Hello, I’m Procrastinating, nice to meet you.

401. Some say that high school is the best time of your life. Was that true for you? Er, not particularly, no. Could have been worse, of course, but it wasn’t overly pleasant.
402. What do you find yourself encouraging others to try? Thinking outside of the box(es)! And vegan food. lol
403. Which is better: Mel Brooks or Woody Allen? Woody Allen!
404. When was the last time you were up all night? A couple of months ago.
405. __ is life. The rest is just details. Fill in the blank. Life.
406. Are people too complex and different to be categorized? Humans like to categorise. We’ve been doing it for a very long time. So, even if people really are too complex and different to be categorised, we’d still find ways of doing it. For example, by calling them ‘complex’ and ‘different’…
407. Is it good to have pride in your own race or does that separate people from each other because it makes them think of everyone else as ‘outsiders’? I don’t really like the term ‘race’. However, having pride in one’s ethnicity and/or culture is acceptable to me, as long as people don’t have an attitude that their ethnicity/culture is somehow superior to all others.
408. What fictional story would you like to live through? Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
409. Are cats or dogs smarter? They’re both smart, sometimes in different ways though.
410. Have you ever guessed someone’s password and broken into their email/diary/blog/myspace? No but I had to guess someone’s computer password though. Fortunately they’d given me permission (they’d forgotten it…).
411. What teacher, if any, has effected you the most in your life? No one springs to mind, really.
412. Are you more easily bored or excited? Bored.
413. What’s the bravest or most daring thing you have ever done? Faced some pretty big fears and gotten over them/am in the process of getting over them.
414. “What’s the point of robbery when nothing is worth taking?” (- Adam Ant) Ha, try telling that to today’s materialistic society.
415. If your man or woman served you breakfast in bed as a treat what would you want to eat? Um, yeah. Duh.
416. What do you do only when you are upset? I’m not sure if there is anything that I only do when upset.
417. What’s the oddest CD in your collection? God, um, hm. Odd as in what? Weird? Out of place next to all the other ones? I’ve got one of African tribal drum instrumentals that was recorded at an actual tribe’s celebration or whatever. It’s a little weird AND doesn’t really fit with all the others.
418. What’s the best screen name you ever saw? None. Most of them suck.
419. What would your friends be surprised to learn about you? Probably not much…
420. Who owes you an apology? No one.
421. Who deserves an apology from you? Hopefully no one?
422. How would you like to treat your kids differently from the way your parents treated you? Different ways of disciplining to them, probably. I’ll probably be a bit stricter, too.
423. Which do you like best: 60′s, 70′s or 80′s fashion? Sixties.
424. What is the worst pick up line ever used on you? I don’t think anyone ever actually has. Not seriously, anyway.
425. Of the following, which word best describes you: inventive, kinetic (energetic), light-hearted, mature Mature? Maybe light-hearted-yet-mature, a bit inventive and energetic sometimes?
426. Do you own a record player? No. I find this very tragic.
Do you use it? N/A
427. How easily do you make friends? Not very.
428. What is the difference between having character and being a character? Having character is bit more all-round in terms of WHO you are, whereas being a character is more in terms of how funny you are. Or something.
429. Are there any animals you flat out refuse to touch? Not that I’m currently aware of.
430. Do you care about your weight? Yes, but not enough to actually do anything serious about it. Haha.
431. Did you/will you go to the prom? No, I didn’t.
432. Have you ever wanted to date twins? No. Doesn’t do anything for me.
433. What one thing would you change about high school if you could? Less hermit, more fun.
434. If you came with a warning label, what would it say? Don’t press the red button or the sky will fall on your head.
435. Are you artistic and creative? Yes. I find it difficult to deal with life (sometimes) if I don’t have some kind of creative project going.
436. What were you (probably) doing on this date last year? I don’t know. I can’t even recall which part of the country I was in. :/
437. What are you obsessed with? Ha, let’s not go there.
438. What was the last compliment you received? Good question. Can’t remember!
439. Do you have any brothers or sisters? One brother and two sisters.
440. Who would you like to be alone with right now? An inappropriate male, perhaps.
441. Do you push people away when you really want them to come closer? Not really.
442. Is a prenuptial agreement necessary or does it take the romance and trust out of marriage? Realistically it’s probably a good idea, particularly if you both have a lot of assets of your own. I don’t really see marriage as being all that romantic in and of itself, so yyyyeah.
443. Do you lie your way out of things? Occasionally.
444. Are you better at talking or listening? Listening, for SURE.
445. What will only happen to you once in this lifetime? The first of anything I try.
446. Know of any conspiracy theories you think might be credible? One involving psychiatric research on children performed by the U.S. military in New York back in the 50s and 60s.
447. What are the most beautiful words that have ever been spoken to you? No comment.
448. If it were legal would you own a human slave (race unimportant)? Nope.
449. Have you ever read your own writing at a poetry reading? No. I’m definitely not a poet.
450. What is one simple thing that gives you the happy shivers? The laughter of my nieces and nephews, or any child, really. Kids’ laughter is the best. I really do not know how anyone can not find a baby in hysterics absolutely gorgeous! It’s the cutest thing!

