening options so much easier!
Have you tried a local nursery, or a local gardening group? Even in Australia, those are usually pretty good for advice.
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Also, for the United Statesians, Aussie gas at $1.30/L would be the equivalent of $4.05 (USD)/gallon. I think.