Image from Pixabay. Because pretty.

I totally forgot to answer to Jo’s weekly September questions So here’s the whole month in one go!

1. How important is it to you that people remember, spell, and pronounce your name correctly? Why?

Very important! Because one is my name, the other is not to quote Data from TNG.

My real first name (Piia) is spelled with two “i” letters, and all through my school years I had to specify that, because it can also be spelled with one “i” and all the teachers tended to assume that the one “i” was the correct form for me too, not the two “i”s one. To confuse the matter further, another girl in my class had very nearly the same name and that name (Mia) could also be spelled with either one or two “i”s… but her name was spelled with one “i”. So we both had that problem, just in reverse! Teachers were always confused about our names! My parents apologized so many times for giving me such a troublesome name – it hadn’t even occurred to them that the one “i” spelling would be also an option and often assumed. Probably because the one “i” version is a foreign/Swedish version, and the two “i”s version is the Finnish one. But both spellings are probably both used as much so one isn’t more common than the other.

Even now, when I have to give out my name for a new doctor or a nurse, if they don’t have my information on their systems yet, I have to make sure they catch it’s with two “i”s, not one!

Pronouncing is always correct because no matter if it was one or two “i”s, it is the same.

2. Are you a hugger or a non-hugger? Why?

When I was growing up hugging wasn’t really a thing in except in the immediate family (so children and parents, sometimes grandma), at least in my family, and I’ve lived alone since I was 17 so I’ve never got used to hugging most people. My friends, cousins and I don’t ever hug, it’s just not something we do except in exceptional circumstances like when somebody died or something like that. I don’t see them hugging their friends when we meet as a group, only their kids and SOs and parents. I do sometimes miss hugging/physical closeness with someone while living alone like I do.

That said, I have liked the “stranger” hugs I’ve received when my Dad died so I’m not categorically opposed to it or anything. It’s just not something my circles normally do. I normally only hug my Mom. And my Mom’s best friend and I sort of half-hug each other these days. It’s nice.

3. Are you more likely to avoid conflict or engage in it head-on? Why?

I don’t experience conflict much as an adult, because I live alone and my family and friends usually get along when we meet. I usually avoid it because I don’t care what some random person who comes into my life for five minutes thinks, I just keep doing my thing and depending on the issue, give it a thought quietly or ignore it. Back when I was in school, I avoided conflict because I didn’t care about my class mates enough to care what they thought about any given thing. They were just people I was forced to spend the day with. When I argue with friends, which happens rarely, I don’t avoid it but I only care up to a certain point which varies by the thing which we’re arquing about. Once I reach that point, I disengage from the topic. I don’t enjoy debate.

4. What was the most recent compliment you received and savored?

I don’t remember. Compliments aren’t much of a thing in my circles and never have been. Say like in school, you rarely got complimented about anything – mostly you got “nicely done” in an more-or-less-it’s-my- duty-to-say-this voice. I hope teachers are taught better now! And parents too! I’m sure my parents complimented me, but I don’t really remember any from my childhood – I do remember them being pleased but more like knowing it from their tone of voice and general manner that they were pleased, rather than outright words.

I remember when a co-worker, who was originally from Estonia, one complimented my hair – it was in a bun, and she said it suited me well. I didn’t know what to say because I’d never been complimented except by my Mom. This was 20 years ago, but it still stands out as unsual but nice!

I do remember a few years ago some official/clerk saying that despite my illnesses, pain and exhaustion I’ve done well jumping through bureaucratic hoops in a timely manner – I know it was a compliment from their tone of voice that I had taken care of things I needed to and that I’d done it without help or delay because a lot of people can’t or do with a lot of delays even with help, but it doesn’t really feel like a compliment because what else was I going to do? I didn’t have a choice! So getting it done in as effectively as I could was the best of bad options simply to manage my stress!

There’s a lot of talk of how work well done is just business-as-usual and you don’t get complimented for it in Finland. If you get feedback, it’s about thing not done well. My experience matches this – as long as you don’t hear anything from teachers/managers/the boss, things are good. I don’t know if the younger generations are changing this culture, but this is my experience both in personal and work life.

5. In what situations are you most likely to procrastinate?

When I need to do something I don’t like to do or want to do, or I know will be a lot of effort (mental) or work (physical) even if I like doing it.

6. How often do you interrupt others while they are talking?

Never or at least try not to unless it’s truly necessary. I hate when people do that. It’s rude!

7. What’s your most and least preferred forms of exercise? Explain.

Most: swimming. Because I like water and I won’t get sweaty and you get to go to a sauna while at it and it’s plain fun! Least: everything else. Because it’s sports.

8. What’s your favorite quote? Why is it special to you?

I don’t have a favorite or a special quote… but I’ve had this one up on my DW for years now: I will walk the earth forever, and my hunger shall know no bounds. It’s from Torchwood and I like the mood it ewokes.

9. As you fall asleep, do you prefer to be flat on your back, curled on your side, or on your stomach? What position are you in when you wake up?

Anything but flat on my back. I feel unnatural when laying flat on my back, and if I accidentally fall asleep so because I was so tired I fell asleep before I could decide which side to turn on, when I wake my whole back is stiff and moving is uncomfortable for pretty much the whole day. I can fall asleep curled on my side or flat on my stomach, either is good. I also wake up in either of those two positions. I’ve been like this as far back as I can remember.

