⛥ December Q&A ⛥ (Patreon)

I'm doing this Q&A early before I forget. My schedule is pretty booked for the remainder of the year and I'm sure yours is, too. So whenever you get a chance to read this, I hope it'll be worth your while. My purring lap warmer is making it worth mine. It's her morning routine and the heavens know she loves her routines.
Get the humans up, beg for tap water, have a snack, beg for more tap water, then settle down in Ally's lap cause she's a cat-mat and won't move me or get up ever. She will also sweet talk and pet me for hours while Jack gets her anything she wants so she can give me anything I want. Jack says I'm beyond spoiled rotten and has compared me to compost. But Ally calls me her precious chonker and I don't care as long as she keeps giving me my favorite salmon kibble whenever I ask. She's a little annoyed because the salmon kibble has twice the calories of the chicken kibble and it's all I want to eat. What can I say, I have standards. Sometimes I like a good nap time in Ally's lap in between snacks. She scratches my head and my chin which makes me a little sleepy and calls me a good girl in a low whisper so some days I just want to snuggle in her lap all day long. Distracting? I don't think I'm distracting her from anything important. I mean, she could always get up.
That about sums it up I guess. She cries if we skip a part of her routine, especially at night when she wants to snuggle up under the blanket but only - I repeat, only - if I pitch a tent for her with my legs so she can sleep in her little fort. How can one animal be so annoying yet so adorable at the same time? 

Ash would answer your questions if she could, but I doubt she understands most of what you want to know. Regardless, the answer is meow. Unless it's meow meow. Now on to the real questions and answers you have this month:

Do you like ice skating? I am impartial about ice skating. It's kinda chilly and I'm already a chronic low blood pressure patient so I wouldn't go out of my way to be on a rink on a regular basis. But if all my friends are going I'm sure it would be a fun outing. Besides that I struggle to see the difference between ice skating and roller blading, which I would probably prefer due to the fact there's more room to get out of people's way whereas on a rink, if it's crowded you'll just be spending your time dodging people and trying to keep up with the flow so as not to be ran over and potentially cut in dangerous places. I think the quality of the outing depends on how busy it is. Something about things moving all around me stresses me out which is why we don't shop on weekends. Or go out much. 

Do you have plans for the winter solstice? You are (most likely) living far south of where you did in Europe.  Has the less short days thrown you off at all or changed any of your plans or rituals? Double question! I have not made plans this year as I've had unrelated responsibilities to tend to the entire month. Best I could do was decorate with some nice flowers and light a couple spell candles. But rituals don't have to be elaborate to be effective. Sometimes lighting a candle dressed in sweet orange and cinnamon to wish for happiness for the new year is all it takes to celebrate. I haven't noticed the days being any longer than what I'm used to, but I used to be nocturnal so I may not be the best judge. 

The Beatles are at the top of the Billboard Charts this week with the Let it Be album, because of the new "Get Back" Movie. Are you and Jack going to see it on Disney+? We don't have Disney+ and aren't interested in paying for it so probably not. Nor do we care for the Beatles much. 

Do you like science fiction novels? I'm not much of a novel person so I wouldn't know. I'm more about the informative books on topics I'm interested in as I read to learn, not to be entertained. But the few novels I have read were in the low-key fantasy genre. I like stories that border on otherworldly while still retaining a good amount of realism. I guess I like my novels like I like my photography. Just making you guess at what's real and what's not. 

Did you and Jack learn any Scandinavian words or phrases during your trip to Denmark? No, everyone miraculously spoke very good English on our 5 day trip. We had no issues finding food and amenities, it was really quite trippy. 

Do you ever smell familiar scents from your mind? I don't understand the question but I think the answer is yes anyway. Do I smell things that aren't there sometimes? Yes. Do I have scent-centered memories with no context randomly surface in unassuming situations? Yes. Would be great if you could elaborate further if that didn't answer it.

Favorite genres of music? Metal (leaning more symphonic than black/death), witch house (except the ones with Russian vocals, I find that hearing Russian spoken alone can trigger some of my PTSD responses), progressive/industrial rock, some dark wave. For relaxation I turn to either new age or psychedelic music because I'm secretly a new age hoe. NOT a new age hippie - a new age hoe. New age hippies are the condescending douche canoes that take the law of attraction far too literally and tell you to positive think your way out of real human emotion. They may also (not always) also smoke cannabis like it's their raison d'être and think that makes them spiritual. New age hoes have an unreasonable attraction to incense, crystals and flute music. A new age hoe enjoys that shit without making it her identity or domineering anyone's lifestyle with shallow interpretations of horoscopes. They can be easy to confuse, especially if you're not acquainted with both types of personalities. But once you get to know them, the difference becomes very clear. 

Languages you speak other than English/German? That's literally it. I can understand some Russian and Japanese but my grammar sucks so I can't really reply back. 

How much snow do you see outside now as opposed to when you lived in Germany? In the middle of Missouri, I have yet to see snow on the ground in late December. I think it snowed once, but very lightly and it didn't stick. Warm days in December are something I'm still getting used to - not that it's not completely delightful to be able to go outside without having to be wrapped and bundled like the Michelin man. I'm pretty sure in Germany it's been snowing since October and at least in Bavaria will continue to do so until April. 

