The Proust Questionnaire

I stumbled across this article a few minutes ago. Why don't I try answering the questions? It could be fun, even though I'm not a famous person or a 19th century French kid.

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
1. Well, ideally it would be living as long as I want, and dying only when I feel it necessary--some kind of willful mortality. I don't see that happening anytime soon, though, so I'd probably go with a nice SO and a couple of kids, and a job that doesn't totally suck and pays enough to feed and house all of us comfortably.
2. What is your greatest fear?
1. Death, or dying fearfully.
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
1. My selfishness, my fear and my negativity (all of them sort of relate to fear--I aid myself in fear of suffering, I refuse to see the bad in things because I fear I will find it).
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
1. Chattiness. There are better ways for me to spend my time than hear about how your Aunt Jolene won the World's Biggest Cat contest three years ago. Yes, really. (The advantage of a blog is that no one is required to read it).
5. Which living person do you most admire?
1. Maybe my stepfather. I'm not very good at admiring people.
6. What is your greatest extravagance?
1. Food.
7. What is your current state of mind?
1. Tired, and anxious to finish some school assignments. Also very angsty.
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
1. Tact.
9. On what occasion do you lie?
1.  Only when I am absolutely certain the lie will really create less total suffering than the truth (it rarely does), or when I feel like it because I am embarrassed or scared.
10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
1.  My big ol' humpy nose. It's like a camel. There could be a family of chipmunks living in there!
11. Which living person do you most despise?
1. I'm not very good at despising people, either. I suppose the go-to answer is Donald Trump these days, but I don't know him personally.
12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
1. A genuine sense of humor.
13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
1. A genuine sense of humor.
14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
1.  Probably, like, "like," when I'm talking. I don't know about writing; I don't keep track.
15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
1. You probably don't know him. I don't love him anymore.
16. When and where were you happiest?
1. At summer camp, when I was much younger.
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
1. Very high emotional intelligence/perception, or telepathy if supernatural talents are allowed.
18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
1.  I'd be happier and less complaining.
19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
1. It probably hasn't happened yet.
20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
1. A butterfly.
21. Where would you most like to live?
1. Assuming global warming isn't an issue, Italy. From what I've heard it's pretty layed-back there, I already know a little Italian, and I hate cold weather.
22. What is your most treasured possession?
1. My self.
23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
1. A tie between complete realization of your own eventual demise, and rejection of love.
24. What is your favorite occupation?
1. Staring mindlessly at the computer screen.
25. What is your most marked characteristic?
1. I'm blunt.
26. What do you most value in your friends?
1. A genuine sense of humor, and also willingness to give and receive sincere attention.
27. Who are your favorite writers?
1. Currently, I don't know. I have a hard time sitting down and reading these days.
28. Who is your hero of fiction?
1. Hazel Grace Lancaster.
29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
1. I don't know very much history.
30. Who are your heroes in real life?
1. My mother and step-father, and all the intelligent, sympathetic and hilarious teachers I've ever had.
31. What are your favorite names?
1. Lyra and Basil.
32. What is it that you most dislike?
1.  Rampant consumerism and similar tragedies.
33. What is your greatest regret?
1.  Waiting too long to tell several different people that I loved them.
34. How would you like to die?
1. Peacefully and unknowingly, in my sleep, or surrounded by family and friends and chugging hot cocoa.
35. What is your motto?
1. Just let it go already.

(my source for the questions.)