26 posts tagged “qotd”
What did you learn in kindergarten that you wish you did a better job of applying to the way you live your life today?
That people will stop picking on you once you've pulled the see-saw over onto their head. A sad lack of see-saws (and indeed, any play equipment constructed of scaffolding poles and poorly attached to the floor) has meant I am unable to apply this to the way I live my life today.
What lesson did your father teach you that still helps you in life?
How to be kind and hospitable and to make sure that people have something to eat on the way home.
How to make maths easy, by writing problems out on big pieces of paper.
How to write an academic essay and the right way to speak to lecturers so you get what you want out of them.
How to get out of social engagements you don't want to go to and how to extricate yourself from unwanted acquaintances.
How to deal with various kinds of back injuries.
How to read Russian and to speak some French, Italian, German and Danish.
How to think for myself.
That throwing your head back and bellowing with laughter at something funny is perfectly normal - not for us are stifled and repressed giggles, but big laughs, all the time.
How many houses have you lived in? How is where you live now different from where you grew up?
1972-77 The big house in Leeds. Well, probably not that big in hindsight, but it was a three-bedroom detached house, with a shed and a swing and roses in the garden, where it always seemed to be sunny. It's also the house where I was born.
1977-90 The slightly smaller house in Sunderland. I shared a 6 x 6 foot room with my sister (bunk beds), something we often tell her children when they moan about not all having their own rooms.
September - December 1990 Due to the infinite wisdom of my parents, they arranged for me to stay at the Jewish halls of residence when I went to college. It was like the horror of being at summer camp with morons having water fights and arranging crazy larks at all hours. Several tearful calls home later and the application of yet more eyeliner and I was allowed to move out.
January 1991 - August 1992 A shared house in Birmingham with three boys. The role of third boy had a fairly high turnover, second boy was a complete, ketchup down his pants, mental and the first boy became my boyfriend. That sounds romantic and dreamy, trust me, it wasn't.
August 1992 - October 1992 A pub in Sowerby Bridge which belonged to said boyfriend's uncle. It was actually quite good fun and sometimes we'd stay on a friend's narrowboat to get away from it all.
November 1992 - April 1993 (?) The dates are a bit hazy here - I went back to my parents for a bit but also spent some time living at the mental housemate's new house which was round the corner from the old one in Birmingham. He was letting the other spare room to a couple of my best mates and had to live with the sense that we were all having far more fun than he was.
April 1993 - April 1994 Girlington, Bradford. Those of you who know Bradford, will know this isn't exactly the nicest place to live... I moved there with the boy from Birmingham and we promptly broke up (in the house of second house-mate, funnily enough). Another friend moved in, the roof nearly fell in on his head, then he ditched me to move in with the other two from Birmingham (remember them? from the spare room) so I moved to:
May 1994 - December 1994 Great Horton, Bradford This was a vast improvement and we had constant hot water, and everything. Unfortunately I was living with a psycho so it was a bit of relief when the landlord phoned and said he wanted his house back.
January 1995 - October 1995 Bradford I moved over the road from the previous house, with the girl who lived next door. She was fairly bonkers but we had fun in the main until I got back from holiday and she confessed she'd actually moved out but hadn't wanted to tell me, but not to worry, she'd met some bloke in the launderette and he was going to move in. I ran away shortly afterwards.
November 1995 - November 1997 Tooting! I rented a house with a friend of a friend and ooh, it was exciting to be living in London.
November 1997 - April 1998 Highgate, London Due to the flat I wanted to buy falling through, I had to stay with my sister for a while in North London. Boo. Not long before I was back in the welcoming arms of the Saaaarf though.
April 1998 - now Tooting Towers and very, very happy I've been there too.
So twelve houses in all. Is it very different from where I grew up? Listening to the incomprehensible children shrieking in the street last night, I'd say, no, probably not.
Are there any people you would not tell if they had food in their teeth or if their zipper were down? Why or why not?
Submitted by Charms.
Yes. People I don't like.
