MORE Questions and Answers

1
What actions do you take if you can’t sleep naturally? Melatonin

2
Can you easily recognise if you are suffering from stress, and if so, what do you do to reduce it? Are you able to see signs of stress in your friends or your family more than you? I take a walk with my dogs to clear my thoughts. I can usually see the signs of stress in others — I had to learn this from teaching.

3
The West holds firm concerning the war in Ukraine. However, how do you feel about it all now? Do you believe we are providing too much or too little support? I don’t know how I feel about it. I think the perspective of people in Europe has to be different from that of people in the US. I think if I were Zelensky I might have ceded the territories Putin wanted, joined NATO and prepared for war — which might not have come. But I don’t know. I cannot put myself in the shoes of the Ukrainians and I know I wouldn’t like it much if, say, China decided to “take” California. It’s complicated and my thoughts on this matter are also complicated.

4
How much black-and-white honesty from your best friends do you believe your friendship with them warrants? Should friends be brutally honest with you or provide support without question? No one should be brutal. Honesty doesn’t have to be brutal. AND one person’s perspective on something is not necessarily the truth about it. As for “unconditional support?” Absolutely not. Sometimes the kindest thing a person can do for another is walk away. Sometimes it’s what’s needed to awaken someone to their own self-destructive behavior.

Inspired by Should Friends Offer Honesty or Unconditional Support?

5
Do you think you have an addictive personality? In some ways…

6
Why are so many of today’s online/television advertisements so cringey? Are you ever influenced by the comedy or corniness of them? I don’t pay attention.

7
Do you ever need help responding to some comments left by readers on your blog posts, as in not knowing how or what to respond with? Why is this, and what usually throws you off? A couple of times I’ve experienced this — once a woman gave a (to me) very offensive (and wrong) analysis of one of my paintings, and another a reader responded to my posts with long, long, long stream of consciousness essays that were difficult to follow or respond to. That finally got on my nerves. In both cases I said something, and both readers vanished. Now I would probably just delete comments like that or ignore them or block them.

8
What five vegetables do you use the most each week or month? Salad

9
What is the most outrageous thing you have ever done? “Outrageous” is subject to interpretation. 😉

10
Have your blog reading habits changed since you first started to blog? 
Have you ever felt frustrated from reading blog posts because they are perhaps not piquing your interest? 
What have you done to prevent the boredom from biting deep if this is the case? I don’t have to read blogs. It’s a purely elective activity. The ONLY thing that’s ever bugged me was when a blogger told other bloggers what they could and could not write. I stopped following that person.

Inspired by bloggers

11
Do you find it easy to make difficult decisions, and do you have a process of elimination for making those tough decisions? Depends on the decision. Some of the most difficult decisions I’ve faced weren’t really decisions at all. I tend to let nature take its course and see what happens.

12
What’s the longest you have gone without a shower? No idea…

13
Between the choice of a deep fried insect sandwich or a raw earthworm hamburger with no option of declining either, which would you choose? Fried insects

Inspired by a conversation at the Nature Reserve

14
How would your family and friends react if you started to talk to another person one day that no one else could see but you? Do you speak to yourself regularly? I think we all talk to ourselves. My friends already think I’m a little insane…or inane, not sure.

Inspired by the film – Just Like Heaven

15
How far can you be pushed before annoyance becomes full-blown anger and what is your anger style? Ahhh…it’s pretty far but when it happens? That’s it. That’s the end. My anger style is to leave and consider the person dead to me.

https://earthlycomforts.uk/2022/12/17/question-time-over-coffee-9/