Answering Questions
May. 23rd, 2006 01:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
saffronharePosting answers to questions from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
featherynscale. Her recent journal entries carry the full list of topics. Feel free to fire a volley of questions at me, or request your own set of questions from me.
UPDATE: Answers tomatchgirl42 are here now too.
1. Travel -- If you were offered the Best Job in the History of the World, but it required you to relocate to somewhere like Left Armpit, Alabama, would you take the job?
Probably not. In all my job searches, I have not once looked for work in a place where I won't live or entertained a possibility from someplace I don't want to live. There are a few places on the short list of relocation options if that Great Job came along, but neither Alabama nor its bordering states are on that list. No offense. Too damn hot, for one thing.
2. Religion -- If you had to choose one of the world's "mainstream religions" to follow, which would you choose?
I can see an alternate future in which I came to peace with the Catholic Church, but that's only in something like 8 out of 47 million possible futures. Really, isn't UU a mainstream religion? If that's not what you meant, then maybe Buddhism. There seems to be a great deal of room to struggle and learn and grow and experience and search with those people.
3. Family -- Would you rather be related to your family of origin, or agrnmn's? Note: If you choose his, he gets yours.
My own. All things being equal (and they sort of shake out that way, on the bottom line), there are fewer people in my family. Which means smaller crowds at the obligatory gatherings. Also, my family tends to have more dogs around, which is important to me.
4. Love -- Right now, how many people alive on this earth would you say that you love?
That's a tough one. I'm very driven by emotion, much more than outward appearances would indicate. There are a number of people for whom I feel a very solid and abiding love...some of them in romantic terms, most of them in friendship and familial terms. There's a much smaller set of people for whom I feel that heart-tugging kind of love where it takes my breath away and crushes my senses to think of living without them. I'd wager that at least 30% of the people around me would be surprised to discover where they fall, but no way am I going to name names. Hell, I'm even a little bit in love with the man I didn't end up marrying. He's dead now, but hey.
5. Sex -- Is there anything that you feel is on the list of sexual things that most of the population has done that you personally have not done? If so, is it because you don't want to do that thing, or because you've never had the opportunity to do it?
I'm continually surprised to discover sexual things that lots of people do that I had no awareness of, nevermind whether I've done them or not. When that happens, my response is usually some sort of curiosity -- and there's no shortage of opportunity to experience it if I choose. For the most part, though, it's stuff I'm aware of and really don't want to do. Case in point: anal pleasure is an oxymoron in my world.
6. Hobbies -- What's the least likely hobby that you have? In other words, what is the one thing that you do for fun that you think that people would be most surprised to discover that you do?
Hm. See, much of what I do seems perfectly consistent from my own perspective. But that doesn't seem to be the case from the perspective of lots of people who aren't close to me. (Since I'm an introvert with privacy issues, that number can be pretty significant.) For instance, I don't think that *you* would be surprised by much of anything, even if it's new information about me. I really don't have an answer for this one, but I'd be willing to let folks chime in with thoughts about my unlikely hobbies.
14. Life Goals -- Can you envision a point at which you would say, "Okay, I've marked everything off my list. I can die now."? If so, what would you have just done to get to that point?
Nope. I really can't envision it, though I pray there might someday be a point where I can let go of all the things I haven't done. (grin) Really, my life goal is not tied up in things on a list -- even though my days are ruled by lists and tasks. I hope to keep on living right up until that instant when death decides to call me home. That said, Dying Well is a great ambition of mine.
ETA: Here's the explanation of how this works. Ask me one question for each topic (in depth or simple) and I will do the same for you. (Alternately, ask on subjects you think might be interesting, and ignore the rest. This also works.)
1. Travel
2. Religion
3. Family
4. Love
5. Sex
6. Hobbies
7. Pets
8. Friendship
9. Literature
10. Movies
11. Home town
12. Physical Appearance
13. Volunteer Work
14. Life Goals
15. The World
featherynscale. Her recent journal entries carry the full list of topics. Feel free to fire a volley of questions at me, or request your own set of questions from me. UPDATE: Answers to
matchgirl42 are here now too.1. Travel -- If you were offered the Best Job in the History of the World, but it required you to relocate to somewhere like Left Armpit, Alabama, would you take the job?
Probably not. In all my job searches, I have not once looked for work in a place where I won't live or entertained a possibility from someplace I don't want to live. There are a few places on the short list of relocation options if that Great Job came along, but neither Alabama nor its bordering states are on that list. No offense. Too damn hot, for one thing.
2. Religion -- If you had to choose one of the world's "mainstream religions" to follow, which would you choose?
I can see an alternate future in which I came to peace with the Catholic Church, but that's only in something like 8 out of 47 million possible futures. Really, isn't UU a mainstream religion? If that's not what you meant, then maybe Buddhism. There seems to be a great deal of room to struggle and learn and grow and experience and search with those people.
