More Than You Ever Wanted To Know

The lovely Angie and my love Nicole both tagged me in their 11 Questions posts, and I have a handful of questions from formspring, so I thought today would be a great day to answer questions. I'm just gonna dive in...


Where did you go on your last vacation?

On my last vacation, I went to Connecticut to spend Christmas with my family, I spent some time in New York City, and I went to Boston to visit Alivia and Nicole. (Love, love, love.)

Has reading a book ever made you cry? Which one and why?

Yes. I cry all the time, which means I cry over books all the time. However, I do remember having a really solid sob when I read a book (I can't remember the title, maybe Nicole can?) about a woman who was a corporate attorney in New York who quit her job, broke up with her boyfriend, had a grandfather with alzheimer's, and some other life-difficulty, and then became a writer. I read this the summer after law school, had a solid sob, and realized I needed to seriously consider a few of my life decisions... surprising, right? =)

What’s the funniest movie you’ve ever seen?

Cool Runnings. (Always and forever.)

What is the last thing you experienced buyer's remorse with?

My shoes. The last three pairs of shoes I have purchased have all broken. They were all fairly (supposedly) higher quality shoes, too. I must be hard on my shoes? I don't know...

What would you do with a million dollars?

With all the recent talk of the Mega Millions recently, I can say without hesitation that I would pay off my student loans. And then be out of money. Hahaha, kidding. (Kind of.) I would give some to family members, probably buy a piece of property somewhere, and donate to a few organizations I love. 

What are three things you regret not learning?

Yet! I regret not learning yet, yet, yet. There is always time... (I think). I regret not learning geography better. My US geography is not terrible, but my world geography knowledge is embarrassing. Must work on that. I also wish I learned how to camp. I have some of the basics, but I want to be able to pitch a tent without being intimidated and build a fire with one match and look at a store full of gear and know exactly what I need. I also regret not learning more about Africa. My knowledge is so limited and the amount to learn is so vast. 

What would life be like if you had wings?

Life altering. And not just because I would have at least two wings growing out of my body but because I could see my friends and family whenever I wanted and not feel sooooo far away all the time and maybe I would move to Seattle because I really could just visit the east coast whenever. And travel. Oh, I would be able to travel for real. I mean, having wings means I could use them to fly, right? And fly quickly. And easily. Right? Right? OK. Good. 

What three words would your friends use to describe you?

Hmmmmm.... Loving. Trustworthy. Silly.

What is something that makes you happy? 

Coffee. Coffee makes me happy every, single day.

What is the best piece of advice you've ever received?

Great question.  ... "Take the detours in life."

If you could date any celebrity, who would it be?

Explanation, explanation, explanation, no-but-you've-got-it-all-wrong, explanation, I-promise-it's-not-like-that, explanation, John Mayer, explanation, explanation, the-timing-is-different, explanation, explanation, explanation. (Nicole, I'm looking at you.)

What is your favorite item of clothing?

My hooded, grey, Boston University sweatshirt that I have had for twelve years. Hands down.

Favorite book?

The House on Mango Street. (And, and, and, and....)

If you were shipwrecked on an island, which single person would you want with you?

Man, there are too many variables to properly answer this one. For how long are we shipwrecked? Where are we shipwrecked? A tropical island? Antarctica? Does this island have other people? running water? free internet? I'm going to say one of those characters on Lost. One of those characters on Lost who managed to get off the island. (I say that having only watched one episode of Lost ever.) I can choose a fictional character, right?

What is one of the silliest things you've ever done?

Oh the list of silly things to pick from could go on for days, trust me. Um. Probably that time in college I tried to retrieve something from under the coffee table without leaving the couch and managed to get very stuck in the coffee table. My roommates had to work as a team to get me unstuck. No joke. And I was sober. And laughing hysterically. 

Cats or dogs?

Dogs. Dogs, dogs, dogs.

What is your ideal day?

Morning coffee and open windows with a cool breeze and a book to read and mind-space to write and phone calls with friends and family and sunshine and mid afternoon showers and a cool evening with fresh food and sweet dessert and shooting stars and a man who pulls me close before we fall asleep.

What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?

That ignorant skepticism is "cooler" than optimistic effort grounded in knowledge and information. 

Do you think it's worse to have too high of expectations, or no expectations at all?

I like high expectations. I have high expectations of the people in my life and of myself. I wouldn't change that. Disappointment stings, but doesn't kill, I've learned. I am also a believer in putting your all into something, doing your best, and then letting go of expectations. The end result is never as important as just doing your best. So, I guess I think it's great to have both high expectations and no expectations. (Which may or may not actually answer the question...)

What one thing have you not done that you really want to do?

There are a thousand things! Maybe ten thousand! Millions, really. Actually, an infinite amount. Definitely infinite. Right now, this very moment? Backpack for three months in foreign cities. I spent yesterday dreaming of this... 

At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

Walking into the the US Supreme Court to hear oral arguments on a juvenile life without parole case last week. What a feeling... 

What is your ideal date?

My brother joked recently that I am so low maintenance my ideal date involves eating pizza in a hooded sweatshirt while sitting on the couch watching a movie on VHS.

And he's 100% right. 

Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?

No way. I push the button only once. And if someone is waiting for the elevator, I check to see if the call button is lit up. If it is lit up, I don't push it again. You know why? BECAUSE THE ELEVATOR IS NOT GOING TO COME ANY FASTER! Whoa, pet-peeve, apparently.

What would you do if you could be invisible for a day?

Oh I'm sure there are so many amazing answers to this that I'm not thinking of, but I think I would follow around someone intriguing and famous. The President of the US maybe? A celebrity? Those both seem so cliche and almost boring... I'll have to think about this one more...

What one thing would you like to be remembered for?

I would like to be remembered as being someone who made everyone feel loved. Someone who everyone is grateful to have known for decades and lifetimes or for just a few seconds. 

I love answering questions, thanks to Angie and Nicole for tagging me! If there is anything else you like to know about me (is there anything left?!), feel free to ask: