he fell to the seat, she by his side. There were no more words.

*WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU...

• Cried?
  earlier this evening. It wasn't anything dramatic or overwhelming. It's just been a very, very long couple of days.
• Laughed?
  today, for sure. My housemates are a barrel of monkeys.
• Swore?
  during the drive home, when I was cut off in traffic. I managed to hold it together, but it was a near thing.
• Lied?
  within the past twenty-four hours, let's say
• Got drunk?
  Ashley's 21st birthday party. The drinks were served long before the food arrived, and it had been a distressingly long time since lunch. Apparently the raspberry iced tea at Cabana Charley's packs a punch.
• Read a newspaper?
  earlier this evening, as I do nearly every day
• Read your horoscope?
  it's been years. I think I gave that up, along with other superstitious notions, with Nick.
• Had a bath/shower?
  just over 12 hours
• Had a cold?
  if a viral sinus infection counts, I had one for about six weeks during late February and all of March
• Smiled at someone?
  earlier today. One of my coworkers is thoroughly adorable (in a pet-like way. He reminds me of a musically-inclined giraffe.)
• Gave someone a cuddle?
  [what an icky phrase]
  16 months, 19 days. Give or take.
• Said, 'I love you'?
  in so many words? Out loud? When I was home for my uncle's funeral, certainly.

*PEOPLE YOU KNOW

• Who's the nicest?
  pulling a name out of the "nicest" hat, I'll go with Mary. Her photographs absolutely make my day, and I thoroughly envy her adventures with feral Maine cats.
• Who's the funniest?
  Jolly. Always, always makes me laugh.
• Who's the most annoying?
  a coworker who shall henceforth be known as The Dilettante
• Who's the best looking?
  

  

  Joe Piscopo, Michael Keaton & Marilu Henner

  a guy I've known since college, one of those good-old-friend sorts, looks amazingly like Joe Piscopo in his Johnny Dangerously era. In case you're wondering, that's a mighty fine thing. At the moment, I can't really imagine anything I'd like more than to see his face. (At least in this context.)
• Who's the weirdest?
  Mumbler
• Who's the chattiest?
  everyone is chatty compared to me!
• Who's the quietest?
  I am. Really.
• Who's the most outrageous?
  ...and yet, I'll take that, too.
• Who's the shyest?
  Haley
• Who's the kindest?
  Fluffy
• Who's the idiot?
  oh, surely there aren't any
• Who's the friendliest?
  Brian
• Who's the best?
  the whole of them, together

*THE OPPOSITE SEX

• What is a turn on?
  emotionally, right? The ability to take control of a situation without being controlling.
• What is a turn off?
  Baseless arrogance. The inability to walk the fine line between assertiveness and pomposity.
• What physical feature are you attracted to the most?
  direct eyes.
• Best pick-up line?
  ...remains to be heard
• What's the best thing about having a steady date?
  not wondering. The lack of the back-of-the-mind wondering about why, even when you're not actively wondering.
  And, of course, going to the movies.
• What's the most irritating thing about them?
  stifling
• Could you live without it?
  clearly
• Describe your ideal partner.
  if I could 3D print one right now, I'd go for a cross between a national NBC correspondent, (one of these three: A, B, or C) and a musician, a reader, a night owl. A guy who will wash the car and take it for maintenance (or do it himself), but also a man who will come with me to a play, whether or not it's his first choice for Saturday night's entertainment. Someone who 'gets' clothes without help. Who's got money of his own, but doesn't spend it like it's got no meaning...but who's also kind of generous. Must think plants are cool, and at least function reasonably well around the idea of cats. And, of course, not even consider the idea of being involved with anyone else while dating someone--one has got to be enough at a time.
  Too much to ask? I didn't say he had to be a mortal man.

[this quiz was pulled from some random source, unattributed. The title quotation is by Victor Hugo, from Les Misérables, and reads in its entirety as below.] 

    "He fell to the seat, she by his side. There were no more words. The stars were beginning to shine. How was it that the birds sing, that the snow melts, that the rose opens, that May blooms, that the dawn whitens behind the black trees on the shivering summit of the hills?
    One kiss, and that was all.
    Both trembled, and they looked at each other in the darkness with brilliant eyes."