reflect upon your present blessings--of which every man has many--not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some

1. Which is worse, working in retail, food service, or an office? retail, I think? I've done food service, and although it has its drawbacks (the smells alone are a serious challenge for me) it can be somewhat creative and does not necessarily bring out the worst in people. I work in an office now, which is pretty wretched but apparently doable. Retail, though...I can't imagine getting through too much of that without losing it entirely.
2. What's the coolest job you ever had? the coolest work that I ever did was to transcribe psychological interviews for a longitudinal research study. The study itself was fascinating and the interviews, while harrowing, were enormously revealing.
   The coolest job I ever had, though, was at the test prep place. It wasn't the most challenging work, and it didn't pay the best, and at times it was somewhat socially irritating—but I had the best boss of my life, my coworkers were real friends, and the skills that I learned there have taken me far in the work world.
3. What is one central idea that your thoughts seem to come back to? today would have been Chris' 31st birthday. My thoughts have, since the moment I woke up (or somewhat before), been of him. In the year-plus since his death, I've come to remember the silly things about him, the drama, the ingenuity...along with everything I loved and all that I miss so much, especially today. I woke up crying, and have completely lost it a couple of times since then, innocent moments when the right wrong song came along ("Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Sister Hazel, and that awful line, "through the years we all will be together—if the fates allow") or memory ran through my mind. This is a rough day.
   
4. Have you ever wanted to be an actor/tress? never
5. If you had the power to control one person and make this person do anything you wanted for a whole day, who would you pick and what would they do? that's a really good question. My first inclination was something work-related, but most of the urges there were too juvenile and pointless to be worth the bother.
   My next thought was that the last person with whom I was involved—the one who broke my heart this summer—ought to be made to pay for it. But, really, what's the point? If he's not suffered for it on his own, then there's no suffering that's bad enough to solve it.
   So I'm left with Crush Level Green. I'd make him see me as I really am, for a whole day. That would require his eyes to be opened (beyond his fears and biases and laziness) and for my own contrariness and fear and bad habits to be set aside, too. The more I get to know about him, the more I think we'd be great together. There's just a whole lot of petty obstacles in the way.
6. What star sign are you and what is your sign like? I was born under Virgo, which is all about fussy practicality, a sharp mind and attention to detail. That makes me want to scream. Although I may have some of those traits, I don't feel like they adequately define me.
   I was supposed to be born two weeks earlier, which would have made me a Leo: warm, loyal, creative, idealist leaders.
7. Did the Blair Witch Project scare you? I've not seen it. Horror movies do nothing for me.
8. Are you in constant fear of death? more and more, yes
9. Does fear of death keep you from building a life? I don't think so? Hmm
10. Do you like all your movies to be in widescreen? given the choice, that is what I will watch, but it's not something upon which I would insist
11. Are you a fan of any comic books? I've really liked some one-offs: Blankets by Craig Thompson, and Blue Pills and Pachyderme by Frédérik Peeters, for instance.
12. At what age did you attend your first funeral? I was probably pretty little. The first that I remember I was seven.
13. What do you smell like (lotion, cologne, sweat)? shampoo and cologne? Maybe? Hard to tell from inside it.
14. What are your greatest sources for wisdom? reading, talking with people wiser than me. Thinking about things in new ways.
15. When you were little, where did your parents tell you babies come from? I have no idea—literally no memory of it at all.
16. What is your favorite band? it changes every day. I've been listening to a lot of Elbow lately.
17. What's the best cheesy 80's song? "best" and "cheesy" don't go together.
    That being said, I love Rick Astley's version of "When I Fall in Love."
    
18. What's the best kind of movie to see on a date? probably something quiet and romantic? Or a thriller.
19. Do you like to sit in the front, middle or back of the movie theater? middle
20. Have you ever been inside an abandoned building? no, but I got a very interesting invitation to join someone in an abandoned warehouse on the South Side once. I was convinced by a very paranoid [i.e. smart] friend that it was not a wise plan.
    Sigh.
21. Under what circumstances would you agree to work for free? not even if you paid me
22. Candles or strobe lights? candles. Strobe lights set off bad headaches.
23. Do you think the Lord of the Rings movies are true to the books, or did Hollywood change the story too much? I have neither seen the films nor read the books. (Yes, that means I'm statistically invisible.)
24. When you see a stranger on the street does your first reaction lean towards thinking of this person as a potential friend or as a potential threat? it depends on the street, I suppose, and a lot of other circumstances. If it's noon on Wednesday in my hometown and I'm walking to lunch, I'm not going to think anything at all. If it's four in the morning and I'm in an unfamiliar place, then even the most innocent of strangers is likely going to seem a threat.
25. Is it natural for human beings to fear and distrust each other, or is it cultural? an argument could be made for either of those. And both are probably true.
26. What do you really want to buy? I would like to go a few days without buying anything. I am flat fucking broke.
27. You have to choose. Would you be happier marrying someone rich for their money or living in the streets and subway tunnels with someone you love? as with all ridiculous extremes, neither of these works for me. No rich person is going to marry me and give me his money without love, or some other inducement. And no one I fall in love with is likely to be living in the streets and the subway tunnels (since the nearest subways are a few hundred miles away).
    How about dating a decent guy?
    Or even just going on a date or two with someone who isn't absolutely awful?
28. If someone wanted to understand you what book could they read that would help? The Brothers K by David James Duncan. It's my favorite book, and one that, in its obscurity, explains some of how my mind works, what makes me happy, what makes me think, what I love (sports, reading, family, arguing, love), and the beauty of the wistful.
29. Do you think it’s odd that Americans have freedom of religion and yet call themselves 'one nation under god'? nothing in our varied history of religion, freedom of religion, freedom from religion, and the backlash therein, surprises me too much
30. In what sense are you a minority? my wingspan is longer than my height
31. Are you anti-social? to a degree, I am, quite
32. Do you photograph well? I am a skilled photographer (under certain conditions). I'll leave it at that, eh?
33. Do you think that human beings would survivor through a nuclear winter? it depends on the length and intensity of the winter—which would depend on the number and intensity of the firestorms that caused it. Honestly, if it got to the point of determining whether we'd likely survive, we'd probably prefer not. Food would be scarce (or nonexistent), global climate would be affected (temperatures would drop and there would be storms), and depression, due to decreased sun exposure, would be rampant. Not to mention, holy crap, nuclear war. No, thank you.

[Pulled from here - which is part 2 of the 5000 question meme, and divided into thirds - of which this is the third. {Part 3 has already been done, and is here.} The title quotation is by Charles Dickens, from A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings]