2. Do you believe in fate? Why or why not?
The dictionary defines fate as the supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events. I guess I've always believed that life happens for whatever reason it's supposed to, and the events are not necessarilly predetermined. However, I do think there is a path in life that is laid out for us as an outline. I don't believe that all of our actions and the results are a result of some unseen force that has determined who we will be and what we will do. We have the power to determine our own fate in many situations, and we make our decisions and learn from them in whatever case is presented to us at the moment.
3. Who is your oddest/weirdest relative and what makes them so different?
I can't really honestly come up with an answer to this one, and I've thought long and hard about it, too. Everyone in my family has their little quirks. My grandma always said things that didn't make sense, such as, "I see you have your hands in your pockets, have you been building sand castles?" There's my dad crushing Doritos onto his ice cream and covering it all flavored syrups. There's my sister always talking to herself when she thinks no one is around. I don't think there's really anyone who I could call unique, anyhow. We're all strange somehow.
4. What is one of your favorite quotes, and why do you like it?
I have two to mention. "Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable." (Sydney J. Harris), and "Never give anyone your best advice...there's a good chance that they won't take it..." (Jack Nicholson). I like them both the most because they're both good quotes that I have thought about, lived by, and suffered from the most.
5. Describe your dream house (at least the larger specifics).
I know it sounds really stupid to say this, but I already lived in my dream house. It was not a fancy place, but it was a place that I learned a lot and met a lot of people who have shaped me into who I am today. I'm sure you all know which place I'm talking about since I reference this place often on this site. A house is a place that you live in. This particular place I speak of in this answer was so much more than that, and that's why I think 6th Avenue was my dream home.
2. Talk about a song, movie, or book that has
affected you the most.
I think one of the most influential books in my life is Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time. The book was first written in 1962, and I first read it while in grade school in Arizona, as it was part of the required reading. It has a lot of basis in the struggle between good and evil characters as well as the individual trials of its main characters. However, the main influence I took away from this book didn't have to do with the development of its characters, the Christian theological references, or the main theme of good versus evil, but rather being introduced to the science-fiction/fantasy realm of reading. Science-fiction gives the reader the opportunity to explore other realms of thought that in turn gives a greater glimpse into a person's soul. In turn, reading sci/fi and fantasy has become a haven for me to fall into. I can become totally enraptured by a novel and lose myself for a short while, escaping from reality and all that is involved in that. I think of my imagination as the foundation for my peace of mind, and through my reading, it is strengthened and expanded. That is really what was so important about my exposure to this genre of reading, the development of pieces of my mind.
3. Have you ever committed a crime before, and did
you or did you not get caught?
When I was younger I went through a stage where I did shoplift some things, and I didn't get caught, but I did feel guilty enough that I ended up going and paying for them anyway. On a lighter side though, Mikey and I did kind of commit a crime a little while ago when I lived down south with Derek. We hopped into my car to head over to Chaus' place to pick up Mikey's drill. As I'm driving over there I look to Mikey and I notice he's sitting in the front seat downing a beer while I'm driving over there. It also happened that right after I said something and Mikey hid the beer in his lap that a cop car drove right by us. So luckily we didn't get caught on that one, and made it to Chaus' place where Mikey quickly finished and got rid of the beer.
4. If you were stranded on a desert island
indefinately, what three people would you want there
with you, and what's the first thing you would all do?
This is a pretty tough question, to narrow it down to just three, but if I were to be stranded indefinitely anywhere I would like to have Mikey Vacha there with me for sure. Mikey has been one of my best friends for years. We have similar tastes, personalities, and especially senses of humor. If there's any combination of people that could make sure life doesn't get tedious, it's Mikey and I. For the second person, I think I would like to have Maria Haug. Maria is someone who I could always talk to about my problems and who would definitely be able to make sure I stay sane. The third person would be Ryan Fried. I've known friedo for over a decade now, and he's been my best friend for a large percentage of that. He knows who I am, and after living with me for two years, he knows what makes me tick. I also know for a fact that the four of us would get along fine being stuck together for an extended amount of time. I think the first thing we would all do (provided there is some sort of shelter already found) is find some way to play a game of cards, because there's no way the four of us could be stuck somewhere together without whipping out a card game.
5. Name a fragrance or smell that reminds you most of
a person that you have been involved with in a
relationship in the past.
This is actually a very difficult question for me to answer as I have a very poor connection between scents and memory. I can't honestly say that I remember any specific scents or frangrances that are associated with the women that I have dated. If we want to stretch this question out a little, I can say that the one fragrance I do remember being linked to a specific woman was a coconut lotion smell that Lindsey Wood used to emit on a regular basis.
2. Talk about a song, movie, or book that has
affected you the most.
There have been plenty of songs, movies, or books and esseys that have influenced me over the years, but I think the most moving thing I've ever heard was a John Mayer song called Split Screen Sadness. It was a song that sort of defined who I was at a time in my life, and shortly after I heard this song, things began to change direction. Though at the time I didn't want to accept that change, looking at it now, it was the best thing I could've done no matter how unhappy I felt about it at the time. The song describes a person not wanting to let go of someone, or something. Three lines stick out the most to me.
"All you need is love" is a lie 'cause we had a love but we still said goodbye. Now we’re tired, battered fighters. And it stings when it nobody’s fault 'cause there's nothing to blame at the drop of your name. It’s only the air you took and the breath you left...
