World Enough and Time

Today on thefridayfive: "Morbid Questions We All Think About" . Actually, I never think about this kind of thing - "Be unprepared" ought to be my motto. Do other people think about it? Really?

1. If you were to die today, what would your last words be?

"What, already?"

2. What would you want your epitaph to say?

"Beautiful, brilliant, brave." Epitaphs don't have to be true.

3. What song would you want played at your funeral?

I was about to say "I don't want a funeral", but I instantly thought of a song - "If Ever I Would Leave You", sung by John Barrowman.

4. In lieu of flowers, what should loved ones do in your honor?

Hey, I want flowers! Okay, okay, if not flowers... I'd like everyone to write a story or poem or song, or draw a picture, in my honour. Not about me. About something that's important to them.

5. What unfinished business would you wrap up?

The writing of a novel or two. But if I only have a day... I suppose I'd like to look at a sunset, or see the ocean.

From thefridayfive:

1. Remember the scene with Molly Ringwald putting lipstick on by holding it in her cleavage? No. I don't even know who Molly Ringwald is. Name one really bizarre thing you know how to do. No matter how small. I don't know how to do anything bizarre. Or even strange. I can't even stand on my head any more. I have fairly dextrous toes, does that count?

2. What's your favourite way to pass the time? Writing in LJ. Writing anything. Watching Doctor Who and Torchwood. Writing about Doctor Who and Torchwood. Reading or talking about good books. Walking. Talking. Sex. Art. Travel.

3. What's your favourite restaurant and why? Sushi 88 on Somerset, because I adore their unagi on rice. I think I'm addicted.

4. Which TV/Radio show did you like that's not aired any more? Firefly, Stingray, The Professionals.

5. if you had a choice of learning another new language, what would you choose? Of modern languages, Chinese. Of ancient languages, Anglo-Saxon. what do you think that reflects about you? Too many languages, too little time.

The questions on The Friday Five this week thefridayfive are mostly about family, something I don't have much of:

1. How far back can you trace your family tree? My mother used to have a book tracing the family back to a Nicholas Rice, who went from Ireland to New England in the 1760s, and then via United Empire Loyalists his line tied in with the family of Thomas Grant, who came from Scotland in 1820. On my father's side, I only know names as far back as my grandparents, in England.

2. What is the most interesting (or strange) thing you've heard about one of your relatives? One of the Irish ancestors was a changeling. One of the Scots ancestors was a pirate and a rebel, Black Peter Grant. One of the English ancestors was a protestant martyr, Bishop Ridley.

3. How do you feel about legacy names like John Henry Smith IV or naming children after other relatives? I don't like the numbered names. Generally speaking, I like unique names, but if a relative has a good name, use it. The women in my mother's family tended to alternate the names Elizabeth Margaret and Margaret Elizabeth. (I am the former, my mother was the latter, though her mother was an Amy.)

4. Would you consider yourself and/or your family to be traditional? Me? Good heavens, no. My family, more so, though not in any significant way. I guess the answer to both questions there is really 'no'.

5. What is one tradition you have passed on to your children and/or plan to pass on to them? I have no children, therefore there will be no passing on of tradition. If I did have children, the tradition I would like to pass on would be a love of learning.