i went to a halloween party last night. i wore a mask, a black hat, and a cape. i was either the lone ranger or amelie in the photo booth. we had an 80s dance party until 4 am. i wish i was a better dancer and not so self-counscious about it. it was great to see all these girl just jumping and dancing away without caring about anything, and pulling random guys into the mix to dance around and have fun too. for a change, everyone had fun, no one was fighting, and the music wasn't horribly depressing and loud. the problem with emo and indie boys giving parties is their lack of understanding in the "party music" department. street cred has no value at a party if you can't dance to it.

but i was up dancing til 4 am and then winding down in my room (trying to soothe the savage feet--dancing for four hours in uber-high steve maddens is no small feat, heh). and i was awakened rather rudely this morning, so i'm not going to dissect the party. i'm going to paste in a survey instead. but this one is special, because i wrote it. i got tired of telling everyone my favorite beverages and tv shows, so i made this one.

feel free to send it along or post it yourself or what have you.

STATISTICS

what is your full name?
Beat Poet Grrl

birthday?
june 3, 1977

occupation?
frustrated writer/professional child wrangler

hair color?
varies

eye color?
myopic

height?
5'4"

body modifications/ visible scars?
eyebrow scar, chin dimple

BELIEFS

religious affiliations?
none

do you believe in a god? any one in particular?
i believe in a life force of some kind, but i don't think it's really animate. let's call it the force of good.

do you believe in ghosts?
yep. especially this time of year.

aliens?
i believe in the possibility of other worlds. i don't think they're coming around to blow up our national landmarks or anything.

SEX

what song best describes your love life?

have you ever cheated or helped someone else cheat?
not that i know of

what is the sexiest part of the body?
the small of the back, collarbones

making out or sex?
i'm limited on this question. but making out is fun.

do you enjoy porn?

what do you look for in a significant other?
you could put me in a room with 500 nice, stable accountants and one out-of-work musician/artist who still lives with his parents and i guarantee that's who i'd be leaving with. seriously though? intelligence, talent, gentleness, and the ability to be goofy all wrapped up in a boy who's nice to his mother.

have you ever found it?
i thought i did once or twice, but they "couldn't handle a relationship." do they give you guys a handbook with these phrases in it?

do you want to get married?
i'm a fan of long-term cohabitation. the reception part looks like fun though.

want kids?
eventually.

MEDIA

what childhood book has most influenced you?
"the velveteen rabbit" made me unable to throw away old stuffed animals, and the little house books made me want to be a pioneer, but "a wrinkle in time" gave me a love for weird science and math theories and philosophy.

top five movies of all time?
pump up the volume, foxfire, the breakfast club, goonies, labyrinth

if you were animated, what cartoon would you live in?
daria.

best book you ever read?
i don't think i can answer this. there are too many. the weetzie bat books, the little prince, the house of the spirits, a coney island of the mind, jitterbug perfume, my antonia, their eyes were watching god, the great gatsby...this list would be pages long.

the one book everyone you know has to read?
brave new world. it's eerily familiar. and afterwards you might want to check out _amusing ourselves to death_ by neil postman, who thinks that the end of democracy will be because we're too busy having fun to notice.

what was your favorite song in high school? in middle school? now?
in high school it was "you suck" by the murmurs. in middle school it was "could've been" by tiffany. right at this minute i think it's "rocket boy" by liz phair, or "mr. right now" by the nields.

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF

describe in five words how others see you
(my last name)'s sister quiet thoughtful outsider

are they correct? why not?
to an extent. i'm a withdrawn person until i know someone enough to feel comfortable or have enough to drink. and i spend a lot of time by myself so i don't really hang out.

do you play well with others?
depends on the game

name three things that have made you the person you are today.
1. being picked on extensively K-12
2. getting over it
3. discovering that i could write

what superpower would you most want?
telekinesis

what's the best smell in the world?
cloves

what were you doing five years ago? where did you think you'd be now?
five years ago i was 21, living in my first apartment, and looking at graduate schools. i assumed i'd be going to either syracuse or NYU to get my MFA in poetry and going into a certification program for poetry therapy.

are you where you thought you'd be?
no. i got a little sidetracked.

what do you think you'll be doing five years from now?
in five MORE years i might be done with my MFA and working toward some kind of college professorship or writing a book.

what do you want on your tombstone?
"Wherever she went, including here, it was against her better judgment."--Dorothy Parker

what do you dream about?
falling in love with strangers, fighting evil supervillians, being stuck back in high school, getting chased by vampires, flying...the usual. sometimes they're animated.

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