personal

Jo's Daily Questions 2023 - https://jo.dreamwidth.org/2802730.html

1 – Cookie Cutter Day: Do you own any cookie cutters? Any unusual ones? Tell us about them.

I own Christmas ones... Star, moon, heart, man, woman and flower cutters I think. One of each. I haven't baked Christmas cookies in like 20 years, so it's been a while since the last time I even looked at them.

2 – Play Basketball Day: Have you ever played basketball?

In school when forced to.

3 – Make a Gift Day: Do make gifts for anybody? How about cards?

Not as an adult. The last couple of years I've thought about making birthday and/or Christmas cards with watercolors but haven't gotten around to it.

4 – Wear Brown Shoes Day: Do you own any brown shoes?

One pair that I never use. All my shoes are black at the moment except for the crocs which are hot pink.

5 – National Repeal Day: December 5th marks the end of prohibition in the United States (back in 1933). If you're not American, did your country ever prohibit the sale of alcohol (or maybe it still does)? Does it make sense that alcohol is legal, but other substances aren't?

Here in Finland kieltolaki (prohibition) was in effect 1919-1932.

I'm not sure. I'm kind of of the opinion that alcohol should be illegal too because us Finns certainly don't know how to drink sensibly at all. But on the other hand, drugs being illegal hasn't stopped their use so...

But I'm not the person to ask - I don't like the taste of alcohol so I don't drink it, and I've never tried drugs because I couldn't be less interested. So I personally don't care either way and it makes no difference to me whether it's legal or not.

6 – Put on Your Own Shoes Day: How old were you when you learned to put on your own shoes? How about when you learned to tie your own shoelaces?

How should I know? Whenever it was, I was too young to remember. I've done both myself as far back as I can remember.

7 – Cotton Candy Day: Do you like cotton candy? (Also known as Fairy Floss.)

Not really. I had it a few times in amusement parks when I was a kid/teenager/early 20s but I never developed a taste for it. What I remember is it being horribly sweet and sticking to my fingers/face.

8 – Lost and Found Day: Have you ever lost something important to you and thought you would never get it back, but then you found it or someone returned it to you?

I once lost my wallet (with my driver's license, government issued ID, debit card and a small amount of cash ) but the shop I had forgotten it in called me about it before I could miss it.

9 – Christmas Card Day: Do you send Christmas/holiday cards? How many do you send? Do you receive many cards?

I send only two - one for my Mom & her SO and one for a friend of mine. Well, technically. I bring it Mom's with me when I go over there on the 24th or the 25th. And my friend gets an online Christmas card. I haven't send via snail mail for more than two decades. I don't send other Christmas cards because with some of my friends we have never sent them to each other, and I don't believe in sending them to people I have practically zero contact with during the year and only see them like once or twice a year more or less accidentally.

I don't get many cards and it varies by year - Mom & her SO snail mail me one, my Mom's brother and his wife sometimes snail mail me one, and that friend of mine usually sends an online one.

10 – World Choral Day: Have you ever sung in a choir?

Nope. We sang as a class sometimes back in school in the 80s but I don't count that. It wasn't a real choir anyway.

11 – Stretching Day: How flexible are you? Do you do any stretching or flexibility exercises regularly?

I'm not at all flexible, never have been and I would benefit from such exercises. But it's exercise...

According to my Mom, even as a tiny baby I was stiff as a board compared to her friend's baby who was the same age as I.

12 – Gingerbread House Day: Have you ever made a gingerbread house? How did it turn out?

I think we did, once, when I was a kid. It was too much work (and math!) for the result. We stuck to making gingerbread men and hearts, elks and half-moons and stars instead until my early 20s when we stopped making them completely and starting just buying them. The houses were never really a thing for us. We also got a gingerbread house as a gift once or twice, and Mom and Dad always waited so long to start eating it, that it didn't taste good to me anymore. I'm not sure whether it was because I was done with gingerbreads by that time (they're not my favorite so I get enough of them sooner rather than later), or because the it had actually gone stale by then. Either way, gingerbread house are always something of a disappointment - hard to make, have to wait to start eating them, look pretty but don't taste not as delicious as they look.

13 – Day of the Horse: Have you ever been horseback riding? Have you read any of the classic horse books, e.g. Black Beauty, the Misty of Chincoteague books, the Black Stallion books, the Silver Brumby books? Are you a fan of any horse-related sports, e.g. racing or show jumping?

Never ridden.

When I was a kid/teenager, I read a lot of horse books - I've probably read Black Beauty and the Black Stallion books and others too, but what I remember the best are the horse girl book series by sisters Merja Jalo and Marvi Jalo. I especially loved the Merja Jalo books, because they had both horses and mysteries that the girls had to solve. I preferred her writing style over Mervi's.

14 – Roast Chestnuts Day: Have you ever made or eaten roast chestnuts?

Nope. Not a thing here.

15 – Cat Herders' Day: Have you ever had to do anything where it felt like you were trying to herd cats?

I'm trying very hard to remember... I feel like I have, but I can't think what it could be! I've never had to control kids or cats or many dogs or anything like that so what on earth could it be... Maybe just being in customer service in libraries when it's closing time although I don't remember any outstanding instances... or maybe feeling in school like the other kids are uncotrollable like cats...

16 – Chocolate-Covered Anything Day: Is there anything that would not be improved by being covered in chocolate? What is your favourite chocolate-covered food?

I really love "suklaapelti" which has a thickish cocoa powder/icing sugar/butter icing. Suklaapelti is kind of a version of brownie I think. But I don't know if that kind is meant here?

I'm not really into things like chocolate covered strawberries... it's maybe good, but I tend to prefer the flavors separately.

17 – Wright Brothers Day: How do you feel about plane travel?

More and more I feel like when it's for fun, it's frivolous and unnecessary. If it's for work or for family, then it should be minimized. If for fun, should be fucking expensive so that 95% of people aren't able or willing to spend money on unnecessary flying.

18 – International Migrants Day: International Migrants Day emphasizes the protection of migrants’ human rights. The day also recognizes the contributions and efforts of migrants around the world. Has anyone in your family ever migrated from one country to another? What would your country be like without migrants?

I don't know, actually. My Mom's dad was born here in Finland but when Finland was still under Russia's rule. And several of my my Dad's siblings were sent to Sweden to be safe when they were kids and the Winter War started; they never came back and made their lives in Sweden. This happened to many kids at the time, but somehow that's not thought as immigration here.

