An Attempt At Levity

[yolland]

I know BonosSaint already has a thread of this type going, but since it's a slow day around here I'll go ahead and throw one out too.

1) Which FYMer would you most like to tag along with through a typical day? (nothing voyeuristic here --I mean just to see them in their element)
2) If you could invite any 3 historical or contemporary figures over for dinner, who would they be?
3) What one place on earth would you most like to visit and why?
4) What is your earliest memory?
5) Who is/was the bravest person you ever knew and why?
6) What were the best and worst books you read in the last year? (last few if you're not a big reader)
7) What for you is the hardest thing about growing up and growing older?
8) What's your idea of the perfect meal?
9) Describe the type of community you'd most like to live in.
10) What everyday skill most makes you feel like an idiot because you just can't seem to get it right?
11) What's your most valued possession? (not counting people)
12) What were the best and worst movies you ever saw?
13) What was the last thing that made you laugh really hard?
14) If you could take a year off from work or school to study one subject of your choice in depth, what would it be? (doesn't have to be anything academic)
15) What are your most and least favorite things about your job or school?
16) What's the worst advice anyone ever gave you?
17) What was your all-time favorite FYM thread?

 

[BVS]

1) Too many to answer...
2) Jesus, Ghandi, and George Bush
3) Ireland
4) Cut my forehead open on the fireplace, I was only 18 months.
5) My Grandmother. She out lived her husband, 2 sons, all her siblings, and friends...and was still one of the most positive persons I've ever known.
6) I haven't read a bad one, I usually put them down when they start getting bad.
7) Losing youth...
8) Anything with good wine and friends.
9) Never really thought about it.
10) Spelling.
11) My guitar.
12) Can't answer.
13) I made a joke, not even that funny, but it made beer come out of my friend's nose...and that was funny.
14) Life, I'm considering taking time off and going on tour opening for one of my friends...
15) Independent schedule but sometimes can be dull.
16) Don't do it.
17) I'm sure it had to do with breasts.

 

[SunBloc]

1) Which FYMer would you most like to tag along with through a typical day? (nothing voyeuristic here --I mean just to see them in their element) I'm kind of new to FYM. Everybody looks really interesting here.
2) If you could invite any 3 historical or contemporary figures over for dinner, who would they be? MLK, Mother Theresa, and Bono in a Fly Suit.
3) What one place on earth would you most like to visit and why? Venice - There is so many layers of beauty there.
4) What is your earliest memory? Wanting out of my crib.
5) Who is/was the bravest person you ever knew and why? My mother. She was a single mother with 4 kids & no money. Raised us all as best as she could. All 4 graduated from college & are good people.
6) What were the best and worst books you read in the last year? (last few if you're not a big reader) If you have a book recommdation, let me know - haven't read any good ones lately. The one I was really disappointed in lately is The Da Vinci Code.
7) What for you is the hardest thing about growing up and growing older? Time goes by way too fast when you're having fun!
8) What's your idea of the perfect meal? Shrimp & grits, collard greens, black-eyed peas, banana pudding, and sweet tea.(I am from the South)
9) Describe the type of community you'd most like to live in. Near the beach!
10) What everyday skill most makes you feel like an idiot because you just can't seem to get it right? Making small talk!
11) What's your most valued possession? (not counting people) iPod
12) What were the best and worst movies you ever saw? Best-comedies, in general. Worst, anything with Tom Cruise or Richard Gere as the leading man!
13) What was the last thing that made you laugh really hard? My family makes me laugh. I could write a book....
14) If you could take a year off from work or school to study one subject of your choice in depth, what would it be? (doesn't have to be anything academic) Cooking or boating
15) What are your most and least favorite things about your job or school? Routines get boring
16) What's the worst advice anyone ever gave you? Worst - "It's a private school. It has to be better than a public one." VERY BEST - my grandmother told me not to wait too long to have a child. She knew that they are a precious gift!
17) What was your all-time favorite FYM thread?: Since I am kind of new, I'll let you know later.

Yolland - Phew! This was a lot of work!!

 

[aislinn]

1) Which FYMer would you most like to tag along with through a typical day? (nothing voyeuristic here --I mean just to see them in their element)

U2Democrat; she is very kind and seems like she would be a lot of fun to hang out with

2) If you could invite any 3 historical or contemporary figures over for dinner, who would they be?

JFK
Bono
Jesus

3) What one place on earth would you most like to visit and why?

Ireland--not just for U2 stuff; I've wanted to visit there since before I was a fan. It's a beautiful country and the people are friendly

4) What is your earliest memory?

Waking up from a nightmare as a baby. I was still in a crib and was convinced there was something on the floor that would get me.

5) Who is/was the bravest person you ever knew and why?

My mother. She raised me alone and went through a lot to be where she is now.

6) What were the best and worst books you read in the last year? (last few if you're not a big reader)

Better books--The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel and The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

Worst book--The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

7) What for you is the hardest thing about growing up and growing older?

No more excuses.

8) What's your idea of the perfect meal?

Lots of different textures and flavors. Good wine. Rich dessert.

9) Describe the type of community you'd most like to live in.

Peaceful, green, and not too many children running around.

10) What everyday skill most makes you feel like an idiot because you just can't seem to get it right?

Small talk.

11) What's your most valued possession? (not counting people)

My U2 scrapbooks.

12) What were the best and worst movies you ever saw?

Best--This is difficult to narrow down. I enjoy Alfred Hitchcock's movies a great deal, so any of his.

