read a lot, write a lot is the great commandment

Day 7: 'pattern'

1. Do you take most things others say seriously? I take some things that some others say very seriously. The opinions of my closest friends matter so much. And my family. The small things that they say, or even the expressions that they make, can have a big impact.
   
   Of course, there are others whose opinions--however heated--don't matter at all.
2. Do you have a quick wit? I sometimes do all right
3. Do you believe in the need for political correctness? no
4. Do you have strong opinions and beliefs? oh, definitely. Some of them, I'm willing to share. Others, I keep to myself completely. I will very rarely talk or write about politics, religion, or sex in any substantive way. (Prehaps you've noticed, if you read the blog regularly.) It's not as if I do not care about those subjects, but I feel firmly that my opinions--strong as they are--are private.
   
   On law, though? Or music, movies, or books? Or some esoteric topics like restaurants in A2, fireworks as a date destination, or the pancakes v. french toast debate? Just get me started.
5. If yes, can you still hang out with and be friends with people who disagree with you? sure. It's the rare person who would agree with me on everything, and I wouldn't likely believe them anyway.
6. Are you uptight? I first read that as "upright," which I am not. And I really, really hope I'm not uptight, either.
7. Do you sometimes do risky things? not as much anymore, though I still have my moments
8. Could just about anyone hold your interest in a conversation for at least ten minutes? no. Proof: any. Goddamned. day. at work.
9. Are you self-conscious? no--do I have reason to be?
10. What would be your ideal destination for a Saturday afternoon? some weird, obscure store or museum or garage sale, I suppose? A hole in the wall with interesting stuff to look at and maybe to buy, with nearby lunch and things to photograph. If I could spend all my weekends doing such things, I'd be relaxed and happy.
11. Does anyone have a video of you doing something embarrassing? um, maybe? The odds are pretty good. I'm not going to put a call out to ask, though, just in case I've gotten off lucky on that front.
12. What is Kevin Smith’s best movie? the only movie of his that I've seen is Chasing Amy. I don't remember loving it? Maybe I should see it again.
13. Where do you like to go on Friday or Saturday nights? on Friday nights, I prefer to have no plans at all. Lately, my job has been kind of wiping me out and by Friday I'm ready to be done with all social interaction. Saturday, I'm usually up for something. What that something entails is determined by the time of year and the availability of funds, among other things.
14. Do you like your friends to act the same way all the time or do you accept their moods and changes? I accept theirs in rough balance with their acceptance of mine, I think. Trying to be fair but still protect myself.
15. Do you often feel like other people are judging you? some people, yes. There's a bitchweasel at work who's all full of judgment and skulduggery. A couple of people who are connected to, but not an original part of, my family, tend to be this way as well. Always sure that they know what's best for everyone else--and sure that they have need to know everyone else's business because of it.
16. What do you think other people judge you to be like? for some reason, this question brings to mind the Irish delightful blessing, which I wish upon anyone who's sitting in judgment at this time:
    
    May those that love us, love us.
    And those that don't love us,
    May God turn their hearts.
    And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
    May He turn their ankles
    So we will know them by their limping.
17. Are you quick to judge others? ah, but you can tell that--am I limping?
18. When you have a fight with someone do you want to talk about it right away or calm down first and then talk? interesting timing. The last time I was in a very big, very important fight, I was the cry-er, and the person with whom I was fighting was ferociously tight-lipped and angry. The result was no communication at all. In the intervening time, I've come to realize that we're both arrogant and ignorant.
    
    If something is worth fighting about, it's worth communicating about. And that requires getting over yourself long enough to stop crying, or simmer down, and start talking. And you know it's worth fighting about if you eventually do that.
19. Some say love is a river (according to the old song). What do you say love is? according to what I've written in the blog before, love is...
    
    • pain
    • still out there...somewhere...
    • TBD
    That all works for me.
20. What is the worst fault a person can have? to be small-minded
21. Do you have it? God, I hope not
22. Which do you think has more impact on a person’s character, genetics or environment? environment
23. Who was your first best friend? Jennifer
24. If you are not best friends anymore, what came between you? life and circumstances. We are still friends, though, which says something after all these very many years.
25. Who have you read a biography about? an academic biography: Good-bye to All That by Robert Graves.
    Popular biography: The Sparkling-Eyed Boy by Amy Benson
26. What would your own autobiography be called? I'm quite certain that any biography that I could write could not be published. The best I could hope for would be a novel "thinly-based on real events." And that's the best pattern, I think--that writing about something gets it out and over with, and clears the way for something new and better.

[from the 5000-question meme, part four; the title quotation is by Stephen King]