19 – Look for an Evergreen Day: Are there many species of evergreens where you live?

I'm not sure. It's embarrasing really how little I remember about plants and trees because it's not something I've ever been interested in.

20 – Go Caroling Day: Have you ever been caroling? Are there any groups in your neighbourhood who go caroling at this time of year?

Nope and nope. Door to door/neighborhood caroling is not a thing here. There are a number of events arranged but they either feature professional singers or professional choirs. There's also hobby choirs but I'm not sure whether they perform to audiences. But there's no neighbourhood caroling.

21 – Don't Make Your Bed Day: Were you brought up to make your bed every day? Do you make your bed every day?

Yes, and no.

22 – Mathematics Day: Were you good at mathematics in school? How much of the math/s you learned in school do you use in your everyday life now?

No, I wasn't. Mathematics was my nemesis the last 2-3 years in school. I couldn't comprehend the teacher, and my Dad actually taught me so that I understood the material. It was funny, because those maths were new to him but he taught them to himself while I was doing other homework, and then he taught it to me! If it weren't for him, I would've probably failed math tests more than once. Once Dad had died of cancer, my math grade plummeted because I just couldn't understand.

The only math I use now regularly are the very basics: addition, substraction, percent and division.

23 – Roots Day: How much do you know about your own family history? Do you know the names of your great grandparents? Have any of your ancestors been a part of any significant historical events?

Nothing about my birth family.

Some about my adopted family. My Mom's dad was a salesman who traveled all over world, particularly to China. He also became a politician and had a measure of influence in local politics before his death in the early 1960s. I never met him because he died 10 years before I was born. His family hailed from Russia but had lived in Finland for a good time before his birth. And he was born when Finland was still under Russia's rule. My Mom's mom was from the country. We don't talk about the family history at all really. Other than what Mom told me about her father, the salesman/politician, and about her own childhood. We've talked a lot more about what our town was like and what life was like (such as shops) (very different from now) when Mom was growing up than about our family history.

I don't know the names of my great grandparents - nothing about them, actually. Other than that my Mom's mom's parents were farmers. But majority lived in the country side and from the earth at the time. My Mom's mom was born in 1911 - so she also was born under Russia's rule.

24 – Christmas Eve: Christmas Eve is filled with both religious and nonreligious traditions and a variety of foods. What are some of your holiday traditions? How did they begin?

Christmas Eve is the Big Day here. The Christmas meal and gift giving is on Christmas Eve. My Mom and half the nation always listens to the Christmas Peace Declaration on Christmas Eve at 12pm which is considered the official start of Christmas. I know I have heard the history of declaring Christmas peace but can't be bothered to relearn it. I never listen to it on purpose, only if I can't avoid it.

I don't know how they began, just that I grew up with them. In my family, we have a delicious Christmas meal with Christmas Ham, smoked salmon, traditional Finnish potato casserole and several sides. At some point after the meal, we usually visit our loved ones graves in the cemetary and light candles to remember them. The whole cemetary is a sea of candles, and if you go after dark it looks very beautiful and feels very peaceful. Either before or after is the gift giving. This was the tradition for the first 45 years or so of my life. Christmas Eve has always been kind of busy. While my Grandma was still alive, we'd visit with her.

The last 2-3 years, instead of going over to my Mom's on Christmas Eve, I go on the 25th now. It just works better this way - it's less busy, and because I most of the time couldn't make the cemetary visit anymore because of pain. The 25th has been working for us nicely - everyone can relax a lot better because it isn't busy like the previous day. We like it.

25 – Pumpkin Pie Day: Pumpkin pie, yes or no?

No. Not a thing here. Although I think they are trying to make it a thing like they are trying with Halloween too.

26 – Whiner's Day: National Whiner’s Day is here to encourage people to appreciate what they have instead of complaining about what they don’t! What do you have to be thankful for today?

My Mom is doing well for someone who'll turn 80 next year. I had my routine check-up colonoscopy and biopsies done a month ago, and everything came up clean.

27 – Make Cut-out Snowflake Day: Have you ever made cut-out snowflakes? How about a string of cut-out paper dolls?

As a kid - yes and yes.

28 – Card Playing Day: Do you play card games?

No.

29 – Tick Tock Day: Tick Tock Day reminds you that the year is almost at an end, and there are things still left to be doing, and in fact, only two days left to do them in. What do you need to get done so that you don't let the year end with regret?

Can't think of anything.... Hmm, I could always do some more writing or painting or Photoshopping.

30 – Bicarbonate of Soda Day. How many uses do you know of for bicarbonate of soda?

Baking and kitchen cleaning.

31 – Make Up Your Mind Day: How decisive are you? What is likely to make it hard for you to make a decision?

Usually, in my situation, when I have a make a decision that's difficult or hard to make, it's because all the options available to me are either scary, bad, or likely to be bad, or could be okay or neutral but require more work than I have energy and strength for. In all cases, it means my chronic migraine gets worse.

Answers to yesterday's questions over at thefridayfive@LJ

1. What are you hoping for in 2024?

I'm hoping it won't be as horrible as I fear it will be, thanks to the far-right government's cold and inhuman politics.

2. What was your low point of 2023?

My life's pretty even, and the only thing that stands out for this question for me is the "empty the bowels" procedure I had to do in preparation for colononoscopy in late November.

3. And your high point of 2023?

The times I got to spend time with my Mom. Especially the times I didn't get a migrane attack after.

4. Do you make New Year’s resolutions or are they just a waste of time?

I don't think about them at all.

5. Do you have any traditions for celebrating New Year’s Eve?

Not really. I just hunker down and hope I don't have already have migraine attack when the fireworks start, and that the fireworks won't trigger one. It's the noise that can trigger it.

Today's questions over at f.riday5.com ✨

1. What inconveniences do you experience every single day?

Physical pain and poverty.

2. What do you wish you weren’t so often in close proximity to?

There's nothing physical that fits this question. More like things that happen but not routinely throughout the entire year. Such as hot weather days/weeks during summer and too-warm indoor temperatures hot weather causes when it goes on for more than a few days in a row.

3. This past week, what would you have appreciated some advance warning about? (alternate question: What were you grateful to receive advance warning about?)

This week has been good! I didn't get, or need, advance warnings about anything this week. We did plan in advance to meet up on the 25th for Christmas and 28th for my Name Day, but those plans aren't "warnings" - they're good things I looked forward to!

