AMA - Bramblethorn

[ultramarineblue]

What is one thing you would like to add to your life? What is one thing you wish wasn't a part of your life?

 

[seela]

What are some of the pet peeves you have?

 

[TANSTAAFL58]

What are some of the pet peeves you have?

And what about pet pets? Dog? Cat? Pot Bellied Pig?

 

[cookiecat]

Do you have a guilty pleasure? If yes, what is it?

 

[Bramblethorn]

What is one thing you would like to add to your life? What is one thing you wish wasn't a part of your life?

#1 hard to answer, because I instinctively dislike change. More holidays would be nice.

#2: Clutter everywhere. And assholes.

What are some of the pet peeves you have?

Several that can be summarised under "there is nothing here I can eat". I'm still bitter about the lady at that one conference who swiped the onion-free meal that the organisers had arranged for me, the one that had my name on it in big letters.

The birds that keep trying to roost in the gutter of my study roof. They're noisy and they have lice, ew.

Why did they stop making those really nice almond biscuits that I liked?

Authors who use superscript-o or even superscript-0 for a degree symbol like they think I won't notice. LET ME TELL YOU, I NOTICE.

People who use "censorship" to mean "I was a dickhead to somebody and I got told off for it".

I could go on for a long time with this.

And what about pet pets? Dog? Cat? Pot Bellied Pig?

Two cats. Before that, two dogs. Pigs seem neat but I've never met one socially.

Do you have a guilty pleasure? If yes, what is it?

Related to the above, eating pork. I try not to let myself feel guilty about pleasures that aren't hurting anybody.

 

[ultramarineblue]

I don't usually mind some change. I prefer to be aware of it early on rather than slammed with it unexpectedly though. However, I suppose a lot of change is unexpected. I can definitely agree about needing more holidays and less clutter and much fewer assholes.

 

[Bramblethorn]

What are some of the pet peeves you have?

Oh, I forgot a MAJOR pet peeve - bullshit acronyms where people use filler words to get the letters they want while making it 100x harder to remember. Things like this:

Safety first!
Take the time to check the site for hazards before you start work.
Always wear correct protective equipment
Remember to keep your first-aid training up to date!

I grind my teeth when I see that kind of thing.

 

[seela]

Oh, I forgot a MAJOR pet peeve - bullshit acronyms where people use filler words to get the letters they want while making it 100x harder to remember. Things like this:

Safety first!
Take the time to check the site for hazards before you start work.
Always wear correct protective equipment
Remember to keep your first-aid training up to date!

I grind my teeth when I see that kind of thing.

Oh that's bad. I hate that as well.

We have a particularly stupid one at work. They have added a relatively random word/sentence in the middle to make the acronym work.

"C - Congratulate yourself for a job well done!"

It's not that^ obvs but similar, and it's not even the last letter!

 

[TANSTAAFL58]

Oh, I forgot a MAJOR pet peeve - bullshit acronyms where people use filler words to get the letters they want while making it 100x harder to remember. Things like this:

Safety first!
Take the time to check the site for hazards before you start work.
Always wear correct protective equipment
Remember to keep your first-aid training up to date!

I grind my teeth when I see that kind of thing.

Oh that's bad. I hate that as well.

We have a particularly stupid one at work. They have added a relatively random word/sentence in the middle to make the acronym work.

"C - Congratulate yourself for a job well done!"

It's not that^ obvs but similar, and it's not even the last letter!

Ah, the STAR principle: "Stop, Think, Act, Review" at my Salt Mine. We are made to vocalize it when getting authorization to perform work in the Plant. Or, "Shit, That Ain't Right" or "Start Thinking About Retirement"

Without being too specific, what work do you do?

 

[ultramarineblue]

Oh, I forgot a MAJOR pet peeve - bullshit acronyms where people use filler words to get the letters they want while making it 100x harder to remember. Things like this:

Safety first!
Take the time to check the site for hazards before you start work.
Always wear correct protective equipment
Remember to keep your first-aid training up to date!

