October 4th, 2010

Proust Questionnaire (like the Frosh Questionnaire, but smarter)

So awesome Scott has answered both my Frosh Questionnaire and the much more intellectual Proust Questionnaire and thus inspired be to want to do that one too! So…I did!

a. Your favourite virtue. In me? Niceness, I guess. The old meaning of the word, before it got all corrupted to mean lame and boring: I care what’s up with other people, and like to listen to their stories, and I worry about their problems. I’ll chase a stranger down the street if she dropped a glove.

b. Your favourite quality in a man: Niceness.

c. Your favourite quality in a woman: Still niceness.

d. Your chief characteristic: my chattiness (this is what S put, but it’s mine too–maybe this is why we get on so well…?)

e. What you appreciate the most in your friends: Their time and laughter–S’s again, but I agree. Oh, and good ideas. And recipes.

f. Your main fault: Flibberty-gibbet (ie., short attention span, don’t finish things, forget things).

g. Your favourite occupation: Conversation.

h. Your idea of happiness: I don’t have a particular one. Makes it a lot easier to find.

i. Your idea of misery: Boredom. And being all alone.

j. If not yourself, who would you be?: Uhh…I have no idea. Sorry. I like me!

k. Where would you like to live? Toronto. That worked out well.

l. Favourite colour and flower: Orange and roses. Sadly, there are no orange roses.

m. Favourite bird: Mourning doves. So peaceful and chubby and patient.

n. Favourite prose authors: This questionnaire is so hard! John Updike, Francesca Lia Block, Alice Munro, Joshua Ferris, Leon Rooke, my brother when he sends me emails…this list would be different tomorrow (except the first two, who are always there)

o. Favorite Poets: Eek! John Milton, Michael Ondaatje, Dani Couture

p. Favorite heroes in fiction: Johnny Dangerously, Henry Bech, Owen Meany

q. Favorite Heroines in fiction: Weetzie Bat, Cheetaura on *Thunder Cats*, Anne of Green Gables, Jo March

r. Favorite painters and composers: Is this where I give up and admit that Proust was smarter than me. I like Mark Rothko and Bela Bartok, but I don’t think I could hold up my end of the conversation if you wanted to talk about them.

s. Your heroes in real life: Barack Obama, my brother, Bob Geldof

t. Your heroines in real life: my friend Val and my mom

u. What characters in history do you most dislike: Well, Hitler. I don’t really think of historical figures as “characters”, though.

v. Your heroines in history: Anne Frank, Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller

w. Your favorite food and drink: Coke Zero, breakfast cereals of all sorts, pears, chocolate, sushi of all sorts, eggplant in any form, bread of my own baking (ok, who am I kidding, most bread). I like food a lot!

x. Your favorite names: Jacob, Evan, Colleen–it is very helpful to be a writer when you like lots of names

y. What I hate the most: Boredom

z. World history character I hate the most: Some of these questions are repetitious. Still Hitler.

aa. The military event I admire the most: Operation Entebbe

bb. The reform I admire the most: Brown vs. the board of education.

cc. The natural talent I’d like to be gifted with: Musicality

dd. How I wish to die: When I am so old and have led such an interesting life that no one will be very sad, because I did everything I wanted to.

ee. What is your present state of mind: Thirsty, slightly fretful. If cd-launch-anticipation is a mood, then that too.

ff. For what fault have you most toleration: Confusion.

gg. My favorite motto. “This time of night’s for singing songs about the local news.”