how they all shriek and giggle!

from 100 Getting to Know You Questions

28. In the evening, would you rather play a game, visit a relative, watch a movie, or read?  depends on the evening, of course. Tonight, for instance, I have watched 2 movies and read parts of two different books.

29. Would you rather vacation in Hawaii or Alaska, and why?  Hawaii, because though I have heard many good things about Alaska and am assured that it is beautiful, I have a fascination for and interest in visiting some islands and getting a taste of that life

30. Would you rather win the lottery or work at the perfect job? And why?  there is no reason not to do both! If I won the lottery, I would also write - which is my perfect job.

31. Who would you want to be stranded with on a deserted island?  Rupert

32. If money were no object, what would you do all day?  read, write, gamble, walk, get massages, and giggle a lot

33. If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?  2017, or possibly 2014. Or maybe 1994?

34. How would your friends describe you?  quiet, kind of funny, observant, easy to talk to, and pale

35. What are your hobbies?  rearranging furniture, online window-shopping, and taking surreptitious photographs

36. What is the best gift you have been given?  trust

37. What is the worst gift you have received?  religious biographies

38. Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?  something to read

39. List two pet peeves.  

• shaving my ankles is a dastardly, murky swamp filled with starving leeches, sunken mines, and rodents of unusual size. Why why why can't fur come back in fashion?

• the phrase "learning opportunity." I'm not the eternal optimist, but I believe that each moment is a learning opportunity. Even (or mostly) the times that are hard can teach me something. Therefore, when someone else points out learning opportunities to me, I flinch, and wonder at their motives.

41. How many pairs of shoes do you own?  62

43. What would you do if you won the lottery?  assuming a considerable payout--I would pay my bills, buy some treats, pay some bills and get some amazing fucking gifts for some friends, take a trip or two, set up a couple of trusts to pay things like (lifetime) health insurance for my loved ones, and oh yeah I would quit my damned job

44. What form of public transportation do you prefer (air, boat, train, bus, car, etc.)?  in order: train, air, car, bus, boat, etc.

46. If you could go back in time to change one thing, what would it be?  if it would not change everything the future, I would pursue an MLIS degree before leaving the Flat

47. If you could share a meal with any 4 individuals, living or dead, who would they be?  Anthony Bourdain, my paternal grandfather, my college mentor, and D.G.

48. How many pillows do you sleep with?  at least 4, give or take

50. What's the tallest building you've been to the top in?  Sears Tower in Chicago (when it was still called that). It seemed unreal enough that I was not terribly afraid but I didn't like it much either - probably because so many people were stuffed like Vienna snausages into the elevator on the way up. For the entrance fee, some room to breath might have been nice.

51. Would you rather trade intelligence for looks or looks for intelligence?  that's an easy one. Far too easy.

[from here; the title quotation is by Evelyn Waugh, from Decline and Fall]