Ookings of d00m

From the altfriday5:

1. Are you more often the instigator or target of sexual advances? (With new
people, not within an existing relationship.)

Oddly enough, instigator.

2. When people approach you romantically, are you more inclined to accept subtle
advances or direct ones?

Direct is better. Subtle sets off my paranoia, and my response is likely to be "OMG, they're up to something... RUN!"

3. When you make sexual advances to someone else, are they more often direct or
subtle?

If I really mean it? Pretty direct. These days, anyway.

4. Which type of approach have you found to be more successful?

Direct.

5. Why do you think that is?

My subtle is way too subtle. It's also possible that my "direct" is more subtle than some people's "subtle". Also, if I type the word "subtle" again, I think I may forget what it means.

From the altfriday5:

1. Have you ever fired a firearm at a target or other inanimate object? Why or
why not?

No - it's not something I've ever sought out, and no one in my acquiantance has ever offered. I have learned from paintball that ranged weapons aren't really my thing, anyway.

2. Have you ever fired a firearm at a living entity (animal or human)? Why or why
not?

No. I don't really like the idea of shooting an animal, unless I needed the food (and animals like deer are considerably more meat than I could eat myself - I'd consider it if I was trying to feed a tribe or something). Were I to hunt, I would rather to it with simpler tools (which is harder and more dangerous). Since I don't have to hunt to feed myself, stabbing a rabbit to death would just be unnecessarily cruel. I'm really not ok with shooting people.

3. Have you ever owned a firearm? Why or why not?

No. Guns are not my thing for self defense (and more on that below), and I'm not into sport shooting.

4. Do you feel that there should be restrictions on what types of firearms people
can own? What should the restrictions be (ranging from "none available" to "no
restrictions")?

Yes. Canadian law is pretty consistent on the subject of self defense and weapons. The basic gist is "no". You can't own a gun to defend yourself. Carrying a knife to protect yourself is also a no-no. I have a big sharp thing collection, but if someone breaks into my apartment, I'm not going to try to spit them with a sword. I'm better off using a stick or my hands, and having the thief live to go to jail, from a legal standpoint.

The idea behind having guns at home is that guns are easier to use in defense than other weapons. Statistics that show people who have guns in the house are more likelely to accidentally shoot themselves or someone in the household indicate to me that this is not quite the case - guns appear to still require training, practice and care to use effectively and safely.

I think that guns have no place outside of a sport shooting range in an urban environemnt. In rural environments, arguments can be made for hunting and protection from hostile wildlife like bears and other predators. Handguns aren't any good for this, so there's no reason to have them around.

So - no guns in cities at all, and only hunting rifles and shotguns for rural areas. Restrictions on those guns allowed outlining safe storage and transportation (unloaded, locked seperately from ammo for transit at a minimum).

5. What do you feel a person should have to do or be in order to purchase a
firearm (ranging from "it should be impossible" to "walk to the corner store")?

Gun owners should be licensed, including tracking where they live. If you want to buy a gun at your local shooting range, go for it, but don't expect to be allowed to take it home with you.

From the altfriday5:

1. Tell us something prosaic that you really should do.

Find a good doctor.

2. Tell us something abstract that you really should do.

I should conquer my fears

3. Tell us something interpersonal that you really should do.

I should get to the bottom of it

4. Tell us something regretful that you really should have done.

I should have kissed her. Her, too.

5. Tell us something career-oriented that you really should do.

Ask for a promotion, and jump through the needed hoops to get it.

And bonus question, if you're feeling up to it: 6. Tell us something absurd that you really should do.

I really should build a secret base underneath Casa Loma and use it to fight crime in a black leather outfit.

Friday Five
1. What is your town/state known for?
Town: Toronto is known for being big, and multicultural and clean. In the rest of Canada, it's known for being big, arrogant and obnoxious.
Province: Ontario is known for being where Toronto is. It's also got the national capitol somewhere.

2. Everybody worries about something. What do you worry about?
I worry most about interactions with people. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night remembering an embarassing moment from 20 years ago.


3. Who are you?
Batman? An interstitial man.
4. What do you want to achieve in life?
Achieve? I've already got the things I really wanted. There's other stuff that would be nice, but nothing that would make my life a success or failure.

5. What would you tell the leaders of all the countries on earth to do
to promote world peace?
Food and clean water. Then education. That's a good start. But, really, looking at the "civilized" nation where that stuff is fairly easy to come by, that's clearly not enough. The only thing that seems to keep people from fighting wars is the threat of someone else beating them badly if they start. All we need is an infallible, omniscient overlord with really big guns.

Or, alternatively, reinstate the tradition of having the people who make the political decision to go to war fight on the front lines.