Jumping on the proverbial bandwagon
Oct. 2nd, 2001 10:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivka...because I feel that I should update my journal, but nothing interesting is spontaneously coming to mind.
1. What's one thing you wish you could do but can't?
Just get my degree and move on, without having to finish my goddamned dissertation.
2. What is your ideal marriage location?
I liked where I got married the first time, but I don't think I'd go back to Iowa City if I were to have an additional wedding. If money were no object, I'd fly all my friends in to Skamania Lodge in the Columbia River gorge, and get married in front of one of their floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river and mountains. And we'd all spend the weekend at the lodge together, eating seafood and lounging in the hot tub and sitting in rocking chairs by the fire and talking, talking, talking.
3. Which musical instrument do you wish you could play?
Guitar, so I wouldn't have to either sing unaccompanied or get Bill to learn the songs I like.
4. What's your favorite day of the week, and why?
I like Sundays. Misha and I almost always spend them together, lounging around comfortably with occasional breaks for activities. Sundays are usually the days I feel most rested.
5. Favorite fabric(s)?
Silk. Soft almost gauzy rayon material, of which I have a few shirts and a pair of pajama-style pants. Brocade, especially the cream-on-cream brocade of my cavalier's coat.
6. Something you love and hate:
Research.
7. What kind of bedding do you use?
In the summer, cotton sheets (dark green, black, white) and a light blanket (in the bedroom I share with Misha) or light patchwork quilt (in the bedroom I share with my other partners when they visit). In the winter, flannel sheets (dark green, red, wild moose print), miscellaneous blankets, and a heavy black cotton comforter. I like to sleep in a chilly room with lots of blankets. I like waking up in a chilly room somewhat less, but what can you do?
8. What kind of soap do you use?
Unscented plain white Dial in the shower, unscented clear Ivory liquid for handwashing, lemon Joy in the kitchen, Tide Free (free of dyes and scents) for clothes. My skin is very sensitive to dyes and perfumes in soaps.
9. Do you tell your friends about your sex life?
Sometimes.
10. What's the one language you want to learn?
Spanish. I don't have a gift for languages, though.
11. How do you eat an apple?
In pie. Or in applesauce. I'm allergic to raw apples.
12. What do you order at a bar?
Usually beer. My preferred drinks at home are wine and single malt whisky, but both of those tend to be way overpriced in bars.
13. Can you count to 13?
Um, what?
14. Have you ever pierced your body parts?
No. I once had my ears pierced by someone else, but I've let the holes close up.
15. Do you have tattoos?
No.
16. Would you ever admit to having done plastic surgery of any kind if confronted?
I can't imagine having plastic surgery unless I'd had some kind of disfiguring injury or illness. In which case, if "confronted," of course I would admit it - in the most scathing possible way.
17. What's one of the "funnest" things you've ever done:
Gosh. The funnest? Probably Weddingcon 1999.
18. Do you drive stick?
I have, but only a few times. I can't reach a gearshift with my short right arm unless the car is very, very small - the few times I've driven stick, it was in a Ford Festiva - and it's a hassle for me to change gears. It seems both easier and safer to drive automatics. That's not a problem in the U.S., but I expect I would have trouble finding a rental car abroad.
19. What's one trait you hate in a person?
Lack of consideration.
20. What's the one trait you need in a person?
What's my relationship to this person?
21. What kind of watch(es) do you wear?
A men's Timex Indiglo, analog, with a large scratched-up face and a black leather band. The faces of women's watches are usually too small for my taste, especially given that I often find myself timing something in seconds.
22. Most frivolous recent purchase?
I bought a book at half.com that I'd had from the library as a child. It's instructions and patterns for making a family of little dolls. I made some of them as a kid and they were adorable. Browsing Jo-Ann fabrics recently, I saw all of these little ribbons and tiny-print fabrics and so forth that would be perfect for doll clothes, so I gave in to the nostalgic urge to find the book and order it. It wasn't expensive or anything, but I consider it a frivolous purchase because I already have two craft projects going and not a lot of free time.
