Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza

@Pele Alarion @Nia one of those actors who does a lot of weird roles and has been in a lot of movies. I believe now primarily he does voice work...like Nigel Thornberry in the Wild Thornberrys and Palpatine/Sidious in The Clone Wars TV series. Come to think of it he was voices for most of my childhood cartoons...Rugrats, Ahh! Real Monsters, The Mighty Ducks, Gargoyles. So you might recognize his voice more than his face.

1. What's the first movie you think of that Tim Curry was in? Rocky Horror Picture Show...iconic, but I have to go with Pennywise in the original "It"
2. What are your Top 5 favorite holidays to celebrate? Thanksgiving, the food and it's always one big potluck (but not sure about that this year ). Then 4th of July (fireworks!), Easter, Christmas and St. Patrick's Day.
3. What special gift would Bilbo have given you after his 111th birthday? I am left handed and the struggle of writing in notebooks, having my hand always smudged with ink is real my entire life. I have nice handwriting for a male (apparently) but it takes me twice as long I think. Bilbo would know all about my whining and complaining and would leave me a notebook for lefties.

I forgot Tim Curry was in Legend! I saw that movie one time many years ago and tried searching for it to watch it again after Sil's answer reminding me he was in it. I have to watch it again now. @Sil ask the next questions please.

Thag you very buch Boro!

1. What’s your favourite meal that you know how to cook?

2. What’s the pettiest thing you’ve ever done? (Or that someone else has done that you know of, if you don’t want to share or you’re a pure freep Angel)

3. If you could obtain free education in any subject what would it be (and where)?

1. What’s your favourite meal that you know how to cook? Chicken Tikka Masala. Or Lamb chops, or Tacos, or homemade hot wings.

2. What’s the pettiest thing you’ve ever done? (Or that someone else has done that you know of, if you don’t want to share or you’re a pure freep Angel) Plaza: I wouldn't wear the uniform Aigronding picked out for the Imladris Host when he came up with it because he had all the high ranking elves in BRIGHT RED going out into a war field.... ALSO could be tripping Dwim in the Murder hornet trap in the Theif hunt.
In Person: When I found out a 'friend' was trash talking me less than 3 days after I'd spent 6 hours talking to them because they were feeling depressed early covid rumblings and they were feeling alone. They use to live with me I thought they were awesome I always tried to look out for them... And I discovered them ripping me apart, so I cancelled a tattoo appointment they made with me 4 months before and sold the tattoo I designed for them to someone else. Because of Covid though they don't realize I've literally run through all my bookings they are still waiting for me to call them in. I will never be calling them for work.

3. If you could obtain free education in any subject what would it be (and where)? Astrophysics. probably Hawaii It's what I wanted to do as a kid but I just didn't want to do it because I was SO bored doing calculus in in Highschool that the thought of doing math every day for the rest of my working life when it was so easy and boring... made me swing into the art field.

1. What’s your favourite meal that you know how to cook? I make a pretty good lasagna and if you ask Naith then also a chicken korma and Jambalaya

2. What’s the pettiest thing you’ve ever done? (Or that someone else has done that you know of, if you don’t want to share or you’re a pure freep Angel) I can be very passive agressive when angry, instead of just dealing with the issue I give the silent treatment.

3. If you could obtain free education in any subject what would it be (and where)? Well in Denmark education is free. So instead ask me what I would want to study if I had the brains for it: Archaeology!

1. What’s your favourite meal that you know how to cook? Well it is not a gourmet meal, but club sandwiches is my most favorite, and I have to cook the turkey and bread. I use brined turkey breast, fresh tomatoes , arugula, homemade whole wheat bread and my take on homemade mayo (yogurt, horseradish, mustard, honey). And then. I slip from the goodness and add the bacon. What is a club without the bacon.

2. What’s the pettiest thing you’ve ever done? (Or that someone else has done that you know of, if you don’t want to share or you’re a pure freep Angel). When I was about 9- 10 years old, I told my father to shut up. We were at a family gathering playing croquette and my father hit my ball and shot it off down a hill into the brush that was adjacent to the lawn we were playing on. He was laughing and teasing , and I got upset. My good old Dad was a tease.

