5,000-question survey, 151-200

[serene]

151. What is louder and more annoying: 200 adults talking or one four-year-old screaming?

That's really going to depend on context. A four-year-old screaming in joy at a baseball game can be delightful.

152. Do you believe the stories about planes, boats and people mysteriously disappearing into the Bermuda triangle?

Nope.

153. Who are you the most jealous of?

I don't think I have much tendency for feeling jealous most of the time. At the moment, I'm not jealous of anyone.

154. What is the happiest way you can start your day?

I really enjoy an hour or two of quiet time first thing in the morning, and I usually get it, as I'm either the first one up, or when I get up, sogwife has left for work already.

155. Do you ever have moments where you feel like everything is all right in the world?

Oh, all the time, even though I know that's never going to be true.

156. Who thinks that you are offensive?

My wife, on occasion. It's actually a thing with us. I'm not sure there's any fixing it, so we just let it be.

157. If you had to teach a class in something, what would you be able to teach people?

Cooking (anyone wanna learn basic vegan cooking? I've been thinking of having free classes at my house); singing (but I haven't done that in so long that I lack confidence about it); reading (I've taught children and adults to read); math; basic bread making

158. Have you ever had a spiritual experience (an experience that cannot be explained by science)?

No. I saw god once, but there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for that.

159. Do you believe that this experience was truly mystical or do you think there is some scientific explanation for it, only you don't know what it is?

I think there is a scientific explanation, but I *do* know what it is.

160. Do you get offended easily?

Not really, though I think some people think I do, so I think I don't always communicate disagreement in a way that doesn't project offense. I am working on getting better at that.

161. Would you still love and stay with your signifigant other if he or she had to have a breast or testicle removed?

Of *COURSE*. I'm not in love with my partners' dangly bits. I'm in love with my partners.

162. Do you believe in fate or free will?

Depends on your definition. I think free will is part of the big picture, but I think people have both more and less influence over events than they think they have.

163. Do you believe that only boring people get bored?

In general, yeah. More to the point, I find bored people boring, and if someone is bored, I'd rather they go find something interesting to do than sit around and tell me they're bored.

164. Can life change or are we all stuck in vain?

This question doesn't make much sense to me. Life can change. I don't know what "stuck in vain" means.

165. What changes are you afraid of?

I don't want to die. Sometimes I'm really scared of ceasing to be.

166. Are you a day person or nocturnal?

I'm flexible. I adjust well to whatever schedule I happen to be on.

167. What one CD could you listen to for an entire week (no mixed CD’s, it must be an album)?

I have listened to the following CDs for weeks at a time in heavy rotation: Shaming of the Sun, Swamp Ophelia, Not a Pretty Girl, Little Plastic Castle, Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm, Out of the Valley, Between Five and Seven, Flyer, Solitude Standing, and lots of others

168. Which is worse, working in retail, food service, or an office?

Hmm. I liked them all just fine.

169. What's the coolest job you ever had?

I was an investigative journalist on my college newspaper. That was pretty cool.

170. What is one central idea that your thoughts seem to come back to?

"I will die some day, so it's important to live as I want to have lived."

171. Have you ever wanted to be an actor/tress?

Yes, in high school. I never really pursued it, though.

172. If you had the power to control one person and make this person do anything you wanted for a whole day, who would you pick and what would they do?

Ick. No, thanks.

173. What star sign are you and what is your sign like?

Pass.

174. Did the Blair Witch Project scare you?

Nope, because it had been out a long time when I saw it, so I was already saturated with the images and stuff by the time I saw it.

175. Are you in constant fear of death?

Not constant, but I think about it a lot.

176. Does fear of death keep you from building a life?

No! It makes me more excited about making my life count.

177. Do you like all your movies to be in wide-screen?

Yeah, but it's not a very strong preference.

178. Are you a fan of any comic books?

I wouldn't say fan, but I liked the old superhero stuff, and I read a lot of comic books when I was younger.

179. At what age did you attend your first funeral?

28?

180. What do you smell like (lotion, cologne, sweat)?

My partners say I smell like me. I know that's not much help.

181. What are your greatest sources for wisdom?

I have a fairly reliable internal source of wisdom, but I'd say my friends, my partners, and Usenet. ;-)

182. When you were little, where did your parents tell you babies come from?

I don't remember their telling me anything about that.

183. What is your favorite band?

If I had to pick, probably Indigo Girls.

184. What's the best cheesy 80's song?

Just to pick one I like: Faith

185. What's the best kind of movie to see on a date?

I'm a bad one to ask about that. My first date with intenselaura was Shaun of the Dead. ;-)

186. Do you like to sit in the front, middle or back of the Movie Theater?

No strong preference.

187. Have you ever been inside an abandoned building?

I don't remember.

188. Under what circumstances would you agree to work for free?

If I want to. I have done some kind of volunteer work on and off for most of my life.

189. Candles or strobe lights?

Candles, unscented, please.

190. Do you think the Lord of the Rings movies are true to the books or did Hollywood change the story too much?

I think they're true to the spirit of the books, but that there would be NO way to capture the books in nine hours of movie time.

191. When you see a stranger on the street does your first reaction lean towards thinking of this person as a potential friend or as a potential threat?

Neither. It's too soon to decide. I smile and say hello, and usually that's the extent of it.

192. Is it natural for human beings to fear and distrust each other, or is it cultural?

I don't know.

193. What do you really want to buy?

A roomba. A combination washer-dryer.

194. You have to choose. Would you be happier marrying someone rich for their money or living in the streets and subway tunnels with someone you love?

I have spent my life picking love over money. That's how I ended up broke and happy, I guess.

195. If someone wanted to understand you what book could they read that would help?

Laurel's Kitchen

196. Do you think it’s odd that Americans have freedom of religion and yet call themselves 'one nation under god'?

This is a silly question. Anyone who thinks there is freedom of religion in the US is either some flavor of Christian or some flavor of deluded.

197. In what sense are you a minority?

I'm an atheist.

198. Are you antisocial?

Sometimes.

199. Do you photograph well?

I don't think so, but I still love having my picture taken.

200. Do you think that human beings would survive through a nuclear winter?

I think *some* human beings would.