23. Do you consider yourself materialistic?
Not so much. If I had unlimited money, I don't know that I'd surround myself with things so much as I'd travel a lot and eat really well. On the other hand, I'm not antimaterialistic - I don't think I would get any particular spiritual or emotional benefit from limiting my possessions, and I don't look down on other people for wanting to have a lot of stuff. (For some of the particular stuff they want, maybe.)
24. What do you cook the best?
The general consensus seems to be that my desserts are my strongest point. They don't necessarily look incredible - I don't do cake decorating or any of that - but they're all homemade from scratch, and they taste really good.
25. Favorite writing instrument?
My computer.
26. Do you prefer to stand out or blend in?
I prefer to blend in, but only if I'm blending in to a crowd of individualists who don't expect everyone to be identical. When I blend in with people who are trying to be alike or conventional, I wind up feeling alienated.
28. Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex?
This is a pretty meaningless question, from my perspective. If I go out in jeans, boots, and a flannel shirt over a T-shirt, am I dressed like the opposite sex?
I couldn't actually pass as male, because of my figure.
29. What's one car you will never buy?
One that costs more than the median U.S. income.
30. Have you ever done drugs?
Yes.
31. What kind of books do you like to read?
I read pretty widely - I like psychology books (but not pop psych), especially if they're clinically oriented; recent SF (the so-called Golden Age doesn't do much for me); urban fantasy if it's done well; a very limited subset of 'regular' fantasy; Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey books; Jane Austen; Dorothy Dunnett's Chronicles of Lymond; history; social/political analysis; some science nonfiction. I enjoy non-genre modern fiction more than most SF fans I know.
32. If you won the lottery, what would you do first?
I should say "pay off Misha's student loans." But I think I'd do that second, after I bought a newly-renovated four-bedroom row house in the Fell's Point neighborhood of downtown Baltimore. With water views from the hot tub on the rooftop deck.
33. Burial or cremation?
Cremation. Funeral pageantry really makes me uncomfortable, especially when it's centered on displays of the corpse. My family has traditionally had quiet cremations followed by a memorial service at which the remains are not present. That's what I'd like for myself.
34. How many online journals do you read regularly?
Probably about 25. I also scan a couple of people's friends lists on a fairly regular basis.
35. What's one thing you're a sore loser at?
Anything that involves rejection of me as a person - like the internship match.
36. If you don't like a person, how do you show it?
Avoidance. When contact is unavoidable, icy politeness and the sort of smile that's really just the baring of teeth.
38. Favorite kind of popcorn?
Low salt, lots of butter, hot.
39. Do you have problems changing clothes in front of friends?
No. Or skinny-dipping with friends, or hot-tubbing with friends.
40. Do you cry in front of friends?
I cry at the fricking drop of a hat. It's inconvenient sometimes.
41. What kind of first impression do you think you give to people?
I'm not entirely sure. I think I come off as pretty smart, and I know that people tend to remember my smile.
42. What's one thing you like to do alone?
Work, especially writing. I hate writing by committee.
43. What's the worst thing you ever said to someone?
Nothing really comes to mind. Let me know if you think you have a candidate.
44. What's the worst thing anyone ever said to you?
My ex-girlfriend accused me of exaggerating my disability/chronic pain condition to get out of doing things. Considering that she was disabled too and expected me to do a long list of things for her, many of which she was capable of doing for herself, it was a pretty ironic accusation. But at the time, as I was struggling with my rapidly worsening physical condition, I failed to see the humor in it.
45. Are you a giver or a taker?
Some of each, I think. Emotionally, probably more of a giver. In terms of concrete things people do for each other, probably more of a taker.
46. When's the right time to go to the bathroom in front of your significant other?
When you're not showering together at the time.
47. Favorite communication method?
E-mail, although I also love the occasional hours-long rambling phone conversation.
48. What is one thing you don't leave home without?
My Palm Pilot.
49. How often do you call your mom?
About every other week. Sometimes I go through periods of calling weekly.
50. What's the most painful experience you've ever had?
Most people who would read this probably already know that my lover and best friend killed herself when we were nineteen. I hope to God I never experience anything more painful than that.