4. What caused you to smile happily today?

Having slept on the brand new sleeping pillow I got for my Name Day yesterday! I adore new sleeping pillows so it brought a smile to my face to realize I had slept better than normal last night and I think it's because of the brand new sleeping pillow!

5. When did you recently give in to a sudden impulse?

I can't remember... I feel like it was in the last few weeks and involved baking...? But my memory is pretty shot these days so it might've been in November already....

Today's questions at thefridayfive @ Dreamwidth.

1. Are you easily offended or upset by things other people post online?

Offended? Never because why should I be offended by what some idiot thinks or says?

Upset? I sometimes get upset and kind of scared by certain people and particularly by certain politicians expressing certain views on poverty, poor people and the unemployed when they have an education and should know better. But I don't allow myself to get stuck in it.

2. How much does the order in which the Friday Five questions are presented here matter to you?

Not at all! There's been a few times when my answer to a question flows naturally to the next question and it's more by coincidence than design. I like those times!

3. Have you ever made an effort to be inclusive, only to have someone complain that you were not being inclusive enough?

Nope.

4. Are you having a happy holiday season?

It's my normal, so not happy and not bad. Although today I'm very frustrated by some new, idiotic KELA bureaucracy but that will pass as the day goes on. It doesn't make anything factually worse for me, the thing just takes longer and is now a more rigid process than before, while KELA is making factually more work for itself because of the new rules. So I'm kind of LOL at KELA, insisting on making more work for itself.

5. Which holidays do you observe or celebrate?

We don't celebrate but we do observer some: Christmas, New Year, Easter, May Day, Midsummer Day, Valentine's Day. Mostly this just means eating good food/specialty food that's available usually only for that holiday. Christmas is the only time we visit as a family as much as possible as a matter of course, the other times are just regular visiting that may or may not fall on some holiday and are not planned ahead as such.

This week's questions at thefridayfive @ Dreamwidth.

1. It's 17 days until Chrismas. How do you feel about that?

That means it's 8 days until my Mom's birthday - that's more important to me! We "don't belong in the church" (as we say here) so we don't celebrate Christmas as a religious thing, for us it's just a time to eat well, make some specialty foods and get together as a family for a day or an evening. So I'm looking forward to it.

2. It's the second night of Hanukkah. How do you feel about that?

Is it? I don't.

3. It's Howie Hawkins's birthday. Have you wished him a happy birthday yet?

I have no idea who that is but Happy Birthday!

4. John Lennon died on this date in 1980. Your reaction?

It's a pity when a talented person dies before their time, but apart from knowing he's considered a legend, I've never felt connected to him or his music. I don't listen to it. So I don't have a personal thoughts.

5. Beethoven's 7th Symphony premiered in Vienna with Beethoven conducting, on this day in 1813. Can you hum any part of the 7th?

I'm not sure. Which one is the 7th again...? I know very few classical music pieces by their name, even though I like several a lot but for some reason I can never remember their names. I just got the ones I like a lot dumped on a folder on my laptop and know that whatever I play from there, I'll enjoy. So no need to remember the names!

Jo's daily questions for November!

1 – Extra Mile Day: When was the last time you went the extra mile for someone, or someone went the extra mile for you? Tell us about it.

I'm not sure. Does it count if my Mom came shopping with me a few months ago when I needed to buy some storage boxes? It would've been incredibly cumbersome get them home by two busses because of their sizes? They have a car and she was happy to go with me. I think the last time I did was when Mom was still recovering from hip surgery and her SO had to go away for a few days. I stayed with Mom those days just in case although she thought she'd do fine by herself but we all thought better safe than sorry.

2 – Stress Awareness Day: How stressful is your everyday life? How well do you deal with stress? Do you have any tried-and-true strategies for handling stress?

I have chronic stress about money and my health situation. I'm not sure how well I deal with it - I think pretty well, but then it always occurs to me that just maybe my migraine situation wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have that stress. I read a lot of fiction that distracts me my issues. Sometimes if it's very bad, I sleep too much because of the stress and to make the time pass faster. I also try to remind myself that I've been trhough bad stuff before and I've always survived it. And if there's a stressfull thing with a definite end date (such as a colonoscopy), I strongly remind myself that by this time tomorrw/next week/next year that particular stress will be solved. One way, or another, but it will be solved.

3 – Sandwich Day: Do you like sandwiches? What's your favourite sandwich filling?

Cheese.

Cold sandwhiches with cheese and lunch meats never taste as great as I imagine they will when I see them/read about someone eating one. I'm always mildly disappointed! But it's still my favorite!

Hot sandwhich: toast bread, tomato puree, lunch meat, blue cheese, pineapple and cover it all with lots of grated pizza cheese and heat in the oven until the grated pizza cheese has melted, puffed up and is golden with just a hint of brown.

4 – Candy Day: Do you have a sweet tooth? What's your favourite candy?

I have a huge sweet tooth! It's a problem. Is chocolate candy? In anycase, my favorite candy is chocolate but the products varies as to which one is number one at a time. Some of my forever loves are the traditional, basic chocolate by Fazer which is Fazerin Sininen (and is the most popular chocolate in Finland). Fazerina is another love, and Pätkis, and Fazermint, and Wiener Nougat. They're all by Fazer. Fazer makes the best chocolate, is a Finnish company and I love many of their chocolates!

There are a number of chocolates available only before Christmas - Budapest is my favorite of those, but there are others too.

Non-Fazer products that I love is After Eight. I'm not sure who makes that.

5 – Zero Tasking Day: The extra hour we get when daylight savings times change is often heralded as an opportunity for extra productivity, activity and ‘doing’. However, given that we’re all already ‘owed’ an hour every other time it changes, it seems a little unfair to expect us to work through it – as such, Zero Tasking Day is designed to dedicate this hour to ‘me time’, encouraging rest, relaxation and a distinct lack of work. How will you spend (or did you spend if you changed your clocks before this weekend), your extra hour? If you live somewhere that doesn't observe daylight savings time, what would you do if you had an extra hour of 'me time'?

Daylight saving time can go die in a fire. It's ridiculous keep summer time until the last Sunday of October when it's been dark out at night for like two and a half months already. And start summer time when it's still almost winter here. Just die a fiery death already. EU was supposed to end this stupid thing but it got stuck somewhere, in the bureacracy I guess, when COVID-19 started.

Anyway, since the clocks are changed at 4am, I use that one hour like any normal human being - by sleeping! And in March, by feeling sleep deprived.

