Questions from "World Turn'd Upside Down"

A couple of days ago my friend Stephanie posted a list of questions on her blog, World Turn'd Upside Down, as a way for her readers to learn a bit about each other. I commented over there saying that I would be glad to do the list; here are my answers:

1. Websites, blogs and social media can skew our lives and make us look hyper-focused on one aspect of your life. What are some interests/hobbies/etc. that you have that you think your readers/friends might not know about?
I proofread/copyedit the writings of other people (I admit it is easier to proofread and copyedit the works of others than my own!), as that is what I am working on career-wise. I love following politics, mainly in the US and UK but sometimes in other countries, too; and while I am not a sports fan, I do not mind occasionally following Wimbledon (as I am at the moment) or the Olympics. I also love meeting with people in person!

2. What have blogs/the Internet introduced you to that you never knew about before?
I have spent my entire life in the United States and the United Kingdom, and have barely ventured beyond those two countries; as such, I have not really experienced what people are like in other places. However, from interacting with different people on the Internet I have learnt that people are similar the world over: the average American wants to live the best life possible, as does the average Brazilian and the average Chinese person (while I would have preferred to have met these people in person, at least I have some insight into them). Labeling people you have never met as "enemies" serves no good purpose whatsoever.

3. What are your top 10 most visited websites?
Google sites (while there are several, I am counting them as one), Yahoo! sites, Wikipedia, BBC News, various dictionary sites, Politico, and The Huffington Post (not ten examples, I know). Beyond them, there are probably dozens more that I use for research, although they are more spread out in how much I visit them and therefore do not qualify among my "most visited".

4. What is your favorite/most bizarre/interesting fact about something in history?
Apparently, when Richard Nixon was courting his future wife, Pat Ryan, he loved her so deeply that he would take her to her dates with other men (sources here and here) merely to spend some time with her. Disregarding his problems as president, I think this shows a little-known, positive side to the man. I consider this to be my favorite historical fact.

5. If you could wake up tomorrow and have acquired a new skill in your sleep, what would it be and why?
The ability to play the piano: I currently do not play any type of musical instrument, and I have heard that the piano is amongst the most difficult to master.

6. If you could spend 1 year in a different time period, which would you choose and why?
The United States in 1977, for no other reason than to experience living under one of my favorite US presidents, Jimmy Carter.

7. What are your Internet pet-peeves?
Harassment issues aside, I would say my biggest annoyances on the Internet are when some people post uninformed comments on news articles, post off-topic trolling comments to light-hearted pieces, or "debate" by insulting other people rather than coming up with a reasonable argument to support their view(s).

8.  What is your newest hobby/interest? Tell us a little about it.
Related to answer #1, exploring the website lang-8.com: it has been a worthwhile experience to increase my proofreading/copyediting skills by correcting the writings of people who are not native English speakers. It has also been something new to do while the weather has been incredibly wet recently!

9. If you could invite 3 deceased people to dinner who would it be and what would you talk to them about?
The aforementioned Nixon would be one and I would talk to him about his courting of and love for Pat. Another would be Aneurin Bevan, the Welsh politician who was the driving force behind the establishment of the National Health Service in the United Kingdom; I would be interested in his thoughts on the NHS when it was implemented and on its current state. The third would be my great-grandfather (the father of my Dad's mother), as he was the only one of my great-grandparents alive at the time of my birth and I hardly knew him.

10. If you had to play a character in a movie, who would you play and why?
This may not be very original, but I choose Marty McFly from all the Back to the Future films. I find time travel fascinating, and McFly did go on some exciting adventures! I have always loved the third part, where he went back in time to the Wild West.

This has been an interesting set of questions to answer. Thank you, Stephanie!