What’s the one luxury you can’t live without?
Well…. I have done without lots of different things in the course of my life – some luxuries, some necessities.
I can honestly say that there isn’t a luxury I can’t live without. In some cases, would it suck? Would I bitch and complain for a bit? Absolutely. But my mind and my body are fully capable of adapting, and I would survive, and still be breathing to conquer the problem a different day. And that is the key.
Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?
Yes, but it depends on what part of childhood. When I was very young, my favorite book was The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In my early teen years, which I would still consider childhood, it was The Mists of Avalon.
What quality do you value most in a friend?
My father gave me a piece of advice when I was younger. He said that you should be able to count the number of true friends you have on one hand, and have fingers to spare. If you can’t, some of those people are not actually your friend.
I have never been a person to have a ton of friends, in part because I’m simply a strange little introvert and a complete nerd.
There are two qualities that I value most in a friend, and I cannot assign more value to one than the other – they are equally important to me. The first is the ability to listen without judgement. Sometimes, that is far more helpful than any words of wisdom the person could offer. The second is the ability and willingness to call me out on my own bullshit if I’m being an asshole. Compassionately, of course, but still.
Do you have any collections?
Yes.
I have a tendency to collect various mugs or travel cups, some with sayings printed on them, some without. I don’t know why, I just like them. They are spiffy, and they make me smile.
Beyond that, the only other thing I really collect is my own writings and drawings, and implements used to create them. I have an insane amount of notebooks, drawing pads, post-it notes and random stray papers. I also have boxes of my favorite pen, and a small plastic set of drawers on my drawing desk filled with pencils, colored pencils, pencil lead, and charcoal. Not to mention all the files I have on my computer or online with my creations.
List your top 5 favorite fruits.
Pineapple
Cantaloupe
Cherries
Red Grapes
Strawberries
Not too much to say here. The list is the list. Watermelon is a very close runner up.
Have a great night!
What public figure do you disagree with the most?
There are a lot of interesting answers about non-political figures, some addressing particular things the person said. There are also a fair amount of political responses.
In any case, it is basically impossible to answer this question, especially in the current day and age of PR firms, speech writers, and people who give “talking points” to these public figures. I don’t know, nor have I had a conversation with, any of these people. I don’t know what they truly think or what their reasoning is, or the motivation behind their public actions.
Give me a topic, and I can tell you what I do or don’t agree with. But a person…? No. I can’t make that kind of statement without knowing them or their logic.
What’s a job you would like to do for just one day?
This one is so tempting.
I’m going to make the assumption that I will magically have any and all knowledge necessary to not hurt someone out of ignorance about the job or task at hand. That said….
I would choose to be a trauma/emergency surgeon for a day. That was my initial dream career when I graduated high school, so I’d spend a day doing that to gain some insight as to what my life may have been like.
Some honorable mentions:
– Researcher at CERN (for obvious reasons)
– A think tank staff member – that has to be an amazing learning experience!
There are others, but it would take more than a day to see results or have a truly meaningful experience.
List the people you admire and look to for advice…
These two things are not necessarily the same. I can admire someone and still have reasons not to look to them for advice on certain topics. I can also appreciate someone’s knowledge of a particular subject, seek them out for advice on that topic, but not necessarily admire them in a general sense. That said, here is my list of those I both admire and seek advice from:
My father
My grandmother
My husband
My dear friends, whom I will call T and M.
My mentor
As a side note, I feel compelled to speak specifically to the admiration portion of this, as I believe it carries more weight. I admire any person who struggles with and/or wades through piles of shit and does not allow that shit to contaminate their spirit. I admire anyone who has wrestled with their own darkness and come out shining brighter than before. I admire those who can start with nothing and build their dreams from a foundation of tenacity and grit.
And that, my darlings, is that.
Have a great night!
When do you feel most productive?
At work, I feel most productive when left alone with the data, my thoughts and music. Give me the problem details, the parameters for the solution, names of who to contact if I have questions about the data, and then leave me alone.
In my personal life, again, I feel most productive when I am left alone with music to get whatever task done.
Collaboration of any kind is fine, I can play well with others. Team player and all that jazz. But, if it’s crunch time and shit that I am responsible for needs to happen asap? Just leave me be – whatever needs to happen will happen.
What topics do you like to discuss?
Anything math or science related, essentially. I’m not keen on politics or history, but just about anything else is fine.
My favorite topics are physics/astronomy, philosophy, or human biology/medical stuff.
And as a side note, I like to discuss these topics, not listen to someone spout about why their views are right and everyone else who doesn’t share those views is wrong. I aim to understand things, not to blindly accept someone else’s truth. If you’re not willing to entertain questions, I may not be the person to talk to. Just sayin.
A Peculiar Cerebral Tangle 