-300.

Soup
If you could completely memorize any one work of fiction, which one would you pick?

Oh, wow. Great question. Definitely Lord of the Rings (along with all of the appendices).

Salad
What is your favorite breakfast food?

A Tim Horton’s toasted plain bagel with strawberry cream cheese. Healthy? Not particularly. Marvellously delicious? Yes.

Main Course
Name something fun you can do for less than $10.00.

Read a book from the library.

Dessert
How long does it usually take you to fall asleep?

Well, once I actually decide to go to sleep, 5 minutes or so – but I usually read an hour or so before I go to sleep, regardless of what time I physically went to bed. Last night I was up until 1:30AM reading some more of The Last Kingdom. (It’s a great book, by the way – historical fiction set during the Norse invasion of England, late 9th century.)

Appetizer
What is your favorite fruit?

Tough one. Am I allowed to say fruit salad, with strawberries, pineapple, and white grapes? No? Okay, fine. I’ll begrudgingly go with pineapple. But fruit salad is still better.

Soup
Who is someone you consider as a great role model?

Thich Nhat Hahn. No idea who that is? Here you go.

Salad
If you were to spend one night anywhere within an hour of your home, where would you choose?

I honestly can’t think of anywhere specific that I’m just dying to stay at for a night. I suppose I’d be alright with hanging out in one of the many forests around here for a night. Or maybe the university library, heh.
Main Course
Name something you do too often.

If a kitten was killed everytime I checked my email, cats would be extinct. I really do check my email way too much.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I really like ___________ because ____________.

I really like Buddhism because it’s a spiritual path I can follow without being forced to believe in something, solely on faith.

Appetizer
How many pieces of jewelry do you wear most days?

Two. My wedding ring and a barbell earring in my left ear.

Soup
What is your favorite instrumental song?

The Imperial March from Star Wars. If you’ve no idea what I’m talking about, you can listen to it here.

Salad
Who has a last name that you like?

Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. Admittedly, he actually hade quite a few different names, but one of his last names was Stormcrow.

Main Course
Name a popular movie you’ve never seen.

Office Space.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: Nothing makes me ___________ like ____________.

Nothing makes me shake my head like George W. Bush.

When I’m in a group of people and I’m uncomfortable, I’ll hook my thumbs in my pockets. I didn’t realize I did this until someone mentioned it to me a few years ago. At that point, I realized I’d been doing it for as far back as I could remember.

Soup
If you could instantly know how to play a musical instrument, which one would you pick?

Bagpipes!

Salad
How long is your hair?

I just shaved my head, about a week ago. So – not very long at all.

Main Course
When was the last time you forgave someone, and who was it?

Myself, just now, for submitting myself to some of these questions.

Seriously though, I’m not sure. I haven’t had any interpersonal issues as of late, so I haven’t been in any arguments as of late, so I haven’t (as of late!) needed to forgive anyone (or be forgiven, for that matter).

Knock on wood.

Dessert
What is your favorite kitchen appliance?

Coffee pot. No coffee pot, no coffee. No coffee, very grumpy Josh.

Appetizer
Fill in the blank: The best thing about where I live is _________________…

The best thing about where I live is that I know that I’ll eventually be able to move away from it.

All cynicism aside, my location does have some perks. The university I attend is 4 blocks away, so I can walk if need be; there’s a state park about 20 minutes from my house, for hiking, swimming, camping, etc.; and, the main branch of the public library is 3 blocks away.

There’s no decent bookstore in town, though. Did you hear that, Barnes and Noble?

Soup
Create a new name for a deodorant (like “Flower Fresh” or “Shower Scent”).

Zentastic Zing.

Salad
What was the last piece of software you installed onto your computer?

VTrain, a flash card program based on the Leitner system.

Main Course
If you were to receive a superlative award today beginning with the words ”Most likely to…”, what would the rest of the phrase say?

Most likely to grow up to be one of the largest walking encyclopedias of relatively useless information.

Dessert
What two colors do you like to wear together?

Black and khaki.

Appetizer
What do you consider to be the ultimate snack food?

I’m pretty fond of Chex Mix. White grapes are good, too.

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), about how popular is your last name?

2. I’ve heard it a few times around the area I live in, but that’s about it.

Salad
Who is your all-time favorite sitcom character, and why?

Hmm. Does “Are You Being Served” count as a sitcom? If so, Mr. Lucas (played by Trevor Bannister). I just thought he was hilarious. If I were ever to work in a department store, I’d want to be Mr. Lucas.

Captain Peacock comes in as a close second, though.

Main Course
Do you shop online? If so, name some sites you like to browse for goodies.

Yes. When I do buy something online, it’s almost always at amazon.com. I don’t buy much online besides books. I bought a mala from a Tibetan Buddhist shop, but besides that, I haven’t bought any non-book item for quite a while.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I think ___________ should be ___________.

I think George Bush should be impeached.

Appetizer
Name something you think is “the best.”

Battlestar Galactica – by far the best sci-fi show I’ve ever seen. More’s the pity that the 4th season will be its last.

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 highest), how stressed are you today?