Worst--Again, difficult to say. Maybe National Treasure? Cabin Fever?

13) What was the last thing that made you laugh really hard?

Watching my dog chase his tail.

14) If you could take a year off from work or school to study one subject of your choice in depth, what would it be? (doesn't have to be anything academic)

Irish history, for my MA.

15) What are your most and least favorite things about your job or school?

Most--it's detail-oriented.

Worst--the pay

16) What's the worst advice anyone ever gave you?

I don't usually listen to advice, so I can't remember.

17) What was your all-time favorite FYM thread?

The Bush Impeachment thread.

 

[BonosSaint]

Oh, fun!

1. Tag along:

Irvine, because I'm a city child and don't know his city
well at all, so he could introduce me to the DC the tourists
don't see. Maybe we could continue one of those
philosophical discussions both of us start that always get
derailed. Besides, somebody's got to meet the BF.

Wanderer, because I haven't been able to imagine what
his day is like--he keeps himself private--although I think I'll
skip out on the Star Trek part of it.

Mrs. Springsteen cause she's a joy.

2. Dinner guests:

Anne Boleyn, Stephen Stills, Thomas Jefferson.

3. Place to visit

Russia. It's part of my ethnic background and I am
amazed at the passion and the insight of their arts.

4. I must have been about three. I remember my house,
then (I think) and the neighbors.

5. Bravest person:

My best friend. She's gone through so much disappointment
and loss and still she can exhibit such a pleasure in life. She
keeps her heart open even when she's been given so many
reasons not to.

6. Best book:

Letting Go--Philip Roth, The Brothers K : David James Duncan

Worst book:

If I can't get interested in the first few chapters, I don't read
it.

7. Hardest thing about growing up and older

Starting to lose my belief in things, my dreams, my sense
of invulnerability. Things seem much harder now.
(Not to mention aches and pains you didn't get in your 20's)

8. Perfect meal. Linguini with red clam sauce. Cheese
and a salad and Merlot afterwards.

9. Community: A little boheme, but not insufferably so.

10. Everyday skill: I'm a terrified driver. If I don't know
where I'm going I don't drive. Stops me from a ton of
things. Everybody makes it look so easy.

11. Most valued possession: Keith Hernandez game used
bat. My Neil Young bootlegs.

12. Best movie: Godfather II, Midnight Cowboy. A lot of
others.
Worst move: Zacharia and Sleepless in Seattle--I wanted
to push the kid off the Empire State Building. I saw it
on a bus and I was throwing the popcorn I'd bought for
the way home at the screen.

13. Laugh really hard.
A private joke. I couldn't explain it.

14. Year off of work:

Learn to speak another language fluently--Central American
Spanish or Russian--or give myself a year of uninterrupted
writing, to see if I could finally put something together.

15. Favorite thing about job: Putting the pieces of the work
puzzle together and finally having it all click into place.
Worst thing about job: Insufficient credit for the things
I do really well. And the people who don't do their end
of their jobs.

16. What's the worst advice?

Anything that started with "You should." Actually, being
told to be practical and to keep my feelings private. I
learned the lesson too well--even learned to keep them
from myself.

17. Favorite thread: I have a terrible memory.

Thanks, Yolland. I enjoyed that.

 

[the rockin edge]

this thread is probably meant for people who are FYMers, but time spent lurking in FYM should count towards that right?




anyway...

1) plenty of interesting people here for sure...i'd pick deep or VertigoGal.
2) Jesus, Abe Lincoln & probably Julias Caeser
3) hmm, so many places...probably Mt Kilimanjaro.
4) i think it's staying in farmhouse on holiday when i was 2.
5) not sure
6) i rarely ever read books
7) probably that stuff loses it's innocence.
8) pizza, in Italy.
9) not really sure.
10) meeting people, making contact.
11) my guitars
12) too many to narrow that one down.
13) an IM conversation, i think.
14) music or the world, by travelling through it.
15) i control my schedule...but it doesn't make me enough money.
16) stay here, you've got it made for you. this stuff you're talking about doing is crazy.
17) that "state of the union watch" thread this year was good, i actually came out of lurking in that one


__________________

 

[verte76]

1.Which FYMer would you tag along with on a typical day? deep.
I think we have alot in common.
2. Bono, Vaclav Havel and Mikhail Gorbechev.
3. Istanbul
4. Seeing my great-grandmother on her deathbed. I was four.
5. One of my younger sisters. She became a dancer in New York City and has been putting up with bad reviews for eons.
6. Best Book: Reading Lolita in Tehran. I haven't read one I really hate so I'll leave out worst.
7. Losing older loved ones.
8. Spinach pie, baklava dessert, mint iced tea to drink
9. Quiet and private
10. Small talk
11. My U2 memorabilia.
12. Best movie: Name of the Rose
Worst movie: Gone With the Wind
13. A joke bottle of soap that supposedly helped me clean off my sins
14. Turkish caravanserais (old inns for merchant caravans)
15. The thing I like most is having someone buy my paintings. The thing I hate most is getting rejected for exhibitions.
16. Worst advice? Any of the idiotic stuff about me not needing a therapist. I've heard it, too!
17. The "ask the (fill in the blank)" series. I learned all sorts of things about the people who post here.

 

[U2democrat]

1) Which FYMer would you most like to tag along with through a typical day? (nothing voyeuristic here --I mean just to see them in their element)
there are SO many...Irvine, deep, A_wanderer to name a few

2) If you could invite any 3 historical or contemporary figures over
for dinner, who would they be?
Tim Kaine
Bono
Robert Kennedy
(Three Irish Catholics...that could get interesting!)

