Ask the Person Below you a Question?

A. Flannery O'Connor's "Judgement Day": it highlights the grotesque in human nature, the arrogance of city folk vs. the rural, and flirts with Dostoevsky's generic ill characters.

A2.As I see Xatruio beat me to the punch by seconds, I'll hop in there (a true question for my lifestyle):
I smoked pipe for ten years, but quit this January. I stick to beer and gin for now, but the metabolism isn't too pleased with that, either. One vice at a time.

Q. However little or big an act in itself, what do you consider one of the bravest/most courageous actions you've ever performed?
 
I think I am genetically predisposed not to be an alcoholic or a smoker as I can barely physically do both. Don't get the idea that I'm healthy, I mitigate the lack of alcohol and tobacco with junk food and a lack of exercise.

When it comes to alcohol, though I do enjoy a beer, I drink a lot less than most my age. Main reason for that is that I can't physically drink a lot. After two or three beers, I physically can't injest anymore and the harder the drink gets, the less I consume. I can probably do two full glasses of wine and I can't stand stuff like Vodka.

When it comes to smoking, I just don't know how to do it. I have tried to smoke cigarettes a number of times but apparently I don't inhale it alt all and the smoke just stays in my mouth. I can and do smoke shisha: something I would do a lot more if it was more available in the area I moved to. After I get the main head rush, it's pretty much over for me. I can't get it a second time and start to feel sick if I continue for much longer.

Q - what car do you drive and is there a story behind it?
 
Edit answered the wrong question the first time

A: I drive a dodge Caliber, and I just drive it because I like it

Q: Favorite ancient text, at least 400 years old?
 
To answer @Nigel's question:

Back in March of 2012, myself, my dad, and a regular were walking our dogs around the park. (We have a yellow Labrador, two years old at the time.) As we passed the opening of the 'nature walk' area, out came walking a guy who appeared to be in his late fifties/early sixties. No problem. A few seconds later, out came trotting a fully grown black Italian Mastiff. Again, no problem. All of a sudden, our dogs stopped dead in their tracks, locked eyes, and the Mastiff barrelled on over and grabbed my dog by the neck. Utter fucking panic.

What happened to me in that moment, I can best describe as 'going prehistoric'; a switch flipped on, and I turned into a fucking wild beast. I was kicking the absolute fuck out of the dog, my dad was trying to break his tail, and the other dog walker was trying to poke the dogs eyes out. Nothing. What felt like ten minutes was really only about ten seconds, but that was far too long; time was of the essence, and something had to be done.

Call it bravery or utter stupidity in a haze of irresponsibility; I jumped on the dog's back, gripped the skin around his shoulders as hard as I was able, and sunk my teeth into that motherfucker's back. He let go instantly, just before leaving me with a nice little gash on my wrist. The owner scarpered with the dog like a pussy little rat as we were checking over the damage.

According to the vets, if the dog had bitten down just a fraction of an inch further, he would have pierced our dog's jugular vein and he would have bled out then and there. Funnily enough, he looked infinitely worse after the operation (a minor one, thankfully) than before. Did nothing to dampen his spirits, though. Seven years later, he's doing just fine and dandy.

Q. Biggest prick you have ever encountered in public?

I once had "I don't need a man to open a door for me!" barked at me by some fat bitch for whom I was holding open the door of a newsagents upon leaving a few years back. Responded with, "Go fuck yourself, you fat cunt," and let go of the door.
 
ShenGCH said:
To answer @Nigel's question:

Back in March of 2012, myself, my dad, and a regular were walking our dogs around the park. (We have a yellow Labrador, two years old at the time.) As we passed the opening of the 'nature walk' area, out came walking a guy who appeared to be in his late fifties/early sixties. No problem. A few seconds later, out came trotting a fully grown black Italian Mastiff. Again, no problem. All of a sudden, our dogs stopped dead in their tracks, locked eyes, and the Mastiff barrelled on over and grabbed my dog by the neck. Utter fucking panic.

