christopher575

Full list of October questions here.

6. What’s the first recipe you ever learned to cook? Were you taught at school, by a family member, or did you try it yourself?

Probably cinnamon toast with an almost-glassy layer of melted sugar on top, my brother taught me how to make it.

7. We are in the 10th month of the year – looking back, what has been the highlight so far?

It really hasn't been a great year but it was pretty cool when I realized I'd been teaching deep water classes for a year. There was also a short solo trip I enjoyed a lot.

8. Have you (a family member or a friend) ever thrown anything out and then found out it was worth a lot of money?

Not that I know of.

9. It’s International Beer and Pizza Day! What are your favourite toppings on a pizza? Supplemental question – do you have a favourite type of beer?

We used to hang out in the bar at a pizza place near our place in Seattle and would share a "small" salad and each get a personal pizza. Those came with three toppings and I liked doing double smoked oysters plus onions. I've never seen smoked oysters on the toppings menu anywhere else.

IPAs are good. I think the combination of high ABV and strong flavor make for a smooth experience.

10. On Universal Music Day, what is the most annoying musical instrument in your opinion?

I suppose cymbals when they're played too clashy.

Full list of September questions here.

26. It’s International Lace Day! Lace was first developed in Europe in the 1600s and was handmade until it was industrialised at the end of the 18th century. Have you ever owned anything made or trimmed with lace?

I'm sure there are family items around that have a lace trim but that's really not my style at all.

27. It’s World Tourism Day – are there any places you have visited as a tourist that you remember fondly?

Quite a few! The one I've been thinking about a lot this week is Iceland because I had to speak with someone there for work and will be again this coming week. Such an amazing place.

28. What is your favourite writing instrument (pencil, rollerball, fountain pen or something else)?

A laptop. If I have to write by hand, a simple ballpoint pen is what I'd reach for. But I really don't like writing by hand. I'm out of practice but don't really have a reason to practice more.

29. Are you a fan of opera?

It's not for me but I acknowledge that it's amazing.

30. Do you often listen to podcasts? Do you have a favourite?

Currently I listen to three. Text Me Back, which I've been listening to for a long time, plus Attitudes and Linoleum Knife, which I came back to after a long time. That happened because Melrose Place Cast stopped releasing new episodes. I've been on that one a few times, and really thought they'd make it all the way to the end of the series, which I wasn't able to with my own Melrose Place podcast due to my cohost's waning interest.

Full list of September questions here.

16. Peter Falk was born on this day in 1927. Most famous for his role as the detective, Columbo – have you ever seen him play the character?

I'm not sure I've ever watched an episode, but Peter Falk's Columbo is definitely meme fodder so I see him online a lot. Turns out Kate Mulgrew had a spinoff, Mrs. Columbo. I tried to watch that but only got through one episode.

17. RCA Victor released the first 33 1/3 rpm recording (Beethoven's Fifth Symphony performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra) in 1934. Do you own a record player and vinyl albums?

It's been a very long time since I had a record player, and in that time got cassettes, then CDs, and finally built an MP3 library. Funny story about the MP3s. I used to have an amazing playlist in .m3u format for whichever player I used in the early 2000s. Oh yeah, WinAmp. Those were the days. I miss the skins and the tiny people I had dancing on top of the window.

Anyway, I went to electronic music events with friends who came to town each time and stayed with me. Quite a few over the course of a few years. My playlist was legendary among the three of us, and for the last few years, I've really wanted to recover and rebuild it. I probably have all the MP3s, but the idea of sorting through the files to isolate just the stuff we used to listen to was intimidating. My playlist had everything, but it was in zones.

I have lots of old files on my computer but the playlist never made it there or onto any of our cloud storage. I have an old external hard drive, but the last couple of times I tried to use it, nothing happened. Thankfully, it whirred to life a couple of days ago and I snatched the gigantic text file. I started editing it down in Notepad, not so I could use it with my local mp3s; I wanted to create a huge YouTube playlist I could share with those two friends.

It didn't take long to realize Notepad wasn't the way to go and I made much quicker work of it with Excel. Unfortunately, that required alphabetical sorting, so the original order was lost and lots of songs by the same artist appear together. But that's kind of cool, too.