3) What one place on earth would you most like to visit and why?
Ireland...my ancestory, U2, it just seems like a fascinating place

4) What is your earliest memory?
Depending on the timeline...I can't remember which came first...finding a huge snake in the house or dislocating my elbow. Both very frightening memories

5) Who is/was the bravest person you ever knew and why?
Grandfather on my mom's side-was always short and skinny but he held his own in the coast guard during WWII, was a butcher for 50 years who carried around hunks of meat bigger than himself, a staunch democrat amidst deep red republican territory, and at age 90 despite his blindness keeps his sharp wit and humor.


6) What were the best and worst books you read in the last year? (last few if you're not a big reader)
One of the worst-"Journey to the East" Herman Hesse
One of the best-Beowulf-anonymous

7) What for you is the hardest thing about growing up and growing older?
As I am still in the process of growing up...I would say fear and excitement about my impending adulthood.


8) What's your idea of the perfect meal?
Homemade lasagna, garlic bread, and a delicious chocolate cake for dessert.

9) Describe the type of community you'd most like to live in.
An urban setting, preferably some chic apartment in either downtown Richmond or Washington DC.

10) What everyday skill most makes you feel like an idiot because you just can't seem to get it right?
The simplest math...addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc. Numbers just boggle my mind


11) What's your most valued possession? (not counting people)
Does my cat count? Actually she owns me. As for actual material possessions, probably my collection of photos of me with various politicians.

12) What were the best and worst movies you ever saw?
Best-there are SO many...it depends on the mood...
Worst-the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

13) What was the last thing that made you laugh really hard?
Watching the Simpsons earlier...a quote from Mayor Quimby (my favorite character) "People, please! We're all frightened and horny. But we can't let can't let some killer dolphins keep us from living and scoring."

14) If you could take a year off from work or school to study one subject of your choice in depth, what would it be? (doesn't have to be anything academic)
campaigns and elections...i'll be taking that class in a couple of semesters, i absolutely cannot wait.

15) What are your most and least favorite things about your job or school?
Most favorite-the independence, freedom
Least favorite-the temptation to procrastinate and the panic as the hours wind down as papers are due and tests arrive

16) What's the worst advice anyone ever gave you?
"Turn there"-while driving...ended up being one of the most terrifying nights of my life.

17) What was your all-time favorite FYM thread?
The thread dedicated entirely to drooling over John Edwards in 2004...it was fun, funny, and hot

 

[yolland]

1) Which FYMer would you most like to tag along with through a typical day?
Probably Dreadsox, to see him interacting with the kids and teachers. Though I'd also be curious to find out if A_W is that outspoken in geology class too .
2) If you could invite any 3 historical or contemporary figures over for dinner, who would they be?
Depends on what kind of evening I wanted. For a memorable argument on The Big Questions I'd pick Jesus, the Buddha and Abraham Joshua Heschel. But if I was really feeling sadistic, I'd invite Allan Bloom, Jacques Derrida and Camille Paglia over and watch them go at each other's throats while I smiled affably and offered more wine.
3) What one place on earth would you most like to visit and why?
I'd love to see more of China--I've been to Beijing and Shanghai, but that only left me hungry for more. Beautiful countryside, a fantastically long and rich history, and staggering human diversity.
4) What is your earliest memory?
When my older brother ate bleach and had to have his stomach pumped.
5) Who is/was the bravest person you ever knew and why?
My mother, primarily because she raised her two remaining at-home kids thoroughly right, but all alone and in a strange new place, after my father died suddenly and young. And because as a Holocaust survivor she chose to turn her fear and loss into a lifelong commitment to activism on behalf of the marginalized and disenfranchised.
6) What were the best and worst books you read in the last year?
Best: The Dignity of Difference by Jonathan Sacks; worst: The Lexus and the Olive Tree by Thomas Friedman--not poorly written, just facile and disappointing.
7) What for you is the hardest thing about growing up and growing older?
Losing that endless sense of possibility you have when you're in your teens and early twenties. Responsibilities and required qualifications just seem to keep mounting, and while there's always room for change, at some point you do have to accept that you can't go just anywhere, and you can't just recklessly cast off whatever you've established so far simply because you're tired of some aspects of it.
8) What's your idea of the perfect meal?
Anything involving visiting family members, good friends and wine.
9) Describe the type of community you'd most like to live in.
A small, multicultural, friendly college/arts town with wilderness nearby.
10) What everyday skill most makes you feel like an idiot because you just can't seem to get it right?
Handheld can openers.
11) What's your most valued possession? (not counting people)
Some silk prints my father brought back from his trip to India when I was a kid, which my mother framed and gave to me as a wedding present.
12) What were the best and worst movies you ever saw?
Best: Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy, though that's technically three movies. Worst: Caligula.
13) What was the last thing that made you laugh really hard?
Last week my dog tried to break into our daughter's bedroom for some reason, and wound up staggering pathetically into my study for help with an entire toddler gate stuck on his head. I will never forget the look of utter humiliation on his face.
14) If you could take a year off from work or school to study one subject of your choice in depth, what would it be? (doesn't have to be anything academic)
Rescue/advanced first aid training. One of my biggest fears is being caught in or close to a situation where those skills are needed, and not being able to help out for lack of them.
15) What are your most and least favorite things about your job or school?
Most: stimulating interaction with students and other faculty. Least: students who obviously don't care; colleagues and administrators who think themselves above basic civility and other HR "niceties."
16) What's the worst advice anyone ever gave you?
"College is not for you." Said by a condescending old rabbi who taught Government (ha!) at the yeshiva where I finished high school, in explaining why I would never warrant placement in one of his "honors" classes due to my previously poor academic preparation. He mocked my Southern accent in class too. I always try to keep in mind that jerk, and what might've happened if I'd listened to him instead of my English teacher, whenever I'm tempted to just blow off a student whose ultimate potential I doubt.
17) What was your all-time favorite FYM thread?
Erm...probably shouldn't have asked this one, as I'm not sure I can answer it! I do really like most of the "Ask the..." threads I've seen, although their genre was kind of before my time. The Danish cartoons thread has had some really interesting exchanges. And most any of the longer politics-of-education threads we've had--those are always full of interesting personal insights. Also, I loved the "What's Your Expertise?" thread. In general, almost any thread that really gets people to slow down and think and reflect on their own relevant experiences and past stances is one I will remember fondly.

 

[A_Wanderer]

1) Which FYMer would you most like to tag along with through a typical day? (nothing voyeuristic here --I mean just to see them in their element)
U2Democrat, it could work

2) If you could invite any 3 historical or contemporary figures over for dinner, who would they be?
Benjamin Disraeli, Charles Darwin and Roy Chapman Andrews.

3) What one place on earth would you most like to visit and why?
The Gobi Desert seems interesting enough

4) What is your earliest memory?
I don't remember

5) Who is/was the bravest person you ever knew and why?
Nobody really comes to mind

6) What were the best and worst books you read in the last year? (last few if you're not a big reader)
From Russia with Love was a bit of fun, Dinosuar Encyclopedia was also great, I can't really thiink of any totally engrossing books books that I have read this year.

7) What for you is the hardest thing about growing up and growing older?
I can't think of anything, the only bad thing is when growing older is detrimental to skill.

8) What's your idea of the perfect meal?
Anything tastes great after a hard days work outside

9) Describe the type of community you'd most like to live in.
A frontier of some type

10) What everyday skill most makes you feel like an idiot because you just can't seem to get it right?
Don't know yet

11) What's your most valued possession? (not counting people)
My ever growing personal library.

12) What were the best and worst movies you ever saw?
Favourite would be Jurassic Park- bearing in mind that favourite is not objectively the best or greatest - worst would be Battlefield Earth.

13) What was the last thing that made you laugh really hard?
The Grand Mufti of Egypt issuing a fatwa against statues.

14) If you could take a year off from work or school to study one subject of your choice in depth, what would it be? (doesn't have to be anything academic)
Some of the great specimens coming out of Liaoning province in China.[/i]

15) What are your most and least favorite things about your job or school?
Favourite would be palaeontolgy and or biology. Least favourite would be structural geology.

16) What's the worst advice anyone ever gave you?
I don't recall

17) What was your all-time favorite FYM thread?
MoToons

 

[Irvine511]

1) Which FYMer would you most like to tag along with through a typical day? (nothing voyeuristic here --I mean just to see them in their element)

ack, so hard, as there are so many people i am dying to know what they actually look like to see if they match up with the dreams they keep invading (Yolland, Dread, i am looking in your direction) as well as the people i spend the most time debating with (you know who you are ), however, if you held a gun to my head and screamed, "choose one!" i'd be forced to say joyfulgirl, if for no other reason than i want to go to that chic Japanese spa in Santa Fe with her and her adoring cadre of gay men and listen to her stories of meeting various literati as well as witness her famous Nancy Grace impersonation.

2) If you could invite any 3 historical or contemporary figures over for dinner, who would they be?

oh, um, uh, i dunno ... Thomas Pynchon, the Buddah, and Winston Churchill. i'd be serving whiskey.

3) What one place on earth would you most like to visit and why?

Australia -- have been fascinated since i was a child, the scenery looks mindblowing, Sydney looks like one of the most beautiful cities on earth, i think we'd find interesting parallels between the mythology of the Old West and the mythology of the Outback, i love to SCUBA dive, and surf/boogeyboard and any thing else beach-related, aboriginal culture and concepts of "Dreamtime" seem fascinating, etc.

4) What is your earliest memory?

standing on my father's feet as we walked around the kitchen together, giggling uncontrollably and marveling at his size 13 feet.

5) Who is/was the bravest person you ever knew and why?

my Uncle Steve -- did 3 tours of duty in Vietnam, and just died of brain cancer.

6) What were the best and worst books you read in the last year? (last few if you're not a big reader)

hmmm ... have been really into non-fiction these days, and nothing has blown my mind, but i really enjoyed Under the Banner of Heaven, and i'm really enjoying some Tich Naht Hahn these days, especially No Fear, No Death.

i don't read bad books. seriously. can't think of a book i finished that i hated ... though i wasn't crazy about Empire Falls, but read that a couple of years ago.

7) What for you is the hardest thing about growing up and growing older?

that you can never go back, there's no rewind button.

8) What's your idea of the perfect meal?

any meal that achieves it's objective superbly. i can enjoy a perfect grilled cheese sandwich just as much as i can enjoy a basque-influenced 5 course meal in southwest France as i can enjoy a Moroccan tajine as much as i can enjoy the best sushi restaurant in Manhattan (or Tokyo, don't know, haven't been).

