I plucked out a few things to recycle, but I still don’t really have topics set out.
That’s fine.
The little dog is feeling a lot better, I think. The feistiness is coming through, again. It’s nothing like I remember, but she seems more alert, etc..
So. What else? I have to go out into the world on Friday. 21 minutes by car. I think that’s actually a little closer than the other place. *looks around* Nawp. Four minutes longer with traffic this time of day.
Given that I’m closer to the city, and this is further out, I think it’d actually be faster getting to and from.
That said, it really doesn’t matter at this point. Oh well.
So. Resample a survey from 2001 to see where I am twenty-one years later…
1. Smoke? Like a freakin’ chimney
You know you’re stopping that when we get married….
2. Do drugs? legal ones, yes. stay away from the stuff that’ll get me thrown in jail.
Nothing entertaining. I think some of my health care team would want me to.
3. Have sex? not by any definition.
That happens.
4. Sleep with stuffed animals? Inflatible doll
Nope.
5. Have a crush? Not telling. 😉
Yes, and it’s been that way for, what, more than sixteen years?
6. Have a boyfriend/girlfriend? See question three.
Again, see above.
7. Have a dream that keeps coming back? Nope. But I do have some quite odd dreams.
Oh, there’s so many thing….lately it’s been about trying to get somewhere unsuccessfully. Yes, I have notes for my appointment later this week.
8. Play an instrument? not anymore.
Same.
9. Believe there is life on other planets? I’d like to think so.
I can’t rule it out.
10. Remember your first love? Yes.
You know, this one was a full-throated yes back then, but in retrospect, I don’t think I truly was in lover with any of them, maybe? My wife is the only person I’ve been with, and felt completely comfortable. Spending time with her has never, ever, felt like work.
11. Still love them? HER. I’ll just say that I think of her fondly.
Again, it’s just so different. I really can’t compare.
12. Read the newspaper? more than I should
I really can’t remember the last time I did. The print industry, just like TV and radio, is dead.
13. Have any gay or lesbian friends? nobody really close…several acquaintances.
Yes.
14. Believe in miracles? no.
The Saints won a Super Bowl.
15. Believe it’s possible to remain faithful forever? Yes, of course. It’s a matter of self-control.
Still there. I think there’s a whole lot more with the blip about self-control.
16. Consider yourself tolerant of others? Hah! I’m more tolerant than I should be, though.
I’ve come back around to the same place. Because I don’t want to deter you from something does not mean I approve of whatever. But that’s my business. Leave me alone, and I’ll return the favor.
17. Consider police friend or foe? Depends upon the situation.
Same same.
18. Like the taste of alcohol? PURE alcohol? Yep. Mmmmm…scotch.
Hmmm. Do I have any scotch?
19. Have a favorite Stooge? Curly
Probably the same. But now I’ve earwormed myself twenty-plus years later with Frank Black’s Two Reelers
20. Believe in Astrology? Ehh. No. It’s a curiousity, though
No.
21. In magic? Nope.
No.
22. In God? I don’t think I ever have.
I don’t know how long it was after this that my committed atheism started wavering. But, yes, yes I do today.
23. Pray? Not in a long time.
Yes I do.
24. Go to church? Only for weddings and funerals.
I can’t remember the last time I did. I sometimes will watch something online.
25. Have any secrets? 😉 StillStarry asked me one night if I’d answer everything she asked me. The answer is still “no.” 🙂
There’s things I won’t share readily, but there’s nothing of which I’m terribly ashamed, either.
26. Have any pets? Dogs.
We have a dog now. She’s feeling better, which has brought out more of her individual temperament. She’s clearly not as comfortable being on the bottom of the pack now.
27. Do well in school? When I’m not getting myself in trouble, yes.
I guess I wrote this kind of in the midst of my changeover in approach. I really worry how my attitude would be taken today. I do challenge orthodoxy, andnd authority. I think I’d get in trouble for that today.
