Friday 5 for July 14: Mornings Are for Coffee and Contemplation

From Scrivener's Friday 5 blog:

"In honor of Barb somehow getting an Emmy nomination (look it up if you don’t know and you’re curious), five questions."

First of all who the heck is Barb? Never heard of her. Looked up Emmy nominations here: http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/2017-emmy-nominees-list-nominations-1202494465/ - Saw no mention of this person. Plus I haven't seen any of the TV shows nominated except for the first year of Better Call Saul on some pirate website. Because I am such a cheap ass and cut my cable years ago and watch mostly YouTube and free stuff that is old on free streaming channels, I don't keep up with current TV except for local and Fox News.

1. Why are waffles better than pancakes?

Waffles have ridges and they are far more crispier than flat pancakes.

2. What’s something you remember about being 11?

Eleven was 1969. The most significant thing I remember was watching the first lunar landing and moonwalk by the astronauts of Apollo 11.... all on a colorful, grainy, black and white TV... using an antenna because in those days there was no cable.

3. What experience do you have with role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons?

None. I can't remember doing a role playing game ever. Just another personification of I not being a serious gamer beyond a 5 minute Nintendo app that can kill me in less time than that.

4. How do you feel about carnival rides that make you go upside-down?

Nauseous.... avoid at all costs... which is easy since 1. I rarely ever go to carnivals and 2. all rides are outrageously expensive.

5. You’ve seen Matthew Modine in more films than you realize (which he famously admitted during his opening monologue when he hosted Saturday Night Live in 1988) (filmography here). Which have you seen, and which was the best?

After looking at the filmography list, the only movies I've seen with this guy in it were the following:

Full Metal Jacket
Memphis Belle
Men in Black

I don't remember the Modine characters very well in any of those movies.

Out of the three movies, I remember Full Metal Jacket the most due to the basic training section of the story which were ultra memorable because of the conflict between the drill sergeant and the bumbling Private "Pyle". Intense. The movie then falls apart during the Vietnam War portion because it did not look like a tropical jungle or environment. Found out later that the film was shot entirely in the U.K.... not exactly a tropical place. Fail.

Memphis Belle I remember because the crew of the B-17 bomber were all shot to hell but they still made it back to base after the bombing run. Modine's plane was shot down and he died. Heh. ☺

Don't remember anything about his role in Men In Black. Was not really impressed with that movie at all.... I don't take too well to comedy in scifi.

From the three movies mentioned above, Full Metal Jacket is the best but not because of Modine.

Friday 5 for July 7: Grabby

Questions from Scivener's weekly Friday 5 blog.

1. There’s a convenience store nearby and you have a small case of the munchies. What do you grab?

Lately a granola bar like the one pictured above.

2. You’re about to get on a plane and someone just stole all your reading material, but there’s a newsstand nearby. What magazine (of likely available titles) do you grab?

Who buys magazines these days? They cost at least $5 a pop not the $2 of years gone by. The internet has free stuff you can read, but of course the damn thing don't work on many flights. Of course you can always download a book or PDF file of some sort to read on your device. Or maybe even listen to a podcast. Plenty of stuff to keep you entertained and informed while on a plane.

3. On a regular work day, where do you grab lunch and what do you get if you don’t bring a lunch from home?

I don't have much time for lunch, so the granola bar (above) is a substitute.

4. Instead of a lunch, you decide you need a quick nap during your workday. Where can you grab 40 winks?

We'd be fired if we slept on the job. :O

5. How close to your head is your cell phone when you’re asleep in bed?

Today's smart phones are pretty much internet access devices and digital cameras more than they are a phone, so yeah, they are close by so you can get news, information or entertainment. Mine is on the night table connected to a long charging cable.

I purposely leave the damn thing at home when I don't want to be bothered. For emergency use I do carry around an out of commission Alcatel phone that can still do emergency 911 calls.

Friday 5 for June 30: Shape of Things to Come

The M House by Melvin Ah Ching © 2017

Questions from Scivener's Friday 5 blog.

1. What shape is your mood today?

Moods change through the day. As of this morning, my mood is reservedly optimistic. Got the day off, jury duty was postponed.

2. What snack comes in a fun shape?

Animal Crackers.

3. Someone’s building your dream house, but it has to be in the shape of a letter of the alphabet.  Which letter do you choose?

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

The letter M would be the shape of my house (see picture above). Both the upper and lower case letter "M" use up the most space of any letter form. Therefore they seem to be a stable design to use in a possible construction of a dwelling. The letters A, D, L, N and Z may also be stable enough. A has proven itself since there are plenty of A shaped dwellings around.