3. If you could obtain free education in any subject what would it be (and where)? Physical Education and Health. Most likely in Canada. I am not up-to-date on the current situation regarding physical education in schools now a days but, I do know that 15 years ago, Phys Ed (gym) was still taken away from elementary students as a punishment for misbehavior. What is ironic about that is, none of the other subjects, mathematics for example, was ever taken away, yet today children have computers and calculators to do their math, while a lot of them sit on their asses and get fat.

1. What’s your favourite meal that you know how to cook? Pretzel-breaded chicken w/cheese sauce. Crush up pretzels to use as the breading for chicken. Pan fry and make a cheese sauce to pour over top.

2. What’s the pettiest thing you’ve ever done? (Or that someone else has done that you know of, if you don’t want to share or you’re a pure freep Angel) I'm pretty good at drawing cute cows, that's like my only artistic ability. In ceramics class I made a clay cow.

Edit: So I originally read this as "prettiest thing" thinking you were asking the prettiest thing I ever made...Oh well. . Uhh so pettiest, would probably be when I was younger, tattling on my sister if she brought this one guy over I never liked.

3. If you could obtain free education in any subject what would it be (and where)? Paleontology from University of Michigan.

1. What’s your favourite meal that you know how to cook? I've made a mean beer-battered sriracha avocado taco in my time, complete with pickled onions and fresh salsa

2. What’s the pettiest thing you’ve ever done? (Or that someone else has done that you know of, if you don’t want to share or you’re a pure freep Angel) I usually shut down and stew silently (or, if the situation calls for it, cut people out) before I start getting too petty with them. With one particularly awful former employer, though, I spare no detail about the ways they mistreated employees and always tell people not to apply when they ask what my experience was like working there.

3. If you could obtain free education in any subject what would it be (and where)? At this point I'd probably want to get some more formal education in computer science. Or linguistics. Or computational linguistics. Or historical linguistics. Or continue what I started in undergrad, researching the sociopolitics of bilingualism in various states. Argh. Part of my aversion to choosing to do another degree is related to the indecision you can see so fully on display here. But definitely something to do with linguistics, and probably some CS thrown in there for good measure. No idea where, of course.

1. What’s your favourite meal that you know how to cook? cheese and veg enchiladas!!

2. What’s the pettiest thing you’ve ever done? (Or that someone else has done that you know of, if you don’t want to share or you’re a pure freep Angel) not typically a petty kind of person and I try to stay out of such things but when I was a lot younger my flatmates and I were having issues with another flatmate. one night she made us all mad so we ate all her fav ice cream. if that's not petty, I don't know what is!

3. If you could obtain free education in any subject what would it be (and where)? music! playing all the instruments, singing, the history of music, all the music. music is magic. I'd do it in New Zealand because that's where I most want to be in the world.

1. What’s your favourite meal that you know how to cook? Chicken (although I tend to use Quorn) and sun-dried tomatoes in a lemon, tarragon and paprika sauce <3

2. What’s the pettiest thing you’ve ever done? (Or that someone else has done that you know of, if you don’t want to share or you’re a pure freep Angel). A recent thing which comes to mind, was during lockdown #1: I got so fed up of neighbours taking our recycling and rubbish bins after collection day that I painted our house number on the lid and every single side of both bins. I think I'm still of the opinion that that wasn't necessarily petty behaviour though (though the overkill on sheer number of numbers possibly was). If we're going further back, I also stopped drinking milk in my tea at uni because the only thing I used it for was for cups of tea, and I got so irritated with one of my flatmates who kept finishing my milk for his protein shakes. I think that was more 'cutting off my nose to spite my face' than petty though.

3. If you could obtain free education in any subject what would it be (and where)? Would love to either do a masters in public policy, maybe something environmental-related, or learn a new language. Both of which I'd love to do abroad, anywhere.

