The Proust Questionnaire

I heard about this here and decided to give it a whirl. Here's some history behind the creation of this questionnaire - very, very interesting.

Here are my answers:

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?

I don't think such a thing exists.


2. What is your greatest fear?

Losing someone I love. Not reaching my full potential.


3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

My guilt complex.


4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Close-mindedness.


5. Which living person do you most admire?

My husband. He's a genuinely good person and gets bonus points for putting up with me.


6. What is your greatest extravagance?

All that technological stuff I like so much. Cameras. Computers. Etc.


7. What is your current state of mind?

Pissy.


8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Physical beauty. Being rich.


9. On what occasion do you lie?

When I feel it's necessary to spare someone's feelings or when someone is asking me something that is none of their business.


10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?

I feel pretty comfortable with my physical appearance most of the time. However, I do have an overbite, and I don't like it. I had braces to correct it but unfortunately I never got a proper retainer to set my teeth.


11. Which living person do you most despise?

I don't really despise anyone. Hate takes a lot of energy. I will say, however, that in my opinion, rapists and murderers are the lowest of the low.


12. What is the quality you most like in a man?

Geekiness.


13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Down-to-earthiness.


14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

"High five."


15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My husband.


16. When and where were you happiest?

On my wedding day.


17. Which talent would you most like to have?

I'd like to be able to paint and draw.


18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would like to stop being so hard on myself.


19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Charlie. Maintaining a healthy and happy marriage. Keeping a strong grasp on my ideals and beliefs.


20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

I'd like to come back as my enlightened past self. Or my dad.


21. Where would you most like to live?

An old house in Oregon or Northern California.


22. What is your most treasured possession?

Probably my computer. It has my life on it.


23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

My Great Depression (1997-2001)


24. What is your favorite occupation?

Creative thinker.


25. What is your most marked characteristic?

I have no idea. However, these words are often used to describe me: funny, cute, smart, and nice/sweet. Pretty generic, eh?


26. What do you most value in your friends?

The fact that many of them are so different from me, and yet we are so much the same.


27. Who are your favorite writers?

Too many to name. I adore Margaret Atwood, (some of) Italo Calvino, Ted Hughes, and Charles Simic.


28. Who is your hero of fiction?

I can't really think of one. I always liked Holden Caulfield, but I wouldn't give him hero status.


29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Anais Nin.


30. Who are your heroes in real life?

My mom. Roy. People who find a way to devote their lives to something meaningful.


31. What are your favorite names?

I think the name Claire is pretty much the perfect female name, in all honesty. And yet I have no plans to name our future daughter Claire.

I can't think of any male names.


32. What is it that you most dislike?

The time-and-energy-suck that is the rat race.


33. What is your greatest regret?

Smoking. More on that later.


34. How would you like to die?

In my sleep. Peacefully and without pain.


35. What is your motto?

Life is short. Make it count. (Cheesy, huh?)