24 posts tagged “qotd”
If you knew you had one week to live, what would you do, where would you go, who would you see?
Submitted by normatheartist
I need a little clarification here. How am I going to go? Because this is an important factor. Do I have a disease of some sort? Because if I'm so ill to the point that I have a week to live, my guess is that I'm probably going to be bed-ridden. Or is this one of those weird things where at some point I met a gypsy who let me view my death in a crystal ball, so that I know exactly when/where/how it's going down, but I can't change the outcome. And now there's a week left, and I've had years to come to terms with it ...so what would I do during this last week? OR... are we talking an end of the world type scenario? The asteroid/comet is headed our way, Jesus is back, and any moment now the seas will start boiling?
Just wondering. It kind of makes a difference.
Oddly enough this is a scenario my friends and I have often discussed over a few PBRs at Lula's, and the general consensus is that when the shit hits the fan, we all wanted to be right there with each other and that fantastic jukebox they used to have down there. [Which has since been replaced by a fancy shmancy electronic computerized jukebox. LAME.] When the asteroid hit, we'd all be right there together, dying in the place where we had spent most evenings. And this is either extremely poetic or extremely pathetic, depending on your point of view. [The older and further away from that time in my life I get, the more pathetic it appears, oddly enough. But not so pathetic that I would be the stick in the mud who ruined our last party by not showing up. My guess is that I'll become that stick in the mud eventually, but I probably have at least 15 good years left.]
But I digress.
Let's just go with a compromise here. Because if I'm bed-ridden, what is there to say? Oh, I'll suck some apple sauce through a straw and hallucinate that trolls are doing the Macarena across the ceiling, once the fever kicks in. And if we're talking apocalypse, there probably won't be much to do except head to higher ground and curse one another for not listening to all the greenies when we were originally warned that global warming would destroy us all. So we'll go with the gypsy scenario. I met a psychic when I was on a Big Adventure looking for my bike that was stolen, and before she told me the bike was in the basement of the Alamo, she let me see how/when I was going to die, and now the zero hour is upon me. [Yes, she was wrong about the bike as it turns out, but that's besides the point, as the Alamo didn't have a basement. Oh wait... that wasn't me. Crap. Okay, okay, but the death thing was definitely about me.]
So... what are my plans? [Gosh, it took me a long time to get to the actual answer of this question. I have problems.]
Well, I would have one last marathon sleep, because I really enjoy sleeping, and I don't know what the rules are about sleeping after you're dead. I mean, I know it's the "big sleep," but I doubt it's anything like being in my huge comfy bed. I would sleep for a good 14 or 16 hours, and then probably just stay awake the rest of the time, until the end.
I would make sure to spend quality time with my friends and family, individually, especially Goulah, of course. We'd go to Coney Island, because I've never been. I'd stay up all night talking with my friends and family, saying all the things that I should have probably said when I still had time. [As cliche as that is.] I would drink insane amounts of sweet tea, and gorge on all my favorite things: sushi, crab legs, asparagus, cucumbers, chocolate gelato, mashed potatoes, my grandma's cornbread, blueberries, broccoli smothered in cheese and ranch dressing, goat cheese, Doritos. All at once. With no regard to being full or getting fat. Mmmmm. I'd swim in the ocean one last time. I'd go out one night with my two best friends and stay up all night like we used to and laugh and sing and be stupid. At the end of the week, I'd have a nice, intimate dinner with my immediate family and closest friends. Kind of a like a birthday dinner except... well, a deathday dinner. I'd spend my last evening with Goulah, in our little apartment, where I am so happy. [...Trying to talk him into waiting until after the funeral to start dating again.]
These are probably things I should do anyway, imminent death or not. And there are probably a lot more things I'd want to do as well.
And, let's face facts, I'm probably going to have to work really hard to be cheery that week.
Who is your favorite wizard of all time?
Albus Dumbledore. Not to be too terribly trite, as I'm sure this is a pretty common answer.
And now I'm off to go get my copy of Book Seven, and probably a box of tissues to go along with that.