Thus far, perhaps a 3. My toddler is being extremely obstinant. My morning cup of coffee is helping things, however.

Salad
What kind of cleanser do you use to wash your face?

Bar soap. I’m not one of those people who find it necessary to own 15 different kinds of “cleansers.” 2 will suffice: bar soap and shampoo.

Main Course
Tonight is a blue moon! What is something that you believe only happens “once in a blue moon.”

Everything during your day goes as planned. Generally, something always goes wrong or has to be altered.

Dessert
When was the last time it rained where you live?

2 or 3 weeks ago. We really need some rain. Our grass is yellowing.

Appetizer
Name a sound you like to hear.

Birds chirping. I actually love to wake up early in the morning and lay in bed, listening to the birds chirp. Sun coming in through the window and warming up my back makes it even nicer.

Soup
What is your favorite kind of cheese?

Smoked cheddar.

Salad
Do you sleep late on Saturday mornings? Why or why not?

Nope. I tend to wake up every day at roughly the same time. While I have to get up earlier on days when I have early classes, even if I don’t have to get up, I typically wake up at 9am or thereabouts. It’s just the sleep pattern I got into while working one of my past jobs.

I also have grown to dislike sleeping in, because it seems to trash the whole day. Even though you only “lose” a few hours to sleeping in, it always feels like you’ve lost far more. I’m not sure what that’s about. At any rate, I try to avoid sleeping in.

Main Course
When was the last time you forgot something?  What was it, and how long did it take to remember it?

Wait, what was the question? Oh, right. Seriously, I don’t know. I forget a lot of stuff a lot of the time, but I’m usually pretty good at “getting it back” fairly quickly. To give a definitive answer, I’ll say that I forgot our Yorkie dog outside this morning, and remembered him about 15 minutes later, when he started bitching at me through the door. He can be a demanding little bugger.
Dessert
Fill in the blank:  I notice ____________ when _____________.

I notice it all the time when people say “I seen” instead of “I have seen” or “I saw.” It drives me up the wall.

Appetizer
List 3 emotions you experienced this week.

1. Nervousness, on Monday, when I had to read aloud to my English class Wilfred Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est. Being rather introverted, I’m not very fond of having to stand in front of people, with all of the attention on me.
2. Happiness, on Thursday, in my math class. My professor is such a nice guy, and regularly makes jokes / acts silly to keep us interested in the material.
3. A bit of exhiliration, while reading the section of Sharpe’s Tiger which detailed the British assault on the western wall of Seringapatam. It was very well written.

Soup
Name a car you’d love to have.

Totally apathetic. I don’t really care what kind of vehicle I have, as long as it is capable of taking me from point A to point B, and then back to point A.

If I were forced to choose, and gas prices weren’t so outrageous ($3.30/gallon right now where I’m at!), I’d probably get a Hummer. A real Hummer, though, not one of the civilian ones.

Other choices might be:

• An Aston Martin DB5 – If it was good enough for Bond, it would be good enough for me.
• A German WW2 Kubelwagen, simply because I think they’re a neat looking car. They’re supposedly fairly effective, too.

Salad
Describe your typical morning routine.

Get up, take a shower, get dressed. Make a pot of coffee and have a cup or two. Wake my son up, get him dressed, take him to daycare. Come back home, have a bowl of cereal or some other breakfast item, then head off to class. I’ll sometimes, if I have time, have a brief meditation session somewhere in there.

Main Course
Have you ever emailed someone famous? If so, who, and what did you say to them? Did they reply?

I once emailed John Howe, one of the fellows who has done copious amounts of Lord of the Rings artwork. I don’t recall what the email was about – it was some years ago – but I do know that he responded.

Dessert
Do you listen to podcasts? If so, which ones?

Off and on. There are many on my iPod, most of them being German language podcasts. Some include Alltagsdeutsch, as well as Sprachbar. I’m also subscribed to In Our Time. If I could ever figure out how to introduce 15-20 more hours in a day, I’m sure I’d listen to more podcasts than I do.

Appetizer
Name something you would not want to own.

A snake. I just don’t really understand the reptile-as-a-pet thing. If I’m going to have a pet, I want it to be furry and cuddly.

My wife, on the other hand, is always saying she’d like to have one. Shudder. The things give me the creeps…

Soup
Describe your hair (texture, color, length, etc.).

I have brown hair, which is fairly soft. It also has a tendency to become extremely oily if I don’t wash it every day. My facial hair ranges from dark brown to a reddish brown. And my.. well, we won’t go there. You can guess.

Salad
Finish this sentence: I’ll never forget ___________.

Being a jerk with my dad on so many occasions, usually over stupid stuff. Take my mistakes as a lesson: be nice to your loved ones while they’re alive, even if they do infuriate you at times. Once they’re gone, you’ll regret being an ass. Trust me on this.

Main Course
Which famous person would you like to be for one day? Why?

I can’t think of anyone famous who I’d want to be at all, even if it was just for a day. I’m quite comfy in my body.

Dessert
Write one sentence about yourself that includes one thing that is true and another thing that is not.

I’m of German descent and I absolutely love mathematics!