Made up my own survey about reading and language.

[serene]

It's short, but not very fluffy. I'll put my answers in a comment so that you can cut and paste this if you want to use it for your own answers:

1. Describe the first (or an early) phrase/idiom you remember figuring out the meaning to.

2. What is the first thing you remember reading for pleasure?

3. (Especially for porcinea) Do you consider yourself "a reader"? If not, how would you describe your relationship to books and literature at the current time?

4. What's the book (story/play/whatever) you've re-read the most often? What is it about that piece of literature that excites you the most?

5. If you suddenly woke up tomorrow with the writing talent and motivation to write anything you put your hand to, what kind of work would you start churning out?

6. Tell about the person in your life, if any, who most influenced your feelings about language and reading.

7. What are you reading right now? And do you recommend it/them?

Comments

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

1. Describe the first (or an early) phrase/idiom you remember figuring out the meaning to.

There are two I can think of. One is when my mom's friend was washing my hair and I told her that I usually started rinsing at the bottom (I was around twelve years old), and she told me "That defeats the purpose" and suddenly I knew what that meant. The other time is when I read the phrase "cafe au lait" in a book and realized that what I had been hearing as "cafe olé" was really this French thing.

2. What is the first thing you remember reading for pleasure?

The Childcraft Encyclopedia, chiefly the fairy tales and the Make & Do craft volume.

3. (Especially for porcinea) Do you consider yourself "a reader"? If not, how would you describe your relationship to books and literature at the current time?

I am a lapsed reader. I used to read a lot more before I found Usenet. Now I converse a lot in text, but I don't think of that as the same thing.

4. What's the book (story/play/whatever) you've re-read the most often? What is it about that piece of literature that excites you the most?

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It's got this simple language, and yet I feel every time I read it as though I'm skating the edge of my ability to understand the precepts he's talking about. I really love the feeling of being at my limit of understanding, and trying really hard to push past that border.

5. If you suddenly woke up tomorrow with the writing talent and motivation to write anything you put your hand to, what kind of work would you start churning out?

A piece of literary fiction that examines gender and sexuality and family.

6. Tell about the person in your life, if any, who most influenced your feelings about language and reading.

My parents *always* read. We sat around in the evenings reading, and my mother had books in my hands before I could talk, much less read. I taught myself to read, she says, because she was too busy with my younger siblings to read to me as much as I wanted.

7. What are you reading right now? And do you recommend it/them?

I'm reading Geek Love and Ecstasia, neither of which I'm far enough into to decide whether or not I would recommend them.

[lyrical1.livejournal.com]

I'll do this later when/if my day slows down a bit. I'm interesting in hearing your thoughts on Geek Love. We can share in email if you wish. Its been too long since we've had good email banter. =)

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

It *has* been too long. Miss you. I've been in an NRE-induced brain fog for a couple months, but I feel some of the fog (if not much of the NRE) lifting this week.

*smooch*

[lcohen]

hey! maybe i want to talk about geek love too!

although if it's the book i think it is, i read it in 1996 or thereabouts, so maybe i don't.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

Well, it's about circus geeks who expose the woman in the couple to all kinds of toxins so she'll bear even better circus geeks as offspring. Does that sound about right?

[lcohen]

yep. i remember something about flippers.

maybe i should reread it if i'm going to try to have an intelligent conversation about it. otoh, do i really want to set a precedent by having an intelligent conversation? won't you want one every time if i engage in one?

btw, congrats on your earworm giving. i'm so proud!

[jinian.livejournal.com]

Childcraft! Hurrah!

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

I *know*! My commune-mates' kid and I went through my old Childcraft Make & Do volume and made lots of stuff, from doll furniture to a big submarine made out of packing boxes. The book still has gray paint on it from the submarine, and I love it.

[cymrullewes.livejournal.com]

Heh. I just made Goose pull out the Make & Do (no. 11) because we've recently started buying cans of juice with our WIC coupons. So I've got four empty 46oz metal cans to turn in to two pairs of stilts. One for Goose (the pink grapefruit cans of course) and one for Pirate (the greenish Apple-Grape juice cans.)

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

What year is your set? I think mine is copyright 1962 or 1965, but I'd have to pull it out to see.

[cymrullewes.livejournal.com]

Copyright 1972. Grandmum bought them for my oldest sister. I'm the one with kids so I 'approriated' them from my father's house. He wasn't very happy about it. *shrug* Oh well, I don't care that he doesn't like me or my Mom anymore. As long as we can get our stuff, like the Childcrafts, out of his house before it implodes on him.Uhm, sorry for the rant. It spills out too often.