just because I have a successful dog act doesn't mean I can walk up to the lion cage and do as well

11. What is a typical day like for you? 

    work, walk, eat, watch, read, sleep

 

20. What’s your favorite restaurant? Why? 

    Eleven Eleven Mississippi in St Louis, MO. The meal that I had there was outstanding from start to finish, and the location and the space itself are top-notch. The waitstaff is helpful and fun without intruding on an incredible meal. I would go back to STL specifically for another meal there, anytime.

 

23. What’s the best surprise you’ve ever received? 

     six years ago, the person I was dating placed a blooming plant in the flower bed outside my office window, along with a stone rabbit. (The bed would, a couple days later, be planted with a huge variety of colorful flowers, too.) The picture I'm posting is not nearly reflective of the power of the gesture. Flowers are sweet in almost any circumstance, and making a surprise of them can be a lovely spontaneous gift. Taking the time to and going to the effort of buying and planting them, though, is extraordinary. And doing all of that in a highly public location necessarily involving people who knew us both—and didn't know the why behind it—was brave and crazy and very, very dear. 

    Taking the chance to love and be loving is never the wrong choice.

 

24. What’s the neatest surprise you’ve ever planned and pulled off for someone else? 

    is a sad surprise still 'neat'? My college best friend's dad had died. I was living on the Flat, and naturally had to work when the funeral was planned. She didn't expect me to be there, but I was able to take off work and drive up for the service. When she saw me, there were of course lots of tears but mostly just gratitude for the friendship. 

 

30. Describe a costume that you wore to a party. 

    one of the years that we worked together at the library, I dressed as Chris for our Halloween shift. I don't recall the whole of it, but it involved jeans, cowboy boots, and—the pièce de résistance—a pair of white-rimmed sunglasses. I had been telling him for ages that his sunglasses were doofy and ridiculous, and he scoffed at my objections ... until he saw himself reflected in my outfit. I wish I had a photograph of the two of us on that day, because he was both touched and mortified and it was terribly funny.

 

32. What song reminds you of an incident in your life? 

    I used to make mixtapes, and some of them have survived still. Just yesterday I put in a mix I'd made for Emerald Man, and every track took me back to the last time that we saw each other. For instance, Elbow's "Switching Off".

 You're the only sense the world has ever made
This, I need to save 

33. What’s the most memorable meal you’ve eaten? 

    see #20, above. The entree was boar ravioli with vodka sauce, accompanied by a brain-explosion of a delicious, alcoholic drink; dessert was shared tiramisu with part of a glass of surprisingly expensive port. The meal lasted close to two hours and was one of the finest days of my life. 

 

37. Tell me about your family. 

    no.

 

43. Describe your first away-from-home living quarters or experience.

     the summer between freshman and sophomore years in college, I lived by myself in a rented house. It had been billed as living with a friend from work and her friend, but both of them went home early. The house itself was surprisingly nice, well-kept and structurally sound. (This town is known for its crappy college housing options.) I had the master bedroom, spacious and light. It was also astoundingly convenient to work and school, by comparison to living out of town for the previous 18 years. The downsides: my bedroom was first floor, front of the house, so I got street noise; the girls and all their friends were drunk most of the time, so there was some damage done; and the landlord was allowing someone to 'squat' in the garage "temporarily", which was ominous and disconcerting. I was not too upset to move out in August. 

 

[from The Fine Art of Small Talk: How to Start a Conversation, Keep It Going, Build Networking Skills and Leave a Positive Impression by Debra Fine; the title quotation is by Eddie Rabbitt]