6 – Job Action Day: It is often suggested that people should focus on finding a job that they love. Today it is suggested that you should take your passions and bring them to the job you have, i.e. find a way to instill your love and passion for a particular career into any work you come into. Do you think this is good advice?

Maybe. It's nice if you can do it, but work is work not passion. I got to do that for a bit at one of my jobs. I love tinkering with computers and I got to do all the troubleshooting and installing and everything I wanted in that library job, and found out that after doing nothing else for a week, I didn't want to do it for a living. It was too isolated from other people so I started to feel lonely. And after spending majority of my day troubleshooting a program or something, I didn't want to do anything on a computer at home - which meant no editing my fanfic, or playing and making wallpapers in Photoshop. So it can be a bad thing!

There's also lots of jobs that I can't imagine anyone would genuinely consider their dream job or passion, but that are incredibly important and must be done. It's more than okay to not feel passionate about your job and have your passions as hobbies, or a side career.

7 – Hug a Bear Day: How do you feel about stuffed toys? Did you have a favourite teddy bear or other stuffed toy as a child? Do you have one now?

I never think of them. I didn't, and I don't.

8 – Eating Healthy Day: How do you define eating healthily? Do you consider your diet to be healthy?

Unappetizing and nope.

9 – British Pudding Day: Have you ever had British pudding? What is your favourite type of pudding?

I haven't. We almost never bought them when I was growing up, and I don't usually think to try them out and haven't found one I truly love. I think I've only ever eaten the type of pudding that's sort of like jogurt but not runny. I don't usually buy puddings but when I do, it's usually the Jacky Makupala dark chocolate one.

10 – November is National Novel Writing Month: Have you ever taken part in National Novel Writing Month? How did it go?

Once, and I ended up pissed off with the whole concept because I felt like I saw nothing but posts about the fucking National Novel Writing Month everywhere I went. I've had the tags blocked for years now so I don't see it around much now. And I was too pissed off to write the thing I thought I would during.

11 – Origami Day: Have you ever done origami?

Nope.

12 – International Tongue Twister Day: Are you good at tongue twisters? What's your favourite tongue twister? And to take a different meaning of tongue twister, can you literally twist or crinkle the edge your tongue?

In my mother tongue I'm pretty good in some of them. In English, nope. Dunno. Nope.

13 – World Kindness Day: What was the last kind thing someone did for you? What was the last kind thing you did for someone else?

A nonny on FFA gifted me with a bluray of Star Trek SNW and a Paperblanks notebook. The notebook is absolutely gorgeous (even more than I thought it would be!) and seems to be suitable for fountain pens too judging by my quick test today! I'm so happy and think of the gifting nonny whenever I see the bluray or the notebook.

14 – Loosen Up Lighten Up Day: Do you need to loosen up or lighten up?

I don't think so? I'm not particularly serious and I can see the funny in many things, even if I don't share with acquitances/strangers.

15 – Recycling Day: Do you recycle?

Everything but the bio trash. So: plastic, cardboard, paper, metal, glass and bio all have separate collection bins on my apartment building grounds. I also recycle batteries, small appliances (such as electric toothbrushes) and I'm trying to do better with textile waste (still-usable clothes as well as non-usable textiles) which I have to take to collection points (usually my local grocery shop).

16 – Button Day: Do you have a stash of buttons? Does or did someone in your family have such a collection?

I don't but my Mom at least used to have. Don't know if she still does.

17 – Take a Hike Day: When was the last time you took a hike?

I don't remember the year, but it was with our Beagle Caro when she was still alive - so in 2004 or earlier. I've never seen the point of a hike without a dog!

18 – Princess Day: What is your opinion of Disney princesses? How do you feel about real life princesses?

I don't have opinions on Disney princesses, I don't even remember them. As for real life princesses: they exist.

19 – Play Monopoly Day: Have you ever played Monopoly? Did you enjoy it?

I don't remember whether I have or not. If I did, it was when I was a kid. I've never cared for anykind of games.

20 – Name Your PC Day: Does your PC (or laptop) have a name?

Laptop, and nope. But my external hard drives all have names!

21 – World Television Day: Did you watch TV as a child? Do you still watch TV? How much TV do you watch per week on average?

I did! I've always loved watching tv, and tv shows. Technically I don't watch tv anymore because I don't own one - I'd love to have one, but don't have enough money to buy one. And we don't usually give expensive things like that as gifts. I could only ask for an expensive gift for a special birthday such as turning 50 and it's a choice between a tv or a new laptop. And a new laptop is more sensible because my old one is 10 years old next year, and most things can't easily be done without a computer anymore (such as banking, governmental bureacracy, social security benefits, etc.). So a computer/laptop is a necessity, a tv isn't.

That said - I watch tv shows as much as ever! Just on my laptop. TV series are my preferred form of media. These days they tell the best stories and have most of the interesting character development.

I'm not sure how much per week - a few hours a day at least, anyway. I also rewatch old favorites such as Star Trek shows, or watch old shows such as Murder, She Wrote that I saw 20-40 years ago once or Tom Selleck's Magnum, PI which I've never seen at all.

22 – Go For a Ride Day: Do you ride anything? e.g. horse, motorcycle, sled, etc. When was the last time you rode?

Nope. Probably a sled as a kid.

23 – Espresso Day: Do you drink coffee? How do you drink your coffee?

I don't drink "coffee" coffee. Only those Frezza cold coffee drinks which have like 5% of coffee and 95% of milk and chocolate or vanilla.

24 – Flossing Day: Do you floss regularly?

Nope. Most of my teeth have wide enough gaps for it to be necessary, and the ones that don't, I don't remember to bother with.

25 – Shopping Reminder Day: Shopping Reminder Day falls roughly a month before Christmas, and as such it’s the perfect reminder to go ahead and get started on all of your holiday shopping. How do you feel about holiday shopping? Do you need a reminder to go shopping for holiday gifts?

Nope, no reminders needed. I remember anyway.

I don't like holiday shopping. It always brings home anew that I'm poor and can't buy myself or others what I would really like. That I always have to settle. And I can't deal with huge crowds like Black Friday cause so I don't like to do shopping in physical shops when sales are on. I've never had a panic attack but get close to one in crowds like that.

26 – Cake Day: Cake or pie? Or something else?

Cake! Pie is good but cake is rarer, especially whipped cream layer cake or Sacher cake or something fancier like that, then cake all the way!

