That Dumb E-mail Questionnaire People Keep Forwarding

"This is probably the longest survey you'll ever see. But it's fun, and worth doing. So take your time, and fill it out. Don't forget to send a copy back to the one who sent it to you."

12/2000: I've conflated the entries here from a few different versions I remember receiving. I may add items here and there if I read new ones that seem particularly illuminating.

4/26/01: I received a new version from my aunt (hi, Judy!) today -- which is also my mom's birthday (hi, Mom!). Look for those entries in these rows.

1/22/2002: New additions from my other aunt (hi, Peggy). What is it with the grown women in my family? :-)

BASICS

Name: Erica Lynn Schultz

Nicknames: None in common usage. "Muffin" if you are Lisa Ferguson or else know me principally via e-mail. "Eureka" or occasionally "Peanut" if you are my father.

AOL Names: Heaven forfend! Neither.

ICQ #:

Age: At this writing, 28

Birthday: October 6

Zodiac sign: Libra

Birthplace: Dayton, OH.

Hometown: Valparaiso, IN.

Current residence: Cambridge, MA.

Living arrangement: I live alone in a small, slightly decrepit one-bedroom apartment (in a house).
Height: Five-foot-nine-and-a-half in bare feet.

Weight: Sturdy. I'm a strapping girl.

Cup size: [Think again, wise guy.]

Hair: Chestnut

Eyes: Brown

Siblings: One brother.

Pets: None currently. When I was in high school, we had a miniature schnauzer (that's a dog, FYI) named Wolfgang Amadeus.
Prior to that, we'd had two goldfish who actually lived for at least three years. Then we brought a third one home from the county fair -- and added him to the same bowl without quarantining him first -- and within a week, all three of them were dead. :-(

Friends Online: Most of my friends are "online" at least some of the time. I don't currently have any friends that I know from online.

FAVORITES

Sport to play: Um...

Sport to watch: Um... I do enjoy watching ice skating... As far as team sports, I can probably watch basketball more intelligently than most other games.

Color/Colors: In general, pink. For random frivolous things, I'm also partial to iridescent blue-green-purple.
In clothes, charcoal gray. In glass, cobalt blue. For trees, orange. For hair, red (*sigh* :-)

Subject: In grade school it was spelling. In junior high, English or humanities. In high school, language classes. In college, linguistics. But I still majored in English. No, I am multifaceted, really...

Clothes Brand: I admit it: I shop at the Gap. Well, the Gap Outlet. And Old Navy. (I like Starbucks too, okay?)

Shoe Brand: Most of my shoes come from Payless.

Music Artists: Lots. I'll start by mentioning Moxy Früvous. These days, I'm listening to a lot of show tunes (especially if you include Gilbert & Sullivan under that heading).

Radio Stations: I hardly listen to the radio, but when I do, it's usually The Mix (here in Boston, that's Mix 98.5, but I found its clone somewhere else on the dial in Chicago. Literally, it was the same station, same promos, same station IDs, just different call letters and frequency. I know pop radio stations are "chain"-operated nowadays just like mall stores, but it really freaked me out).

Food: Mexican.

Alcoholic beverage: Margaritas (frozen, with salt).

Restaurant: The Border Cafe in Harvard Square, Cambridge; the S&S Deli in Inman Square, Cambridge; or any decent sushi place.

Salad Dressing: Vinaigrette (usually Italian).

Ice Cream: Ben & Jerry's Vanilla Chocolate Chunk... or Chocolate Cherry Garcia frozen yogurt.

Soda: Root beer or cream soda. Or plain tonic water. But I more often drink seltzer. People are generally underhydrated as it is.

TV Shows: Friends, Frasier, ER, The X-Files.

Scary Movies: I like them in general (suspense, not horror; the psychological thriller), but none really qualify as favorites.

Movies: Dead Poets Society. The Princess Bride. A Room With A View. Wayne's World. Batman. The Blues Brothers. And many others.

Dream Car: Volkswagen Cabriolet convertible. Can I get one in pink?

Flowers: Tulips.

Sesame Street character: It's hard to choose one, but I think I'd have to go with good ol' Ernie.

Month(s): October.

