we become aware of the void as we fill it

• Would you prefer to be smart or happy, and why?
  smart. I'm not sure I believe in 'happy' anymore, in that sense. And, anyway, despite the appeal--I don't think that blissful ignorance would work for me.
• If you could choose one superpower, what would it be and why?
  teleportation would be kinda awesome. It would sure as heck make mornings easier to deal with.
• What is your biggest regret in life so far?
  
  "So much for life, for life and love
  And now it's done" My regrets about love are endless.
• If you could marry a fictional character, who would it be and why?
  Jonathan Bovaro, from David Cristofano's The Girl She Used to Be and The Exceptions. Why? Because I'm a green and he's an orange. Because I believe that real love ought to scare you sometimes. Because he's smart and funny and disconcerting. And a good cook.
• If money and career were no object, where in the world would you choose to live?
  part time right where I am, and the other part, probably someplace warm. Maybe Miami? Or Spain. Or Ireland.
  Or prehaps Maine.
• What’s the last book you read that you simply could not put down until you finished?
  it's been a while since I've read really enthralling fiction. The last book of poetry that I read, though--Stephen Dobyns' Cemetery Nights--was terrific, and I read (and loved) it cover to cover.
• What television show do you plan your day around in order to see it live?
  none. I don't have TV, and don't watch any current shows regularly.
• What extracurricular activities or sports did you participate in when you were in high school?
  I was on the softball team, the volleyball team, and in band (concert, marching, and 'pep' [in the stands at various sports]).
• Of all your pet-peeves, which is the strangest?
  people who tunelessly whistle or otherwise make noise, seemingly without realizing it, really drive me up a wall
• Is it better to beg forgiveness or ask permission?
  that depends on your definition of 'better'. Easier, certainly, to ask forgiveness. From a utilitarian standpoint, the social order is less likely to collapse if we ask permission. Practically: it will vary by the circumstances, so do what you believe is right.
• If you inherited or won a million dollars, what would you do with it?
  for the time being, I'd live off it. I'm so totally done with this job. Long term, though, I'd find new work, pay some bills, give some gifts, and invest it. I've no strong urge to stop working completely.
• What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you?
  the first answer that came to mind here was that in first grade, while working on an in-class assignment, I needed help. I raised my hand, but in further effort to get my teacher's attention, I meant to say her name--but instead said, "Mom?" I recall it being utterly mortifying, though there is nothing in my memory beyond having said it, so the ramifications mustn't have been traumatic.
• Which fictional character do you believe is the most like yourself?
  Kincaid Chance, maybe? Or Everett?
  Or early Anna Pigeon, when she was still conflicted.
  Or Sophie Quinn, from Christina Bartolomeo's Snowed In, or...
• Are you superstitious? If so, what are you most superstitious about?
  not really—though I do the salt-over-left-shoulder thing. And try not to step on cracks in the sidewalk. And always grab a screw when going over the railroad tracks (because you never know when you might need one). And wish on 11:11 (though lately it's more of a curse). And send a message at 4:20 (hi, Dan!).
• Do you believe it is vital to everyday life to know what is happening in the world around you?
  that would be ironic coming from me
• What is the nicest thing anybody has said, or you believe they would say, about you?
  the nicest things that have been said about me weren't things, and they weren't said. Sometimes it's just the look, the presence, the willingness. The lack of judgment and disappointment.
• What are your life and career goals in 5, 10 and 15 years?
  this is, hands down, my least favorite question in all the world
• Would you rather live in a large house in the suburbs, or a tiny apartment in the city with an excellent view?
  how about a medium-sized house in a medium-sized town? I'm not really a city person, and suburbs are, by nature, stuck onto the sides of them.
• What are your three weaknesses?
  expensive stationery, handmade ceramic bowls, and square-cut gemstones
• How would you describe yourself in three words?
  obstinate, curious, and layered
• Which is more logical to follow—your heart or your head?
  your heart. Four "witnesses" to an auto collision will "see" four wildly differing chains of events, and even divergent results. The color of the vehicles will change, as will the approximate speed at which they traveled, and even the direction from which they came.
  It is logical to assume that "your head" works the same way. When you "look at" a problem or a set of circumstances and attempt to view it dispassionately and objectively: surprise, you fail. Simply placing those limits on yourself imposes a bias that is impossible to discount from the final result. You cannot pull yourself out of the driver's seat of your own mind.
  The heart, though? There is no pretending about who's running the show there. Instinct, feelings, discretionary intentions. Whatever it is, it's probably a hell of a lot more reliable than the "logic" of your head.
• Are you spiritual or religious in any way? If so, how?
  "If you understand, things are just as they are;
  if you do not understand, things are just as they are."
  [Zen proverb]
• If you could have any career possible, what would it be?
  I would make a spectacular personal assistant
• Have you ever been arrested or contracted any diseases?
  yes
• Which is better—a novel or a movie?
  I would rather read than watch movies, generally. And I've rarely seen a movie that could live up to its novel. There are obviously some terrific movies out there, but in all, books are still better.

[grabbed from The Cat, who got it here; the title quotation is by Antonio Porchia, from Voces, trans. from the Spanish by W.S. Merwin]