QOTD

343 posts

QOTD: Do You Use Scent?

The word ‘scent’ is very useful, it gets around the whole ‘perfume’ vs ‘parfum’ vs ‘extrait de parfum’ vs ‘eau de parfum’ vs ‘eau parfumee’ vs ‘cologne’ vs ‘eau de toilette’ vs ‘eau de cologne’ business. (These terms have to do with, more or less, a scent’s concentration.)

I’ve used scent since forever. As a teenager I was given a bottle of Chanel No.5 without having any real idea what a big deal it was.

When that ran out I couldn’t afford to replace it, and so moved on to Zen, by Shiseido. I don’t think it’s made anymore, and if it is, I seem to remember reading that it wasn’t the same formula.
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QOTD: What’s Your Plane Travel Time Limit?

During the past couple of years Mr S and I have taken two trips involving loooong plane trips.

The first one was 3 separate flights, with flying times of 1 hour then 12 hours then 4 hours. Reasonable connections. About 24 hours door-to-door. For a four-week stay.  Jet lag not that bad, going or coming.

The more recent one was flying time of 1 hour + 10 hours, door-to-door being about 18 hours. For a ten-day stay. Jet lag going was unspeakable; coming home, not so bad.

It was the last one that got us thinking. Do we want to do this any more? Is it worth it? The hideous living death (and not in a fun zombie way) of being imprisoned in a tiny seat with your neighbour’s backrest and snores 2 inches from your nose? Continue reading →

QOTD: Are you Left-Handed, Right-Handed, or Both?

One of the comments I read the other day (yesterday?) got me thinking about this (Thanks, Delta!). I’d say that I’m left-handed but not exclusively and maybe not for most of the day. I write, eat, draw, and if I played guitar, I would be rockin’ out with the lefties. However, I use scissors, play tennis, and use a computer mouse right-handed. That last one was the first conscious decision I had ever made about which hand to go with.

According to the Daily Infographic, 15% of people are left-handed. They tend to be smarter but more alcoholic. According to my research of myself, I think that holds true. Continue reading →

QOTD: Embarrassing Music Choices

QOTD: What embarrassing song do you have a hard time not turning off if it comes up on your iPod shuffle or on the radio?

I’ll be the first to admit it: I have really bad taste in music. Maybe “bad” is a strong word. Maybe I should say “unique.” I have unique taste in music. Yeah, that’s better. Continue reading →

QOTD: Are You a Re-reader?

It became apparent during the Ray Bradbury obituary post that a lot of people here are re-readers. Are you one?

We almost invariably start out as re-readers. Little kids will ask for the same bedtime story over and over, long past the point at which the adult is sick and tired of it. But to turn that on its head, I once had some small friends I read bedtime stories to regularly, and I loved reading them ‘Winnie the Witch’ for the umpteenth time.

I’m a serious re-reader. I read Colette’s ‘Le Fanal Bleu’ over again once every five years or so, except I can’t find my copy and am starting to hyperventilate.

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QOTD: What’s The Title Of Your Biography?

The fourth volume of Robert Caro’s immense biographical series, The Years of Lyndon Johnson was just published; it sits at number three on The New York Times non-fiction best-seller list. Entitled The Passage of Power, it joins Caro’s earlier entries The Path to Power, Means of Ascent and Master of the Senate. Such strong, manly titles! Each one is more muscular than the last, what with all that “power”, “ascending” and “mastery”. Without even reading the books (yeah, that’s not gonna happen) you certainly get a sense of Johnson; he seems like a marble statue ever shouldering uphill, a towering force of absolute forward momentum.  Continue reading →

QOTD: If You Could Turn Back Time, If You Could Find A Way

Whether you’re 16, 36 or 60, there will have been many moments in your life when you’re reading a book, watching a TV show or a movie or staring down at the ruins of a lost civilization and thinking to yourself “whoa man, I wish I could have seen that, daddio!” (Note for 16 year olds: “daddio” used to be cool slang. Ask your Dad).

So, if you were granted the ability to go back in time (whether this is by means of a time machine, magic or an angel is up to you and your belief system) to observe 5 things but without the ability to interfere or change anything, what 5 things would you choose? Continue reading →