Areas of Unrest

12 December 1999 - A Survey in Lieu of Whining

QOTD: "One of the main causes of the fall of the Roman Empire was that, lacking zero, they had no way to indicate successful termination of their C programs." - Robert Firth

Reading: Terry Pratchett, Jingo

Listening to: Television's Greatest Hits

I haven't been writing this week because I didn't really feel like whining. I know full well that all the stuff I've been stressed out over is petty, but that doesn't make me any less miserable. The short version is that the guy whose car I hit did indeed call back and say there had been damage he hadn't seen at first, so I am dealing with the insurance folks. Which also led to some miscommunication that has slowed down getting my car repaired. I'm not the most confident driver at the best of times and I was saddled with a rental car much larger than my own, so I was stressed out over driving it (and, especially, parking it in the narrow spot at my building). In addition, I've got some tasks at work that I am not very interested in, as well as one that I am interested in but am frustrated by.

On the plus side, Guy sent me email advising me of a site that sells South African groceries so I have a source for Just Juice, Stoney and Schweppes Dry Lemon! I haven't actually ordered anything yet, but now I know that I can and that makes a big difference. Also, I've been in a nostalgic mode and fired off some email to old friends from college, leading me to get back in touch with a couple of them.

But, overall, I'm still in a bit of a funk, so I thought that I'd do the latest journaler's survey, instead of wallowing in self-pity. (Marcia told me that it's bad to wallow, but dipping your toes in is OK.) Anyway, this survey is from Lucy Huntzinger of Aries Moon and Rick McGinnis of The Diary Thing.

IS VOTING MANDATORY IN YOUR COUNTRY? IF IT'S NOT, SHOULD IT BE?

It shouldn't be. If people don't care enough about politics to vote, they won't make good choices.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT INVENTION OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY?

It's a tie between Velcro, post-it notes, and Lee press-on nails.

WHAT BOOK INFLUENCED YOU MOST AS AN ADOLESCENT?

I read Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis at an impressionable age and came away with this horribly romanticized notion about scientific research. A slim volume called Stop Dieting, Start Losing also probably warped me for life, but that's another story.

WHAT RELATIONSHIP IN YOUR LIFE DO YOU MOST REGRET, AND WHY?

Since pretty much every guy I have dated for any length of time married the very next woman he met, I've probably shown any number of people what true hell would be. But what I really regret is never having told my father how much I respected him. He and I certainly had a turbulent relationship, largely as a result of being too much alike, but the memories are generally good ones and I can never be sure if he knew that.

YOU HAVE A GUN, ONE BULLET, AND COMPLETE IMMUNITY -- WHO DO YOU KILL?

Given a time machine as well, Hitler would be the obvious choice. Short of that, whoever came up with the idea for clunky heeled shoes would head my short list.

DOES THE END EVER JUSTIFY THE MEANS?

No, but I could probably imagine some circumstance under which it might.

HENRY KISSINGER OR CHOU EN-LAI?

Henry inspired better political cartoons.

MARILYN MONROE OR AUDREY HEPBURN?

Marilyn, largely because I hate that whole gamine thing that I could never pull off.

SINCLAIR OR SHERIDAN?

Sheridan is bigger, at least as far as towns in Wyoming go. (I never got into Babylon 5.)

NAME YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITE.

The Official Site of the Boston Red Sox for enabling me to keep track of the fate of the universe while traveling in places that have cybercafes but lack televised baseball games.

WOULD YOU APPEAR ON THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW IF YOU WERE INVITED TO?

Only if I were paid enough to enable me never to have to appear in public again ever after.

WHO WOULD MAKE THE IDEAL MC FOR 'WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE'?

Dick Cavett.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST RECORD, CASSETTE, OR CD YOU BOUGHT?

It was almost certainly some dreadful bubble-gum 45. I'm afraid it might have been "Julie, Do Ya Love Me" by Bobby Sherman. My tastes improved with age.

MOVIE/TELEVISION CHARACTER YOU FEEL MOST EMPATHY FOR:

Those women in 1950's monster movies who are rescued from the evil space alien by the handsome hero. But I think I'd prefer to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

WHOSE CELEBRITY DO YOU FIND MOST BAFFLING?

Bruce Willis.

DO YOU THINK UNUSUAL NAMES ARE COOL AND CREATIVE, OR A SIGN OF DERANGED PARENTS?