If you're curious what I might have played during wild weekends back in the day, here's a playlist that's 306 songs to start. Excel really saved the day, it was pretty easy to copy the titles from the cells and paste them into the search bar in YouTube. There were about 30 titles I couldn't find; at some point when I'm feeling industrious, I'll see if I can find the mp3 files in the library, play them so I can Shazam them, and then try to find them on YouTube with more information. Sometimes those old filenames were incorrect or overly short, you see.

You would think the best way to enjoy this playlist would be on shuffle, but I swear YouTube's shuffle isn't very good. At least not if today was typical. I plan to listen to it a lot, though. Even hearing the first few seconds of each song when I was building the playlist was so much fun. And since I'm a paid user of the YouTube music app, I already have downloaded versions I can play any time in the phone app.

The last time I bought records was to try to build myself a privacy screen for my apartment that would have used double albums as the hinges. I spent way too much money on additional hardware and never completed the project.

18. Have you ever won a prize for something?

Not as many as I'd like to have, but one example that came up in memories yesterday was a RuPaul's Drag U prize pack I won in 2011.



19. It’s International Red Panda Day! Red pandas spend up to 55% of their day sleeping – how long (on average) do you sleep each night?

7-8 hours pretty consistently. Back when I had to commute by bus, it was never more than 7 on weeknights.

20. Have you, or someone close to you, ever suffered a concussion?

The example I thought of first was in high school when one of the school's many twins (I knew three sets!) had a pretty bad pole vault accident that included a concussion. I wouldn't have considered him all that close, but he and his brother were part of the one-month student exchange I did to Germany. Ironically, one of them stayed with (fraternal) twins, and the German twin many of the guys had a crush on ended up having a little fling with his brother, who wasn't staying with her. He was bummed because he liked her too, but he had a fling of his own.

But I think I'm better. Everything seems pretty normal and I think I'm even done withdrawing from caffeine. The jinx part is that it's 2:42pm as I type this sentence and I haven't had a headache yet today or really even a hint that one might be coming.

For now I'm drinking triple mint tea from Traditional Medicinals in place of my coffees. The practitioner who saw me at the walk-in clinic recommended mint tea and sure enough, the package says it's a probiotic and aids digestion.

Not sure if I'll resume my tomatoes at breakfast and lunch right away, though. And it's not because tomatoes are full of seeds, the advice about avoiding nuts and seeds with diverticulitis is now considered outdated. Something about daily tomatoes just seems a little acidic at the moment.

Another new beverage in my life is blue Gatorade mixed with Sprite. Or rather, with lemon-lime soda because I don't see why I'd pay more than a dollar for a 2-liter of the stuff when the store brand tastes just fine. It'd be nice to be able to do the sugar-free version of the soda, but you might remember I learned earlier this year that artificial sweeteners don't agree with me. If the diverticulitis had happened sooner I might even think the two were related.

That's the update. Every little tightness in my neck makes me wonder if a headache's coming but I think today's the day where it doesn't come to that. I'm teaching tomorrow morning, too. I wish I wasn't going back on a Tuesday because deep water is the tougher one, but at least today being a holiday means I get to return with one day instead of two in a row.

Full list of September questions here.

1. The first US bank robbery took place on this day in 1798. The Bank of Pennsylvania at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was robbed of $162,821. Have you ever had anything stolen?

Friends here may remember a while back I got into time lapse photography. It was a great addition to my morning walks because I could set up a camera, do my walk, grab the camera, and see what it caught when I got back home. I gave it up because people kept stealing the cameras.

The other most recent theft that comes to mind was also during a walk. I left my car at the bottom of Japanese Gulch and did a big loop walk, and found the driver's side window smashed when I got back. One thing I remember that they took was my jumpstart kit. Not cables for jumping with another car, but a batter that lets you do it on your own. I got it because that car specifically would sometimes forget to beep when the lights were still on when you got out, and I'd forget to turn them off occasionally because of that. One time I waited three hours for AAA to come for a jump and he just used one of those kits, so I decided I should own one.

