Ze Proust Questionnaire

[maggiethecat]

I haven’t the faintest idea why this is called after Proust, but it appears on the back page of Vanity Fair every month. I highly doubt that weedy little Marcel went around pestering Parisians with these questions but maybe, like the madeleines, they simply recall the past? Whatever. We like quizzes here and I thought his one might be fun. When everyone has weighed in, I do have an idea about the next step and where we can take it.

I’ll put it here for easy Copy/Paste-ing. Le voila! Then I’ll do my answers and we’ll be off and running . . .

1. What is your current state of mind?

2. What is your greatest fear?

3. What trait do you most deplore in yourself?

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?

5. What living person do you most admire?

6. Which living person do you most despise?

7. On what occasion do you lie?

8. What or who is the greatest love of your life?

9. When and where were you happiest?

10. Which talent would you most like to have?

11. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

12. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

13. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be?

14. What is your favorite occupation?

15. Who are your favorite writers?

16. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?

17. Who are your heroes in real life?

18. What are your favorite names?

19. What is your greatest regret?

20. How would you like to die?

21. What is your motto?

My answers, and I reserve the right to change them after being inspired by your posts:

1. What is your current state of mind?
Confused, buzzing, at sixes and sevens. Call it Grand Central head.

2. What is your greatest fear?
A catastrophic car accident (probably because I’m driving a 1988 Acura Integra with no air bags).

3. What trait do you most deplore in yourself?
I am constantly plagued with crippling self-doubt, which is not the least productive.

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Smugness.

5. What living person do you most admire?
This is a hard one, since Fred Astaire is dead. My mother; my friends, both in “real life” and on this board who keep going day after day and keep their humor and humanity and compassion at the forefront; P. D. James, who, at the age of 87, has a new Adam Dalgleish mystery coming out in November (thanks for the heads-up, our dear anna!); and, it must be said, Barack Obama, who slogged his way through a brutal campaign and always looked relaxed and at ease and kept a sense of humor about himself. Rare in a human, and even rarer in a politician.

6. Which living person do you most despise?
Shrub. I lived through Nixon and Reagonomics and thought I’d seen the worst presidential politics had to offer, but this man champions his ignorance and that is more than I can bear. Kills me when he talks about building his presidential library. So . . . what’s going to be in there other than a well-thumbed copy of The Poky Little Puppy and a lot of briefing papers he never read because they were full of big words and made his brain all hurty?

7. On what occasion do you lie?
To get out of a sure-to-be-boring social occasion.

8. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
It’s a what: The English Language.

9. When and where were you happiest?
I was young and we lived in a cottage my parents rented from a dear elderly couple in the back country, an English-style estate in miniature and of unsurpassed loveliness. My mother was pretty and energetic and played the piano in the twilight, my father was strong and funny, my brother was sweet and chubby and blonde and sensitive, and we lived in a paradise that was closer to Edwardian England than you can imagine. The summer days were endless. There were roses and orchards, and wrought-iron gates into a lane that was shaded by willows. I am one of those rare and lucky people whose childhood was blissfully and mindlessly happy, a combination of The Wind in the Willows and Narnia.

10. Which talent would you most like to have?
I should like to wake up one morning and be able to play the piano. Chopin and Rachmaninoff, thank you very much.

11. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would like to be more patient. *Sigh.*

12. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Miranda and the Movies, Miranda Goes to Hollywood, any number of needlepoint pillows, and (blushing) some of the fic I wrote for this board. And that I try to be loyal and supportive of my friends, who are the joy of my life.

13. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be?
I want to be a cat. I love cats. I am a Leo, and so I am part cat. I would make a great cat, as I am that purrrrrr-fect feline combination of fastidious and lazy.

14. What is your favorite occupation?
Teacher. Blame it on Annie Sullivan.

15. Who are your favorite writers?
How much time do we have? I have no objection to Dead White Men, and so I love Hemingway and Fitzgerald and Faulkner. Also C. S. Lewis, Dorothy L. Sayers, Kenneth Grahame, Ngaio Marsh, Alan Marshall, Mary Stewart, Dickens, Shakespeare, Paul Fussell, Stephen Ambrose, Lyn MacDonald, Pat Barker, Siegfried Sassoon, Edmund Blunden, Virginia Woolf, Vita Sackville-West, Rosamund Pilcher, Wilfred Owen, Peter Robinson, Reginald Hill . . . I could go on and on and on.

16. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Rhett Butler. That poor man put up with so-o-o-oooo much!

17. Who are your heroes in real life?
Stephen Sondheim and Robert Ballard.

18. What are your favorite names?
Steven (my [late] brother). Also James and John. (Why, how, how very Episcopalian. )

19. What is your greatest regret?
That I never sang on Broadway in a Stephen Sondheim musical, specifically Follies.

20. How would you like to die?
In my sleep. How else?

21. What is your motto?
I stole this from Harrison Ford: FORCE YOURSELF.

[Kasman]

1. What is your current state of mind?
Hmm...I'd say mildly depressed.

2. What is your greatest fear?
Heights (and coupled with that, steep, windy roads. Mulholland Drive had me turning a whiter shade of pale. I would add that I'm just as bad as a passenger under those circumstances as I am being the driver).

3. What trait do you most deplore in yourself?
Laziness.

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Bitchiness (and that being said, yes, I can be bitchy).

5. What living person do you most admire?
There's too many.

6. Which living person do you most despise?
The piece of lowlife !@#$% who assaulted my daughter.

7. On what occasion do you lie?
To get out of/avoid being in trouble.

8. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My kids.

9. When and where were you happiest?
I really haven't an answer to this. I've had many happy times in my life and I really don't know what I'd consider the happiest.

10. Which talent would you most like to have?
Patience.

11. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My weight.

12. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My kids.

13. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be?
Don't know that I want to come back - once is enough!

14. What is your favorite occupation?
Chatting on MSN, watching a good movie, snuggling up in bed with my two kitties, snuggling up on the couch with my dog, snuggling up anywhere with my daughter...

15. Who are your favorite writers?
Too many to list but they include Betty McDonald, Alan Marshall, Tad Williams, Mary Stewart, R E Delderfield, Ellis Peters

16. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
It's a toss up between Brother Cadfael and Seoman from the Dragonbone Chair books

17. Who are your heroes in real life?
Too many to list.

18. What are your favorite names?
I'm not sure I have any.

19. What is your greatest regret?
That I didn't get out of my dysfunctional marriage sooner.

20. How would you like to die?
Quickly. I've nursed both parents through their final illnesses - one being a short 9 weeks or so and the other a little under a year. Give me the short one every time.

21. What is your motto?
Paraphrasing something from an earlier time, treat everyone with the same consideration you'd like them to show you.

[shmeep]

Well...these things are fun and all...but this one actually requires one to think. AND I know I'll come back in a week wanting to change every response on here because most of these things change according to mood or circumstance. But I'll give it a shot.


1. What is your current state of mind? Mellow. That's generally my state of mind. I figure if I have to give my state of mind any thought in order to asses it, everything must be fine.

2. What is your greatest fear? I could be serious and say something about some horrible tragedy happening to someone in my family way off in California and me being unable to get there in time, but I'll go for the more everyday one: falling down stairs. I have a three-level townhouse and I always think I'll go toppling down the stairs when I least expect it. It happened to my father-in-law while they were visiting and it scared me to death, even though he was fine at the bottom (once he had finished swearing).

3. What trait do you most deplore in yourself? Vanity. Who am I kidding? I LOVE that about myself. Um...I know I have plenty of faults, but I don't really deplore any of them. I don't dwell, I guess. It turns into self loathing and that's counter productive so I just give things another shot and try not repeat mistakes. I'm not fond of my lack of motivation in the fitness department, though, so I could say that. I have to work really hard to just keep from getting fat and I know I'd do a much better job if I could talk myself into some sort of workout regime.

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Self righteousness.

5. What living person do you most admire? My dad. He was raised in an unpromising and abusive environment and yet he managed to keep a marriage together for forty-four years (and counting) and he never carried forward the cycle of abuse or alcoholism. He gave us happy childhoods in a stable environment (with lots of help from mom, whom I also admire greatly, but who didn't have the same obstacles to overcome). He practices what he preaches and all he wants to do is love everyone. Also, he's very silly and loves to be mocked. If we're not mocking him, he does things to make it impossible for us not to. I love the self deprecation and the constant (and genuine) sunny nature. All around wonderful man.

6. Which living person do you most despise? I'll go with Mags on this one and say our current president. For obvious reasons. But Cheney is a close second.

7. On what occasion do you lie? To spare feelings.

8. What or who is the greatest love of your life? Fortunately, it's the man to whom I'm married. He makes me laugh and keeps me on my toes. He disagrees with me just to annoy me, but it keeps things interesting. Eight years next week!

9. When and where were you happiest? In the first apartment I lived in just after I was married. It was so wonderful to be a newlywed and to live with just one other person--and not with brothers or roommates. I loved it there until the cat started misbehaving on the carpet.

10. Which talent would you most like to have? There are many things I would love to be able to do. Play Chopin (hi Mags!). Run a marathon (or I'd settle for a short sprint without being winded). Keep my house sparklingly clean. Decorate my house in a way that makes people say "Ooh...aw..." when they see it. Dress with better style. But here's the one that would benefit me the most: I would love to be talented in the kitchen. I can follow a basic recipe, but I have no culinary creativity and no natural inclination to cook so...I just warm things up most of the time.

11. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? My shoe size. It's so hard to find anything I like in a ten.

12. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Going back to school and becoming an interpreter. Making a career out of something I love to do.

13. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be? I'd come back as a robin. So cheerful and gets to fly around.

14. What is your favorite occupation? The one I'm doing. Interpreting is rewarding and fun and in great demand. I couldn't have made a better choice for myself.

Modified to add: Can I give myself a big "duh" here? After reading Kasman's responses, I now realize in what way the word "occupation" was meant. I think I was being incredibly literal. What's my favorite way to occupy myself? Sad, but I like to plop down in front of the T.V. That's how I reward myself. That, and a bowl of ice cream. Mint and chip. The T.V. and the ice cream together are heaven. And are another reason I need to get out there and excercize.

15. Who are your favorite writers? Good grief. How to answer this one? This changes with each new book I read--or each old book I revisit. I'm currently in a huge Jane Austin phase. I just read all her books again and they have grown with me and I continue to be amazed by them so I'll leave it at Jane for now.

16. Who is your favorite hero of fiction? Keeping to Jane...I'll go with Ann Elliot of Persuasion. I can't believe I never read that book before recently. I think it may be the best one of the lot--and mostly because Ann is older than the other heroines. She's twenty-seven and therefore has lost all hope of love and happiness. But she's delightfully human, not being too good nor lacking in a sense of humor (as some of Jane's other "good" heroines are). She struggles and makes mistakes and then tries to bear the consequences with grace. I really loved that book because the silly characters weren't all silly and the good characters weren't all good. Lots more depth.

17. Who are your heroes in real life? Not to copy Mags...but I'll say Barack Obama as well. I have so much admiration and respect for the man and I can't wait until he's president. How odd, to have one of my heroes in the white House. What will that be like?

18. What are your favorite names? I tend to like the names of people I love. Charles. Brian. Rick. Randy. Mike. Vicki. Laurel. Jill. Norma Jean. Lewis. Ruth. Gabriel. Kathy. Names become beautiful because of the people who give them meaning.

19. What is your greatest regret? I don't believe in regret. It's a waste of time. That said...it would have been nice if I had cared about school back in high school so I could have gone to college sooner and thus started my career sooner but...oh well. If I had done that, I never would have met my husband so I'll stick with my original statement. Regret? Waste of time.