351. Have you ever lost something and never found it? Yes, but I can’t remember what it was. Obviously wasn’t very important then.
352. Do you listen to any talk radio shows? I hardly ever listen to the radio, but when I do I sometimes catch some interesting talk back on bFM. Otherwise I don’t really enjoy talk radio shows that much. Half the time I find myself disagreeing so vehemently that I want to tazer people or throw the radio against a wall.
353. Who do you trust more, your friends or your parents? My parents, though I think it would depend on the situation.
354. Would you ever date someone outside of your race or religion? Yes and yes.
355. Which of the 7 deadly sins in the worst (gluttony, greed, pride, lust, envy, wrath, sloth)? Greed.
356. Which one are you most guilty of? Hahaha, lust or sloth.
357. Are you afraid to be alone with yourself? No, I can be quite solitary at times and that suits me fine when I’m in that sort of mood.
Do you try to avoid thinking? Wouldn’t I then just be thinking about not thinking?
358. Would you venture to tell someone you loved him or her if they didn’t say it first? Yes.
359. What are you the most sensitive about? My academic achievements.
360. What can you talk about for hours? Absolute crap. Or people (not in a nasty way, but in a why-do-people-do-that sort of a way).
361. Do you talk about yourself, other people, or ideas the most? Fairly balanced between them all.
362. Do you believe that spell casting can work? I don’t know. Perhaps it works because one believes it will.
363. Are you a fan of The Legend of Zelda games? Never played.
364. What old movie would you go see if it were re-released in the movie theaters? Pretty much anything with Paul Newman in it.
365. Is there a celebrity that you would be too starstruck to talk to if you met them? I have no idea. I might go all melty over Johnny Depp though.
366. Have you ever left a mean anonymous comment or unsigned note? Probably when I was younger. I don’t exactly remember.
367. What kind of myspace buletins annoy you the most? I don’t use MySpazz.
368. What are three things that you try not to think about?
1) How little time I have to complete certain things (better to just get on with completing them).
2) When I’m angry, whatever is making me angry.
3) Blah. I don’t really like avoiding thinking about things. It’s not very productive or helpful in the long run.
369. Is casual sex acceptable for you? If it’s safe, yes.
370. What form of sexual protection do you use? Oh my God, I totally don’t want to answer this in case family reads it! How embarrassing! LOL
371. What is expected of you that you feel is unnatural or not right? That I should fit into a certain role as a woman. While there are things women are traditionally “supposed to do” that I am not opposed to having in my own life (e.g. children), there is still this general expectation for women to fit into a certain mold. It used to be that we had to get married, pop out babies and do whatever our husbands said. Not we have to have a career, still eventually get married and pop out babies, be strong independent women while still being very feminine and sacrifice more than our husbands. Oh and of course look like a Hollywood actress.
372. Do you sometimes place your own expectations on other people? We all do it to a certain degree. It’s something I’ve become more conscious of as I get older and therefore try to stop myself from doing it too much. I do think some expectations are more harmful that others though.
