you could, I don't know, rob a bank or hop a freight train or tell everybody what you really think of them

8. Were you afraid of going to the dentist as a kid? 

    not at all! My dentist could talk like Donald Duck. He had a treasure chest of toys for good patients. And his office was in a very old building with an elevator. In my hometown, elevators were not exactly thick on the ground, so getting to ride in one was incredibly special.

9. Which song would be like a window into your soul? 

    there is no one song that defines me. That's like saying I'm always in the same mood, always doing the same thing, and always wanting to feel the same feelings.  

    At the moment, what song opens the view to my soul? Try Relax, by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. 

10. How’s your health? 

     just fine - how 'bout you?

11. What was the most intense physical pain you’ve ever experienced? 

    surgical drain removal. Even typing those words makes me shudder and my stomach turn. 

12. Is there any religion that appeals to you, which you’re not a part of? 

    there are bits and bobs of almost every religion in my own personal set of beliefs, which are diffuse and frequently changing

13. What’s your focus in life right now? 

     Well, I found out this morning that I need to buy a new garage door. For those not in the know, garage doors have increased in price exponentially since COVID. Since, y'know, the cost of metal and insulation is dependent on healthy respiration? Therefore, for the time being I am parked outside my garage, waiting for the arrival of my new door and installation thereof. And of course eagerly awaiting the $2000 bill.

14. When was the last time you created something just for the fun of it? 

    I made dinner last night, which was plenty of fun

16. Have you ever wanted to hop on a random train and see where it gets you? 

    nope

15. Do you have any memories from kindergarten? 

    sure! I was BFFs with a girl named Jennifer. She's slightly more outgoing than I am, and I relied on her to make first contact with others, and estimate whether we should know them and make friends. She was there for me on my two big traumas that year—first, when I accidentally spilled my (incredibly precious) half-pint of chocolate milk on the teacher's desk (I can remember literally crying on her shoulder), and second, when given the super grown up task of raising the projection screen, I lost my grip on the pull-cord and it flew up with such force that the (rolled) screen fell off the wall with a bang that was heard throughout the land. I was terrified. No one was killed, thank goodness, and I lived to be given further tasks.

    Also, the first day of school was my 5th birthday. That's a memory. 

17. As a kid, were you ever punished for doing exactly as you were told to? 

    not that I recall. My parents were pretty straight-forward about expectations and discipline. One of my siblings was especially dense about the spirit v. the letter of the law, though, and they got in trouble more than once for following the rules but not in the intended fashion. Doofus.

 

[from here; the title quotation is by Lev Grossman, from Summer Days and Summer Nights]