10. What’s your preference: cruise ship, powerboat, sailboat, rowboat, canoe, kayak, or inner tube?

I don’t know what inner tube is, but of these I’ve only been on a cruise ship and rowboat. Of those two, I prefer the cruise ship.

11. Who was your best friend in high school, and where is he or she now?

I quit high school after three months, after skipping most of that three months. So I’m going to answer for the library school: my house mate. She went to a different school, then went back to her home town when her studies ended as I did too. We lost touch for about 16 years, but the last few years we’ve been e-mailing each other every few months 😀 She went back to school for a bit, and works various temp jobs. Like many of my age, she’s never had a stable job, only temp ones but has been working steadily just not in what she studied for.

12. What’s your most memorable (good or bad) airplane flight?

I’ve flown only twice (well, four times them being return trips) so that I remember (meaning I was an adult, not a tiny kid) and there’s nothing memorable about the flights other than “Wow! I’m on an airplane!” general experience.

13. September 13 is “Positive Thinking Day”. What negative thought could you turn around today?

Donno… Maybe remembering that I’m still able to learn new things despite having been chronically sick and unemployed for so long and also now being firmly in middle age and feeling like I mental sharpness is gone. And that I got proof of that when I was in the rehabilitation’s on-the-job training back in 2017. And that despite that my body wasn’t up to finishing the second or third on-the-job training, my mind was to it.

14. Growing up, for which holidays did your family decorate the house?

Christmas was the only one we’d fully decorate. We’d also grow rairuoho (ryegrass, apparently) for Easter and melt down tin and drop it in cold water on the New Year to seek omens for the coming year and eat seasonal foods on each holiday, but we didn’t decorate for other than Christmas.

15. Have you ever served on jury duty? If so, what was the case about? If not, would you like to be on a jury in the future?

There’s no jury or jury duty in Finland so this question doesn’t apply to me.

16. What’s worse: laundry or dishes?

Back when I didn’t have a dishwasher (25 years ago), dishes. But now that I have both a dishwasher and washing machine and both are new ones at that, both are good! I actually like doing both! Who would have thought?! I sure never did! But I sort of hated it when I had to do dishes by hand, and would still hate it if I had to do them again by hand.

17. Do you have a favourite movie soundtrack?

TV but so many! I can’t decide which is the favorite: Star Trek Amok Time, The Last Of The Mohicans, The Leftovers are the top three but lots of other tv and movie soundtracks too!

18. If you were offered free cosmetic surgery by the best plastic surgeons in the world, would you take it?

Yes! Lop off at least 2/3 of my boobs!

19. If you could rid the world of one evil, which one would it be?

Poverty.

20. What is the difference between knowing a lot of facts about a person and knowing someone personally?

Facts don’t tell you how how a person “feels” to you and whether you’ll like them or not. And knowing someone personally doesn’t mean you know all the facts about them!

21. What’s more important, a healthy mind or a healthy body? Why?

As a chronically ill person I can’t say I think either one is more important than the other. Not when it goes beyond a certain point. If you have trouble with either one, it can be miserable and getting help or finding working help for either can be very, very hard or impossible.

22. What’s one thing you know for sure?

That I’m going to treat myself with a bit of fresh smoked salmon tonight! It was on sale in the grocery today, and being horribly expensive normally, I haven’t had it for since February. Fresh smoked salmon is my favorite fish so it’s a REAL treat!!

23. When was the last time you listened to the sound of your own breathing?

Last night while waiting to see if sleep would happen.

24. Do you ask enough questions or do you settle for what you know?

Both, depending on the issue.

25. An app mysteriously appears on your phone that does something amazing. What does it do?

Removes my poverty.

26. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

I don’t understand this question… I’d still be as old as I am. Or is the thought that I could choose how old I would be? If so, I’d keep my mentality the same because I’m so much more comfortable in my own skin now than when I was younger, but physically I’d switch to being 25. Youth really is wasted on the young! Or is the thought how old I feel? Then I’d be somewhere in very early 20s I guess – I don’t feel like a kid/teenager but not entirely a fully mature adult either so about 20 seems right.

27. How have you recently kept yourself in check?

By being rational about the whole bloody weak adoption thing and being one of my bio father’s heirs. There’s only so much I can do right now, and I’m doing that; the rest will happen/be revealed in time, before the end of the year as far as the inheritance goes.

28. What’s the closest thing to a castle you’ve been in?

I’ve actually been to many castles! Turku Castle the most often over my lifetime as it’s located in my hometown. But also Häme Castle and Hampton Court just to name a few. Castles are a favorite thing of mine!

29. What were the circumstances the last time you were hoarse?

It was so long ago that I don’t remember, but presumably a flu. At least I don’t remember ever being hoarse for any other reason.

30. For what will you likely pay a king’s ransom in the near future?

Nothing like a house or anything like that but… Buying a bra certainly always feels like it! No matter whether it’s a normal bra (at least 60 euros) or a sports bra (80 euros). It’s a curse brought on by having abnormally large boobs and having little choice in bras/shops. And a bra only lasts for a year or two in okayish condition so mostly it’s just feels like wasting good money.