Day(s): My birthday? (which, coincidentally, also falls in October)

Holiday: Yom Kippur. (No, really.)

Number: 27. For no particular reason.

Expression(s):
"There's a lid for every pot."
"If you can't tell, does it matter?"

Board game: Encore.

Magazine: Glamour, Real Simple.

Smell: Lavender, honeysuckle, gardenia; dark roast coffee; the ocean; a watered lawn in the summer.

LEAST favorite smell: Paradichlorobenzene.

Sound: A hammered dulcimer.

Toothpaste: Ultra Brite, but my dental hygienist made me switch to Colgate Total.

DO YOU...

Sleep with stuffed animals: Not now, and never really.

Have any piercings: Just my ears (one each).

Tattoos? Uh-uh.

Wear braces: I did for 2-1/2 years in high school. I'm very happy with my teeth now; thanks, Mom and Dad. (I actually still do have hardware in my mouth: a retainer called a "lingual bar" cemented to the back of my front six bottom teeth. You can't usually see it, but it freaks people out a bit when they first notice it. Heh.)

Consider yourself a good listener: Yes; my patience is infinite.

Sing in the shower: Oh yeah. Ask my neighbors.

Think cheerleading is a sport: I suppose so. It's more athletic than anything I've ever been able to do.

Type with your fingers on the right keys: For the most part, yes.

Eat the stems of broccoli: Sure. Why wouldn't you?

Like to drive fast: Um, kind of. I enjoy highway driving, but I get impatient, so in good weather I tend to hover near 80 mph. Sorry, Mom.

Have a crush: At any given moment I usually have two or three, but most of them are mild.

Have a boyfriend/girlfriend: Yep :-)

WOULD YOU...

Thongs: My gut reaction is, "Yikes!"... but in all fairness, I've never tried.

Skydiving: I think I would.

HAVE YOU EVER...

Gone skinny dipping: Nope.

Thought you were gonna die: Not literally. (I can remember thinking my parents were going to kill me, but that's somethiing else again.)

Been drunk or high: High: never. Slightly tipsy: yes. Drunk enough to throw up: only twice in my life, and probably never again.

Broken/fractured a bone: My left arm, in third grade (gymnastics at the Y).

Stolen anything: I confess: the summer I was 18, I once stole a pack of cigarettes from the store where I was working. (I tried one. Then I left the rest of the pack out on the street for someone else to find.)

Been in love: Lots of times, for sufficiently impermanent values of "in love".

Loved somebody so much it made you cry: Now I have.

Been to Africa: No.

Been toilet papering: No.

Been in a car accident: Er, yes... the summer of 1989 (I was 16, had just graduated from high school, had only gotten my license that April), I was driving with my friend Hillary to the outlet mall in Michigan City. About 3 blocks from the mall, we came to an intersection that I thought was a 4-way stop, but it was a 2-way stop. I got broadsided on the passenger side, so Hillary sustained some impressive bruises, but thank God, no one was seriously injured -- except my mother's beloved 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera (silver, she'd had it from new), which was totaled. To this day I am extra-careful about watching for "Cross Traffic Does Not Stop" intersections.

Been convicted of a crime: Convicted, no...
No, I'm just kidding. I've never even been toilet papering (see above).

THIS or THAT?

Paper or Plastic: I'm a credit-card gal. ...Oh, you mean the bags? I try to bring my own canvas ones. Except when I need more paper ones to hold my newspaper recycling.

Deaf or Blind: Let's use superstition as sufficient grounds for not picking one.

Truth or Dare: I have very few truths I'm interested in concealing.

Night or Day: I actually enjoy the very early morning (if I'm awake for it).

Chocolate Chip or Oatmeal Raisin: Chocolate chip, in general. Though almost nothing beats Oatmeal Scotchies.

mtv, bet, vh1, cmt: I don't have cable.

Beavis or Butthead: I do a slightly better impression of Beavis, but from the approximately 3 minutes I've ever seen, find Butthead slightly less detestable.

Beach or Pool: Beach.

Cake or Pie: Cake (although I'd tend to pick, for instance, pecan pie over carrot cake).

Chocolate or Vanilla: In principle, chocolate, but I'm really a fan of both.