20. How would you like to die? With a little preparation...but not too much.

21. What is your motto? Learn and then move on. Don't dwell.

[inuvik]

Sorry Maggie, but too much work, so let's have some fun!

1. What is your current state of mind? Ohio

2. What is your greatest fear? You have nothing to fear but fear itself

3. What trait do you most deplore in yourself? but I am perfect! ;D

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others? their lack of perfection

5. What living person do you most admire? ME!

6. Which living person do you most despise? everyone else sucks!

7. On what occasion do you lie? this quiz

8. What or who is the greatest love of your life? ME!

9. When and where were you happiest? in the womb probably ;D

10. Which talent would you most like to have? standing on my head while playing the piano while saying profound things to bring peace to the middle east and save the environment

11. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I need to have more self confidence, I am too modest

12. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Me just being on this board and gracing you all with my presence

13. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be? I just gotta be me

14. What is your favorite occupation? England, of Canada--no, wait-- France, of Saint Pierre and Miquelon--no, wait....

15. Who are your favorite writers? me in this quiz!

16. Who is your favorite hero of fiction? hmm....

17. Who are your heroes in real life? ME!

18. What are your favorite names? inuvik

19. What is your greatest regret? not filling this out seriously ;D

20. How would you like to die? I don't want to die, so I'm not going to!

21. What is your motto? Don't take life (or quizzes) too seriously!

[hoosier]

1. What is your current state of mind? Tired

2. What is your greatest fear? Being stuck in an elevator. It used to be downright embarrassing to ride with me in one! I'm able to tolerate them better but I still take the stairs whenever possible. Why can't everything important be on the first five floors???

3. What trait do you most deplore in yourself? I tend to second guess everything. That and I give in to keep the peace.

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Smug superiority.

5. What living person do you most admire? Anyone who can give unselfishly of themselves and never expect anything in return.

6. Which living person do you most despise? Anyone who takes advantage of anyone or any situation for their own gain.

7. On what occasion do you lie? To save someone else's feelings.

8. What or who is the greatest love of your life? My family.

9. When and where were you happiest? I guess my entire childhood. We didn't have a lot but that didn't matter. We had fun. Life seemed more carefree and simple.

10. Which talent would you most like to have? To be able to think up something creative off the top of my head.

11. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Believe in myself more.

12. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Going to college as an adult and hanging in there to graduate.

13. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be? A tree--tall, majestic, a home for birds and animals plus I would make my corner of the environment that much nicer!

14. What is your favorite occupation? Reading. There never seems to be enough time!

15. Who are your favorite writers? C.J. Cherryh, Rob Thurman, Michael and Jeff Shaara, Alison Weir, David McCullough, Thomas Costain, Katherine Kurtz, Robert Holdstock, Edward Rutherford, Sharon Kay Penman to name only a few.

16. Who is your favorite hero of fiction? At the moment it is Cal Leandros and his brother Niko in the books by Rob Thurman.

17. Who are your heroes in real life? Goes back to question #5.

18. What are your favorite names? I always liked how the name Ishmael seems to roll off the tongue but if I would have actually named someone that...

19. What is your greatest regret? Not being with my mother when she passed away.

20. How would you like to die? In my bed in my sleep.

21. What is your motto? Hold on!

[Chris]

Whoa, this is a tough one, Maggie!
OK, let's get on with it.

1. What is your current state of mind? Relaxed. A bit tired. As usual I'm on line in the middle of the night. Doesn't matter though I'm on vacation!!!

2. What is your greatest fear? To Loose face. Letting people in. I'm quite open and friendly but trusting someone enough to really let them in, now that is scary!!!!

3. What trait do you most deplore in yourself? That if I meet I someone I really like I tend to make a fool of myself

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Indecision. Make up your mind!! Do something!! I don't have the patience for people who basically don't do anything in fear of making a decision and therefore keep waiting till someone else makes it for them.