373. Do you sometimes act overeager to make friends when you are around strangers? No. I can be a bit quiet and seem disinterested because I’m a bit shy around new people.
374. Do you take everything that is said literally? Nope.
375. Do you take most things others say seriously? If it’s serious.
376. Do you have a quick wit? At times, yes!
377. Do you believe in the need for political correctness? I think many PC things shouldn’t be called PC, they should be realised as humanity evolving into a better species and not being as dicky as we have been in the past.
378. Do you have strong opinions and beliefs? Yes, though I’m not very good at expressing them. I sort of get intimidated by heated debates.
379. If yes, can you still hang out with and be friends with people who disagree with you? Yes, though it depends on what we disagree about as to how friendly I’d be.
380. Are you uptight? I can be. :/
381. Do you sometimes do risky things? Yes.
382. Could just about anyone hold your interest in a conversation for at least ten minutes? No, sadly. lol
383. Are you self-conscious? Extremely, at times.
384. What would be your ideal destination for a Saturday afternoon? Picnic in the summer or movies in the winter.
385. Does anyone have a video tape of you doing something embarrassing? I believe there may be some video from my 21st, but I’m not entirely sure to what degree it is embarrassing.
386. What is Kevin Smith’s(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Smith) best movie? I don’t care.
387. Where do you like to go on Friday or Saturday nights? My social life is non-existent at the moment.
388. Do you like your friends to act the same way all the time or do you accept their moods and changes? I accept their moods and changes, within reason. Fuckery is unacceptable.
389. Do you often feel like other people are judging you? Sure, don’t we all?
390. What do you think other people judge you to be like? I really have no idea. Maybe distant and bit stand-offish? I don’t always exude super-friendliness and warmth from the get-go. There can be a bit of an ice wall at times, which is sad because I’m just not like that once you get to know me.
391. Are you quick to judge others? Yeah, we all judge others in one way or another. I like it when I’m proved wrong.
392. When you have a fight with someone do you want to talk about it right away or calm down first and then talk? Calm down first.
393. Some say love is a river (according to the old song). What do you say love is? Like a rock pool. Very complex and interesting with some good and not-so-good surprises.
394. What is the worst fault a person can have? Not being able to let go of past grievances and move forward in life.
395. Do you have it? I used to be bad for it when I was younger, but I am very pleased to say that I am able to forgive and, if not totally forget, leave the memories tucked away and I don’t allow them to interfere with the present.
396. Which do you think has more impact on a person’s character, genetics or environment? They both play a part, though I am more inclined to say that environment has a bigger impact.
397. Who was your first best friend? A girl called Catherine and a boy called Timothy.
398. If you are not best friends anymore, what came between you? I moved cities and we lost touch.
399. Who have you read a biography about? Lots of people; I enjoy biographies. One of the most interesting was, of course, about Tallulah Bankhead.
400. What would your own autobiography be called? “OMG WTF?!1″ or “In which Sam talks about herself some more”.

