The Syndicate

The Shawshank Redemption

What is the most difficult skill you've ever mastered (or excelled at)?

Making perfect meringue. It's an art, and when I finally mastered it, I was so proud.

DO you have any allergies, and if so, to what?

Oh gosh I'm allergic to everything - trees, grasses, mold, dust, cat, dog, horse, and several drugs like penicillin. No peanuts though or other food.

Also, yes fuchsia is a color.

What is your favorite funny movie?

The Ladykillers starring Tom Hanks.

I know it got panned, but I truly believe it's because the critics don't understand a bunch of the dialogue and references. I do. So brilliant.

What's your favorite Tom Hanks movie?

Forrest Gump always and forever.

whats your least favorite tom hanks movie?

Forrest Gump always and forever.

When is the last time you personally out a stamp on something and sent it snail mail.

Last time I paid for my car insurance. Two weeks ago?

Favorite two flavors of ice cream to enjoy together in the same dish?

Pistachio and Butter Pecan.

Is the 40-hour work week outdated?

Yes.

Do you think a cure for cancers will be developed in your lifetime?

Some of them. Not all of them.

If you were offered a spot on a shuttle to a colony on Mars to spend at least one year there, would you go?

No. Mars is a suicide mission. Exploration? Sure. Colonization? Waste of time and resources. Everything about that planet screams inhospitable to human life. Plus, I couldn’t leave my family behind.

Gilligan’s Island or The Beverly Hillbillies?

Gilligans Island all day long. The Professor was my first TV crush.

What was the best vacation you ever took?

The first cruise with my wife. We still talk about it.

Do you like escargot?

I had escargot for the first time on my first cruise with my wife. (We still talk about ours too!). I remember it being chewy and doused in a garlic butter sauce. I can’t say I know what it tastes like because all I tasted was garlic butter. I’ll go with no since it was chewy.

Crest or Colgate?

Sensodyne (Colgate in a pinch)

Do you know the names of all of your great grandparents?

S~V~S wrote: ↑Tue Feb 05, 2019 8:08 pm Sensodyne (Colgate in a pinch)

Do you know the names of all of your great grandparents?

No. I don't know my maternal grandfather at all (his name is Bill and I'm left with the impression that nobody liked him). My maternal grandmother's mom died a few years back just shy of her 102nd birthday, but she was not the biological mother of my grandma (nobody talked about this, but I was informed of it one time when I was a teenager). My great-grandma had two husbands. One died of cancer, and the other "murdered himself," as she put it.

My dad's side should be clearer, but isn't. I don't know any of my paternal great-grandparents' names whatsoever. They were all dead by the time I was born, and nobody ever talked about them that I was aware of.

What is your favorite day of the week?

Sunday...the most chill day of the week by far.

What is your least favorite day of the week?

Tuesday. I have a theory about Tuesdays and Thursdays. They don’t have their own feeling. Tuesday either feels like a second Monday or an early Wednesday. Thursdays feel either like a second Wednesday or an early Friday. Since Mondays and Wednesdays oftentimes suck, Tuesdays are bound to suck no matter what.

Which Dr. Seuss character are you most like?

The Wall in the Butter Battle Book.

Favorite investment?

One someone else makes for me so I don't have to think about it.

Not counting Denim or Khaki, what is the predominant color in your wardrobe?

Teal/various shades of blue and green.

What's your go-to everyday breakfast?

G-Man wrote: ↑Tue Feb 05, 2019 11:22 pm Tuesday. I have a theory about Tuesdays and Thursdays. They don’t have their own feeling. Tuesday either feels like a second Monday or an early Wednesday. Thursdays feel either like a second Wednesday or an early Friday. Since Mondays and Wednesdays oftentimes suck, Tuesdays are bound to suck no matter what.

Which Dr. Seuss character are you most like?

as for the question....little debbie cakes

favorite Italian dish?

I am a big fan of Pomodori al riso, rice and cheese baked in tomatoes, omg so good.

