End of April, beginning of May 365 Prompts Meme

24. Do you watch a lot of YouTube?

I watch a lot? I think? I don't really know how to measure it against other people's use. I look up music that is new to me and listen to different songs; I watch the 12 minute excerpts from Late Night liberal hosts (Stephen Colbert; Trevor Noah and his temp replacements -- Hasan Minhaj, how I enjoy him; John Oliver, though his are longer...; I look up a LOT of short videos to share with students while teaching different topics, from explicit teaching stuff by, e.g. the Green Brothers (John and Hank) to just topical stuff for, say history. Such an amazing resource that did not exist when I was a kid. I mean, I narrate over these, and sometimes contradict them, and so on.

25. Are you procrastinating on anything right now?

I am always procrastinating about grading, unless it is summertime. I have Progress Reports due next Monday, but at least I have done the 6th graders' stuff. Still have to do the 7th graders' and 8th graders' stuff.

26. Do you have any nieces or nephews?

I feel like I write about them a lot. I have two nieces, who are TRAGICALLY growing up and launching and moving away, and their parents and I are fucking inconsolable. WHYYYYYY? What's so great about fucking Los Angeles, Ruby? She is graduating from Cal-Berkeley this Saturday, and moving to LA where she will live with a friend and work remotely for the Cal-Berkeley Press. Rosie, who is three years younger, will be moving to Sonoma to attend Sonoma State University, which is good for her (though it will probably be a shock). My sister is militating to get the school to accept Rosie's cat Alice in the dorms as an emotional support pet or whatever you call that. That is true enough. I love them both so much. I got to actually literally witness Ruby's birth, and I am here, living close by and was able to see them at least weekly their whole lives (including in our Covid-bubble) -- sucks for my brother-in-law's sister in LA. Then again, she had two kids of her own.

27. Is there anything you’re good at making that you could probably make money off of it?

I would like to make money from writing, though apparently not enough to attempt it before retirement? I don't know. I have made money at translating and interpreting French.

28. When was the last time you felt frustrated?

At myself, for realizing I'd mis-scheduled an appointment for right during Ruby's departmental graduation. Bah.

29. Do you have an annoying neighbor?

I don't really know my neighbors, but the upstairs people... it's weird. The woman who used to live up there I knew a little bit, because all her packages would be delivered to me. She got a lot of packages. She was nice. And I knew the owner of the apartment (this complex is a mix of condos and rented apartments) because of plumbing woes from upstairs that destroyed my bathroom ceiling. She was nice. But she sold the place and the new (well, they're not really new now) people... there is some WEIRD FUCKING mechanical, drain, grindy, strange noise that happens at strange intervals upstairs, that never did before. When it first started, I totally thought they were doing renovations, but then I realized that it happened in the middle of the night, too. Never for very long, but it is SO WEIRD. And loud, and annoying. I cannot figure out what it was, because it never happened before. It never lasts more than a minute or two, I don't think, or it would be something that would send me upstairs to ask. But it's strange. The people on the shared wall of my place fight occasionally, and that's not fun.

30. What do you do when you can't sleep?

Same as Microbie (endlessly chewing on something that makes me anxious; playing on my iPad, and reading on my iPad)

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1. Do you knit, crochet, or cross stitch?

No x3, also. I tried knitting once, but while I can draw, I really don't seem to have the coordination to do any of those things well, and I wasn't motivated enough to try to push through that.

2. Are there any movies you can watch over and over?

I actually don't watch a LOT of movies over and over (unlike books that i read over and over and over... there are books I've probably read, not kidding, fifty times in my life). There are seasonal movies I watch almost annually -- the Patrick Stewart A Christmas Carol, It's a Wonderful Life, The Christmas Story... there are childhood favorites done well (the Alfonso Cuarón Little Princess, the 1994 Secret Garden, and... for some strange reason, I've seen The Kinsey Report maybe three or four times. There are probably other movies I've rewatched (not counting the ones I've watched in the classroom many, many times) but I cannot bring them to mind right now. Oh. The Commitments. Stalag 17. Raiders of the Lost Ark. How random I am.

3. Have you ever or would you like to attend a gaming or comic convention?

"No x2" to quote Microbie again.

4. What is the last show you binge watched?

I do like bingeing shows when I can. What was the most recent? I like short, six to eight episode shows. Oh -- I rewatched the first season of Delhi Crime.

5. Do you like listening to new music or just sticking to your favorites?

"I mostly listen to favorites but occasionally make an effort to find something/someone new." again, thanks Microbie. It is funny that often the new music I find is something reviewed in The Guardian, for example, or that an ex of mine posts about on Facebook.

6. What was your first experience with success?

I think learning French. It was so easy and natural and I loved it from get.

7. Are you brave when it comes to trying new foods?

Mostly, though there are some things I just ... don't want to try. Like insects in any form (I don't care how nutritious or crunchy they are) or durian fruit. I think I have a bias against foods/drinks that are meant to be healthy replacements -- for instance, non-dairy milk substitutes.