I grind my teeth when I see that kind of thing.

That's atrocious and would make me want to throat punch the person using it.

Ah, the STAR principle: "Stop, Think, Act, Review" at my Salt Mine. We are made to vocalize it when getting authorization to perform work in the Plant. Or, "Shit, That Ain't Right" or "Start Thinking About Retirement"

Without being too specific, what work do you do?

This type makes more sense to me. Not necessarily my favorite thing but it is effective like this and being able to switch it to something like "start thinking about retirement" makes it even better.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Have you been to America recently, and would you come back?

I used to visit every couple of years. I had a long-distance lover and several good friends living there, and I hold a US passport so I've worked there a long time ago.

Last time was 2015. November 2016 kinda broke my heart. Around the same time the long-distance relationship fell apart - we eventually salvaged the friendship but it took a lot of work - and I lost one of my best friends in the USA when toxic religion and YouTube conspiracy videos rotted her brain. I expect she's a hardcore Qanon-er by now; I tried reasoning with her for a while but eventually I had to walk away, and that hurt like fuck.

Would I come back? Ask me again in December.

 

[Bramblethorn]

FWIW, my STAR example was made up, but I've seen plenty in the wild that are that bad.

Ah, the STAR principle: "Stop, Think, Act, Review" at my Salt Mine. We are made to vocalize it when getting authorization to perform work in the Plant. Or, "Shit, That Ain't Right" or "Start Thinking About Retirement"

Without being too specific, what work do you do?

Main job: STEMM-related R&D type work plus a side order of people management. Currently I only have one direct report (down from four previously) but I also have a quasi-managerial role for about twenty other staff whose managers are interstate - I don't manage their projects but I represent them for office management stuff and I keep an eye out for their emotional well-being. That last part has become much more challenging in 2020!

Second job: technical editing for a large publisher. They send me books, I get paid to nitpick everything I can find. This one has been on hiatus most of this year because the plague has disrupted their publishing schedule and I've been trying not to overwork myself.

 

[ultramarineblue]

What kind of person is most attractive to you? Have you ever tried something kink related that you thought you wouldn't like but did or the reverse?

What is one of your favorite meals? What is your go to meal when you're tired?

Do you wear makeup or like it? What is your favorite skin care product?

What is your favorite candle scent?

 

[Bramblethorn]

What kind of person is most attractive to you?

Depends a bit on whether we're talking about "that celebrity is hot" kind of attraction or "who am I actually likely to date". For the former, I have some physical preferences (small and/or athletic, very long or very short/bald hair) but they're not very strong and they don't seem to have a lot of influence on who I end up dating.

Mostly women and non-binary people, very occasionally guys. It took me a long long time to figure out that it's not masculinity but machismo that turns me off. Unfortunately it's so often a package deal. But show me a heavy-metal musician who's not afraid to gush about how much he owes to Roxette and GaGa and we can talk...

Kindness, patience, nerdiness. My partner have a lot in common but we also have stuff that's our own, and I think one of our strengths is that we're not insecure about that.

People who can deal with my autistic hyperfocus (I will go ON AND ON about the things that fascinate me - it's so freeing being with people who don't make me feel like I need to rein that in) and who don't expect me to read between the lines.

People with a submissive streak.

Have you ever tried something kink related that you thought you wouldn't like but did or the reverse?

Hard to think of anything here. I am a bit on the cautious side, so if I try it it probably means I'm pretty sure I'm going to like it.

What is one of your favorite meals? What is your go to meal when you're tired?

I like comfort food. Potato wedges with sour cream and sweet chili, my chicken-egg-lemon soup, duck - I do a good duck but it's been ages since I cooked it. I have a weakness for purple carrots and purple potatoes - I've done purple mashed potato a couple of times, when I can find them.

When I'm tired, I'm lazy. Takeout, or leftovers, or a quick omelette.

Do you wear makeup or like it? What is your favorite skin care product?

