The 5 Things Meme
Five pet peeves:
1. People who bite paperback library books. Yes it's strange, but people actually do this for some inexplicable reason. I've found human tooth marks on paperbacks (mostly on mystery novels) at every library I've ever visited. And no, I'm not the one doing it! These are not the more understandable bite marks of dogs or small children, but those of adult humans with a very weird problem.
2. OVERLY LOUD TELEVISION COMMERCIALS. Okay, now back to a more normal volume. I know why advertisers do this, it's to get your attention. It definitely works for me, I either turn the channel or wake up and turn off the television when one of these loud commercials comes on. I hate commercials anyway and louder is not better.
3. Newspaper ink. Reading shouldn't get your hands dirty! I always forget and touch something when I'm reading the newspaper, and I then end up having to clean black fingerprints off of my face, the walls, the refrigerator, the dogs, and so on. I now prefer to keep my hands clean and get my news online.
4. Songs where the male vocalist sings in a falsetto (or just naturally has a high-pitched, screechy voice). These songs really grate on my nerves and make me want to scream… Which probably wouldn't sound all that different from the vocalists' falsetto shrieking.
5. Fluorescent lights. They hum, they visibly flicker, they're slow to come on, and worst of all, they give off a cold, greenish light with all the warmth and ambience of refrigerated morgue lighting and the cheap, bland glare of discount store lighting. Fluorescent lights do save energy in the home or workplace if you don't mind looking like a dead Walmart shopper.
Five creatures I'd like to see once before I go (zoo animals don't count):
1. Ocelot (Felis pardalis). These extremely rare, endangered, beautiful wild cats occur here in Arizona, but I probably will never see one.
2. Mountain Lion (Felis concolor). Quite a few people that I know have seen one, and Mountain Lions have even been sighted in my neighborhood, but I have never seen one in the wild.
3. Jaguarundi (Felis yagouaroundi tolteca). These endangered, small wild cats are found here in Arizona, but they are very rare. I would be absolutely thrilled to see one.
4. Jaguar (Pantera onca arizonensis). These endangered wild cats also occur here in Arizona, but they are quite rare. There have been recent sightings of Jaguars here, so I have hope that I may someday see one.
5. Thick-billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha). Attempts have been made to reintroduce these native parrots in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, but so far they haven't been very successful, partly due to the actions of predatory Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis). Maybe their efforts will succeed one day and I will be able to see these large, green parrots in the wild.
Five defining moments in my life that have changed everything since:
1. Getting my first computer, a Power Mac 5200/75 LC. I didn't know how to do anything on it at first, but with a couple of computer books, some trial and error, and general snooping around on the computer, I am now even able to help others with their computers. Thankfully, I now use a much faster Powerbook.
2. Receiving my first camera, a Pentax, as a gift from my father when I was in my teens. I love taking photographs, especially of things strange and unusual.
3. Getting my first web domain, fireflyforest.com. I didn't know what I really wanted to do with it, just that I wanted to teach myself how to create and run a website. I have learned a great deal, and I continue to learn, mostly by looking at other's code and experimenting.
4. Moving here to Tucson and returning to college.
5. Getting my first dog, Chessie the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, in 1994. I now have four dogs, including the now elderly Chessie, and I plan to always have a dog. My dogs not only bring me great happiness, they also warn me of visitors (and coyotes) and make me feel more secure when I'm out walking alone.
Five movies that are my life:
1. Brazil (1985). This is a completely mad and wildly creative adventure in a bureaucratic police state. I see aspects of myself in Sam, the mild-mannered, inoffensive hero/victim. The only version of this movie worth watching is the original director's cut and not the American version with it's senseless happy ending.
2. Rebecca (1940). I also see some unfortunate aspects of myself in this movie's self-effacing nameless heroine. I love this movie, but I think that the book is even better.
3. Star Wars (1977). This is the first science fiction movie I ever saw, and I have loved all things science fiction ever since.
4. Godzilla (date unknown). This is the first movie that I ever recall seeing. I don't know how old I was, maybe 4 or 5, and my babysitter was watching it on television one evening. I thought that it was a true story, and I was completely traumatized when I saw the monster eat some poor Japanese lady. I ran off to my bedroom terrified. I remember telling my equally terrified little sister that if a big monster is coming, you should run away as fast as you can and not just stand there screaming at the monster or it will eat you.
5. Serenity (2005). This is the most recent movie I've seen, and I thought that it was just great!
I don't know who to tag, but if you haven't participated in at least one blog meme, then consider yourself tagged!
