It's all about you!

By Alison

You know those email questionaires? Every few months or so, a new one will make the rounds, with questions like What's on your IPod? What's your favorite alcoholic beverage? or When you were little, what did you want to be when you grow up? Basically, they're long lists of relatively pointless questions, sent by a friend (who has filled it out) to a group of friends, all of whom, presumably have too much time on their hands. Well...

I have a confession to make.

I ALWAYS answer those questionaires. I love them! I see one in my in-box, I stop whatever it is I'm doing (including and especially writing my book) and fill it out.  My good friend Paul sent me this. He really needs to know what the last movie I saw in a theater was, and he needs to know it now! Yeah, sure I'm busy but I can't let the poor guy down. He's asking me very important questions! The book can wait!

Of course, I know that these questionaires are not important at all. Actually, they're like... the opposite of important. But there is something I find so appealing about them. Maybe it's the idea of someone wanting to know that much harmless, trivial information about me.  Or it could be the chance to take a few minutes, put my characters aside... and just think about movies I've seen, stuff I like, the way I used to be when I was little... And, since you're always supposed to send your responses back to the sender,  it's fun to see what my friends have written too. Navel gazing truly does love company.

Or it could just be because I love to procrastinate.

Whatever. This is all on my mind, of course, because I recently got one of those questionaires (which I promptly filled out, of course). But I thought, instead of emailing it to the same old group of friends, I'd paste it here for you guys. I've included my responses to start you out (and I've also eliminated around 50 questions. These things tend to be too long....)  So go on.. Share! Or, if you hate these things, tell me why.

1. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate (but I like both.)

2. What was the last film you saw at a movie theater? The Lives of Others.

3. What is your Favorite TV show?  The Simpsons

4. . What do you usually have for breakfast?  Piece of crunchy toast.

5.  Favorite cuisine?  Japanese.

6. What is your middle name?  Lori.

7. What food do you dislike?   Brussels sprouts, foie gras.

8.  Favorite sandwich?  cheese tomato and oregano.

10. What characteristic(s) do you despise? Bloviating. Gasbaggery.
11.  Where would you retire to? Paris.
12. Favourite sport to watch? Basketball.
13. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night.
14. What is your shoe size? 7.
15. What did you want to be when you were little? Waitress.
16.  Favourite smell: Lilacs.
17. What are you afraid of? Death.

Your turn!

Comments

[Ann M.]

1. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate but Vanilla for ice cream

2. What was the last film you saw at a movie theater? The Bee Movie

3. What is your Favorite TV show? House

4. . What do you usually have for breakfast? Tea

5. Favorite cuisine? Indian

6. What is your middle name? P.M. K. (not going into what it is)

7. What food do you dislike? Peanut butter

8. Favorite sandwich? corned beef on rye

10. What characteristic(s) do you despise? small-minded

11. Where would you retire to? Australia

12. Favourite sport to watch? college hockey

13. Are you a morning person or a night person? night owl

14. What is your shoe size? 5
15. What did you want to be when you were little? teacher

16. Favourite smell: fresh rain

17. What are you afraid of? drowning

[Patti Abbott]

1. Chocolate
2. I'm Not There
3. The Wire
4. Cereal
5. Thai
6. Arlene
7. Liver
8. BLT
9. San Diego
10. Football
11. Afternoon
12. 6 1/2
13. Missionary
14. Lime
15. What's Happening in my life right now

[Patti Abbott]

1. Chocolate
2. I'm Not There
3. The Wire
4. Cereal
5. Thai
6. Arlene
7. Liver
8. BLT
9. San Diego
10. Football
11. Afternoon
12. 6 1/2
13. Missionary
14. Lime
15. What's Happening in my life right now

[J.D. Rhoades]

1. Chocolate or Vanilla? By itself, chocolate.

2. What was the last film you saw at a movie theater? The Golden Compass.

3. What is your Favorite TV show? The Daily Show

4. What do you usually have for breakfast? Coffee.

5. Favorite cuisine? Southern.

6. What is your middle name? Delano.

7. What food do you dislike? Okra. Yes I know that contradicts #5. Sue me.

8. Favorite sandwich? Barbecue.

10. What characteristic(s) do you despise? Arrogant ignorance.

11. Where would you retire to? Sullivan's Island, SC.

12. Favorite sport to watch? Basketball.

13. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night.

14. What is your shoe size? 13.

15. What did you want to be when you were little? Someone else.

16. Favorite smell: Ocean.

17. What are you afraid of? Bears.

[David Terrenoire]

1. Chocolate
2. No Country For Old Men
3. The Wire
4. Banana
5. I like everything
6. Lee
7. Lima beans
8. Reuben
10. Uber-patriotism
11. My bedroom
12. Porn
13. Both, but not in the same day.
14. 9 1/2
15. Perry Mason
16. Roses
17. Poverty

[toni mcgee causey]

1. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate.

