from "250 Conversation Starters"
48. What is something that really annoys you but doesn't bother most people?
ranch dressing
49. What word or saying from the past do you think should come back?
50. How should success be measured? And by that measurement, who is the most successful person you know?
success is relative. What will make me feel successful and accomplished would be a severe disappointment to someone with more ambition or material dreams. On the other hand, some people think that I am too conservative and prone to kowtow to The Man, so if I had more fun and lived more spontaneously I would be more successful.
In any case, the most successful person I know is someone with whom I graduated from college. He is smart (but not much smarter than me), driven, well connected, ambitious as hell, tenacious, weird, ethical, financially stable, creative, and happy. And willing to do what needs to be done to make sure he stays that way.
51. What is your guilty pleasure?
lately it has been writing, but I am just about out of this cycle. I enjoy these "quizzes" because they have prompted some productive thinking and quality results. I like what and how I am writing now. However, it may be time soon to move on from this venue.
Reading will always be a guilty pleasure. Just one more paragraph ... section ... page ... chapter ...., please?
52. Was there ever an event in your life that defied explanation?
I have been very lucky behind the wheel a time or two. Getting stopped coming out of a construction zone, in a rainstorm, driving someone else's car, in a 3rd state, with home-state plates, with a Flatland license, going 81 in a 55, by a female trooper--and leaving with only a written warning: that one defied explanation. I thought I would get a ticket not only for Speeding but Driving Too Fast for Conditions and possibly Reckless. (Oh yeah, I had also passed someone at around 85, just as the second lane opened up. I had slowed to 81 when she stopped me.)
53. If you could learn the answer to one question about your future, what would the question be?
"which stock will be the big winner in 2020?"
54. Has anyone ever saved your life?
prehaps not physically, but emotionally and spiritually, yes. (Well, besides the EMTs in the ambulance and the ER doc when I - accidentally! - overdosed.)
55. What benefit do you bring to the group when you hang out with friends?
I usually pay my own way, try not to take up much space, and can sometimes be incredibly funny
56. How often do you curse? And what's your go-to string of curse words?
regrettably often, and I am trying to stop. Something that can be brushed off in a younger person is no credit to someone my age.
As for my go-to words, there are few that I will not use.
57. What trends did you follow when you were younger?
leather Nike high-tops and bandannas, "shaker sweaters," those rubber bracelets by the dozen that looked more like thin gaskets, Guess or Generra jeans, Esprit shirts.
58. What do you fear is hiding in the dark?
there is nothing hiding in the dark that is not there in the light
59. What was the best period of your life so far? What do you think will be the best period of your entire life?
So far: I liked being a little kid, when playing and reading were pretty much it.
What do I think will be the best? Well, retirement could end up somewhat like the above. That sounds pretty fucking good to me.
60. What do you do to improve your mood when you are in a bad mood?
walk, read, write, take a bath, watch a movie, go for a drive, talk with a friend
61. What is the silliest fear that you have?
going blind
62. What are some things you want to accomplish before you die?
learn to belly-dance (even a little), kiss in the rain, have a photograph published or exhibited
63. What is the best room in your house? Why?
64. Who is someone popular now that you really like? Why do you like them so much?
"popularity offends me"
65. Where is the best place to take a date?
no particular place, just wherever fits for the two of you. Some couples are fancy dinners and events; others are silent walks in the woods or athletics; still others might be not about where you go, or even what you do, but how you feel when you come together.
66. What smell brings back great memories?
Acqua di Gió pour Homme
67. What's the best pet name you can come up with for a specific type of pet?
well, if I had a bunny he would obviously be called Jack
68. How often do you help others? Who do you help? How do you help?
I struggle with this one. My version of helping sometimes expresses as taking over or even controlling. I'm trying to get the balance back between being a friend (colleague, family, whatever) and being a martyr - which comes from insecurity. With the right combination of attention and space for myself, I am great help with keeping track of stuff and handling the details that make projects stagnate.
69. What are you best at?
coming up with ridiculous, arcane, specific words. My vocabulary is really big and I like to put it on display (when it can be appreciated)!
[from here; the title quotation is from A'isha Azar]
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