The Proust Questionnaire ... A Newbie's initiation

[rockkid]

Seriously though, tell me you don’t actually say that out loud to people…………….. so cliché.

[Rit]

i don't. that phrase annoys me, actually. i just thought i'd quote it coz i'm in a bit of an army mood. anyway, is that even Canadian?

[Galactus]

We don't use it anymore you can have it. We have "an army of one" now...

[limitdeditionlayla]

chrisfan said:

a boy I taught in Sunday School named Brian who had to have half his brain removed.

jeez. I've read quite a bit into cases like this when I was studying, it always fascinates me when people undergo massive brain surgery & survive.
Do you know why? Was it something congenital?

[strat-0]

I hate these things. But, oh well...

- Your most marked characteristic?
I'm a nice guy.

- The quality you most like in a man?
Compassion.

- The quality you most like in a woman?
Common sense.

- What do you most value in your friends?
Gotta go with luke on this one: loyalty.

- What is your principle defect?
Not as assertive as I should be.

- What is your favorite occupation?
Rock and Roller.

- What is your dream of happiness?
A waterfront home with acreage. Paid for.

- What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?
Loss of mental faculties.

- What would you like to be?
Rich.

- In what country would you like to live?
The Netherlands. Or the USA.

- What is your favorite color?
Stupid question. Comes right after "What animal would you be?"

- What is your favorite flower?
Unfertilized cannabis.

- What is your favorite bird?
California condor. Barred owl is up there, too.

- Who are your favorite prose writers?
Ken Kesey, Mark Twain, Sam Watkins, Stephen Hawking.

- Who are your favorite poets?
Dylan Thomas, Poe, Tennyson (just for his turn of phrase), Beowulf author, Shakespeare.

- Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
The man with no name; Arthur; Bond, James Bond (in the Fleming novels, not the movies).

- Who is your favorite poster (besides Phil) ?
Can't say, but my first real connection was with Don P., followed by Howe. I feel like some of you are such good friends, and it's hard to "rate" friends. I wish Clicker would show up again over here. Always enjoy Rock, Frag, Doc, Rocky, Luke, Mary, Riley, Mantis, Maarts, Ken, Scottsy, Jllm etc., - too many to name! And others, such as Chrisfan, one-time nemesis but now friend again Jac, and those others who are up to civil sparring over at CE.

- Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Sally Field in either "Norma Ray" or "Places in the Heart."

- Who are your favorite composers?
Mozart, hands down.

- Who are your favorite painters?
Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Borsche, Dali, more...

- Who are your heroes in real life?
Ghandi, Robert E. Lee.

- What is it you most dislike?
Cell phones.

- What natural gift would you most like to possess?
To be able to play guitar like Jimi Hendrix, Django Rhinehart, Eric Clapton, Joe Perry, and Robert Johnson, all rolled into one.

- How would you like to die?
Naturally.

- What is your present state of mind?
Frustrated.

- To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
None o' yo' beeswax.

- What is your motto?
Only you can prevent forest fires.
Fire destroys watersheds.

[limitdeditionlayla]

every time I do this questionnaire I have different answers...

Your most marked characteristic?

I have no idea. If I like you, I'm loyal to a fault. Physically...probably my tired old ballerina feet. they've done hard yards

The quality you most like in a man?

Strength (physical & stoicness). Their competitive streak, that natural aggression.

The quality you most like in a woman?

loyalty to other women is my number one. Also, the love of a nice high heel - imperative.

What do you most value in your friends?

humour, loyalty, fun, unconditional love

What is your principle defect?

I'm a control freak

What is your favorite occupation?

I'd love to own a bar. I'd hire people to do the work & I'd swan around every night wearing awesome shoes & making friends over alcohol.

What is your dream of happiness?

If I were completely debt-free & could travel when/wherever, I'd take that. Everything else could stay the same, I'm pretty content right now.

What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?

Injuring myself & being disabled/losing a limb as a result. Thats permanent.

What would you like to be?

I still don't know...

In what country would you like to live?

besides Oz, Spain or France.

What is your favorite color?

don't know...whatever colour shoes I'm wearing

What is your favorite flower?

lily

What is your favorite bird?

I have a phobia of birds. they suck.

Who are your favorite prose writers?

Don't read enough prose to have standouts. I can read Bret Easton Ellis over & over & I'm a total Shakespeare dork. I'm like, crazy for Shakespeare.
but I'm a science nerd, I mostly read nonfiction, reference or research articles...

Who are your favorite poets?

science nerds don't like poetry. we don't get it.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?

Matilda, of Roald Dahl's Matilda. No one has ever written better fantastical child role models than Dahl. I still wish I were as cool as Matilda

Who is your favorite poster(beside Phil) ?

there is no other besides Phil. Dolly has the cutest ass though

Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?

didn't I answer this already?!