301. List 5 things you have not experienced that you would like to experience before you die.
A Backpacking around various countries.
B Pregnancy. Yes, I actually want to experience it.
C How it feels just before jumping out of a skydiving plane.
D Body suspension.
E LSD, but when I’m old. I’ve decided to reverse drug experimentation and wait until I’m old and have nothing to really lose in case it all goes wrong.
302. Will you try to accomplish any of these things within the next year? Not likely, no.
303. What do you feel controlled by? Out of all possibilities, my emotions are what I feel controlled by most often. It’s both useful at times and highly inconvenient.
304. If Jesus appeared to you and told you that the moon was made of green cheese would you believe him? No.
305. What is one thing you are sure of? The above.
306. At what part of the day do you feel the most alert? When I’m properly awake and before the afternoon lull happens.
307. Have you ever played in a band? Does Rock Band count? lol
308. Have you ever stared into the ocean thinking ‘early creatures crawled outta that’? Not that I can remember.
309. If not, what do you think of when you are staring into the ocean? Whatever is bothering me in my life, or making me happy. Whatever emotions I am experiencing I try to make sense of, I guess.
310. Do you like the mental challenge of chess or other games? I’ve never actually played chess, so I don’t know. I would love to learn.
311. Do you ever think of where your atoms were before they were in you? I did just then… But I do think about that sort of thing.
312. Do you ever think about where your atoms will go after they have been in you? Yeah.
313. If you didn’t know that people couldn’t fly do you think that you could? If other people were flying around, I would obviously assume yes, but if they weren’t then I would be skeptical.
314. Are you someone that others call when they’re having a problem and want to talk about it? Yes.
315. When it comes to literature, do you see beyond the writing and into the meaning intended by the author? I try to. Makes the experience of reading much more interesting, I think. Though sometimes it’s nice to just read the damn book and not think too much about it.
316. Is there anything you can take apart completely, and then put back together, and have no left over parts? A puzzle? I used to like taking things (electronics and such) apart when I was little, and generally when I put them back together there was not any leftover parts.
317. What are your feelings about the death penalty? Do not approve.
318. If there was a god and you could ask him/her one question what would it be? Why, you fool? WHY?
319. Do you believe that life will be found on other planets? I hope so. The thought the what is on Earth are the only living things in the entire Universe is a bit depressing. What the hell is the point of the rest of it? What’s the point of anything?
320. What is something worth suffering for? Anything you want badly enough, providing it’s for reasons that aren’t ridiculous (though that is pretty subjective).
321. If you could put an extra eye on your body anywhere you wanted, where would you put it? The back of my head.
322. Are you in touch with the earth and nature? Not particularly, despite my living in a rural area. I like nature and the outdoors, but I wouldn’t say I’m that ‘in touch’ with either.
323. Would you rather live simply or extravagantly? If I can’t pick in the middle, I will take ‘simply’.
324. Have you ever been camping? Not properly.
325. Is your heart open when you meet someone new? No, it’s guarded.
326. Are you able to have conversations with and become friends with people who are not like you and are interested in different things than you are? Yeah, if they’re interesting/nice/have good qualities and so on.
327. Are strangers more beautiful or frightening to you? In between.
328. What stops you from doing everything you want to do? Fear of failure.
329. Can you think of three adjective that do not apply to you at all? Nasty, stupid, (overly) serious.
330. How do you feel about Jeremy Jaynes, who got a nine year prison sentence for spamming people with junk email (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Jaynes)? I feel like there are more important things to be dealing with than that, but I don’t know the full story and I’m too sleepy to read about it.
331. Do you know who the current premier of China is? Nope.
332. Are you very active? I don’t have time.
333. Is there a city that reminds you of the landscape of your brain? No…
334. Have you ever loved someone who has loved you back? Yes.
335. Is it really being ‘in love with’ someone if the other person doesn’t love you? Yes, I think you can be in love with someone even if they don’t love you back.
336. Do you believe that there is someone perfect for everyone or that people just fall in love with who ever they are with at the time? I think there we all have people that we are better suited to being with, but I don’t believe there is only ONE for each of us.
337. Do you know secret things? Why yes, yes I do.
338. Have you ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn’t have? I’m not entirely sure if I’ve been in love, because I don’t know how I define being in love, but I have definitely loved very dearly someone I probably shouldn’t have.
339. How do you overcome your fears? Face them! Just have to do it once and it gets a bit easier each time after that (for each thing that is scary).
340. What can you do better than anyone you know? Make teddies.
341. Would you benefit from a wilder existence? Maybe in some ways, yes.
342. Does it seem to you like the range of socially acceptable behavior is getting smaller or larger? I’m not sure if the actual accumulative size is really changing much, but the behaviours that are and are not socially acceptable are shifting. Sort of like a rearrangement, I guess.
343. Have you ever fired a gun? Yes, I have.
344. Are people becoming more afraid of each other? Maybe more weary than afraid.
345. If you had to choose the percentage of freedom vs. safety what ratio would you decide on (ex: 100% free 0% safe)? Define ‘free’ exactly.
346. Does safety stifle you? Depends what sort of safety it is! I’m lucky enough to live in a country with no wars, I can walk around outside and I don’t live in fear of my life ending at any moment. That is a freeing safety. Not walking down the street, alone, at night, because I’m a woman, is a stifling safety.
347. Who or what needs to be stopped? I’m just not even going to get started on that subject.
348. Are human beings becoming more domesticated? Yes. We invented it.
349. Do you follow the lives of the British Royal Family? Nope.
350. How did the death of Pope John Paul II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II) affect you? Hooray, another one bites the dust! Actually that was mean. Maybe he was nice? It didn’t affect me, but I do remember the election of his replacement took place when I was on holiday in Australia. Only thing on the news; well, that and Shapelle Corby.

