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Grab the nearest book.
Turn to page 126
The 6th full sentence is your life in 2026.

The first book nearest me is Metallurgical Assessment of Spacecraft Materials and Parts by Barrie D. Dunn (1996).

The sentence is: "Special fibres giving more options in strength, stiffness, light weight, and endurance against heat have been developed (Klein 1988)."

The chapter containing it discusses composite materials and ways to control their properties. The thing that makes me happiest about that particular sentence is the use of the Oxford comma.

The second book nearest me is The political diaries of a chief whip by Simon Hart (2025).

The sentence is: "It feels like authority is ebbing with every hour."

The chapter containing it is titled "April 2021-January 2022" and I think we probably all remember painfully well the fiasco that was the handling of pandemic restrictions to which this sentence clearly relates.

Cue hollow laughter as I realise the sentence is applicable to both work and home life. Particularly with a teenager and a tweenager incessantly challenging boundaries.

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Do you mostly drink tap, filtered, or bottled water?

Tap water. I drink bottled water if I forget my refillable bottle, which isn’t very often.
Is it safe/recommended to drink tap water where you live? If not, why?

Yes, it is safe to drink the tap water here. It’s pretty soft water as well.
What does the tap water taste/smell like where you live?

Nothing, which is how it should be!
Do you collect rainwater? If so, what do you use it for?

Yes, we have a water butt in the back garden. We use it to water Keiki’s collection of carnivorous plants all year round, and for the indoor plants in summer.
Do you/have you ever had restrictions on water use where you live? What did you have to change about your lifestyle?

We haven’t had water restrictions here, even when a lot of the rest of the country did last summer. I have lived in places with water restrictions previously (southern California). It taught me to have short showers and/or turn off the water when, say, shampooing or conditioning my hair, which I think are generally good habits anyway. Dishwasher appliances also use less water than hand-washing dishes, which took me a while to accept but once I did, that also reduced my water consumption.

In other news, it has got quite cold here, by UK standards. Scraping off the car in the morning and ice on the roads is what defines "quite cold" here. Those, and the eternal promise of "significant" snowfall. Certainly there has been in a number of places, some of which are a handful of miles from my location, but the photo below shows the extent of the snowfall we have experienced to date!

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Did you get an allowance as a kid, and if so, how much was it?

Nope. I could earn money for doing chores, but it was never a guaranteed tranche of money. And by chores I mean things like washing and hoovering the car, or heavy yard work, not cleaning my room or doing the laundry or dishes. Those were just expected.
How old were you when you had your first job, and what was it?

I was fifteen. I tutored a classmate in pre-calculus at community college where I took summer classes. She paid me $10 per session and would take us both for coffee afterward in her fabulous beat up orange Corvette. We were both so happy when we got our final grades and she went from getting a D to a B+. I often wonder what happened to her.
Which do you do better: save money or spend money?

Oh, spend it, for sure. If I'd been better at saving, I'd be in a much better financial position. But would I have had as much fun? I think not.
Are people more likely to borrow money from you, or are you more likely to borrow from them?

The former. I don't like borrowing money.
What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought?

A house.

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If you had to participate in one Olympic event, what would it be and why?

Curling. It looks delightful. And there's no way I'm running long distances, contorting myself into weird shapes, flinging heavy things, or hurling myself off high platforms.
What is the one song you always sing along to?

Just one? There are loads. I have no shame. The ones I belt out loudest are Evanescence “Bring Me To Life”, Joan Jett's “I Love Rock n Roll”, and Guns n Roses “Paradise City”.
Do you wear a seatbelt in the car?

I'm sorry, what?! Apart from this being the law, I don't want to die or suffer horrific disfigurement from being in an accident, the chances of which wearing a seat belt has been exhaustively demonstrated to reduce.

So yes, I do wear a seat belt in the car. Always.
Car, SUV or truck and why?

I favour a car. Preferably something small and fast. I like being able to accelerate quickly, and the less time I have to spend getting from A to B, the better. Much as I enjoy going fast, I also find long drives really damn boring.
Are you a good/bad driver? Explain.