This also applies for lipstick on the teeth as well. Why? Because I am spiteful.
How many pair of shoes do you have? Out of those pairs, how many do you wear more than a few times a year?
Submitted by fightinggale.
More accurately, how many have I never worn? Let's see...
1. Black and purple knee-high boots (aka the Boots of Happiness)
2. Tan mid-calf clunky boots
3. Black knee-high lace up boots with ribbons (mid-heel)
4. Burgundy very high heel ankle boots (very expensive, too high to walk in)
5. Black high heel ankle boots with buckle
6. Black snakeskin knee-high boots
7. Black suede knee-high boots (flats)
8. Beige suede mid-calf boots (bought in Australia because I foolishly went on holiday without any boots)
9. Brown mid-calf, wedge heel boots (from Argentina - same reason as above)
10. Black pointy kitten heel, mid-calf boots (v. expensive aka Break-up Boots)
11. Brown pointy kitten heel, knee-high boots
12. Slightly metallic black, knee high, stiletto boots (round toe)
13. Black knee-high clunky boots with buckle
14. Cream knee-high high heeled boots
15. Red patent peep-toe wedges
16. Red silk peep-toe slingbacks
17. Black kitten heels with punched hole patterns
18. Black t-bar shoes (mid heel)
19. Red strappy sandals with flowers on
20. Red suede high heel sandals
21. Black patent brogues (mid heel)
22. Black mary janes with four straps
23. Black and grey (antique Italian leather) high heels with ribbons (very high, very beautiful)
24. Metallic purple adidas pumps
25. Pink and grey adidas pumps
26. Pink converse (in tatters)
27. Tan kitsons with roses on
28. Green suede and leather high heels
29. Electric blue suede wedge sandals
30. Pink polka dot mary janes
31. Pink suede stilettoes
32. Turquoise metallic kitten heels
33. Gold 40's style strappy wedges
34. White and black patent high heel mary janes
35. Black leather pumps with jewels on
36. Purple satin peacock slippers
37. Black velvet and satin stilettoes (too big, too high, only worn at home)
38. Brown high heels with satin bows
39. Purple snakeskin kitten heel mules
40. Satin brocade high heels
41. Gold leather pumps
42. Navy patent high heels
43. Brown pointy flats
44. Black pointy flats
45. Black suede wedge sandals
46. Black suede kitten heel sandals
47. Bronze sandals
48. Turquoise and gold beaded sandals
49. Lilac strappy high heel sandals
50. Brown cord wedges (not very comfortable)
There are probably more but I'm started to rack my brains for them and 50's a nice round number, hey?
What are your neighbors like? (The ones you live near or next to, not the ones in your Vox neighborhood!)
I couldn't ask for better neighbours - Jamesdownstairs very quickly became a real friend after it transpired that we already had some mutual acquaintances. For the past ten years, it's been like an edgier episode of Friends; running into each other's flats in our jimmers for cups of tea (or gin) and gossip. We've heard each other's rows with boyfriends (and pretended that we hadn't) and also heard various naughtiness (with subsequent teasing). When I got made redundant a few years ago, J got me a job at his friend's agency - the same thing happened to him last year and he's working there now - it's like a half way house for bewildered travel agents. We also have very similar taste in music so neither of us complains if it's on too loud and we've been to quite a few amazing gigs together.
In more recent years, my succesful campaign of indoctrination has meant that various of my Vox neighbours are now neighbours in real life as well so I couldn't ask for more.
What's your morning beverage of choice? Coffee, tea, juice? Homemade or store-bought?
What with me being unemployed and all, I'm exploiting the opportunity and my drink of choice is therefore GIN.
How do you feel about your birthday? Do you look forward to it and remind all your friends, or do you dread it and try to keep it a secret?
I'll take this as an opportunity to remind you that it's my birthday in 50 days.
What is the silliest thing you've ever spent more than $30 bucks on?
Submitted by Terri.
Without doubt, it would have to be this:
My replica Liberace piano ring. I actually feel a little bit sick when I look at it.
