A Medium Challenge: Ten Things About Me

I received this challenge this morning from Robert G. Longpré - [he/him] - Canadian métis to write “Ten Things about me.”

I learned several things about Robert, so this is an interesting way to share some and get to know our Medium friends better.

Here is Robert's input on the challenge.

I’m unsure how well I can accomplish these as I can be very indecisive and have trouble picking one thing in each question. But here goes.

1. What is your favorite drink?

Favorite drink — let's see, there is Coffee, especially the first half of the day, a red wine with dinner, and even tea before bed. So it depends on the time of day. But to make a single choice, it will be coffee.

I drink too much and wash down my blood pressure meds with my morning coffee. That’s got to be an oxymoron. I love those shiny round coffee pods and my Nespresso Machine.

2. What is your favorite color?

It’s blue; being a sailor, I spent many years at sea where blue was our entire backdrop, blue sky and blue water. Looking around the living room, I notice that blue is the prominent color in all our artwork.

Mostly blue, brown, and gold, but blue would be my favorite color — no indecisiveness on this topic.

3. If you were to win the lottery, what are the top three things that you would do first?

We don’t play the lottery, so we cannot win it. My wife likes an occasional scratcher around the holidays. But if we were to win the lottery, I would set up a trust fund for our son and then give much of it to good causes, which might include the homeless, women's shelters, orphanages, pet shelters, St. Judes Medical Centers, and cancer research.

4. What is your favorite cuisine?

So many favorite foods; how to pick one? Since we live in San Diego, Ca, Mexican food is high on the list, and we have many Mexican Restaurants here. But I also love Italian food, along with Tai, Japanese and Chinese.

But to pick just one, it would be Italian food. I love pasta, and Spaghetti has always been my favorite food, even as a child.

5. Would you give up your phone or social media forever?

I would keep my phone, and then I can use social media from my phone. Okay, I know that’s cheating on the question. But if I could only keep one, it would be the phone.

I canceled my Facebook and Twitter accounts years ago and didn’t use social media for a long time. When I signed up for Medium, it sounded like Medium required at least one Social Media account. I might have that wrong; it might have been recommended.

So, I restarted both accounts but didn’t really use them.

On the other hand, my phone is the key to our Tesla; it opens the garage door, turns on lights, and does so much nowadays that I would keep the phone, even if I didn’t use it to make calls.

6. What is one thing that you are good at?

I’m not good at anything now.

There were times in my life when I was very good at certain things. I took first place for baking and cooking and was on the cover of the Food Section of our local newspaper for best deserts and winning a chili cook-off. A long time ago, and no longer good at these.

I was good at photography at one time and even had a dark room and developed my black-and-white pictures. Again, once upon a time, and not good now.

But to pick something current, maybe Bonsai. I enjoy growing and developing my Bonsai plants. And since I’m not killing as many now, perhaps that qualifies as being good but not a Bonsai Master.

7. Do you love dogs or cats more?

My wife is a huge cat lover, and we have had cats for 41 years of marriage. The cats are mostly hers, and they tolerate me.

But we also have a Pembroke Welsh Corgie, and Mali is my dog, as I do all the walks, grooming, feeding, and so on.

So to pick one, I’ll go with dogs.

8. Are you a coffee drinker?

Yes, I love a good cup O’Joe, when I had mid-watches aboard ships (Mid-watch was 0001- 0400) I would have coffee to stay awake and keep warm.

9. What languages can you speak?

I honestly don’t believe I speak any language well. I keep learning new English words I don’t know every day, so learning English continues.

I did take one year of French when I attended Johnson & Wales Culinary Arts for my degree. But it wasn’t conversational French. It was focused more on the French used in cooking and culinary arts.

French is the language of food and was essential for Culinary Arts. I loved how the french have a single word that describes an entire process that would like several sentences in English to explain.

For example, bouquet garni — there is no way to say this in English without using several sentences. Mirepoix is another example, no English word for this.

I also know a little Japanese since we lived in Japan for two years and took one year of Spanish, but I’m limited in both.

10. Can you use chopsticks?

I can use Chop Sticks with a blindfold on. I learned to use them when we lived in Japan.

However, I’m not so good with forks. Somehow foods get on my shirt no matter what I do.

I will try to pay this forward to some folks, but they may have done this challenge already. But, here goes.

Adrienne Beaumont, The Sturg, Katie Michaelson, Linda Ng, Leonard Tillerman, Judy Derby