I am an outdoor person who married an indoor person and then created a trio of indoor people. (Well, two of the kids don't mind the outdoors.) Anyway, the net effect is we never go anywhere cool or scenic. But as a kid I hated being stuck at home, stuck indoors. I used to bike around the streets of Skokie listlessly, trying to get lost to see if I could. When I moved to NYC in 2010, I bought a bike and went over the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey to try to replicate my childhood experience -- it's less fun when you're worried about getting nailed by crazy New Jersey drivers.
Oh my goodness, I feel like such a celebrity getting a contest shout out. I did not wake up this morning with the programming necessary to respond in a calm, cool, collected manner!
Also, I for sure died a lot. I echo @Ian Cummings on the whole “ but I was clutching the stone of invulnerability!” indignation. I guess it only affects sharks.
I even tried to play nice with the Commander (before I took the bribe money and leapt to my death)
OK, I jumped over the cliff and died. How? I was clutching the stone of invulnerability!
As for the most spectacular thing I have seen, it has to be the Sphinx, that is the proper big one, by the Pyramids, not the little ones that are either side of the 1 km road between Karnak and Thebes, they are cool, but smaller! I have seen Stonehenge, being English you have to, and frankly was a little underwhelmed. It is fairly obvious that in its day it was in much better condition, and all the lintels were in place. I think a lot of the stone was robbed to make houses and barns in the dark ages.
I used to like camping when I was younger, but as I got older it became harder and harder, and now, as I only have one leg, getting into and out of a tent is a no-no!
I can't think of a reason to give myself a merit badge, apart for perseverance. I was told that there is a guy who lives in the same village as me, but is twelve years younger, has also lost a leg, and has just given up! He has carers who come in, in the morning, help him to get up, and dressed, prepare his Wheaty Bangs, come back at lunchtime and feed him, then a call in the evening to feed him, and help him into bed. On the other hand I have a carer to come in at around six thirty, who takes my commode upstairs and empties it, everything else I do for myself. The commode is needed, as to put my leg on and get upstairs takes about 15minutes, by which time it is too late!
It took me a few tries, but I survived. Kept looking for ways to survive the jump but couldn't find it. I walked the Inca Trail which had some great views that are also terrifying if you're scared of heights. And always been more of an in doors person. Camping sounds very unappealing.
My merit badge is for pointing my friends to the good stuff at PAX East, the expo game recommender badge.
I went splat :-( It took a few tries to figure it out the whole "invulnerability" thing...
Tough call on the most scenic place. Iceland is stunning, but I'm weirdly partial to Orkney. It's sort of stark and mysterious with this amazing ancient history on view everywhere you turn.
I live on a farm, so I had better be outdoorsy! I get stir crazy when I'm stuck inside too long, and I love working outside, doing hands-on projects, or just being in nature. When I travel, it's usually to take long hikes.
My merit-badge moment this year was probably tackling my girlie chainsaw phobia and finally learning to use one. As you might imagine, there are occasionally downed limbs and trees around the farm that need cutting up, and hiring someone to do it gets expensive. I got an electric chainsaw to start with, and it's not as bad as I thought it would be! (I picture an embroidered image of chainsawing a dollar in half?)
🏝️ The most scenic places I've had the pleasure of visiting so far have all been by the sea. The coasts of the Maritime provinces in Canada, the Californian coast ... I'd also love to visit Maine or Rhode Island (in the United States) along the same line of thinking. Cities situated beside the sea pique my interest further. I got to visit Halifax (Nova Scotia) and Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island) on that same Maritimes trip, but it was more of a touchdown than a stay — we remained in the cities for barely a day each time before moving on. If I could I'd take the chance to travel and remain in those cities for longer, maybe a month or more, learning about their traditions and history and customs.
💻 vs. 🚲 Both! If I stay inside for too long I'd go crazy, but I can't handle staying outdoors all day either. Wherever I can work best, I guess — and sometimes I need to sit down and type into a computer to do that, other times I find the outside to offer just as much inspiration as a good book or other media piece.
✍️ I can't think of anything noteworthy to award myself for, mainly because my situation was a bit of a mess last year. Here's to hoping this year's a little better, and I'm a little better as a person ... ?