Who are your favorite composers?

Ballet makes you develop love/hate for most composers. But especially Tchaikovsky. So much greatness and its all associated with burning pain

Who are your favorite painters?

Dali.

Who are your heroes in real life?

my grandmother

What is it you most dislike?

being cold.

What natural gift would you most like to possess?

I'd love to be able to sing beautifully. and paint. I can't draw for shit. And I wish I were better at maths, like those natural math geniuses who devise theorems & disprove abstract logic.
In fact, I'd love to be some sort of renaissance woman, doing a bit of everything, with 7 PhDs in 7 different fields. yes, I'd like that.

How would you like to die?

whichever way is not painful

What is your present state of mind?

agitated - my supervisors give me "research homework". not fair.

To what faults do you feel most indulgent?

You say 'stubborn', I say 'determined'

What is your motto?

something involving the eating of food & the drinking of wine

[frag]

Your most marked characteristic?

I think everything's funny?

The quality you most like in a man?

That's easy. A great big dong.

The quality you most like in a woman?

See above.

What do you most value in your friends?

Their silence.

What is your principle defect?

The power button.

What is your favorite occupation?

Banana peel. Emphasis on the period.

What is your dream of happiness?

It's a little hazy, but it involves power tools, cocaine and a koala.

What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?

Being Billy Joel. Or any member of Styx, for that matter.

What would you like to be?

Rock star...or partake in the fast-paced and lucrative world of carpet cleaning.

In what country would you like to live?

My own small European country. Named Robolotinki.

What is your favorite color?

Green...with a touch o' black.

What is your favorite flower?

Dandelion. Fuck you, it ain't a weed.

What is your favorite bird?

Swallows. 'Cause their name is Swallow.

Who are your favorite prose writers?

Poe, TS Eliot, Kafka...

Who are your favorite poets?

Ferlinghetti, Raine, Kerouac, Ginsberg...and uhh...Faulkner?

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?

Winnie the Pooh.

Who is your favorite poster(beside Phil) ?

Ken, Rocky, strat-o, luke, JAC, thorn and maarts. First that came to mind...everyone's cool.

Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?

Uncut Nicaraguan.

Who are your favorite composers?

Leonard Bernstein?

Who are your favorite painters?

Red House.

Who are your heroes in real life?

Spider-Man.

What is it you most dislike?

Nickelback.

What natural gift would you most like to possess?

I'd like to turn invisible; when I was visible, I'd like to be glow-in-the-dark green.

How would you like to die?

Violently, in the view of many small children.

What is your present state of mind?

Decomposing.

To what faults do you feel most indulgent?

Sex.

What is your motto?

Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto.

that about sums it all up.

[Adam]

- Your most marked characteristic?

My silence.

- The quality you most like in a man?

Bravery and intelligence and a little testosterone....but just a little....

- The quality you most like in a woman?

Resourcefulness, wit and physical beauty

- What do you most value in your friends?

Loyalty over time, aid in times of need (monetary or otherwise), ability to be as crazy as I am

- What is your principle defect?

Procrastination

- What is your favorite occupation?

Writing.

- What is your dream of happiness?

Being rich, debt-free and in the comfort of loved ones

- What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?

That my loved ones were in danger and I have no way to help them; isolation

- What would you like to be?

I like what I am.

- In what country would you like to live?

The U.S. is fine enough.

- What is your favorite color?

Blue. No....

AAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHHH!!!!

- What is your favorite flower?

Dandelion. It has 2 good rock songs named after it.

- What is your favorite bird?

The magpie. Bow down to Heckle and Jeckle.

- Who are your favorite prose writers?

Cormac McCarthy, Michael Chabon, Lester Bangs, Shakespeare, Clive Barker, Mark Twain, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

- Who are your favorite poets?

Dylan Thomas, Robert Frost

- Who is your favorite hero of fiction?

Edmund Dantes, Huck Finn, Indiana Jones, Max Fischer, Huey (from The Boondocks)

- Who is your favorite poster(beside Phil) ?

Thorn, Pissin, Layla, Riley, Luke, Weeping, Dolly, Rit

- Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?

Clarice Starling, Dolores Claiborne

- Who are your favorite composers?

Wagner, Mozart, Dylan, Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth, Lennon/McCartney

- Who are your favorite painters?

Dali, Bosch, Michelangelo

- Who are your heroes in real life?

My parents

- What is it you most dislike?

Stupidity, discrimination, fanaticism

- What natural gift would you most like to possess?

Mastery of guitar

- How would you like to die?

in my sleep

- What is your present state of mind?

Reflective

- To what faults do you feel most indulgent?

