# 2026-10-05 - Christina's October Questions
       
       I saw Anna's answers to Christina's October 2026 questions [1], and i
       felt inspired to answer them too.
       
       > 1. How best for a North American to plan deGoogling?
       
       If you have used a gmail address on other accounts, be careful to
       change that email.  When you delete a gmail account, it's permanent
       and cannot be un-deleted.  I overlooked a few and was surprised how
       many web sites do not allow you to change your email address without
       confirming from the old email address.
       
       Use Google Takeout to download your data.
       
       Do a factory reset on your phone and do not register it to a gmail
       account.  Treat it as a phone, not a computer.  Do not trust the
       phone to handle sensitive information.
       
       Add the following lines to your /etc/hosts or equivalent.  I
       formatted these lines to fit an 80 column terminal.  Lines that don't
       begin with 127.0.0.1 are continuations and should be joined to the
       one above.
       
           127.0.0.1 google.com ads.google.com adsense.google.com
             analytics.google.com apis.google.com chrome.google.com
             cloud.google.com docs.google.com drive.google.com
             fonts.google.com groups.google.com mail.google.com
             www.google.com
           127.0.0.1 googleapis.com ajax.googleapis.com
             youtube.googleapis.com youtubei.googleapis.com
           127.0.0.1 googleusercontent.com www.googleusercontent.com
           127.0.0.1 googlevideo.com www.googlevideo.com
           127.0.0.1 gstatic.com www.gstatic.com
           127.0.0.1 youtube.com m.youtube.com www.youtube.com
           127.0.0.1 youtu.be www.youtu.be
           127.0.0.1 youtube-nocookie.com www.youtube-nocookie.com
           127.0.0.1 ytimg.com www.ytimg.com
           127.0.0.1 google-analytics.com www.google-analytics.com
       
       > 2. Which do you prefer: hike a mountain, or read a good novel?
       
       These days i would prefer to read a good novel because i am living
       car free and lack transportation to get to mountainous trailheads.  I
       can climb the hills around the city.  Even though they are named
       mountains, for example "Dollar Mountain", i count them as hills
       because they are not in a mountain range and their elevation change
       isn't all that much.
       
       Hiking a mountain is stimulating and wholesome.  I never regret it.
       
       Reading a book is profoundly relaxing and easily accessible.  I never
       regret it either.
       
       > 3. What were your horseback riding experiences?
       
       My first and only horseback riding experience was riding a friend's
       grandma's horse bareback.  It was a gentle horse, i was 18 or 19, and
       i didn't go very far, so i did not experience any physical discomfort.
       Around the same time i had a job working in a horse barn.  I brushed
       the horses, cleaned their hooves, cleaned their stables, fed them,
       and took them out to pasture and back.  I truly enjoyed that job.
       In a way it was sensual.  The horses smelled good to me.  They felt
       good to my hands.  They were warm, living beings in my care.
       
       > 4. What is an activity that makes you feel alive?
       > Have you repeatedly remained hyper for hours post-activity?
       
       Well, there are different ways of feeling alive.  The ones that leave
       me hyper for hours post-activity are stimulating activities, such as
       sex or vigorous exercise.
       
       Other activities also make me feel alive such as eating a meal, doing
       my yoga routine, or going on long walks, but they do not leave me
       hyper.
       
       > 5. Adult citizens in my locality have the opportunity to vote in two
       > elections this month. To what extent, if you are eligible to vote, do
       > you research a candidate running for public office?
       
       In Oregon we have an excellent voter's pamphlet.  I read it.  I also
       research the *actions* of the candidate as opposed to their words.
       For this i use web sites such as Project Vote Smart [2],
       Josephine County Citizens for Responsible Government [3], the local
       paper, and local alternative news.
       
       > Bonus Question: Do you disclose your trauma?
       
       I generally avoid it.  Why?  Because i have experienced other people
       over-sharing, for example a stranger explicitly discussing their
       sexual trauma while i was trying to eat a meal.  While i sympathized,
       it was still unsolicited and unwelcome.  *I* did OK.  But it easily
       could have "triggered" others who were also present.
       
       However, if there is any hope of another person even trying to
       understand, then some communication will be necessary.  It just needs
       to be at the right time and in a safe container, both for you and for
       the person(s) you are communicating with.
       
       tags: bencollver,community
       
       # Footnotes
       
 (TXT) [1] Christina's October 2026 Questions
       
 (TXT) [2] Project Vote Smart
       
 (HTM) [3] Josephine County Citizens for Responsible Government
       
       # Tags
       
 (DIR) bencollver
 (DIR) community