27 – Pins and Needles Day: Can you sew, either by hand or by machine? What was the last thing you sewed?

Only if absolutely necessary, such as socks or little opened seams on otherwise still good underware or sew on a loose button. I've shortened my trousers once on my Mom's sewing machine - I knew how to do it by hand, but hadn't used a sewing machine in 25+ years (since school) so she had to show me how the thing worked. Can't remember the last thing but it would've been a button most likely.

28 – French Toast Day: Do you like French toast?

I like the köyhät ritarit (poor knights) version of it which is topped with jam and whipped cream. I prefer strawberry jam, or better yet, my Mom's home made apple jam.

29 – Throw Out Your Leftovers Day: How do you feel about leftovers? Are you happy to eat the same food more than once in a row, or do you crave variety in your diet? Do you take leftovers home from a restaurant when/if you eat out?

If I cook myself I prefer to make enough so that there's leftovers for 4-5 days. Cooking is a necessary evil for me, so when I do it, I prefer to get more than one meal out of it. Casseroles are good for this. It's also something I grew up with it so to me it's just natural to plan to have leftovers.

I usually finish my plate when eating out - the portions are sized in a way very little, if anything, is left by most people, and it wouldn't make sense to take them home. That's not something commonly done here.

30 – Stay Home Because Your Well Day: Have you ever taken a mental health day from your job, or just decided not to go to work even though you weren't sick, because you felt like staying home or for some other reason?

Back when I was working (15 years ago) mental health days weren't a thing then, and I'm not sure how much they are now. I didn't stay home unless I was sick because I had to take sick days for migraine often enough anyway.

Just a quick note that I'm back from the colonoscopy!The Doctor said my bowels look good, in fact about as good as bowels can look! No signs of early stages of cancer, no signs of inflammation. He took biopsies as well and I'll hear the results of those on December 12. The blood labs taken last week also look good. CRP and Calpro are somewhat elevated, but both have been so for more than a decade now and seem to be normal for me because all my illnesses. (CRP is actually the lab that told the doctors something was going on back in 2008-2012 when I kept showing up complaining about diarrhea that wouldn't go away. Several times I felt like if if hadn't been for that elevated CRP, the doctors might have concluded, after doing tests for many things and all coming back negative, that it might be in my head!) Anyway, those two are something to keep eye on but not to worry about. So far so good!

I rewarded myself with Frezza Choco Loco, croissants and rye bread for getting through the "special diet for a week-empty the bowels-colonoscopy" process again!

Now I'm going to do nothing but idle stuff the rest of the day.

Friday 5 for November 3: Late again - http://f.riday5.com/2023/11/04/friday-5-for-november-3-late-again/

1. When did you last miss a scheduled appointment?

Not in years. But 15-10 years ago I missed a bunch of appointments or just meetings with friends/family without warning during several years because of my Crohn's symptoms (read: diarrhea), or had to cancel just 1-2 hours before.

2. What’s usually the reason you’re late for something?

I'm never late now. I can't remember the last time. Because usually they're things that if I'm late for them, I suffer as a result- like Doctor's appointments which are hard to get and the appointment is like two months away from the day I made it because they're too busy to get me in sooner unless it's an emergency; or the unemployment agency will punish you if you're late or miss an appointment by cutting off your benefits which means no money which means the next rent can't be paid. So I take steps to make sure I'm not late or miss my appointments.

3. What have you recently finished well in advance of a due date or deadline?

Last month's the goverment mandated job application to an employer.

4. In your daily life, what strategies do you use for not being in a hurry?

I try not to leave things for last minute. And when I need to be somewhere at a certain time, I leave early enough to make it in time - even if I have to wait outside or somewhere for half an hour.

5. What are you waiting for?

I'm not sure. The last 5-6 years I've felt like I'm in limbo, waiting for something. It's all about hanging in a loose noose, forced to being unemployed to get money to survive due to factually not being able to work, but not having the right illnesses to get on disability.

Friday 5 for November 10: When it’s time to change, you’ve got to rearrange - http://f.riday5.com/2023/11/10/friday-5-for-november-10-when-its-time-to-change-youve-got-to-rearrange/

1. If you could change one minor thing about your life right now, what would you choose?

Minor thing? I can't think of a minor thing I'd change. All the things I'd change would have a huge impact on my quality of life and reduce my stress by huge amounts or completely eliminate it. I can't think of a minor thing that changing would make a lick of difference.

2. What’s your favorite bubblegum?

Don't have one. I can't remember the last time I had bubblegum.

3. When did you most recently need an unexpected change of clothing?

Probably when I was dressed too lightly for fall weather and only realized it once I opened the frontdoor and felt the cold air. Would've been the last few weeks but don't remember exactly when.

4. Where do you keep your (currency) change?

In my wallet. If I've accumulated an unusual amount of coins, I might put an even amount of them such as 5 euros (in 10 and 20 cents) in a tiny coin purse and use them to pay for small things at the chemists.

5. When did you most recently need a change of scenery?

The only time I remember feeling like that was when I was living in Vantaa in the Greater Helsinki (metropolitan area surrounding Helsinki, the capital city of Finland) and studying in the library school. I lived in student housing which was an apartment of three bedrooms and a kitchen. There usually were only me and one other person living there, so the third bedroom was locked (we locked our doors when we weren't home). My housing mate often traveled back to her home town for the weekends, and if I didn't, I'd feel like the walls were closing in, having only my own room and kitchen to be in. I wasn't used to having that little space to live in. So I'd often go out on Saturday to the library or Akateeminen kirjakauppa in Helsinki just to browse and to get away from the student housing. Akateeminen kirjakauppa was a really good bookstore back then, with wide selections in all the genres and a big selection of English language novels. It's where I bought my very first English language novels ever, which just happened to be Star Trek novels! I'd also visit different town libraries because several towns make up the Greater Helsinki and town libraries are always the biggest libraries as well as these particular libraries being part of the capital city area and having lots of international users so they'd have good service and selection. I made use of those libraries a lot!

