Starting with an easy one
As requested by matt_writer, a post about a selection of random things. OK, so I didn't cover every item on the list. But I did cover... several of them!
1. Japanese trains
I have been on a number of Japanese trains, because my big sister lived in Osaka for a while and I visited her when I was 15. So we went on a whole bunch of underground trains, and also we took what I guess was a bullet train to go and stay in the mountains for a few days, in a village called - I think - Fukiya. In August, my little brother is going to Japan for a year, to teach English, and I hope to go out and visit him next spring. Hopefully, there will be trains then too.
4. James & Lily made Peter Secret Keeper whilst they could've undertaken the job themselves
Yeah, what's up with that? OK, so if they hadn't, there'd be no books. On the other hand, yeah, that's kind of dumb. Also, they lent out the invisibility cloak, James attempted to fight Voldemort off without a wand, Lily ran away up the stairs, etc. And we wonder where Harry gets it from.
Probably about my third favourite theory ever concerning the Potterverse is this: magic makes you stupid. Long story short, we know that magic has an effect on electrical devices, and we also know that the human brain is dependent on electrical impulses - therefore, wizards' brains are a little slow. The evolutionary advantage of being able to do magic has, luckily for them, made up for the disadvantage that comes from being dumb as a bag of rocks. (Another favourite theory: the Marauders were not cool but were in fact huge, huge dorks.)
7. Sideburns
In my head, all werewolves have sideburns. You can instantly make anyone into a werewolf by drawing sideburns on them.
My dad has minor sideburns, but this is because he wants to look a bit like a country singer and not, as far as I know, due to lycanthropy.
9. Shaving
Shaving can be a dangerous practice. The best piece of advice I ever received regarding it was this: whack on plenty of soap, and then just use the razor to gently scrape the soap off. The hair will take care of itself and you won't get cut to ribbons.
13. Wasps I found in my t-shirt
14. Screaming
15. Making Dad deal with the wasps
Family holiday to Italy, I was 16 or so. Left a particular t-shirt, which was purple with a grey alien on the front Y HALO THAR MID-90S, I bought it in Camden market, I felt very hardcore in it - on bedroom floor for the day. Got home, picked it up and angry wasps flew out. Panicked. Made Dad deal with wasps. When wasps had GTFOd, shook out t-shirt to find many leaves inside it, sticking together. Deduced that wasps had been building nest. Spun out.
16. Pots
Armstrong and Miller: Half Price Pots.
19. Glasses
I have been wearing glasses since I was 7 and rather like them. I tried contact lenses, but they made my eyes kind of dry, plus I have mahoosive bags under my eyes and not wearing glasses made them more noticeable. I very occasionally still wear contact lenses, if I need to go glasses-less for a costume or something. I'm myopic and I have an astigmatism.
20. The Eiffel Tower
I went up it once, but I'm so scared of heights I only made it to the first floor, as it were. Even that was enough to freak me the hell out.
31. Funny commercials
This one is pretty funny. Sadly, it's not a real one.
32. Rabbits
i. Rabbits are yummy to eat. Mmm rabbit.
ii. Animal Collective have a quite good song called Who Could Win a Rabbit.
iii. I had two pet rabbits when I was younger. Rabbit number one was called Bungy. One day she was all floppy and tired, so we took her to the vet. Later, the vet called and said Bungy had died. We were sad and planned a pet funeral, as kids do, only to be told that because they weren't sure what Bungy had died of, the ministry of agriculture (or whatever it is officially called) needed to confiscate Bungy and do experiments on her.
Rabbit number two was called Delilah. She liked to dig. Our garden had massive high walls, so we used to let the bunnies run around as they liked, although there was a hutch for when it was cold and so on. Delilah spent lots of time digging in the flower beds, particularly near the greenhouse, which was an old one with brick walls. One day, Delilah was nowhere to be found. Eventually she turned up, drowned in the water barrel inside the greenhouse. She had tunnelled under the foundations of the greenhouse and somehow got into the barrel and eventually given up trying to get out.
