April 2024 Prompts - Part 2
1 APR: April Fool’s jokes. Yay or nay? It depends on the joke. Yay to things that are somewhat believable, Nay to cruel practical jokes.
2 APR: Ferret Day: What’s your favorite mustelid? I had to look up “mustelid.” Having done so, I can safely say that otters are the best kind of mustelid.
3 APR: Bookmobile Day: Have you ever seen a bookmobile? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a few, though I don’t think I’ve ever taken a book out of one.
4 APR: Vitamin C Day: What’s your favorite citrus fruit? I like most citrus fruits. I would love to be able to say grapefruit, but nobody eats them nowadays because everyone and his cousin is on statins. (When I was growing up, every dinner at our house started with a half grapefruit.) So, hmm, maybe clementines.
5 APR: Read a Road Map Day: When’s the last time you read a paper map (real or literary)? I love maps and was reading a few in guidebooks yesterday or so.
6 APR: Tartan Day: Is tartan stylish? [a Good Omens reference] It depends on the tartan. Some of the ones I like are Arbuthnot, Campbell of Cawdor, Elliot, MacAulay, MacDowall, and Menzies.
7 APR: Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Rwandan Genocide: Do you believe there can be true peace and/or true reconciliation after civil war or another significant national crisis? I think the Truth and Reconciliation process in South Africa was pretty successful.
8 APR: Draw a Bird Day: In your opinion, what species of bird is easiest to draw? Seagulls, obviously. You just draw sort of sideways parentheses
9 APR: Cherish an Antique Day: What’s the oldest object you own that you cherish? Probably my great-grandmother’s necklace, which she allegedly got in China. Note that I have no evidence that she ever actually went to China.
10 APR: Siblings Day: How is/was your relationship with your sibling(s)? My brother and I have a family exclusion zone principle. In short, bad things happen if we are within about 200 miles of each other for an extended period of time. When we both lived in the Bay Area, the number of earthquakes increased significantly.
11 APR: Pet Day: What’s the most unusual thing your pet or a pet you know has ever done? It has been many years since I’ve had any pets since I travel far too much to be able to manage caring for them. Looking back, the most unusual thing that a pet I’ve known did was the time my brother’s aging cat actually let me pet her. She was usually quite standoffish to everyone but him, so I knew this was a sign of impending feline dementia. Of course, then she turned around and peed on a pile of my laundry.
12 APR: Licorice Day: Are the black jellybeans the only ones you don’t eat? I don’t eat any type of jellybeans.
13 APR: Scrabble Day: How many points in Scrabble would your name (or username) earn you if Proper Names were allowed? F=4, A=1, U=1, X=8, K=5,L=1, O=1, R-1, E=1. So that adds up to 23.
14 APR: Gardening Day: If you garden, what’s your favorite part of gardening? If you don’t, what would your ideal garden look like? I’ve never been a successful gardener, beyond an occasional pot of herbs. I like rock gardens with little flowers like grape hyacinths and lily of the valley (which has a particularly appealing scent).
15 APR: Income Tax Day: What isn’t taxed that should be? I don’t suppose there is a way to tax lack of common sense, but if there were, I can think of a few states that would be enormously wealthy.
16 APR: Orchid Day: What kind of flower(s) have a special significance to you? My favorite bouquet of flowers consist of white irises and lavender roses. That combination seems like a harbinger of springtime.
17 APR: International Haiku Poetry Day: What words best describe ‘spring’ in your mind?
The season leaps out
and pounces like a lion
eating winter’s mice.
18 APR: International Day for Monuments and Sites: Is there a historical site or monument you pass on a regular basis? I often walk on or near the National Mall, so I see the U.S. Capitol Building, the Washington Monument (aka our national phallic symbol), the Lincoln Memorial, etc. regularly.
19 APR: Bicycle Day: When’s the last time you rode a bicycle? Years ago, alas.
20 APR: Weed Day: Any funny story to share about using marijuana (or others using it around you)? Um, my drugs of choice are caffeine and cocktails.
21 APR: Bulldogs are Beautiful Day: Are bulldogs beautiful? I prefer more wolf-like dogs.
22 APR: Earth Day: What’s your favorite place in nature? Anywhere by an ocean. Coastal New England in autumn is perfect.
23 APR: Talk Like Shakespeare: What common phrase from Shakespeare do you use in conversation? “There’s method in my madness.” (Adopted from a line in Hamlet.)
24 APR: International Noise Awareness: How loud do you like your music? It depends on the music. I’m most likely to blast Cajun music and dance around the living room.
25 APR: DNA Day: Have you ever taken a DNA test? Were YOU the father? [Maury Povich reference] I’ve taken a DNA test. Obviously, I couldn’t be the father of anyone.
26 APR: Poem in Your Pocket Day: What poem might you carry in your pocket? Philip Larkin’s “This Be the Verse.” (Which actually got quoted by someone else at a book club meeting last night.)
27 APR: Arbor Day: Do you have a favorite tree? I am rather partial to maple trees, despite their annoying tendency to have sex outdoors. I do miss jacarandas, which grew all over when I lived in Los Angeles, although I believe they are native to Brazil.
28 APR: International Sculpture Day: Do you have a favorite sculpture or favorite sculpture medium? I’m thinking probably something by Claes Oldenburg. Maybe Typewriter Eraser in the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art. Or the Shuttlecocks at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City.