1. What’s your favourite meal that you know how to cook? Minced chicken in smoked capsicum. Very healthy stuff!

2. What’s the pettiest thing you’ve ever done? OK so this was last June I think. I was coming back to my home town, taking a risk, through the Covid-19 and what not. I did book a flight and I was allowed one hand baggage. Or at least that's what I think it was. I was in a hurry so I didn't stand to see all the rules, stuff allowed, etc. So my best pal requested me to take a bag of him with me. I said ok at first, but before going I said No to him, mainly because travelling at that time was risky. Anyways so he got mad at me and we didn't speak for months! Maybe it was petty from my end since I didn't study the baggage guidelines more carefully, cause maybe more baggage was allowed. Besides, I got mad too and didn't speak with him for months.

3. If you could obtain free education in any subject what would it be (and where)? I'm quite interested in International diplomacy as a subject. If I get free education in it, I'll take it!!!

1. What’s your favourite meal that you know how to cook? Pizza. So many different kinds.

2. What’s the pettiest thing you’ve ever done? I don't think I do petty things unprovoked. But I am guilty of responding to petty actions in arguably petty (or in some cases, rather extreme) ways. For example, after the garbage truck came and emptied the bins early one morning, some neighbours from across the road snuck over and dumped a whole load of their rubbish in our bins and filled them up again. Angry that my bins would be full for a whole week with someone else's rubbish, I dug through every single garbage bag until I found a clue as to which neighbour it was. Eventually I found a doctor's prescription with a name on it. Knowing who belonged to that name, I then took every garbage bag across the road and threw them over their fence.

3. If you could obtain free education in any subject what would it be (and where)? Linguistics. Not bothered where, although I'm sure I would end up somewhere interesting depending on what language/s I chose to study as part of the education.

1. What’s your favourite meal that you know how to cook? I'm pretty good at making chicken. Meatballs are also a fun thing to make.

2. What’s the pettiest thing you’ve ever done? (Or that someone else has done that you know of, if you don’t want to share or you’re a pure freep Angel) I don't really know. I don't think I'm one for being petty. I might mutter something under my breath, but that's probably about it.

3. If you could obtain free education in any subject what would it be (and where)? I'd go and try to get my PhD in Historical Theology - focusing on the English and Victorian Reformations of the 17th and 19th centuries. Not sure where I'd want to go though, but probably somewhere in the UK.

1. What’s your favourite meal that you know how to cook? Uhh yeah cooking is not really my forte but I guess like a breakfast sandwich, you know, bagel/bacon/egg/cheese kind of thing.

2. What’s the pettiest thing you’ve ever done? (Or that someone else has done that you know of, if you don’t want to share or you’re a pure freep Angel) I spilled the beans to my soccer teammates about the crush my sister had on one of them. Did it for literally no reason too, and after she'd asked me to keep it secret. I was only like 7, but still...really a petty thing.

3. If you could obtain free education in any subject what would it be (and where)? I have debated different kinds of higher education for years, and I can't quite settle on some combination of ancient history, theology, classical languages, or certain parts of literature (apocalyptic Jewish lit, or maybe hellenistic lit, or early medieval latin...something). The where would just be wherever is highest quality tbh. St. Andrews, Duke, Notre Dame, wherever.

1. What’s your favourite meal that you know how to cook? I recently figured out how to cook butternut squash, I threw it together with polish sausage and made a delightful pasta

2. What’s the pettiest thing you’ve ever done? (Or that someone else has done that you know of, if you don’t want to share or you’re a pure freep Angel) I was fired from a scholarship clerk job at a university to make room for the director's niece, so I deleted all my excel spreadsheets containing the amounts and to whom it was going and emptied the recycling bin (they were kept online as well so it's not like I destroyed everything)

3. If you could obtain free education in any subject what would it be (and where)? Library Science from University of Washington or Finnish Literature from the University of Helsinki

Questions to @Nia because the bin thing made me laugh. One time one of our neighbours decided he didn’t want his bin anymore so he lodged it deep in a hedge. Why? Who knows

ahhh yay, how exciting! Now I'm even more pleased with my bin shenanigans, thanks @Sil ! (& I would like to speak to your neighbour about such curious bin behaviour.)

My questions (sorry if any of these are duplicates!):

1. Which three people would you most like to invite round for dinner (one has to be a LotR character, one has to be a living RL person of note/celebrity, one has to be a deceased RL person of note/celebrity)?

