the tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it

1. What was your last nightmare about? I'm not sure. My nightmares are usually pretty short, then they force me awake and keep me up for a while.
   On the other hand, I've had recurring dreams lately that I've gone back to school--grad school in English. I find out as I'm moving in (the dorms, strangely) that one of my friends from home (Mr Rosebud) will be in my class. My advisor was a famous poet (as played by a British character actor whose name I can't recall at the moment). A really odd, pointless dream that makes me want something I shouldn't want.
2. Who are the people in your neighborhood? I am surrounded by the following: an amazingly overpopulated family each of whom has a car (none of which has a complete exhaust system); a selfish guy about 3 years younger than me who lives with his mother; the parents of a high school friend; and a wonderful, resilient widow.
3. During what decade was popular music the most emotional? any music is emotional to the right person
4. During what decade was popular music the best? every book has its reader
5. Do you download porn? (be honest!) to be honest: no, I don't
6. Why is 'go suck an egg' or 'your grandma sucks eggs!' an insult? it's a comparison to an egg-sucking dog, and it means being sneaky or lazy
7. Life is: what you make it
8. I am: more than almost anyone realizes
9. I am not: going to accept anything short of what I want
10. But I want to be: happy
11. And I wish I could: have that without destroying anyone else's life
12. What is the highest achievement anyone could ever achieve in this department--
    ...spiritual: I don't know. I suppose because I'm not very far along that path.
13. ...physical: that's probably all relative
14. ...emotional: I think this set of questions is pretty pointless
15. Can you give step by step instructions on how to think deeply? no
16. Did you ever see The Wizard of Oz with the sound all the way down while listening to pink Floyd's The Wall? If yes, did you see what everyone says goes on when you do that? doesn't sound like something that would interest me
17. Let's say you were writing an application for potential new friends. What three questions would you ask?
    What do you read?
    How do you feel about solitude?
    Is it possible to have too many shoes?
18. Are you dyslexic? no
19. Are you overwhelmed? By what? yes. Work, money, this house, the future, feelings...
20. 'My natural elasticity was crushed.' What does that mean? I suppose that's a way to describe feeling overwhelmed
21. What is humanity evolving towards, do you think? I don't think that we're evolving at this time
22. Are you good at cracking codes? at times, in some circumstances, yes
23. How many holes do you have in your body? the usual, plus 6 extra
24. What's the worst place to have a scab? someplace that bends too much to hold a band-aid
25. Do you pick your scabs? ugh, no
26. What is a tragedy? "an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe"
27. Are you bubbly? God, no
28. Do you drink bubbly? not for a very long time
29. Do you have caller ID? yes
30. If you do, then do you only answer the phone after looking at it? yes
31. 'Bewitched' or 'I Dream of Jeannie'? Bewitched, please
32. When will you be able to just do what you want to? when I have a little more money, and time, and energy
33. How do people live with the fact that their time is short and priceless, yet they get paid too little to waste too much of it? drugs help
34. Who tells better gossip, your best friend or your answering machine? my best friend, for sure

[From the 5000-question meme; this is the third third of the thirty-third part (questions 3167-3200). The title quotation is by Terri Garey.]