Survey in Roundtrip Ticket to Paradise 2

...stolen from Nicko the great...

CAUTION - some of my answers might be offensive

~

1 - What is your earliest memory?

Hmmm... I think it was having my diaper changed on the (now) back bathroom floor, lying on a yellow shag throw rug.

2 - If you had to eat the same meal over and over again for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?

I'll second Nicko with lasagna!

3 - What is the oldest piece of clothing in your closet that you still wear?

If I'm not mistaken, it's the black windbreaker I wore up to the library today. I might have bought it in a men's clothing store in New York City, back when I was still living in Ohio. Backstory there was that I stopped in Macy's, asked about windbreakers, and the clerk in the appropriate department gestured over towards the somewhat distant rack. Didn't buy one there. I went out to the street and happened to notice the men's clothing store in the next block. I went in and asked about windbreakers, and the clerk came out from behind the counter, and walked us over to the rack, and proceeded to show me some choices. I picked this one, and by taking the time to wait on me this gentleman stole a sale from Macy's.

4 - What material object do you cherish the most?

Mmmm... an airplane! Don't have one, though.

5 - Tell about a lesson you learned in middle school.

That there were very few people there whom I could trust, and thus invisibility, creepiness, and situational awareness were very important.

6 - Describe the most vivid dream you can remember.

The one that comes to mind right at the moment is the one where I took the elevator from the first floor of the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh PA to the third floor. The standout aspects of the dream are that the landing door at the first floor of that elevator is two-speed side-opening, the car door answering that floor is a three-speed side-opening, then on arrival at 3 a two-speed side-opening door to my right (yes there are two separate doors on that particular car) opened to the Science and Technology stacks. On closing I noticed that the landing door was single-speed side-opening. Lots of visual interest there, for me. The dream ended there, although I have been there in real life. (I looked for a video of this elevator on Youtube, but sadly there isn't one. I see from notes that the elevators there have been modified/'upgraded', so this one may not exist anymore.)

7 - Create a character ten years older than you of the opposite sex and write about their day in first person.

Quite a day it's been! SpiceGoddess and I woke up, started the in-room coffeepot, then indulged in a little togetherness while waiting for the coffee to brew. I love her so much, even though it's been 23 years now! Went to breakfast up the street at this wonderful little café in Belltown, and had some decadent pastries and more coffee. After that, we walked around, sampling the local charm, finally finding ourselves at the Space Needle. Of course, we had to go up and take a look!

After the Needle, we'd had enough walking, so we took the Monorail downtown to the Westlake Center. It's a mall, but SG and I wanted to shop something new, different and unique, so we walked the 3 block down to Pike Place Market, where the fish fly - really!

By this time SG and I were feeling hungry, so stopped in a sidewalk café for some lunch. Again, wonderful food and service. We ordered some appetizers to split; SG had a glass of riesling, while I kept to my usual coffee, and we both watched the traffic go by. It was a beautiful day, patchy clouds, and a gentle breeze while we ate.

After lunch, it was time to shop! Just up the hill from the market was a fun antiques shop, so SG and I spent the better part of the afternoon in there. She found some old silverware (made of real silver), and I discovered a complete set of antique china with a lovely rose pattern. So now we have a nice table setting for when we have guests over for our monthly dinner party.

Following the antique store, we took a taxi back to the Belltown plus-size women's boutique. SG found a cute floral-print jacket which happened to really suit her color pallette, and I found a couple pairs of good sturdy walking shoes.

We had discovered the Cinerama Theater was having its 70mm retrospective, including a couple of the old 3-strip Cinerama movies! So that became our evening plans. A few appetizers at the Warwick's bar, and off we went to see a couple movies I hadn't seen in 50 years! After This is Cinerama and How the West was Won, it was back to the hotel as we were both pretty tuckered out.

Peace...

WonderWitch

8 - Describe an object in the room without mentioning it by name.

Hmmm... in this room at the library? Dark blue, plastic/vinyl upholstery, somewhat modernized version of something you'd see in a contemporary late-1930s movie. Not sure how comfortable it actually is... -walks over to check...comes back to report it is reasonably comfortable, but someone with mobility issues would have a difficult time getting back up from it-.

9 - Make up a recipe.

2 eggs, beaten 1 cup 10x powdered sugar beaten in gently until smooth Lemon, lime, or orange juice stirred in sparingly to taste Use as topping/icing on your favorite cookies Bake at 350° for ten minutes or until icing is set; if cookies are still raw, bake until cookies are done

10 - Pick a controversial issue you are passionate about – and then argue the opposite stance (ooooh…I dare you).

Homosexuals should be removed from society by whatever means necessary. Let's face it: the primary purpose of society is to reproduce the race, and by their very nature they cannot reproduce naturally, instead depending on recruitment of the unaware and/or defenseless into their ranks to replenish their stock.

[ouch... that... fucking... hurt]

11 - Write a letter to your sixteen-year-old self.

Dear WP, [too painful to go there as yet]

12 - Write a letter to your ten-years-older-than-you-currently-are self.

[too scary to go there as yet]

13 - Start with the day of the week it currently is…and then let your stream of consciousness take it from there.