2. What is your earliest memory?

3. What is something you would really like to achieve in the next five years?


p.s. also @Boromir88 I never thanked you above for your help with Tim Curry - I watched Rugrats so now now who he is!

1. Which three people would you most like to invite round for dinner (one has to be a LotR character, one has to be a living RL person of note/celebrity, one has to be a deceased RL person of note/celebrity)? Gotta have Bilbo over, even though feeding a hobbit sounds daunting. His personality will make up for it. A living person of note, I mean, might be a bit of a stretch to call him such but probably N.T. Wright, he's an English pastor/professor, I own quite a few of his books and would love to talk to him. As for deceased folk, probably James Madison or Thomas Jefferson for epic political rants (maybe show them 1776 or Hamilton, lol)

2. What is your earliest memory? Uhh, bit embarrassing, that, but pooping my diaper at like 2ish years of age. Not the most fun memory I have to say.

3. What is something you would really like to achieve in the next five years? My boys no longer pooping their diapers.

1. Which three people would you most like to invite round for dinner (one has to be a LotR character, one has to be a living RL person of note/celebrity, one has to be a deceased RL person of note/celebrity)? Bilbo, to ensure there was plenty of excellent food. Keanu Reeves, everything that I read about him is he's just a real down-to-earth person that I could share a few drinks with. Christopher Lee, the stories I imagine he could tell about his life would be marvelous.

2. What is your earliest memory? I was about 3, I wanted to be in my older sister's circus. So she made me the circus bear and I tried standing on a ball in the kitchen, fell off and broke my leg. My sister commenting that I did not make a good circus bear.

3. What is something you would really like to achieve in the next five years? Travel across the Atlantic and visit as many European countries as I can.

1. Which three people would you most like to invite round for dinner (one has to be a LotR character, one has to be a living RL person of note/celebrity, one has to be a deceased RL person of note/celebrity)?
Hmmm Colin I feel like he'd appreciate the disturbing amount of food I'd make after the whole elven feast illusion bit in mirkwood...living celebrity jewel staite Was a sweetheart when I met her and we had a fair bit to talk about... Deceased... I know the go to would be Tolkien but I imagine he'd be horrified at all the pagan iconography in my house especially my kitchen as am very much a kitchen green witch so he wouldn't do well. Probably Alan Rickman.

2. What is your earliest memory? I was 3 years old and it was my birthday literally. And my extended family all showed up unannounced. For some context this was both sets of grandparents (one set from 6hrs away the other from 24 hrs away driving) both of my aunt's and uncles from Sudbury and all 5 of their kids, (24 be drive again). My aunt and uncle from Saskatoon (4 hrs away) my aunt and uncle from Calgary (12 hrs away), my cousin and husband and youngest child from Brandon 4 hours away. This was on top of the people that were invited which was another 4 people. Needless to say my parents being poor got creative with food (lots of spaghetti) and seating. The part I remember the most was after the meal I was set on the ping pong table which was doubling as out table and told to walk to my cake and blow out the candles. Completely reasonable request since at 2 years old I was asking if there was a washroom availabile in a hospital... I instead started to cry in sheer terror as we got spanked if we put out feet on the table...and my feet were on the table. My mother is still shocked I can remember that so clearly.

3. What is something you would really like to achieve in the next five years? Well as I've just bought a new house and business I'd kind of like to get them mostly paid off the business entirely... The house if be happy owing about 30k left of the 204 I bought it for though paid off would be better. Business has 70k atm and house has 199k atm... But that does not account for my current house being sold which is paid in full.

Also visiting both and Beebs now that the cheeto is on his way out

Dunno if people go in for answering their own questions, but:

1. Which three people would you most like to invite round for dinner (one has to be a LotR character, one has to be a living RL person of note/celebrity, one has to be a deceased RL person of note/celebrity)? Gandalf - I'd be pretty intimidated, but I think he'd have some good mealtime conversation. Jurgen Klopp - not just because I am a little besotted with him, but because I know we'd have a lot to to talk about (not just football), and I genuinely think he is one of the most down-to-earth, sensible people on the planet right now. Millicent Fawcett - she's just so incredibly badass and underrated, and I would LOVE to speak to her about her life (and get her views on life in the 21st Century).

