Further Assimilations

Yes, it's Interview Meme time again. kittenchan asked the questions, and I provide the answers. For those who wish to play along at home, the rules are (c'mon, you know this by now):

1. Reply to my post asking me to interview you.
2. I reply to your post with five questions.
3. You post your answers and this meme on your LJ.

1. What's the craziest (PG) thing you've ever done?
PG, huh? Probably in my teens, when I used to attend USS Heimdal meetings in Lynchburg, the other car in our convoy would race us there and back. 110-120 MPH speeds were known to occur. I wasn't driving, but I didn't exactly try too hard to talk the drivers out of it, either. I'm glad that we all grew out of that before something terrible happened.

2. Why did you first join VTSFFC?
It wasn't really on purpose! When Tom Monaghan started attending Tech, he invited me along on a VTSFFC trip to Stellarcon. I rode with Scott Gosik, whom I had not met before that day, and weathered a barrage of cryptic anime references; witnessed a car accident in our convoy and spent an evening in an Emergency Room with a delirious Rosethorn (also a total stranger); and entered the con costume contest on five-minutes' notice, using random items I'd happened to pack. The general consensus was that I had passed the initiation whether I'd intended to or not.

3. Do you still draw?
I have not drawn anything in 2008, I fear, besides some crude notebook sketches of my Legion of Liberty superhero. I have several drawings in my head, though, and 2009 will not be artless.

4. Do you ever miss working at the TN?
I miss a lot of the people I got to work with at the TN, but I don't miss the late Tuesdays (even the abbreviated ones) or the desperate deadlines! Honestly, I wish there was a NASA facility in Blacksburg; the work I'm doing now is great, and I still enjoy causally saying "oh I work for NASA" when asked, but I miss my friends and family up there a lot.

5. What's your favorite restaurant of all time and why?
After lengthy thought - there are two close runners-up - I'd have to say Sakura, over in Salem. The prices are moderate, the service is very good, the decor is attractive and simple, and the food is addictively good. I can name restaurants that have been better in one or more categories, but this is the all-round winner. I think a certain someone's impromptu reception dinner was held there, as well :) Stinks that I'm 5 hours away, now.

Meme from lemonlye:

When you read this, quote Doctor Who in your LiveJournal.

The Doctor: I don't suppose you've completely ignored my instructions and secretly prepared any Nitro-9, have you?
Ace: What if I had?
The Doctor: And naturally, you wouldn't do anything so insanely dangerous as to carry it around with you, would you?
Ace: Of course not. I'm a good girl and do what I'm told.
The Doctor: Excellent. Blow up that vehicle.

- "Silver Nemesis"

(I resisted the urge to quote my own fanfic. Aren't I well-behaved?)

Wow. I was sick yesterday, and Starr's sick today. Awesome. It might very well have been dehydration on both our parts, though I drink more water these days than I have in years.

I need to watch the latest Doctor Who very soon, it is apparently most excellent, and the net is bursting with spoilers that I am carefully avoiding. Stephen Moffat may be the best Who writer on the new show, responsible for The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances, The Girl In the Fireplace, and Blink; I'm not displeased at all that he's in charge of 2010's Series Five. The "Everybody lives!!" line still gets me right 'there'.

And now, this year's zombie meme:

You are in a mall when the zombies attack. You have:
1. one weapon.
2. one song blasting on the speakers.
3. one famous person to fight alongside you.

* Weapon can be real or fictional; you may assume endless ammo if applicable. Person can be real or fictional.

1) Phaser II, set to "vaporise". With endless ammo, I can just hold down the trigger and sweep.
2) Queen, "Flight of the Hawkmen" (starts at about 1:08 in the video)
3) Tim the Enchanter (I think his skills would be well matched to the situation.)

Starr's list:

1) Sonic Screwdriver ("I'm sure it has a 'defeat zombies' setting.")
2) Meredith Brooks, "Bitch"
3) Kal-El

H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society SaniTest - How Insane Are You?

Your SaniTest(TM) Results - Your score is: 103

INSANITY INDEX 5.24 Thank you for taking the SaniTest(TM). Your score suggests that you are phrenetic. Easily startled and prone to overreaction, it may be due to excessive exposure to unnatural stress and morbid imagery. Other people probably refer to you as 'twitchy' behind your back. Other notable people who scored at this level include PLO chairman Yasser Arafat and inventor/educator George Washington Carver. 


Definitely a traditional Christmas for me... History and Science channels on the tube, wrapping presents for others while being unable to wait to unwrap ours :)

My Munchkin collection is looking healthier! Starr gave me Munchkin Impossible and Munchkin Cthulhu I & II... now we have to invite someone over to play them with us. 2-handed Munchkin is much less fun.

Back in my Decipher days, Justin taught me how to play Carcassonne, and I've been wanting a copy for the years since. Never managed to pick it up, but I knew it was fun to play, so I picked up a set as a Christmas present for raininva when I heard she was gaming again. Well, guess what other game I got yesterday :) Already broken it in, too. Fun!

	I received 85 credits on The Sci Fi Sounds Quiz How much of a Sci-Fi geek are you?
Take the Sci-Fi Movie Quizdigital camera ratings

I had a little trouble with some of the older movies I haven't seen yet...

So, there's this list of 200 things you're supposed to go through and bold what you've done. Some of them are very specific: I'd like to see Siouxsie and the Banshees in concert, for example, but it's unlikely I will ever have the opportunity; I imagine that "fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground" is pretty rare, too. A few of them conflict a bit; "Visited all 50 states" and "Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states" can both be accomplished, but at a real cost in time and money.

In the final tally, if I counted right, I managed 84 out of 200. I'm pleased with that result.

EDIT: Rain reminded me of one I missed. 85 :)

( The List. )

Questions from rattrap ( have activated the cloaking device )

Interview questions from gryphynkit ( can be found by clicking here )

It's the return of the interview meme, with the following rules:

1. Leave me a casual comment of no particular significance, like a lyric to your current favorite song, your favorite kind of sandwich, or maybe your favorite game. Any remark, meaningless or not.
2. I will respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better.
3. Update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. Include this explanation and offer to ask someone else in your own post.
5. When others respond with a desultory comment, you will ask them five questions.

Questions posed by fishy1 ( are behind the cut )

So, does anyone I know actually use this "Twitter" website? I thought I saw some folks mentioning it, but I don't remember.