I think I'm okay. I had to pass the UK driving test, which is legendarily difficult, and it definitely made me a better driver. I'm careful about keeping my distance and I always make sure I'm well rested when I get behind the wheel.

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What’s harder to live without, chocolate or alcohol?

I've frequently given up alcohol for weeks. I've never dared give up chocolate. I might turn into a monster.
Does the colour yellow remind you of anything?

A few things. Drawing the Sun with crayons. The walls of the Camden flat I lived in when I first moved to London. The colour of baby poop (soooo weird).
Who most annoyed you last week?

The Andrew formerly known as Prince. Just go and fade away into obscurity already, although really you should be in prison, you entitled twerp.
Do you have a cutesy romantic nickname for your partner (or previous partners)?

Yes. I'm disinclined to expound on that.
What is your favourite Stephen King movie?

Er, none of them. I can't watch most horror films. They give me nightmares for weeks.

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[Cutest crochet pumpkin, sitting on my laptop.]

Did you vote in your most recent applicable election? (If you're not yet old enough, do you plan to vote in the future?)

Yes, I did. We had a by-election yesterday, in fact. I am very pleased to report that the Reform candidate was soundly defeated.
Have you ever protested or attended a march?

On a handful of occasions. The first was when I was still in high school, protesting Desert Storm. It is the only time I ever cut school and got detention.
What political issue is the most important to you?

Wow, that is a big question. I think probably human rights. Without the enforcement of a level of fundamental respect for others, we have terrifyingly little recourse from people who would happily trample over everyone else.
Are you a member of a party in your country? If so, which?

Yes to the first question. I’m not putting the answer to the second in a public post.
Do you ever plan to run for office?

I’ve been a paper candidate before, but I don’t think I’ll ever do it again. It’s very nearly mandatory to have to use social media to campaign as a candidate, and I’d rather not.

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What do you see when you are looking out of the window closest to you?
The canal lock. No boats coming through, though, it’s quiet season now.
Who was the last person coming into your room?
Astro. He is now lounging on the day bed, as is his wont (example below).
What is the most predominant colour around you?
A gentle pastel green. It is very soothing.
What is right behind you?
A box containing a bunch of stuff that I need to take to work. Thanks for the reminder, meme. :/
What is on today's calendar sheet?
More than I could possibly accomplish in one day, and several meetings of different types.

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How long ago did you join LJ (or DW)?

I joined LJ in 2001 and DW in 2009. I stopped paying for an LJ account some time ago, but I don’t want to abandon the community I still have there. So I still cross-post to both, manually since automatic cross-posting hasn’t been possible for some years.
How did you find out about LJ (or DW)?

I believe I was introduced to LJ by victorine. I can’t remember who introduced me to DW: apologies if this was you!
If someone introduced you to LJ (or DW), is s/he still on your friends list?

If they’re still active, either as a poster or a commenter, then yes. I don’t remove people until they’ve been inactive for years and are clearly not coming back.
Have you introduced anyone to LJ (or DW)?

A few people, but I can’t remember their identities. It was mostly a long time ago, when there was more chance of recruiting people to blogging / journaling sites. Most people just use social media apps these days, so it feels pretty pointless trying to compete with that. I’m also really fond of my stable, long-running communities on these sites, and as long as there are a few empathetic folks left to commune with, I’m happy.
Is your LJ (or DW) public or friends only, and why?

They used to be mostly public, but these days almost everything personal or with photos of me and/or my children is locked. Back in the early days of journaling, it was easy to feel optimistic about the internet being used for peace and love and bringing together global communities. With social media being used so frequently to amplify hate and fear, terrorise minority groups, and shield trolls and creeps from consequences, I don’t feel quite so confident about sharing my life openly.

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I’m eschewing the Friday Five in favour of a meme that the FF for this week seems to have revived.

From left to right, top to bottom, here are the items in the photo.

