what I will no longer accept is the mediocre life of a modest little gentleman

 from Personal Questions to Ask a Girl

1. What is the strangest habit you have?  none of my habits are strange, of course. I'm the most normal person I know.

2. What movie made you cry the most?  it's not even fair to guess. I'm a notorious cryer.  (The one that comes to mind first is The Royal Tenenbaums, reviewed here.)

3. What is the most embarrassing thing you own?  red rubber rain boots, maybe

4. What do you hope you grow out of?  bad skin. I never thought I would still break out at this advanced age!

5. What is the healthiest and unhealthiest thing you do regularly?  healthy: drinking lots of water and walking   unhealthy: staying up late (and thereby not getting anywhere near enough sleep) and putting up with the wrong peoples' shit

6. How much do you judge a person by their appearance?  no more than anyone else would, I suppose. We all do.

8. What was the worst date that you've been on?  out for dinner with my boyfriend of 3 years at "our diner," he was twitchy. Shortly after our meals arrived, he told me that he was restless. I asked if he hadn't slept well. He said what he meant was that he thought we should see other people. Well, not both of us, just him. And not to stop seeing each other, but...just that he should get away with whatever he wanted. 

I carefully wiped my mouth, picked up my purse, walked toward the bathroom...and out the door, continuing the 9 blocks home. I was wearing a nice dress and heels. It was a long, strident walk.

11. What impression do you try to give when you first meet someone?  depends upon the someone. I can be silent and unimpressive, loud and imposing, silly and inconsequential, smug and obnoxious....

12. Who or what inspires you to be a better person?  questionable first premise

13. What's the TL;DR description of your last relationship?  met W in college, became good friends. He was even better friends with my then-boyfriend, who became my spouse. W was an usher in the wedding. We stayed friends after college. He lived far away, we stayed in close touch considering. A few letters and calls every year. A couple years ago, W came back to town for an event. We met up again - for the first time in many years - and it was like the conversation had never stopped. We immediately clicked in a way we had not before. Despite the sweet (second) beginning, though, the whole thing crashed and burned a couple months in. He 'changed his mind.'

14. If you found out your current life has been just a dream, would you choose to wake up?  God, no

15. What dumb thing did you believe for a really long time?  that every book deserves a home and none ought to be thrown out

16. What are some things you would like to achieve before you die?  financial stability, finish a half, use my passport for its intended purpose, and read all the books on my "still to come" list

17. Where would you like to retire?  haven't picked out the spot yet

18. What brings you the most joy in life?  making stories

19. What are the worst and best parts of your personality?  worst: stubbornness, oversensitivity, bleakness        best: loyalty, generosity, inventiveness

20. When looking for a SO, what three things are important (besides looks)?  independence, intelligence, and cleverness

21. What is the most frightening thing you have ever done?  drag-racing backward on a narrow hillside road while drinking, underage, and driving someone else's brand new pickup

[from here; the title quotation is by Joan Miró]