2. What was the last film you saw at a movie theater? Whatever it was, it wasn't memorable.

3. What is your Favorite TV show? Dexter

4. What do you usually have for breakfast? diet Coke

5. Favorite cuisine? Southern, Cajun

6. What is your middle name? Lynn

7. What food do you dislike? Beets. Liver. These are disgusting and should be banned from earth.

8. Favorite sandwich? Po boy (preferably the ham/turkey/3 cheese one my husband makes)

10. What characteristic(s) do you despise? Meanness

11. Where would you retire to? Scotland.

12. Favorite sport to watch? college football, preferably LSU

13. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night.

14. What is your shoe size? 6 1/2

15. What did you want to be when you were little? a writer

16. Favorite smell: usually whatever my husband is cooking

17. What are you afraid of? poisonous snakes

[Jeff Shelby]

1. Chocolate
2. Superbad, which was superawesome.
3. I'm picking two. The Office and Weeds.
4. Oatmeal
5. Mexican
6. Alan
7. Fruits and vegetables
8. This one at a deli named Baker Brothers - it's called the South Beach - smoked turkey, bacon, melted cheddar and spicy mayo on egg bread.
9. What the hell, Gaylin? Is this some sort of trick?
10. Arrogance
11. San Diego or Hilton Head
12. College basketball, followed closely by baseball
13. Night
14. 9.5
15. Baseball player
16. warm chocolate chip cookies
17. cicada killers

[Clair Lamb]

1. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla

2. What was the last film you saw at a movie theater? "Enchanted"

3. What is your Favorite TV show? "The Simpsons"

4. . What do you usually have for breakfast? Scrambled eggs

5. Favorite cuisine? Mexican

6. What is your middle name? Clair

7. What food do you dislike? Seafood

8. Favorite sandwich? Chicken salad

10. What characteristic(s) do you despise? Stinginess

11. Where would you retire to? Retire?

12. Favorite sport to watch? College basketball

13. Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning

14. What is your shoe size? 7 or 7 1/2, depending

15. What did you want to be when you were little? President of the United States. Seriously.

16. Favorite smell: Honeysuckle

17. What are you afraid of? Rats, jaywalking and traumatic head injury.

[AlisonGaylin]

Observances thusfar: Female FOFOs have very small feet. Delano is a freakin' cool middle name. Jeff Shelby is the most observant person in the room (which isn't saying much.) Clair: Would that be your own jaywalking or that of others? David: Who do you consider MVP? Patti: Missionary? Really?

[David Terrenoire]

Alison,

It's tough to tell the players when they're not wearing their numbers.

That's all I'm sayin'.

[Jeff Shelby]

MVP = Most Valuable...I'm not gonna say it.

[Clair Lamb]

My own jaywalking. I can't do it. Got knocked down by a bike messenger in NY on Valentine's Day 1990, and cracked my cheekbone on a curb. Ever since, I won't jaywalk if I see any vehicle moving toward me; I don't trust my judgment about how fast they're moving.

[J. Carson Black]

1. Chocolate
2. Gone, Baby, Gone
3. Toss-up between Morning Joe, My Name is Earl, and The Daily Show
4. 1 piece of toast and a fake friggin’ egg!
5. Mediterranean food
6. Ann
7. I agree on Brussels Sprouts—any smelly, sulfurous vegetable
8. BLT
10. Overbearing, unless it’s me
11. Right here in Arizony
12. horseracing
13. morning
14. 8, but a “small” 8
15. cowboy. Not a cowgirl. I may have had some identification issues.
16. A toss-up between orange blossoms and horse pee
17. death or public speaking, whichever comes first

[Karen Olson]

1. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate

2. What was the last film you saw at a movie theater? Enchanted

3. What is your Favorite TV show? (I'm going with what's on right now, and I'm picking two) The Amazing Race and Project Runway

4. . What do you usually have for breakfast? Sesame bagel

5. Favorite cuisine? Japanese

6. What is your middle name? Ellen

7. What food do you dislike? Beets and turnips

8. Favorite sandwich? egg salad

10. What characteristic(s) do you despise? gloating

11. Where would you retire to? Paris

12. Favourite sport to watch? curling

13. Are you a morning person or a night person? mid day

14. What is your shoe size? 6

15. What did you want to be when you were little? writer

16. Favourite smell: chlorine at a pool

17. What are you afraid of? flying (but really it's falling)

[patti abbott]

It seemed like the best way to get to travel to a ten-year old.

[AlisonGaylin]

Clair, when I was in college, I jaywalked, got hit by a limo and thrown about 20 feet onto the sidewalk. It was definitely a life-in-front-of-your-eyes moment, so I hear you on jaywalking. And Karen, turbulence gives me palpatations like you wouldn't believe. (Of course, this is all part of the fear of death.) Jeff: Partner? People pleaser? Pal? Jake, I'm thrilled to see one other woman here with bigger feet than me. Patti, that makes sense. (I wanted to be a waitress because I wanted to wear a uniform, which really doesn't make much sense, but what do you want? I was five.)