Boxers or Briefs: Before I met Matthew, I would definitely have said boxers, but let's just say I'm reevaluating my preferences...

Cats or Dogs: Dogs.

AOL 3.0 or 4.0: As Jessica put it, "Ick, neither. AOHell must die."

Love or Lust: They're best in combination.

Pancakes or French Toast: I'm rather partial to omelets.

Silver or Gold: Gold. But I like copper, too.

Smoker or Non-Smoker: Non-.

Republican or Democrat: Democrat... but I voted for Nader this time around.

Diamonds or Pearls: I'm not much for gemstones; I like plain gold best.

Hugs or Kisses: From whom?

Lefty or Righty: I'm right-handed.

Batman or Superman: Batman, as long as it's Michael Keaton.

Disney or Hanna-Barbera: Between the two, I guess I'm partial to Disney. But I'm much more of a Peanuts fan.

Blanket or Stuffed Animal: Blanket. I actually still have mine. Then again, I still have some of my stuffed animals, too.

Coke or Pepsi: Tab.

Nacho Cheese or Cool Ranch: Is this about Doritos? I'd rather have plain tortilla chips. (Preferably with pico de gallo and accompanied by a frozen margarita :-)

Croutons or Bacon Bits? Croutons. I don't eat pork products; and even when I did, I never cared much for bacon.

Pencils or Pens: Pens (purple or pink, rollerball)

Sunset or Sunrise: Sunrise.

Sun or Moon: Moon.

Crushed or Cubed: Crushed. It's easier to chew your ice that way.

Showers or Baths: Baths (speaking recreationally, not practically).

Ketchup or Mustard: Mustard.

Storms -- Cool or Scary? Cool, I guess (unless I'm driving in it!).

Is the glass Half Empty or Half Full? It depends. I mean, if I see someone pour a full glass and then drink half of it, it's then half empty. If I actually see someone fill the glass only halfway, then it's half full. But if I just see half a glass of water sitting around out of context, then to me, it's simply half a glass.

MISCELLANEOUS

How much do you love your job? (on a scale of 1 to 10) Most days, an 8 or 9.

Can you swim: Yes.

What's on your ceiling: Peeling white paint.

What color is your bedroom carpet: No carpet; peeling wood-grain-printed linoleum. I have a nice pink-striped cotton rug over it, though.

What color is your toothbrush: At the moment, blue. My travel one is green.

What's on your mouse pad: At home, I think it's a plain red one. At work, it's a cheat sheet for SAP, MIT's purchase order software (which I never use, but anyway).

What's under your bed: Drawers, containing my sheets, mostly. I wish I had a linen closet.

What's the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning: Nine times out of ten, it's that I'd better get moving or I'll be even later than I already am.

How many rings before you pick up the phone: Usually two.

What was your first car: I've never owned a car.

What was your worst injury ever: In the spring of 2000, I got my right index finger closed in a car door, and gashed it on both sides. It wasn't all THAT bad, though; I didn't even need any stitches.
Baruch haShem, I've never had anything worse than this. I mean, I also broke my arm that one time, but that's pretty standard.

Last hospital visit: Not counting visiting other people? I was hospitalized for conjunctivitis in the summer of 1991. (No joke, they had to put me on intravenous antibiotics.)

What's the hardest thing about growing up: Learning to accept responsibility for your mistakes.

Do you believe in love at first sight: No. In fact, I think it's a dangerous myth.

Define Love: "Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own." -- Robert Heinlein

What do you wear to bed: Pajamas, which should ideally be any or all of the following: blue, floral, flannel.

Bedtime? Typically, sometime between 11:30pm and 12:30 am.

Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Filene's Basement or Marshall's.

What do you do most often when you're bored? Bored? What is this "bored"? Is that when you have no interesting projects left to tackle?

Name the person that you are friends with that lives the farthest: Probably Sierra, in Portland, OR.

What's the best feeling in the world: Singing at the top of my lungs.

The worst feeling in the world: Having to hurt someone else when you don't want to.

Most annoying thing: Oh, how to choose? >:-)

Your deepest fear: Never finding the person I truly want to marry. (This isn't something I'm too concerned about coming true, yet, but it does weigh on me.)

