Questions Often Have Anwers

[jmfargo]

But Sometimes They Don't

I asked for questions, promised answers, and so here they are! I got some real interesting/thought provoking questions this time around. Thank you all for asking your questions, they definately got me out of my bored funk.

cieo asks a question that had me thinking and changing my answer every minute until I actually wrote this:
You're walking along one day and come across a Supreme Being. We'll call him/her Cato. Cato is very lonely. You spend some time with Cato, and eventually manage to cheer him/her up. In his/her gratitude, Cato offers you one freebie. Any real-world learned ability--name it and it's yours. Not superpower. What do you ask for?

If this were to come to pass, I would ask that Supreme Being to bestow on me the ability to masterfully tell stories, be they in verbal, written, or some other method of communication. I would hope that this would convey upon me the abilites of wit, evocative description, and so many other talents that I believe go along with being a good story teller. Stories can bring people to tears, give them hope, or make them laugh. You can do anything with a good story, if you're good enough, and if the people will listen/read.

Aptly named evilbutcute asks:
If you could choose any hair color eye color skin color combination different from your own to have forever what would it be?

Well, I'm pretty happy with how I am now. I think I might be a little too fair skinned, so I'd probably ask to be a little more bronzed, with blonder hair, and eyes that change color as much as mine used to when I was younger. My girlfriend once saw them change to yellow, which I think scared her but made me go around in wonderment for the day. :) So, I'd probably just tweak these things a very little bit.

Our non-lj using friend TT asks:

What is the one question you REALLY would like someone to ask, but they haven't?

This is a tough one. I like it when people ask questions about me because, well, I can blather on about myself for a while I guess and it shows that they're interested. So I guess the one question I really wish someone would ask would be something that would evoke strong emotions in me, allowing me to answer in a lengthy yet interesting manner. I just don't know what that question would be. I have a feeling it'd be about LARPing/roleplaying though.

akdidge decided to ask me lots of questions (yay!):

What would it take to convince you that you need to show up at DragonCon this upcoming Labor Day weekend in Atlanta?

It's not that it takes convincing to get me to want to come down there. The problem is with money, and finding a place to stay. Plus there's the fact that I've never been to a big con - do I even have time to register? Is it full? Are these things that I even have to really worry about? I have no clue! See? I'm too much of a "newb" to start at DragonCon of all the big cons to go to!

Of course, if you told me I could meet some famous people there and network a little bit (like, seriously network to get well known for something) then that might push me a little closer. If you told me too that I could sell latex weapons down there without any problem at all, that they would sell out REAL quickly, and that I would get orders for more with ease, then I'd be over the edge. Maybe. :)

If you had to classify yourself as one religious 'type' what would it be and how closely would you follow it?

If I had to classify myself in one religion it would be Buddhism. That sounds funny, considering how often I say things like "I want to win the lottery," or "I would so kill the zombies if they came at us," and how much I like having stuff. It also sounds funny when you consider how much I love meat. But in actuality I think they have the best belief system that can be distilled pretty simply into "Peace, love, harmony. Truth, enlightenment, rebirth." I don't know, there's just something to it that calls to me.

As to how I would follow it? I'm doing a bad job now, and probably would no matter what, but if anything ever happened with me and Maria I know I'd probably seriously consider joining a Buddhist temple and take a years vow of silence to see the ways of that world.

Why/how did you get into LARPing?

Wow. That's a short question with a long answer that I will distill for now. I got into LARPing because I love fantasy and all things to do with it. I wanted somewhere that I could put aside the concerns and realities of the real world, could wave a sword around for a while, and could fling magic spells at bad guys. I wanted to be the hero, and got hooked on LARP before I even ever played. I sat at a Denny's in Rome New York for 5 hours talking about LARP with some players, slowly getting hooked and addicted without ever touching a boffer weapon. Still hooked today, but more wise in the way of the worlds of LARP.

Would you ever be willing to write, professionally, an account of everything you've ever experienced while ghost-hunting? Speaking of which, I haven't seen any of those for awhile, will you be writing one soon?

I think it would be interesting to write profesionally on that subject, and have often toyed with the idea. Part of the reason you haven't seen much of my ghost hunting stories (or my zombie posts for that matter) is because I have been saving them, looking over what I have, and am considering doing just what you are talking about here. Putting them online does some funky things with copyright, so I don't want to lose my chance at ever publishing (widely) some of the stories. But yes, you will be seeing another story soon. :)

Which food do you think best sums up who you are and why?

Soup. Soup can be anything you want it to be at a moments notice with just a little change here or there with the ingredients, and I like to think that I'm adaptable like that. It also tends to slosh out of the bowl if you jar it too hard. Think about it.

If you were to watch an off-beat Opera (not a main-stream one such as Phantom of the Opera, or Marriage of Figaro), which would it be? My personal choice here would be Die Fledermaus.

Well, the frank and honest answer to this is I have no idea. I don't keep up with the arts as much as I should, and those Operas that I do know and want to see would be something that is not off-beat. I'm sorry I can't answer this well, but I don't have the knowledge necessary to answer it. I'm guessing a simple on-beat musical like Spamalot doesn't count?

enchanted_eve asks a couple questions, and cheats (but at least she admits it):

What is weirdest dream you've ever had?

Okay, this is weird and disturbing, so if you're easily bothered by very morbid things go on to the next question.

You've been warned.

The weirdest dream I ever had involved me taking my deceased grandfather's head from his corpse late at night in a cemetary and hiding it (as a child) in my closet. It hid there for months before I buried it in a large mound of dirt that until recently sat in front of my parent's house. The most disturbing part of this dream was that no matter how much I KNEW it could not be true, I couldn't shake the images from my brain, and it still feels so strange to me, thinking about it. It just felt so real that when I woke up I really couldn't determine one way or the other if it was or not, even though I knew it couldn't be.

