anyone who believes he owns all the answers is a lunatic

1. Name 4 things you always have with you.
   keys, phone, wallet...and clothes, I guess. I can be very minimalist at times.
2. How many SERIOUS exes do you have?
   by personality, or by depth of meaning to me? This is a difficult question to answer. I dated a guy for a couple of years who I'd gladly throw back, in an existential sense, were it only possible. Someone else, with whom I was acquainted for an all-too-brief period, I think of nearly every day. What does 'serious' really mean? Would providing a number here actually tell you anything about me?
   Four. Or twenty. Or one. Or, all of them. Or: none of your damned business. Or--subject to change without notice--I haven't a clue.
3. What causes you to you admire people?
   the ability to remain silent when faced with the temptation to be mean (or just to hear themselves speak). Generosity of spirit. Patience. Constancy. Charm based not in wit but in grace.
4. Do you like sports?
   I do. I miss having the opportunity to play, sometimes, but I do love to watch what I watch.
5. Would you have sex before marriage? Why or why not?
   yes. I think it's an essential part of the "getting to know the real you" process, and to wait until after making a lifelong commitment to discover a basic incompatibility is a sad, archaic thing. It helps that my spiritual and moral beliefs line up with my intellectual and practical ones, in this situation.
6. What is your favorite male name?
   Chris
7. Do animals go to Heaven?
   if there is a heaven, then animals certainly do go there, yes
8. Last time you had a great time with your dad?
   the last time I was at my parents' house, I had an awesome time with my dad. We built a tree, took a few drives around town, had a lot of good talks, and wrangled some technology. I was really glad to be there and sad to leave. (I also had a great time with my mom. We cooked together, and had lots of good talks, and sewed (!), and looked at photos, and also wrangled some technology.)
9. What is your favorite hair style?
   meh. I trust Meg to do what she does every five weeks so that I can do what I do in between. My hair will never be anything elaborate.
10. Do you like your name?
    not particularly. It's there. The last bit is complicated, and if I could go back in time it's something I might handle differently. Water under a bridge, though.
11. When was the last time that you quit your job?
    1995 or so. It was a mutual decision, the right thing to do, and the end of the best job I ever had. If I could go back to that job as it was when I first got it, I would do it in a heartbeat.
12. When you wake up, what is the first thing you think?
    

    

    my squirrelfriend - my stalker, Rocky

    (This is the most-asked meme question of all time. No one cares! Let's have a photograph rather than the same old answer to this same old question, shall we?)
13. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter?
    there were a couple of study-fests in the early college days, and more than a couple ridiculous drinking nights that went long. I like sleep a lot, though, so I didn't ever function very well without it under any circumstances.
14. What is the perfect day for you?
    good sleep; wake up under my own power; low-key breakfast; read/write; hot, easy lunch; read/write; more complicated, hot, easy dinner; tidy up; read/write; sleep
15. Last time you cleaned the bathroom?
    middle of last week. I like having two bathrooms, but cleaning two bathrooms is incredibly annoying.
16. Have you ever failed a grade? Why?
    no. (But, seriously - if anyone's saying "yes" to this, the "why" is probably self-evident, and almost universal.)
17. Have you met anyone online?
    oh, Hell yeah. Interesting fact, though: the people I've met online have been a lot like the people I've met in other ways. The Internet makes it easier for people to say presumptuous/stupid/mean/sleazy/obnoxious/patently untrue stuff to each other, but that all happened long ago. Some of the people I've met online are the finest kind; some aren't worth the trade-in value of their skin. Just like the real world!
18. Have you ever smoked?
    in a manner of speaking. Haven't we all?
19. Do you like celebrities?
    yes, indeed - especially deep-fried, with BBQ sauce
20. Do you like traveling?
    not so much, but I'm generally happy to get there

[from The Cat, who got it here; the title quotation is by William S. Burroughs]