9) Describe the type of community you'd most like to live in.

pretty close to perfect now -- major coastal city in a slightly lower density neighborhood with a funky high street a 5 minute walk away, and an 8 minute walk to the metro. lots of funky neighbors with varying degrees of sanity, equal parts hippies, yuppies, gay men, long-time residents, interracial couples, etc. in a "transitional" neighborhood that retains just enough grime and grit to keep it real. everyone in the immediate area knows each other and plays Scrabble on the porch in the summer and generally looks out for one another -- people wonder what kind of a commune i've joined when they visit me.

10) What everyday skill most makes you feel like an idiot because you just can't seem to get it right?

read a map. i have no sense of direction. also, do one thing at a time.

11) What's your most valued possession? (not counting people)

photos, which actually are irreplacable, followed by my iPod.

12) What were the best and worst movies you ever saw?

worst: Greystroke, The Legend of Tarzan the Lord of the Apes; Batman and Robin

best: so hard to choose ... E.T., Goodfellas, Godfather 2, Brokeback Mountain, Darwin's Nightmare (there, that's 5)

13) What was the last thing that made you laugh really hard?

explaining to one of my housemate's friends just how weird the neighborhood is -- there's only one neighbor who actually scares me, and he's obsessed with the bulldogs in the house. he also teaches 2nd grade at some Catholic School in PG County. he wrote report cards for the two dogs and put them in the mail. it was so demented, and so scary, and so just-what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-this-guy, that we laughed until tears ran down our cheeks.

14) If you could take a year off from work or school to study one subject of your choice in depth, what would it be? (doesn't have to be anything academic)

i'd move to Morocco and do a North African cultural immersion project that would incorporate foreign language study (French, Arabic), literature (Camus, clearly), history (esp. colonialism), and art history.

15) What are your most and least favorite things about your job or school?

most: it is a creative job, and my abilities are much appreciated (if under used)

least: office politics

16) What's the worst advice anyone ever gave you?

"apply to more safety schools."

17) What was your all-time favorite FYM thread?

i'd have to say the "Ask the Homo" thread -- very important for me, and i thank everyone who participated.

 

[coemgen]

1) Which FYMer would you most like to tag along with through a typical day?
NBCrusader, Irvine 511
2) If you could invite any 3 historical or contemporary figures over for dinner, who would they be?
Jesus, Bono and Mr. Rogers
3) What one place on earth would you most like to visit and why?
Ireland, again
4) What is your earliest memory?
Being formed in my mother's womb.
5) Who is/was the bravest person you ever knew and why?
My wife — to many demons to battle.
6) What were the best and worst books you read in the last year? (last few if you're not a big reader)
Best: "God's Politics" by Jim Wallis. Worst: ?
7) What for you is the hardest thing about growing up and growing older?
Seeing my parents get older.
8) What's your idea of the perfect meal?
One that tastes good and fills me up.
9) Describe the type of community you'd most like to live in.
A safe one.
10) What everyday skill most makes you feel like an idiot because you just can't seem to get it right?
time management
11) What's your most valued possession? (not counting people)
photos
12) What were the best and worst movies you ever saw?
Best: too many to choose from Worst: "Wagons East"
13) What was the last thing that made you laugh really hard?
My 2-year-old son going to my parent's fridge and grabbing a slice of cheese to hand to my wife for her birthday. He thought it was cheesecake.
14) If you could take a year off from work or school to study one subject of your choice in depth, what would it be? (doesn't have to be anything academic)
religion
15) What are your most and least favorite things about your job or school?
The slow days.
16) What's the worst advice anyone ever gave you?
I honestly can't think of anything at the moment. I'll get back to you.
17) What was your all-time favorite FYM thread?
I appreciate the good discussions involving faith and Christianity. The "ask a __" threads were fun, too.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

1) Which FYMer would you most like to tag along with through a typical day? (nothing voyeuristic here --I mean just to see them in their element)

many, I don't want to single any out but just to name a couple-Bonos Saint cause we have gotten to know each other a little better through e-mail and I feel comfortable with her

dandy, cause she's an absolute doll and has always been so nice to me




2) If you could invite any 3 historical or contemporary figures over for dinner, who would they be? Martin Luther King, President Kennedy, Bruce

3) What one place on earth would you most like to visit and why? Italy-to see The Vatican and other things

4) What is your earliest memory? maybe kindergarten, I don't know


5) Who is/was the bravest person you ever knew and why? My Grandmother who died when I was very young, she suffered physically but always gave me so much unconditional love and was just the kindest, gentlest soul

6) What were the best and worst books you read in the last year? (last few if you're not a big reader) Tuesdays with Morrie, What Remains, It's Not About The Bike-best I enjoyed Conversations With Bono too. Worst- I don't know, if I had read an Ann Coulter book that would be it

I really need to read more

7) What for you is the hardest thing about growing up and growing older?

regrets, wasted time, fear of the future, rejection-especially as a woman and getting older, it's just a tough thing in this culture


8) What's your idea of the perfect meal?

chocolate


9) Describe the type of community you'd most like to live in.
any place where I am totally free to be myself and I feel accepted

10) What everyday skill most makes you feel like an idiot because you just can't seem to get it right?

computers

11) What's your most valued possession? (not counting people)
a gold cross that belonged to my Grandmother


12) What were the best and worst movies you ever saw?

that is too tough, I would have to think about that for a long time

13) What was the last thing that made you laugh really hard? someone on an airplane who really stunk up the bathroom. Oy

14) If you could take a year off from work or school to study one subject of your choice in depth, what would it be? (doesn't have to be anything academic)

photography or zoology

15) What are your most and least favorite things about your job or school?

freedom, boredom

16) What's the worst advice anyone ever gave you?

not advice but just saying so many bad things to and about me that I still struggle to deal with on a daily basis

17) What was your all-time favorite FYM thread? it's all just a blur right now

 

[DrTeeth]

1) Which FYMer would you most like to tag along with through a typical day? (nothing voyeuristic here --I mean just to see them in their element)
Sulawesigirl, Dandy, Beli, Angela Harlem, the list is endless.