Hi kids! What’s better than snuggling in bed on a rainy night listening to Frank Sinatra?

Snuggling in bed on a rainy night listening to Frank Sinatra and filling out the 5000 Question Survey, that’s what! Ha-ha-ha. (I’m being sarcastic, in case you can’t tell…)

I’ve decided to increase the number of questions I answer in each part so that I’m not still doing this when I’m 70.

261. If an art project is created with the intent of getting rich and famous, does that cast doubt over its significance as a work of art? For me, it casts more doubt over the integrity of the creator, but the work itself can be judged independently from that. If it’s still good, it’s still good.
262. If you became president, whom would you invite to sing at your inauguration? The Mars fucking Volta. Or Bon Iver.
263. Who is the greatest philosopher of your country? Um. Probably a homeless guy.
264. If all the nations in the world are in debt, where did all the money go? To the richest 5 people in the world. No one taught them how to share.
265. Is it as easy to make you happy now as it was when you were a child? Unfortunately no, though I do consider myself a pretty happy person.
266. Who knows more…you, or your parents? My parents.
267. What instrument would you like to be famous for playing? Guitar!
268. Children fill its lungs completely with air. Adults breathe in a more shallow way, not filling their lungs completely. Why the change? Excuse me but ‘its’ should be ‘their’, you fool. And it’s probably because children relax their abdominal muscles when breathing. Adults tend to tighten them at least a bit, so their chest area fills up more. Or maybe it’s for some other reason; I really don’t know and I’m not Googling it.
269. Would you have sex with a stranger for one million dollars? Would he be really handsome, STI/STD-free and nice? Like Richard Gere in Pretty Women?
270. Are you completely in control of your body? Yes. Well, except when a limb falls asleep or something, then not so much.
Are you completely in control of your mind? No.
271. Which is more romantic: an expensive, glittering bouquet OR flowers that were hand picked as they grew beside the parkway? Hand picked, hand picked!!! By FAR.
272. Do you know yourself well enough to understand why you feel the way you do? Usually, yes. That’s the sort of thing I enjoy figuring out.
273. Which do you do more often: let movies, songs and books put your feelings into words for you or put your feelings into words by yourself? I put them into words myself.
274. Do you believe celebrities when they are endorsing a product? Hell no. You’d have to be a fool to.
275. What kind of movies do you wish were made more often? Good ones. LOL
276. Does fashion matter to you? Not in terms of following trends, but my style matters to me and I do love clothes.
277. Should politicians be held to the same legal standards as everyone else? Of course!
278. What do you get in trouble for the most? I don’t really get in trouble.
279. Should parents spank their kids? No. Not under any circumstances.
280. What is your worst daily habit? Buying coffee.
281. If you had your choice which one TV show would you have cancelled? Shortland Street.
282. Do you like the taste of sweet or salt? Both, at the same time, like Icelandic chocolate bars with the liquorice strip on top! Om nom nom.
283. Are you very precise about what words you use to describe your feelings and thoughts Sometimes. Not when I’m angry, though.
284. What do you feel the most guilty about? Nothing.
285. Do you meditate? Sometimes, particularly if I’m really stressed, feeling down or can’t sleep.
286. Can dreams be visions, or do you feel they are always random images? I think some people have predictive dreams.
287. Do you try to write/say what you are feeling in a true and simple way? Generally yes, though I don’t know how successful I really am at that.
288. The thief _______ that everyone steals. What verb would you fill in the blank with? Thinks.
289. What’s the most incredible experience you ever had? Being present at the birth of my eldest nephew. It was neat!
290. Are you ever afraid to write/say/think how you feel? Say, more than the other two.
291. Do you write/say/think it anyway or become intimidated and try to avoid it? Depends on who I’m talking to.
292. What is one thing you can’t do? Play guitar.
293. Do you like movies starring Charleton Heston (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleton_Heston)? Haven’t really seen any.
294. Are you gentle? Mostly yes.
295. When do you feel the most raw and vulnerable? No comment.
296. Are you trying to find yourself? Yes. It’s a bit like a dog chasing it’s tail.
297. Where are you looking? In cupboards. (I don’t think I can’t answer these seriously anymore…)
298. Are you sometimes afraid of being honest because you are afraid of hurting people’s feelings? Yes.
299. What would make you a stronger person? Spinach.
300. What book would you like to read sometime soon? I’d quite like to finish To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.

It’s late and I’m lazy, so here is a list of recent happenings in the world of Sam. Exciting, I know! You must be on the edge of your seat with anticipation of it. (Mm, sarcasm.)

• My life pretty much revolves around university. I have no idea how students manage to fit socialising, jobs and study into their lives at the same time.
• I have enough trouble just trying to get my assignments finished on time. I handed in a report today that had the potential to be made of pure win, but because my time management skills are much crappier than I ever thought they were, it was made of pure just-ok.
• I suppose it’s still better than pure fail though.
• Moving on. Still related to uni, but nothing to do with the academic side of things. I’ve always had the brilliant talent of being attracted to inappropriate men, which is something that my two months at university has proved without a doubt. I think I am incapable of fancying anyone available or who is not employed by the university.
• This is very frustrating because it’s not really appropriate to flirt with your lecturer, even when he is incredibly attractive and awesome. *insert a lot of facepalming here*
• In other news, soy mochas are my new favourite drink. I spend too much money on them.

