love is private and primitive and a bit on the funky and frightening side

22. Did you do well in high school? 

top 17%, give or take. Not so well that I made National Honor Society or broke any records. I hadn't learned how to learn yet, til I was was partway through college. My GPA was successively higher with each school I attended. 

23. Have you ever stolen from a supermarket? 

no, I have not

24. Do you enjoy the thrill of gambling? 

very much so. I did it this weekend, in fact. The results are not always positive, but I think it's fun and relaxing. At least, when there isn't a drunk guy yelling to everyone in the immediate area, and I can feel him looming in my direction....

    And I'm lousy at sports betting. Just don't know enough about it - and approach it emotionally, like a fan, rather than looking at it as researchable science.

25. What’s your guilty pleasure food? 

cheese curds, lately

26. How much time can you spend bathing? 

I'm quick through the shower but can take long, hot baths that leave me crinkly and mellow. I'm not currently able to take baths at home, so I'm looking forward to resuming that pastime.

27. What was your favorite subject in school? 

    through junior high: science

    high school: psychology or American lit

    college: History

28. What’s the most dangerous situation you’ve willingly put yourself into? 

I flew to a very large city to meet someone for the first time. The 2021 me wouldn't even consider it, though it happened to turn out just fine and I'm still quite good friends with that person. That was one of my (many) leap-first/think-later experiences.

29. Do you actively seek comfort in life? 

definitely! And in a variety of ways. Reading, writing, jigsaw puzzles, friends, kitty purrs...

30. Would you own a gun if it was legal in your country? 

it is, and I don't. I'm not as fervently against the idea as I am shit at aiming. A well-armed populace is key for preventing the revolution, but they ought to have pretty good eyesight and the ability to hit where they aim.

1. What’s your definition of love? 

it is undefinable, of course. However, if you're very quiet and observant, you can see it in action sometimes. An extra-long hug. A cocoon becoming a butterfly. Self-sacrifice. Understanding. Picking up the tab. Trust, and trustworthiness. Gettin' funky. A back-scratch when you really need it. Debating definitions over dinner. Hope triumphing over experience. Pet names and silliness. Shared interests. A unique language. ...

[from here {subdivided}; the title quotation is by Tom Robbins from Still Life with Woodpecker, and is shown in full below]

“Love is private and primitive and a bit on the funky and frightening side. 

I think of the Luna card in the Tarot deck: 

some strange, huge crustacean, 

its armor glistening and its pinchers wiggling, 

clatters out of a pool while wild dogs howl at a bulging moon. 

Underneath the hearts and flowers, 

love is loony like that. 

Attempts to housebreak it, to refine it, 

to dress the crabs up like doves and make them sing soprano 

always result in thin blood. 

You end up with a parody.”