2. What is your earliest memory? It was around my 3rd birthday, we were on a family holiday in Cornwall just before my youngest sister was born, staying in a hotel with an indoor swimming pool. As the story goes (I don't remember this preamble), my mum was getting my other little sister, who was about 15 months old, into her swimming stuff and armbands etc, I was already in my costume and getting bored, so my mum told me to go through to the men's changing rooms to find my dad. But between the women's and men's changing rooms I caught sight of the swimming pool. (This is the bit I have memory of): I started walking down the steps into the pool (one of those pools with wide steps built into the floor that gradually descend into the pool, rather then the metal ladders), and just vaguely remember walking slowly out of my depth. My next memory is clearly from a few moments later, where I am throwing up pool water over my mum's shoulder on the side of said pool. Weirdly enough I have no memory at all of being scared (I'm sure I near enough gave both my parents heart-failure - they found me floating face down in the pool before pulling me out!) Needless to say, I was enrolled in swimming lessons the very next week.

3. What is something you would really like to achieve in the next five years? Make my temporary promotion permanent (that's a <6 month ambition). Otherwise, get on the housing ladder. Maybe get a dog.

Thanks all - loved reading the answers! Going to pass on to @Lady of Shadow because volcanology sounds utterly fascinating - good luck with it!

1. Which three people would you most like to invite round for dinner (one has to be a LotR character, one has to be a living RL person of note/celebrity, one has to be a deceased RL person of note/celebrity)? From LOTR, I'd invite Frodo, I have certain things I need to ask him to confirm some personal theories I have about him and Sam. Living, I'd go with AOC, she's fascinating, intelligent, quick witted, and engaging, I think we'd have some interesting conversations. Dead, I'll pick Algernon Blackwood, horror author from around the turn of the century. Anyone here who knows me at all knows I love the guy and his writing, though at dinner I'd have to rip him for many of his outdated opinions

2. What is your earliest memory? I was 3 years old, playing with a ninja turtles toy car while being told I needed to get ready to take a family photo

3. What is something you would really like to achieve in the next five years? Finish the library science degree, publish a novel, a short story collection, hopefully have a Bram Stoker or Shirley Jackson nomination in there somewhere

@Nia: Thanks, and you kind of put me on the spot here, since I wasn't expecting to be chosen.

I haven't done this in a while, so forgive me if I don't ask the best or original questions:

1. What's the first thing you'll do after this virus is over and done with?

2. What was your best memory of the Old Plaza (come this New Year's Eve, it will be my 14th plazaversary)?

3. If you could go back in time, what historical event would you want to witness first hand?

1. What's the first thing you'll do after this virus is over and done with? Depends when it is. There is a list depending on date its safe to do such things: 1. Hawaii with family 2. Puerto Vallarta with family 3. Fur-eh in Edmonton Alberta. 4 Furnal Equinox in Toronto Ontario, 5. Harvest moon Furfest in 2022 (First BIPOC entirely board run con of its sort)

2. What was your best memory of the Old Plaza (come this New Year's Eve, it will be my 14th plazaversary)? Getting asked to be the Librarian Admin by Beebs

3. If you could go back in time, what historical event would you want to witness first hand? HOnestly there really aren't any that I wan't to go back and see first hand. mostly because all the things I'm interested in center around war, and I have this lovely want to live and not get absolutely brutally killed etc by being too near the action.

1. What's the first thing you'll do after this virus is over and done with? go read at the park? Thankfully the virus didn't really derail a lot of my day to day life so what I would do after it seems rather inconsequential

2. What was your best memory of the Old Plaza (come this New Year's Eve, it will be my 14th plazaversary)? I'd have to say when I officially joined Mordor and Sil and Tzu welcomed me in

3. If you could go back in time, what historical event would you want to witness first hand? I think this question has been asked a few times already but I can't remember what answer I always give, I'll say early 20th century when writers like Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, and M.R. James were doing their thing

1. What's the first thing you'll do after this virus is over and done with? Travel!

2. What was your best memory of the Old Plaza (come this New Year's Eve, it will be my 14th plazaversary)? Happy early Plazaversary! RPing my switch to Mordor will always hold a spot in my black heart <3

3. If you could go back in time, what historical event would you want to witness first hand? A Pharaoh's burial, prolly spectacular.

