The Survey in Main Journal

My responses to the survey pinned to the main page :)

Are you a cat person or a dog person?

This is harder to answer than it used to be. Before September if you had asked me this, I would have readily answered “Cat person!”. I’ve had several cats in my lifetime and a handful of family dogs. None of the dogs were ever really “mine”. The cats were. And I would cuddle them and love them and feed them. I still love cats! But I got a puppy in August of this year and she is the sweetest thing. I have another dog, but he is really my husband’s dog. My husband got him before we were ever together. He’s an excellent dog. I just don’t have the same bond. We got the puppy in August from a rescue. A month later I had a miscarriage and was heart broken. I couldn’t sit and wallow in my depression because she needed me. I had to get up because she needed out, or needed fed, or cuddled, or played with. And now she’s my Babydog (my nickname for her) and she is so attached to me. She was supposed to be “our dog” but it’s plain to see that she considers herself “my dog”. She’s my tail and I love her to absolute pieces. As soon as I get off work, I’m with my Babydog. So I guess right now I’m a dog person. But its subject to change in the future. Dogs are more work, but sometimes you need to be needed and right now, that suits the bill.

How many pets do you have? What are their names?

I have 2 dogs and 2 cats. The cats are Simon and Aang. The dogs are Cece and Giles.

What pets, if any, did you have growing up?

I had an absurd number of pets growing up. I will give you the names of the cats I remember (I’m sure I’ll forget a few since there were so many): Dodger, Pirate, Pirate II, Whitesox, Whitney, Betty, Claude, Shinobi, Yoshi, Miss Kitty, Fuzzhead, Shicken Leg, Sneakers, and Sapphire. There were more.
Dogs we had were Mike, Keisha, and Missy
We had a Goat named Eric, a bird named Abadee and a couple of cockatiels that we never named, we just called them “the birds”. Oh, and two goldfish named Sunset and Spot.

What’s your favorite holiday? Why?

Thanksgiving. Because it’s a time to be with family and celebrate the things you are thankful for. The holiday isn’t overly commercialized. I know there is a genocidal element in regards to native americans and that sentiment. But that’s not really what the holiday has come to represent.

Which season do you like the best? Why?

Fall. The colors of foliage and the smells in the air are the best. The colorful pumpkins and the run up to Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s a time of change and dormancy and I can feel an undercurrent of excitement in the dark nights.

What’s the last TV show you binge watched? What’s next on your list?

I have no idea. I don’t watch a lot of TV and I wouldn’t consider anything I do “binge watching”.

Do you subscribe to any YouTube channels? If so, which ones?

I subscribe mostly to documentary channels. I like listening to them as I fall asleep at night. I figure, at least if I can’t sleep I can learn something. I used to fall asleep listening to the radio at night as a kid (talk radio mostly, occasional radio drama), so it helps me to sleep. I also love the information. If you really could learn in your sleep from listening to things, I would be an incredible historian!

What song do you always sing along to when it comes on?

Tom Petty’s “Don’t Do Me Like That”

What are some of your hobbies?

Portraiture for sure. Scavenger hunts. Writing. Reading. Video gaming on some single player RPGs. If you want to see some if my art, here is my instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thedabblingbrooke/

Did you take up any new hobbies during the quarantine? If so, what?

More like dropped them all to start sleeping and work too much.

Do you play video games? If so, what are some of your favorites?

I do. I’m an avid lover of single player RPGs. From old school games like Baldur’s Gate, Morrowind, Zelda: Link to the Past, Planescape: Torment, Escape from Monkey Island and Harvest Moon to newer stuff like: Fallout 4, Fallout New Vegas, Skyrim, and Stardew Valley.

Do you have any favorite stand-up comedians?

George Carlin will always be number one. He also serves as a great reminder that formal education is not the only form of education and that piece of paper won’t tell you whether or not someone is intelligent. Also enjoy old school Robin Williams, Dave Chapelle, and Jim Jefferies.

What’s the most important thing in your life at the moment?

My mental health.

What’s your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?

Make hot tea and read a book. Unless it is also dark and stormy - then I want to go out into it with rain boots and jacket and just feel the storm.