🗻 Did you survive your run-in with the jerky boys, aka the soldiers?
Of course! As a mom and someone who works in IT, I've learned that patience usually wears down even the most determined jerks in the long run.
🏝️ What’s the most scenic place you’ve ever visited?
I spent two summers at Petrified Forest National Park. Hiking out into the Painted Desert at night, where there's so little light pollution that you can watch satellites travel across the sky is the most beautiful thing ever.
💻 vs. 🚲 Are you more of an indoor or outdoor person? Has it changed over time?
This entirely depends on where I am. When I was at Petrified Forest, you couldn't keep me indoors. I was constantly out and about, and I loved every minute of it. Now that I live in The South, you pretty much have to drag me outdoors any time it's not spring or fall. I just despise humidity, so going out is pretty miserable most of the year.
✍️ Bonus Challenge (+50 Points): Award yourself a scout-type merit badge for something you did over the past year.
My merit badge is going to be "Stepping Waaaaaay Outside of my Comfort Zone in the Weirdest Way Possible."
I've been trying to find something to do lately that engages more with my community. The pandemic really affected my ability to social. Over the last year, I've been volunteering as a religious education teacher at my congregation. I'm kind of an oddball, being the atheist who was raised Catholic at a Unitarian Universalist Congregation where I'm one of the few who was raised in any form of Christianity. I've been teaching 5th-8th graders, and it's been one of the highlights of my year. It's super odd though to be the one sharing the Christian point of view on things. Guess those 9 years of Catholic school weren't a total wash!
I played this one several times. I died multiple ways. I'm mildly afraid of heights, and this game proved that my fear extends to games too. In other words, I did what I could to avoid jumping off the cliff, but it's tough out their for a peon.
Best scenic location? This is a toss up for me. Last summer we visited Alaska and it really knocked my socks off. But I'm also a huge fan of the Grand Canyon. I've been three times, and I'm always struck by its beauty. All that being said, I'm more of an indoors person, but as I get older I find that I do appreciate the outdoors more.
I died doing what I love (jumping off cliffs).
I am an outdoor person who married an indoor person and then created a trio of indoor people. (Well, two of the kids don't mind the outdoors.) Anyway, the net effect is we never go anywhere cool or scenic. But as a kid I hated being stuck at home, stuck indoors. I used to bike around the streets of Skokie listlessly, trying to get lost to see if I could. When I moved to NYC in 2010, I bought a bike and went over the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey to try to replicate my childhood experience -- it's less fun when you're worried about getting nailed by crazy New Jersey drivers.
Oh my goodness, I feel like such a celebrity getting a contest shout out. I did not wake up this morning with the programming necessary to respond in a calm, cool, collected manner!
Also, I for sure died a lot. I echo @Ian Cummings on the whole “ but I was clutching the stone of invulnerability!” indignation. I guess it only affects sharks.
I even tried to play nice with the Commander (before I took the bribe money and leapt to my death)
OK, I jumped over the cliff and died. How? I was clutching the stone of invulnerability!
As for the most spectacular thing I have seen, it has to be the Sphinx, that is the proper big one, by the Pyramids, not the little ones that are either side of the 1 km road between Karnak and Thebes, they are cool, but smaller! I have seen Stonehenge, being English you have to, and frankly was a little underwhelmed. It is fairly obvious that in its day it was in much better condition, and all the lintels were in place. I think a lot of the stone was robbed to make houses and barns in the dark ages.
I used to like camping when I was younger, but as I got older it became harder and harder, and now, as I only have one leg, getting into and out of a tent is a no-no!
I can't think of a reason to give myself a merit badge, apart for perseverance. I was told that there is a guy who lives in the same village as me, but is twelve years younger, has also lost a leg, and has just given up! He has carers who come in, in the morning, help him to get up, and dressed, prepare his Wheaty Bangs, come back at lunchtime and feed him, then a call in the evening to feed him, and help him into bed. On the other hand I have a carer to come in at around six thirty, who takes my commode upstairs and empties it, everything else I do for myself. The commode is needed, as to put my leg on and get upstairs takes about 15minutes, by which time it is too late!