[Last night I had a terrible dream that I only had exactly enough money to buy Deathly Hallows, and I accidentally picked up the wrong book and purchased it. When I got outside, I realized my mistake and ran back in to exchange it, but they wouldn't exchange it. It was horrifying. And I am really lame.]
What's your musical horoscope? (Put your player on shuffle and write down the first 10 songs that come up.)
Inspired by Stephanie.
- Lovesong - The Cure
- Shellshock - New Order [Truthfully, this is actually one of the few New Order songs I could live without. It's kind of ...oh, what's the word... campy!]
- Alison - Elvis Costello
- Question - Rhett Miller
- Brooklyn - Jesse Malin
- Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head - Sufjan Stevens
- Political Scientist - Ryan Adams
- Pittsfield - Sufjan Stevens
- Venus in Furs - The Velvet Underground
- At the Speed of a Yellow Bullet - Head Automatica
What do these songs say about me? How would this read if it were an actual horoscope in my morning paper?
VIRGO
With the Sun in Pisces today and Venus harmonizing with Saturn, you should find someone to spend some alone time with; they'll make you feel like home. You may have a tendency to lose faith in yourself today, but don't give up. Your aim is true. If someone asks you an important question today, say yes. Virgos living in New York should think about relocating to Brooklyn if things are rocky with your significant other. You are full of great ideas today, Virgo! But remember that there are no guarantees in this life. Don't be afraid of being lazy and tired; definitely try and get some sleep today, a thousand dreams await you. Remember to try and see the truth, even if you feel like your eyes aren't really open.
What did you dream about last night?
I dreamed [doesn't "dreamed" sound stupid? But I'm pretty sure it's grammatically correct] that John and I were being chased by a T-Rex. In Midtown. Someone distracted him and he ran away for a little while, but then he returned. We were trying to outsmart him, but he was one clever T-Rex, and I basically had to force myself to wake up about 5 seconds before he got us.
I have basically been having this same dream over and over since I was about ten years old. Usually once a month or so. The scene and who I am with always varies, but it's pretty consistent other than that. I always wake up convinced there's a T-Rex outside my window and can't get back to sleep for an hour or so.
Apparently I have a very strange, irrational fear of dinosaurs.
If you were told you could relive a moment in your life, which would you choose?
Submitted by Slight Diffusion.
Relive in what way? Do I get to go back and live it all over in the way it happened? Or go back and relive something with the knowledge of the original outcome and the ability to change that outcome the second time around? Go back and change a decision you made? See where you end up? I like this question. I suppose I'll answer it both ways.
If I was going to go back and relive something the way it all happened, just for the sheer enjoyment of that moment, I would probably pick from April to June of 2005. My best friend, Chaundra, and I look three fantastic roadtrips together with hardly any money and had the best time ever.
First we went to Asheville to see Ryan Adams, stopping for a night in Charlotte to stay with her uncle. We coasted into Asheville on fumes, literally, and had pretty much only enough money for gas back the next day. But we had a blast. We saw Ryan Adams, we met some really cool people from Minnesota who we hung out with all night; we just had the best time. A few weeks after that we headed to DC for the same reason [we have a little bit of a thing for Mr. Adams]. It was so hot, and Chaundra's car didn't have AC, and we were stuck in rush hour traffic in 90 degree weather. It was terrible. And hilarious. We stayed at this creepy hostel on a hill in DC for eighteen bucks or something, and spent the next day walking all over the city just looking for something to eat that we could afford. We took our picture in front of the White House.
Shortly after that we spent a few weeks housesitting in New Jersey for a friend of Chaundra's who was going on her honeymoon. We drove to New Jersey all night from North Carolina, trying to keep each other awake. I fell asleep and woke up as we were going over a bridge in Delaware, the sun was coming up and it was so incredible. Then she made me - a born and bred Southerner with a genteel way of driving - drive on the New Jersey turnpike during morning rush hour. We are lucky to be alive. We stayed in a nice little house about 45 minutes from New York City, and took the train into the city almost everyday. That was the first time I ever visited New York; that's when I decided I wanted to move to New York. We got into trouble, but had a fantastic time. We went to some good shows; we met lots of cool people; we went to a carnival in New Jersey and rode the scrambler until we thought we were going to puke. It was an incredible trip.