241. Is fifty dollars a lot of money? Not these days, no.
242. Do you like the band Front 242 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_242)? I’ve never heard of them, so I don’t know/care.
243. Would you rather have fame, money, or self-satisfaction? Self-satisfaction, which sounds really, really rude, even though I know it’s not meant that way. I think. Or money. Money would be good right now because then I could have my own place and no student loan and a new phone because my current one keeps dying.
244. What’s your middle name? Jade.
245. What is the absolute limit, the craziest thing you would do for a million dollars? I don’t know. Eat something gross?
246. Are you good, evil or neutral? Neutral, though I guess I’m probably more on the good side of things. Well, I try to be, anyway.
247. Should ebonics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebonics) be considered a language? I really don’t care.
248. What color is your bedroom? Off-white. Very ugly.
What color would you like it to be? Maybe a pale blue or green.
249. When are you planning to move to a new home? I’m not.
250. If you added up the cost of everything in the room with you, approximately what would it come out to be? About a few thousand dollars.
251. Do you blow your nose in public? If I have to, though I do prefer to do that sort of thing in a bathroom/private area.
252. Do you want to follow in your parent’s footsteps? No, I have my own path to follow. Not that there is anything wrong with what they’ve done, mind you.
253. What is the coolest web site you know of? I honestly can’t think of any that I find THAT cool. I tend to go through phases of visiting certain sites frequently and then not again for ages.
254. Which cartoon would you most like to see turned into a movie? The Jetsons. Or did they do that? No, no, wait Pinky and The Brain!!
255. Of the following, which word best describes you: enthusiastic, fair minded, generous, helpful Fair minded or helpful.
256. Can you eat with chopsticks? Yep, I sure can.
257. Could you tell real money from counterfeit? Probably not.
258. What do you think about school uniforms? They don’t stop kids from being mean about other kids’ physical appearances, so therefore I think they are pointless.
259. What ancient civilization would you most like to visit? Egypt or Greece. Or I would go and see what people in Western Europe were doing.
260. What would make a great new Crayola color? Absinthe green.

Whoever says living in the country is peaceful, is lying. Well, they’re lying to a certain degree, because even though there are lush green paddocks, lots of trees, scattered houses and the obligatory farm animals, there is still a lot of noise and unpeacefulness (I don’t think that’s a word, but I don’t care).

For example, I live directly under the flight path of two airports, Auckland domestic/international and Ardmore (think small commercial aircraft, helicopters and private planes). This means that at around 5:30am every morning we get nice big jumbo jets literally shaking the foundations of our house, and we also get small, loud, warcraft-type planes. While they’re pretty cool to watch in formation*, they don’t sound so fantastic at 10:30 on a Sunday morning when you’re trying to do your psychology report.

I’ve also mentioned previously our…flock? gaggle? complex foul social grouping?…of chickens and their Mighty Male Minders (i.e. roosters). One rooster is enough noise for most people, but two can be quite intense at times, especially when poor Richard (the small one) is trying to romance one of the ladies and then Jeremy comes along in a rage. How dare Richard get a leg over any of Jeremy’s chicks? Who does he think he is, anyway? And this isn’t even the half of it, because there are fourteen chickens, all of which make just as much noise as the boys do. You can always tell when one of them is in the nest box, popping an egg out, because there is this distinct sort of egg-laying squeal. I know that egg shells are soft when they come out and harden afterwards, but by the sounds of things, it’s not the most pleasant experience in the world. And they do this daily for a large portion of the year! I’m so glad I’m not a chicken.

Also, we must not forget about farm machinery. I have a family in which the men are all into machinery of any sort. If it’s got a motor in it they will like it. Particularly if it’s really big, has a seat and they can move dirt with it (really, this just goes to show how a giant sandpit would be The Best Thing Ever for them). Tractors, diggers, trucks, whatever. They make a lot of noise and are the bane of my student existence because I get woken up on weekends by them, and then my studious efforts are interrupted by brain-numbing “brrrr-rrrrr-chug-chug-brrrrrrrr”ings.

