I've avoided doing a few other "ask me a question" memes that have been going around because I dread having to come up with questions, but for some reason I decided to give this one a go...
Give me your favorite pickup line.
• I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can satisfy my curiosity
• Update your journal with the answers to the questions
• Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people questions.
![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
not_a_singlet asked me:
1. How'd you come up with the name Hatman?
I never really had a nickname as a kid. Then, when I was 12 (I think?), I went to nerd camp, where we were required to choose a nickname to put on our respective doors. At the time, I was very sensitive about going bald at such a young age, so I always wore a hat in public. I was also proud of being cheerfully, nerdily insane. I combined that to come up with MadHatter.
When I went online for the first time later that year (dial-up local BBS/chat room) I kept it as my "handle." It was fun (though I didn't understand the point of this "email" feature they had, which allowed you to leave messages for chat room members in case you were somehow too impatient to wait for them to sign on again), but there were sometimes conversational lulls. One day (partly inspired by my love of the Michael Keaton Batman movies), I came up with an idea to fill those lulls - a superhero alternate identity: "HatMan: Avenger of Boredum... and bad speller."
HatMan, wearing a mask and beanie copter, would drive up in his Sombrerromobile, run around the room, have a crazy adventure, get people talking and laughing, and then drive off. Later, he picked up a sidekick, Hairpin (who drove a Capcar).
A couple of years later, I moved on to Compuserve. In the chat rooms there, it turns out that there was someone else who liked to use the nick MadHatter... and he was a major jerk. After being randomly messaged several times by strange people who were pissed off at the other guy, I retired the MadHatter nickname. Tried a few others (including the Cserve-specific TSFILOCB), but, eventually, HatMan was the one that ended up sticking.
2. Did the complaint about that one store that wouldn't let you write your last name get resolved in a timely and appropriate fashion?
No. After the last letter I posted (saying my complaint would be forwarded to management), I never heard back. But... *checks* Huh. Whaddya know? I checked before writing up the experience for a customer service blog, and my name was still being censored. Just tried again now, and... it's no longer being censored! Would have been nice if they'd contacted me about it, but it's nice to see the change was made. :)
And thanks for remembering and asking. :)
3. What's your favorite food? (Yes we're hungry. Why do you ask? :P)
I'm not generally one to pick favorites. I appreciate things for what they are, on their own terms. Also, a lot depends on the circumstances of the moment - what I'm in the mood for, what I have - and haven't - had recently, etc.
That said, one of my mottos in life (an original expression which, to this day, brings up only my name when you Google the phrase in quotes) is:
"Life is like a box of chocolates... without chocolate, it's empty!"
4. If you could take one CD, book or other thing to occupy your interest on a desert island forever, what would you bring?
Again, not one to pick favorites. And, under the described circumstances, there'd be precious little I wouldn't tire of. I need variety.
But I'll give it a shot...
Duran Duran's CD "Decade" is an old favorite of mine. About the only CD I've encountered where I like (to varying degrees) every single track. But I haven't listened to it in years.
The Princess Bride is, of course, the Awesomest Movie Ever.
Waay too many good books out there to pick one. Terry Pratchett, Robin Hobb, RA Salvatore, Mercedes Lackey, Douglas Adams, Robert Jordan... I could go on and on. Thing is... I don't reread very much. I just don't get as much out of it the second time. Major exception is Asimov. I used to reread his major series (from Caves of Steel through Foundation and Earth) every year. But that was more because I liked the idea of it (inspired by the Jewish practice of rereading the Bible every year) than anything else. And I got sick of it after only a few years.
Really, I don't have a good answer to this question. Best, most honest answer I can give (though I suspect it's cheating) is a solar-powered laptop with satellite internet.
Actually, being on an island with nothing to keep me busy but a laptop with internet access... that comes frighteningly close to my life right now.
5. If you could have one job, no matter ridiculous, even ones that are made up by you, what job would you have?
Oh, crap. Now I have to think of something ridiculous. Which should be easy for me, but can be very finicky about happening on demand. Ruler of Earth (with competent underlings and veto power over stupid movies, tv show cancellations, etc.) is a little too obvious, isn't it? As is professional ice cream taster (which does exist, but is hard to get and not so good for diabetics). Supermodel massage artist? ... Nah.
Really, what I wanted to be was a medical equipment designer. Insulin pumps, dialysis machines, etc. But that's beyond me now.
So let's just go with professional pun-dit.
BONUS: Because we're in a quirky mood: If you were a food what kind of food do you think you'd be? IE some of us'd be sour apples etc.
Duh, what else? Mixed nuts.
Give me your favorite pickup line.
• I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can satisfy my curiosity
• Update your journal with the answers to the questions
• Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people questions.
not_a_singlet asked me:1. How'd you come up with the name Hatman?
I never really had a nickname as a kid. Then, when I was 12 (I think?), I went to nerd camp, where we were required to choose a nickname to put on our respective doors. At the time, I was very sensitive about going bald at such a young age, so I always wore a hat in public. I was also proud of being cheerfully, nerdily insane. I combined that to come up with MadHatter.