1. What's the first thing you'll do after this virus is over and done with? Not to be a negative Nancy but I have a feeling that's a long, long way off. I can't make any predictions other than perhaps scotch or some other strong drink, but I ain't waiting until then either.

2. What was your best memory of the Old Plaza (come this New Year's Eve, it will be my 14th plazaversary)? I will probably end up giving a different answer than the last time this was asked because there are so many! I'll go with Landy quizzing Tuna and me on LotR over yahoo voice or whatever it was called and ripping us apart every time we messed up.

3. If you could go back in time, what historical event would you want to witness first hand? ALL OF THEM

1. What's the first thing you'll do after this virus is over and done with? Hug my parents and go out for lots of meals to catch up with people?

2. What was your best memory of the Old Plaza (come this New Year's Eve, it will be my 14th plazaversary)? The Potato Armada is a vague and utterly delightful memory lodged permanently in my brain (thank you @Arnyn, @Ta'leus Shieldsong, and @Burnt Toast). There were also lots of fun Cottage shenanigans back in the day with Le Toasty.

3. If you could go back in time, what historical event would you want to witness first hand? I tried for a long time to think of a good answer to this and I've got nothing. If I could intervene in certain historical events, I might have a better answer for you.

What's the first thing you'll do after this virus is over and done with? Go see my 81 year old mother who I haven't seen in almost a year now.

2. What was your best memory of the Old Plaza (come this New Year's Eve, it will be my 14th plazaversary)? Drill with all my dwarven cohorts.

3. If you could go back in time, what historical event would you want to witness first hand? My own birth!

Lots of good answers, but I'll have to hand it over to Winddancer for the Pharoah's burial answer, since it kind of reminded me of that scene in The Mummy (the one starring Brendan Fraser, never saw the original or the remake) when Imhotep was buried for having an affair with the Pharoah's future wife (at least I think that's what cursed him, I haven't seen it in a while) as well as wishing me a Happy Plazaversary (even though it's another month away).

*sneaks in to get missed questions*
1. Which three people would you most like to invite round for dinner (one has to be a LotR character, one has to be a living RL person of note/celebrity, one has to be a deceased RL person of note/celebrity)? Treebeard, Jane Goodall, RBG.
2. What is your earliest memory? I don't have strong memories of anything before 5 so I really couldn't say.
3. What is something you would really like to achieve in the next five years? to quote Bilbo loosely - I'd like to find somewhere quiet and finish my book.

1. What's the first thing you'll do after this virus is over and done with? Travel.
2. What was your best memory of the Old Plaza (come this New Year's Eve, it will be my 14th plazaversary)? No one thing - it was really the people and friendships I remember most fondly.
3. If you could go back in time, what historical event would you want to witness first hand? Something back in geologic time - I'd like to see the world pre-humans whether its giant megafauna or huge algal mats everywhere, anything would be cool.

1. What's the first thing you'll do after this virus is over and done with? Hug my best friends again.

2. What was your best memory of the Old Plaza? My promotion to Third Marshal of the Cavalry.

3. If you could go back in time, what historical event would you want to witness first hand? There's a family legend that says a French princess ran away to marry one of my great-great-great (???) grandfathers (on the Norwegian side). Would love to go back and see how much of that is actually true and what series of events played out for that story to even start being passed around.

1. What's the first thing you'll do after this virus is over and done with? Oh dear, I usually don't plan for anything that far ahead/in advance. I've missed out on a trip to visit friends in NYC that I try to see once a year, so probably would plan to do that again.

2. What was your best memory of the Old Plaza (come this New Year's Eve, it will be my 14th plazaversary)? Getting compliments from halfir or Lord of the Rings when I made a quality lore post.

3. If you could go back in time, what historical event would you want to witness first hand? I've always wanted to be a fly on the wall during the Congressional conventions when the Declaration of Independence was being drafted/debated and signed. That is assuming as a fly my brain could process English into fly sounds so I understood what was being said.

