Ganked off Marvin, who rocks.

1. What bill do you hate paying the most?

Paying? What, are you in some kind of third world country? I don’t pay bills — it’s all automated. Oh, wait, most semester-breaks I travel, and I have to go to the bank machine to transfer money to pay for my plane tickets. They’re not cheap. I hate that!

2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?

At home. I made it. Slaved. For hours.

3. Do you regret losing your virginity to who you lost it to?

Life is too short to regret such things, but I think I could have made a better decision at the time.
4. If you could go back and change one thing what would it be?

The decisions I made after what’s discussed in #3?

5. Name of your first grade teacher?

Uh…

6. What do you really want to be doing right now?

Eating something. I’m hungry and it’s very late at night, so I won’t eat, but I’d like to be.

7. What did you want to be when you were growing up?

Um, an artist, then a writer, then a musician. I came back the writer, finally, and I’m working on it now.

8. How many universities/colleges did you attend?

Two so far: University of Saskatchewan, and Concordia University, Montreal.

9. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now?

It’s new and there was a party in the building tonight that I attended.

10. Gas/petrol prices?

Most of the world has realistic ones, and America should try to normalize to that so that consumption goes down. I mean, it’s a no-brainer.

11. If you could move anywhere and take someone with you, where would it be?

Besides space? I gotta agree with Marvin, Paris sounds good to me.

12. First thought when the alarm went this morning?

“Why did she set her alarm and then leave it in the other room?” Followed by, “Oh God, it’s 11:00 am!”

13. Last thought before going to sleep last night?

“This novel is so weird.”

14. Favorite style of underwear.

Boxers in my size. Which have, oddly enough, gotten harder to find in Korea in the last few years. Not just because I’ve grown a little in the gut, either.

15. What errand/chore do you despise?

Washing the dishes. Or maybe mopping the floor.

16. If you didn’t have to work, would you volunteer?

Um, I write science fiction. I already do volunteer. On top of my day job. Though it occasionally pays.

17. Get up early or sleep in?

The latter, except on the days when I have a morning class!

18. What is your favorite cartoon character(s)?

Eh? Adults have such things? I do enjoy Asterix, though. But he’s more of a comic book guy. Actually, maybe Obelix.

19. Favorite thing to do at night with a girl or guy?

Duh.

20. Have you found real love yet?

Sure.

21. When did you first start feeling old?

When I realized some of my students can’t remember a time before the Internet. I’ll feel really old when it gets to the point where college kids can’t remember broadband and grew up plagiarizing Wikipedia.

22. Favorite 80’s movie?

Not sure I have such a thing. At the time, it was, variously, Ghostbusters (until I saw it), The Goonies, and The Last Starfighter. (Yes, really. For like a week.)

23. Your favorite lunch meat?

Heh, I know what you mean by that — sandwich meat, right? — but that sort of thing is much less available in Korea. So I shall answer contextually — a nice fried fish all to myself? I like “godeungeo,” but I can’t remember if that’s mackerel or something else.

24. What do you get every time you go into Sam’s Club?

Huh?

25. Beach or lake?

Um… neither is half so exciting for me as an English-language bookstore. To tell the truth. But beaches are usually more fun.

26. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?

Probably. Like most rituals humans practice. (But I’m engaged, hypocrite me.)

27. Favorite guilty pleasure?

Writing my thoughts here.

28. Favorite movie you wouldn’t want anyone to find out about?

You think you’re so tricky. If I post about it everyone who reads this will find out.

Oh yeah, that means nobody would. So I’ll say at the moment, it’s 다세포 소녀 (Dasepo Girls), a freakish Korean musical set in a high school, which is also a bizarre sex-comedy.

29. What’s your drink?

Water? Seriously. Or, now that I’ve gotten the hang of grinding the beans fine, my homemade espresso? Love it. But this means alcohol, so I’ll say that Bushmills Irish whiskey is still my favorite, though nice, decent cold sake is a close second. While I was in Japan, I sure liked that stuff.

30. Cowboys or Indians?

Gangsters.

31. Cops or Robbers?

Space pirates.

32. Who from high school would you like to run into?

There are many I would like not to run into. I am curious, though, what happened to that short girl who had a crush on me in 11th grade. The one who asked my friend Mike about me. I can’t remember her name, though. Or Tonya Gresty. She was kind of famous in my grade. Curious how life turned out for her, and she ain’t on Facebook…

33. What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now?

What car?

34. Worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back?

Everything that followed #3.

35. Do you like the person who sits directly across from you at work?

Um, I don’t sit at work. The people directly in front of me are my students, and I like them okay.

36. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?

They’re mostly dead. But it’s be fun to have steaks with Hitchens, Dawkins, the Dalai Lama, and Ratzinger. I’d goad the former to until they whupped the latter two’s butts. For fairly good reasons, but also for the sheer exuberant joy of it!

37. Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?

Only if the intended purpose was to hold doors open while moving into an apartment.

38. Last book you read?

At the time I filled this out (a few days ago) it was I Have the Right To Destroy Myself by Young-Ha Kim. It’s a very weird novel. (Novella, really.) Not sure I liked it. Or got it. It’s almost like a very short Korean-ish Chuck Palahniuk, but with overtones of Japanese literary sex-death obsessiveness and French cinematic tragedy. Or something.

Currently, the last thing I read was The Arrival. And it’s reviewed in a recent post, just as is the Kim book. Go find the reviews yourself, lazybones.

39. Do you have a teddy bear?

Hell no. Had one, made in my image, even, but I gave it to my nephew.

40. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?

Um… a fungus infested rock band practice room? Not so strange.

41. Somewhere in California you’ve never been and would like to go?

Anyplace could be an answer, as I’ve been only inside the San Francisco airport, but I guess LA? San Francisco? Um… I dunno?

42. Do you go to church?

Not except for when I am obliged to. Like, by work, or a friend’s wedding, or whatever.

43. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship?

I’d go with career, which is handy, because I kind of am working on one now, in writing.

44. Just how OLD are you?

Heh. I was born the same year India first detonated a nuclear bomb, and Nixon’s impeachment hearings began.