Jo over at Dreamwidth put together a list of daily questions for 2023 again  😀 Here’s my answers to April questions.

1 – International Firewalk Day: Have you ever done this strange practice? Would you like to try it?

Nope, never done it. Maybe?

2 – Peanut Butter & Jelly (Jam) day: do you like this typical American sandwich? What flavour jelly (jam) do you favour?

I don’t like peanut butter – it’s much too sweet so I never buy it. And don’t like most store bought jams, I rarely buy those. I’ve never even tasted the two together just seem like disgustingly sweet plus I don’t think I’d like the textures of them together. Peanut butter & jam sandwich is a thing here at all.

3 – Fish Fingers and Custard Day: to celebrate Doctor Who’s strange culinary experiment this day was declared fish fingers and custard day. Would you ever try this? What odd combinations of food do you like?

I don’t think I would try it. Doesn’t seem like a appealing combination of flavors and textures to me.

Ever since I was a kid I’ve loved dipping mettvurst in either banana yoghurt or strawberry yoghurt. These days I prefer to dip it into strawberry yoghurt by a slight margin.

4 – International Carrot Day: In your opinion, what’s the best way to cook and eat carrots?

None. I only like them raw and as-is (only washed and peeled).

5 – First Contact Day: As all Trekkies know, 5th April 2063 is the date that Zephram Cochrane (and Earth) first made contact with extraterrestrials (the Vulcans). Do you think we will ever make first contact with extra-terrestrial beings? If we do, do you think the knowledge that we aren’t alone in the galaxy/universe would unite Terrans, or cause further divisions?

Just so you know – Terrans are the humans from the evil Terran Empire in the Star Trek Mirror Universe. Not us.

Seriously though – I’d like to think humans would unite, but I don’t trust it it would happen.

Also, the way things have been going the past several years, as luck would have it, if we make first contact soon it’s bound to be with meat eating aliens who came to Earth because Humans are a food source….

6 – Plan your epitaph day: what message would you like your headstone to send out to the future?

Nothing. I want to disappear and be forgotten when people who knew me also have died.

7 – World Health Day: Founded in 1950 by the World Health Organisation. What could you start to do today that will have a positive effect on your health?

Eating on schedule, rather than more or less randomly.

8 – Zoo Lovers Day: Do you think zoos do an important job in teaching and conservation or do you think it is time to stop keeping animals in captivity?

I don’t think they’re important in general education when you’re a kid. But I don’t know about veterinary schools etc. I don’t know enough to say one way or another.

Technically I’m for stopping keeping animals in captivity. But on practical side, I think many species would go extinct because of pollution and hunting and poaching.

9 – Name Yourself Day: Maybe you always felt like your name didn’t reflect who you are, or maybe you just want to try something new. If you could re-invent yourself for one day by choosing a new name, what name would you choose?

I’ve actually thought about this seriously but I haven’t decided on a name – I’m not fond of my name, but no other name feels like “me” either. Not that my name feels that either. So I guess it’s as good as any.

10 – International Safety Pin Day: Invented in 1849, where would we be without them? Or do you think there is less of a place for them in modern life than there was in the past?

Well, I know I need one for my backpack to keep the chest strap closed after the plastic clicky thing broke. So I vote still necessary!

11 – Eight Track Tape Day: Eight Track Tape Day recognizes an era that was here and gone in a short 20 years. Are you old enough to remember eight tracks? Some technologies, like the Betamax, never caught on even though they were the superior product. Can that be said of eight tracks?

I’ve never seen Eight Track Tape anywhere. When I was a child (I was born in 1974) cassette tapes and LPs were common, and I don’t remember seeing Eight Tracks at our friends/neighbors/families homes, and I did pay attention because I’ve always been wanted to see what music people have on their shelves. I remember casettes and LPs being everywhere, but not a single eight track. So I don’t know if it was ever a common thing here. Finnish Wikipedia about “8-raita” is only a few sentences and not much info, so I’m inclining towards “not really to thing” here.