3. Family -- Would you rather be related to your family of origin, or agrnmn's? Note: If you choose his, he gets yours.
My own. All things being equal (and they sort of shake out that way, on the bottom line), there are fewer people in my family. Which means smaller crowds at the obligatory gatherings. Also, my family tends to have more dogs around, which is important to me.
4. Love -- Right now, how many people alive on this earth would you say that you love?
That's a tough one. I'm very driven by emotion, much more than outward appearances would indicate. There are a number of people for whom I feel a very solid and abiding love...some of them in romantic terms, most of them in friendship and familial terms. There's a much smaller set of people for whom I feel that heart-tugging kind of love where it takes my breath away and crushes my senses to think of living without them. I'd wager that at least 30% of the people around me would be surprised to discover where they fall, but no way am I going to name names. Hell, I'm even a little bit in love with the man I didn't end up marrying. He's dead now, but hey.
5. Sex -- Is there anything that you feel is on the list of sexual things that most of the population has done that you personally have not done? If so, is it because you don't want to do that thing, or because you've never had the opportunity to do it?
I'm continually surprised to discover sexual things that lots of people do that I had no awareness of, nevermind whether I've done them or not. When that happens, my response is usually some sort of curiosity -- and there's no shortage of opportunity to experience it if I choose. For the most part, though, it's stuff I'm aware of and really don't want to do. Case in point: anal pleasure is an oxymoron in my world.
6. Hobbies -- What's the least likely hobby that you have? In other words, what is the one thing that you do for fun that you think that people would be most surprised to discover that you do?
Hm. See, much of what I do seems perfectly consistent from my own perspective. But that doesn't seem to be the case from the perspective of lots of people who aren't close to me. (Since I'm an introvert with privacy issues, that number can be pretty significant.) For instance, I don't think that *you* would be surprised by much of anything, even if it's new information about me. I really don't have an answer for this one, but I'd be willing to let folks chime in with thoughts about my unlikely hobbies.
14. Life Goals -- Can you envision a point at which you would say, "Okay, I've marked everything off my list. I can die now."? If so, what would you have just done to get to that point?
Nope. I really can't envision it, though I pray there might someday be a point where I can let go of all the things I haven't done. (grin) Really, my life goal is not tied up in things on a list -- even though my days are ruled by lists and tasks. I hope to keep on living right up until that instant when death decides to call me home. That said, Dying Well is a great ambition of mine.
ETA: Here's the explanation of how this works. Ask me one question for each topic (in depth or simple) and I will do the same for you. (Alternately, ask on subjects you think might be interesting, and ignore the rest. This also works.)
1. Travel
2. Religion
3. Family
4. Love
5. Sex
6. Hobbies
7. Pets
8. Friendship
9. Literature
10. Movies
11. Home town
12. Physical Appearance
13. Volunteer Work
14. Life Goals
15. The World
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Re: Sure, brain's still fired up!
Date: 2006-05-24 02:36 pm (UTC)The Orient -- Japan, specifically. I've spent a lot of time in Northern Europe, but not much otherwise. I bet it'd blow my mind.
2. Religion - How did you end up following the religion you're currently following?
I do a lot of reading, and there were a lot of small influences that built up over about 15 years before I really went for it. This deserves a longer conversation, really.
3. Family - Who's your favorite blood relative? Why are they your favorite?
I don't think I have a favorite, to be honest. And Heaven help me if I had to say which daughter was my favorite -- they're all so different.
4. Love - What does love mean to you?
Shit, woman. You ask questions that need a lot more time to answer. Right now, love means freedom and risk in the safety of a warm embrace.
5. Sex - What's the one thing you think we as humans mess up about sex too much?
We avoid talking about it and teaching our young people about how glorious and sacred it can be. It just strikes me as wrong that a teenager is likely to be more familiar with a million different ways you can kill another person than any of the ways to experience sexual pleasure in safe and loving ways.
6. Hobbies - What's your favorite hobby?
The one I manage to indulge in at a particular moment. Maybe costuming? It involves theatre and sewing and imagination and ingenuity. I have a lot of hobbies that I don't have the luxury of time or energy for these days: reading, running, crochet/knitting, quilting, home improvement, gardening, etc.
7. Pets - What non-traditional pet would you want to have, if any? Why?
I very much prefer traditional pets. There are lots of non-traditional pets upon whom I wish no harm, but I don't want them in my house. Not even rabbits.
8. Friendship - What's your criteria set for friendship?
Compatible emotional needs and dysfunctions.
9. Literature - Which do you prefer...grand, greatly acclaimed literature, or cheesy popcorn (but highly entertaining) paperbacks? Why?
The categories in my head are divided a little differently than that. I like gloriously written stuff, with words I can't help but sound out as I read them. I tend to be bored by novels that concentrate too much on emotional undercurrents, or that have too much repression or weeping. Right now, I'm reading some
Mary SueAnita Blake stuff and it's fun. I'm also reading some professional journals, which are not so fun. It balances out.(continued)