Got my COVID-19 and influenza vaccines again on Wednesday morning. It hasn't happened before around vaccinations, but I've been having problems controlling my Crohn's Disease bowel symptoms since Wednesday evening. Yesterday morning and again in the morning today I felt sweaty and uncomfortable while the bowel/stomach symtoms were increasing again. Only feeling better once the anti-diarrhea meds kicked in. Weird. But it could also be because of menstruation. It's so much fun when I don't what's causing the worsening of symptoms because it could be any of a number of things! 🙄

Other than that, I only again got a sore arm from the COVID-19 vaccine and this time it seems to be pretty much back to normal re: the arm in only two days. The other times it took a week! So that's excellent 😁

I'm also disappointed that apparently the health care systems have forgotten how to arrange mass vaccinations - it's like it isn't the 4th year in a row they have to do it! Currently only risk groups are being vaccinated, and vaccines are running out (even though 2-3 weeks ago they said there's plenty for all who need it), apparently there's no kind of prioritization - healthy 65 year olds with no illnesses are able to reserve a vaccine appointment while over 80s who do have illnesses have to wait because vaccines are out or there's no time slots available. Old, frail people have to queue outside in the cold and the rain without chairs for an hour during pop-up vaccination events because and then for 15 minutes after, because it didn't occur to healthcare organizations that queuing happens when people try to get vaccinated and the premises are tiny. Just it's as if nothing was learned from the mass vaccinations of the last 3 years!

THL has even admitted that the COVID-19 vaccinations are done too late (started in this month) because the COVID-19 is already in full swing. But because influenza season is a little later, they're doing the vaccinations now because there's no resources to do two mass vaccination rounds - one in earlier fall, one closer to the New Year. Which I know and understand there's no staff for that. And still somehow, this is no cause to pay nursing staff more or to improve working conditions so that more people would want to work in healthcare.

Almost late!

1 – International Day of Older Persons: David Bowie once said that ageing is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person you always should have been. Do you agree?

I think I do! I certainly am much more comfortable in my own skin now in my late 40s than ever before.

2 – World Architecture Day: Are you a keen observer of architecture, or do you mostly notice it when you see architectural oddities, e.g. a particularly ugly building, or a very unusual house design — that sort of thing?

I do notice architecture a lot! Even if a lot of my notice is on the "Oh my that's ugly!" or "Or that's very (old &) pretty!" side. I find modern architechture unattractive, and a lot of historical buildings a lot nicer to look at. I do appreciate it when TPTB do try to make a newly built building more attractive, usually with lively colors - mostly it feels like everything's made of either gray concrete elements here or gray glass and metal elements, so buildings that are painted with actual colors, sometimes several of them that go together, is great.

I'm also known to pause movies and tv shows to google building blueprints because I've gotten stuck on the thought "what the hell kind of floor plan is that" or "the carage being there and opening into the ktichen the way it does doesn't make any sense". Friends and The Golden Girls just to name two. When I rewatched The Tudors a few years ago, I googled the manors and castles featured in the show a lot.

3 – Virus Appreciation Day: OK, so it's been almost three years since Covid rocked the world. Is there ANYTHING you appreciate about that particular virus — well, maybe not the virus itself, but the impact it had on workplace arrangements, or social norms, etc.?

I'm glad that healthy people got some taste of what it's like to be chronically ill and severely limited in what you can do and what it's like when you spend most of your time at home. Too bad most people seem to have forgotten it already! Same with being unemployed and how the very basic unemployment benefits are really small.

We seem to have to gone back to what was before COVID-19 as far as work goes and forgotten all the lessons. Or so it seems to me looking in from the outside. I guess my circles do take a little bit more notice of things like the flu and not visiting each other when one very clearly in in the middle of it.

4 – Improve Your Office Day: Whether it's your home office or your at-the-office office, what changes would improve your office experience?

I would love to have a room to be an office at home! I live in an apartment that has a bedroom + living room/kitchen/office room. My "office" is about 1,5 meter length of wall where my office desk and chair is and if I had to use it for work, I'd be in fucking trouble because there's no room for my stuff and work's stuff in my apartment.

5 – Global James Bond Day: Are you a Bond fan (either books or films or both)? Who is your favourite Bond actor? Do you have a favourite Bond theme song?

I'm not a Bond fan. I like Daniel Craig because he's rough and totally different from the other Bonds who always came across as smarmy to me, and his movies and action scenes remind me of the Jason Bourne movies which I enjoy a lot. I headcanon that James Bond is actually a cover identity held by many different men over the decades, and Daniel Craig's character is just the latest one. When I watch his Bonds when can imagine most of the time that he's not Bond actually, but some other random secret agent. Craig's Bonds feel that different from the earlier Bonds to me and that makes me happy.

My favorite theme song is The Living Daylights by A-Ha, and I think it's a great song just on its own.

6 – Mad Hatter Day: Mad Hatter Day celebrates the Mad Hatter, from Alice In Wonderland and is the perfect opportunity for you to bring out your daft side. Do you have a silly side? Is there anything or anyone who always manages to get you acting silly?

Most people probably consider me being an active fan of various properties and of Star Trek in particular to be daft. I just call it being a nerd and fannish no more dafter than being a sports fan. I don't usually act silly.

7 – World Space Week: October 4-10 is World Space Week. How does the exploration of space benefit society? Do you think the money spent on space exploration could be better spent on the myriad problems here on Earth?

Space exploration can and will lead to new technonologies and scientific discoveries.

I think it could be spent better on the problems here on Earth, but I don't believe it would be. There's enough money to solve all the world's problems such as poverty or climate crisis - it's just that the people who have the money and power, don't have to will.

8 – International Podiatry Day: Do you try to reguarly take care of your feet, or do you tend to neglect them until something crops up -- dry, cracked heels, ingrown toenails, blisters, corns, etc.? Have you ever been to a podiatrist (or chiropodist depending on where you live)? Do you get pedicures regularly?

I clip my toe nails regularly. My feet are too dry and I should use lotion on them more often, but usually I can't be bothered. There's a inconvenient bit of skin that hardens on my left foot on the side at the top towards the pinky toe that hardens no matter what I do, so I have to deal with that all the bloody time. I think my left foot posture is incorrect because the hardening comes back in about two weeks if I manage to get rid of it. I've been to a pedicure/podiatrist once when I received a gift card and she got rid of the hardening a lot easier than I ever do. But otherwise I don't have the money.

9 – Canadian Thanksgiving Day: Canadian Thanksgiving is associated with the European tradition of harvest festivals. Does your country celebrate the yearly harvest with a festival or other form of commemoration?

It's called kekri here, and no it isn't a thing anymore. Kekri was celebrated in history; hundreds of years ago it was the most important celebration day of the year, and the year changed into a a new one in the fall instead of in December/January in the winter. Later in the 1900s kekri was merged with Christian All Saints' Day and Christmas but many of our Christmas/New Year rituals and traditions trace back to the ancient kekri celebrations actually.

