a woman's dress should be like a barbed-wire fence: serving its purpose without obstructing the view

If you were to have your portrait painted, what would you choose as the setting?     anyplace near the River

If you could have a servant come to your house every day for one hour, what would you have them do?     cook healthy meals, portion healthy snacks, clean the kitchen—and take all (other) food when they leave

If you had to choose the worst home you've ever lived in, which one was it?     that's easy: it was the duplex where I lived for less than a month after leaving apartment over the water place. It was terribly messy when I moved in, and only as I stayed there for a few days did I come to realize that it was also in bad repair. The dishwasher, oven, and stove did not work (and had not worked for some time, as there was a large wrench inside the oven). Fish tank gravel had been dumped into the kitchen sink, completely jamming the garbage disposal. Window hinges were bent, such that they could not be closed. I was given only one garage door remote, and the other was used by an unknown person while I was present, asleep. There was a significant insect presence. 

    Less than a week after I moved in, I found a different place to live. I proceeded to move out everything I owned, left the keys (and the one garage door opener), and mailed a letter provided by my attorney (OK, "provided by" is a stretch. It was more like "extorted from"....) to the landlords, demanding return of my security deposit and rent paid. They paid, reluctantly, but only after harassing me by phone for a couple of weeks, wanting to "talk it over in person." As if they could explain away the uninhabitable nature of that place. I was lucky to get out, and to get into the very nice spot where I lived the next 3 years. And, of course, most lucky of all to have such good friends as those who helped me move twice in one month.

If you could hold one position in current government, what would you want to do?     Librarian of Congress would be good, thanks

If you could have the hair of someone you know, whose would you take?     the woman who bought my (last) house has an abundance of long, spiral curls. They are the bane of her existence, and she likes her hair only when she blows it stick straight. Isn't it funny how we often believe we'll be happier with what someone else has?

If you could have prevented one natural disaster that actually happened, what would it be?     the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. It is the deadliest natural disaster of the 21st century, having killed more than 227,000 people and causing almost untold destruction in more than a dozen countries. 

If you had the chance to make one purchase that you have passed up in your lifetime, what would it be?     there was a dress, mid-calf length, patterned with an abstract floral design, with a twisted halter neck sort of like the one at right. It was mostly coral, with peach and rose and cream accents (sort of the reverse of the one at right). It was beautiful, and it would have suited me both stylistically and aesthetically. And it was inexpensive. And it was available in the (small) town where I was living. But for no good reason that I can recall, I didn't go for it—and I've regretted it ever since.

 

[from If...Questions for the Game of Life; the title quotation is from Sophia Loren]