1. What's one thing you wish you could do but can't?
Just get my degree and move on, without having to finish my goddamned dissertation.
2. What is your ideal marriage location?
I liked where I got married the first time, but I don't think I'd go back to Iowa City if I were to have an additional wedding. If money were no object, I'd fly all my friends in to Skamania Lodge in the Columbia River gorge, and get married in front of one of their floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river and mountains. And we'd all spend the weekend at the lodge together, eating seafood and lounging in the hot tub and sitting in rocking chairs by the fire and talking, talking, talking.
3. Which musical instrument do you wish you could play?
Guitar, so I wouldn't have to either sing unaccompanied or get Bill to learn the songs I like.
4. What's your favorite day of the week, and why?
I like Sundays. Misha and I almost always spend them together, lounging around comfortably with occasional breaks for activities. Sundays are usually the days I feel most rested.
5. Favorite fabric(s)?
Silk. Soft almost gauzy rayon material, of which I have a few shirts and a pair of pajama-style pants. Brocade, especially the cream-on-cream brocade of my cavalier's coat.
6. Something you love and hate:
Research.
7. What kind of bedding do you use?
In the summer, cotton sheets (dark green, black, white) and a light blanket (in the bedroom I share with Misha) or light patchwork quilt (in the bedroom I share with my other partners when they visit). In the winter, flannel sheets (dark green, red, wild moose print), miscellaneous blankets, and a heavy black cotton comforter. I like to sleep in a chilly room with lots of blankets. I like waking up in a chilly room somewhat less, but what can you do?
8. What kind of soap do you use?
Unscented plain white Dial in the shower, unscented clear Ivory liquid for handwashing, lemon Joy in the kitchen, Tide Free (free of dyes and scents) for clothes. My skin is very sensitive to dyes and perfumes in soaps.
9. Do you tell your friends about your sex life?
Sometimes.
10. What's the one language you want to learn?
Spanish. I don't have a gift for languages, though.
11. How do you eat an apple?
In pie. Or in applesauce. I'm allergic to raw apples.
12. What do you order at a bar?
Usually beer. My preferred drinks at home are wine and single malt whisky, but both of those tend to be way overpriced in bars.
13. Can you count to 13?
Um, what?
14. Have you ever pierced your body parts?
No. I once had my ears pierced by someone else, but I've let the holes close up.
15. Do you have tattoos?
No.
16. Would you ever admit to having done plastic surgery of any kind if confronted?
I can't imagine having plastic surgery unless I'd had some kind of disfiguring injury or illness. In which case, if "confronted," of course I would admit it - in the most scathing possible way.
17. What's one of the "funnest" things you've ever done:
Gosh. The funnest? Probably Weddingcon 1999.
18. Do you drive stick?
I have, but only a few times. I can't reach a gearshift with my short right arm unless the car is very, very small - the few times I've driven stick, it was in a Ford Festiva - and it's a hassle for me to change gears. It seems both easier and safer to drive automatics. That's not a problem in the U.S., but I expect I would have trouble finding a rental car abroad.
19. What's one trait you hate in a person?
Lack of consideration.
20. What's the one trait you need in a person?
What's my relationship to this person?
21. What kind of watch(es) do you wear?
A men's Timex Indiglo, analog, with a large scratched-up face and a black leather band. The faces of women's watches are usually too small for my taste, especially given that I often find myself timing something in seconds.
22. Most frivolous recent purchase?
I bought a book at half.com that I'd had from the library as a child. It's instructions and patterns for making a family of little dolls. I made some of them as a kid and they were adorable. Browsing Jo-Ann fabrics recently, I saw all of these little ribbons and tiny-print fabrics and so forth that would be perfect for doll clothes, so I gave in to the nostalgic urge to find the book and order it. It wasn't expensive or anything, but I consider it a frivolous purchase because I already have two craft projects going and not a lot of free time.
