211 posts tagged “qotd” (page 2)

What do you do when you find yourself with nothing to do?
Submitted by Cassie.

It doesn't happen too often, but on those rare occasions I do have nothing to do, I seem to find myself hanging out in Second Life.

Rocketship

I just log in and look for whatever new coolness has occurred since my last login.   Like in this "photo" where I found a rocket and climbed in to have a ride for a while.

What's your morning beverage of choice?  Coffee, tea, juice?  Homemade or store-bought?

Usually just the free coffee from my job.  And water.  Gotta stay hydrated you know.

What is your favorite scent or smell and why? 
Submitted by Nebraska Plates.

God help me but the smell of photographic fixer is one of my favorites.  It brings back all the anticipation and eagerness of seeing a new image form on the paper - something that just doesn't happen with digital photography.  Also, it reminds me of being in the photo labs in high school or college - the laughing and joking and cool shit that went on is something I really miss.

A strong second is the smell of chlorine in a swimming pool, for much the same reasons as above.

Have you ever been on either end of an unrequited love? 
Submitted by 怒涛の鮫.

More times than I'd care to admit in public.

What have you changed your mind about? 
Submitted by chitoes.

It's not that there is really any one thing I can say I have done a complete flip flop on; rather, as I get older, and more concerned with real life (i.e. taxes, bills, mortgages, marriage, kids) I have begun to realize that my dad was not wrong.

When I was a teenager, I was more than a little sure that I had my dad outclassed.  Sure, he is a good businessman and a good father and a pretty good guy, but I was reading deep, thought provoking literature and could speak with (what I thought was) good authority on philosophy and religion and politics.  Turns out though, the older I get, the more experience I get to contrast with all that book learnin', my dad was not wrong.

There are things he said, advice he gave me about people and the way the world works that I think about a lot these days; things that were not in the books I valued so highly, things that were not at first obvious nor intuitive.  And now, whenever I encounter new situations, when I have to deal with people, when I struggle through being an independent, rational, and tuned-in adult, I keep thinking about what my dad would say.  Sometimes I even remember to ask him what he thinks about things, and now, I try to actually listen instead of correcting him.

Because if I had done that back in the day, some parts of my life might, possibly, have been just a little bit less of a struggle.

What are five words you really like? 
Submitted by purplesque.

• Chutzpah
• Kvetch
• Meshugas
  
• Tchotchke
• Zaftig
  

    More favorites at Smiley's Words.

What's the best photo you took this year?  Show and tell!

My current favorite, from yesterday, in Akihabara:

Couple

1 comment

What's the best gift you received this year?

Earth from Above: 366 Days

Yann Arthus-Bertrand

My wife gave me the Japanese edition of the above for Christmas.  The book is very well done, with each photo getting its own page and a description on the facing page.  The photos themselves are incredible and worth a look for anyone who has an interest in photography and / or art.

What work of art (film, book, record, whatever) changed your life?
Submitted by bodhibound.

Illusions

Einstein's Dreams

My aunt gave me a copy of Illusions * when I was in Jr. High School and it profoundly changed the way I thought (and continue to think) about life and the ways in which we live it.  The book contains several life lessons presented in a gentle, friendly manner that is lets anyone identify with them and take what they need for their own life.

It remains one of my go-to books when I need answers or am struggling with things.

The second book, Einstein's Dreams*, found me when I had first come to Japan and was dealing with issues of homesickness, alienation, and purpose.  Like Illusions, it has since become one of my go-to books.  The stories within can be read in almost any sequence and contain answers one may not have known one was looking for, which is almost the definition of a life-changing work.


*Text Links are Amazon Affiliate Links

What are your irrational fears? 
Submitted by Dan Culhane.  

For some weird reason I am irrationally freaked out by alien abduction stories.  Movies like "Fire in the Sky" or the recent mini-series "Taken" leave me awake for days.  I don't really know why as other horror sub-genres do nothing to me or for me.  Just those frickin' little grey men stories.  Weirds me out.