Hardly anybody in my social circle here wears makeup on the regular. I can think of maybe a couple of friends here who wear lipstick for work, one who does creative things with eye shadow, and a couple of nonbinary friends who use it depending on how they're feeling... outside of special occasions, that's all I can think of.

I appreciate makeup as art but not as a uniform. I used to wear makeup occasionally for clubbing with friends, but the only time recently was when my small niece got a kit for Christmas and needed a guineapig.

Skin care: sun protection, lip balm when I get dry and cracked, and a gentle body wash (QV) seems to do me. I get very little sun and that seems to make a big difference.

What is your favorite candle scent?

I don't know. We don't use candles much; I generally like scented candles when other people have them going (as long as they're not overpowering/cloying) but I haven't thought to ask "what scent is that?"

 

[seela]

What are the last five things you googled?

 

[Bramblethorn]

What are the last five things you googled?

I don't save my search history, but it would be something like:

- the video and the image that I linked in my reply to ultramarineblue
- somebody else who shares my offline name (friends and I were discussing who we share names with)
- copyright laws around busking (for a discussion in the Author's Hangout)
- "how does iTunes know the name of a CD" (answer: GraceNote) because it was putting the wrong titles on a new box set.

 

[TANSTAAFL58]

FWIW, my STAR example was made up, but I've seen plenty in the wild that are that bad.



Main job: STEMM-related R&D type work plus a side order of people management. Currently I only have one direct report (down from four previously) but I also have a quasi-managerial role for about twenty other staff whose managers are interstate - I don't manage their projects but I represent them for office management stuff and I keep an eye out for their emotional well-being. That last part has become much more challenging in 2020!

Second job: technical editing for a large publisher. They send me books, I get paid to nitpick everything I can find. This one has been on hiatus most of this year because the plague has disrupted their publishing schedule and I've been trying not to overwork myself.

Sadly, mine is all to real. It's part of the industry I work in (save that for a future thread). Which job do you prefer?

 

[ultramarineblue]

Depends a bit on whether we're talking about "that celebrity is hot" kind of attraction or "who am I actually likely to date". For the former, I have some physical preferences (small and/or athletic, very long or very short/bald hair) but they're not very strong and they don't seem to have a lot of influence on who I end up dating.

Mostly women and non-binary people, very occasionally guys. It took me a long long time to figure out that it's not masculinity but machismo that turns me off. Unfortunately it's so often a package deal. But show me a heavy-metal musician who's not afraid to gush about how much he owes to Roxette and GaGa and we can talk...

Kindness, patience, nerdiness. My partner have a lot in common but we also have stuff that's our own, and I think one of our strengths is that we're not insecure about that.

People who can deal with my autistic hyperfocus (I will go ON AND ON about the things that fascinate me - it's so freeing being with people who don't make me feel like I need to rein that in) and who don't expect me to read between the lines.

People with a submissive streak.



Hard to think of anything here. I am a bit on the cautious side, so if I try it it probably means I'm pretty sure I'm going to like it.



I like comfort food. Potato wedges with sour cream and sweet chili, my chicken-egg-lemon soup, duck - I do a good duck but it's been ages since I cooked it. I have a weakness for purple carrots and purple potatoes - I've done purple mashed potato a couple of times, when I can find them.

When I'm tired, I'm lazy. Takeout, or leftovers, or a quick omelette.



Hardly anybody in my social circle here wears makeup on the regular. I can think of maybe a couple of friends here who wear lipstick for work, one who does creative things with eye shadow, and a couple of nonbinary friends who use it depending on how they're feeling... outside of special occasions, that's all I can think of.

I appreciate makeup as art but not as a uniform. I used to wear makeup occasionally for clubbing with friends, but the only time recently was when my small niece got a kit for Christmas and needed a guineapig.

Skin care: sun protection, lip balm when I get dry and cracked, and a gentle body wash (QV) seems to do me. I get very little sun and that seems to make a big difference.