What happened to me in that moment, I can best describe as 'going prehistoric'; a switch flipped on, and I turned into a fucking wild beast. I was kicking the absolute fuck out of the dog, my dad was trying to break his tail, and the other dog walker was trying to poke the dogs eyes out. Nothing. What felt like ten minutes was really only about ten seconds, but that was far too long; time was of the essence, and something had to be done.

Call it bravery or utter stupidity in a haze of irresponsibility; I jumped on the dog's back, gripped the skin around his shoulders as hard as I was able, and sunk my teeth into that motherfucker's back. He let go instantly, just before leaving me with a nice little gash on my wrist. The owner scarpered with the dog like a pussy little rat as we were checking over the damage.

According to the vets, if the dog had bitten down just a fraction of an inch further, he would have pierced our dog's jugular vein and he would have bled out then and there. Funnily enough, he looked infinitely worse after the operation (a minor one, thankfully) than before. Did nothing to dampen his spirits, though. Seven years later, he's doing just fine and dandy.

Q. Biggest prick you have ever encountered in public?

I once had "I don't need a man to open a door for me!" barked at me by some fat bitch for whom I was holding open the door of a newsagents upon leaving a few years back. Responded with, "Go fuck yourself, you fat cunt," and let go of the door.
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So many, but one does stand out as it just shows how pompous some people can be. I left a football match early as I was not feeling too well and headed home. Getting on the train, unknown to me was a lady behind me. I sat down in the outside seat. This seat is not reserved for elderly or others that have difficulty in standing, but if you are in that seat and the train is full, the right thing to do is get up and give to the person.

I sat in the outside seat because the train was near empty and I didn't see the lady behind me. Next thing, this grump-old woman says something to me along the lines of "so selfish of you to sit there, I have blah blah blah". I was so confused because if she wanted that seat she could have just asked or sat on the other one literally opposite. Throughout the journey she was moaning and cursing and I was giving it to her back. She then commented that my leg was touching hers and that I should close them up so I won't touch her. I purposely widened my legs (which I found to gratifying) to piss her off even more. She then started saying how she was going to call the police as I was "sexually assaulting" her so I widened my legs a bit more and egged her on.

In such a situation, one thing I like to do is be extra nice to that person. Even when the sarcasm is blatantly obvious and demeaning, people who look to start a fight expect one back and when they don't get it, it just pisses them off further. This is probably 10 minutes on the train before she gets off so by this point I am actually bored with arguing with her so resort to my sarcastic niceness. She's getting off the train and I keep waiving bye to her and wishing her a good day. She finally cracks by telling me to "fuck off" before take a little stumble finally getting off. So happy I got to her. I forgot to mention that throughout the journey she kept saying shit like "do you work?" and how she would hate to think her taxes are going towards my supposed benefits. Based on nothing but appearance.

It was good that at the end, a similar aged woman got off the train at the same time as me and gave me a "well done" for not putting up with this women's nonsense.

Q - What's your top 5 most expensive purchases?

  1. Car £9,500
  2. Artificial Grass for my garden - £1,900
  3. Corner sofa - £1,500
  4. Garden day bed £1,000
  5. 55in TV - £850

What I never included in that was the £14,500 deposit for my house, £10,000 for my wedding and £1,500 tax fine I got not too long ago.
 
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A:

  1. Uni Course £1.8k (of £20k)
  2. Season Ticket £450
  3. Elton John Tickets £350 (for my mam)
  4. 50” 4K TV £340
  5. Root Canal £235

Q: Biggest failure in your eyes?
 
I would say feeling like I am failing my son with his development. When my wife and I were looking to start trying to have a child, we were both going to the gym nearly daily, having vitamins etc. For me, it was extra important as I have suffered from low energy for a long time; I don't sleep well, feel groggy most of the day and, especially at the time, mental fatigue took its toll to a point where I literally stopped working (I was working from I just used to sleep all day). Anyway, son is born and I can't help but feel I could have done more with his development. He's two and though he says words, he's does not communicate properly. I blame myself as it seems like he spends most of his time in front of an iPad whilst I work, rest or try and get other stuff done...

