I like it when somebody gets excited about something

If you could donate a million dollars to any charity, what cause would you choose? 

    the local public library, with the restriction that it is to be used as seed money toward a branch or renovation for public parking. The parking and driving situation around that building is egregious.

Do you have any hidden talents? 

    identifying accents and nationalities (the latter not being something I would ever, ever claim in public)

What school subject was your least favorite? 

    biology

What are you most excited about this year? 

    taking a couple of weeks off after tax "season" is over

Name one cool feature you would add to your dream house. 

    a huge sunken tub with a rain shower head system.

    And a hot-water dispenser in the kitchen.

Describe a time you laughed so hard you thought you would cry, or when you did cry. What was so funny? 

    my houseguest regularly does a "Risky Business" maneuver when they cruise around the kitchen. Sometimes the surprised look on that little face just kills me.

What is one thing you want other generations to know about teenagers "from your era"? 

    we weren't all obsessed with Aqua-Net and eyeliner, punk music and slam dancing, or talking like Valley girls. Some of us just went to school, spent time with friends, had normal jobs, and even sort of got along with our parents. We weren't aliens.

What is a favorite memory with one of your best friends?

    Fluffy and I used to go driving around the greater DeK area, often drinking Coke into the wee hours, talking about our woes (and bitching about work) and listening to mix CDs and bonding. One night we'd gone pretty far south (I think? Or maybe west?) and then circled around in the direction of the big city. Finally turned toward home somewhere in the 2:AM range. We were roughly 40 miles out when thegas light turned on in my car. We were a good 30 miles from the nearest gas station, and that late at night there was no guarantee that anything would be open anyway. (Places around there tend to turn off their pumps at night.) So she was a little hyper about getting back, and more than a little annoyed with my blasé attitude about "there's always enough gas to get home after the light turns on." 

    We got home just fine—but I was, in the future, more respectful about filling up before we got to that point.

What is the best dish you can cook?  

    Harriett Hotdish

 [from here and adapted; the title quotation is by J.D. Salinger, from The Catcher in the Rye]