23. Do you consider yourself materialistic?
Not so much. If I had unlimited money, I don't know that I'd surround myself with things so much as I'd travel a lot and eat really well. On the other hand, I'm not antimaterialistic - I don't think I would get any particular spiritual or emotional benefit from limiting my possessions, and I don't look down on other people for wanting to have a lot of stuff. (For some of the particular stuff they want, maybe.)
24. What do you cook the best?
The general consensus seems to be that my desserts are my strongest point. They don't necessarily look incredible - I don't do cake decorating or any of that - but they're all homemade from scratch, and they taste really good.
25. Favorite writing instrument?
My computer.
26. Do you prefer to stand out or blend in?
I prefer to blend in, but only if I'm blending in to a crowd of individualists who don't expect everyone to be identical. When I blend in with people who are trying to be alike or conventional, I wind up feeling alienated.
28. Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex?
This is a pretty meaningless question, from my perspective. If I go out in jeans, boots, and a flannel shirt over a T-shirt, am I dressed like the opposite sex?
I couldn't actually pass as male, because of my figure.
29. What's one car you will never buy?
One that costs more than the median U.S. income.
30. Have you ever done drugs?
Yes.
31. What kind of books do you like to read?
I read pretty widely - I like psychology books (but not pop psych), especially if they're clinically oriented; recent SF (the so-called Golden Age doesn't do much for me); urban fantasy if it's done well; a very limited subset of 'regular' fantasy; Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey books; Jane Austen; Dorothy Dunnett's Chronicles of Lymond; history; social/political analysis; some science nonfiction. I enjoy non-genre modern fiction more than most SF fans I know.
32. If you won the lottery, what would you do first?
I should say "pay off Misha's student loans." But I think I'd do that second, after I bought a newly-renovated four-bedroom row house in the Fell's Point neighborhood of downtown Baltimore. With water views from the hot tub on the rooftop deck.
33. Burial or cremation?
Cremation. Funeral pageantry really makes me uncomfortable, especially when it's centered on displays of the corpse. My family has traditionally had quiet cremations followed by a memorial service at which the remains are not present. That's what I'd like for myself.
34. How many online journals do you read regularly?
Probably about 25. I also scan a couple of people's friends lists on a fairly regular basis.
35. What's one thing you're a sore loser at?
Anything that involves rejection of me as a person - like the internship match.
36. If you don't like a person, how do you show it?
Avoidance. When contact is unavoidable, icy politeness and the sort of smile that's really just the baring of teeth.
38. Favorite kind of popcorn?
Low salt, lots of butter, hot.
39. Do you have problems changing clothes in front of friends?
No. Or skinny-dipping with friends, or hot-tubbing with friends.
40. Do you cry in front of friends?
I cry at the fricking drop of a hat. It's inconvenient sometimes.
41. What kind of first impression do you think you give to people?
I'm not entirely sure. I think I come off as pretty smart, and I know that people tend to remember my smile.
42. What's one thing you like to do alone?
Work, especially writing. I hate writing by committee.
43. What's the worst thing you ever said to someone?
Nothing really comes to mind. Let me know if you think you have a candidate.
44. What's the worst thing anyone ever said to you?
My ex-girlfriend accused me of exaggerating my disability/chronic pain condition to get out of doing things. Considering that she was disabled too and expected me to do a long list of things for her, many of which she was capable of doing for herself, it was a pretty ironic accusation. But at the time, as I was struggling with my rapidly worsening physical condition, I failed to see the humor in it.
45. Are you a giver or a taker?
Some of each, I think. Emotionally, probably more of a giver. In terms of concrete things people do for each other, probably more of a taker.
46. When's the right time to go to the bathroom in front of your significant other?
When you're not showering together at the time.
47. Favorite communication method?
E-mail, although I also love the occasional hours-long rambling phone conversation.
48. What is one thing you don't leave home without?
My Palm Pilot.
49. How often do you call your mom?
About every other week. Sometimes I go through periods of calling weekly.
50. What's the most painful experience you've ever had?
Most people who would read this probably already know that my lover and best friend killed herself when we were nineteen. I hope to God I never experience anything more painful than that.
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Date: 2001-10-02 02:30 pm (UTC)