2) If you could invite any 3 historical or contemporary figures over for dinner, who would they be?
Leonardo Da Vinci, Desiderius Erasmus, Anne Frank

3) What one place on earth would you most like to visit and why?
Anywhere near the Arctic circle, as long as it's cold!

4) What is your earliest memory?
When I got my boot stuck between the spokes of the bicycle wheel on the way to my first day at Kindergarten.

5) Who is/was the bravest person you ever knew and why?
My mom, she has come such a long way.

6) What were the best and worst books you read in the last year? (last few if you're not a big reader)
best: Sophie's World
worst: Tom Clancy's SSN (booooring)

7) What for you is the hardest thing about growing up and growing older?
The transition from being taken care of by your parent, to having to take care of them.

8) What's your idea of the perfect meal?
Food doesn't do much for me. I guess something that's healthy and tastes great (and preferable cooked and served by someone else )

9) Describe the type of community you'd most like to live in.
Diverse historical city that's big enough for me to stay anonymous. Good access to public transport is a must.

10) What everyday skill most makes you feel like an idiot because you just can't seem to get it right?
Tying my shoelaces, you won't believe how often I get that wrong. I'm also unable to use adhesive tape in a productive manner.

11) What's your most valued possession? (not counting people)
My computer and cds.

12) What were the best and worst movies you ever saw?
best: Das Boot
worst: none of the Batman movies has ever lived up to its potential

13) What was the last thing that made you laugh really hard?
Fieldwork with the Russian student who was complaining about the cold (and was afraid of getting her hands dirty)

14) If you could take a year off from work or school to study one subject of your choice in depth, what would it be? (doesn't have to be anything academic)
Probably doing Archeological fieldwork, or studying medicine. Or philosophy!

15) What are your most and least favorite things about your job or school?
most favourite: it involves many disciplines and the scale on which you do your research can vary from a micro-scale to a global scale.
least favourite: being subjected to some of the prejudices some people have towards (environmental) scientists.

16) What's the worst advice anyone ever gave you?
"You have to go and buy a house as soon as possible"

17) What was your all-time favorite FYM thread?
I thought the post 9/11 threads were fascinating. The thread about Diamond's Play-Doh theory was also very interesting.

 

[dandy]

1) Which FYMer would you most like to tag along with through a typical day? (nothing voyeuristic here--I mean just to see them in their element)

Angela Harlem, DrTeef, the lovely MrsSpringsteen.

2) If you could invite any 3 historical or contemporary figures over for dinner, who would they be?

hmm, tough question. Elie Wiesel. Eve Ensler. Louise Arbour.

3) What one place on earth would you most like to visit and why?

first place i'm going when i leave this continent is amsterdam to see the Anne Frank House. after that, the world is my oyster. one of my goals in life is to become a travel junkie.

4) What is your earliest memory?

my dad drinking beer out of a huge mug on new year's eve, right before i turned two.

5) Who is/was the bravest person you ever knew and why?

my friend christine--she's got a free spirit and lives life on her own terms.

6) What were the best and worst books you read in the last year? (last few if you're not a big reader)

best - nabokov's lolita, naomi wolf's misconceptions, azir nafisi's reading lolita in tehran, among others. (i'm a big reader.)

worst - probably naomi klein's no logo.

7) What for you is the hardest thing about growing up and growing older?

becoming aware of my own mortality, watching my parents get older.

8) What's your idea of the perfect meal?

a homemade indian feast, with red wine and good conversation. i'd love to have cheesecake, too, but it's impossible to stuff dessert in on top of all the heavenly indian dishes.

9) Describe the type of community you'd most like to live in.

a city that's big but not too too big, with lots of cultural events going on--museums, theatre, shows, art. socially and culturally aware people. clean, and must be near a sizeable body of water.

10) What everyday skill most makes you feel like an idiot because you just can't seem to get it right?

definitely small talk and phone calls.

11) What's your most valued possession? (not counting people)

aside from my brain and my health, my book collection.

12) What were the best and worst movies you ever saw?

best is a toss up between the pianist and life is beautiful.

the worst? the matrix revolutions and training day. four hours of my life i'll never get back.

13) What was the last thing that made you laugh really hard?

random things entertain me to no end.

14) If you could take a year off from work or school to study one subject of your choice in depth, what would it be? (doesn't have to be anything academic)

i'd go get my masters in international human rights law somewhere in europe.

15) What are your most and least favorite things about your job or school?

most favourite: great staff, interesting work, realizing that i actually know stuff.

least favourite: other lawyers.

16) What's the worst advice anyone ever gave you?

various forms of me needing to change who i am to live up to someone else's ideals of who i should be.

17) What was your all-time favorite FYM thread?

probably Sula's ask the peace corps volunteer in Mali thread.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Life Is Beautiful is the perfect choice

And you are lovely too miss dandy not that I agree that I'm lovely but you know what I mean..