When I went online for the first time later that year (dial-up local BBS/chat room) I kept it as my "handle." It was fun (though I didn't understand the point of this "email" feature they had, which allowed you to leave messages for chat room members in case you were somehow too impatient to wait for them to sign on again), but there were sometimes conversational lulls. One day (partly inspired by my love of the Michael Keaton Batman movies), I came up with an idea to fill those lulls - a superhero alternate identity: "HatMan: Avenger of Boredum... and bad speller."
HatMan, wearing a mask and beanie copter, would drive up in his Sombrerromobile, run around the room, have a crazy adventure, get people talking and laughing, and then drive off. Later, he picked up a sidekick, Hairpin (who drove a Capcar).
A couple of years later, I moved on to Compuserve. In the chat rooms there, it turns out that there was someone else who liked to use the nick MadHatter... and he was a major jerk. After being randomly messaged several times by strange people who were pissed off at the other guy, I retired the MadHatter nickname. Tried a few others (including the Cserve-specific TSFILOCB), but, eventually, HatMan was the one that ended up sticking.
2. Did the complaint about that one store that wouldn't let you write your last name get resolved in a timely and appropriate fashion?
No. After the last letter I posted (saying my complaint would be forwarded to management), I never heard back. But... *checks* Huh. Whaddya know? I checked before writing up the experience for a customer service blog, and my name was still being censored. Just tried again now, and... it's no longer being censored! Would have been nice if they'd contacted me about it, but it's nice to see the change was made. :)
And thanks for remembering and asking. :)
3. What's your favorite food? (Yes we're hungry. Why do you ask? :P)
I'm not generally one to pick favorites. I appreciate things for what they are, on their own terms. Also, a lot depends on the circumstances of the moment - what I'm in the mood for, what I have - and haven't - had recently, etc.
That said, one of my mottos in life (an original expression which, to this day, brings up only my name when you Google the phrase in quotes) is:
"Life is like a box of chocolates... without chocolate, it's empty!"
4. If you could take one CD, book or other thing to occupy your interest on a desert island forever, what would you bring?
Again, not one to pick favorites. And, under the described circumstances, there'd be precious little I wouldn't tire of. I need variety.
But I'll give it a shot...
Duran Duran's CD "Decade" is an old favorite of mine. About the only CD I've encountered where I like (to varying degrees) every single track. But I haven't listened to it in years.
The Princess Bride is, of course, the Awesomest Movie Ever.
Waay too many good books out there to pick one. Terry Pratchett, Robin Hobb, RA Salvatore, Mercedes Lackey, Douglas Adams, Robert Jordan... I could go on and on. Thing is... I don't reread very much. I just don't get as much out of it the second time. Major exception is Asimov. I used to reread his major series (from Caves of Steel through Foundation and Earth) every year. But that was more because I liked the idea of it (inspired by the Jewish practice of rereading the Bible every year) than anything else. And I got sick of it after only a few years.
Really, I don't have a good answer to this question. Best, most honest answer I can give (though I suspect it's cheating) is a solar-powered laptop with satellite internet.
Actually, being on an island with nothing to keep me busy but a laptop with internet access... that comes frighteningly close to my life right now.
5. If you could have one job, no matter ridiculous, even ones that are made up by you, what job would you have?
Oh, crap. Now I have to think of something ridiculous. Which should be easy for me, but can be very finicky about happening on demand. Ruler of Earth (with competent underlings and veto power over stupid movies, tv show cancellations, etc.) is a little too obvious, isn't it? As is professional ice cream taster (which does exist, but is hard to get and not so good for diabetics). Supermodel massage artist? ... Nah.
Really, what I wanted to be was a medical equipment designer. Insulin pumps, dialysis machines, etc. But that's beyond me now.
So let's just go with professional pun-dit.
BONUS: Because we're in a quirky mood: If you were a food what kind of food do you think you'd be? IE some of us'd be sour apples etc.
Duh, what else? Mixed nuts.
Tags:
From:
no subject
Also, medical equipment designer would be a really good job!!!
Also, we're doing a present, partially for you. Go look at the top of our journal. You'll find a new sticky post. We're all introducing ourselves in the comments. All the intros in one place. Because it's a good suggestion and you rock.
From:
no subject
And new sticky post... nice! :) Thanks, Simon. Hope the others follow suit. (Thought - for now, link to other intro posts?)
BTW, have you ever surfed Etsy? Handmade crafts bought and sold. It's where I got my Kindle cover.
From:
my favourite pickup line.
From:
Re: my favourite pickup line.
(Just a coincidence that it's the same question that I was asked first. It's something I've been curious about since we first "met." Though since then I've seen that you do indeed have teeth.)
2. What sparked your interest in photography?
3. Where/how do you find your photographic subjects?
4. What drives your interest in US politics? (Haven't seen anything about Canadian goings-on.)
5. Why do you have "dumpster diving" listed as an interest?