I think parents should give children one creative name and one traditional name and let the kids choose. The creative name should still be something fairly easy to spell, though.

NAME THE PLACE THAT MOST FASCINATES YOU, IN OR OUT OF THIS WORLD, THAT YOU'LL PROBABLY NEVER VISIT FOR FEAR IT'LL DISAPPOINT YOU:

Fear of disappointment has never kept me from traveling. I have been disappointed in some places for various reasons, but I recognize the fault usually lies within myself (or in circumstances beyond anyone's control, e.g. bad weather). However, there are other sorts of fear that could keep me from some prospective adventures and I doubt that I'd be willing to take an early tourist trip to outer space, much as the idea intrigues me.

IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMETHING TO DO SOMETHING FOR YOU, SOMETHING YOU HATE DOING BUT HAVE TO DO, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

I'd love to have a maid and a chauffeur.

COMPLETE THIS SENTENCE: "YOU COULD NOT PAY ME ENOUGH TO ..."

... wear pink.

IF YOU HAD TO CHANGE YOUR NAME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE IT TO?

Hmmm, I really like some of the first names I've used for mud characters - Thalia, Sapphyr, Cypria. And I've known a couple of people with last names I like, such as Livni and Gareen. But none of the combinations work all that well.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF, PHYSICAL OR OTHERWISE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

One thing? The way this month has been going so far and you want me to change just one thing? The short list includes being much thinner (but not actually very thin, say a size 10-12), having long, wavy red hair instead of brown curls, and not being afraid of so many things.

WHERE/HOW DO YOU WANT TO DIE?

According to a writer's guide to poisons that I read once, being bitten by a cobra is a pleasant way to die. This assumes I could tell a neurotoxic cobra from the sort that inject you with hemolytic poisons, causing an agonizing hemorrhaging sort of death. Since I also plan to live to be 100 and die at home, I probably should start looking for real estate in cobra country when I turn 99.

WHAT VEHICLE -- CAR, PLANE, BOAT, ETC. -- WOULD YOU LIKE TO DRIVE REGULARLY?

The Gossamer Condor or the Gossamer Albatross. Human powered flight intrigues me.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE SO DRUNK YOU GOT SICK?

I've gotten drunk enough that I slurred my speech and never either thrown up or had a hangover. I had a few too many a few times in Africa in '98, but other than that, I hadn't gotten even close to drunk since I was 20.

WHICH IS MORE THRILLING, SPEED OR HEIGHT?

I can handle speed, but heights absolutely terrify me. I'm not an adrenaline junkie by any means.

IF YOU COULD MORPH BACK AND FORTH INTO AN ANIMAL FORM, WHAT ANIMAL WOULD YOU BE?

While I've always been partial to bears, the animal that seems to live the cushiest life in the world is my mother's cat.

IF YOU COULD WALK INTO ANY PAINTING AND EMERGE IN THE WORLD IT PORTRAYS, WHICH PAINTING WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

I have a serigraph hanging in my bedroom called "After Breakfast" by Susan Rios. The scene is a terrace overlooking the ocean, with white wicker chairs and lots of flowers in hanging baskets. I can't imagine anything more peaceful.

A TIME MACHINE WILL TAKE YOU ANYWHERE YOU WANT TO GO FOR ONE DAY. WHERE DO YOU GO?

To Elephant Island in the Antarctic the day in 1916 that Shackleton returned to rescue his men. Alternatively, to Hispaniola the day before Columbus showed up.

YOU CAN ONLY WEAR ONE SET OF CLOTHES, WHICH WILL BE MIRACULOUSLY CLEANED AND REPAIRED EVERY MORNING WHEN YOU WAKE UP -- WHAT WILL THEY BE?

A mid-calf length blue t-shirt dress and a pair of comfy sandals.

WHAT IS THE PERFECT MEAL?

Insalata caprese (tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, dressed with olive oil). Seared ahi, wild rice, steamed asparagus. Tartufo gelato from Tre Scalini in Rome for dessert. Either that or a tongue sandwich, cole slaw, full sour pickles and Dr. Brown's cream soda at the 2nd Avenue Deli in New York.

SAY ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU:

Lucy's journal is always interesting and often amusing, thought-provoking or both. I haven't met her in person (yet) but I will assume that the same applies to her. Rick hasn't been on my list of regular reads, but his answers to the survey questions make me more likely to read him in the future, once I've caught up on a few other journals.