Getting to know you ...

I don't get Vanity Fair anymore, but when I had a subscription, one of my favorite pieces was "The Proust Questionnaire" featured at the back of the issue. Every month, they would talk to some luminary and ask them these questions.

Since I've always wanted to do this, I'm going to subject the rest of you to it as well - here is my Proust Questionnaire ... if anyone else decides to do it and posts it on their blog - leave me a comment and post the link! I'd love to read 'em!

The Proust Questionnaire has its origins in a parlor game popularized (though not devised) by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature. Here is the basic Proust Questionnaire.

1.What is your idea of perfect happiness? Sleeping in on a weekend with my husband and cat. Then waking up and having coffee.
2.What is your greatest fear? Being in a high space without any rails or handles.
3.What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Lack of ambition.
4.What is the trait you most deplore in others? Closed minds.
5.Which living person do you most admire? Michelle Obama - I freakin' LOVE her!
6.What is your greatest extravagance? Jimmy John's sandwiches - specifically the Vito, with Skinny Chips and a Diet Coke.
7.What is your current state of mind? Tired, slightly pensive
8.What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Am I a bastard if I say honesty?
9.On what occasion do you lie? When it's preferable to the truth.
10.What do you most dislike about your appearance? I'm not fond of my gut - it's up there with my missing toenail although I think both give me character.
11.Which living person do you most despise? It's a toss up between Spencer Pratt and Dick Cheney.
12.What is the quality you most like in a man? A sense of humor
13.What is the quality you most like in a woman? Someone I can drink beer with
14.Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Ummmmmmm
15.What or who is the greatest love of your life? My husband
16.When and where were you happiest? On a solitary bike ride in Gozo, spring 1999. BTW - I don't ride bikes often, so that in and of itself should tell you something. 
17.Which talent would you most like to have? Invisibility.
18.If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? The fact that I so desperately want to please others all the time.
19.What do you consider your greatest achievement? Having a wonderful and individual relationship with each of my four nephews.
20.If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? I would be a much loved copy of a children's book or someone's favorite blanket.
21.Where would you most like to live? Somewhere in the woods
22.What is your most treasured possession? My grandma Boots' diamond ring. 
23.What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Feeling helpless
24.What is your favorite occupation? writing
25.What is your most marked characteristic? my ability to talk to absolutely anybody about absolutely anything - even if I don't know what the hell said person is talking about.
26.What do you most value in your friends? longevity
27.Who are your favorite writers? Stephen King, John Irving, Joyce Carol Oates, Bob Dylan
28.Who is your hero of fiction? Gandalf in any phase of Tolkien. Gandalf or Dumbledore ...
29.Which historical figure do you most identify with? Right now, I'm loving Eleanor Roosevelt.
30.Who are your heroes in real life? My parents and my cousin Trix
31.What are your favorite names? Stanley, Anne, Cate
32.What is it that you most dislike? raw carrots
33.What is your greatest regret? not applying myself more in college and not getting to know my American Literature professor from Malta 
34.How would you like to die? Smiling in my sleep when I'm 99. Preferably on the same day as my husband. :)
35.What is your motto? Never been a better time than right now.