So I’ll check the weather wherever you are 'cause I wanna know if you can see the stars tonight. It might be my only right.
I can’t wait to figure out what’s wrong with me so I can say, "This is the way that I used to be." There’s no substitute for time or for the sadness, split screen sadness...
While this song described how I felt at the time, I think it also made me realize that I was hanging on to a dream. It had a huge effect on me at probably just the right time during that long strain in my life.
3. Have you ever committed a crime before, and did
you or did you not get caught?
I did commit a crime, and I did indeed get caught. When I was young, I think I was about 13 years old, I became a bit of a sneak and began stealing baseball cards from stores all over the place. Soon after, that grew into stealing CD's and tapes. Eventually, I got got busted for shoplifting and got sent to juvenille hall. Only three weeks later, I got the urge again, and got caught again. Call it a bad habit. That time, just to scare me a little more, they actually put handcuffs on me and led me through the store in front of all the customers. I got grounded for like three months after my second offense. I never stole again after that.
4. If you were stranded on a desert island
indefinately, what three people would you want there
with you, and what's the first thing you would all do?
That's a tough decision. But, I guess I would want Jeremy Middleton there because he'd be the guy in charge of making sure we all stayed alive. Besides, he used to be the guy who slapped me into shape when I was falling apart or acting like an idiot. I might need that if I was stuck on a deserted island. I would also want Dave Stordalen there because he's funny as hell, and he would keep all of our spirits up for sure. Not only that, though, Dave would certainly be one of the most street-smart people I've ever known, so he would take good care of us when things seemed most impossible. For a third person, I think I'd need a girl there to keep me smiling, so I would bring Sara Egge along. She often seems care-free and fun when we're hanging out at school, so I can assume that perhaps once the initial shock was over from being left on the island, she would return to that mood once again. I can assume (since I asked the question in the first place) that we wouldn't be there forever, and we'd all get rescued eventually (hence that 'indefinately' portion on the question). That way, Dave and Jeremy could return to their wives and children, Sara could go back to her boyfriend, and I could go home, drink beer, and play Madden all day.
5. Name a fragrance or smell that reminds you most of
a person that you have been involved with in a
relationship in the past.
Just a few days ago, I was giving a friend a hug (Kacie Hughes, just in case you're curious), and the scent of a Victoria's Secret body lotion or something similar to it became very present to me. I hadn't smelled that scent in a while, and I probably couldn't tell you now what the name of the scent was, but it reminded me very much of a former relationship I had been in. It's kind of crazy how the sense of smell can really throw you for a loop like that. It can sort of take you back in time and make you recall so much, like those times when you could hold someone for hours and hours, whether you want to remember those times or not. Anyhow, I've always loved that particular smell, and I think I mentioned to Kacie how good she smelled. Hopefully she doesn't think I'm a creep. Most girls already do, don't they? Just kidding...I hope.
2. Do you believe in fate? Why or why not?
I believe in fate to a degree. I believe that everyone starts on the path of their life and is given choices on which way to go. Every choice that we make is our own, but for each decision that we make, we are shown new paths to take. I don't believe that there is one destination that is pre-ordained, but rather a branching path that continues to expand depending on the events that take place in our lives. Life is about free will and forging your own way.
3. Who is your oddest/weirdest relative and what makes them so different?
I would say my oddest or weirdest relative would definitely have to be my Grandma Ella. My grandma is one of the most interesting people I have ever known, which can also get her classified in the oddest category. She was born in Norway and lived there until she was 17, when she came to the United States, not knowing any english. She raised five kids on a farm outside of Reynolds, North Dakota before moving out to the Kalispell, Montana area after she and my grandpa got divorced. I went to stay with her for the summer after my senior year of high school and had a great time working and spending time out there. Grandma has done all kinds of different jobs, from selling computers to cleaning mansions. I think the most interesting happening concerning my grandma, though, was after I had come to college. She was still living out in Montana, but she had flown down to Costa Rica for a business trip while I had still been staying with her and had loved it down there. So I had said that I'm sure she wanted to move there, which she laughed at right then. As it turned out, she did end up moving down there and has been living there ever since and has also learned to speak Spanish. So I can say that I have a grandma who is a native norwegian who has dual citizenship in Norway and the US, lives in Costa Rica, and speaks Norwegian, English, and Spanish. Not too shabby...
4. What is one of your favorite quotes, and why do you like it?
"Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live..." - Dorothy Thompson
I think this is a great quote. I am a person who ends up evaluating, re-evaulting, second-guessing, and just plain worrying about so many things that there are times when I think my brain might explode. Sometimes it's because I'm afraid of the outcome, other times because I just analyze too much. Either way, I want to make the most out of what I do, and to do that I am trying to look past the worries and the doubts and trust in the two things that I should be able to: my heart and my mind.
5. Describe your dream house (at least the larger specifics).
Just talking about the physical specific aspects of a house, my dream house would be castle to begin with. I would love to have a castle on an island, with a drawbridge. Inside the castle I would like to have a rec room, with widescreen plasma tv's built into the wall, with sliding covers over the top of them, an official size billiards table, a felt-covered octagonal card table, and leather reclining furniture. My kitchen appliances would be silver, with an island in the middle of the kitchen area. The library would be huge, with walls and walls of all the authors I like, and probably even some of the authors that are "classic" writers that I haven't read yet. The only other detail I know I would like to have is that there must be secret passages. What's a castle without secret passages?