I gotta say, the thieves could have been slightly more considerate and smarter, too. Why smash the driver's side door when smashing the passenger side would be less obvious to passersby during the crime? The added bonus would be that I wouldn't have to deal with glass in my seat.

2. When you were a teenager, what new technology were you most impressed with? Looking back, has that item been updated or become obsolete?

One of the coolest toys I ever had was the PXL 2000 video camera and TV. It recorded black-and-white pixelated video onto audio cassettes, and was a less expensive way than a standard video camera to let kids experiment with moviemaking. Now we all carry phones that make high-quality video and have free websites we can publish to.

3. Are there any athletic sports (javelin, discus, hurdles, high jump, etc) that you have tried in the past (or still take part in today)?

No. The only sport I ever devoted much time to was bowling, and that's hardly athletic. It's nice to finally see a backlash brewing against luxury bowling companies that are buying up bowling alleys and making the pastime too expensive.

4. A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used primarily to flavour, colour, or preserve food. Distinct from herbs (which are the leaves or stems of plants), spices are celebrated for their pungent, aromatic, and sometimes fiery qualities. Do you have a favourite?

I couldn't choose a favorite because they're all so different. Instead, I'll share a dish I like and what spices go into it. A great way to use up leftover rice is to make a sweet breakfast dish from it. You heat rice and butter, and when was a kid then ingredient list would have stopped after that with cinnamon and sugar. Nowadays I'll keep going from there with salt, Chinese five spice, garam masala, and red chili powder, plus whatever add-ins like raisins, craisins, and seeds sound good at the moment. Maybe even some chicken if there's some handy.

You also can't go wrong with some lovely paprika-dusted deviled eggs.

5. It’s International Bacon Day! What’s your favourite bacon dish (pork, turkey or veggie)?

Going by frequency, it's a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich. But if we're talking about what I wish I was having next, I'd say bacon-wrapped prawns or scallops. And I would love to say bacon-wrapped dates but they're always just a little too sweet; I definitely want them stuffed with something mild like Manchego and I don't want a whole serving to myself.

I've recently come to the conclusion that there's no good imitation bacon flavor. Even Pringles couldn't make a good bacon-flavored chip. It's just too hard to reproduce.

thefridayfive for August 28, 2026.

1. What chores did you have to do, growing up?

I probably had to do just about everything at one time or another, aside from mowing the lawn. That said, my family was pretty bad about actually keeping up with everything and kept a pretty messy house. A couple of times a year, we'd spend a weekend finally cleaning up.

2. Which chore do you hate doing the most?

Cleaning the bathroom. I hate how hard it is to reach certain areas and it's infuriating that showers even get dirty since soap and water cycle through them constantly.

3. Which chore do you actually enjoy doing?

Taking care of my houseplants.

4. Did you receive an allowance when you were growing up?

Yes, and people made fun of me because it kept going for a while in college but I'm not sure how they expected me to get to and from school or eat there without a little something from my parents since they didn't want me to start working until a couple of years in. Of course that changed once the expense of college sank in. Not that I have anything to complain about with how cheap my local school was in 1992 compared to what everything costs now.

5. What was (or is) your favorite subject in school?

Art and German. I was originally a German major but realized I didn't want to teach or translate for a living.

Full list of August questions here.

21. Have you ever kept fish as pets?

At the second house I ever lived in, the first thing you saw when you walked in was a big brick planter. It was rectangular and the sides were lower and had space for soil and plants. The center was larger and a big flat surface. Wood poles went up and held a shelf that was about the same size as the whole thing. That center spot had a fish tank for a long time and it was really neat. I don't know how long we had it and can't remember why we stopped keeping fish.

I doubt I'd ever have fish again, unless I was loaded enough to have them taken care of by a service.

22. Do you have a favourite plant-based milk, or do you stick to cow’s milk?

Of the plant-based ones I've had, I think almond is the tastiest. I most recently had some at the vegan place I like. No need to buy it because I rarely use milk at home. A rare mug of cereal when I can't sleep because I'm hungry, for example.

23. What was the first fandom you actively took part in?

Peanuts. I carried my stuffed Snoopy constantly and had tons of outfits for him. Lots of other Peanuts stuff was always around and I loved watching the specials.