Last, but not least, I would like to inform anyone who’s never been around them that bulls and spring time equal a lot of roaring and grunting. If they are not trying to have it off with a cow, they’re trying to fight each other to figure out who’s the toughest. They like to do this at one o’clock in the morning.

So, if you think that the countryside is a lovely place to live where little lambs hop on pogo-stick legs, horses whinny, and cows with extremely long eyelashes chew grass, you would be right. But don’t forget about the noises that come with all of it!

*The other thing we’ve seen twice in the last year are those planes that tow banners. These banners had marriage proposals on them! I always think one would have to be pretty sure of the answer before doing that, ’cause otherwise it would be a lot of money for a ‘no’. :/ It’s still a bit of an “aww” moment, though for me it’s more from a perspective of super-for-you-but-not-for-me. Marriage is not on my list of Necessary Accomplishments In My Life.

221. Are you allergic to anything? Penicillan.
222. What is your favorite Terminator movie? Not a fan, actually.
223. What is your favorite fast food? Pizza, though it’s not really fast by most fast food standards.
224. What would someone have to do to get you to never speak to him or her again? I don’t know.
225. Would (or have) you ever whip someone or be whipped by someone in bed? I’d rather leave such personal questions unanswered, thanks. *is a prude*
226. Have you ever said ‘I hate everyone’ and really meant it literally? No.
227. Why do some people want to get more money than they could ever spend? Because they’re greedy, because they think it will make them happy if they can buy whatever they want, because buying things is just as addictive as drugs for some people, because society says money equals status, etc.
228. Have you ever won a carnival fish? No, and I think winning that sort of this at carnivals is awful.
229. Did it live more than a week? n/a
230. What’s the best sounding accent a person can have? I’m quite partial to many accents*, but I think it depends on the person with the accent as to how much I like it, if that makes sense. The accent would become even more appealing if they themselves were appealing.
*Irish, Scottish, pretty much any from North England, Russian, Icelandic, Canadian.
231. What’s the most boring thing you’ve ever read? A Jehovah’s Witness Watchtower pamphlet. What a load of shit.
232. Do you prefer buttons or touch screens? Don’t care.
233. Do you think there is a lot of similarity between the Harry Potter books and the Lord of the Rings series? I wouldn’t know!
234. Would you consider yourself to be naive? In some ways, sure.
235. Which of your friends is most likely to go to jail? None of them, they’re all angels.
236. What is the smallest amount of money that could be in a public toilet that would make you reach in and grab it? Pardon? I just think not.
237. Would you ever wear real fur? No, not unless I was stranded naked in the Arctic and Eskimos found me.
238. Arachnophobia or Eight Legged Freaks? Neither.
239. What are your feelings about police officers? I don’t think about them.
240. what is your favorite line from a song? Ok, technically more then one line, but:
Twenty-nine pearls in your kiss
A singing smile
Coffee smell and lilac skin
Your flame in me
From ‘Everybody Here Wants You’ by Jeff Buckley. There are, of course, many other lines from different songs that I adore, but I’m posting this one because it was the first I thought of.

201. Put these creatures in order from what you would least like to be reincarnated as (1), to what you would most like to be reincarnated as (10) assuming reincarnation ended up existing AND you were given a choice.
1) female human
2) male human
3) dolphin
4) manta ray
5) vulture
6) house dog
7) wild dog
8) oak tree
9) caterpillar
10) rock
202. What do you feel unworthy of? Nothing.
203. Would you rather be remembered for having done something for humanity or being a really nice person? If I wasn’t a nice person, I wouldn’t do anything for humanity. But I suppose I might prefer that those people who knew me thought I was a nice person. But then I would really like to do something goof for humanity, too. I don’t know which, really.
204. Which do you value more: science or intuition? Oooh, good one. I value my own intuition more than science, but as far as anyone/thing else is concerned, I value science more.
205. Your best friend and your significant other are in the hospital at the same time with the same ailment. Who do you visit first? My significant other. Sorry!
206. Does the universe revolve around human beings? Hell no.
207. If you are no longer a virgin, do you wish you still were? Oh that’s quite a private one! But no, I don’t.
208. Who is your favorite poet of those who are alive right now? My friend Stefi. ♥!!!
209. What is your favorite song from the 90′s? I am incapable of picking just one.
210. If you were in alphabet soup what letter would you be? S! Best one, obviously.
211. Do you believe in fairies, ghosts, aliens, angels, dwarves, elves, etc.? Ghosts, I think so; everything else, no. Though I would very much adore fairies to be real. If someone could prove that they are, I would probably die of excitement.
212. What makes you want to be someone’s friend? If they’re a nice, interesting person. They don’t necessarily have to have lots of in common with me, but once you find most of the stuff out about a person, it can be hard to keep the friendship going if you don’t have common interests.
213. Do you troll around the Internet harassing people anonymously for fun? No, that’s silly! I harass people I know for fun! lol
214. Have you ever seen the movie A Man Who Fell to Earth? No, should I?
215. What is your favorite line from a movie? I can’t actually think of any right now… That is so lame! But I’ve never really been one to parrot film lines and stuff. I just kind of forget them, even if they’re genius.
216. What’s your favorite video game? None; I don’t play them.
217. Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours? Yes.
218. What is one phrase people say that irritates you? It’s not so much the phrase, it’s how it’s often pronounced here in New Zealand: “Haaaos it gaaa-in?” (How’s it goin’?). Just shoot yourself, please!
219. You allow strangers to read your diary, blog, and/or myspace, but would you let your parents read it? I don’t post anything publicly that I would have issues with them reading.
220. Hot steamy bubble bath or quick in and out shower? How ’bout a really long shower?