If you won £500,000, what would you do with the money in your current situation?

Pay off my current mortgage and rent my house out
Spend £200,000 as a deposit for a second house
£5,000 to pay off my credit card
That will then leave me with around £50,000. I'll keep £30,000 in case shit hits the fan and use the remaining to invest it something.
 
Don't worry; the good thing about kids is their resiliency and the fact that they don't lose their sponge-like tendencies until their teens, so you'll be ok in the long run if you put more emphasis on his development! ;)

A: £500,000 pounds to Canadian Dollars is $852,286.97 :p.

  • Pay off mortgage is a must, so with the 3 interest payment penalty, I'm looking at $360,000, roughly.
  • Toss $200,000.00 into a big Term Deposit.
  • Put away $100,000.00 for my (future) kids' educations.
  • Travel to all of our destinations on our lists, which would be around $50,000.00 max.
  • Give $50,000.00 to my parents, as they went from debt free to significantly in debt in just 2 years (bad real estate).
  • Final $92,000.00 or so, use for whatever we need.

That would better our lives instantly and for the long-term.

Q: Cooking yourself or ordering out/going out to eat?

Torn between the two; I ate out so little growing up, that even for fast food, I find being a treat nowadays.
 
Truck_1_0_1_ said:
Q: Cooking yourself or ordering out/going out to eat?
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I'd prefer to fix my own meals over eating out since it's often cheaper and healthier for you. Cooking like fixing a car in my view is a valuable skill to have. And finally there's a proud sense of accomplishment in making something on your own from scratch.

Q: What's your favorite style of martial art?
 
A. I don't know anything about martial arts so I'm gonna say Tai Chi. Seems really relaxing and meditative. Something I could see myself enjoying.

Q. What is your favorite meal?

For me its a burger, french fries and a vanilla shake from a restaurant or diner. It doesn't have to be fancy or anything, but fast-food does not cut it. The sad thing is of all the places I've been to at least one of the three doesn't live up to the others. I ate at a place recently, a hot-dog joint of all things lol, that came pretty close to having them all exactly how I want them, though. I'll have to experiment with my order next time and maybe my search for the perfect America meal can finally end.
 
A: That's actually a really hard question! Probably a meal at a restaurant in Beijing or Hong Kong, shared so including lots of dishes, amongst which should be stir fried eggplant, eggs and tomato, greens with garlic, Sichuan white fish, tendered goose and some kind of peppery noodle.

Q: The world is ending, you've got 24 hours (within your means), what do you do?
 
A: I think at least a couple of hours would be spent coming to terms with the fact that this really is the last day on earth. Beyond that? Probably nothing wild. I think there is enoug value in spending time with the ones that you love, and that you hold dearest to you before they potentially vanish forever, much like yourself. Perhaps find somewhere with a large crowd of people and just spend time there. I think that probably, when it came to the end humanity would likely reveal itself as better than most of us, if we're cynical might believe it to be. Death and the end of everything would be a great equaliser in that way. If you just strip away all of the things that afford others power or status, I think that in the end most people would find common ground, accept their fate, and try to get along with everyone else. Maybe that's just the optimist in me speaking though. All I know is that I would personally like to be wherever the love an acceptance would be in the final hours. Whether that's in the streets with strangers, or in an isolated spot with family, all that really matters in the end is that you were in the right place.

I mean, I don't think I'd try and do anything wild. I've had my whole life up until this point to take whichever path I've wanted, and I've never regretted not doing something crazy or spontaneous so I very much doubt that would change. Though I hate to get all preachy in here, and I know it is sometimes hard with the amount of responsibilities that pile up for people over the years. But maybe just try not to get to a situation, where it is the end of the world and you were perhaps not completely satisfied with the way your life panned out. There's always time to move towards your aspirations and desires, and so long as those things won't potentially harm anyone else. You kind of owe it to yourself to give it a try, and then maybe when that life-ending terror destroys us all you could at least be satisfied with everything you did up until then.

