uncertainty

These Friday 5s (from the last two Fridays) are a continuation of the last one I posted, themed around wrapping up the year.

1. What were your favorite TV series this year?
I barely watched any TV this year, but I did start season one of Formula 1: Drive to Survive and I'm hooked. My mom and I finally finished the previous season of The Great British Baking Show and I watched more Aggretsuko, but I still need to finish the last two seasons. I'm waiting for season two of Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and this year I want to finish Hospital Playlist and Kimi ni Todoke as well.

2. What were your favorite movies this year?
Hands down, Oddity was my top favorite movie of the year. It was so creepy and atmospheric, the performances were wonderful, and I was gripped the whole time. I'm in love with the oddities shop and the house that the majority of the film took place in. I didn't enjoy Longlegs as much as I thought I would, but it's probably still up there. Also loved Dune: Part Two and Wicked.

3. What was the most memorable meal you had this year?
The short rib & egg brunch at a local restaurant downtown. I went there with my mom and sister, and we also split an appetizer of three different kinds of toasts: avocado, nutella & banana, and strawberry & lemon ricotta. I have not stopped thinking about that meal since.

4. Who made you laugh most this year?
Danny, of course. He keeps me laughing.

5. When were you the farthest from home this year?
I didn't do a lot of traveling this year. The farthest we went was NYC, which is about 700 miles -- or a 2-hour flight -- away. We had the best time there for our honeymoon, though. I miss McSorley's.

6. What was especially good for your mental health this year?
Getting a puppy. Having a small being to focus on taking care of -- and to cuddle with -- has been life-changing in a good way. She got me through all the election nonsense, and she'll help me get through the next four years as well.

7. What was especially good for your physical health this year?
Having an exercise routine. I've been slacking on it this month because I got sick, but I plan to get back to working out for about an hour three days per week next month. I do Grow with Jo's videos because they're actually fun, and I don't usually find exercise fun.

8. What did you learn this year?
Needle felting!

9. As this year ends, what’s trending to make you optimistic about next year?
I'm not too sure what's trending. I was happy to see 2NE1 make a comeback and I'm optimistic for a new album. Does that count?

10. What’s better now than it was twelve months ago? My living situation. It's just Danny and me (and our puppy!) in a much better apartment in a much better area of town. I'm really happy here.

I'm always late to these, but here are last Friday's Fives.

Friday 5:

1. Among people who are professionally funny, who most reliably makes you laugh?
James Acaster, Suzy Eddie Izzard (who I was lucky enough to see live a few years ago), and Atsuko Okatsuka

2. Which films have made you laugh most?
Plains, Trains and Automobiles is probably the one movie that has made me laugh the hardest. What We Do in the Shadows and We're the Millers also come to mind.

3. Whose comedy leaves you flat?
I'm not a huge Bo Burnham fan, although I did love his movie Eighth Grade. I don't hate him, but his comedy has kind of a depressing edge to it that gets under my skin.

4. When did you most recently laugh aloud at something you read?
This False Knees comic, which is part of a larger series that he's been posting on Instagram and I've been loving.

5. What are some of your favorite novelty songs?
Anything by Flight of the Conchords and Brian David Gilbert. I'll also always have a nostalgic love for "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer."

The Friday Five:

1. What is your favorite childhood memory?
Playing soccer on a team, joint birthday parties with my best friend, every Halloween, watching Spice World over and over again, New Year's Eves spent staying up with Mom watching Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve, vacations at New Smyrna in the summers, playing in the woods at my cousins' house, Saturday morning cartoons with cereal... There are so many. I'm grateful that I had a good childhood.

2. If you could be reincarnated as anything besides human, who would you want to be?
A bird of prey

3. If you had to start your life all over, what are three things you would change?
I wouldn't be in a relationship at 15, I would accept the work study that was offered to me in high school, and I would devote myself to learning another language at an early age. That being said, I try not to dwell on regrets, especially because they all led to my current life, and I'm very happy now.

4. If you had to forget everything in your life, except one thing, what would it be?
This is a cruel question. I'll say Danny, but I don't want to forget anything.