28. Go to or plan to go to college? I’m there.
I finished. I’ve not gone back.
29. Have a degree? Not yet.
I have a Bachelor of Science in Government Administration. I am a highly trained bureaucrat.
30. Talk to strangers who instant message you? If they’re not at all interested in cyber.
Um. IM history. But I guess, maybe, Twitter is similar? I’ll chime in from time to time.
31. Wear hats? I wear caps. There *is* a difference.
I really don’t have anything anymore. But I’m also rarely outside.
32. Have any piercings? I have enough holes in my body, thank you very much. I do like P.J. O’Rourke’s idea of getting a hoop through the left ass cheek.
RIP, P.J. And, no, I don’t have any piercings.
33. Have any tatoos? I fear needles.
I don’t fear needles as much as I did back then. More than a decade of MS will take that anxiety away pretty quickly.
But even before the MS diagnosis, I was pretty opposed to tattoos. I also find them to be a serious turn-off when it comes to a MOTOS. J
34. Hate yourself? Not at the moment.
Not really.
35. Have a horny spot? only a few people know about it.
Things are so out-of-sorts on me these days, nothing that would have worked on a twenty-one-year-old me works anymore.
36. Get horny easy? Umm….
Kind of see the last one. Lots of things just don’t work anymore. If you’d told me that there’d be so little desire now, I wouldn’t have believed you.
37. Have a best friend? Yep.
I do. I’m still very close friends with the one I answered affirmatively to in 2001, but I’m certainly closer to the one I’d meet five years later.
38. Wish on stars? Sometimes. It’s silly.
Pretty much unchanged.
39. Like your handwriting? My handwriting is hideous.
It’s gotten worse since I’ve lost more muscle control. I can’t make my hands do what they’re supposed to do pretty often. I can still type okay, I suppose, which is how I can continue to write.
40. Have any bad habits? See the questions about alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes. Add to those nailbiting.
A few. I’ve eliminated, or significantly cut down on the ones listed.
41. Care about looks? More than I should.
My vision isn’t good. I do notice something from time to time, but not terribly 0ften. It’s a good day when I notice my wife’s face.
42. Believe in witches? See the entries on my ex-girlfriend.
See, I have no idea which ex I was talking about here. I really bear no animus towards any of my exes at this point. But I don’t know. Given my lack of belief in the “dark arts,” I’d say, “no.” Are there wholly-evil women on the planet? Certainly.
43. Believe in Satan? I’m more certain there’s no Satan or hell than I’m certain there’s no god.
Not with the latter, but still very skeptical of the former.
44. Ghosts? I find them intriguing, but I’ve never seen one.
Still very skeptical.
45. Santa Claus? Nope.
Logically, I know there isn’t one. That he liked my father’s favorite libation should have tipped me off. But I really am not of the opinion that having kids believe in such things is a bad thing.
46. The Easter Bunny? Nope.
Nope.
47. The Tooth Fairy? He was inconsistent. And, really, who wants teeth?
Nope.
48. Have a second family? Eek, no. One is enough.
Still the same. I’m wondering how the story of Charles Kuralt had missed me at that point. I mean, I worked for a CBS affiliate at the time. How did this never cross my radar? My mother loved watching him.
49. Trust others easily? Nope.
I’m not sure how I’d answer this today. Do I trust too easily? Maybe. Or maybe I don’t have the idea that people are out to get me. I don’t think that the vast majority of people are out to intentionally hurt me (or anyone else). Just not how humans operate. One of the discussions my wife and I’ve had is about Anne Frank’s generally-positive view of people. I’m kind of there with her.
That said, I am very big on making people state the ends of their controlling intentions. You think me doing something is so awful that it justifies having someone kill me ot stop it? Okay. Glad we got that out there.
50. Like sarcasm? It depends. I don’t like that I’m so sarcastic sometimes. But then….
I don’t know that it’s necessarily sarcasm I appreciate.