Do you speak or understand a foreign language?

I still know a little bit of German but not enough to hold a conversation.

Do you prefer writing with a pencil ir pen?

Pen.


Do you make an effort to use coupons?

No. There are a few things I get in the mail or in my email that I use somewhat regularly, but not much beyond that, so no, not an effort.

What's your favorite Molly Hatchet song?

I was not familiar with them, I looked them up, I wish it still were so. I don't have one. Pure Prairie League or Marshall Tucker, I might have had an answer.

How rigid is your morning routine, and does it ruin your day if you deviate too much from it?

i work in construction, so i am often ruled by the weather. If i wake up and the weather man tells me its a no go, yes it ruins my day...very much. For example last night and today....noah's ark levels of rain. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

favorite character on sesame street?

Count von Count. He’s the most fun to impersonate.

Would you rather go whitewater rafting or skydiving?

Whitewater rafting. I've done it a few times and loved it. Skydiving terrifies me and would probably make me sick.

Have you kept up with your new year's resolution(s) until now (if you had any)?

(Skydiving is fun! It isn't as terrifying as bungie jumping that ground comes up FAST!)

I did not have any resolutions, although I am doing good with my life resolutions I started last year.

Do you think people can change, like change their personality, the person they are, not just the way they come across?

Yes.

What did you have for lunch?

cold pizza with mushrooms and diced tomatoes

Is it possible for art to be objectively good or objectively bad?

Oh gosh JJJ, here we were rolling along with easy questions and you ask something hard lol! I don't know that I am interpreting your question correctly but I do feel some art is objectively good and some bad. Though as I say that I don't know that everyone would agree with my assessments so maybe it's not objectively good or bad. I'd like to know what others think about this question so I'm going to repeat it.

Is it possible for art to be objectively good or objectively bad? What is your favorite piece of art?

No. Galatea of the Spheres.

Do your shoes fit?

they do, but some are too big because in sweden in winter, i'd wear several pairs of socks so i'd go a size larger. nowadays, i can't do that because it's too warm here.

what's your favorite snack?

Brazil nuts.

What's your favorite nut?

probably pistachios or cashews if they weren't so heavy.

what time would you like to wake up every day if you could choose instead of work/life dictating it for you?

8am.

Have you ever played Craps?

i havent!

what is this game craps?

It's a casino game played with dice.

Is it raining right now?

it is not over here in south west france.

do you play texas hold 'em?

I used to, quite often actually.

What brand of trash bags do you buy?

i get a brand called "handy bag"

describe your favorite kind of weather.

72F, light breeze, partly cloudy.

What did you do the last time you went out?

watched aquaman

hello, how are you?

Disillusioned and embracing my gradual obsolescence.

What was your water bill last month?

i get billed every 3-months, around $150, so that would make it $50 a month.

how many bedrooms does your house have?

3 bedroom with an office that can be converted into a 4th bedroom.

If you are in the USA, are you going to benefit from the tax cuts that went into effect for this tax filing season? If you are overseas did your taxes go up, down or remain the same for fiscal 2018 (I don't know if overseas is filing now like we are)?

dunya wrote: ↑Tue Feb 12, 2019 6:44 am i get billed every 3-months, around $150, so that would make it $50 a month.

juliets wrote: ↑Tue Feb 12, 2019 8:23 am If you are in the USA, are you going to benefit from the tax cuts that went into effect for this tax filing season? If you are overseas did your taxes go up, down or remain the same for fiscal 2018 (I don't know if overseas is filing now like we are)?

I don't know, because I haven't done them, but from what I can tell, the standard deduction is the largest in history for our filing status, and we don't pay federal taxes anyway because the tax code is set up such that we get a "refund" even though we don't pay any taxes. What gets me are all those who complain that their refund checks aren't as large as they were in previous years, as though they treat their refund as a windfall savings account. Nonsense.

What was the first news story you read today?