I had planned to do this tag, which I discovered over on Nut Free Nerd, ages ago, but life happened and the post languished half-completed in my drafts folder for months. Well, I’ve dusted it off and completed all thirty questions, so pour yourself a nice hot cup of tea, grab a cookie or two, and settle in for a nice, long, rambling post.
1. What are your nicknames? What do you prefer to be called?
I don’t really have any nicknames, though my dad did like to call me Janie Painie when I was growing up. I prefer to be called Jane.
2. How often do you doodle? What do your doodles look like?
I typically doodle during long departmental meetings, when my mind inevitably starts to wander. I’m not at all artistic, but I can draw stars and simple flowers, so my meeting notes typically end up looking like they were taken by a third-grade girl.
3. What do you do if you can’t sleep at night? Do you count sheep? Toss and turn? Try to get up and do something productive?
Ever since I was a little girl I’ve created fantasy worlds in my head, complete with characters and plots and backstories. I always have a few different stories going on at any time, so whenever I can’t sleep, or I’m stuck somewhere boring, I simply disappear into one of my fantasy worlds and add to whatever story I feel like working on.
4. Do people consider you to be talkative or quiet?
Talkative. Very, very talkative.
5. What makes you cry?
Everything. I even cry at obviously emotionally-manipulative commercials (there’s a Tim Horton’s ad that plays every year around Remembrance Day that leaves me a sobbing mess).
6. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Where do I even start? We don’t want to be here all day, so I’ll just list a few – people who don’t cover their mouths when they cough, people who talk during movies, people who don’t offer up their seats to people who need them, people who spit, and anyone who is rude and mean to people who work in customer service.
7. How many times a day do you look at yourself in the mirror?
I have mirrored doors along my hallway, so I see myself in the mirror countless times a day, whether I want to or not.
8. What is the strangest thing you believed as a child?
For a while I had to pull the shower curtains back every tim I went into the washroom because I was terrified that something might be lying in wait for me in the bathtub. I think I read a few too many spooky stories!
9. What is the guilty pleasure you enjoy too much to give up?
K-dramas, especially the contemporary romance ones. So cheesy, so melodramatic, and so, so good.
10. Who performs the most random acts of kindness out of everyone you know?
My partner, who is literally the best, kindest person I’ve ever met.
11. How often do you read the newspaper? Which sections?
I never actually read physical newspapers anymore, though I do visit several news websites like The Guardian and CNN every day to keep up to date.
12. Which animal scares you the most?
SPIDERS.
13. Are you more likely to avoid conflict or engage with it?
I try to pick my battles. As my mother always said, “is that the hill you want to die on?”
14. What is the most recent compliment you’ve received?
My partner told me I have a lovely singing voice. I was singing show tunes while washing up after dinner.
15. What question are you tired of hearing?
“You seriously need a Masters to be a librarian?”
16. What is the strangest thing you have eaten?
I worked my way through the menu at a sushi restaurant in Japan, so I’ve eaten many different kinds of raw fish.
17. Do you have a whole lot of acquaintances or just a few very close friends?
I have a few very close friends. I tend to be very private, not to mention extremely socially awkward, so it can be difficult for me to open up and make new friends.
18. Do you have a catchphrase?
I tend to say “sorry” a lot, which I guess is a by-product of my Canadian upbringing.
19. What’s your all-time favorite town or city? Why?
I can’t pick just one, so I’ll pick a few! Halifax, Wellington, Sendai, Osaka, Nikko, Kanazawa, Tokyo, London, Fukuoka, and of course my hometown of Vancouver.
20. If you had to change your first name, what would you change it to?
I love my name and would never want to change it, but I’ve always loved the name Ngaio, though I know I’d spend my entire life correcting people’s mispronunciations.
21. When was the last time you lied?
I very rarely lie. My honesty can get me in trouble sometimes….
22. What’s something that amazes you?
Nature! Nature always amazes and astounds me, particularly the complex ways in which plants and animals have evolved together, either as partners or rivals. Specialized adaptations just blow my mind.
23. Would you rather be the first person to explore a planet or be the inventor of a drug that cures a deadly disease?
Invent a drug! Save lots of lives, while not risking your own. I’m not particularly adventurous and don’t enjoy taking risks, so being an astronaut has never appealed to me.
24. What is your favorite amateur activity?
I’d say writing, which I still feel like an amateur at.
25. What was your first thought when you got up this morning?
UGH.
26. What is your favorite song (at least at the moment)?
I can’t pick just one! One of my favourite songs is Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver, because my partner and I went to the most magical musical house party in stunning Cape Breton where it was the final sing-along number.
27. List someone you know and describe them in five words.
My partner – kind, patient, strong, reliable, gentle.
28. You can select one person from history and have them truthfully answer one question. Who would you select and what would the question be?
I’ve struggled with this one, and still haven’t come up with an answer!
29. Which celebrity or artist do you resemble the most?
My dad always said I had Brooke Shields’ eyebrows, which he meant as the highest compliment.
30. What do you want me to know?
That you are an amazing human being, and don’t you ever forget it.
Wowza, you made it through all thirty questions, congratulations! If you decide to tackle this beast of a tag, do let me know, I’d love to read your responses!