Questions Game

yes...that's pretty good!


We are having drought issues right now too. I just heard that Alabama, Georgia and Florida are fighting over river water Atlanta is wanting to dam for people use...and then Florida is wanting to keep their Mussel population alive so they are angry they are wanting to dam the river because it will kill many of their little money makers. Alabama needs it for drinking supply as well...so there has been this uprising about people needing the water more than the mussels...what a mess - things like that going on there in Australia?

Exactly the same happening here Mismi. Australia has only 1 great river, The Murray, it is slowly dying and drying up, putting thousands of livelyhoods at risk. 4 States are fighting over water allocations and it is one great mess. We have a very weak Federal Government, they should step in and rescue such a major river, but are reluctant to step in. Luckily we have our General election next month and they will be tossed out. Water is a major issue here, we just don't have enough of it. My State is regarded as the driest State on the driest Continent on earth.

Do you get upset over inaction of your Government?

yes sometimes.

Did you have a fried snake last night?

Matter of fact I did, fried in red hot embers, delicious.

Have you seen a 'shrink' lately?

No, actually that is something I can say that I've never done. I've never gone to a psychiatrist...I have visited a counselor once or twice, but after about the second visit each time I thought to myself, "I could just be talking to a friend and that person might actually KNOW me- and on top of having all the relevant background information already - wouldn't be charging me an arm and a leg to sit and listen to me. That might actually be more productive for me in my specific circumstances."

Not to say, I don't think counselors are useful for some folks-to the contrary- I definitely believe they are and serve a wonderful purpose in the world.

Are you a good listener?

Always, particularly when you're talking Aidan, I like the views you've expressed on the various threads. Wish I had such a gift of writing.

Have you settled into your new surroundings?

Dutchy- that's so nice of you to say. And I appreciate your interest and concern as to how I'm settling in.

I like where I've ended up. It's beautiful (as far as scenery goes) and it's a nice little mid-size town/city that has some really interesting places to eat, socialize, visit, etc. There are two small universities in town (less than ten thousand students), so you don't get the inundation of wild behavior that you might have in a town in which a large university is the major influence, but there are lots of interesting things to do- poetry slams, lectures , etc.

I like my job. Love the students I work with and have alot of respect for my colleagues who are great people trying hard to make a difference for a difficult population.

But I miss England desperately. Think about it everyday- and have the chance to go back and know that I probably will.

Do you know in your heart that where you are is where you're meant to be? (Sorry if this is too philosophical- but hey- you said you were a good listener....)

Yes absolutely Aidan, I grew up in Europe and know that Continent backwards having travelled to many places, additionaly having lived in Sweden and spending long holidays with my relatives in Germany. Australia is a very good place to live, a good standard of living, freedom, wide open spaces, good climate and plenty of work. Give me a million dollars and I wouldn't swap with Europe again, great for a Holiday but permanently, no thanks.

Have you ever been to Souht America?

No, but I really want to visit Chile and Peru. If I don't move back to England and stay on this side of the world- that'll be my next trip.


So I guess you understand how a person can be born on one continent and come to prefer another?

Yes, I am such a person , and can make a rational judgement on that. This is a good country, as witnessed by millions of other Europeans have settled here in the last 60 odd years.

Peru would be fascinating, have you studies the Inca culture?

A little. I've also done a little research on Patagonia. My dream trip would actually be to travel down through Belize and Central America and down the western coast of South America by car. I'd have to have a fair amount of time to do that though. Right now, the job I have I only have two weeks vacation- so I'll have to quit my job or something.
That's one thing I've noticed in the US since I've been back. They have absolutely ridiculous expectations in terms of work and time spent in work and working overtime, etc.

Is Australia (or your culture, whichever culture you are from, depending on who answers this question) more like the US or Europe- in other words does your culture instill this belief that work is everything or that people should actually have interests and time to indulge them outside of work?

Unfortunately we are following the US in that regard, money seems to be the overall factor, and to get that people work and work until they drop dead! My motto has always been, you work to live, not live to work. I retired early because I want to enjoy life not be the richest man in the cemetery, and I can honestly state I have no regrets having followed that course.

Going to South America, if that were the case, would you feel comfortable travelling on your own?