Today is Monday, and I see I need to be at the bus stop in 20 minutes which means I need to call in,man I wish I could grill something, but that costs money and I need to get to ANC,, my lodge, yeah I need my lodge, maybe I can find a friend since I don't have time to compose a personal ad and my ability to get replies seems to be on the wane, wonder what that blue poster on that door over there is, man I need to cuddle been too damn long, hmm cumulus clouds I think, if it rains it will sure help us out, sure hope this shoulder heals up soon, sure hope I can crank some meaningful cash out tonight, love to take tomorrow and wednesday nights off cause they are so iffy at the end of the month, mmm, mmm, mmm one black hottie with whom I'd have absolutely no chance plus she's probably too young, and Sherry says she's too old but more likely I'm too creepy, beard smells good well duh, WP, you washed it, remember, wonder when that photo guy will ever call, sure would be nice to grill, haven't had a good grilled steak in ages, wonder if there is still a York Steak House, they had good grilled steaks, ground beef, funny how they tipped the temperature flag on its side on some patrons' trays, forgot why, the woman painted in that summer sessions uaf ad sure is cute, another one I'd have no chance with, mmm, 502pm, better start wrapping this up, wonder if Sue's written back? her dog sure doesn't like me at the moment

14 - What is your favorite book, and why does it speak to you?

Down to a Sunless Sea... it's an aviation novel told from the viewpoint of a pilot in command of what turns out to be one of the last two successfully-completed flights on Planet Earth... "successfully-completed" being defined as arriving with [most of] his passengers at a safe landing place, with excellent prospects for survival, having departed from an otherwise nonsurvivable situation. [Hmmm... it is fiction, but there is a non-obvious connection with United Flight 232 there, although the timeline is reversed: the book was released 10 years or so before UA 232...]

15 - If you could have any skill in the world (that you currently don't have), what would it be?

The ability to instantly and correctly perceive social/attraction signals and cues from available and wholesome women, in real time.

16 - What was your favorite thing to imagine when you were a child?

I either had a pet dragon, or I -was- a dragon.

17 - Write a letter to the President. Without mentioning politics.

Dear Mr President,

I admire the fact that you remain down-to-earth enough that you still shoot hoops (and no doubt the breeze as well) with your best college bud, who grew up from similar circumstances as you. Keeping his counsel probably helps keep both of you positively grounded.

Best wishes, WP

18 - Describe your perfect day.

Waking up feeling refreshed from a good, restful, deep sleep, with no hangover nor apologies from the evening before. Breakfast on the porch/patio from the grill: pork shoulder steak or salmon, eggs any style in the skillet, with fresh fruit (tomato or citrus/melon) or sauteéd vegetables (green onion, broccoli, kale, etc); if the style of eggs are scrambled, top with a cheese more exotic then american [blech] or cheddar [ho-hum]. Walk or bicycle down quiet leafy paths or streets to the corner store [which has been there for a good 75 years or more] for the morning newspaper/s and chitchat with the proprietor/s and other regulars, maybe have a cup of coffee on the store's covered porch in the provided porch chairs.

Catch the next trolley downtown for a lunch date. Had discovered what appeared to be a delightful sidewalk café on a bustling downtown street not far from the trolley station; meet her at the main trolley station, and walk a few blocks over to the café with her... share some deep conversation with her, discovering she can work with my kinks and idiosyncracies and Asperger, and finding her own oddities endearing.

Café is indeed delightful: chilled creamy cucumber soup for each, followed by warmed pulled turkey (dark for me, white for her) on house-made sweet dark rye, with cream cheese and cranberry spread. Coffee for me, chamomile iced tea for her.

Afterwards, she heads off to an appointment, and it's time to go out to the airport to give a prospective student an introductory flight.

After the flight, the student is all smiles after having, for the most part, piloted the aircraft all by himself.

Back home for dinner, again from the grill: tossed salad with exotic greens and fruit vinaigrette, two filets mignon [somehow, I know my lunch date is going to show for dinner, although she did not specifically say so: remember, we're talking 'perfect day' here, so Mr Asperger is not invited!]: mine just north of rare, hers medium, mashed Yukon Gold potatoes (skins in, please), grilled asparagus, and a boat of homemade Béarnaise sauce.

The sun sets, and we sit on the porch settee and watch, talking lightly about everything and nothing at all. She is barefoot. Mine are propped on the bottom rung of the porch railing. Soon, hers find their way to nestle atop mine.

The bedroom door will be closing shortly...

19 - Write a letter apologizing to someone you owe an apology to (if you don’t owe anyone an apology – make it up).

Dear AJ, AGG, and HA,

I apologize for the online fracas of a few weeks back. Although it is no excuse (and is not intended as such), what you saw was the unfortunately pernicious Asperger trait of a 'sin' of omission being instead perceived as a personal slight - especially after that exercise of negotiating a scene. The only positive I drew from the entire issue was that I seem to have a talent for nearly completely describing such a scene, without the other participant/s needing to play "20 Questions" with me to find out the particulars.

Thank You, KGB

20 - Why do you like to write?

It gives me a chance to process feelings that would otherwise remain bottled up. Hopefully it is (or will become) an important part of my therapy and healing journey.

21 - What inspires you?

People like Mr and Mrs OB, a couple in their 70s. They would walk in, hand-in-hand, to a restaurant where I formerly worked. They would be seated by the hostess, and handed menus. As I approached, they would be holding hands across the table, smiling into each other's eyes. I would inquire as to their order, and Mr OB would reply, "My beautiful bride and I will each have the Spaghetti Marinara, and water to drink." She would be just radiant.

22 - When do you feel your happiest and most complete?

I would have to say, the two days in October 2011 I spent with ND, and the couple of hours or so we spent with Musketeer at Dolphin Tale.

That was awesome, beautiful... and it's bringing tears at the moment.

23 - Describe your favorite sound.

At the moment, I'm guessing those made by a Lakota flute.

24 - What kind of work do you like best?

The kind that fulfills me and the person/s for whom I am doing it.

25 - Write about the first thing that happened yesterday morning.

I moved my bunged-up arm and shoulder, and decided I could go in to work yesterday.