Sleepy Rambles

I have worked my last day in 2019 and Christmas is no here – so I can relax.

Happy Christmas, dear reader, and I hope you have a wonderful Yuletide experience.

As usual, here are a few silly questions to enjoy from Sunday Stealing to help get you in the mood – somehow.

1. Do you ever give things away to your friends?

I have been known to do this in the past. I guess buying a round at the pub counts too, in which case I have given away lots and lots of pints of ale over the years.

2. Does it make you uncomfortable when your parents talk about finding people attractive? If your parents don’t make comments like that, what sort of things can your family members say that do make you feel uncomfortable?

My mum always used to tell me about men she found attractive and she had no shame about doing so. In particular, she liked Tom Jones, which surprised me because the Welsh crooner didn’t resemble my dad is any way. The only thing they had in common was that they were both male.

My dad kept quiet about the people he found attractive, thank goodness. Having one embarrassing parent was bad enough thanks.

3. Have you ever heard of an “alternative spring break”? Have you ever participated in one or known someone who has?

That is an American thing, I believe, so the answer is probably no. We do have an Easter break here in the UK but it’s no different from any other break. The mind boggles about what an “alternative” spring break might be.

4. Is there anyone’s friendship or relationship, in particular, that makes you jealous?

Not at all. I am not the jealous type.

5. Is there a book series where you loved the first book, but for some reason the other books in the series just didn’t measure up?

Stephen King’s Dark Tower series was a major disappointment for me. The first couple of books were okay but by the time I had finished the last one I was angry enough to throw the offending paperback in the swimming pool (I was on holiday at the time). Thankfully, I didn’t though the temptation was almost overwhelming. 

6. Are you a registered voter?

Yes I am – of course. 

Unfortunately, given the result of the last election in the UK a week or so ago, my vote did nothing to stop the nasty buffoon that is Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister. Next time I will be voting against the power-hungry, hypocritical oaf so that he is removed from office when the time comes. 

Sadly, I think he will do his best to destroy the country before then.

7. Are there any stores/restaurants that you would like to shop/eat at, but there aren’t any located near enough to you?

There was a wonderful Mongolian restaurant in Hong Kong called Kublai’s that I enjoyed when I was working there and I would love it if there were a similar restaurant in Manchester. 

8. How many people would you say you are close with? Who are they?

Far too many people to mention here. They all know who they are.

9. Do you ever have smell hallucinations?

I have never ever had a smell hallucination. What an odd question.

10. Is there something that you did not used to take seriously, that you either now take seriously or wish that you had in the past (e.g., a relationship that you miss, your education, etc.)?

Yes – lots of things. For example, I now take politics quite seriously – and it makes me quite angry if I’m honest so I may just take a break from it. I also take music seriously as well and one of my major regrets is not learning to play a guitar or piano when I was younger. I learned a trombone instead for a few years but that’s no use in a rock band – well, not the kind of rock band I like.

Lately, money is becoming more important as is language learning. These are things I shall pursue more in years to come.

11. Are there any subjects that you are interested in so much that you would read whole books or academic journals about them?

I am more interested in writing these days and have read several books about the art of writing, creativity etc. I’m not sure academic journals on the subject exist but I might be tempted if one crosses my path.

12. Are you physically affectionate with your friends?

Yes I am. I love hugging people, both men and women (as long as they are willing to hug of course).

13. When you were in school, did you witness a lot of bullying? How did the teachers react to name-calling or violence?

Yes I did. I was also a victim of bullying until I fought back. One lad, who used to be a good friend, decided that because he was taller than me, he could shove me about. However, he did something that made the red mist descend (he grabbed my crisps and crushed them), so I punched him as hard as I could. He was so shocked that he didn’t react immediately, so I ran. He chased after me and caught me but I was so angry (still) that I picked up a nearby sports bag and swung it at him, catching him full in the face with it. We then had a fight where he basically beat me (he was a lot bigger). But after that, he never did anything again – and neither did anybody else. 

I was also a cheeky little kid and used to taunt bullies. Sadly, I regarded some teachers as bullies, telling them what I thought of them and their sometimes idiotic questions and observations about me. Hence I ended up in a lot of detentions as a consequence of my actions.

If I liked a teacher I showed respect and there were some quite nasty ones who were on the receiving end of my comments and names. To be perfectly honest, though, I wasn’t a very nice person myself at that time of life. Full of hormones and angry all the time I did tend to lash out.

I’m a nice guy now, honestly.

14. If there is a specific celebrity (or two, or three!) that you dislike, is it because of petty reasons or is it because they’ve done something absolutely damning in your mind?

There are quite a few celebrities that I don’t like. Top of the shop is Piers Morgan.

He is right up there with Donald Trump, tweeting nasty things in the hope that it will get a reaction and, sadly, he has an outlet for his bile as he is a presenter on a breakfast news show in the UK. We tried to send him to America and he annoyed the Americans up so much that they sent him back. He is just horrible.

There others I don’t like (such as James Corden and Simon Cowell) but not one of them winds me up as much as Piers Morgan. 

15. Are any of your friends/relatives actually impressive artists or writers? 

Sadly no. I do have a friend who published a novel and I am quite envious.