10 – Shift10 Day: SHIFT10 Day was created to encourage shoppers to shift 10% of their spending into their local economies to support local businesses, farmers' markets, and other alternatives to big box stores. Do you try to shop locally as much as possible or do the ease and convenience of big box stores and online juggernauts like Amazon win out more often than not?

Amazon and foreign online shops wins a lot - a lot of my hobby stuff simply isn't available to buy in Finland, or the price is astronomical compared to buying the thing from abroad.

But for things like bread, cheese and other food stuffs I try to buy local (which all domestic is considered local here in Finland) and not say, milk from Sweden. For certain treats, such as certain breads, I buy from a bakery from my town. But thing is - I'd like to shop in smaller shops but we don't have them anymore. We have supermarkets and big box stores that belong to the three chains here (K-ryhmä, S-ryhmä ja LIdl). I shop in the smaller supermarkets the most. We don't have mom & pop general stores anymore - not since maybe the 1990s. Just the three chains, and a few specialty shops such as bakery, meat shop, cheese shop. These specialty shops are a lot more expensive than the three chains so most people I'd guess buy treats from them and for special occasions and not for-daily-breakfast type shopping.

11 – International Post Card Week: Did you ever trade or collect postcards? When was the last time you received one? When was the last time you sent a post card to someone?

Nope. My Mom sends me an Easter and a Christmas cards by mail every year so that's probably the Easter one I've gotten the latest. We do give (post) cards for events like birthdays but we don't send those to each other by mail.

I've no idea when was the last time I sent a post card by mail! I have a feeling I might have done it in the 1990s the last time...

12 – World Sight Day: How good is your eyesight? When did you last have an eye exam? Would you ever consider lasik surgery to improve your vision?

It's bad. I have glasses and I can't see much of anything without them, just fuzzy blobs. I had an eye exam about 1,5 years ago, and will have another one next Monday. I have type 2 diabetes and it's time to test my intraocular pressure because of that. After that is done, I'm going to get an appointment with an optician to check my eye sight. I think I may need prescription reading glasses now because my eyes get blurry after reading for a while and only sleeping seems to clear that. I love reading, but I've had to reduce the time I spend doing that and it's a bummer. And I think maybe new regular glasses are not too far in the future either. But probably reading glasses first.

I would consider Lasik but for the lack of money. But on the other hand I also hate the idea and I'm squemish thinking of somebody touching my eyes. So I don't know if I'd really go for it. On the other hand, my Mom had to had cataracts operated on on both her eyes. Before the cataracts, she had a really bad eye sight and very strong, thick prescription glasses. After the cararact operation her eyesight is almost normal - her vision improved so much! She does use glasses but doesn't need them all the time. So that's a great experience that gives me a positive look on eye surgery.

13 – Train Your Brain Day: Do you do any exercises aimed at (or claiming to) help keep your brain sharp and improve your memory?

Nope. Unless reading a lot of novels counts, or listening to music.

14 – Dessert Day! Who doesn't love dessert? Is a dessert a regular part of your evening meal, or more of a special occasion sort of thing? Or do you mostly indulge in dessert when you eat out? Do you have a favourite dessert to make? Do you have a favourite dessert to order when eating out?

Desserts have never featured in my family's meals. My parents' idea of a dessert was a fruit - an apple or an orange, or maybe a handful of grapes. I wasn't partial to fruits until later in life, so I usually skipped it. As still don't eat dessert as a grown up. I, having a sweet tooth, usually have desserts such as chocolate or strawberry pudding as snacks between meals. But I love grapes and also the fresh fruit salad which has grapes, melon, honey melon, pear and pineapple in it that I buy from the supermarket. So I also snack on fruits although not as much as is recommended per day.

I've never been able to eat a dessert when dining out - the restaurant portions are so big that I always get full from just the main meal and stop there.

15 – Mushroom Day: Do you like mushrooms? Do you have a favourite type of mushroom? In what dishes are you most likely to use mushrooms?

No. I think they are very suspect. I've never tasted a mushroom and don't intend to.

16 – Liqueur Day: Amaretto! Grand Marnier! Kahlua! Creme de Menthe! A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage made from a distilled spirit. Distillers flavor the spirit with fruit, cream, herbs, spices, flowers, or nuts. They may have fallen out of favour due to the increasingly broad selection of spirits available in seasonal, fragrant, and often curious flavors (vodkas and rums in particular), but they haven't disappeared. Have you ever had a liqueur? Do you have a favourite?

I don't alcohol so no. I've used some sherry and some chocolate liqueur in baking and puddings, but that's it. I did like the chocolate liqueur I asked my Mom to bring from the cruises she and her SO take regularly - I think it was called Mozart? I used it a lot for baking and puddings. But even that I didn't drink as-is, chocolate or no chocolate.

17 – Mulligan Day: Commonly used in games such as golf, the term ‘mulligan’ derives from the 1920s when Canadian golfer David Mulligan made a mistake during a game and retook his shot. Since then, to ‘call a mulligan’ means the chance to try again. Is there anything in your life you'd like a second chance at?

If I could, I'd choose to stay in the metropolitan area after I finished library school. That's the only place in the country where library jobs regularly open and the chance to land a regular library job is the best. But honestly, with low library salary and if I lived alone, I probably would have had to move away from the metropolitan area at some point due to the high cost of living there.

18 – International Legging Day: Do you wear leggings? If yes, do you wear them mostly when exercising, or do you wear them outside of the gym?

I wear them under the trousers in winter. I think those too are called leggings these days here.

19 – Free Speech Week: There is a lot of talk about the so-called "cancelling" of individuals who are known for espousing controversial views. Would a better way of framing it be "accountability" rather than "cancelling", with the emphasis being on the reality that free speech isn't consequence-free?

Probably.

20 – Information Overload Day: We've all likely suffered from this at some point in time, if not almost daily. What do you do to limit the flow of information coming to you? Do you put your phone on "Do Not Disturb"? Log out of your email client? Avoid social media? Read a book or go for a walk instead of watching the news?

I've put disable the notifications for almost all the apps on my phone. Only left a few such as the package app so I see immediately when happens with packages on the way to me, and text messages because I don't remember to check my text messages anymore because almost nobody sends them to me anymore instead of WhatsApp or e-mail. I hate it when social media or e-mail or news or shopping apps pop up reminders and notifictions all the fucking time so I disable that shit, and check when it suits me.