Rucksack. The brand is Herschel. It has a lot of internal pockets and carries a crazy amount of stuff, while also being pretty slim profile.
Noise-cancelling over-ear headphones. I cannot live without these and have no idea how I survived many years of long commutes on public transport before I bought them.
Coffee cup. Collapsible! Purchased from my favourite barista, a one-woman outfit operating out of my local train station.
Toiletries bag. I didn’t empty this out. It contains lip gloss, medicine, hand sanitiser and hand lotion.
Red pen. For correcting mistakes, many of which are my own.
Tipex. See previous item.
Laser pointer. An essential component of my job is lecturing and giving talks. There is never any guarantee that a laser pointer will be available alongside AV equipment, so I carry my own.
Pen. A freebie from a workshop or a conference, usually.
Multi-tool. This was a freebie from the Maui conference. It has lots of little swappable magnetic bits inside. I have only used the screwdriver bits so far.
Paper clip. You never know.
Notebook and pen. I go through notebooks (again, most of them are freebies) every couple of months. This is the latest in the series.
HDMI-to-USB-C cable. There’s no HDMI port on my laptop.
Two memory sticks. I borrowed the blue one from a colleague about two years ago and am now too embarrassed to return it. The minion is mine. He used to have trousers, but they fell down a stairwell and were lost in a basement.
Lucky pinecone. Keiki gave me this when we were in California. I carry it in one of the outer side pockets.
Packet of biscuits and a mango lollipop. Emergency food, which will probably be eaten by one of the children.
Macbook Air. Laptop from Institution A, my primary employer. I also have an HP Windows laptop from Institution B, my other employer. I am mostly indifferent to the Mac / Windows debate, although I will say that the Macbook laptop’s trackpad is far better.
Railcard. The train apps for railcards and tickets are notoriously unreliable, especially when you don’t have a good internet connection, so I still carry paper copies.
Glasses case. At the moment these contain my sunglasses, which are prescription and which I sometimes wear in winter to cut the glare from headlights when I’m driving. My untinted varifocals are usually on my face.
Universal adapter, USB cables, and a handful of coins. I prefer to be equipped to take advantage of charging points whenever I can, especially since I travel so much.
Fan. From the Louvre, featuring the Mona Lisa. Very good for public transport.

Please link your “What’s in my bag?” posts in the comments, especially if I haven’t commented on them.

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[HELLO I AM COMET AND I AM TOO CLOSE]

Do you ever wonder if the way you see things visually aren't how other people see them?

Frequently. My partner and I sometimes have very different perceptions of certain colours (and no, he’s not red-green colour-blind).
What kind of sounds are the most annoying?

Sounds I didn’t choose to hear, ha. Seriously, though, I quite often put my noise-cancelling headphones on with nothing coming through them, just to block out background sound.
When walking through a store, do you shop with your hands by touching/feeling the texture of things?

I *want* to do that all the time. I’m very sensitive to touch. I restrain myself most of the time unless it seems like it is OK (like in a clothing shop). I suspect I’d get thrown out of places if I went round running my hands over veg, freshly baked goods or pick-n-mix for example.
If you could only smell three scents for the rest of your life, what would they be?

My cats’ fur when they come in from outside on a cold day. Black Opium by YSL. My partner’s armpits. I am not joking.
What sorts of things do you savor when eating them?

Everything! I love food so much. I especially love very cold fruit juices on a hot day or with a sore throat, the velvety texture of a good chocolate mousse, and the salty satisfaction of slurping ramen noodles.

( Last week's FF )

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Sauntering Vaguely Downward

Into the land of lowered expectations

Book fortune-telling meme

The Friday Five on a Sunday, and the promise of snow

The Friday Five on a Saturday

The Friday Five on a Friday

The Friday Five on a Sunday

The Friday Five on Halloween 🎃

The Friday Five which is really just an excuse for a cat photo

The Friday Five on a Sunday

What’s in my rucksack?

The Friday Five on a Friday x2

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