Week the Seventh: Survey Time

Hello, people. It's Wednesday, time for another vintage topic from the Introvert Social Hour. Today's topic is another survey, just a general one this time, but I think there might be some interesting stuff buried in it. Here we go!

1. Name a favorite of each: food, drink, & color.

Pizza is my all time favorite food, but pretty much everyone knows that, so I'll go with something a little more interesting: Carrots, horchata, and blue.

Polynesia, the sky by Henri Matisse, 1946. So pretty.

2. If you married a rich person and he gave you $100,000 a week, what would you spend it on?

Obviously a large portion of it would be donated to various organizations and used to help some family and friends do things like get out of debt, improve their education, and get health care that they need.

But that's not the real question, is it? The portion I'd keep would first go toward buying a nice house. Nothing fancy, but bigger and in better repair than my current one. I'd buy some reasonably nice stuff to put in it -- my furniture is mostly old and needs to be replaced anyway, and the same goes for some of my appliances. That's the practical stuff.

Then come the luxuries. First, I'd buy all the books and music I want. (Spoiler: It's a lot!) Then I'd buy a boat and hire someone to maintain it and teach me to sail. I love boats! I'd go to racing school and then buy an amazing car and build a place on private property where I could drive it as fast as I want any time I want. I'd buy a nice, large jet and hire someone to fly it just so I could travel quickly across oceans without having to rely on the stupid airlines. And then I'd travel. Everywhere, all the time. I wouldn't need a regular job (though I'd certainly use my wealth of free time to write!) so my schedule would be completely flexible. I'd go all over the world and when I wanted to visit a place where I didn't speak the language, I'd just find someone who did and drag them along. And that, my friends, would be the very best life.

3. Name a favorite of each: book, movie, tv show.

Ahhh, this is always so hard. At this moment I'll say... The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult, Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), and... Mad Men, I guess. The movie rarely changes but I say a different book almost every time I answer this question, and I'm sure the tv show will change when Breaking Bad comes back on and reminds me how amazing it is. I've never been able to choose a favorite between those two.

Me as a character on Mad Men

4. If you were given the opportunity to spend 48 hours with absolutely anyone, living or dead, who would you spend it with and what would you do?

Hmm. The smart thing here is to name a person that you would never, ever be able to do that with in real life, so that rules out a lot of what would otherwise be top answers. And there's a similar question below about musicians, so I'll shift those options down there. So who does that leave? Hmm.

I guess it's pretty predictable of me but, after much consideration (seriously), I'm gonna have to go with Maureen Johnson. Not only do I love her, but how could I pass up the opportunity to experience her crazy life for a little while?! Yep. It's two days of MJ for me. Here's hoping I'd survive it.

Seriously, how could this person NOT be fun?!

5. What do you spend most of your money on?
 

I'm sure the answer for most middle-class adults in the industrialized world is "bills", and I'm no exception. So I'll push it a step further and say that AFTER bills (and that includes groceries, gasoline, taxes, and other necessary but boring stuff) I easily spend most of my money on books. Or maybe music. It's very nearly a tie and I'm not actually sure which one is more, but the one sure thing is that, between Amazon and DFTBA, I'm gonna need that $100k/month allowance if I'm not careful!

A is for "addiction".

6. If you were sat on a plane beside your favorite celebrity, what would you do?
 

I'm always shy with strangers, celebrity or not. But given a once in a lifetime opportunity like that, I'd do my best to buck up my courage and say something like "Hi, how's it going?" and hope for the best. If I got a negative response, I'd hide back in my shell for the rest of the flight and beat myself up for it the rest of my life. Fun times. On the other hand, if I got a positive response, I'd probably say something lame like "I really admire your work" and then try desperately to find stuff to keep the conversation moving in a non-creepy direction for the duration of the flight. If I succeeded, I'd be a happy, happy girl.
 

7. What is the strangest thing you have in your room? (You are not allowed to explain why you own it.)

Well... ignoring for a moment that one room in my house contains over 300 snowmen, I suppose I'll have to go with this:

Yes, there's a tape in it. Yes, it's the soundtrack from Moonlighting. Stop judging me.

(Yes, you heard me right. Over 300.)
 

8. What is a weird habit you have, or people have told you have? (Weird, not bad. No nail biting or any of that nonsense.)

I do lots of weird stuff. The thing that comes to mind at the moment is that, if I don't control the urge, I tend to deconstruct my food. Like, if I have a burger, I'll eat the pickles, then the lettuce, then the tomato, then probably eat the meat with the bread, but only because I don't like plain meat. Or if I have a casserole, I'll eat, say, the broccoli, then the chicken, then the carrots, then the pasta, and then whatever bits are left. Etc etc. Use your imagination (if you dare).