21 – International Walk to School Month: Did you walk to school as a child? Are parents today too over-protective to let their children walk to school?

I walked to my years 1-2 school, years 3-9 I took the bus as well as to the occupational school. To the library school I took the commuter train. On year 1 my Mom took the week the school started free from work and walked with me to the school in the morning, and came to fetch me when school was over. I think it was by day 3 I wanted to walk by myself because I've always been independent spirited! LOL I think she still did stay home all that week so she was there to receive me when I came home. Then after that, I'd go to the nanny who lived in the same apartment building (and looked after a handful of other kids of same age too) when I got home from school. By year 3, I didn't want to spend time at the nanny anymore at home doing my home work so it was changed to me just checking in with the nanny when I was home and then going to my home to have a snack and do my home work. These are fond memories - I always felt safe, but not stifled because I was never forced to be alone, or not be alone.

In Finland, yes. But most kids do walk, or take the bus by themselves once they are familiar with the route. I don't know the situation in other countries to say one way or another.

22 – Colour Day: National Colour Day focuses on the impact colour has on each of us. Beyond having a favourite colour, are there colours that evoke specific feelings or memories in you? Colours you avoid or dislike because they remind you of something you'd rather forget, or give off "bad vibes"? Is there a colour that immediately brightens your mood, or calms you? Do you decorate your home with lots of bright colours? How important is colour in your life?

Yellow. I don't like yellow, I never have. It's always felt too garish and too brutish. And tacky. Just nope all the way around.

The last several years getting color around me has become important to me. I made acrylic pour paintings and I've printed colorful art and hang it up on my walls. I never used to have anything on my walls - I lived inside my head so much I didn't need it.

I used to hate pink - it was such a girly girl color and I wouldn't be caught dead wearing it! But now I LOVE it. Not the very pale shade, but a good proper pink - such as #FC6C85, #F88379, #DE5D83, #F64A8A, #E0115F ... just to name a few! I still don't like to wear it, but things like wallets, hair pins, pens, inks... give it all to me!

23 – iPod Day: Have you ever owned an iPod (or other portable media player)? Do you remember those first songs? Do you still listen to them? What have you become in the days that have past, and do you smile with nostalgia or cringe with embarrassment as you remember your favorites from ages gone by?

I never did own a portable media player! I never had the money to buy one myself, and wanted other things more as birthday gifts etc. such as books! My first smart phone was my first portable media player... I think I got it around 2009 or 2012? And yes, I remember the first songs I put on it - I still listen to them regularly because they're among my favorites.

Sometimes I marvel that my music taste hasn't really changed since I was a kid - I've just added more stuff I like to it, but I still love the same songs as I did when I was 10 in 1984. I don't know - somehow I always thought I'd get boring and start to like "grown up" music... meaning the Finnish iskelmämusiikki grown ups were listening around me when I was growing up.

24 – United Nations Day: Is the UN still an important international player? Do you think the UN Security Council membership should be expanded?

Dunno. In theory, I think organisations where many nations work together for a common, positive goal is always a good thing. Whether it's effective and usable in modern times, I don't have the knowledge to say.

25 – International Artist Day: do you have any art in your home -- paintings, sculptures, etc.? Do you ever visit art galleries? Do you dabble in any type of art yourself?

I don't visit art galleries.

I have a tiny painting my Mom bought me as a birthday present ages ago, which is the only one I have that was bought from a physical store. I also have acrylic pour pour paintings that I myself have done, and I've printed some digital papers I've bought on Etsy and hung them up. I do fandom wallpapers in Photoshop as well as textures, and I used to make lots of icons. I also draw some, and do some watercolors. But it's more like crafts than art, I'd say!

26 – Mincemeat Day: Have you ever tried mincemeat (pie, or tarts)? Do you like it? Do you have an old family mincemeat recipe that gets dragged out in time for the holidays season?

Nope. I had to google mincemeat 'cause I didn't know what it was - fruit+meat fillings are not a thing here.

27 – Cranky Co-Workers Day: Do you have (or did you have if no longer working) any chronically cranky co-workers? Or maybe you were the cranky co-worker? When was the last thing you let yourself be cranky, and to voice your thoughts about something that annoyed you?

Back in mid-90s when I was doing the second on-the-job-traing which was required by the library school, one my of co-workers was noticeably cool and short with me. The training was for two months if I remember correctly, and I continued as a summer temp directly after. It was weird - while I was training, she was short and cool towards me, but when I was a summer temp, she was friendlier even though the only thing that changed was my title. Like Friday - still a trainee - cool and short. Two days later on Monday - started the summer temp job - friendlier. She was crankier than the others just in general, but that change in behaviour towards me from trainee/Friday to summer tem/Monday was almost funny. Maybe she didn't like having trainees around although she had nothing to do with training me.

28 – International Animation Day: What is your favourite animated film or TV series?

Don't have one. I do enjoy the old (like 1950s old) cartoons about the Pink Panther, the Road Runner etc. but generally I'm not into animated stuff.

29 – Internet Day and Cyber-security Awareness Month: Today is both national Internet day and Cyber-security Awareness Month. Are you, or do you try to be, fairly vigilant about how you use the internet, and keeping yourself safe online? Do you tend to use the same password across most sites? Have you ever suffered a malware infection?

I try to be safe and secure. I have both an antivirus and firewall softwares on all my devices, and I keep Windows and Android updated with latest updates. I use a password manager and use different, long passwords for all sites. I have had a malware infection but the last time was years ago.

30 – Haunted Refrigerator Night: Sometimes you forget about certain things that are in your fridge. And while you may have forgotten about them, they certainly haven't forgotten about you. Instead, they sit lurking in the back of the refrigerator waiting for you to delve into its darkest corners and unleash the disgusting rotten mess that lurks within those Tupperware sarcophagi. Is there anything lurking in the deepest recesses of your fridge that you're afraid to look at or deal with?

I don't usually have mysterious disgusting tupperwares but I do have a few things in there like pickled cucumber that's probably past its last use date, and jam jars with only a bit left like a two spoonfuls that aren't enough for anything and I don't eat jam as-is so I keep them in hopes I'll bake something I can shove the jam remains into and then it just never happens.

31 – Magic Day: Have you ever seen magic performed live? Have you ever tried to learn a few tricks yourself?

I think we went to see some magic show when I was a kid in school? I have very faint memory that that happened? Magic tricks bore me so nope.