I look back on those trips so fondly. We were 21 and crazy and broke, and we probably did some stupid things, but it's part of being young and reckless. I know I would never do that now; I'm too settled and calm. I don't party anymore. I could never go back to living like that, nor would I want to. But I wouldn't mind reliving it all again. The good and the bad, because it was an epic adventure.
Now, to answer this question in another way. Suppose I am going back and reliving a moment, aware of what I am reliving, and able to change the outcome. What would I choose then? No contest: I would have stayed in Ireland. I had the oppertunity to stay in Ireland for longer, but chose to come home. I often wonder what my life would be like had I stayed. What would have changed. I had a great time, but I think I let being homesick cloud some of my enjoyment. I was, afterall, thousands of miles from everyone I had always known, living with strangers. Fantastic strangers, who I adored and who became family, but strangers nonetheless. I wish I hadn't let myself get so homesick at times, and just enjoyed that time for what it's worth, and I wish I had taken the oppertunity to stay. Of course, that would have most likely altered the entire course of my existence. I most likely would not be sitting in an apartment in Manhattan with my dear Russian. And I hate to think of an existence without him. But it would be cool to be able to get a glimpse at what my life would have been like had I stayed. Not necessarily live that alternative life, but just see where it would have led me. Which is, of course, a dangerous game, because then you could be resentful of your current life situation if the alternate life was much better or exciting or whatnot. Or I may be thankful for my life now, because maybe everything would have gone to shit.
It should be of note, however, that there were signs everywhere that I should have stayed. Literally. And I am often a person who believes in signs, and tend to sort of live my life by them. On the way to the airport, the car blew a tire. After some nice people stopped to help fix the tire and left, the car wouldn't start. It just wouldn't. For no apparent reason. Rebecca, my Irish "mother", looked at me and said, "I don't think you're supposed to go." And I just ignored her and said I had to go, and finally the car started. I made it to the airport as my plane was boarding. The flight was uneventful until we got to Baltimore, where I was flying into for my connecting flight to Raleigh, and we encountered severe storms. The landing was terrible, and I spent about 12 hours at the Baltimore airport, because no flights could leave. With only Euros in my pocket because the currency conversion office had closed already for the night! I sat in the stupid airport and cried and cried and cried and thought, gosh, I probably should have stayed. I wonder all the time what would have changed had I stayed.
What books did you love as a child?
Submitted by hearts.
I have been a reading machine since I was very small. Shel Silverstein and Tomie dePaola were my first loves, and once I got started I just couldn't stop. Still can't. I started writing when I was very small too. I would read something and then think, "Well, gee, I can do that. I can come up with fantastic stories and adventures. No problem." So I did. I'm still doing that too, but probably not as well or as freely as when I was small.
When I got a little older, there was the Babysitters' Club, R.L. Stein, Roald Dahl, Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Laura Ingalls Wilder. Although I must say, I never read Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. I keep seeing it popping up again and again on everyone's lists. I feel like I might have missed something.
I liked a lot of the books we read in school as well: Number the Stars, Where the Red Fern Grows, Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry; and my absolute favorite: Bridge to Terabithia. Books that actually made me cry; books that broke my heart. [Bridge to Terabithia is still one of my favorites.]
In middle school I discovered Harper Lee, Robert Cormier, Homer [I think I was the only kid in my 8th grade English class to get really pysched about The Odyssey; I still I love it], and Francesca Lia Block. I started picking up any book set before me. I would give just about anything a chance, and even found myself picking up the many non-fiction books my mother had lying around the house when I had run out of good fiction to read.