51. Feel understood most of the time? Hah!
No, but, then, I’m so rarely in public, there’s not a lot of opportunity for it.
52. Like sappy love songs? Some are strangely appealing.
Same.
53. This question, for some crazy reason, wasn’t available. So I’ll fill it in….Kirk or Picard? Kirk.
Still Kirk. And RIP to Uhuru. But, in considered retrospection, I think the best starfleet captain was Sisko.
54. Untie your shoes everytime you take them off? Depends upon which pair.
Same. I don’t wear shoes very often. Even when I do, they’re often not laced. But I don’t think I often just slip off tied shoes.
55. Wear overalls? I gave up redman at the same time.
Oh. RED MAN. I think this was snark about chewing tobacco. Ummmm…yeah, I can’t remember wearing overalls since about age five.
56. Think you are strong? Emotionally? Physically? Yes, no.
Same and same.
57. Like skittles? Uhh…
So. Much. Sugar.
58. Like to shop? No.
Same.
59. Look like anyone famous? Not anyone famous, really. I get really off-the-wall ones. Someone once told me I look like Neil Young. How sick.
I don’t really know of anyone, no.
60. Think Brad Pitt looks good? I’m having trouble restraining myself. Mmmmm….Brad Armpit
Um.
61. Have your own phone line? Cellphone
If there was a pre-9/11 question…
I have a couple of VOIIP numbers, but connecting the phones is an exercise in futility with my ISP. They forward to my cellphone, which has had the same number since 1999.
62. Enjoy filling out this kinda stuff? It keeps me from doing actual work. I’ve already worked too much this week.
I was tempted to quit about fifteen questions ago.
63. Have a pool? Nope.
There’s one in my apartment complex. I’ve never been.
64. Have a spa? does it count when you stick the shower massage down into the bathtub while taking a bath?
I think there’s a hot tub over by the complex’s pool. But I wish they had a sauna and an ice bath. I’d really like to try that now.
65. Like jewelry? I wear a ring and a watch. I think that says everything.
Prety much the same. Wedding ring. Ppdometer.
66. Have a web site? Yes.
Yeah. I’m being really derelict in moving it.
67. Like playstation? Nope.
I bought a PS2 sometime not too long after writing this just to play GTA2. I wound up giving it away to my wife’s cousins after theirs died. She got a new gaming console a few years ago, but I never did much with it. Video games really aren’t much fun when you can’t see worth a damn.
68. Nintendo 64? Never played around with one…
Never had one. We had an Atari, a NES, a SNES, and a Genesis. I’m not sure what went to my brother’s ex-wife in their divorce.
69. Sleep a lot? I wish.
Yes. I can normally plow through about nine hours before I need a nap.
70. Get along with your parents? Disgustingly well.
Well, what’s left of Dad is a few miles away six feet under at Arlington National, and my mother’s in a memory care unit. So…?
71. Have AOL? Yes. But it’s not my primary ISP. it has its uses
I will pay for AOL because my mom never got off of it for email. I will probably look at getting rid of it about when I get rid of her old cell number. They don’t cost very much these days.
72. Wear a watch? See question 65.
Yep. See above. But even without the pedometer, I get away without one very often. There’s a clock on the cellphone that’s normally in my pocket.
73. Have braces, or have you ever? Of my extensive dental work, braces haven’t been a part…
No braces, but there isn’t a tooth in my mouth that’s completely natural.
74. Have any scars? What from? Too many to list.
I guess the one that’s still most visible is the one on my right elbow. I got hit by a pitch at about age twelve. You can still sorta see the one on my right eye, but it’s less noticeable with fortysomething crow’s feet.
75. Write poetry? “There’s a place for those who love their poetry…”
Nah.
76. If so, what is your favorite poem you have written? I’d say “Ode to my Choad.” But I didn’t write that one.
Ixnay on the narksay. I don’t know.
77. Make fun of people? Is a pig’s ass pork?
Not nearly as often as I used to.
And that’s finished. Whew.