I don't know. We don't use candles much; I generally like scented candles when other people have them going (as long as they're not overpowering/cloying) but I haven't thought to ask "what scent is that?"

What are five characteristics you and your partners tend to share?
Why do you like purple carrots and potatoes as opposed to the regular ones?
What is the last thing you researched for your own curiosity?

 

[Bramblethorn]

Sadly, mine is all to real. It's part of the industry I work in (save that for a future thread). Which job do you prefer?

The combination of the two works well for me, but if I had to pick just one, it'd be the main job.

Job #1 is full-time with pretty decent job security and advancement prospects. Job #2 pays nicely on an hourly basis, but the work is very uneven - sometimes there's nothing for a whole year, sometimes I have three different editors competing for my time and I might end up working 20 hours a week in addition to my main job.

The extra money from #2 is really nice, especially since my partner can't work full-time, but it's not stable enough to be something I'd want to depend on (especially in this year of the plague!) and even if it was available as a regular full-time job, I suspect I'd enjoy it a lot less if I was doing it for 40 hours a week.

Other than that, I like both jobs - I work with good people who make me feel appreciated, and both are professionally run (as opposed to some others I've had...) #2 even pays freelancers on time and dependably, which is far less common in the industry than it ought to be.

What are five characteristics you and your partners tend to share?
Why do you like purple carrots and potatoes as opposed to the regular ones?
What is the last thing you researched for your own curiosity?

Five characteristics:
1. Interest in maths and science.
2. Fondness for games (board and/or RPG)
3. Like animals.
4. General political leanings.
5. Autism (not a prereq, I don't think any of my partners had been diagnosed when we started dating, but like attracts like and my two longest-term partners have both been DXed since).

Carrots and potatoes: no deep reason here, just "because they're purple and that's neat". I guess also because you can change the colour by varying the acidity of the food - the purple comes from anthocyanins which are sensitive to pH changes.

Some people claim the purple ones are healthier because the anthocyanins are antioxidants but as far as I'm aware there's no scientific evidence to support the claim that antioxidants are beneficial, so it really is just about how they look.

Research: for pure curiosity, reading up on the Basque language, because it's unique with no known common ancestry with any other language - probably the last holdout of some family of languages that have been replaced by Indo-European languages everywhere else.

 

[ultramarineblue]

I've worked with several people that are various places on the autism spectrum. It's something I definitely want to learn more about than what I already know. It's amazing to me how much parenting can can help someone so greatly or hinder someone. I'm beginning to think we need some type of research based parenting class in school because there as so many things that can be incorporated into parenting. I know people can find information so easily now but it blows my mind at how people don't research.

I can totally get behind choosing those vegetable just because of their colors. I often try to incorporate ingredients with different colors in my cooking because it's aesthetically pleasing as well as usually more nutritious. I haven't played with changing colors through ph though. I think butterfly pea flowers are often used with tea for color changes. I've not tried it so I don't know what the flavor is though.

That sounds so interesting about that language. I'm going to have to look into it!

 

[cookiecat]

Are you a list maker?

 

[Bramblethorn]

Are you a list maker?

Not yet. I mostly rely on memory, although this has become a little less dependable as I age. Some day I may have to transition to making lists of everything, but it is not this day.

 

[Bramblethorn]

What are some of the pet peeves you have?

Videos of people talking. Just give me the damn transcript. Failing that, at least make sure the closed captions are included. Reading is so much faster than listening and I retain so much more.

 

[Ropebunny]

Have you met your doppelgänger? If you have, what was it like? If you haven’t, would you want to or not and why?

 

[Bramblethorn]

Have you met your doppelgänger? If you have, what was it like? If you haven’t, would you want to or not and why?

I haven't, but I seem to have one around. I've had a few experiences where people who knew me reasonably well told me something like "I just saw you over there five minutes ago" when I definitely hadn't been there. I'd be curious to meet them and see whether I think they look like me.