24. Do you own any really sharp knives (either kitchen, pen knives or any other knife)?

My favorite knife to use is actually not that sharp. It's ceramic, and I like those because I find they cut pretty well but don't actually feel that sharp during accidental contact. There's a big sharp knife I got for Garrett as a gift once, something a YouTuber he likes was selling that he requested as a gift.

25. Have you ever bought any second-hand clothes, or do you prefer to buy new ones? Ever found a bargain in either category?

I love second-hand clothes and the timing of this question is incredible. I decided it was time to hit the Old Navy website for some new cargo shorts and I guess it's too late in the season because they were out of every size except 32-inch waist. The two pair I'm wearing lately are 38 and 40, and strangely the 38 are much looser.

I'm also frustrated with Old Navy because their exercise shorts are SO BORING any more. I have several excellent pairs, but this time and last year around this time, I just wasn't seeing much I liked. There's exactly one pair I like right now and it's not worth doing an order if I'm not spending $50 to get free shipping.

I ended up on eBay and got a bunch of used shorts instead. Groan.

Shopping isn't really my thing any more as I don't want much in the way of stuff. But I'm always ready to go to thrift stores to look for shirts, tank tops, and shorts.

To answer the question, I like buying new shorts and used shirts. I built a huge collection of new shirts back when there were daily $10 shirt websites, but that's not really a thing any more. And every time I find a new shirt I want, I talk myself out of it because of the price.

A while back I was looking for Soft Scrub at WinCo and couldn't find any, but was happy to try 409 Cream Cleanser instead since it was $1.49. I typically spot clean the shower floor but yesterday decided to do the whole thing. It hasn't looked so good since it was brand new! And as far as I can tell, 409 Cream Cleanser was being discontinued when I found it because:
- If I adjust my search results time range to return older results, it was at Dollar Tree.
- Pretty much the only place I see to buy it online now is on eBay, two bottles for about $30.

Nothing says "discontinued" quite like people trying to charge an outrageous amount for it on eBay. That, and the 409 website doesn't mention it at all. If I see any at WinCo on Monday, I'm buying it all!

School and work are very common topics of conversation, and of course as you age the specific questions change a bit. The school question that got me thinking recently was, "If you could go back to school for free, what would you study?" And of course people were quick to point out that you can take a lot of classes at real schools online for free. But it never really mattered to me because I didn't enjoy school much and was so happy to be done with it when I graduated from college.

I've been working on bringing things out of storage to either use, display, or get rid of. There's a bag of art from my printmaking class and without even going through it, I knew of a woodcut print in there that I wanted to get up on the wall.



This is from 30 years ago, well over half my life. The frame was a few feet away in storage, too. Seeing it again got me thinking about how I used to really like art and that it's a skill that's easy to lose if don't continue the practice. So I finally have a different answer for that question, as long as I can modify it a bit. If I could go back to school for free and if I also didn't have to work, I'd study art.

I mentioned before that I had a plan to slowly stuff the glass shelves above my bedroom window with fake plants, and it's working out well so far. As you can see, there's a long way to go.



That's fine, though. Just like with our family photos wall in the entry, I'm not after a polished look and don't want to spend lots of money or be finished in a hurry. As for what I see from the bed, it already looks so much nicer than a bunch of dust and the bottoms of things.



That blue circle is a hook on a suction cup that used to hold a very nice clump of air plants. You may remember I set up a really nice air plant display in my room that I ultimately took down because I keep my room cold. Not a great location for real plants. You can also see one of the binder clips that's keeping the hanging ones in place. I don't mind that at all. Binder clips are one of my favorite things and I'd actually like a tattoo of one at some point.



Since people might be curious about the object on the right in the first picture, it's a wooden flying cat I bought from Barbara, a family friend who has since passed. We have several things I picked up at her big garage sale, and when she was getting her affairs in order, she asked if I wanted any of her art. I chose a very nice print that is in the dining room. I didn't choose it because of possible resale value, but recently decided to see if the amount she thought it might fetch was accurate. Let's just say I'm glad I asked for it because I like it, since her guess was ten times more than the real figure.