29 APR: Pet CPR Day: Do you know how to do CPR on your pet? I don’t have a pet. Nor do I know how to do CPR in general.
30 APR: Bubble Tea Day: Bubble Tea. Yay or nay? I am weird about texture and prefer my liquids to be liquidy.
2 APR: Ferret Day: What’s your favorite mustelid? I had to look up “mustelid.” Having done so, I can safely say that otters are the best kind of mustelid.
3 APR: Bookmobile Day: Have you ever seen a bookmobile? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a few, though I don’t think I’ve ever taken a book out of one.
4 APR: Vitamin C Day: What’s your favorite citrus fruit? I like most citrus fruits. I would love to be able to say grapefruit, but nobody eats them nowadays because everyone and his cousin is on statins. (When I was growing up, every dinner at our house started with a half grapefruit.) So, hmm, maybe clementines.
5 APR: Read a Road Map Day: When’s the last time you read a paper map (real or literary)? I love maps and was reading a few in guidebooks yesterday or so.
6 APR: Tartan Day: Is tartan stylish? [a Good Omens reference] It depends on the tartan. Some of the ones I like are Arbuthnot, Campbell of Cawdor, Elliot, MacAulay, MacDowall, and Menzies.
7 APR: Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Rwandan Genocide: Do you believe there can be true peace and/or true reconciliation after civil war or another significant national crisis? I think the Truth and Reconciliation process in South Africa was pretty successful.
8 APR: Draw a Bird Day: In your opinion, what species of bird is easiest to draw? Seagulls, obviously. You just draw sort of sideways parentheses
9 APR: Cherish an Antique Day: What’s the oldest object you own that you cherish? Probably my great-grandmother’s necklace, which she allegedly got in China. Note that I have no evidence that she ever actually went to China.
10 APR: Siblings Day: How is/was your relationship with your sibling(s)? My brother and I have a family exclusion zone principle. In short, bad things happen if we are within about 200 miles of each other for an extended period of time. When we both lived in the Bay Area, the number of earthquakes increased significantly.
11 APR: Pet Day: What’s the most unusual thing your pet or a pet you know has ever done? It has been many years since I’ve had any pets since I travel far too much to be able to manage caring for them. Looking back, the most unusual thing that a pet I’ve known did was the time my brother’s aging cat actually let me pet her. She was usually quite standoffish to everyone but him, so I knew this was a sign of impending feline dementia. Of course, then she turned around and peed on a pile of my laundry.
12 APR: Licorice Day: Are the black jellybeans the only ones you don’t eat? I don’t eat any type of jellybeans.
13 APR: Scrabble Day: How many points in Scrabble would your name (or username) earn you if Proper Names were allowed? F=4, A=1, U=1, X=8, K=5,L=1, O=1, R-1, E=1. So that adds up to 23.
14 APR: Gardening Day: If you garden, what’s your favorite part of gardening? If you don’t, what would your ideal garden look like? I’ve never been a successful gardener, beyond an occasional pot of herbs. I like rock gardens with little flowers like grape hyacinths and lily of the valley (which has a particularly appealing scent).
15 APR: Income Tax Day: What isn’t taxed that should be? I don’t suppose there is a way to tax lack of common sense, but if there were, I can think of a few states that would be enormously wealthy.
16 APR: Orchid Day: What kind of flower(s) have a special significance to you? My favorite bouquet of flowers consist of white irises and lavender roses. That combination seems like a harbinger of springtime.
17 APR: International Haiku Poetry Day: What words best describe ‘spring’ in your mind?
The season leaps out
and pounces like a lion
eating winter’s mice.
18 APR: International Day for Monuments and Sites: Is there a historical site or monument you pass on a regular basis? I often walk on or near the National Mall, so I see the U.S. Capitol Building, the Washington Monument (aka our national phallic symbol), the Lincoln Memorial, etc. regularly.
19 APR: Bicycle Day: When’s the last time you rode a bicycle? Years ago, alas.
20 APR: Weed Day: Any funny story to share about using marijuana (or others using it around you)? Um, my drugs of choice are caffeine and cocktails.
21 APR: Bulldogs are Beautiful Day: Are bulldogs beautiful? I prefer more wolf-like dogs.
22 APR: Earth Day: What’s your favorite place in nature? Anywhere by an ocean. Coastal New England in autumn is perfect.
23 APR: Talk Like Shakespeare: What common phrase from Shakespeare do you use in conversation? “There’s method in my madness.” (Adopted from a line in Hamlet.)
24 APR: International Noise Awareness: How loud do you like your music? It depends on the music. I’m most likely to blast Cajun music and dance around the living room.
25 APR: DNA Day: Have you ever taken a DNA test? Were YOU the father? [Maury Povich reference] I’ve taken a DNA test. Obviously, I couldn’t be the father of anyone.
26 APR: Poem in Your Pocket Day: What poem might you carry in your pocket? Philip Larkin’s “This Be the Verse.” (Which actually got quoted by someone else at a book club meeting last night.)
27 APR: Arbor Day: Do you have a favorite tree? I am rather partial to maple trees, despite their annoying tendency to have sex outdoors. I do miss jacarandas, which grew all over when I lived in Los Angeles, although I believe they are native to Brazil.
28 APR: International Sculpture Day: Do you have a favorite sculpture or favorite sculpture medium? I’m thinking probably something by Claes Oldenburg. Maybe Typewriter Eraser in the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art. Or the Shuttlecocks at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City.
29 APR: Pet CPR Day: Do you know how to do CPR on your pet? I don’t have a pet. Nor do I know how to do CPR in general.
30 APR: Bubble Tea Day: Bubble Tea. Yay or nay? I am weird about texture and prefer my liquids to be liquidy.