-Dress from Cotton On
-Belt from JayJays
-Pantyhose from…the supermarket (don’t ask me what brand).
Not pictured:
-Black cardigan from JayJays
-Black heart necklace from Bling
-Black ballet flats from Cotton On

The weather was gorgeous today, as it has been for most of the last week. I’m trying to make the most of every sunny day because usually the weather turns to crap in September/October.

Hope you’ve all had a fabulous day!

181. What are your greatest sources for wisdom? Old people.
182. When you were little, where did your parents tell you babies come from? I don’t remember not knowing they came from “the mummy’s tummy”. I also know that I figured out pretty quickly what was required to get the baby in there in the first place.
183. What is your favorite band? It changes, I suppose, but stable loves are: The Mars Volta, Pink Floyd, Kings of Leon, Tool, A Perfect Circle.
184. What’s the best cheesy 80′s song? Aw, damn, the one I wanted to list was actually released in 1979. Boo. Ok, so how about Locomotion by Kylie Minogue for extra pop cheese?
185. What’s the best kind of movie to see on a date? Depends on how long you’ve known the person. If it’s for a short time, comedy, action, something less serious and not romantic; if it’s been a long time, just about anything goes.
186. Do you like to sit in the front, middle or back of the Movie Theater? Mid-back.
187. Have you ever been inside an abandoned building? No.
188. Under what circumstances would you agree to work for free? If it was for someone I know and they needed the help; volunteer work.
189. Candles or strobe lights? Candles, please. Strobe lights make me want to throw up, so I don’t think I’d make a very good raver.
190. Do you think the Lord of the Rings movies are true to the books or did Hollywood change the story too much? Haven’t read the books and don’t intend to; haven’t seen even the whole of the first film, but I do intend to see them all. One day.
191. When you see a stranger on the street does your first reaction lean towards thinking of this person as a potential friend or as a potential threat? Depends if they’re male or female, to be honest. Sad, sad world.
192. Is it natural for human beings to fear and distrust each other, or is it cultural? Bit of both, most likely.
193. What do you really want to buy? Sandals, because it was hot today.
194. You have to choose. Would you be happier marrying someone rich for their money or living in the streets and subway tunnels with someone you love? I’m not sure love can withstand street living, to be honest. I don’t think I would be happy in either situation. I couldn’t marry for money and I wouldn’t want to risk my desired level of (rather modest) comfort, either.
195. If someone wanted to understand you what book could they read that would help? Ooh, hm, I think The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons would do a good job. They should analyse the character Tatiana because she experiences some of the inner conflicts I do (desire for family vs. independence, strength vs. fear, etc.).
196. Do you think it’s odd that Americans have freedom of religion and yet call themselves ‘one nation under god’? Yes, it’s a load of hypocritical bullshit.
197. In what sense are you a minority? I’m an animal rights supporting vegan, and I’m still a minority in terms of women attending university worldwide (though I don’t really feel like one since there are lots of women at my university).
198. Are you anti social? No, not really. I do like my solitary time though.
199. Do you photograph well? Sometimes.
200. Do you think that human beings would survivor through a nuclear winter? No, we’d probably start eating each other until there’s no one left, and wars would break out over scarce resources, etc. We’re a bit stupid at times, really.