Question Time Over Coffee, 12/18/22

Here I am, back once again with another episode of Question Time Over Coffee!

What actions do you take if you can’t sleep naturally? I stay awake until I fall asleep. If I don’t, I figure I’m that far ahead for the next night. I do tend to catnap during the day, usually undisturbed unless my snoring is bothering Mary. Until this week, I had been sleeping to pink or brown noise, but a couple of nights ago I put on some music instead, and it worked like a charm.

Can you easily recognise if you are suffering from stress, and if so, what do you do to reduce it? Are you able to see signs of stress in your friends or your family more than you? I can recognize stress these days because, being retired, I know what it’s like not to have to deal with it. At that point, I watch videos on YouTube or play Solitaire until the feeling passes. As for Mary, I can really tell when things are stressing her out. She gets nervous and starts to fret. We recently had to take the van in for major service, and she was worried first that the car was acting funny, then about what would have to be done, then the expense involved. I helped where I could there, and all is well again…

The West holds firm concerning the war in Ukraine. However, how do you feel about it all now? Do you believe we are providing too much or too little support? The US has been providing billions of dollars that we don’t have to help the Ukrainians fight the war, and I understand there are now US troops on the ground there. The last thing we need at this point is Vladimir Putin firing nukes in this direction, or for that matter in any direction. I think it would be best to encourage both sides to sit down and quietly discuss where all of this is going and how we can put an end to it. I’m starting to have flashbacks to Vietnam…

How much black-and-white honesty from your best friends do you believe your friendship with them warrants? Should friends be brutally honest with you or provide support without question? I don’t see where it’s impossible to provide both brutal honesty and undying support. I think privately friends should be able to say things as plainly as possible, with little concern for hurting their friend’s feelings, but then be as supportive as they can in public. That’s what friendship is all about.

Do you think you have an addictive personality? Yes, I do, and I’d rather leave it at that.

Why are so many of today’s online/television advertisements so cringey? Are you ever influenced by the comedy or corniness of them? I’ll be honest, I haven’t paid much attention to them. Most of the ads I see are for “old people” things, like Medicare Advantage plans, compression socks, treatments for wrinkles and bad knees, and ads for the ASPCA, Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital etc., what I call the “save the world for $19 a month” charities.

Do you ever need help responding to some comments left by readers on your blog posts, as in not knowing how or what to respond with? Why is this, and what usually throws you off? There are times that I need to think about how to reply to some comments, specifically how to phrase my reply so as not to offend the person who commented or someone who might be reading he comments and replies. Other times I’m not sure how to reply. I try as much as possible to reply to every comment.

What five vegetables do you use the most each week or month? Onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, and broccoli.

What is the most outrageous thing you have ever done? Told a joke at a comedy club. I bombed.

Have your blog reading habits changed since you first started to blog? Have you ever felt frustrated from reading blog posts because they are perhaps not piquing your interest? What have you done to prevent the boredom from biting deep if this is the case? I skim most of them, and if I see something interesting I’ll read the whole thing. If it’s someone who’s a faithful reader, I’ll be sure and try to think of some way to comment. Otherwise I leave a “like.”

Do you find it easy to make difficult decisions, and do you have a process of elimination for making those tough decisions? I consult with Mary, give her my gut feelings, and we work it out between us.

What’s the longest you have gone without a shower? When I was in the hospital after the stroke, I think I went almost four weeks before getting a shower. I got a sponge bath after I woke up from the coma they put you into, but that was it.

Between the choice of a deep fried insect sandwich or a raw earthworm hamburger with no option of declining either, which would you choose? I’ll go with fried insect. The other just sounds gross.

How would your family and friends react if you started to talk to another person one day that no one else could see but you? Do you speak to yourself regularly? I am an inveterate self talker. Mary’s used to it. My mother thought there was something wrong (i.e. her oldest son had a screw loose and was koo-koo for Cocoa Puffs) and asked my uncle, who’s a neurosurgeon, about it. He asked where I talk to myself. Mom told him the bathroom. He said he talks to himself in the basement. (Did I spell koo-koo right?)

How far can you be pushed before annoyance becomes full-blown anger and what is your anger style? It takes a while to get me to the absolutely pissed-off stage, at which point I start shouting terrible, hurtful things using lots of four letter words and horrible characterizations of who I’m angry at. I try as much as possible to “dump my bucket” when no one is around. Rarely do I take it out on Mary– actually, I can’t think of a time when I did. Note that this is the reason I hardly ever talk politics here, because I get like this…

That’s all for this week!