@Nia, dang I wish I thought of Jurgen Klopp. He is a national treasure and I think the conversations would be amazing.

@Boromir88 right?! A chat with him would be intellectual, sensible, but undoubtedly witheringly hilarious too. I actually think he's the celebrity (doesn't feel like the right word for him - he'd scoff at the suggestion!) I most want to meet right now. (Although @Fleeg 's AOC suggestion is also up there!)

1. What's the first thing you'll do after this virus is over and done with? One of the first things I'll be doing once it's safe to do so is rebooking my postponed trip to Scotland to stay with my grandma. Aside from that, probably just booking up every weekend for the next two years to see people and give anyone who's up for it a giant bear hug.

2. What was your best memory of the Old Plaza (come this New Year's Eve, it will be my 14th plazaversary)? I spent most of my latter years just vegetating in the Narv fan club, so probably that old place is up there. But in my younger early-teenager days it was definitely the family forums, houses, and MSN chats.

3. If you could go back in time, what historical event would you want to witness first hand? I'd have quite like to see the moon landings, or the fall of the Berlin Wall. Assuming national security isn't a barrier (given I'm breaking the laws of time and space, I assume it isn't) I'd have also quite liked to watch Alan Turing break the Enigma code. Going way further back, seeing the signing of Magna Carta.

1. What's the first thing you'll do after this virus is over and done with? Aaach. We were doing quite well in Latvia for a while, but no more visiting friends as stringent restrictions were put in place just a few days ago. Definitely would head out to visit them again. And do rogaining with them!

2. What was your best memory of the Old Plaza (come this New Year's Eve, it will be my 14th plazaversary)? Doing all the Ranger stuff!!! (Now, how to lure all these folk back yet again... Not sure honey cake and tea will work.)

3. If you could go back in time, what historical event would you want to witness first hand? Hmmm. Witnessing how the Republic of Latvia was 'born' might be interesting.

Since I forgot to tag the person I tossed this onto, why don't you go next @Lailyn, since I liked your answer about going back in geologic time (I'm getting into Volcanology myself. Just signed up for another course on edX from a school from New Zealand! Each course I take has something new that I've never done before like learning how to draw hazard maps and responding to questions asked by locals on social media).

1. What's the first thing you'll do after this virus is over and done with? Enjoying being able to go to stores at any time of day instead of having to go when it's not so many people there.

2. What was your best memory of the Old Plaza (come this New Year's Eve, it will be my 14th plazaversary)? Spending most of my time in OOME with friends during my early days. And joining the cavalry in Rohan.

3. If you could go back in time, what historical event would you want to witness first hand? The building of the pyramids.

Oh hi I missed this! Thanks LoS - rock on with the geology!

1. Tell me about your favorite vacation/trip you've been on.
2. What is the best book you read this year (audiobook, graphic novels, etc. counts)?
3. What's the best thing about the current season where you live?
4. What's your favourite tree?

1. Tell me about your favorite vacation/trip you've been on. A trip I went on to Cuba for a 'friends' wedding. I was invited and couldn't afford a room on the 5 star resort by myself and my friend was good friends with my whole family (grew up together) asked if they could come.... was uhhh 28? 29? Somwhere in there so went to this resort... and my family despite living in Manitoba loves to snorkel. Love it. So we booked an excursion to go to a swim with dolphins lunch and then go to the best open ocean snorkling on the Hoguin side of the island. Discovered it was a quarter mile OFF shore of our hotel so we did that EVERY day, also my new friend (because myself and one other friend couldn't afford the platinum rooms and were in the standard ones and ignored by our friend entirely) went into town on our own, she got a tattoo, did a personalized tour with a taxi driver that took us to different museums not on the main excursion lists and got to talk to locals and discuss how worried they were that the US was going to be allowed back in (when we took off the first plane from the US was landing so we were delayed by 2 hours because of that)
2. What is the best book you read this year (audiobook, graphic novels, etc. counts)? Story of Songbirds and Snakes (part of the Hunger Games Universe)
3. What's the best thing about the current season where you live? the smell of wood smoke from fires burning (we are out in the country and a LOT of people have wood stoves... currently parents have a wood stove and yes it's been burning since about October 20th)
4. What's your favourite tree? Mountain Ash are pretty awesome. That or weeping birch (which is the family tree on our farm that's in the center of the homestead we planted it and it's now absolutely MASSIVE)