Do you think looks are important: Not so much, but chemistry is.

What do you look for in a guy/girl: Good hair.
Well, okay, plus -- brains, a sense of humor, a quick wit (which is not the same thing as either of the above), a little musical aptitude, and a little social grace.
I also tend to go for guys in glasses (I'm doomed to have myopic children. Probably asthmatic, too).

How many kids do you want to have: Two, maybe three.

Future child(ren)'s names: Many years ago, I had picked out Stephen and Douglas for boys' names. Somewhat fewer years ago, I liked Sarah, Rebekah and Judith for girls' names. Right now, though, I don't have any really strong leanings (except that they should be Jewish names). I suppose it'll depend somewhat on their father's opinion, too.

What are you wearing right now: An aging pair of Gap Reverse Fit jeans (the only kind that truly fit me right; may they never be discontinued!), a black turtleneck sweater (my new favorite) from Old Navy, and a disintegrating pair of men's black oxfords with buckles. Since graduating from college, I've worn out at least five interchangeable pairs of shoes like these; I guess it's time for the sixth.

What CD is in your player right this second? Disc 2 of Gilbert & Sullivan's Iolanthe -- I think it's the D'Oyly Carte recording, but I forget.

What book are you reading now? The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst, and I just started rereading The Quality of Mercy by Faye Kellerman.

What is most important in life: Kindness.

IF YOU COULD ... WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Meet one person, dead or alive: Ick, I wouldn't want to meet a dead person! -- What? *Ohh.*
Anyway... like most people (though not necessarily for the same reasons), I'd pick that charismatic, rabble-rousing, political and religious rebel from the time of the Second Temple: Jesus.

Dye your hair any color: Well, I COULD, to begin with...!
I used to want it flaming red, and when I have colored it, it's been reddish (though rarely enough to tell the difference). But lately, I've hesitated to change it because I like knowing that the very nice color it is, is its natural color. So there.
Visit one city in the world: Paris first, then Florence.

Have any job you wanted: I wouldn't have a full-time job at all; I'd write, and continue to do freelance book and Web design. Of course I'd also like to be a professional singer (pop, jazz, opera, cantorial, doesn't much matter).

ICQ #:	Heaven forfend! Neither.