I do remember a small number of people and schools having a Betamax instead of VHS, or in addition to it until VHS took over.

12 – World Hamster Day: Did you know there are 24 different species of hamsters? Have you ever had a hamster as a pet?

I’m sure I learned that in school, but I had long since forgotten the fact. And nope, never had any pets as a kid.

13 – Scrabble Day: when was the last time you played scrabble? Was it on a board or an online version?

I don’t know if it was scrabble but we played a word game when I was a kid so 35+ years ago. You had to think of words with only the letter the cubes you had had on them, and they had to be real words. The dictionary was in heavy use those times!

I haven’t played anything like it since. I’m not into games.

14 – Look Up At The Sky Day: go and have a look out the window at the sky and tell us what you see (if anything!)

Bright sunlight, bright light blue sky, some clouds.

15 – World Art Day: what is your favourite piece of art? Have you ever seen it or only admired it in pictures?

I don’t have a favorite visual piece or sculpture or like that. My favorite pieces of art are music and writings. I’ve never heard them performed live.

16 – Garden Month: Do you have a garden, or access to a community garden? Is your garden all flowers, or do you grow herbs, vegetables, berries, etc.? If you live in an apartment, do you have a balcony garden?

I could make my tiny backyard (sort the size of a balcony) a tiny garden if I wanted to. But I don’t.

17 – International Bat Appreciation Day: Have you ever seen a bat in the flesh? Real bat or Batman, which is better?

I don’t think I have. Batman if it’s the Gotham tv series, otherwise I don’t care.

18 – Pinata Day: Has whacking a paper mache model for reward featured much in your life?

Never done it. It’s not a thing here.

19 – Banana Day: are you a fan of bananas? In your opinion, what is the best way to eat bananas?

I wouldn’t say a fan, but I like them fine and I eat them quite a lot. They’re easy to eat and fulfilling. I love a fruit salad with bananas, apples, oranges and pineapples. It just takes so much slicing that I can’t be bothered to make it often. I just eat the bananas straight up (after peeling), often because it’s more for the sake of having to eat something than for pleasure of it.

20 – Volunteer Recognition Day: Do you do any volunteer work? Do you belong to any organizations or use any services that are very dependent on volunteers, even if you don’t do any volunteering yourself? In some places, students are required to do some volunteer work for school credits. Do you think this is a good idea?

I can’t do volunteer work as long as I’m unemployed – the unemployment agency is likely to decide I’m working and don’t qualify for unemployment benefits even though I don’t get paid for the volunteer work. Yeah, it’s draconian. And you can’t ask for permission before-hand because your benefits are immediately put on hold while they consider whether it’s allowed or not which takes a few months during which you don’t have income. And I wouldn’t trust that they won’t make it mandatory is the desicision is yes, which would mean it wouldn’t be volunteer anymore and I wouldn’t be able to stop without their okay and be accountable to them to work all the hours agreed upon.

I don’t belong or use any volunteer services.

I don’t think it’s something Finland should do – we don’t have volunteers working in places like hospitals or libraries and that’s as it should be. People should be paid for their work. There are some animal shelters that use volunteers, I think, and things like “company for old people” volunteer services. Our society is not at all setup for having tens of thousands of students needing to do volunteer work every school year. I also think that that if job is worth doing, it’s also worth being paid for. There’s already too much pressure from the employers for workers to work for free in the form of various unemployment related rehabiliation services and health/social rehabiliation services where the unemployed and even sick are forced to work for no pay (if they refuse they’ll lose their benefits) in businesses and businesses running on these unemployed people with no intention to give steady jobs as the original idea was.

21 – Coin Week: Have you ever, or do you still, collect coins? With the move to cashless payments, do you handle coins much these days? Do you have a jar full of useless coins stashed away somewhere?

Haven’t collected, no.

