there’s a world of difference between a knee and a thigh. A knee can be interpreted. A thigh means business

31 What’s the worst prediction you ever made? 

    I am terrible with predictions a lot of the time, when I have no personal knowledge of the situation. I certainly wouldn't make any money as a bettor. 

32 What material are you most like? (e.g., plastic, porcelain, dirt, cashmere, marble, etc.)     

    silk—smooth, soft, and superstrong

33 If you did not have to sleep, how would you spend the extra 8 hours? 

    writing

35 What thing from nature are you (excluding animals)?    

    some kind of prickly succulent

36 What would you do if I gave you a billion dollars? 

    gift, spend, travel, and invest

37 If you could do something that you don’t do because it’s bad for you, but you could do it without any repercussions — what would you do? 

    hurt someone who hurts someone I love

38 Have you ever quit doing something that you used to be really passionate about? Do you regret it? Or are you happy you quit? Either way: Do you think you’ll ever take it up again? 

    I quit playing clarinet when I graduated from high school. I was not "passionate" about it, but I did love making music. I regret it, but will not take it up again.

    I quit playing piano when I moved out of my parents' house, because the piano stayed there. I was passionate about that for a while, but my skill never came close to meeting my love for it. I would rather listen than play.

39 Imagine you could devote a year to researching someone’s biography. Who would your subject be? 

    Eamon de Valera. Or Wilhelm Canaris. Or...

40 If you had to take a bath in a food, which food would it be? 

    buttermilk

41 What question do you wish people would ask you? 

    there is no one question that I wish people in general would ask me. There is a specific question that I'd like to hear from a specific person, but that's beside the point.

42 Of the places you have lived or spent significant time, which one had the most pleasing view out the front door/main window/etc. for you and why? 

    the second A2 apartment had the most objectively pleasing view, looking out on a wooded courtyard, but I don't recall that being a focal point at any time. We had a scrubby, weird backyard at the house in DeK and there were no windows in that direction anyway, so our only view was toward the neighbors. 

    My favorite (including this place) was my apartment over SWC, where I lived for seven years after the divorce. It was "right downtown" above a business, and my 2-BR unit was on a corner above the office. It started out fairly quiet but became less so as the business expanded (which is why I eventually decided to move). I had windows on 2 sides, with sunshine streaming in for almost the entire day most of the year. The windows were north- and west-facing, and my bedroom was on the corner. I loved to sit on my bed with all the windows open and watch the sun set in the summertime. It gave the impression of being a larger, more open apartment than it was, and I was extremely happy there for a long time. The landlords were fantastic and the guys downstairs (i.e. employees of the business) were helpful when the tenants needed it. It was "a soft place to land" when I was on my own for the first time in half a lifetime, and the view out those windows was part of what made it mine.

43 Who is your pick for the most underrated character in a movie or TV show? 

    BJ, in M*A*S*H

44 Tell about a time when you changed your mind. 

    a few years ago, I was involved with someone on the left coast. One of the many times we battled (verbally), he gave me an all-or-nothing. I was to meet him in Vegas, where he was traveling to visit some friends for a bachelor party. The plan was that I would arrive the day the party ended, and he and I would stay for a few days to sort things out.

    I bought the ticket. He booked a room for me at Bellagio. 

    I changed my mind - for a variety of reasons, not least of which was his response when he found out I was not going. You can think something is true, and then you can know that it is true. I knew.

45 If you're going to win the lottery, would you rather win $10 million, or $100 million? 

    $100 million. I realize that it would be polarizing, but I'm all right with that. I would give a LOT of it away, either way.

46 If you could live in the setting of any book or movie, without necessarily being involved in the story, which would you choose? 

    Squeeze Play by Jane Leavy

[from here—it's an ongoing site!—and adapted; the title quotation is from Squeeze Play by Jane Leavy]