BASICS
Name:	Erica Lynn Schultz
Nicknames:	None in common usage. "Muffin" if you are Lisa Ferguson or else know me principally via e-mail. "Eureka" or occasionally "Peanut" if you are my father.
AOL Names:	Heaven forfend! Neither.
Age:	At this writing, 28
Birthday:	October 6
Zodiac sign:	Libra
Birthplace:	Dayton, OH.
Hometown:	Valparaiso, IN.
Current residence:	Cambridge, MA.
Living arrangement:	I live alone in a small, slightly decrepit one-bedroom apartment (in a house).
Height:	Five-foot-nine-and-a-half in bare feet.
Weight:	Sturdy. I'm a strapping girl.
Cup size:	[Think again, wise guy.]
Hair:	Chestnut
Eyes:	Brown
Siblings:	One brother.
Pets:	None currently. When I was in high school, we had a miniature schnauzer (that's a dog, FYI) named Wolfgang Amadeus. Prior to that, we'd had two goldfish who actually lived for at least three years. Then we brought a third one home from the county fair -- and added him to the same bowl without quarantining him first -- and within a week, all three of them were dead. :-(
Friends Online:	Most of my friends are "online" at least some of the time. I don't currently have any friends that I know from online.
FAVORITES
Sport to play:	Um...
Sport to watch:	Um... I do enjoy watching ice skating... As far as team sports, I can probably watch basketball more intelligently than most other games.
Color/Colors:	In general, pink. For random frivolous things, I'm also partial to iridescent blue-green-purple. In clothes, charcoal gray. In glass, cobalt blue. For trees, orange. For hair, red (sigh :-)
Subject:	In grade school it was spelling. In junior high, English or humanities. In high school, language classes. In college, linguistics. But I still majored in English. No, I am multifaceted, really...
Clothes Brand:	I admit it: I shop at the Gap. Well, the Gap Outlet. And Old Navy. (I like Starbucks too, okay?)
Shoe Brand:	Most of my shoes come from Payless.
Music Artists:	Lots. I'll start by mentioning Moxy Früvous. These days, I'm listening to a lot of show tunes (especially if you include Gilbert & Sullivan under that heading).
Radio Stations:	I hardly listen to the radio, but when I do, it's usually The Mix (here in Boston, that's Mix 98.5, but I found its clone somewhere else on the dial in Chicago. Literally, it was the same station, same promos, same station IDs, just different call letters and frequency. I know pop radio stations are "chain"-operated nowadays just like mall stores, but it really freaked me out).
Food:	Mexican.
Alcoholic beverage:	Margaritas (frozen, with salt).
Restaurant:	The Border Cafe in Harvard Square, Cambridge; the S&S Deli in Inman Square, Cambridge; or any decent sushi place.
Salad Dressing:	Vinaigrette (usually Italian).
Ice Cream:	Ben & Jerry's Vanilla Chocolate Chunk... or Chocolate Cherry Garcia frozen yogurt.
Soda:	Root beer or cream soda. Or plain tonic water. But I more often drink seltzer. People are generally underhydrated as it is.
TV Shows:	Friends, Frasier, ER, The X-Files.
Scary Movies:	I like them in general (suspense, not horror; the psychological thriller), but none really qualify as favorites.
Movies:	Dead Poets Society. The Princess Bride. A Room With A View. Wayne's World. Batman. The Blues Brothers. And many others.
Dream Car:	Volkswagen Cabriolet convertible. Can I get one in pink?
Flowers:	Tulips.
Sesame Street character:	It's hard to choose one, but I think I'd have to go with good ol' Ernie.
Month(s):	October.
Day(s):	My birthday? (which, coincidentally, also falls in October)
Holiday:	Yom Kippur. (No, really.)
Number:	27. For no particular reason.
Expression(s):	"There's a lid for every pot." "If you can't tell, does it matter?"
Board game:	Encore.
Magazine:	Glamour, Real Simple.
Smell:	Lavender, honeysuckle, gardenia; dark roast coffee; the ocean; a watered lawn in the summer.
LEAST favorite smell:	Paradichlorobenzene.
Sound:	A hammered dulcimer.
Toothpaste:	Ultra Brite, but my dental hygienist made me switch to Colgate Total.
DO YOU...
Sleep with stuffed animals:	Not now, and never really.
Have any piercings:	Just my ears (one each).
Tattoos?	Uh-uh.
Wear braces:	I did for 2-1/2 years in high school. I'm very happy with my teeth now; thanks, Mom and Dad. (I actually still do have hardware in my mouth: a retainer called a "lingual bar" cemented to the back of my front six bottom teeth. You can't usually see it, but it freaks people out a bit when they first notice it. Heh.)
Consider yourself a good listener:	Yes; my patience is infinite.
Sing in the shower:	Oh yeah. Ask my neighbors.
Think cheerleading is a sport:	I suppose so. It's more athletic than anything I've ever been able to do.
Type with your fingers on the right keys:	For the most part, yes.
Eat the stems of broccoli:	Sure. Why wouldn't you?
Like to drive fast:	Um, kind of. I enjoy highway driving, but I get impatient, so in good weather I tend to hover near 80 mph. Sorry, Mom.