5. What living person do you most admire? Hmmm.... Do I admire anyone?? I guess not.

6. Which living person do you most despise? I don't think I despise anyone either.

7. On what occasion do you lie? To spare someone's feelings. If it's easier than telling the truth.

8. What or who is the greatest love of your life? My family. My horse.

9. When and where were you happiest? Picking out the happiest time is impossible for me there are so many to choose from..... This sounds like I'm going through life with a happy grin on my face. I don't. But I'm generally happy with life so that's a difficult question for me to answer.

10. Which talent would you most like to have? Focusing. I always have ten things on my mind at the same time and I can't concentrate for too long.

11. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? My tendency to self-righteousness

12. What do you consider your greatest achievement? I'm going to go with Shmeep here. Going back to school and becoming an interpreter

13. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be? I like life. I wouldn't mind coming back as a human again.

14. What is your favorite occupation? Being with my horse. With him I forget all about any troubles I might have at work or elsewhere. It's so relaxing to groom a horse and riding him. Even mucking out is soothing (although very dirty and smelly!! )

15. Who are your favorite writers? Anyone who can write a good mystery/whodunnit novel.

16. Who is your favorite hero of fiction? I'm going to go with the obvious ;D Our very own Jimmy Dunbar.

17. Who are your heroes in real life? I don't think I have any heroes.

18. What are your favorite names? For a girl Marie Kirstine. They were my grandmother's middle names. For a boy, Rasmus or Jonathan.

19. What is your greatest regret? That I am incapable of saving money.

20. How would you like to die? Very old.

21. What is your motto? Life is good. Enjoy it! And if it's not? Make the best out of it anyway.

- Chris

[Dreamfire]

1. What is your current state of mind?
I am still grieving the failure of my attempt to have a baby and feeling like my whle life is a waste.

2. What is your greatest fear?
To end up living a long and mediocre life.

3. What trait do you most deplore in yourself?
I don't finish what I start. I have 4 unfinished books, a dozen unfinished fics, an unfinished grad dip, oh, my head hurts even beginning to list them so I think I wont finish listing them...

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
stubornness when someone sticks to a viewpoint despite the fact that it hurts them and others.

5. What living person do you most admire?
Fred Hollows ( oh no, he died) um, I admire normal everyday people who do what they want and don't just run the treadmill.

6. Which living person do you most despise?
I am not sure the word despise is really accurate but the closest I get is that I feel disgust, and I'll follow Maggie's footsteps here. Bush- to weild so much influence and power and do such stupid, thoughtless, stuborn, dangerous, atrocious things with it... puke.

7. On what occasion do you lie?
When I get excited about something I find myself exaggerating. It's a bad habit I am working on still.

8. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My husband Chris Lavery, sigh, It's mushy, it's firm, it's definate, it's timeless, I adore the man, admire him when he is great, understand when he is not and laugh at/with him when he is really dumb. And my cat Milo. He is 19 years old and still going strong. He is the one I have been most consitenly good to all our relationship. I don't think I have ever acted toward him in a way I regret.

9. When and where were you happiest?
A few years ago when I was presenting the Living on Purpose seminar and helped so many people take charge of their lives. I felt compassionate and gentle, powerful and caring, a real leader who was valuable to many.

10. Which talent would you most like to have?
To be ale to complete any task I began

11. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Go back to the times when I never doubted myself, regain my certainty or get a new one.

12. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Writing the LOP seminar and delivering it in such a way that people still call me, years later to say, "Hey, guess what I did! And I wouldn't have done it if it weren't for your course..."

13. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be?
I'd light to reach enlightenment during this lifetime and opt for longevity I think. If when I got there I chose to come back, it would definately want to be in a position of privalege and opportunity.

14. What is your favorite occupation?
Delivering great training

15. Who are your favorite writers?
Orson Scott Card, Koonz, Jaquieline Carey, Mary Gentle, Rita carter, Sonaya Roman, Stephen Covey, I cannot list them all.

16. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Jim Dunbar, Phaedre No Montreve, Lestat, oops, you said one...
um, Jimmy D

17. Who are your heroes in real life?
Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Michail Gorbochov, Nelson Mandela

18. What are your favorite names?
Summer, Rider, Grace, Oscar, Orlando

19. What is your greatest regret?
Waiting too long to try and have children

20. How would you like to die?
By my own choice, on a spaceship far out in the universe, exploring at a ripe age.

21. What is your motto?

Successful people do the things that unsuccessful people can't be bothered to do.

[maggiethecat]

Oh my dear dreamfire/Nat. You are too hard on yourself. Give yourself a huge pat on the back right now for all you have accomplished, and try to ignore (or accept) that which has not been completed. I know, I know, this is what I tell myself repeatedly . . . but it is easier to say to a friend than accept in oneself.

[hoosier]

Dreamfire, it made me sad to see you be so down on yourself when you have accomplished so much. You obviously have a very happy marriage and a successful career. As Maggie so wisely advised, concentrate on the positive and, though it is hard to let some things go, you can let it slide for now. Maybe one day you will feel re-energized and feel like tackling it anew.

[Dreamfire]

Thanks for the hugs guys. I'll take your words to heart. Eek, I think I diverted thread, who else is going to to the Proust questionaire?

Jul 11, 2008 18:32:53 GMT -5 hoosier said:

Dreamfire, it made me sad to see you be so down on yourself when you have accomplished so much. You obviously have a very happy marriage and a successful career. As Maggie so wisely advised, concentrate on the positive and, though it is hard to let some things go, you can let it slide for now. Maybe one day you will feel re-energized and feel like tackling it anew.

Jul 8, 2008 21:23:05 GMT -5 maggiethecat said:

Oh my dear dreamfire/Nat. You are too hard on yourself. Give yourself a huge pat on the back right now for all you have accomplished, and try to ignore (or accept) that which has not been completed. I know, I know, this is what I tell myself repeatedly . . . but it is easier to say to a friend than accept in oneself. [/quote

[housemouse]

Here I go!

1. What is your current state of mind? A bit sad.

2. What is your greatest fear? Not to be reunited with someone who means the world to me.

3. What trait do you most deplore in yourself? I tend to be a bit flighty.

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Greed/Thoughtlessness

5. What living person do you most admire? A man that no one on this board (except mah Sista!) knows.

6. Which living person do you most despise? It is a three way tie between Bush, Cheney and Rove.

7. On what occasion do you lie? To spare someone's feelings.

8. What or who is the greatest love of your life? The person I referred to in question five.

9. When and where were you happiest? I am happiest when I am with the boys and the person I referred to in questions 5 and 8.

10. Which talent would you most like to have? I would like to be able to draw.

11. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I would like to be a bit more of a neat freak.

12. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Since the boys are still a work in progress, I'll go with my black belt.

13. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be? A cloud.

14. What is your favorite occupation? Teaching!

15. Who are your favorite writers? Larry McMurty, Don Winslow, Michael Chabon and David Sedaris

16. Who is your favorite hero of fiction? Gus and Call from Lonesome Dove.

17. Who are your heroes in real life? Margaret Sanger and Alice Paul

18. What are your favorite names? Anastasia for a girl and Paul for a Boy.

19. What is your greatest regret? That I didn't meet the person I referred to in questions 5, 8 and 9 sooner.

20. How would you like to die? In the arms of the person I referred to in questions 5, 8, 9, and 19, surrounded by the boys.

21. What is your motto? "Judge not lest ye be judged." Matthew 7:1.

[Dreamfire]

Cyber Hugs from Australia. I hope you are reunited sooner than you expect.

A black belt - wow! I like women who are dangerous!

[maggiethecat]

What she said . . . ;D

If you don't think our own little Housemouse is dangerous, check out her wild 'n wacky sense of humor in the BJ Proust Questionnaire thread. Aaaaah, Mouse, I've missed your snarky take on matters all and sundry and BJ. Puts me in mind of the Glory Days when we were in the thick of the Survival Game and our 400th discussion of UOTR.