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I have some, I hope you don't mind yolland

1. Have you been successful so far in any of your New Years Resolutions, if you made any?

2. Name a quote you read/heard recently that has stayed in your mind

3. Do you judge people by the friends they have, the company they keep?

4. "emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
none but ourselves can free our minds" -what is your definition of mental slavery?

5. What things that other people do to you hurt you the most?

6. When you make mistakes in any sort of relationships with other people, do you shrug it off easily or does it haunt you/do you obsess on it? Do you learn from those mistakes or do you keep repeating them?

7. When someone is emotionally vulnerrable with you- really bares their soul and trusts you with private thoughts and emotions, do you embrace that or does it scare you off?

8. Is your glass half full or half empty?

9. What would you like written on your tombstone? What songs do you want at your funeral if you want one?

10. What was the last thing that made you cry?

 

[U2democrat]

1. Have you been successful so far in any of your New Years Resolutions, if you made any? I didn't make any because I knew I'd forget them.

2. Name a quote you read/heard recently that has stayed in your mind. "I will vote against the marriage amendment in November, and I urge other Virginians to vote against it as well,” Governor Kaine said. (talking about voting against the gay marriage ban)

3. Do you judge people by the friends they have, the company they keep? In some instances yes.

4. "emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
none but ourselves can free our minds" -what is your definition of mental slavery? Being closed minded, arrogant...listening to no one but yourself.

5. What things that other people do to you hurt you the most? It's not really intentional...but when my friends are with their boyfriends and they're being all lovie dovie and I'm left out...it hurts a lot.

6. When you make mistakes in any sort of relationships with other people, do you shrug it off easily or does it haunt you/do you obsess on it? Do you learn from those mistakes or do you keep repeating them? I generally shrug it off, and I definitely learn.

7. When someone is emotionally vulnerrable with you- really bares their soul and trusts you with private thoughts and emotions, do you embrace that or does it scare you off? I absolutely embrace it.

8. Is your glass half full or half empty? Half full.

9. What would you like written on your tombstone? What songs do you want at your funeral if you want one? "She did well and she did good." I've made it known I want '40' played.

10. What was the last thing that made you cry? I don't cry very often...I came close to crying last night during West Wing

 

[BonosSaint]

1. Well, I'm keeping my New Year's emailing resolution.
Of course, I've been having a good time with it. Have
not been to a pro hockey game yet.
2. Can't think of too many recent quotes (although if you
count the dialogue between Alan Shore and Denny Crane
). But an old quote from John Lennon. He responded
to all the hoopla about the Love Story quote: "Love means
never having to say you're sorry," with the infinitely truer
"Love means having to say you're sorry every five minutes."
That stuck with me.
3. The company they keep is one of the factors I use
when considering a person.
4. Mental slavery is believing what you are told over what
you see. I also consider not questioning your own judgment
a form of mental slavery.
5. If you're a stranger to me, it is difficult for me to be hurt and
I choose my friends well. But I have a few trigger issues.
Being disregarded, maybe the most.
6. If I screw up with someone I am close with, it will trouble
me and is not easy to shrug off. If I screw up with someone
I don't know well, I'll try to make amends. If the amends
aren't accepted, I'll shrug it off. It'll usually take me several
times to learn...but eventually I do.
7. If someone is emotionally vulnerable with me, I am
uncomfortable. I've learned to be less uncomfortable
(See above) but embracing it is not my nature (or my
strength). But if someone can show a sense of humor while
being vulnerable, I'm halfway there.
8. Glass is half empty (and a wonderful quote by a local talk
show host--"I'm always looking to see who's been drinking
out of it.")
9. Tombstone: "She tried" Song: tossup between "Expecting
to Fly" or "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing."
10. Tears from laughter? Lamb--The Gospel According to Biff,
Christ's Childhood Pal." And I am embarassingly prone to
get a lump in my throat during really stupid, manipulative
tearjerking moments in movies, books, etc. I get so pissed
at myself afterwards. Last real cry I had was when my cat
got run over. Other than that, unless I am frustrated or
angry, I don't cry much at all.

Great freakin' questions, Mrs. S.

 

[VertigoGal]

I'm procrastinating at the moment, so I'm going to attempt both.



1) Which FYMer would you most like to tag along with through a typical day? (nothing voyeuristic here --I mean just to see them in their element)

Irvine


2) If you could invite any 3 historical or contemporary figures over for dinner, who would they be?

Joseph Kennedy, Jesus, Johnny Depp

3) What one place on earth would you most like to visit and why?

New Zealand...cheesy music and all, the travel ad I just saw for it on TV brought a tear to my eye. Almost. Looks beautiful.

4) What is your earliest memory?

Seeing my dad cry when his grandma died.

5) Who is/was the bravest person you ever knew and why?

Haven't met one yet, I hope that doesn't come off wrong. (If we're talking people you've met more than once briefly)

6) What were the best and worst books you read in the last year? (last few if you're not a big reader)

worst- Whirligig, Speak (some of those books they make you read at school), the first 100 pages of A Million Little Pieces
best- I enoyed Kite Runner, I haven't read much this year though.

7) What for you is the hardest thing about growing up and growing older?

ermm can I get back to you on that? Honestly nothing yet, at this point for me.

8) What's your idea of the perfect meal?

Burgers at my best friend's house.

9) Describe the type of community you'd most like to live in.