Have a crush:	At any given moment I usually have two or three, but most of them are mild.
Have a boyfriend/girlfriend:	Yep :-)
WOULD YOU...
Thongs:	My gut reaction is, "Yikes!"... but in all fairness, I've never tried.
Skydiving:	I think I would.
HAVE YOU EVER...
Gone skinny dipping:	Nope.
Thought you were gonna die:	Not literally. (I can remember thinking my parents were going to kill me, but that's somethiing else again.)
Been drunk or high:	High: never. Slightly tipsy: yes. Drunk enough to throw up: only twice in my life, and probably never again.
Broken/fractured a bone:	My left arm, in third grade (gymnastics at the Y).
Stolen anything:	I confess: the summer I was 18, I once stole a pack of cigarettes from the store where I was working. (I tried one. Then I left the rest of the pack out on the street for someone else to find.)
Been in love:	Lots of times, for sufficiently impermanent values of "in love".
Loved somebody so much it made you cry:	Now I have.
Been to Africa:	No.
Been toilet papering:	No.
Been in a car accident:	Er, yes... the summer of 1989 (I was 16, had just graduated from high school, had only gotten my license that April), I was driving with my friend Hillary to the outlet mall in Michigan City. About 3 blocks from the mall, we came to an intersection that I thought was a 4-way stop, but it was a 2-way stop. I got broadsided on the passenger side, so Hillary sustained some impressive bruises, but thank God, no one was seriously injured -- except my mother's beloved 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera (silver, she'd had it from new), which was totaled. To this day I am extra-careful about watching for "Cross Traffic Does Not Stop" intersections.
Been convicted of a crime:	Convicted, no... No, I'm just kidding. I've never even been toilet papering (see above).
THIS or THAT?
Paper or Plastic:	I'm a credit-card gal. ...Oh, you mean the bags? I try to bring my own canvas ones. Except when I need more paper ones to hold my newspaper recycling.
Deaf or Blind:	Let's use superstition as sufficient grounds for not picking one.
Truth or Dare:	I have very few truths I'm interested in concealing.
Night or Day:	I actually enjoy the very early morning (if I'm awake for it).
Chocolate Chip or Oatmeal Raisin:	Chocolate chip, in general. Though almost nothing beats Oatmeal Scotchies.
mtv, bet, vh1, cmt:	I don't have cable.
Beavis or Butthead:	I do a slightly better impression of Beavis, but from the approximately 3 minutes I've ever seen, find Butthead slightly less detestable.
Beach or Pool:	Beach.
Cake or Pie:	Cake (although I'd tend to pick, for instance, pecan pie over carrot cake).
Chocolate or Vanilla:	In principle, chocolate, but I'm really a fan of both.
Boxers or Briefs:	Before I met Matthew, I would definitely have said boxers, but let's just say I'm reevaluating my preferences...
Cats or Dogs:	Dogs.
AOL 3.0 or 4.0:	As Jessica put it, "Ick, neither. AOHell must die."
Love or Lust:	They're best in combination.
Pancakes or French Toast:	I'm rather partial to omelets.
Silver or Gold:	Gold. But I like copper, too.
Smoker or Non-Smoker:	Non-.
Republican or Democrat:	Democrat... but I voted for Nader this time around.
Diamonds or Pearls:	I'm not much for gemstones; I like plain gold best.
Hugs or Kisses:	From whom?
Lefty or Righty:	I'm right-handed.
Batman or Superman:	Batman, as long as it's Michael Keaton.
Disney or Hanna-Barbera:	Between the two, I guess I'm partial to Disney. But I'm much more of a Peanuts fan.
Blanket or Stuffed Animal:	Blanket. I actually still have mine. Then again, I still have some of my stuffed animals, too.
Coke or Pepsi:	Tab.
Nacho Cheese or Cool Ranch:	Is this about Doritos? I'd rather have plain tortilla chips. (Preferably with pico de gallo and accompanied by a frozen margarita :-)
Croutons or Bacon Bits?	Croutons. I don't eat pork products; and even when I did, I never cared much for bacon.
Pencils or Pens:	Pens (purple or pink, rollerball)
Sunset or Sunrise:	Sunrise.
Sun or Moon:	Moon.
Crushed or Cubed:	Crushed. It's easier to chew your ice that way.
Showers or Baths:	Baths (speaking recreationally, not practically).
Ketchup or Mustard:	Mustard.
Storms -- Cool or Scary?	Cool, I guess (unless I'm driving in it!).
Is the glass Half Empty or Half Full?	It depends. I mean, if I see someone pour a full glass and then drink half of it, it's then half empty. If I actually see someone fill the glass only halfway, then it's half full. But if I just see half a glass of water sitting around out of context, then to me, it's simply half a glass.
MISCELLANEOUS
How much do you love your job? (on a scale of 1 to 10)	Most days, an 8 or 9.
Can you swim:	Yes.
What's on your ceiling:	Peeling white paint.
What color is your bedroom carpet:	No carpet; peeling wood-grain-printed linoleum. I have a nice pink-striped cotton rug over it, though.
