Q&A, May 2020

I thought I would do something a little different, and do a Q&A! As is evident from the lack of posts over recent months, I've been rather stuck, but I had to think of some questions about myself for a family quiz recently, so that inspired me, and I thought I'd use those questions as a starting point and ask my friends and family for some more. I actually got so many that I'm splitting them into two separate posts, so the second Q&A will follow in June (as I'm working on one or two other posts to publish in the meantime). So! Here you go...

Questions I did for my family quiz:

What is my favourite animated film?
Disney's Pocahontas! Followed by the 1970s Robin Hood.

Where did I have the best meal I've ever eaten?
On the island of Sark, near Guernsey. It was lobster thermidor followed by poached strawberries in syrup with sabayon, and I wrote about it here.

Name one subject I would study if I could do college over again. [I basically failed college.]
Environmental Science or Geography.

Which song do I prefer, "Purple Rain" by Prince or "Red Rain" by Peter Gabriel?
Red Rain! Love it. Don't like "Purple Rain" or Prince much at all.

What is my favourite Shakespeare play?
Much Ado About Nothing! Mostly thanks to Kenneth Branagh's 1993 film. A Midsummer Night's Dream is second.

Questions I got from you lovely folk:

Where did you start your love of dancing?
Well, I did ballet for several years when I was very young, until I was 11 or 12 or so. Of course, years later I wished I hadn't given it up. My mum also had Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance on video when I was growing up, which I loved. (Still do; I have the DVD, and listen to the soundtrack a lot.) I didn't take any more dance classes for around 10 years after giving up ballet, but in 2014 I took up lindy hop, and did that for a couple of years. Around the same time I started going to ceilidhs, which are just the most enormous fun, and I finally tried salsa a couple of years ago (but frustratingly have lacked the ability to motivate myself to go out again after getting home from work, to go to the weekly salsa class in town I've known about for the last year and a half!). So I can't say for certain where or when I started my love of dancing, but I am glad that it's continued into my adulthood despite the long hiatus in my teenage years :)

What's your favourite place you've travelled to, and why?
Honestly, I don't generally have one single overall favourite of anything - place visited, song, food, film, whatever. I love things for different reasons and can't really compare them. So any "what's your favourite...?" questions in these Q&As will contain multiple answers, haha. So - favourite places I've travelled to. Well, Canada encompasses a number of favourites: Vancouver, Vancouver Island, the Rockies, the Yukon. In Australia: the Atherton Tablelands and Sydney. Singapore. Rome. Vienna. The Scottish Highlands. As to the 'why' for each place, it's always something to do with the beauty of the scenery/landscapes or of the city, or the vibe and culture or way of life, or the history, or THE FOOD.

What's one place you've always wanted to travel to?
Rural Tuscany. Pretty countryside, beautiful little old towns and villages, incredible food.

How do I cook your speciality dish?
I don't think I have one! I like eating more than cooking. I don't host or attend things like dinner parties, so I don't have any go-to dishes I make for special occasions or get-togethers. I guess I could say lasagne, that's the real treat dinner I make once every few months or so. Ooooh no, y'know what, there is something quite unusual that I can make without a recipe, though it serves as a normal weekday dinner rather than a particularly special dish: marmitako. It's a Basque fisherman's stew. I got this from a food-philosophy book, and the author himself says he doesn't know how authentic his version is. And he doesn't use recipes so it's just basic instructions, with the idea that you make it how you like it. But it's super easy and tasty. For two people you need a tin of tuna, a tin of chopped tomatoes, one or two peppers, potatoes, garlic, and paprika (normal or smoked). Heat some oil in a pan and add the chopped peppers and sliced garlic - how much, and how big/small they are, is up to you. Stir over a medium heat to soften both without the garlic browning too much. Then add the paprika - again, you decide how much, you might have to make it a few times to find an amount you like, but maybe try a teaspoon to start. Mix it well with the peppers and garlic, then add the tomatoes and the chopped/cubed potatoes (again, amount and size is up to you). Mix together and add a bit more water if needed to cover the ingredients, and bring to a simmer. How long you cook it for depends on how you prefer the potatoes, still holding their shape or beginning to disintegrate. Drain the tuna and stir it in for the last few minutes to heat through. Once done, taste and season if needed, then serve in bowls, either on its own or with some bread!

What's the strangest dream you've had?
This will be a boring non-answer, I'm afraid. I just can't remember my dreams, even the particularly good or strange ones.

How did you get your nickname?
This prompted a second question from someone else, which I will answer first - what is your nickname? Well, my nickname, as used by just one person, is Lozelmo. (Hence the name of this blog, because I am unimaginative.) My friend started calling me this when we met in college because my email address at the time included "lozelmo", an amalgamation of 'Loz' for Laura and the first two letters each of my middle name and surname. At first I wasn't keen on it, because I'm not a fan of nicknames for myself, but I gradually learned to not mind it so much because my friend generally only uses it in online conversations, haha.

What's your all-time favourite film?
As with places travelled to, I don't have one overall favourite film. So here are some of my favourites, my very top ones: Pride & Prejudice (2005), Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Practical Magic, Much Ado About Nothing, Mamma Mia, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel... and at Christmas: The Santa Clause (the Tim Allen one).

Who was your first friend at school?
Technically my first school was in Bristol and I only have one or two vague memories of it. My mum says my first friend there was called Paige. But we moved to Southampton in early July of my Reception year so I had a week in Year R ("Yellow Base"!) at Oakwood. My first friend there was Emily, followed not long afterwards by Mat - who I still talk to and meet up with every few months 23 years later!

What was the name of your first pet?
Either Barney the grey rabbit or Tabs the ginger tabby cat.

What's your favourite food?
Now, does that mean cuisine, or specific dish, or something generic with a thousand variations like pizza or pasta or ice-cream? Oh I know! Comfort food! Haha. Good old British autumnal comfort food, like soups and stews and pies and crumbles. Yum. Pasta's great too though.

If you could be any animal, what would you be, and why?
Well, I am probably most like a cat. (Check this out: https://youtu.be/hZUj0Lp9Oro.) So, perhaps a cat. But wolves are awesome too, and being a wolf would mean I would be part of a collaborative social group with structure and organisation and strong bonds, without the difficulties of human communication.

What's the first thing you would like to do when lockdown is lifted?
Well I'm actually really nervous about restrictions being eased and will take longer to start doing most things again than others may do. But the first thing to do will be to meet up with family.

What's the best concert you've been to?
Okay so Top 3, in no particular order: Loreena McKennitt, Hans Zimmer, The Sweet (the latter more of a gig at my local venue back in December).

So, that's it for now! Hopefully that's provided some interesting reading. Thank you for reading, and for the questions. As I said above, I'll do a second Q&A with all the other questions I received, and post that in June. So if anyone has any more after reading this, then feel free to send them over.