1. Tell me about your favorite vacation/trip you've been on.

It would have been the family trip to the US in 2016 if it hadn’t been so abominably HOT. Loved Boston. As it is, probably my trip to Rome with Mr Sil in 2018. Got to speak a lot of Italian, which really delighted the locals and resulted in free tiramisu

2. What is the best book you read this year (audiobook, graphic novels, etc. counts)?

This is a tough one, but I’m going to go with Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik for sheer whimsical enjoyment. I also enjoyed The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern and Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff. Darkdawn would be top but it’s the third in a trilogy so hard to judge independently out of my hype for finishing a trilogy.

3. What's the best thing about the current season where you live?

Leaves

4. What's your favourite tree?

Oak. For individual trees I have a fondness for the bird cherry in my father’s back garden, which I spent an inordinate amount of time sitting in when I was twelve.

EDIT: I ONLY just noticed Lail snuck a sneaky 4th question in!!

1. Tell me about your favorite vacation/trip you've been on. Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The most beautiful, deepest darkest color of blue I've ever seen. It was also during the summer and I grew quite fond of the dry mountain heat. No nasty bugs or mosquitos like I get in Ohio's summers.

2. What is the best book you read this year (audiobook, graphic novels, etc. counts)? Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

3. What's the best thing about the current season where you live? This is a tough one because I don't like the cold or the snow. I will say when there is snow on the ground and the sun is out, it is a marvelous site...before the perfect white snow starts turning into yucky slush brown color. The sun doesn't come out very often though.

4. What's your favourite tree? Buckeye the tree, but the buckeye cookie is my favorite this time of year.

1. Tell me about your favorite vacation/trip you've been on. I was lucky enough to visit Vietnam a couple of years ago, and I absolutely loved everything about it: the people, the food, the way of life, the natural beauty of the countryside, and the completely CRAZY chaoticness (red squiggly line tells be this isn't a word, but it really should be) of the cities.
2. What is the best book you read this year (audiobook, graphic novels, etc. counts)? This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay. I was a bit late onto the bandwagon for this book, but I read it during lockdown 1, which I felt made it even more pertinent given the incredible sacrifices which were being made by our healthcare workers at the time. It made me laugh throughout (not the end - that bit made me cry, and I challenge you not to!).
3. What's the best thing about the current season where you live? I love getting to wrap up warm on cool crisp days. Just wish we got snow here!
4. What's your favourite tree? There is a tree in Brockwell Park near me that I think is just beautiful. I'll include a mini photo I took of it a few weeks ago below. If anyone knows what kind of tree it is, I'd love to know (I'm useless at trees - yes, ironic for an Ent!):

1. Tell me about your favorite vacation/trip you've been on. When I was growing up my family and I would go camping for a weekend every summer. The camping we would go to is about a 2½ hour drive from where we lived and I loved going away from home for a few days.
2. What is the best book you read this year (audiobook, graphic novels, etc. counts)? 'That boy Emil' by Astrid Lindgren. I want to start reading more children's books and this year I've read a few by Astrid Lindgren.
3. What's the best thing about the current season where you live? Being able to be cooped up inside since I hate winter.
4. What's your favourite tree? I love birches, they are beautiful.

1. Tell me about your favorite vacation/trip you've been on. I haven’t had a ton of vacations I remember enjoying, I think I’ll go with the future trip I’ll be making from the Southwest to the Pacific Northwest
2. What is the best book you read this year (audiobook, graphic novels, etc. counts)? This one’s a tough call. It’s between John Langan’s The Fisherman, Gwendolyn Kiste’s The Rust Maidens, or The Golden Compass which @Tarawen recommended
3. What's the best thing about the current season where you live? that it isn’t regularly 90 degrees outside, New Mexico summers last a very long time
4. What's your favourite tree? not a specific tree, but I love willows