Tagged

Yesterday, I saw that someone named Paul had "tagged" Leta with an interesting post request/silly Internet quiz, and I hoped that she would tag me in return. Plus, I followed the links in Paul’s blog through one of those pleasant hours of random looks into the lives of total strangers, which are almost always fun. So, thank you Leta!

The questions that a "tagged" person is supposed to answer are:

1. What were three of the stupidest things you have done in your life?
Narrowing this down to three is REALLY hard. Partly because I think there are a lot more than three, and partly because I don’t really regret most of those stupid things. I learned from them and they helped me become the person I am. Still, in the spirit of the tag:

1. Staying in graduate school when I was clear that it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I could always have gone back later, and I wouldn’t have an almost $80K student loan debt still hanging around, slow-w-w-w-w-w-ly being eaten away.
2. Staying in a relationship that I knew was not going to work out, trying to convince myself that it the person would change and I would eventually be happy. (Eventually, I quit doing that particular stupid thing.)
3. Turning down a internship with a Senate office because it wasn’t the one I really wanted, without thinking about it overnight or asking anyone for advice.

2. At the current moment, who has the most influence in your life?

Easey-peasy. That would be my lovely wife, Jill.

3. If you were given a time machine that functioned, and you
were allowed to only pick up to five people to dine with, who would you
pick?

1. Eleanor Roosevelt
2. "Fighting Bob" LaFollette
3. Nelson Mandela (I know that wouldn’t take a time machine, but still)
4. Molly Ivins (yeah, she’s alive too)
5. Jeannette Rankin

4. If you had three wishes that were not supernatural, what would they be?
What does that mean? According to dictionary.com, "supernatural" has to do with miracles and things not possible in nature. I’m going to interpret that as excluding "world peace" and "an end to hunger" and "no more discrimination."

1. That we have a happy, healthy baby who grows up into a happy, healthy adult
2. That Jill finds a wonderful niche in the Atlanta theater community
3. That a generation from now, same-sex marriage is no more of a "big deal" or legal issue than interracial marriage is now

5. Someone is visiting your hometown/place where you live
at the moment. Name two things you regret your city not having, and two
things people should avoid.

I’m going to be brave and tackle this question about where I live at the moment. I regret that Decatur, and the Atlanta area, doesn’t have more people I know, and I regret that it doesn’t have a more moderate climate. It is too damn hot & sticky, and I’m told it’s going to get worse. Oh, and I regret that it wasn’t populated by Germans early in history, so there is no "grid" layout. Two things people should avoid are overpriced & unimpressive dinners at the Oakhurst Grill, and driving in rush hour traffic.

6. Name one event that has changed your life.

September 11. My being stuck in California, and then driving back to DC and agreeing to pick up Christa — then a near stranger — on the way, completely changed my life. The biggest, most obvious way is that I met Jill through Christa. But it was also the catalyst for me looking at a lot of things in my life, and changing them. I started getting my finances in order, bought my first house, and changed my career, all out of the way that event had me look at my life and my priorities.

7. Tag 5 people.