But then what do I know, I'm just someone posting on the internet. Realistically I'd probably just try and complete Shenmue 3. That'd be just my luck. Game finally comes out and the world is ending.

Q: Who is someone that you would like to meet, but are also quite reluctant to meet because you're afraid that the reality might never live up to how you see them in your mind?
 
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A. In general, as someone planning to go back the route of academia (philosophy), I think of several writers who influence my thought. For a specific example, let's say Alasdair MacIntyre: he's 90, I'm 30, he has little time for my claptrap. It'd probably gut me, meeting him. Brilliant in print, but purportedly a bully in person. I'd welcome the punishment anyway, as he's as walking mind.

Q. Faux "good vibes" cast aside, what's something great you've accomplished/avoided this year you didn't think you'd be able to do/not do?
 
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I guess that I'll answer this one. Long story short, since we moved into our house back in 2015, we started noticing little problems here and there; everything from the light switches being the wrong way round to the electricity in the garden being comically installed.

This year, I have managed to get the shower fixed (though the drain has been clogged for some time), artificial grass in the back garden and made a few home improvements. Small, but has got me in the habit of trying to fix things myself and generally get stuff done.

Q - Should I apologise for something I did years ago? I met an old friend recently, first time I have seen him in 15+ years. As a kid, I was not nice to him or his sister who lived with us. I used to make them watch TV from outside the room, got into fights and never was helpful at all. They are not the only ones and it's a massive regret of mine. He did show up to my birthday party and his sisters to my wedding so I am thinking not too much of a grudge is there. However, I still feel bad for what I have done. What it be worth apologising to just be better from now on?
 
A: I feel from your post that it is obviously still on your mind (even if it isn't, "eating you up," still), thus I would have a heart to heart and let them know how you feel.

At worst, he'll tell you that you bloody well should feel bad and that he forgives you and is over it (lol, though I don't think there would be any grudges, as you mentioned), at best he'll shrug it off and compliment you for doing something upstanding.

Just my take!

Q: Had your 30th bday yet? No? What did you do if you did and if you haven't yet, what do you wish/plan to do for your day?
 
Yes. I’ve had my 30th Birthday. I was in Tokyo for it. I spent the night with friends at one of my favourite little bars in Shinjuku. Was a great night and couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Q.) Do you ever feel like walking away from all social media profiles from time to time just to live life the way we did pre-social media?
 
A: Yep. Getting rid of my personal fb account was liberating, and Instagram. Of course I can still activate them, but yeah.

Q: On a scale from 1 to Keanu how excited are you for Shenmue 3?
 
Araviel said:
A: Yep. Getting rid of my personal fb account was liberating, and Instagram. Of course I can still activate them, but yeah.

Q: On a scale from 1 to Keanu how excited are you for Shenmue 3?
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If an 11 is Keanu, then I am at 7 to be honest. Obviously one of my favourite games but the pessimist in me (which is all of me to be honest), just has a feeling it's been too long, won't be a commercial success and will be once again canned. I am looking forward to playing it and it will be a day one purchase, but my excitement levels are quite meek to be honest.

Q: Do you wear glasses? Funny story, up until the age of about 12/13, I thought I had normal eyesight. Part of me knew it wasn't the best as I was always squinting at the board at school if far away, but usually I would sit near the front, sit close to the TV and walk around thinking I had normal eyesight. One day, I took a friends glasses as a joke and put them on. They were near my prescription and it literally changed my life. Everything just looked so shard and clear and the world was not as shit as I thought it was.

I also used to wear contacts and one day got caught in very heavy rain. The lenses rubbed up my eyes so badly then my eyes were quite literally red. I have never seen something so bad. I went to work and though I could see fine, my manager said I was not going on the shop floor with eyes like that. Ran to the opticians who done a check and told me it was all okay and just had to wait an hour or so.
 
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