Saturday, March 7, 2009
In Search of Lost Time
Fresca encouraged people to answer "The Proust Questionnaire." So here it is! Happy birthday, Fresca!
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Wanting what you have.
2. What is your greatest fear?
Letting people down, failing in my responsibilities.
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
A need for approval by everyone and an inability to understand that's simply impossible--by taking action to please person A you are inevitably going to displease person B and so on.
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
At the moment (it changes week to week): narcissism, an inability to see other people as persons separate from yourself.
5. Which living person do you most admire?
Tough one. Possibly Neil Gaiman, for being insanely talented and wry and humane.
6. What is your greatest extravagance?
Probably food. I decided years ago that to keep my id satisfied living in Japan I wasn't going to wince at the cost for imported Western food, so I pay a lot more for Doritos, pasta sauce, and bagels than I probably should.
7. What is your current state of mind?
Well, the sun is out and I have no meetings, so I'm feeling pretty content and happy.
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Moral purity, usually a nice phrase for "passivity."
9. On what occasion do you lie?
When people start wondering how involved in fandom I am. Unfortunately, I am a crap liar.
10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I suppose my toothy smile.
11. Which living person do you most despise?
Probably Fred Phelps, the guy who goes around protesting gay peoples' funerals and saying God is laughing because they're dead.
12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
Compassion.
13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Uh...compassion.
14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
"I can see that."
15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Trite, but my husband.
16. When and where were you happiest?
One morning when I was coming out of a long time of deep stress and personal pain (losing friends, failing at my job, pets dying). I woke up at 6:30 with the sun streaming in and instead of feeling depressed resignation I felt happy to wake up, eager to get out into the day and start living it.
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
The ability to pick up languages easily.
18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Moderate #3 a bit.
19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Probably passing the second-level Japanese Language Exam.
20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Maybe a sparrow? I don't know why, I just like them, they're scrappy.
21. Where would you most like to live?
Anyplace with Internet access would make me happy, but either San Francisco or Boston if I had my choice...
22. What is your most treasured possession?
My house? Is a house a possession?
23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
I have to agree with Fresca's answer to this: watching people suffer and being powerless to help them.
24. What is your favorite occupation?
I assume this means "Way to pass one's time," in which case, probably writing.
25. What is your most marked characteristic?
Probably timidity.
26. What do you most value in your friends?
Introspection and self-awareness.
27. Who are your favorite writers?
Ursula LeGuin, for humaneness and world-building.
A. A. Milne for whimsy and wonder.
Neil Gaiman for a little of all of those.
28. Who is your hero of fiction?
Stupid answer but true: Superman, who in the more modern versions is a much less shallow and much more existential hero.
29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Abraham Lincoln--not so much for the greatness as for the constant self-doubt and desire to do the right thing.
30. Who are your heroes in real life?
Teachers, social workers, nurses--anyone who manages to get up in the morning and keep going despite high levels of burnout and little hope of making a difference.
31. What are your favorite names?
I always liked Tristan for a male name, maybe because the idea of "sadness" being a name pleased the romantic in me. I always liked Genevieve as a female name because it seemed to be a prettier (and less common) version of "Jennifer."
32. What is it that you most dislike?
People treating each other badly, especially for petty, selfish reasons.
33. What is your greatest regret?
Treating people badly for petty, selfish reasons while in college.
34. How would you like to die?
"Like" is such a strong word...I guess fairly quickly and without losing my mental abilities beforehand?
35. What is your motto?
When I was in high school some gifted class required me to create a motto. I went with "Je Cherche, Je Trouve," which is French for "I seek, I find." Rather more an ideal than the actual way I live my life, but it will do.
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Wanting what you have.
2. What is your greatest fear?
Letting people down, failing in my responsibilities.
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
A need for approval by everyone and an inability to understand that's simply impossible--by taking action to please person A you are inevitably going to displease person B and so on.
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
At the moment (it changes week to week): narcissism, an inability to see other people as persons separate from yourself.
5. Which living person do you most admire?
Tough one. Possibly Neil Gaiman, for being insanely talented and wry and humane.
6. What is your greatest extravagance?
Probably food. I decided years ago that to keep my id satisfied living in Japan I wasn't going to wince at the cost for imported Western food, so I pay a lot more for Doritos, pasta sauce, and bagels than I probably should.
7. What is your current state of mind?
Well, the sun is out and I have no meetings, so I'm feeling pretty content and happy.
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Moral purity, usually a nice phrase for "passivity."
9. On what occasion do you lie?
When people start wondering how involved in fandom I am. Unfortunately, I am a crap liar.
10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I suppose my toothy smile.
11. Which living person do you most despise?
Probably Fred Phelps, the guy who goes around protesting gay peoples' funerals and saying God is laughing because they're dead.
12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
Compassion.
13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Uh...compassion.
14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
"I can see that."
15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Trite, but my husband.
16. When and where were you happiest?
One morning when I was coming out of a long time of deep stress and personal pain (losing friends, failing at my job, pets dying). I woke up at 6:30 with the sun streaming in and instead of feeling depressed resignation I felt happy to wake up, eager to get out into the day and start living it.
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
The ability to pick up languages easily.
18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Moderate #3 a bit.
19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Probably passing the second-level Japanese Language Exam.
20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Maybe a sparrow? I don't know why, I just like them, they're scrappy.
21. Where would you most like to live?
Anyplace with Internet access would make me happy, but either San Francisco or Boston if I had my choice...
22. What is your most treasured possession?
My house? Is a house a possession?
23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
I have to agree with Fresca's answer to this: watching people suffer and being powerless to help them.
24. What is your favorite occupation?
I assume this means "Way to pass one's time," in which case, probably writing.
25. What is your most marked characteristic?
Probably timidity.
26. What do you most value in your friends?
Introspection and self-awareness.
27. Who are your favorite writers?
Ursula LeGuin, for humaneness and world-building.
A. A. Milne for whimsy and wonder.
Neil Gaiman for a little of all of those.
28. Who is your hero of fiction?
Stupid answer but true: Superman, who in the more modern versions is a much less shallow and much more existential hero.
29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Abraham Lincoln--not so much for the greatness as for the constant self-doubt and desire to do the right thing.
30. Who are your heroes in real life?
Teachers, social workers, nurses--anyone who manages to get up in the morning and keep going despite high levels of burnout and little hope of making a difference.
31. What are your favorite names?
I always liked Tristan for a male name, maybe because the idea of "sadness" being a name pleased the romantic in me. I always liked Genevieve as a female name because it seemed to be a prettier (and less common) version of "Jennifer."
32. What is it that you most dislike?
People treating each other badly, especially for petty, selfish reasons.
33. What is your greatest regret?
Treating people badly for petty, selfish reasons while in college.
34. How would you like to die?
"Like" is such a strong word...I guess fairly quickly and without losing my mental abilities beforehand?
35. What is your motto?
When I was in high school some gifted class required me to create a motto. I went with "Je Cherche, Je Trouve," which is French for "I seek, I find." Rather more an ideal than the actual way I live my life, but it will do.
// posted by Jennifer @ 12:28 PM 
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