it is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of you

1. If you could inherit a comfortable home in any city in the world that you could use but not sell, where would you want it to be? 

    Miami, Florida. I know, there's loads of wrong with that—the state is a cesspool, Miami is crime-ridden and somewhat seedy, there are more beautiful/accessible/quiet places to spend time. Blah blah blah. The descent toward MIA the first time I visited was a revelation, felt like coming home, and has stuck with me since. If I could have a house there, even to visit just once a year, I'd be happy as a pig in mud. Just to be able to look at that sky, that water, that architecture so different from that to which I am accustomed...it sounds like heaven.

    NOTE: well, if you ever wondered about the pros and cons of pre-posting, this is an excellent example. I hope it's obvious that this answer was drafted before Hurricane Milton made himself known and threatened the U.S., and that my natural flippancy was written more innocently than it seems now.

2. If you had to eliminate one odor from the earth, which one would you get rid of? 

    pet food. Not sure what the ingredient is, but something about it makes me gag every time I smell it. It's force of will alone that keeps me from vomiting every time.

3. If you could relive one romantic date from high school just as it was, which would it be? 

     this made me laugh out loud. A "romantic" date from high school?? Whomever wrote this prompt must have lived a different high school experience than mine. 

    The most romantic situation I was in, I suppose, was a marathon phone call with my 10th grade boyfriend, when we sketched an idealized picture of how we wanted our lives to turn out (together, of course). Prince was involved, perhaps playing (live) quietly in the background, and it all took place in a sort of secluded meadow or glen, and featured the colors blue and green extensively. 

    Coincidentally, that bf happens to have friended me on FB less than a month ago. There's been no resumption of that fantasy-talk, thank goodness, just grown up friendship from a long distance.   

4. If you could sing any one song beautifully and perfectly, which one would you pick? 

    "Untitled" by R.E.M., from Green

5. If you were to receive a letter today from anyone you have known during your lifetime, who would it be from and what would it say?

    I'd love to get a real letter from a certain person that I used to date. As for what it would say, that would have to depend on that person, right? That's the part of it that I really want—to know what they would choose to write.

6. If you could be a guest on any television talk show, which would it be? 

    The Graham Norton Show. Graham is smart, hilarious, well-informed, a little cheeky, and has a brilliant way of putting his guests at ease (and it's not just the booze). The unexpected chemistry between guests is wonderful and has resulted in some of my favorite things to watch. (See, e.g., Greg Davies+Ryan Gosling, and this example of fans' fascination with the couch pairings).

7. If you could relive one single day from your past exactly as it was the first time, what day would you choose to experience all over again? 

    the first day of getting to know the person in #5, above. Have you ever met someone and felt like you've known them forever, yet also wanted nothing more than to know everything else about them? It was a troubling sort of intensity and communion that I've never experienced with anyone else.

 

[from If...Questions for the Game of Life; the title quotation is by Charlotte Brontë, from Jane Eyre]