That's an interesting question... I've traveled extensively in Europe by myself, or with my teen-aged daughter as my only companion. But South America might be a different story. I don't know - I hadn't thought of it before. I have heard stories though that would give me pause. I guess it all depends on what you're doing. If you're traveling with a group - I guess it'd be okay to fly into an airport, meet up with your group and do your thing - but if you were driving from place to place and spending alot of time on your own, stopping at various destinations at which it became obvious you were a woman on your own - it'd become more problematic.

Sucks to be a girl sometimes- you know - definitely infringes on your sense of freedom. Have you ever thought about that ( as a man, I mean)?

I would prefer to travel with a companion(s) in a strange country, have seen a number of packpackers, both male and female, come to their grief in this Country, a supposed civilised society! As you suggest a travel group would be a great idea, travelling on your own in a total foreign country, whether male or female, is fraught with danger I feel.

I just saw Televison footage of terrible wind damage in the US, were you affected by it?

No, not that I know of. The northeastern US has proven to be pretty immune to weather related or other forms of natural disasters. No fault lines so no earthquakes, the tornados all hit to the west in the prairie states and the hurricanes usally hit landfall and blow out to the south. . I did live in Maine during the big ice storm of l998- but my house was directly across the street from the elementary school, so they worked on the power lines there first- my electricity was restored first in less than 24 hours.

Do you live out in the boonies? Are you at risk in terms of natural or weather related disasters?

No, I live in a big city, alas on top of a fault line. The last earthquake we had was way back in 1954, caused quite some damage but no injuries. We are surrounded by high hills (up to 3000 feet) which gets tinder dry in summer and often have bush fires. The worst ones were in 1939, 1954 and 1983 when many people lost their lives and hundreds of homes were destroyed, not speaking of the loss of wild life and farm animals. We are also situated on the open ocean and are subject to storm damage in winter times but this is not a major problem, but bushfires are!

Have you participated in other forums besides a2k?

Well let's see... my first foray into forums was on this lyrics site that I went on to find some lyrics and I saw that there was this discussion forum along with it. I really like music and lyrics, so I posted a bit on that- but didn't really find a lot to capture my interest...but that did introduce me to the concept...so I went on google and typed in the words: music, lyrics, creative writing and came upon A2k. My first post here was on the music forum and had to do with my favorite ten or twenty albums. Panzade was the first person who spoke to me. Then **** happened and I looked elsewhere for a while. I read alot on another poetry forum- but I didn't post enough to remember my screen name or password, so I can't post - and actually- I'm too lazy to try to figure that out. I posted a few times on another forum but then I figured out that it started out as a pornography site and I felt out of place with all the naked and explicit avatars (although they do talk about some interesting things - and they're not all about pornography- one of my favorite topics there was: picture yourself at seventeen - describe where you are and what you are doing).

But you know it takes so much energy to find your spot in a forum of people you can't see and don't really know and the friends that I have made here, I REALLY, REALLY DO LIKE- so I'm happy to stay here.

How about you?

a2k is the one and only forum I have ever belonged to. I found it by sheer accident when I was looking for a crossword answer, by the way my favourite hobby. My first posting were all about this subject and it was not until some time had passed before I ventured further afield and started to play the games, well as you can see from my tally of posts I've become addicted. I have found my niche, met some extraordinary people, and learnt a lot about other places. I'm afraid I'm not really a person to get involved into deep discussions, I leave that to the experts, although I do read the various threads quite regularly and often have a quiet chuckle. Like you I do like it here and hope to be around for a little longer.

Would you agree with me the world has become so much smaller since the introduction of the Internet?

What do you mean - a LITTLE longer? I hope you're here a LOT longer Dutchy.

Yes, the internet in some ways, has opened up the whole world to people, although if you look at it in a certain way, as alot of people do, it offers a somewhat condensed experience, and so falsely encourages people to believe they know or have experienced a subject or culture or person in it's or his or her entirety when in truth they have not experienced that subject or culture or person at all, in reality. In other words - in some ways it promotes constriction instead of expansion.

Do you understand what I mean by that?

I do, but don't you think it depends on the length of such communication? An exchange of a few e-mails doesn't qualify in my opnion, it must be an intereaction of some depth over a considerable period of time. However by exchanging little snippets as we are doing here , one does broaden his/her horizons in some little way which can pave the way for greater knowledge about a person, culture country etc. Expanded knowledge can only by obtained by asking questions. That's how I see it.

Do you think I understood your question?


I meant to say I'll stay a LOT longer unless I wear out my welcome.