The song titles are getting away from me; however, to my credit, “My Bloody Valentine” was the first thing that came to mind, and I skipped that. Last year’s Valentine’s post was a cards compendium. This year, it’s shorter: I’m ditching the efforts of every dating site and app in favor of the Prost Questionnaire.
I normally resist linking to Wikipedia, but here’s a brief history. Here’s a more interesting link with David Bowie’s answers (given to Vanity Fair); from there, you can also view the answers of a number of other people that might pique your interest.
But you also get me. Sorry. My version of the questions is from here.
- What is your idea of perfect happiness? If there is such a thing as perfect happiness, it exists only in moments, as a transient state. Happiness, perfect or otherwise, is mutable and must be achieved over and over again. It is a series of moments, not a resting place.
- What is your greatest fear? I can think of a lot of abstract fears of things that have never happened to me: terrible things. The most concrete answer I can give is when I think back to my lowest moment and imagine being there again, replaying the emotions and physical sensations I felt then. Realistically, that is the greatest fear I have.
- What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? I have difficulty knowing how to respond to things other people say in any appropriate manner. I can attempt to filter a response and then agonize over it for days/hours afterward, but I can’t say something and then be comfortable with it. I think it’s a fear of presenting an authentic self and feeling comfortable with that. That sounds very egotistical. I’m just typing this on the fly.
- What is the trait you most deplore in others? Lack of self-awareness, unquestionably.
- Which living person do you most admire? I hope that I can look for something to admire in everyone, but I’m getting a bit cynical on that front lately. I have not thought of a specific #1 person and suspect this position would be a rotating one. Actually, I think I’d like to debate this one over coffee.
- What is your greatest extravagance? Have you SEEN my book collection? Though I question whether those are an extravagance or a necessity. The qualifier might be that I own physical copies of many things that I could borrow or own in electronic format, but I am extremely partial to having my own marked-up hard copies.
- What is your current state of mind? Picture an old-school card catalog; that’s where I have all the books, music, etc. I’ve read or am interested in filed away. Next to that is a filing cabinet, where I have all the relevant/interesting information I’ve gleaned from the former. Throw a tornado in there. Now you’ve got it.
- What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Anything that the current moment declares a virtue.
- On what occasion do you lie? Lately, about what I’m doing with my life. I’m ashamed that I do it, but I’m ashamed to be in such a suspended state. I do this to people I won’t see again.
- What do you most dislike about your appearance? NOT the right person for this question. Pass. There are only 24 hours in a day.
- Which living person do you most despise? Oh, my. There was a debate last night featuring America’s Most Wanted Sociopaths.
- What is the quality you most like in a man? How about one I don’t like but have had occasion to observe a lot lately? Colonizing public spaces, physically and vocally. So I like it when people don’t do that.
- What is the quality you most like in a woman? Don’t put yourself down, jokingly or otherwise; it’s a protective mechanism against letting someone else do it first.
- Which words or phrases do you most overuse? actually, probably, apparently, possibly
- What or who is the greatest love of your life? [this space reserved]
- When and where were you happiest? I hope I haven’t hit this yet.
- Which talent would you most like to have? The ability to pre-plan without anxiety.
- If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I would turn down the volume on the anxiety that bleeds into so many other things: how I react, how I speak/respond, things I do.
- What do you consider your greatest achievement? Currently, maintaining the health I’ve worked for.
- If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? One of Bob Ross’s happy clouds.
- Where would you most like to live? The British Library.
- What is your most treasured possession? My books, because my cat is not a possession. You do not possess cats.
- What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? See #2. I can speak most concretely to misery as I’ve experienced it. In short, though, when my world has been most reduced, I’ve been most miserable. When it opens up, I’m happier.
- What is your favorite occupation? Reading, but I’m prone to doing multiple things at once.
- What is your most marked characteristic? I think that’s best observed by other people; I doubt I’d catch it.
- What do you most value in your friends? I hope they know. If they don’t, I need to tell them personally.
- Who are your favorite writers? There are only 24 hours . . . I already said that. Currently, Sarah Waters, Jeannette Winterson, Ali Smith, Thomas Pynchon, David Foster Wallace, Wallace Stevens, Carson McCullers, William Faulkner, I can keep going.
- Who is your hero of fiction? Dr. DeSoto
- Which historical figure do you most identify with? Someone in the background of a crowd scene of a painting, on the edges.
- Who are your heroes in real life? Numerous.
- What are your favorite names? You know a name I really like that I could name neither child nor pet? Tess. Thomas Hardy ruined that one for everyone.
- What is it that you most dislike? Coconut. As well as mistaking opinion for fact, which tends to be joined with the lack of self-awareness previously referenced.
- What is your greatest regret? Nope.
- How would you like to die? There’s a great Reno 911 bit about this. How about defenestration? Can you imagine the newspaper having to print that in your obituary? “in local news, . . . .”
- What is your motto? See God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater– ever since I first read that as a teenager.
Maggie's Farm 