A city. Pretty much anywhere I could live without a car, and where they actually have those miraculous little things called Sidewalks.

10) What everyday skill most makes you feel like an idiot because you just can't seem to get it right?

I always forget to break the Ramen noodles up while they're still in the bag.

11) What's your most valued possession? (not counting people)

My simba stuffed animal I got when I was 3...he's always been there for me, I've pretty much gnawed his tail off over the years and he never complains.

12) What were the best and worst movies you ever saw?

worst- Date Movie
best- I've always liked As Good As It Gets...I'm so critical of movies though, it's honestly hard for me to think of ones that I consider to be more than "pretty good."

13) What was the last thing that made you laugh really hard?

A cartoon my friend drew me of a hypothetical showdown between Chuck Norris and my mysterious landlord with a very interesting single-word name.

14) If you could take a year off from work or school to study one subject of your choice in depth, what would it be? (doesn't have to be anything academic)

Cooking (sudden inspiration)

15) What are your most and least favorite things about your job or school?

(school)
-worst: boring subjects, lecturing teachers, preaching idiots, busywork, too long, the frustration of wasting my precious life away
-best: friends...umm...it's a very nice building.

16) What's the worst advice anyone ever gave you?

"Just try talking to her"

17) What was your all-time favorite FYM thread?

Pretty much any of the "ask a..." threads.

 

[VertigoGal]

1. Have you been successful so far in any of your New Years Resolutions, if you made any?

Didn't make any. I'm perfect, dammit!

2. Name a quote you read/heard recently that has stayed in your mind

Driving by a mega-church getting yet another extension or building added on, we see a bunch of construction workers. My sarcastic little brother puts on a completely earnest face and says "wow, they're really doing the work of the Lord!" Funniest kid ever, well I got a laugh out of it.

3. Do you judge people by the friends they have, the company they keep?

Often yeah...I know it's wrong to, but in most cases I seem to come to the right conclusions anyway.

4. "emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
none but ourselves can free our minds" -what is your definition of mental slavery?

Allowing people or events to determine the type of person you become. Continuing unhealthy cycles, resenting people.

5. What things that other people do to you hurt you the most?

Conditional love.

6. When you make mistakes in any sort of relationships with other people, do you shrug it off easily or does it haunt you/do you obsess on it? Do you learn from those mistakes or do you keep repeating them?

It bugs me a lot, but I tend to repeat them anyway.

7. When someone is emotionally vulnerrable with you- really bares their soul and trusts you with private thoughts and emotions, do you embrace that or does it scare you off?

I like that...I often have to restrain myself from asking too many questions because I like to know why people feel the way they do, it makes it easier to talk to them or sympathize with them.

8. Is your glass half full or half empty?

Depends on the day.

9. What would you like written on your tombstone? What songs do you want at your funeral if you want one?

I don't want a tombstone I don't think...at my funeral I want them to play "Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell" by the Flaming Lips.

10. What was the last thing that made you cry?

Myself I guess...just thinking too much about things I thought I was past.

[/B][/QUOTE]

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I'll answer my own

1. Have you been successful so far in any of your New Years Resolutions, if you made any?

Yes, I stopped biting my nails. As a lifelong nail biter that was huge for me. Haven't been successful in any other resolutions unfortunately.

2. Name a quote you read/heard recently that has stayed in your mind

the quote from Genesis that is on Dr. King's memorial plaque at the Lorraine Motel "they said to one another behold here cometh the dreamer, let us slay him and we shall see what will become of his dreams"



3. Do you judge people by the friends they have, the company they keep?

Yes, if I have a high opinion of someone and learn they are friends with someone I have a really low opinion of, that makes me wonder about them and why they are friends with someone like that. If you don't know a person well, who they are friendly with can tell you so much about them. One thing I really cannot stand is people who can't see the flaws in their friends and who are blindly loyal. Also people who will dislike you just because their friends do. People who sell out their souls just to be popular with their little group. Stuff like that.

4. "emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
none but ourselves can free our minds" -what is your definition of mental slavery?

My definition would include "one hit wonders"-people who are so set in their ways of thinking that they are convinced they are always right, who constantly play the same tune and who refuse to think outside their self created box. Also people who label others and think they know who they are just because they hold certain beliefs and have certain affiliations. That can happen in everyday life, on a message board, whatever. Being wedded to certain ideas and refusing to even consider the alternative. I think being a slave to your ego is the highest form of mental slavery. Allowing yourself to be defined by any one thing.


5. What things that other people do to you hurt you the most?

when people act like they like me then discard me like trash, people who can't deal with my emotions/my emotional honesty, people who are emotionally abusive, when people refuse to make an effort and your relationship with them is all one sided, when people refuse to admit they have hurt me

6. When you make mistakes in any sort of relationships with other people, do you shrug it off easily or does it haunt you/do you obsess on it? Do you learn from those mistakes or do you keep repeating them?

I obsess on it, I try to learn but too often I repeat those mistakes. I blame myself rather than others too, when many times I shouldn't.

7. When someone is emotionally vulnerable with you- really bares their soul and trusts you with private thoughts and emotions, do you embrace that or does it scare you off?

I embrace it, I love it-especially in a man..too hard to find, that is

8. Is your glass half full or half empty?

honestly half empty

9. What would you like written on your tombstone? What songs do you want at your funeral if you want one?

At peace now with God, something like that. 40, Thunder Road, Ave Maria

10. What was the last thing that made you cry?

being under two tornado watches and thinking I could die in that way