Yeah.

What is your favorite thing to cook and why?

I absolutely love cooking stew. Beef stew, chicken stew, vegetable stew, it doesn't matter what. A good hearty, heavy stew always brings up my spirits while cooking it. It's a lot like me - not fancy or very refined, and yet somehow very good when put together properly. That, and stews are usually rather simple, which is nice.

Describe your dream day or week. (ok I cheated, that's not a question).

I'm not sure I can answer this here and now. I hope you don't mind, but I'll answer this demand/question in a post later, when I can think it over and give it its due. I can say this though - it would start somewhere warm, by (or on) the ocean, with lots of friends. At some point there would have to be a short but satisfying thunder storm. :)

badlykeptsecret, who looks exactly like a person I knew in high school, but isn't her, asks:

This has probably already been answered at some point in your journal, but how much time do you spend thinking about zombies, and how serious about it are you?

The best answer I can give you is that when I open the garage door in the morning to get in the car and go to work it is with one hand on an axe. Now, I'm not saying that I think every moment of the day that a zombie is going to jump out from behind the corner and try to eat my brains, but I do.

It's not an all-the-time kind of thing, but very often each day the question will pop into my head "What if they came right now, what's near you to defend yourself/what do you do to get out and start the Plan?"

I don't know how much I believe it's going to happen, but I'm prepared for when it does. The nice thing is the preparations have uses for other things like burglars, non-zombie apocalypses, etc.

---

I am very grateful to all of you for helping me relieve my boredom for a time. Thank you!

Comments

[akdidge.livejournal.com]

DragonCon Response:
This will be my first big Con so don't feel too bad. reverendfixxxer has been to DragonCon before a number of times apparently and so I'll be using him as my own whipping boy for answers about this or that, assuming his wife doesn't mind. ;)

Seeing as the Con itself is over Labor Day weekend my guess is that they still have openings to register. From what I'm told you can meet famous people all over down there. Ask reverendfixxxer about his experience in an elevator and acting as a certain someone's tourguide. As for you selling your Latex weapons I don't see why you couldn't. I'd suggest if you decide that you want to do this to bring an exhibit piece and then some good color photos of others that you've done along with a price list and contact info. I'm sure this can be done, but check with reverendfixxxer because he's been to this thing before and can probably tell you about this kind of thing better than I.

The Off-beat Opera Choice Response:
See, this is why I like Die Fledermaus, because it in itself is a comedy about opera's. It's very entertaining, and an opera I recommend to folks who aren't familiar with, or don't care for, Opera.

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

I guess the only answer I can give is "We'll see." August is quite a ways away still to me, and I don't know what might happen between now and then that will allow me to go. Yes, allow. Money is not at a part right now where it's feasible, but hearing what you're telling me (especially about the latex weapons right now - money) makes me lean more towards "I might be able to do this, if things work out right." If things don't work out though, well, it goes without saying.

Also? I can't ask reverendfixxxer things. He scares me.

:)

[reverendfixxxer.livejournal.com]

BOO!

You'd certainly be able to sell large amounts of latex weapons if you had a booth, but they'd better be damn good-looking, since there's a booth there every year for a company that makes and sells pretty, good-quality latex weapons. Otherwise, you could simply put up flyers advertising your weapons, giving prices and your room number. Believe it or not, that might work.

Regarding registration, you can always get in. You can even buy tickets at the door, if that's what you want. They get progressively more expensive as time goes on and eventually end up costing $85 at the door.

Meeting famous people and networking is the real fun of a con (besides the people watching, that is). The last time I wnet, I met Margareit Weis (again), Tracy and Laura Hickman (again), half the cast of Babylon 5 (again), James Doohan (it was before he died), Tim Curry, Lou Farigno, Elvira (mistress of the dark) and dozens more recognizable people.

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

The biggest difference between the latex weapons I make and the latex weapons I'm willing to bet that this company makes is that mine are hand-made and can be used a bit rougher than most of even the best quality poured boffer weapons. They don't look as pretty, I'll admit to that, but can still look damn nice.

I don't know this company that you're talking about, but compared to most companies the ones that I make are much cheaper.

I don't think I'd be able to get a booth, as those are usually sold out quickly for most cons, especially big ones, and I'm not sure my meager skills (and I say that truthfully) are ready for the booth experience. A flyer isn't that bad of an idea if I can swing something like that.

Hmm. I think I have to see how much I can save up between now and then, and how many latex weapons I might be able to make. I can make bracers and stuff too, but no-where near the quality you get at most places out there.

And yeah, meeting people sounds like a good time. I got to meet that one guy from Babylon 5 at the local con, but...that didn't seem like the real deal. I just don't like being around people that are bowing (literally) to some guy, no matter how good that guy is, and I think he felt a little uncomfortable dealing with it, even though he handled it with the good humor and grace of someone that's dealt with it too much.

As my friend Earl said, "[He's] way too famous to be in Buffalo at this crappy con." :)

[enchanted-eve.livejournal.com]

Well even if I cheated, that one thing should give you fodder for a long post next time you are bored...
:)
M

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

That answer will give me a good amount of fodder. If nothing else it's keeping me entertained by trying to answer it for myself, and frankly the answers I'm coming up with for what my perfect day would be like surprise me. I mean, no LARPing? Crazy!

[enchanted-eve.livejournal.com]

Oh and new multi-question... How many Characters have you played (Larp wise)and in what way did you like/dislike, identify/not itdentify with them?
(maybe, just maybe that might be the question you were hoping for...)

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

It's definately a good one, and even though it's late (and you're not the only one to "submit" late) I'll answer it today in a separate post. :) Thanks for keeping me busy!