there's suddenly a tiny tear in the veil, and you see the bigger brighter thing

13. What's your favorite genre, and how did you come to love it so much? 

    Mystery, for fiction books. History, for nonfiction. Action movies. Classic rock music. It's hard to put a finger on how I came to love these things, at least in a way that would be satisfying to anyone else. Is there a good way to explain the motivations of love, in any form?  

 

14. Is there anything in your best friend's behavior that annoys you regularly? 

    yes

 

15. What’s the most useful thing you’ve learned from your parents? 

    jeez, there are so many! Make time for reading. It's always worth paying an expert in plumbing or electrical work. Take a treat break mid-afternoon. Remember peoples' birthdays and other special times. Measure twice, cut once.

 

16. Which traditions of other cultures would you like to be more prominent in your own country? 

    ceremony, ritual, and identity. Culture, really. (See, e.g., India.)

    Kindness. Formal, acknowledged, distinctive politeness. (Korea. Japan.)

    National identity, especially about sports. (Spain. England. Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oy Oy Oy!)

 

18. How do you go about making friends with someone? 

    I have no idea, truly. The best friends of my life have been either intensely random or terribly obvious. The obvious were classmates, or roommates, or work people with whom I had a lot in common. The random... well, how do you know?

    From Jens Christian Grøndahl's Silence in October: 

“What was it about her that made her such a watershed? ... Was it ... her way of intuiting what I was going to say ... because each of us had thought and felt the same thing? Was it the remarkable, finely tuned, undisturbed, and noiseless wavelength where we had found each other so easily, because for years we had transmitted on the same frequency without knowing it?”

    From Anne Lamott's All New People:

"In a way I've never quite understood, the veil tore an inch for me that day, like it does every so often, when in the midst of all that is mundane and day-to-day, there's suddenly a tiny tear in the veil, and you see the bigger brighter thing, and then the veil repairs itself, and the day goes on as before." 

     A truly unexpected connection can revolutionize everything.

 

19. Do you ever think in abstractions? 

    I laughed out loud. When don't I have some abstraction going on up there?? [FWIW, this article from WBUR Boston speaks volumes about my aesthetics.]

 

20. Could you share a room with someone for a year? 

    yes, but only one someone

 

21. Do you ever feel like you’re playing a character because of the clothes you’re wearing? 

    I have, yeah. I don't think that's too rare, especially for women. Imagine growing up a small, skinny, roughhousing, funny kid. Then, seemingly overnight, your body completely changes. Inside, outside, up, down, all the way around. Wait: I've got a recognizable butt now?? Uhm, who decided that I have to bleed - and, every 28 days are you fucking kidding me?! Stop. Looking. At. My. Chest., classmate I've known since we were in kindergarten, why am I suddenly that, to you?? And hey, why can't I wear the same kinds of clothes that I used to wear - I never fucking asked for this. 

    So, which persona is "character"? Is it the skinny, energy-filled smiley brat? Is it the intensely awkward teen, trying to pull back into my turtle shell and hide my new body? Is it me, now? Is it 'business casual', formal, athletic, jeans-and-flannel, vamp? Maybe all I am is characters, no longer authentic in any way. 

 

22. When it came to choosing a career path, did you consider the jobs you dreamed of as a kid? 

    hard to imagine that I'd actually have become a rollerskating-to-work sports photographer in Boston. Through my first quarter in college, I really thought I'd follow through with just the photography aspect, anyway. It didn't take long, though, to realize that even that much was unrealistic. Photography, art, yearning, love - all of that sublimated to a whole lot of learning ... History. It was only an academic exercise, though, despite pushing through seven years of it. I never had the least intention of "doing History." Then, law. Did I "dream of" being a working lawyer? Never. 

    For that matter - library-ing wasn't a goal, either. God knows, working in a bank (any of the three roles
I played there) was so far from any dream that I ever had, it still seems ridiculous and surreal.

    Here we are, then, back in the legal world, albeit the left field of it. Not what I dreamed of, except that it's work that needs doing, that I know how to do well, that 'suits me' in some sense, and that results in (just) enough income to pay the bills and (sometimes) have a little left over.

 

23. Do you like your mom’s cooking? 

    love it. She makes the best roast beef and gravy. Her homemade rolls are outstanding. Anything breakfast-like is terrific. Soup, chili, lasagna. Mmm

 

24. What disappoints you? 

    Overly big boxes with small contents. Soggy french fries. Take-home pay. 

 

[from here; the title quotation is from All New People by Anne Lamott]