It took me a few tries, but I survived. Kept looking for ways to survive the jump but couldn't find it. I walked the Inca Trail which had some great views that are also terrifying if you're scared of heights. And always been more of an in doors person. Camping sounds very unappealing.
My merit badge is for pointing my friends to the good stuff at PAX East, the expo game recommender badge.
I jumped right off that cliff, LOL.
I went splat :-( It took a few tries to figure it out the whole "invulnerability" thing...
Tough call on the most scenic place. Iceland is stunning, but I'm weirdly partial to Orkney. It's sort of stark and mysterious with this amazing ancient history on view everywhere you turn.
I live on a farm, so I had better be outdoorsy! I get stir crazy when I'm stuck inside too long, and I love working outside, doing hands-on projects, or just being in nature. When I travel, it's usually to take long hikes.
My merit-badge moment this year was probably tackling my girlie chainsaw phobia and finally learning to use one. As you might imagine, there are occasionally downed limbs and trees around the farm that need cutting up, and hiring someone to do it gets expensive. I got an electric chainsaw to start with, and it's not as bad as I thought it would be! (I picture an embroidered image of chainsawing a dollar in half?)
🏝️ The most scenic places I've had the pleasure of visiting so far have all been by the sea. The coasts of the Maritime provinces in Canada, the Californian coast ... I'd also love to visit Maine or Rhode Island (in the United States) along the same line of thinking. Cities situated beside the sea pique my interest further. I got to visit Halifax (Nova Scotia) and Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island) on that same Maritimes trip, but it was more of a touchdown than a stay — we remained in the cities for barely a day each time before moving on. If I could I'd take the chance to travel and remain in those cities for longer, maybe a month or more, learning about their traditions and history and customs.
💻 vs. 🚲 Both! If I stay inside for too long I'd go crazy, but I can't handle staying outdoors all day either. Wherever I can work best, I guess — and sometimes I need to sit down and type into a computer to do that, other times I find the outside to offer just as much inspiration as a good book or other media piece.
✍️ I can't think of anything noteworthy to award myself for, mainly because my situation was a bit of a mess last year. Here's to hoping this year's a little better, and I'm a little better as a person ... ?
🗻 Did you survive your run-in with the jerky boys, aka the soldiers?
Of course! As a mom and someone who works in IT, I've learned that patience usually wears down even the most determined jerks in the long run.
🏝️ What’s the most scenic place you’ve ever visited?
I spent two summers at Petrified Forest National Park. Hiking out into the Painted Desert at night, where there's so little light pollution that you can watch satellites travel across the sky is the most beautiful thing ever.
💻 vs. 🚲 Are you more of an indoor or outdoor person? Has it changed over time?
This entirely depends on where I am. When I was at Petrified Forest, you couldn't keep me indoors. I was constantly out and about, and I loved every minute of it. Now that I live in The South, you pretty much have to drag me outdoors any time it's not spring or fall. I just despise humidity, so going out is pretty miserable most of the year.
✍️ Bonus Challenge (+50 Points): Award yourself a scout-type merit badge for something you did over the past year.
My merit badge is going to be "Stepping Waaaaaay Outside of my Comfort Zone in the Weirdest Way Possible."
I've been trying to find something to do lately that engages more with my community. The pandemic really affected my ability to social. Over the last year, I've been volunteering as a religious education teacher at my congregation. I'm kind of an oddball, being the atheist who was raised Catholic at a Unitarian Universalist Congregation where I'm one of the few who was raised in any form of Christianity. I've been teaching 5th-8th graders, and it's been one of the highlights of my year. It's super odd though to be the one sharing the Christian point of view on things. Guess those 9 years of Catholic school weren't a total wash!
I played this one several times. I died multiple ways. I'm mildly afraid of heights, and this game proved that my fear extends to games too. In other words, I did what I could to avoid jumping off the cliff, but it's tough out their for a peon.
Best scenic location? This is a toss up for me. Last summer we visited Alaska and it really knocked my socks off. But I'm also a huge fan of the Grand Canyon. I've been three times, and I'm always struck by its beauty. All that being said, I'm more of an indoors person, but as I get older I find that I do appreciate the outdoors more.