Thunder, Music, Swinging & Bacon

With the A to Z Challenge finally over, I do not want to just stop writing. I wrote every day for an entire month and would like to maintain that pace, so today I am cheating. Every week, a blog called Sunday Stealing posts a list of questions they found (stole from) somewhere on the internet. This week's questions come from the site Question Meme.

1. What Did You Have For Lunch?

It is still morning, so I have not had lunch yet. Yesterday, I made some eggs with potatoes, onion and fish cake mixed in. I love me some fish cake.

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2. Do You Dance In The Car?

Well, I haven't owned a car in almost three years. In China and Vietnam, cars just aren't practical. Although, here in Vietnam, I have a motorbike and I have been known to get a rhythmic bouncing going as I bebop down the road. Now, I just need some music.

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3. Favorite Animal?

In general, penguins are awesome cool. I always want to see them first when I go to the zoo. However, I have different favorite animals for different things.

To Ride: Water Buffalo
To Eat: Whatever animals go into sushi
To Tickle: Baby Hedgehog
For Protection: Dragon
For Picking Up Girls: Bunny Rabbits
For Funny Sidekick: Capuchin Monkey
For Midnight Snack: Chicken wings
For a Pet: Three-foot Tall Talking Tarantula
For Riding into Battle: Black Rhinoceros
For Night-time Snuggling: Jessica Rabbit

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4. Do You Watch The Olympics?

I got really excited about the Olympics when I heard about Tonya Harding smashing Nancy Kerrigan with a police baton to get the upper hand in the competition. But then nothing exciting happened when the cameras were actually rolling. The best I can hope for is a catastrophic bobsled pileup.

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5. What Time Do You Usually Go To Bed?

That actually varies immensely. I am in bed some nights as early as 8:30. However, sometimes I will stay up until 4 a.m. There are many factors that determine what happens here.

• Sometimes my local Vietnamese friends will not let me go home.
• How well are the beers going down that night?
• Is there anything good on TV?
• Am I still hungover from the previous night?
• What is the temperature? (I live in the tropics and only the bedrooms have A/C)
• Am I tied up in a great book?

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6. Are You Wearing Makeup Right Now?

Not right now.

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7. Do You Prefer To Swim In A Pool Or The Ocean?

I am allergic to chlorine, so swimming in a pool is pretty rough on me for the next few days. I live about a mile away from the ocean (South China Sea - central coast of Vietnam), but almost never go. I don't get excited about the beach and swimming does nothing for me. If I have to choose, I will choose the ocean. But I haven't been in the water since the jellyfish attack I experienced last year.

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8. What Was The Last Thing You Ate?

An extremely unhealthy amount of bacon.
NOTE: This side of the planet has no idea what bacon is for or how to prepare it. When I was in China, if I ordered a burger with bacon, it looked and tasted like they had boiled it. It was disgusting. The few places that had bacon for breakfast, destroyed it before bringing it to you. It was such a waste. However, now, I live across the street from a homestay that provides breakfast for their guests each morning. A couple of times a week, I will go over there and buy their breakfast. It is all Vietnamese food except for a huge pan of bacon. PROPERLY-COOKED BACON!!! It is amazing. And since I basically have not had any bacon for the last three years, I figure I can eat a half-pound a day for the next six months before it will be a problem.

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9. Bottled Water Or Tap Water?

It is not safe to drink the water here, so we must use bottled water if we are talking about drinking water. However, for bathing, the use of bottled water can get pretty expensive. I use tap water for that. For swimming, I just don't swim. For throwing at the neighborhood children, I use coffee. But made with bottled water.

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10. What Makes You Happy?

• The first squeeze out of a new tube of toothpaste
• The feud between Martha Stewart and Gwyneth Paltrow
• Netflix remembering exactly what episode I am on
• My wife's yoga outfits
• Bacon
• Falling asleep with a boob in my hand
• The moment I realize that I love the book I am reading
• A really, really good gut-relieving fart
• Not bleeding from my genitals every month
• The smell when it first starts to rain
• Setting up a brand new computer/phone/printer, etc
• People who are constantly offended
• Waffles - something we can't get here 
• A really good horror movie
• Morning wood
• Working from home
• A phone call from my kids (I assume)
• Being proud of a finished blog post

 

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11. Did You Like Swinging As A Child? 

My parents told me that I would not be able to swing until I was an adult. And, even then, only if I had a willing partner.

Do You Still Get Excited When You See A Swing Set?

I believe I grossly misunderstood the nature of these questions.

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12. Do You Work Better With Or Without Music?

Depends on the kind of work. If I'm doing dishes or cooking, music is great. If I am trying to work at my computer, then no music. I can not read or write when there is music playing.

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13. Do You Make Your Bed In The Morning?

I do, but only because of the woman I am married to. A made bed means nothing to me, but it makes her happy.

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14. Do You Like Your Music Loud?

Totally depends on my mood, the type of music, time of day, amount of alcohol consumed the night before, who else is in the room, the proximity of neighbors, etc

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15. Do You Fear Thunder/Lightning?

Much like bears or sharks, I cannot say that I am especially fearful of thunder/lightning. However, if I were to walk into my bathroom and find it in my shower, I would freak out.

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That's enough questions for now. Feel free to use these questions for yourself. Let me know if you do. I'll drop by.