I guess I was born to be a reader. I know as the day goes on I'll remember other books and authors that I loved. [C.S. Lewis, The Secret Garden, Madeleine L'Engle, The Phantom Tollbooth, The Outsiders, Tuck Everlasting, E.B. White...] And there are, of course, tons of books of which I clearly remember the plot, but cannot remember the title or author to save my life. They'll come back to me, as well, I hope.
I still have a lot of these books someplace, in a box. I am reluctant
to give them up; I don't believe in abandoning books because you've
outgrown them. They are markers for how you got here; I find myself
able to track many of my ideas and beliefs back to those books of my
childhood. It will be fun to read all of these again someday when I
have children, to and with them. They are memories you can always climb
right back into.
What song gives you the most holiday cheer?
Submitted by Roxy.
I love Christmas songs. This is a recent occurrence, as until recently I didn't like Christmas very much at all. I don't know why I had such a change of heart. Maybe it's being in New York right now; it actually feels like Christmas here. Anyway, to cut to the chase, my favorite holiday song is "Baby, It's Cold Outside." I especially love it when Zooey Deschanel and Will Ferrell did it:
What are you thankful for?
I wasn't on my computer at all yesterday as I was having a pumpkin fudge crisis, and then went to John's aunts house for the rest of the day.
Sadly, the pumpkin fudge crisis, which began on Wednesday night, has not come a peaceful end as of yet. Right now both the fudge and I are taking a time out to think about what we've done, but what the fudge doesn't know is that I am formulating a plan to whip it's soft ass into shape. One way or another. [I've cooked it twice, it just won't get hard, although it's definitely more "fudge-like" after that last cooking. So maybe one more time?] In case you couldn't tell, I've never made fudge. I'm pretty annoyed that the fudge wasn't ready in time for Thanksgiving dinner, which was kind of the point. But I'm not giving up so easily.
...So, as you can see, I'm not very thankful for this pumpkin fudge catastrophe. Here are some things I am thankful for, however:
- My wonderful, brilliant boyfriend, John. I love coming home to him everyday; we have so much fun together. He makes me laugh, cooks me delicious food, is completely silly with me, makes me tea, humors me when I'm being difficult, and is basically the greatest guy I've ever known. I hope we have many more Thanksgivings together.
- My family. We all drive one another crazy, but we have a lot of fun too. We're a pretty silly bunch, and I love and miss them and wouldn't want any other family than the one I have. [I especially miss playing video games all day with my brother - a Thanksgiving tradition!]
- My friends: Chaundra, Hilary, Kate, Kenny, Josh, Michael, Maya, Lily, John, and everyone else. I love you guys; I miss those of you that are in Wilmington. I am the luckiest person in the world to have you all in my life.
- John's family, who always make me feel like I am one of them, since I am so far away from my own family.
- My animals back in Wilmington: Sylvester, Cassie, Princess and Felix.
- My amazing co-workers; and the animals at work who I love hanging out with everyday.
- New York: I have made lots of new friends and had lots of incredible experiences since I moved here in May. Sometimes I hate it, and want to go back home, but overall, I'm happy I moved.
- All the music I have gotten to see this year. My favorite part of New York is the fact every musician I love comes through here. So I'm thankful for Sufjan Stevens, Neko Case, Jesse Malin, The Decemberists, Lucero and all the other incredible bands I've been able to see live.
I'm thankful for a lot more than that, but those are the basics; the important things.
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
What's the most drastic change you've ever made to your appearance?
Submitted by Laurie.
I worked in a salon for about four years before moving to New York. You name the haircut/color, and I've had it. I would pretty much let anyone do anything to my hair ...except bleach it. And then one day, I finally gave in. It didn't last long, I went dark again pretty quickly, but about a year later I got an itch to do it again, and that lasted slightly longer. I didn't dye my hair dark again until John and I moved up here, and then it was only because my hair stylist now lives 12 hours away, so it's kind of a pain to get my roots done.
I've had pink hair, fire engine red, black, blue... nothing has gotten a bigger reaction from people, however, than when I went blonde.
Looking back on it... I think I probably look better with dark hair.