And people wonder why I'm so messed up.
1. Japanese trains
I have been on a number of Japanese trains, because my big sister lived in Osaka for a while and I visited her when I was 15. So we went on a whole bunch of underground trains, and also we took what I guess was a bullet train to go and stay in the mountains for a few days, in a village called - I think - Fukiya. In August, my little brother is going to Japan for a year, to teach English, and I hope to go out and visit him next spring. Hopefully, there will be trains then too.
4. James & Lily made Peter Secret Keeper whilst they could've undertaken the job themselves
Yeah, what's up with that? OK, so if they hadn't, there'd be no books. On the other hand, yeah, that's kind of dumb. Also, they lent out the invisibility cloak, James attempted to fight Voldemort off without a wand, Lily ran away up the stairs, etc. And we wonder where Harry gets it from.
Probably about my third favourite theory ever concerning the Potterverse is this: magic makes you stupid. Long story short, we know that magic has an effect on electrical devices, and we also know that the human brain is dependent on electrical impulses - therefore, wizards' brains are a little slow. The evolutionary advantage of being able to do magic has, luckily for them, made up for the disadvantage that comes from being dumb as a bag of rocks. (Another favourite theory: the Marauders were not cool but were in fact huge, huge dorks.)
7. Sideburns
In my head, all werewolves have sideburns. You can instantly make anyone into a werewolf by drawing sideburns on them.
My dad has minor sideburns, but this is because he wants to look a bit like a country singer and not, as far as I know, due to lycanthropy.
9. Shaving
Shaving can be a dangerous practice. The best piece of advice I ever received regarding it was this: whack on plenty of soap, and then just use the razor to gently scrape the soap off. The hair will take care of itself and you won't get cut to ribbons.
13. Wasps I found in my t-shirt
14. Screaming
15. Making Dad deal with the wasps
Family holiday to Italy, I was 16 or so. Left a particular t-shirt, which was purple with a grey alien on the front Y HALO THAR MID-90S, I bought it in Camden market, I felt very hardcore in it - on bedroom floor for the day. Got home, picked it up and angry wasps flew out. Panicked. Made Dad deal with wasps. When wasps had GTFOd, shook out t-shirt to find many leaves inside it, sticking together. Deduced that wasps had been building nest. Spun out.
16. Pots
Armstrong and Miller: Half Price Pots.
Click to view19. Glasses
I have been wearing glasses since I was 7 and rather like them. I tried contact lenses, but they made my eyes kind of dry, plus I have mahoosive bags under my eyes and not wearing glasses made them more noticeable. I very occasionally still wear contact lenses, if I need to go glasses-less for a costume or something. I'm myopic and I have an astigmatism.
20. The Eiffel Tower
I went up it once, but I'm so scared of heights I only made it to the first floor, as it were. Even that was enough to freak me the hell out.
31. Funny commercials
This one is pretty funny. Sadly, it's not a real one.
32. Rabbits
i. Rabbits are yummy to eat. Mmm rabbit.
ii. Animal Collective have a quite good song called Who Could Win a Rabbit.
iii. I had two pet rabbits when I was younger. Rabbit number one was called Bungy. One day she was all floppy and tired, so we took her to the vet. Later, the vet called and said Bungy had died. We were sad and planned a pet funeral, as kids do, only to be told that because they weren't sure what Bungy had died of, the ministry of agriculture (or whatever it is officially called) needed to confiscate Bungy and do experiments on her.
Rabbit number two was called Delilah. She liked to dig. Our garden had massive high walls, so we used to let the bunnies run around as they liked, although there was a hutch for when it was cold and so on. Delilah spent lots of time digging in the flower beds, particularly near the greenhouse, which was an old one with brick walls. One day, Delilah was nowhere to be found. Eventually she turned up, drowned in the water barrel inside the greenhouse. She had tunnelled under the foundations of the greenhouse and somehow got into the barrel and eventually given up trying to get out.
And people wonder why I'm so messed up.