belated interviews

[elvendoll]

1) what would you say has to be the book that has been the most influential on
your life so far, the most meaningful to you?

narcissus and goldmund. when i first read it, it warped my perceptions more intensely then any other book.

2) what is your most valued earthly possession?

my car.

3) list in order from 1-5 the traits you value most in people

1 - honesty/straightforwardness
2 - intellect
3 - a sense of fun/adventure
4 - emotional maturity
5 - easygoingness

4) what is your favorite quote?

that's hard.
there's two quotes that are close to me right now, but i'm failing to find one of them and i can't paraphrase it well. the other, paraphrased, is "it is not possible to say everything about anything, therefore all descriptions are subjective"

5) who is your hero/heroine/human who has influenced you most in your life?

you *hugs&smooches*





1. I tend to ask you a lot of questions about Russia, so of course, there's going to be one in here :) If you could list 3 major differences between Russian culture that you remember, and American culture, what would they be?

1) the idea of manners - russian culture was hyperfocussed on manners and etiquette, and on some levels, it was nice because everyone was working from a very similar set of ideals/expectations, and it forced people to be constantly aware and conscious of other people and how/what they are doing.
2) eating out - aside from vacations, i had only been to a restaurant once while growing up in russia. there were dinner parties held all the time, but it still felt like social interaction wasn't so centered on eating/consumption.
3) reading - being well read was always important.

2. You travel quite a bit. Are there any places you have been that you would never want to visit again?

i don't think there are any places that i would object to going again, but i could certainly live without without stepping foot in florida (sorry) or NCL's private carribean island again.
also, when younger, i didn't like baltimore or chicago, but i think i need to see both again before making a final call.

3. What does "love" mean to you?

from tori amos' cover of toni mitchell's a case of you:

"I remember that time you told me
"Love is touching souls"
Surely you touched mine
'Cause part of you pours out of me
In these lines from time to time"

love means that someone has touched me, and there's a place they will always have in my heart.
i don't think its possible for me to stop loving anyone, but it is possible for me to accept that myself and/or the other person has changed enough that who they are currently doesn't fit into the spot i have for them.

4. How far do you think you've come in the last 3 years? What do you see /would like to see in the next 3?

i don't think i've come very far at all; i want to live more.

5. Where did you get the purple froggy??

toys r us ; )





1) You are going through a lot of hardship and pain to take classes, what are you hoping to get out of school, exactly?

the little piece of paper - by now, i just want to get through and finish what i started.
i'm also hoping this will change.

2) Someone asked you what it was like to be Russian, and you responded that in Russia you were identified as a Jew. How do you self identify? Are labels like that important to your sense of self, or has shifting them as often as you have dimmed their impact?

i can only imagine it has dimmed the impact - in talking to tobi, i think its similar to what it felt like for her when she was made to feel like "american" wasn't a valid cultural heritage.
it does feel like a big gap; i took history of jewish life in eastern europe to see if the gap could be filled, but what i learned only made it bigger.

3) Why do you think certain situations or. . . events cause panic and retreat in you? How is that affected by how you see yourself, and how would you propose to alter that in the future, if that was something you wanted to change?

a lot of it comes from feeling out of place and disconnected in social situations.
being around people i have a strong comfort level with one on one definitely helps, but being conscious of that is almost like a hurdle in getting to know people more - because a part of me feels like going out of my way to get to know the people i genuinely want to get to know would be/is too self-serving to be genuine or ok.

4) You seem to live by the Law of Conservation of Cats. What attracts you to felines, and why do you think they're attracted to you?

i don't know.
i like cats because i like their independent nature, but never having spent any significant amount of time around cats before 5-6 years ago makes me feel like i don't have a base to answer the question.



is there anyone i've missed?
anyone want to ask me questions?
be asked questions?

Comments

[scuba.livejournal.com]

1. At what point did you feel your life as you know it began?

2. If time and money were not an issue, what would your preferred method of travel be?

3. What's your favorite piece of art?

4. What fictional character did you most want to be like when you were young?

[elvendoll.livejournal.com]

1. At what point did you feel your life as you know it began?

i don't know if i could pick just one instant... there was the time i got deja-vu of what ended up being our high school lunch spot, before it was, and before i met the others in the group; there was sitting on the steps of my brighton apartment, talking to kittypie and realizing just how mine my life is; there was stumbling around london, in tears, and feeling/knowing that i would come out stronger, more complete, on the other end.

