Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of happy hour

March 30: nemesis

My favorite episodes of The Big Bang Theory involve Sheldon and his nemesis, Wil Wheaton, although my favorite characters are Leonard and Penny (the couple involved in a sweet on-again/off-again romantic relationship).

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1. Where are you from and where do you live now?
   I'm from the land of 10,000 lakes, and I live in the prairie state now, after a brief stay in the Great Lakes state. I can't seem to last too long without a large body of water (relatively) nearby.
2. Favorite childhood story/book/film?
   
   book: The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary. Film: The Lorax.
3. If you could change gender for a day what would you do?
   
   ...be a guy.
4. Do you feel you family is complete or would you like more/some children?
   
   all I can do is laugh. Um, yes: I suppose that my family is "complete." For now.
5. What do you do/where do you work and do you enjoy it?
   
   I do things that are indescribable here, in a place that is unprintable here. I 'enjoy' it when I am permitted to do it, unimpeded by politics and brouhaha.
6. Which three words do you think sum you up?
   
   intelligent, complex, and observant--according to my Johari window, anyway.
7. If you were a fairy what magical powers would you possess?
   
   patience, hairstyling, and adequate rest on less than 3 hours' sleep per night
8. If you were invisible, where would you go and what would you do? Why?
   
   I find it surprisingly easy to admit that I would seriously consider murdering someone. I would also 'pants' a couple of people, ding-dong-ditch the heck out of this town, and taste my way through a certain dessert shop.
9. What song can’t you listen to without crying? [link died]
10. Which book changed your life – or at least made you think a lot?
    
    The Brothers K by David James Duncan. I hadn't realized that a book COULD change my life before I read that, and once I did, my life was transformed. I'd always loved to read, but that made it something new, indeed.
11. Why do you blog?
    
    that's like asking why I eat or read or sleep. This writing stuff? It's not a choice.
12. What is your top ‘me-time’ tip?
    
    I just do it. Whatever 'it' is at the time. Life's too short to leave the 'me' part for later.
13. What can’t you live without?
    
    love. Music. Bacon.
14. Which of all your blog posts are you most proud of and why?
    
    good gravy, I don't know. Some of the ones I've worked the hardest on have garnered almost no attention at all. Some of the total throwaways get hits literally every day. (I will never forgive myself for publishing a photo of Julia Roberts in that damned Pretty Woman hat. Nothing guarantees that I'll feel more like a failure than when 90% of the site stats for the week are from that photo, and the other 10% are "Kiefer Sutherland's feet.") (And yes, I know what I'm doing there. If people are stupid enough to click into an all-text blog post in hopes of getting either of those things, it's their own damned problem.)
    
    I'll take a cop-out and say: the Aprils that I've 'celebrated' National Poetry Month. It's hard, it's a ton of work (not just blog-work but reading and thinking work, practical work of record-keeping and typing and all that hassle, blah blah blah), and it's enormously satisfying when they roll out each day and surprise even me.
15. Have you ever met a famous person? Who and where?
    
    in his realm, yes. I've attended some major golf tournaments, and I somehow managed to screw up the courage to talk to José María Olazábal at Olympia Fields in 2003. It was very intimidating and very cool--and I have his autograph to prove it.
16. When did you last have a full night's sleep?
    
    two Wednesdays ago.
17. What would you think is harder: Going to work or staying at home with children?
    
    going to work with children, for sure. [Why is clear communication so MFing difficult?!]
18. What are you doing for Easter?
    
    whatever I do every day, with the possible inclusion of pork. When is it?
19. What is your favorite drink?
    
    for everyday use: tea. For alcoholic purposes: beer or rum-and-lemonade. Though I'm being wooed by sweet tea vodka (with lemonade) and kind of liking it....
20. Do you play any sports?
    
    not at the moment. I have relaunched my meager exercise routine, in promotion of my overall health and in preparation for my brother's wedding. And I would imagine that if things continue as they have begun, I may be learning more about Rollerblading and/or disc golf at some point in the future.
21. What is your most embarrassing moment?
    
    meh. Life's too short.
22. How clever are you?
    
    77%
23. Name a new favorite TV show?
    
    I'm still not watching much series TV. How about, instead, I say that I'm shooting for watching three movies per weekend for the next few weeks? The first one on the pile is Just Visiting, with Christina Applegate and Jean Reno. Yeah, I know. I'm trying to withhold judgment.
24. Any guilty pleasures?
    
    TONS of them. Reading, shopping, sleeping, drinking, kissing, driving, movies, music....
25. If you could have chosen your own name, what would it be?
    
    I've had that thought many times, and at the moment I don't have a ready option at hand. But I still think that the one I've got is childish and ridiculous.
26. Who do you most admire in life, and why?
    
    “There is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future.” [St. Augustine of Hippo]
27. What is your most treasured possession?
    
    Jesus in a plastic bottle.
28. Tell your favorite funny joke…
    
    I'm lousy at jokes. The punchline is "Well, that's Haile Selassie of you, sir."
29. What is your biggest fear in life?
    
    being too fearful.
30. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? What does it remind you of?
    
    butter brickle. Childhood, of course. Sitting on the couch, watching TV with my dad.

[from The Cat, who got it here; the title quotation is from M*A*S*H--it's Hawkeye Pierce, of course]