is your life so empty that you honestly can't think of a better way to spend these moments?

1 If you had to name the most beautiful bed you have ever occupied, what would it be? 

   the California king in my suite at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, during the adventure described here. I've added a couple of pictures (on this post) of what I'm pretty sure is the exact suite I had. 

 

2 If you could prevent someone you know from overusing one word or phrase, who would it be, and what word would it be?   

    funny, someone who lies more than they ought (and not nearly as believably as they think) often starts difficult or bold or contentious statements with "quite honestly...". It tends to make whatever they say next sound even more abrasive or painful.

 

3 If you could give an Academy Award to the most underappreciated actor in the history of Hollywood, who would you award it to? 

    there are lots of underappreciated folks in film. I think the greater problem is that the breadth or parameters of some categories automatically undercuts certain genres, and the power of the big movie-houses still crushes out the little guy. Martial arts movies don't typically get the nod (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000, being a notable exception). Comedies are often bypassed (Gene Wilder never won an Oscar?!). An outstanding performer whose work has gone un-awarded in the past is sometimes given a lifetime achievement award, but their individual film contributions were still missed (Charles Chaplin, for example). 

    Rather than giving one "hidden gem" award, maybe I would just revamp the process: pitting drama against drama, comedy against comedy, etc., and adding more genres besides; changing the "supporting" criteria to a strict percentage of screen time or even screen-time-ratio-to-leads rather than whatever the heck it is now; and, finally, adding a "in retrospect" award for films, those behind the camera, and actors - which are only coming to be appreciated after the fact. 

4 If you had to name the one thing you did as a child to most torment your sibling(s), what was it that you did? 

    my siblings were born 18 months apart, so they were already functioning as a unit by the time I showed up 4 years later. From what I can piece together from photos, they thought I was an interesting but essentially useless specimen. Other than the natural disruption of sharing a room with my sister for my first 13 or so years, I mostly kept to myself and stayed out of their way. 

    The one exception to that rule was practicing my clarinet. My brother recently mentioned ruefully that I was "always honking that thing," which still makes me laugh and blush. I guess I'm glad I was oblivious to how annoying it was, or I'd have given it up long before I did, and missed out on some great memories.

 

5 If you had to name the subject you took in school that turned out to be least useful or worthwhile, what would it be? 

    some of my English classes were useless. I must've gotten into the "normal kid" track rather than the "reads every waking minute" track, because my recollections of lit classes are of reading [whichever] entire book the day we got the assignment, only to realize the next day that we were discussing paragraphs one and two of the first chapter. Whaaaaaa--??? Who reads that slowly for crissakes? My frustration and obnoxiousness was probably unbearable.

    Those experiences didn't eliminate my love for reading, but they did make me avoid lit courses in college. 

 

6 If you could own one article of clothing from any TV show ever made, what would you take?  

    Watson's asymmetrical long black coat, from Elementary (2012-19). I actually tried to find one for myself, and despite the danged hefty cost I was sorely tempted--until I realized that the sleeves are just slightly puffed (shown well in the left picture, below), which would make me look even more outrageously shoulder-y. Sigh.

7 If you had to choose, from among your current friends, one person to be your partner in a new business venture, who would you choose? 

    ironically, the person with whom I most often actively argue, and with whom I disagree about certain fundamental economic issues, would be my very best business partner. They have a knack for it already, and we have some complementary skills and interests that would serve the business well. We've even talked about that idea, albeit in a "on an alternate planet where it would be possible" way.  

 

[from If2: 500 New Questions for the game of life; the title quotation is by Chuck Palahniuk, from Fight Club]