5. Do you have a lucky charm?
I have a four-leaf clover keychain that I consider lucky. It will probably always be on my keyring. I've always had a strange love of four-leaf clovers. They feel magical to me.

Friday 5

1. If you are forced to choose only one, what is the greatest single episode of a television series, ever?
The X-Files "Jose Chung's From Outer Space," where everyone is trying to get their story straight about an alien abduction. It's hilarious and kooky and wonderfully paced, and it has this moment.

2. If you are forced to choose only one, what is the greatest opening line of a song, ever?
"Well, they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night" from Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City." It's absurd, it's based on real history, and it sets the tone for the whole song, which is one of the greatest songs ever written.

3. If you are forced to choose only one, what is the greatest movie kiss of all time?
Westley and Buttercup in The Princess Bride, but mainly because of Peter Falk's narration: "Since the invention of the kiss there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind."

4. If you are forced to choose only one, what is the greatest building of all time?
The Space Needle, but I'm a little biased because it's where I got engaged.

5. If you are forced to choose only one, what is the greatest candy — not a candy bar — of all time?
Chocolate-covered pistachios

I found a horror-themed "this or that" questionnaire and thought it might be fun to do here. It was formatted as a photo to be posted on an Instagram story, but I don't use Instagram or Facebook, so I'm just going to answer the questions in good ol' blog format!

Slasher or psychological? I love a good slasher film, like the Scream series or the original Halloween, but psychological horror just barely wins this one. Jacob's Ladder and Get Out are two of my favorite films, and that's largely due to the fact that they have a creeping kind of fear. Their type of horror slowly permeates your mind and makes you question everything you know about the characters, their situations, and even your own reality.

I don't think slasher films can't be deep, and Scream is an excellent commentary on the horror genre and the film industry, but psychological horror tends to make you examine your own life and the world around you a little more deeply.

Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees? I'm a Halloween person, through and through. Michael Myers is the ultimate evil, and he's one of my favorite horror villains. I love the original Halloween best, when you don't understand much about him or the reason behind his bloodlust. He just is.

Paranormal or sci-fi? I choose paranormal here because I'm a huge fan of ghosts. While I love stuff like Alien and The Thing, stories revolving around ghosts tend to be my favorites. I immensely enjoyed The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor. Often, in ghost stories, it's not so much about the ghosts but what they bring out of the people they haunt, and they can make for fantastic character studies.

Werewolves or vampires? Werewolves! I like vampires, but media is over-saturated with them, whereas we really don't get enough interesting werewolf stories. I like how werewolf narratives can be commentary on our discomfort with our own bodies and our desire to break free of them, or dealing with some sort of major life change, whether it be physical or emotional. My favorite werewolf movie? It's gotta be Ginger Snaps.

Witches or possessions? I'm not a huge fan of possession movies, to be honest. I'd definitely go with witches here. Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic are two of my Halloween staples. Since I was a kid, I've wanted to be like the Owens sisters.

Home invasion or haunted house? Haunted house, for sure. There are some gems in the home invasion genre, like You're Next and Hush, but this kind of falls in line with the "paranormal or sci-fi" question. Ghosts are always going to win for me, along with their creepy homes.

The Grudge or The Ring? Ultimately, I would choose the original Japanese Ring, or Ringu. I never saw Ju-On, the original Japanese version of The Grudge, so I'm at a bit of a disadvantage with this question. If we're talking strictly the American remakes, I prefer The Ring.

Tim Curry or Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise? No disrespect to Bill, but Tim Curry will always be Pennywise to me.

Goosebumps (TV) or Ghost Hunters? I grew up reading the Goosebumps books, but I haven't seen the TV series, so I have to go with Ghost Hunters here. I actually really enjoy watching ghost-hunting shows, even if I take them with a healthy dose of salt.

Found footage films or anthology horror films? A hard choice, to be honest, but I'll go with anthology, mainly because Creepshow is one of my favorite films of all time. I don't share the distaste that many people seem to have for found footage films. I have good memories of seeing the original Paranormal Activity in the theater, even though the series has been overdone since then. And I really enjoyed Spree. Found footage is a difficult genre to get right, but if it's done well, it can be really effective.