I do still have coins – somehow they always amass! Once my wallet is full of them, I count them out and make a point of paying small purchases in places like the chemist with them or loading my bus card with them. Sometimes I also just ask the chemist if they want to exchange my little coins for bills or bigger coins. Usually they’re happy to have more small nomination coins because they need the change. There’s less need to do this now than even a decade ago but it still happens a few times a year.

22 – Earth Day: this is the 53rd Earth Day. What one thing do you think every citizen of Earth should pledge to do to save our planet?

I don’t think there’s any one thing – people’s circumstances vary too much. But no flying, or at least stopping flying for fun is one that should be easy for a lot of people.

In everyday life, more recycling is something a lot of people could do.

23 – World Book Night: World Book Night aims to change the way adults view reading by encouraging them to take the time to read during the night, when they have more time. Do you do most of your reading during the day or at night? Do you wish you had more time to read during the day? What are the main pros and cons of doing most of your reading at night?

I admit I do most of my reading in the evening or at night. Even though my days are free. Ever since I got ill, I’ve found reading during the day makes me too sleepy (because I’m so tired) so I avoid it. And the last few years my eyes have started to get weird after reading for while (focusing gets hard, and things get blurry) so I try to read mostly before sleeping so that my eyes get rest after reading. But sometimes my eyes are the same odd blurry and it’s hard to focus first thing in the morning even so.

I don’t know that there are particular general pros to reading at night, but a definite con is that I’m likely to get so swept up in a book that hours pass in a flash and suddenly it’s 4am and you haven’t even tried to sleep yet and there’s only 50 pages left surely you can finish then right now… when I was working that was a really bad con!

24 – Firefly Day: Not the insect but the short lived TV programme! Were you a fan of Firefly or did it pass you by? If you have no interest in it have you ever seen a real Firefly?

I watched it when it aired. It had Nathan Fillion in it and I’ve never liked him but it was scifi so I had to watch it. It was okay but I couldn’t and still can’t understand why it inspired such hype for such a long time.

25 – World Penguin Day: How would you celebrate world penguin day?

None.

26 – International Chernobyl Remembrance Day: Are you old enough to remember the disaster happening on this day in 1986? If you are what do you remember and if you aren’t what do you know about it?

I was 11 when it happened. I don’t really remember it happening. I don’t remember whether I talked about it with my parents or saw it on the news at the time or whether we talked about it in school. I also don’t remember my parents hiding like newspapers or tv news from me, so I’m sure I heard about it – just did not grasp that it was a BIG THING. It certainly didn’t make any kind of an impression on me at the time. Also, my Dad’s brain cancer was diagnosed in 1986 and it was operated on for the first time quickly after the diagnosis. Dad’s illness (the tumor kept coming back and he was operated on 3 times in as many years) took very much of our attention and energy until his death in 1989.

My first actual memory of Chernobyl is from a few years later when we learned about it in school along with WW2, Russian-US relationship, cold war and nuclear history. I remember there was a lot of worry about whether the radiation would get to Finland etc., but I can’t remember whether I heard that when it was happening in 1986 or if it was something I learned later that it had been a worry.

27 – Morse Code Day: spell out your username in morse code

.. -. – — – …. .. … … …. .- -.. — .–

(I cheated – I used a translator)

28 – Global Pay It Forward Day: Paying it forward is what happens when something wonderful happens to you on the part of a stranger, and all they ask for in return is for you to pay it forward, to do something for someone when they need it in the future. Has that ever happened to you?

Nope…

29 – International Astronomy Day: Have you ever looked through a telescope or gone to a planetarium? Do you have a favourite celestial body?

Planetarium was a favorite place of mine when I was a kid, and we went several times. Both with school and I with my parents.

The Carina Nebula is my favorite; it’s so beautiful.

30 – International Jazz Day: Jazz, love it or hate it?

I don’t know! Whenever I go searching for jazz pieces I hate them. But then there’s still certain type of instrumental music and song (always heard in a tv show/movie) that I love, and some say they’re jazzy/bluesy so I have no idea what they are! Or whether I like jazz or blues or not.