4. What’s a great song with a shape in its title or lyrics?


Off the top of my head is the British bubblegum hit from 2007 called "Pull Shapes" by The Pipettes. Otherwise there is the #1 hit from earlier this year called "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran which is a pretty good song.

5. What’s something in your line of sight that can reasonably be called blob-shaped?

Crumpled up tissue..... clouds outside my window.

Friday 5 for June 23: Don’t Go There

The following questions are from Scrivener's Friday 5 blog.



1. Where were you forbidden (or too frightened) to go when you were growing up, and why?

Riding our bikes out of our neighborhood was one of the rules imposed by our parents. Why? The highway was just above the neighborhood road. Cars travel more than 55 mph on that highway. Parents feared that we would be hurt or killed by a speeding motorist.

2. What’s the naughtiest thing you’ve done in the past couple of years?

Why anyone would admit to this is beyond me. Pass.

3. Under what circumstances have you gone into a place you knew you weren’t supposed to enter?

Probably to take a picture of something that I wasn't allowed to photograph. The Don Quijote store used to have a sign up in their entrance saying "no photography". I have taken pictures in there with a series of small cameras over the years. Lately I haven't seen the sign.



4. Which aisle in your supermarket do you just about never go down?

Feminine hygiene products and cosmetics sections at the Don Quijote store. They sell a mix of groceries, fresh food, prepared meals, clothing, pharmaceuticals, hardware, electronics, home cleaning products, men's and women's ware, and much, much more.

5. Not counting traffic situations, when did you last willfully disobey something you read on a sign?

Who has not fed the birds in a park? There is a bird feeding ban in Hawaii but a lot of people ignore it. The law is rarely enforced.



If you ever have a chance to take a walk in Waikiki, you will notice plenty of signs prohibiting you from skateboarding, bird feeding or being at the park after certain hours among a number of things.

 
This sign is located in Waikiki next to a site protecting Hawaiian remains or "Iw'i". Question is, what kind of deadly force and is it legal? Are the entities who set this place up and erected this sign legally able to kill a trespasser on site? I find it highly unlikely and against the law.

Friday 5 for June 16: Questions Created Very Quickly Late Friday Morning

And answered on TUESDAY! ☺ From Scrivener's Friday 5 Blog.

1. What are you reading?

"Closer to the Light: Learning From the Near Death Experiences of Children" - by Melvin Morse, M.D.

2. What are you listening to?

Latest turntable spin: The Moody Blues "This is The Moody Blues" 2 LP compilation on Threshold Records

Latest digital spin: Elton John "Caribou" album from 1974.

3. Anything amusing or strange happen to you recently?

I woke up! :)

4. What’s cookin’?

Leftover sauteed skinless, boneless chicken thighs with mixed vegetables + rice from yesterday.

5. What was your contribution to your most recent potluck?

I can't remember when I last went to one.

Friday 5 for June 2: Straight No Chaser

From Scrivener's Friday 5 blog....

1. What keeps you on the straight and narrow?

Thinking about the consequences on the choices we make in life keeps me on the "straight and narrow". A large part of this is in relation to whether following the laws and rules of society, and how much everything is going to cost me in terms of real money. A lot of decisions I make is based on how much money I am willing to spend while others are based on how much the unintentional cost in dollars would be if I strayed off course.

2. Who in your life is a real straight shooter?

My parents but they are now both deceased. So next is my sister. These are the people that I have trusted over many years to be straight with me.

3. How straight are your teeth and hair?

Teeth straight enough to allow for mostly proper chewing. Hair is thinning on the top.

4. What’s a good song with the word straight in its lyrics or title?

The first song that comes to mind is "Straight On" by Heart because I remember dancing to this with Darla back in 1978.

5. What’s something that needs straightening?

My life always need to be improved one way or another. It's never ending.

Friday 5 for May 12: Guestimation

Photo: Hilo Seaside Hotel, July 2016.

Questions from Scrivener's Friday 5 blog:

1. How well do you adjust to sleeping in an unfamiliar place?

It depends where it is. Some places about the same, others just toss and turn or stay up all night. Helps if I have music, talk radio or a podcast to put me to sleep.

2. When were you recently someone’s guest, and when were you recently someone’s host?

Someone's guest: Probably six weeks ago.
Someone's host: Last October, 2016.

3. What’s the ickiest place where you’ve ever showered or bathed?

Haven't gone to an icky place in decades, but if I can recall, public beach showers are pretty gross. The ones in the high school locker room were slimy. It's a good thing I am not in high school anymore.

4. What’s something you don’t need but insist on taking when you travel?

Computer, music player, radio, more than 1 camera..... all of the electronic stuff that keeps me happy.

5. Who’s got a comfy couch?

I don't own a couch, my place is too small. I can't say that I have sat on many couches in recent years except for a hotel last year. Don't remember it being "comfy".