Which book’s world would be the absolute worst to live in?
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Neither the Orwellian nor the Atwoodian dystopia (1984 nor The Handmaid’s Tale) is for me. (To live in… I enjoyed reading both. Strange thing, that is.)
(Don’t judge me that I didn’t include Huxley’s Brave New World with all its drugs and promiscuous sex.)
What’s the most underrated movie you’ve ever watched?
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I don’t think Galaxy Quest got a fair shake because its science-fiction / comedy / parody melange did not seem the makings of a good movie. But I think it got its cult following in later years.
What’s something you’ve done that you never thought you could?
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I slouch more towards overestimation than underestimation.
Besides, it’s generally true that if one thinks one can’t, one is right — i.e. self-fulfilling prophecy has great sway.
If you could switch lives with a famous person for a week, who would it be and why?
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Being famous seems like it would be a drag, like it would be the worst part of being skilled at, and / or beloved for, some people-facing art. I might like to engage in some of the artistic endeavors, but only if I could pass on the fame.
How do you manage stress?
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Through the realization that one packs one’s own load.
Everything is passing weather, how one dials up (or down) the significance of the present situation is up to one (even if the situation, itself, is completely out of one’s hands.) As the Stoics said, either you can or can’t do something about a given event — either way, it’s not worth one’s worry. If you can’t do anything about it, worry is futile. If you can, do the virtuous thing and you can feel content even if it doesn’t seem to work out for you.
If you could go back in time and give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Don’t be an ass!
What’s something you’ve done that your past self would be proud of?
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Still be alive? I don’t know. The little shit was underawed by virtue of great expectations.
What’s the best online course you’ve ever taken?
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I’m doing a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course presently that is well done. However, I wouldn’t say that I’ve had sufficient experience to make any comparative statements. Most of my education was in the days when you went to the same room the person teaching you was and at the same time they were there. But I knew when self-checkouts came along that we were weaning ourselves away from the last vestiges of non-optional human contact.
Which celebrity would you love to meet, and what would you talk about?
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Anne Carson just won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Does that count as a celebrity? She’s still in the 15 minutes of fame that comes from the recent announcement. She’d be interesting to talk to about poetry.
If it does not count, I would have to say that the more clearly a celebrity would count, probably the less interested I am in talking to them. I can’t think of any A-list actors / actresses or pop stars that appeal. Maybe a few rock stars and standup comedians — e.g. Bruce Springsteen to talk about lyrics or Louis C.K. about jokes.
What does it mean to be a good person?
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I don’t know that it has a meaning. I tend to consider dualities in Taoist terms. Every Yang has a seed of Yin; the Yang flows into Yin and back again.