Do you have any idea why some people think introvert and shy means the same thing? Yes, because they don't understand introversion. It's easy to look at a person's behavior and see they're quiet and don't really assert themselves in conversation, maybe even avoid people, and put it down to shyness. Many people still aren't educated about extraversion and introversion as an internal experience. Especially extroverts seem to have a hard time grasping introversion as a concept. They assume everyone else is like them because, frankly, we've built a society that caters to and rewards extraversion. Most people don't stop and think about how people may be different from them and how some people may be energized by social interaction, while others are drained by it. That's the part, I think, that trips people up. In this day and age we don't really talk about mental wellbeing and how to recharge our batteries and anything to do with energetic balance, really. That's why, I think, introversion falls under the radar as just shyness or antisocial behavior. Because it's a very individual and personal experience and not easily provable and explainable in a way that anyone will recognize and understand when they look at you. It's hard to empathize with. When you're a single mom with 3 kids and you say you're tired, people can recognize and understand that. Dealing with kids is hard work and it's tiring and draining. It's universally understandable. When you're introverted and say you're tired because you've spent the whole day around other people, no one can tangibly grasp the reason for your tiredness, they have to rely on your word - which to other people is abstract at best. It's like "what? you've been doing the same shit I've been doing and I'm not tired. why are you like this?" Just another stigma that needs to be done away with, in my opinion. 

Does Jack have any favorite kind of chocolate? My homemade pumpkin spice salted caramel pecan Belgian chocolate ganache truffles. 

Do you have any favorite Christmas food? Christmas is not really a tradition in my family. We don't have family rituals or foods for this celebration that's different from any old birthday get-together. The food is always the same. Pelmeni, one or two kinds of chopped salads, okroshka, borscht if I'm lucky as it's my favorite, maybe someone will have brought homemade pirozhki but I only like the beef and egg salad filled ones. somewhere on the table will be boiled potatoes to go with everything else that's filled with potatoes, like pirozhki and varenyky. If I had to recommend a dish, it would be pelmeni for sure. with sour cream for dipping. But there's nothing like "this is what we have for Xmas every year" like other families. In the US, ham is the go-to Christmas food. In Germany, it's goose or duck. The closest thing to a recurring holiday food I have is cookies. My aunt used to make them and bring me giant bags of them which would not last more than a few days. Now I'm trying to bring some semblance of holiday tradition cookies to our community, but I have a long way to go. So far people have loved what I've made, told me I'm talented and all that jazz. But if I could have them, I would have my aunt Lydia's cookies any day.  

Do you like zombie movies? If they're well made. I'll be the first to say that the zombie genre has been overused to hell and back since the 2000's. But that's not to say you can't turn the concept into a good story. The Koreans have a knack for making very engaging and real action movies, often involving zombies of some kind or another. And comedy gold like Wyrmwood put an entertaining spin on otherwise overused plot lines. With all the zombie content out there, it can be hit or miss. Some will be worth watching while others will feel stale and lack flavor. 

Does Jack like poetry? He likes some poetry. I think by that he means he likes my poetry, even though he doesn't care much for poetry in general. 

Have you played Alice: Madness returns? I've tried but the controls were so bad I just gave up.

Have you ever cooked fettuccine alfredo? Not yet. That's actually a dish I've never heard of in a country with abundant Italian immigrants and restaurants. Must be one of those American-Italian adaptations. It sounds very good, we will see if it lives up to the hype. 

Does Ash like it when you brush her fur? She tolerates it sometimes. Not really a fan, but when she's very relaxed and purring she'll put up with it for a hot minute. 

What are some places you've developed a love for repeatedly eating out at in Missouri? The Honey Baked Ham Company. The swiss is it sandwich and two sides of loaded potato salad. It's the only place we ate at 4 times and counting. You can't improve upon perfection. Wendy's is another go-to, unless they forget to put honey butter sauce on my honey butter chicken biscuit. That makes me a little cranky. 

Have you ever dyed your hair pink or purple? Both. Purple used to be my go-to, especially when I started dyeing my hair. To me it's the most spiritual color and I loved having it on my head. Makes me want to go purple again right now. It just doesn't feel as much like me as it used to. Red and green are more my thing now. Pink however? Something about the color pink on my head made me more hyper and excitable than normal and I was a bit annoyed with myself half the time. Don't like who I am with pink hair. It brings out the worst of my personality. Bubbly, yet oblivious. No thanks. 

Do you believe in vampires? That depends on your definition of vampires. Do I believe Anne Rice novels are based on factual stories or that Dracula or Twilight-esque vamps are hiding among us in plain sight? No. Do I believe there are entities, people and entities attached to people who live and thrive off of draining the life force from other people and entities? Absolutely. 

Have you ever been to Africa? No.

What kind of video camera do you usually use to record your videos? I use my Sony a7s, great in low light scenarios like my candle and dimly lit ASMR videos. 

Do you like hot Chocolate? Who doesn't like hot chocolate? I like it plain, I like it spiced, I like it hot, I like it spiked. I like it on cold nights in winter, I like it as dessert after dinner. I like it with a bit less sugar - just enough to cut the bitter. And for a little extra flavor I add some nutmeg and vanilla. 

Hot chocolate - a poem by Ally Pemberton.

I hope you enjoyed today's read and happy holidays. May your new year start out as a beautiful and fulfilling one - may you live up to any resolutions you have and love yourself through all the holiday stress. Thank you for sticking with me. Let's have a fun 2022 together. 🎉