when people are laughing, they're generally not killing each other

April 10: commensal
April 11: preposterous

I've not been in a commensal relationship with anyone in a very long time. My BFF brought a treat for me today--Fritos--and it nearly brought me to tears, having come so soon after and from much the same sentiment as sharing Easter dinner with the Cat-Beasts. My sentimentality, at times, borders on the preposterous.

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Another in the continuing series of Interviews from my good friend BGM over at Sledding with Rosebud. Please do me--and yourself--a favor and try out the Sledding.

1. Travel. Do you do it, have you done it, where have you gone and where would you like to go? What is your personal favorite travel memory?
   I do travel, although not nearly as much as I would like. I was able to do it a lot more when I could take advantage of two incomes than I can now, alas, though I still manage to get away from home more often than one might think—just not so far away.
   Where have I gone? Let's see...:
   • Orlando, FL (spring break, sophomore year of college—by myself)
   • Bethesda, MD/Washington, D.C./Arlington, VA (multiple times)
   • Atlanta, GA (twice?)
   • Miami, FL (twice—and I'm pretty certain that it's my spiritual home)
   • Santa Fe, NM (could take it or leave it)
   • Norman/Shawnee/Oklahoma City, OK (an extremely memorable 14 days during which I started to learn the meaning of 'grace')
   • Houston, TX (let's not even start talking about my issues with birds)
   • Dallas, TX (*sigh*)
   • Lawrence, KS (if Miami wasn't my spiritual home, Lawrence probably would be. How weird is that? It's the weirdest little college town, but I totally loved it.)
   • Tupelo, MS (Hotter. Than. Hell.)
   • Toledo, OH (home of the Mudhens! and Tony Packo's! and surprisingly pretty.)
   I think you get the picture on where I've been.
   Where would I like to go? Alaska. Ireland. Spain. Canada, of course, since the bowling is supposed to be so good there. (In all seriousness, I've always wanted to go to Toronto.) New York, although NYC doesn't interest me in the least. California, of course. Greece. New Zealand.
   My personal favorite travel memory is a series of days in Bethesda, Maryland. I was there with the former spouse while he attended a professional conference. His time was taken up from dawn to dusk--or much later. I was on my own, then, for the entire day, each day, in a massive city that I'd previously known nothing about. I would wake in the morning, dress, leave the hotel (we always stayed at the perfectly-located Hyatt-Regency Bethesda, which was a happy accident as far as all this is concerned), and just start walking. Each day I would find something new to do, explore, discover. On the first day, I happened upon a French cafe called La Madeleine, so I would eat my slow breakfast there before venturing further into the unknown. I found bookstores and little shops where I could buy souvenirs that weren't lame, and art stores and clothing shops. I found places to read and restaurants where I could eat lunch by myself (and people-watch), treated well. I took lots of pictures, got lots of exercise, read more than I'd ever imagined that I could, and absolutely started to feel like a part of the city. I gained an ineffable sense of independence that would not truly flourish for a few years yet, but definitely found its roots there. I loved that trip.
2. The movie of your life is being filmed. Who portrays you on the silver screen? Who portrays some of the more "colorful" characters in your life?
   Drew Barrymore would play me, naturally, because we have the same face! She would need to wear some blue contacts, though. Darn those green eyes. As for who would play whom...I'm laughing now. Nick could be played by almost anyone, since most people who know him say he reminds them of someone famous, but it's always someone different. I would go with Christian Bale, not because he looks so much like him but because Christopher Walken and Gary Oldman are too mature for the part, and Bale is the only other actor who can play completelybatshitcrazy as well as they can. The Cat would be played by Sandra Bullock. My dad by Alan Alda, of course. My college sweetheart (choking with laughter here again) couldn't be played by anyone but Jeff Goldblum.
   I think I should prehaps stop there.
3. As long as we are on movies... how about a soundtrack? You are well known for your mix CDs, but if you could concoct one that illustrates the arc of your life so far, what would it include?
   Honey, that's just impossible. I don't think anyone's life could be summed up in 80 minutes or less, which is ~19 songs (at modern average durations). And multi-disc mixes are, y'know, less charming and more tedious.
   How about this: I can tell you some artists that would absolutely have to be included--though this is not a complete list!:
   • Rod Stewart
   • Helen Reddy
   • Paul Simon
   • Fine Young Cannibals
   • Duran Duran
   • The Nylons
   • Depeche Mode
   • R.E.M.
   • Toby Keith
   • Pearl Jam
   • Alkaline Trio
4. The Zombie Apocalypse has descended upon us and you have joined forces with a small group of survivors. What role do you assume in the group?
   historian, I suppose. Or "scout."
   Or prehaps "zombie liaison"--heee heee!
5. Do you find yourself laughing more or less as you get older? What kind of things really make you laugh most?
   less. I think that's normal, with the onset of Responsibilities. I still laugh regularly with my friends, and at the television shows and movies that I choose to watch and books I read. There are a couple of people who can regularly bring tears to my eyes and make my stomach hurt because they're just...funny in the right way: The Cat & her Beast; D (of D&R). A couple of my Facebook-only friends, who probably don't even realize how hilarious I think they are (intentionally or not).
   I was walking through the grocery store last night with a huge grin on my face, just about busting out laughing because I'd overheard someone doing something funny. I can't even recall what it was right now, but I do remember getting vaguely amused/concerned looks from other people, as if there was something wrong with me. For smiling? All righty then. If that's all it takes: go ahead and lock me up.

[the title quotation is by Alan Alda]