2. If time and money were not an issue, what would your preferred method of travel be?

would time in transit be malleable?
sometimes, its all about teleportation. other times, its about road tripping with others or taking a long drive on my own. if i could get accross the atlantic in two days, i'd do that in a heartbeat, but i wouldn't want to spend a week on a boat to get to europe. and trains. sleepaway trains - i miss those!

3. What's your favorite piece of art?

thats a hard one - i don't think i have one.
for me, i'm all about standing in the middle of a large museum room, feeling art pulsing on each one of the walls.

4. What fictional character did you most want to be like when you were young?

the female companion to peter pan.
i never wanted to be wendy - she chose to go back home. in the recorded version that i had, though, peter pan kept visiting wendy's descendents, and her granddaughter left with him, and the story was left open-ended - i wanted a chance like that.

Meme

[lollimom.livejournal.com]

1. Favorite room in your living arrangement and why?
2. You said you wouldn't go back to Florida.. which part.. why?
3. What is the first book you remember reading? Why do you think it sticks out in your mind?
4. Your three closest friends: not who.. just why they are.
5. situation: I'm a returning college student after being in the work force for 10 years.. the reasons i should go the course you are with college?
6. Could you please do one back? *smile*

Re: Meme

[elvendoll.livejournal.com]

1. Favorite room in your living arrangement and why?

the living room/kitchen space - i can still remember walking into the apartment with the realtor, seeing the wide open space and falling in love with it.
right now, its more crowded with furniture then i would like, but i can still picture what it looked like with minimal floor space occupied and the sun shining through all windows.

2. You said you wouldn't go back to Florida.. which part.. why?

i've been to orlando, cocoa beach and ...some other beach town... and it never compared to california.

3. What is the first book you remember reading? Why do you think it sticks out in your mind?

there is no definitive "first" memory - i read a lot when i was a child, and i can't place which book came first.

4. Your three closest friends: not who.. just why they are.

its because they're three amazing people, who i love and who love me back - i think digging deeper into it would be akin to judging them, and thats not something i want to do.

5. situation: I'm a returning college student after being in the work force for 10 years.. the reasons i should go the course you are with college?

i don't know what to say.
i'm taking classes because i'm more then halfway done, and i want something to show for my time in class.
i never want to stop learning, but working towards a degree is more structured then freestyle learning.

6. Could you please do one back? *smile*

hrmmm....

1. how did you find my journal and why do you read it?

2. what is motivating you to go back to school? what do you plan to major in?

3. what is your favorite stuffed animal?

4. what is your favorite recipe?

Re: Meme

[lollimom.livejournal.com]

1. how did you find my journal and why do you read it?
i stole you from a utual "friend" tho i don't remember who at this point.. i read it because you are one of the more interesting and intriguing journals i've run across.. not just the "drama" queens of nashua

2. what is motivating you to go back to school? what do you plan to major in?
the opportunity arose to return to school. as a single mom, i have tried to stay in school, though it never quite worked out. I moved to "dreaded" Florida, n with my mom (whom i don't exactly get along with) and while she takes care of my son, i work and can attend classes. My major? i began as an education major 11 years ago and am now sort of "uninterested" in the field, at least for my enjoyment. I have been thinking about computer science, business administration, or occupational psychology as my new line of study. Fields where i can use my prior working knowledge to my advantage.

3. What is you favorite stuffed animal?
right now i would have to say the most used one is my 2 foot purple soft-plush-knitting bear i recieved as a "remember me" gift from a friend up north whne i moved down here.

4. What is your favorite recipe?
interesting.. for me to cook or for someone else to cook? For me to cook it would have to be my lemon lime chicken breast over white steamed long grain rice - healthy because there is no added salt needed with plenty of flavor For someone else: Tie between my dad's homemade beef stew (peasant stew actually) and his glazed salmon.