What color is your toothbrush:	At the moment, blue. My travel one is green.
What's on your mouse pad:	At home, I think it's a plain red one. At work, it's a cheat sheet for SAP, MIT's purchase order software (which I never use, but anyway).
What's under your bed:	Drawers, containing my sheets, mostly. I wish I had a linen closet.
What's the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning:	Nine times out of ten, it's that I'd better get moving or I'll be even later than I already am.
How many rings before you pick up the phone:	Usually two.
What was your first car:	I've never owned a car.
What was your worst injury ever:	In the spring of 2000, I got my right index finger closed in a car door, and gashed it on both sides. It wasn't all THAT bad, though; I didn't even need any stitches. Baruch haShem, I've never had anything worse than this. I mean, I also broke my arm that one time, but that's pretty standard.
Last hospital visit:	Not counting visiting other people? I was hospitalized for conjunctivitis in the summer of 1991. (No joke, they had to put me on intravenous antibiotics.)
What's the hardest thing about growing up:	Learning to accept responsibility for your mistakes.
Do you believe in love at first sight:	No. In fact, I think it's a dangerous myth.
Define Love:	"Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own." -- Robert Heinlein
What do you wear to bed:	Pajamas, which should ideally be any or all of the following: blue, floral, flannel.
Bedtime?	Typically, sometime between 11:30pm and 12:30 am.
Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?	Filene's Basement or Marshall's.
What do you do most often when you're bored?	Bored? What is this "bored"? Is that when you have no interesting projects left to tackle?
Name the person that you are friends with that lives the farthest:	Probably Sierra, in Portland, OR.
What's the best feeling in the world:	Singing at the top of my lungs.
The worst feeling in the world:	Having to hurt someone else when you don't want to.
Most annoying thing:	Oh, how to choose? >:-)
Your deepest fear:	Never finding the person I truly want to marry. (This isn't something I'm too concerned about coming true, yet, but it does weigh on me.)
Do you think looks are important:	Not so much, but chemistry is.
What do you look for in a guy/girl:	Good hair. Well, okay, plus -- brains, a sense of humor, a quick wit (which is not the same thing as either of the above), a little musical aptitude, and a little social grace. I also tend to go for guys in glasses (I'm doomed to have myopic children. Probably asthmatic, too).
How many kids do you want to have:	Two, maybe three.
Future child(ren)'s names:	Many years ago, I had picked out Stephen and Douglas for boys' names. Somewhat fewer years ago, I liked Sarah, Rebekah and Judith for girls' names. Right now, though, I don't have any really strong leanings (except that they should be Jewish names). I suppose it'll depend somewhat on their father's opinion, too.
What are you wearing right now:	An aging pair of Gap Reverse Fit jeans (the only kind that truly fit me right; may they never be discontinued!), a black turtleneck sweater (my new favorite) from Old Navy, and a disintegrating pair of men's black oxfords with buckles. Since graduating from college, I've worn out at least five interchangeable pairs of shoes like these; I guess it's time for the sixth.
What CD is in your player right this second?	Disc 2 of Gilbert & Sullivan's Iolanthe -- I think it's the D'Oyly Carte recording, but I forget.
What book are you reading now?	The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst, and I just started rereading The Quality of Mercy by Faye Kellerman.
What is most important in life:	Kindness.
IF YOU COULD ... WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Meet one person, dead or alive:	Ick, I wouldn't want to meet a dead person! -- What? Ohh. Anyway... like most people (though not necessarily for the same reasons), I'd pick that charismatic, rabble-rousing, political and religious rebel from the time of the Second Temple: Jesus.
Dye your hair any color:	Well, I COULD, to begin with...! I used to want it flaming red, and when I have colored it, it's been reddish (though rarely enough to tell the difference). But lately, I've hesitated to change it because I like knowing that the very nice color it is, is its natural color. So there.
Visit one city in the world:	Paris first, then Florence.
Have any job you wanted:	I wouldn't have a full-time job at all; I'd write, and continue to do freelance book and Web design. Of course I'd also like to be a professional singer (pop, jazz, opera, cantorial, doesn't much matter).

That Dumb E-mail Questionnaire People Keep Forwarding

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