On VOLA's Patreon, the band members have been answering some questions, and I thought it'd be fun to adapt them into a survey and answer them myself!

What's the best album ever?
Probably "From the Choirgirl Hotel" by Tori Amos, but this is a tough question!

Who's your favorite band/musician?
Lacuna Coil

First album you bought?
I think it was P!nk's "Mizzundastood" with my allowance money. With money I earned myself, I can't remember, but it might have been a Tori Amos album.

Why did you choose your job?
I actually went to school for journalism and history, and I ended up working as an Accounts Receivable Specialist. I didn't entirely choose it, things just kind of ended up that way after years of working clerical jobs. I like it, though!

A person who inspires you?
Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil has always been a big inspiration to me, both in singing and just being a good human.

A nice childhood memory?
I have lots of good memories. One that comes to mind is going to the pool with my cousins and pretending to be Olympic swimmers.

A bad childhood memory?
When my sister and cousin got lost in the woods, and we were worried about them for a while until they managed to find their way back home.

Your favorite dish?
Spaghetti or Japanese curry

Favorite drink?
Lemonade. If we're talking alcoholic, then a whiskey ginger is my go-to.

Something you want to succeed in life?
I just want to be kind and a good person. I would also like to succeed in my job and stay with it.

Your favorite moment of the day?
Probably when I get off work in the afternoon and have the whole evening ahead of me. On weekends, I love the moment when I wake up well-rested and have the whole day ahead of me.

Any recent hobbies?
I'm trying to get into needle felting.

A present you would like to receive?
Money. I just need money.

Do you have tattoos?
I have three on my right arm: a traditional American-style grim reaper, a yeti from the video game Hidden Folks, and a crumbling statue of a girl holding a flower from the video game Gris

What is your dream job?
Baker

One thing not to forget while traveling?
Phone charger

Favorite travel experience?
Definitely Seattle last September. I got engaged! It was also nice just exploring with Danny, seeing the Chihuly glass gardens, and meeting VOLA.

Last video game you played?
Spirit City: Lofi Sessions to help me get into a writing groove

Favorite superhero?
Batman

From the Friday 5:

1. What are you 2 lazy 2 do this weekend?
Probably some of the cleaning I need to do around the apartment. We're having a game night with family this Saturday, and then I'll probably spend Sunday with my mom watching the Great British Baking Show. I doubt I'll fill the extra time with cleaning. Save it for next week instead.

2. What was just 2 much this week?
Having to write addresses on all of the folders for claims to be mailed at work yesterday. Hand cramps galore.

3. What took 2 long 2day?
Work. I'm on lunch right now, but the day is going by so slowly.

4. What’s going 2 be much 2 fun 2morrow?
Danny's off work, so we'll probably hang out, maybe watch some more Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.

5. In what effort are you 2 legit 2 quit?
My job. I've helped out in extra areas lately to get stuff caught up from the backlog that resulted from the cyberattack.

.....

1. What do you remember about your first camera?
I had a little silver Kodak digital camera. I remember taking it on the high school French trip with me and snapping memories.

2. What do you remember about your first cell phone?
Honestly, not much. It was a flip phone, but I can't remember the brand or anything else about it. I didn't use it nearly as much as I use my Google Pixel 8 now, of course.

3. What do you remember about your first radio?
I had a boombox that I listened to my CDs on in my room. I don't remember the brand or anything much about it either. I just remember chilling to Savage Garden, P!nk, and the Spice Girls.

4. What do you remember about your first countertop kitchen appliance (or device)?
This is hard when you have a bad memory! I honestly don't remember what my first countertop kitchen appliance was. I'll never forget getting our stand mixer last Christmas, though!

5. What do you remember how to do from your first job?
Fold fitted sheets. I worked in the laundry area of a hotel.

.....

1. When are you a shark?
When I'm playing board games or card games

2. When are you a kitten?
When I'm with Danny

3. When are you a chameleon?
Almost all the time. I'm pretty good at adapting to situations.

4. When are you a parrot?
When I watch a Jacob Geller video and can't stop talking about it for days afterward

5. When are you an amoeba?
When I'm lying down in bed?

Found this and decided I must do it.

( Proust Questionnaire )