9. What are five things you absolutely have to have in your dream house?
 

This is the house that I got with my $100,000/week allowance, right? Ok, cool. At the top of the list is lots of big windows. Tons of 'em. And BIG. I hate a house where you feel all closed in. Next is definitely a big library with lots of comfy seating and good lights (for night reading, obviously, since I'll have plenty of sunlight during the day). Third is a great big indoor swimming pool surrounded on three sides by glass and then a great view. And I'll have none of that fancy curvy nonsense. It should be rectangular so I can swim laps, which is what I love to do. My next demand is a really good sound system that can broadcast music to every room and outside from a central control point, but that also has controls in each room to allow individualization. (I used to babysit in a house that had this and it was just about the best thing I've ever seen in my life.) And finally I'd want a good sized dressing room and bathroom associated with each bedroom, plus a guest bathroom in a convenient location. (I know that sounds like multiple things, but it boils down to "plenty of bathrooms".) It's amazing how much more smoothly homes run when there are plenty of bathrooms to go around.

Oh yeah. THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!

10. If you could be reincarnated as any animal, which would you chose and why?
 

That's easy. A cat. They're generally lithe and agile and have quick reflexes, yet behave in a quiet and reserved manner. Sounds just about perfect to me. Plus, bonus, they're soft and pretty but quite capable of defending themselves when it's necessary. Rawr!

11.    Which band (current or past) would you want to go on tour* with? (*Travel with, not perform with.)
 

Ooh, a toughie. It's tempting to say Watsky, Incubus, or Maroon 5 because: HAWT. (Of course I like the music too; I'd never choose someone whose music I didn't like. And in the case of Watsky, I love the music.) But on the other hand, how cool would it be to spend a whole tour hanging out with my actual favorite musicians, like Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, Gary Jules, or John Darnielle?! So... the person that comes the closest in my mind to covering both of those bases is Jack White. Love the music, love the sexy. Wouldn't mind at all to spend a few months on the road with him.

12.    How many concerts have you attended? Which was your favorite? Least favorite? If none, who do you want to see live the most?
 

I've attended sadly few concerts. I've mostly lived in out of the way places where no one ever goes. (The ENTIRE WESTERN HALF of Texas seems not to exist to most performers, except maybe El Paso.) I've only seen two of any importance, and I loved both of them.

The first was Mandy Patinkin in the early '90s. Third row center for an amazing performance. My husband (who wasn't yet my husband at the time) swears I didn't take a single breath throughout the entire show. The second was Billy Joel, in 2008, after 30 years of loving his music. I had very good seats for that one, too, and it was mind-numbingly good. It pretty much made my life. Oh, and Elton John was there, too. I mean, I love Elton John! But comparing my love for him to my love for Billy Joel is like comparing my enjoyment of ice cream to my enjoyment of pizza. Ice cream is high on the overall list, but decidedly below pizza.

[Edit: Wait, wait, wait! *sound of needle screeching on a record* I completely forgot that I went to one day of the Beale Street Music Festival in 2010! I saw Five Finger Death Punch, Chevelle, Rock Sugar (twice!), Vince Neil, and a few lesser known artists. So I'm not quite as much of a noob as I first thought! Wooo!]

There are many artists that I'd love to see live but currently the number one spot is probably held by Jack White. I don't suppose that comes as a surprise.

 

13.    What is one of your favorite song lyrics? Who is it by?

This changes constantly, depending on what I've been listening to, but for some time now it's been Watsky: "If the world breaks your legs, you go and beat it with your crutch." I love that resilient spirit, the idea of coming back strong no matter what life throws at you.

14.    Who do you ship?
 

Captain Jack Harkness and Clara Oswald. After all, they're both weirdly immortal... ish.
 

15.    What band merch do you own? If any, whose is it and when did you get it? If none, whose do you wish you owned?

I don't really have much, mostly because I've been to so few concerts. Really all I have is a few things from DFTBA artists. I wish I'd gotten something at the Billy Joel concert but I was with people and they had a little tantrum about the lines so I gave in and left.

Aaaaaand that's that! Remember to leave your questions and comments below. I'd love to hear from you! And if you're interested, you can also find me on Twitter.

Thanks again for reading! If you haven't seen the videos that go along with this post, they are: Jill, Kristina, Frieda & Amy

And that's it from me on this Wednesday. Best wishes! <3