What was the very first TBT collectible that you got?
What are your thoughts on the following US states: California, Oregon and Washington?
Do you listen more to your mind or your heart?
What is one of your most prized possessions in real life?
Preferred method of transportation?
What's one thing you like about yourself?
And how about one thing that you feel that you can improve on?
To what generation do you belong to?
Any countries that you're interested in traveling to one day?
1. According to my inventory page, the first one I had was the cake collectible (the old one, not the current tasty cake). I may have had collectibles from before then that I have since gotten rid of, but it's been so long that I can't remember anymore.
2. California? It's too hot here during the summer, and a lot of places are on the expensive side. There are a lot of great places to visit here though and a lot of things to do if you have the time and money. Oregon and Washington are beautiful states as far as scenery goes, and in general the temperatures tend to be a bit more tolerable. I haven't spent a whole lot of time in those states though so I can't form a fully informed opinion on them. I've been to Washington a few times to visit family there, as well as going through there on my most recent vacation (with an overnight stop in Seattle), but Oregon has always been a pass-through state. Maybe one day I'll actually visit Oregon.
3. My mind mostly, but that's because it never shuts up! As a result, I tend to do a lot of things on impulse, especially impulse buying. I do try to listen to my heart as well, but my mind makes it difficult to focus on that and tends to drag me away from it. I'm fairly certain I know what the cause is, but I haven't been able to push myself to actually get it taken care of.
4. It's really tough to pick just one, there are a few I'd say fit the bill but I'll narrow it down to just two. The first is a proof US quarter from 1873 with a mintage of just 600 pieces. "Proof" in this case refers to a coin that was made by the US mint specifically for collectors, typically using specially prepared and polished blanks and dies to produce a coin with sharp detail and a mirrored surface. These types of coins from the early 1900s and earlier are usually rather expensive, but ever since I first started collecting coins all the way back in 2005 I've wanted to add one like that to my collection. I was finally able to do that last year when I found that piece which was surprisingly affordable, relatively speaking. It's like a childhood dream of sorts was finally achieved, and as such I'd consider this my favorite coin in my whole collection.
The second item would be an old sombrero-style hat my Grandma left me when she passed away years ago. She knew how much I liked the movie "Three Amigos" (it's my favorite movie of all time), and we watched the movie together several times. This hat bears some resemblance to the kind the Three Amigos wore in the movie and I love it, and really appreciate the gift as well as the meaning and memories behind it.
5. My preferred method of travel has to be rail by far. My recent rail vacation helped to cement its position on the list. Here in the US it isn't the fastest way to get around by any means unless you're riding one of the corridor type routes (and even then it probably leaves a bit to be desired), but if you aren't in a hurry it's hard to beat traveling by rail in my opinion. To me, the slow nature of the trains is kind of a bonus, as when it comes to traveling I tend to enjoy the journey as much as the destination, if not more in some cases, so having the journey last a little longer than it would've otherwise been by other modes of transportation (within reason, of course) is a huge plus. Rail travel is incredibly relaxing to me, plus you have the ability to just get up and move around at any time, you can get food, use the restroom, or just rest up for a bit and you'll still be moving toward your destination. You also get to see a lot of sights you wouldn't see from 35,000 feet up, or from the roads as the rails diverge from the roadways. Now, all of that being said I do like all modes of transportation, it's just that rail beats them all by a good margin.
6/7a. Asking the hard-hitting questions! I guess one thing I'd say I like about myself is that I have a very active imagination, owed strongly in part to my mind constantly moving along as mentioned earlier. I've always said that I'm not a creative person, but I realized over the years that it isn't the creativity that's the issue, it's that I don't have a whole lot of ways of expressing said creativity. I guess that kind of bleeds into question 7 as well, working on creative outlets to be able to better express myself and not let those creative thoughts go to waste.
7b. I really think it's about time I start trying to take better care of myself mentally. I'm a bit of a pessimist (okay, that's kind of underselling it, there's nothing "a bit" about it) which naturally has led to an overall negative tone surrounding my life. I do have moments of positivity and it feels so much better than the constant negativity I'm usually surrounding myself with. It's been difficult to maintain such positivity though, so I'd really like to work on that.
8. I haven't the slightest idea. There are so many generational labels being thrown around for such a narrow period of time that I've long since given up trying to find the one that fits me. Besides, I don't particularly care for all of the stereotypes and generalizations that get attached to each one, or x generation blaming y for its problems while y does the same to x or z or whatever. I'd prefer to avoid that kind of stuff.
9. I'd love to be able to visit Japan one day. While my parents were in the military they were stationed there for a short time, but unfortunately I was too young at the time to really be able to form any memories of my time there. Going back to Japan is a bucket list item of mine and I hope to be able to get there within the next couple of years (and while I'm at it I'll try to knock two more bucket list items off the list, which are flying on an Airbus A380 (the largest passenger aircraft in service) and flying on a 747, specifically the upper level). It would be nice to be able to go back and be able to more fully experience the country, the culture and history, the food, and more. I don't just want to visit the large cities either, I'd like to be able to get around to some of the smaller communities as well.