Friday Five

[tielan]

thefridayfive

1. Would you ever go "under the knife" (or laser, or dental pick) for cosmetic purposes? What and why, and would it really be worth it?

Cosmetic? Probably not, mostly because I can't think of any situation in which it would be worth it to "look better".

2. Describe your dream home, including location, design, and who/what’s in there with you.

Probably more or less the house and neighbourhood I'm living in, only properly sealed against drafts, the floors filled in and polished, with more storage space above the wardrobes and the kitchen cupboards, a 'cool room' storage space, and a nook for B2 to be stashed in when she comes over.

3. You have one month to travel the world, all expenses paid. Where do you go and what do you do once you arrive?

...only a month?

Look, I'd do my planned trip for later this year, but if "all expenses paid" is just for me, I'd offer to drag some friends out to meet me (pay their tickets, food, accom, and wages - preeeeety sure it'd be cheaper than the cost of my trip!). And if "all expenses paid" can be stretched to cover friends...COME JOIN ME PARTYING IN EUROPE!

4. What scares the bloody heck out of you? Would you face it down if someone paid you? What’s your price?

Dying slowly and fully aware of the process. More than anything else, I want to die fast or utterly unconscious. I'm not sure I have a price on this; maybe someone else's slow death? Someone else's life? But, no. A slow death is a hard pass for me.

5. And of course, you’re stranded on an island. What five simple items do you have with you? How do you survive? Anyone in particular you’d like to be stranded with? What would they bring to the table?

The permie in me wants to know: what kind of island? Tropical? How large is it? Is there any arable land? What kind of trees/building materials are there? Look, Australia is "an island". New Zealand is two! Tasmania is "an island", so is Rottnest, Kangaroo, and Tangalooma. Heck, so is Greenland. None of them are tropical.

Five simple items: 30m of UV-resistance plastic rope, a metal bucket, a decent-sized pocketknife, a wooden-handled hacksaw from pre-1930s (renovated), and a 5m x 5m canvas tarp.

The 'simple items' would be a starter for a shelter, water, and food.

People I'd want to be stranded with: probably my fellow permies, pragmatic people that they are. And the ones that I know are old enough to be self-aware and (I think?) mature enough to recognise when we need to co-operate and when we need to go our separate ways.

--

It's been A Week and I feel like I got nothing done.

This weekend, I'm going to finish the windows. Painting, sealing, the whole deal. Somehow. Luckily it's a quiet one.

Comments

[colls]

1. In my 20s and 30s and even most of my 40s I would've wholeheartedly agreed. Cosmetic surgery feels like the avenue of the rich and picky (IDK - my impression) and for those with incredibly low self-esteem.

But now I think a bit differently about some of it. Isn't a tattoo cosmetic? I have a good-sized tattoo - and have considered it "cosmetic" because it's something I chose as art that isn't medically necessary. (I have a sunflower the size of a lunch plate on my back left shoulder). It's not "going under the knife", but it's a needle.

As for lasers, I have had rosacea for 20+ years and am considering laser to combat some of the capillary scars. Is it cosmetic? probably. But I'm tired of hiding or feeling ashamed. It's an awful feeling when you feel you can't show your face to anyone - professionally or socially. The U.S.A. healthcare system doesn't even consider that cosmetic/ (in some cases? at least my azelaic acid is covered). And if our healthcare is going to cover it, I have to feel it's got merit (because anything remotely deemed not a medical necessity is not paid for).


2. That's awesome! It's got to be satisfying to know you're essentially where you want to be.

3. A one month vacation? What is that? (LOL)
I took 2 weeks once... does that count?
(our work life is so broken... *sigh)

[tielan]

So, I think that some appearance-related surgery comes under the heading of "mental health" rather than "cosmetic". I...am trying to remember if the Australian Medicare system thinks the same, and I'm not sure.

I know a young woman who had facial surgery to reduce the size of her jaw; it was very large and prominent, and affecting her mental health and self-image. That said, the surgery happened in a context of therapy and awareness that her appearance was not all she was.

[adafrog]

5. Go you with the choices.
What's a permie?

[tielan]

Permie = Permaculturist. :)

[adafrog]

Ah, thanks.

[grav_ity]

My doctor is HEROICALLY trying to get me a breast reduction for medical purposes, and it's incredibly difficult, even though it would LITERALLY IMPROVE MY HEALTH.

[tielan]

Yeah, breast reductions can be really good for health - back and spine etc.

[facethestrange]

It's awesome that your dream home is not really that different from your actual home! :)

Where in Europe are you visiting? (In real life, but also during the hypothetical free trip, since it's the same one. :D)

And I really don't know the first thing about wilderness survival because out of these things I think only a knife and a tarp would cross my mind. Kudos to your superior knowledge. :D

[tielan]

Real life? Probably just the Netherlands, because I have a stepbrother and StepSIL there with a nephlet, and I should like to go spend time with them.

Hypothetical paid-for trip? I would book a car/cabin on the new Orient Express train that runs from Paris to Istanbul and spend weeks travelling through Europe by luxury train.

[facethestrange]

Damn, that imaginary trip sounds GOOD, I love trains so much. :D

I hope you have a lot of fun in the Netherlands! :) (I wondered if you were maybe going to be somewhere close, since I'm in Poland, but NL is not super close.)