what we have been makes us what we are

(From the Gerbster)

What type of music do you like?

"Good beat, easy to dance to" and something I would rate 70 or above if I were on American Bandstand. If you don't get the reference, it's because you're probably under 30 and not a fan of watching old AB eps.

Have you ever been skinnydipping?

Nope. When I was about 17, I attended my first funeral for a friend, Amy G. She was an athlete, a church pal, and a cool, nice person who made one very bad decision--to go swimming in a tarped pool at night, alone. The theory, one theory, at the time was that her heart gave out due to an issue she wasn't aware she had. Aside from not being able to swim, the experience--sneaking out, doing something randomly silly and potentially dangerous--soured me on silly-dangerous stuff like skinnydipping and playing chicken.

How many pillows do you sleep with?

I sleep with just one, but I have another to prop me up to read before I go to sleep. The downside of bifocals is I can't read lying down so easily.

What position do you often sleep in?

Usually my right side lately, in a modified fetal position. But I flip side to side a couple of times most nights.

What do you wear to bed?

Pajamas, or what I have on if it's relatively comfy: sweats, T-shirt, etc.

Could you ever go out with someone just 'cause they're rich?

I might were the world I live in totally different. That is, I'd 1) have to be single, 2) want to be going on dates, 3) be a completely different age/look than I am now, and 4) need a sugar daddy.

Have you ever contemplated suing someone?

Not me, personally. There's a definite trade-off in time, effort and sticktuitiveness, which has never balanced against whatever wrong has been done to me. However, my parents did participate in a class-action lawsuit back in the '60s when my sister nearly died, on her behalf. The plaintiffs won and the payout covered the down-payment on the house Ellen and Dean bought when they got married.

Do you believe in karma?

I don't think of it as quid pro quo but I definitely do think that you get back what you put out there in the world. If you're negative and paranoid, that's what you'll think the world is about. And if you're optimistic and kind, ditto.

Do you believe in revenge?

I believe that it is a delightful feeling to see someone bad "get theirs" but I wouldn't generally want to think I go out of my way to be vengeful.

Who is the most intelligent person you know?

I know lots of smart people. They aren't all necessarily "book-smart." My friend Annie and my niece Elizabeth are music-smart in a way I'm not able to be; that doesn't mean they didn't struggle with high-level math. I have several friends my age who have had very difficult lives in ways I can't imagine; they are smart about things I hope I never have to know. My nephew James is spatially smart: he can figure out how to take apart and fix anything mechanical; he's a complete idiot about people skills though. My sister Marie is very very smart about a lot of stuff, but her taste in men is horrible. A friend of mine, Lisa, is aMAZing with motivating people and pushing projects along, but she isn't at all academically-minded. Smartest? They're all smart. Most of them are smarter than me in some way, which is part of why I keep them around; theoretically, I might learn something!

What's the craziest thing you've ever done for someone?

If you think too hard about the whole childbirth and parenting process, you would never in a million years do it. The likelihood of pain and suffering on a scale unequaled by most anything else in life is terrifying--and I'm not just talking about physical pain here. The merest though of losing a child, of having to make end-of-life decisions about a child, of having to watch them injure and destroy themselves will (and should!) break the strongest heart. The craziest thing I've ever done is think I could get through parenthood without heartbreak. And we have an easy kid!!

Do you throw bread for the ducks?

Nope. I honestly never think of it, and I really do NOT want them in my yard...or geese. Geese are fucking evil.

Where do you like to go to on a first date?

Somewhere we can talk. So maybe not just a movie or theatrical event.