Friday December 21, 2001

Hey, kids! Long-time reader, first-time poster... it's time for my very first Friday Five!

1. What is the weirdest thing you've ever eaten? Being the sensitive, multicultural fellow that I am, I'm reluctant to call many foods "weird," since I'm sure braised monkey brain in some cultures is as popular as apple pie in Georgia. Still, I'll say many of the things I've tasted easily qualify as "different." The easy one would be balut (or balot), a Filipino delicacy that my wife lovingly describes as "chicken abortion soup." It's usually, actually, a boiled duck egg with a half-incubated chick inside it.

2. Name one (material) thing you can't live without. The knee-jerk, geek-jerk answer would be "a computer," but while I'm addicted, I'm pretty sure I could walk away any time. (Twitch.) The Douglas Adams fan would say a towel, I guess. I'll have to go with a pen, or any writing instrument, though — and presume I could improvise when it came to what to write on. At least, when I don't have something on me, I'm constantly patting my pockets and feeling incomplete somehow.

3. Name something you've always wanted to do but didn't have time for. See Nanowrimo. (I couldn't even spare a month!)

4. What outrageous thing do you wish you had the nerve to do? Unpowered flight. Hanggliding, most likely. (Maybe skydiving, but that's more plummeting than flying.) Floating on air, no machines or ropes, looking down on the Earth and reveling in true three-dimensional movement. The idea totally enchants me. The reality of it scares the crap out of me.

5. How do you plan to spend your weekend? This is quite the weekend, I guess, with Christmas four days away. Fortunately, I finished my gift shopping (that is to say, I ran out of money), and I live in Hawaii, so I plan to spend some quality time at the beach frolicking in the sun with my wife and daughter.