essentia

[constance]

1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
The mortgage. Such a ridiculously huge chunk of my monthly budget.

2. Do you miss being a child?
Some things about it, sure! Some things I don't miss at all. And, um, some things I never actually outgrew.

3. Chore you hate the most?
Cleaning out the litterbox. It only takes five minutes, so my hate is in no way proportionate to the actual unpleasantness I experience, but at least I'm owning my irrationality.

4. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
Oh, man, it's been so long I can't remember. La Crêpe Nanou in New Orleans, maybe -- that'd be about seven years ago. How embarrassing!

5. If you could go back and change one thing what would it be?
I have to pick just one? Couldn't possibly; I am unhealthily all full up of if-onlys and might-have-beens.

6. Name of your first grade teacher?
Ms. Sauer. I remember very little about her, except that she encouraged my innate nerdiness (thanks, Ms. Sauer!); being a dead ringer for Velma on "Scooby Doo," she was probably empathizing as much as encouraging. I still like her for that.

7. What do you really want to be doing right now?
reading? cuddling with the dogs? visiting friends? mostly, though, I'm pretty content right now.

8. What did you want to be when you grew up?
An architect. Sometimes I think that I might still just up and go back to school and get that degree, even if I never use it.

9. How many colleges did you attend?
One.

10. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now?
It matched the skirt I wanted to wear.

11. What are your thoughts on gas prices?
Could be worse. Has, in fact, been worse. But when fuel's too cheap, Americans tend to buy massive, unnecessary gas guzzlers and gobble up resources we can't afford to lose; so maybe it's not such a bad thing that gas isn't under two dollars a gallon any more, when it makes us stop and think before we buy.

12. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
What time is it? (i.e., how many times can I press the snooze button before I get out of bed?)

13. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
don't remember -- it was probably something to do with fighting Leory (who likes to sleep in the dead center of the bed) for sleeping space.

14. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
Assuming my own value of the word famous, and assuming a living person? Jay Smooth. Besides the massive internet crush I'm nursing, he just seems like he'd be a fun dude to hang out with.

15. Have you ever crashed your vehicle?
Oh yeah. Several times. I'm a lot more careful a driver than I used to be, but let's face it, I'll probably never be chosen as the poster child for road safety.

16. If you didn't have to work, would you volunteer?
Sure. I've volunteered, when I've been out of work. I've also been a weekend volunteer, when I was working. I don't do it as much as I should, though.

17. Get up early or sleep in?
Sleep in. But this has been impossible for years. I have dogs, and dogs do not believe in sleeping late.

18. What is your favorite cartoon character?
Ahhh, what sort of question is this? How'm I supposed to choose from thousands upon thousands of characters? But off the top of my head: Mme Souza and Bruno from The Triplets of Belleville, Linus and Snoopy from Peanuts. Hobbes.

19. Favorite thing to do at night?
Read and play around on the Internet. Sometimes I'll do both together, read with my book spread out on my desk, then take a break and surf for a while, then back to reading, and so on.

20. When did you first start feeling old?
I have these moments of shock all the time, so I can't remember the first time. Maybe when I realized that I was never going to be the person I expected to be as a teenager. So: college. But seriously, I don't feel old most of the time; my internal clock seems to be mostly inoperative, with rare moments when it kicks into gear for a few minutes.

21. Favorite lunch meat?
depends on my mood, but I tend to be a poultry girl.

22. What do you get every time you go into Wal-Mart?
I don't go to Wal-Mart much, so there's nothing I get there regularly. When I go to Target: this chocolate-drizzled cayenne-laced trail mix snack they sell (although they didn't have it last time I went). When I go to Kmart: dog food.

23. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
Can rituals be outdated? I tend to think of rituals as just being. :? So let's talk about marriage as an institution, shall we? Yes, I think the institution of marriage outdated, when it can't be stretched to accommodate everyone who wants to participate.

24. Favorite movie?
It changes from second to second. Currently, I'm falling asleep every night to Spirited Away, so I'll just semi-arbitrarily make that my answer.

25. What's your favorite drink?
alcoholic? gin-and-tonic or gin rickey. non-alcoholic? I am single-handedly keeping Diet Cherry 7Up in production.

26. Who from high school would you like to run in to?
I am missing my friend Aaron. We were in touch for a long time, but he dropped off the radar after reproducing, and I miss him.

27. What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now?
I've been listening to my mp3 player in the car lately, but it's tuned to either my local classic rock station or my local NPR station.

28. Sopranos or Desperate Housewives?
Sopranos, but to be somewhat fair, I've never seen Desperate Housewives.

29. Worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back?
All of them? I don't know? I hate letting people go, is all.

30. Do you like the person that sits directly across from you at work?
Yes. Complaints aside, I do like almost everyone I work with.

31. Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purposes?
Nope. I have a horror of uncontained fires, so that's definitely a good thing.

32. Last book you finished reading?
PopCo by Scarlett Thomas

33. Do you have a teddy bear?
no -- but I have an ancient lamb, a yellow velvet dog, and until fairly recently had a bunny rabbit that my grandmother made for me. Now I have an earless quadruple-amputee bunny, THANK YOU GILLY.

34. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
No idea. In my car, maybe?

35. Do you go to church?
Only for weddings and funerals. Oh, those extra-long sacrament-type masses.

36. How old are you?
41 and four months.