Monday Meme: Ghosts and Insipid Answers

Stolen from Sunday Stealing, who in turn stole it from bluelifememories:

Are you happy with the person you've become?  I think it's important to recognize that I'm still becoming (it is, as I see it, the nature of the human experience to evolve continually), but I like that I am learning to master some aspects of myself and that I still very much value active living over simply existing (although there are certainly times when that's good, too).


What's a sound you hate; sound you love?  Fingernails on chalkboards make me want to crawl out of my skin! There are other sounds like it, but that's the only one I can think of right now. On the flip side, the sounds of "happy" make me smile, as does the particular *whump* of a well-kicked soccer ball

What's your biggest "what if"? Hmmm... Conjecture allows for a whole lot of possible answers here, but I don't engage in second guessing much with any attachment so, just to put it out there, I'll go with this: "What if I'd gone to Hawai'i at 22 when I had the chance?"

Do you believe in ghosts? I've never seen one that I'm aware of, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. I haven't seen evidence to say that there can't be any, either. I accept the influence of "otherworldly forces" on the world, but I also accept that there is a great deal about this that I do not perceive or understand well. If I ever have an answer for this question that isn't insipid, I'll let you know.

How about aliens? My answer here is much the same as for the previous question, but the more I learn about the vastness of the universe, it seems less and less likely that we are alone out here. If they ever come to visit, I hope they treat us nicely -- and vice-versa.

What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far? To marry my wife. I was very nervous to make the leap, but it has affected my life wonderfully in so many ways. I sigh regularly with relief that I made the right choice.

What's the worst place you have ever been to? When I was about 8 years old, I lived in Jacksonville, FL for around 9 months. I wasn't there long enough to have any friends, but managed plenty of run ins with local bullies, thugs and even a sexual predator. My folks were big on the "go outside and play" thing, so I spent a lot of time riding around the (very small) neighborhood on my bike. I would ride around, doing my best to imagine myself doing something fun. It was a long 9 months.

Can insanity bring on more creativity? Sanity is the condition of behaving (and, thus, thinking) within societal norms. Since creativity necessarily involves working outside what is expected by social norms, insanity (the condition of behaving outside those norms) certainly fosters it. It's a source of great social tension in our culture that we must reject the one while appreciating the other.

Most attractive actor of your opposite gender? There are so MANY! My celebrity crush of the moment is Megyn Price but, with so many to choose from, I can flit about from one to the other like a butterfly in a field of daisies.

To you, what is the meaning of life? To experience it! We'll never get all of it in a lifetime, but that doesn't mean we don't enrich our lives incredibly for the attempt. Living life is how we learn, how we grow (see the first question) and how we give back -- for we must do this in some form or other -- to the forces of the universe that created us.

Define “Art”. Again, perhaps, I offer an insipid answer, but I like a valueless definition:  The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination. When people ask, "Is it art?" what they're really asking is, "Does this (creation) have any value or worth?" It's value and worth that are absolutely contextual (in the eye of the beholder, as it were), not the creation. 

Do you believe in luck? I roleplay, which means that I have experience with rolling dice as a means of deciding the fates and fortunes of imaginary characters. I've also lived in Las Vegas, which means that experience with rolling dice as a means of deciding the fates and fortunes of real people, too. What I've learned is that, whatever role randomness may play in the universe, it does not act entirely independent of the people around it. Just ask Kelly, who won every time she gave me money to gamble on her behalf (even though I, myself, never won more than $200 during the entire 6+ years I lived in Sin City), or Indigo Frostfoot who, almost every single time monsters would attack, would succumb to paralysis as a result of poor die rolls (no matter who rolled the dice).

In your opinion, what makes a great relationship? The great triumvirate of Communication, Trust and Compromise. All relationships are made greater (or lesser) by how much and how well these three qualities work together.

What's a song that always makes you happy when you hear it? To answer this question I decided to scroll through my Walkman's playlist until I found a song that made me smile. The first one to come up? "I'm Alright [the theme from Caddyshack]" by Kenny Loggins. The gopher gets me every time!

Where were you yesterday? I spent all day at Wayfarer House doing domestica and working on a couple of publications that need finishing (more on those later). The real news came the day before.  The girls and I walked downtown  -- and discovered that Myryah has come back! Myryah is an alumna from *ahem* years ago who is known for fading in and out of the Wayfarer House universe. I'm excited to sit down with her and find out all that's been happening to her since we saw her last!

What's the worst injury you've ever had? My gallbladder nearly killed me, but that's not an injury in the normal sense of the term. The spinal injury I received from when I was run over by a lime green Porsche while training outside of Las Vegas still gives me lingering pain almost every day, some 20 years later.

Do you have any obsessions right now? I seem to be all about the eating of food, but that's normal for this time of year.  Damn you, Wintertime!

Ever had a rumor spread about you? Oh, for sure! In fact, there are probably 3 spreading about me right now. It's the necessary consequence of working where I do, how I do, with the level of students I do. I wonder what the rumors are, though.  Would anyone care to share?

Do you believe in real magic? The only difference between magic and science is whether you know how it works. I enjoy the mental imagery of the mystical, and I'm perfectly comfortable with the idea that I don't know how it all works, but I try not to be afraid of what I don't know or understand.

Do you ever hold grudges against people who have done you wrong? Truly, no. Life's too short, for one thing. I've also found that doing so gets in the way of understanding an essential truth:  The vast majority of people are just trying to make their way in the world like I am. Although they may not make decisions I appreciate, it's much easier to anticipate and adapt than to attach negative emotion to them.

What's your favorite (non-pet) animal? I'm fascinated by all the big animals of foreign lands -- giraffes, jaguars, pandas, kangaroos. Oh, and moose. Moose are the most gangly, ungainly, ridiculous looking things, and yet they are among the most elegant creatures in our part of the world.

What is your secret weapon to get people to like you? Humor and approachable conversation work well for me. I strive to use these in other cultures as well, but must often settle for humility and embarrassment when it's discovered that I'm American.

Where is your best friend? Right now, she's at a PTO meeting, but she said she'd be back by the girls' bedtime.