I've no problem with crowds or social interaction but I have a introverted side to me that rubs people the wrong way (they assume I'm pissed off). And I don't change this because I feel the problem resides in those assholes. (see?)

- What is your motto?

"Let's think the unthinkable, let's do the undoable, let's prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all." - Douglas Adams

[sisyphus]

- Your most marked characteristic? ambivalence

- The quality you most like in a man? intelligence

- The quality you most like in a woman? intelligence (alright, breasts)

- What do you most value in your friends? spiritual/philosophical connection, cuz that encompasses everything else

- What is your principle defect? i am perfect in my imperfection, but i wish i could be bitchier more often....this facet of my personality is fun, but does not exhibit itself regularly enough.

- What is your favorite occupation? canvassing or making art in any/all mediums,

- What is your dream of happiness? here and now, every moment. isn't that the point?

- What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes? the loss of my clitoris

- What would you like to be? if i had to be a "what," it would be an ocean, but i'd rather be the "who" that i am...

- In what country would you like to live? czech republic. or canada. or mexico.

- What is your favorite color? red...yet, my love of color is mostly contextual... if i saw a red ball on a christmas tree, i'd probably prefer the delicate orange fiber optics emerging from my baby blue potato light to that sort of red.

- What is your favorite flower? daffodil

- What is your favorite bird? owl

- Who are your favorite prose writers? Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Fydor Dosteovsky, J.D. Salinger, Kate Chopin, Katherine Anne Porter, Dave Eggers, David Sedaris, Edward Abbey, Franz Kafka, Simone D.B., Albert Camus, Milan Kundera, Aldous Huxley, Henry James, Anthony Burgess, William Golding, Herman Hesse, John Kraukauer (I realize that these are not all "prose" writers, per se...., but...and where's the non-fiction question?)

- Who are your favorite poets? may swenson, william blake, ted hughes, louise gluck, anne sexton, sylvia plath, burroughs, ginsberg, ferlinghetti, josef seifert, on and on and on...

- Who is your favorite hero of fiction? Alyosha from the Brothers Karamazov

- Who is your favorite poster(beside Phil) ? as yet undecided, cuz 6-7 of you swim around in that tank...give me time... as if you care...

- Who are your favorite heroines of fiction? Edna from the Great Awakening

- Who are your favorite composers? gorecki, debussy, shostakovich, arvo part, franz list, and sometimes but rarely john cage... oh, and mozart..yeah..he did some cool stuff...

- Who are your favorite painters? edward hopper, odd nerdrum, jasper johns, paul klee, robert rauschenberg, eva hesse, albrecht durer, ann hamilton, vill voila, paul kos, Rene Magritte, Marc Chagall, Hieronymus Bosch, and i have not even begun...(and i know these are not ALL painters per se, but i don't like fiercly divided mediums anyway....no borders...interdisciplinary...that's what it's about..

- Who are your heroes in real life? gandhi and my daddy

- What is it you most dislike? the red elephant and his nasty parlor tricks.... corporate marketing schemes...

- What natural gift would you most like to possess? the ability to fly....

- How would you like to die? russian roulette, when i'm 105, sittin around with the other old folks in the nursing home...if i have to die sooner, i'd like to drown.

- What is your present state of mind? slightly 4:20, content, going placidly amid the lack of noise and haste...

- To what faults do you feel most indulgent? going with the flow too much, not holding people responsible enough for their shit

- What is your motto? "hell is the suffering of one who can no longer love," so love and enjoy the ride, cuz there is NO EXIT.

now what's this questionaire got to do with marcel proust?

[sisyphus]

What is your dream of happiness?

It's a little hazy, but it involves power tools, cocaine and a koala.




ha ha....scratch my dream and replace it with this one....

[limitdeditionlayla]

You're friends with me because of my breasts, aren't you? I suspected as much.

I'm not sure why the questionnaire is named after Proust, he didn't write it.

[Adam]

Phil's got some explaining to do.

[sisyphus]

ha ha...r.i.t. i was so close to counting franny from franny & zoey as my heroine...good one...

thorn, reading and sex...very good....and great motto!

i'm glad i did not read anyone's responses before i made my own.... i feel untainted...

[sisyphus]

r.i.t., have you read harold bloom's "the american religion?"

[sisyphus]

best proust bit o wisdom evah:

“I perceived that to express those impressions, to write that essential book, which is the only true one, a great writer does not, in the current meaning of the word, invent it, but, since it exists already in each one of us, interprets it. The duty and the task of a writer are those of an interpreter.”


La, alas, i have never met your breasts. they could be carrots for all i know. you're in chicago right? well, if i get stirred up in the SAIC one day then i'll come looking for you...if the breasts are worthy, i'll squeeze them, buy you a carrot juice, and be your friend for life, or at least until they DO go saggy.