An interesting Q&A exercise

The question isn't answered if an answer isn't questioned
An answer has a meaning when new meaning has a truth

~~ "A Question Isn't Answered" by Temples

With the recent passing of James Lipton, a meme has been circulating on Facebook of the questions he would routinely ask his guests. I found them intriguing enough that I thought I would answer them here. 

A short response isn't enough to explain the answers. These are intriguing questions to me because they hint at something deeper. Why did you answer the way you did? Exploring that is as much fun as thinking of what the answer is. 

Sometimes I am a little too introspective for my own good. I can easily get lost in my own head. Most of the time, it's a pretty fun place to be. I have really interesting dreams and my mind takes me to some unexpected places sometimes. I don't mind it at 4 in the afternoon, but it usually happens at 4 in the morning, which means that I have some sleepless nights. Maybe if I write about this tonight, my brain will be satisfied and I can get a good night's sleep! So, let's go! 

1. What is your favorite word? 

Penultimate. I used to think this meant 'even more ultimate,' but I learned from Dick Cavett, of all people, what it meant. It means 'second to last.' I don't know why I love it. It's a little obscure, but not archaic or anything. I love to use it as often as possible, as in "It's the penultimate episode of this season of 'The Walking Dead' and I am so excited!"

A close second is one I learned recently: petrichor, which is the smell of rain falling on dry ground, like after a drought. What a wonderful word, one whose meaning can evoke the exact smell in your brain! 

2. What is your least favorite word?

I honestly can't think of one. I know the usual answer here is 'moist,' but I quite like that word, mostly because I know the way it pushes people's buttons! It's also fun to say in a whispery voice. Try it. 

There are many concepts of words that I hate, words like 'lynching' and 'Nazis.'  But that's hating the actual thing, not the word. I just can't think of a word that makes me cringe when I hear it. But hey man, I worked as a Microbiologist, so I routinely dealt with words like 'sputum' and 'pus' and 'exudate.' If anyone can come up with an actual word that grosses me out, I'll buy you a beer. 

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? 

First, I would like to see a comma between 'spiritually' and 'or,' but that's another topic entirely. I'll take each separately because while connected, they can all be very different for me. 

a) Creatively: Seeing evocative photos or paintings. Or abandoned buildings, especially hospitals. Things that make me wonder what the story is behind it. Those are the things that make me want to write a story, to try to imagine what happened there. Edward Hopper's paintings especially do that to me, and I once wrote a story about a picture I took of a light shining on a corner of a metal building. Abandoned hospitals make me wonder about patients who were there. This muse doesn't hit me on the head very often, but when it does, I love to free my mind and see where it takes me. Knowing me, it's usually fairly dark!

b) Spiritually: Well, I'm an atheist, so religious stuff doesn't move me this way. However, I find that nature is what makes me feel 'spiritual,' whatever that truly means. Sitting outside in the summer, feeling a warm breeze on my face, hearing the birds in the trees, a butterfly landing on my arm and watching its proboscis touch my skin. Why does it do that? Is it getting moisture off my arm? I don't know, but it delights me and makes me feel joy and awe. And it tickles. The world is an amazing place and I guess that is where I find my inspiration for spiritual matters. 

c) Emotionally: How much time do you have? Seriously, so many things make me feel emotion. The older I get, the more emotional I get. Even the simplest, silliest things can just slaughter me. A commercial. A song. A phrase in a piece of writing. The way Sheeba meows at me and looks up at me and wants me to pet his head. Of course, I can also feel anger and sadness, but more often, I feel joy. All three of these things are connected, too. Integrating them brings me happiness and makes for a contented life. 

4. What turns you off? 

Another two-parter for me. You might notice a common thread between the two.

a) Bullies: I have absolutely zero patience for anyone who bullies someone else. If you pick on someone, there is something wrong with you and you need to see a shrink, you insecure, petty jerk. 

b) Willful ignorance: There is no excuse for this. If you don't know about something, educate yourself. Don't say crap like, "I don't know about that and I don't need to know." Just regular old ignorance is understandable. We're all ignorant of certain things and it's okay to say "I don't know," but it should usually be followed by "but I'm going to find out the answer." That is how we learn. 

Now ask yourself who I might have in mind when I'm thinking of a willfully ignorant bully. Be best, people. 

5. What is your favorite curse word?

Well, fuck, this is an easy one! I didn't even have to think about this one. It's just so all-encompassing, you know? You can express approval or disgust. You can tell someone to go away or you can express desire for them. It gives everything a little extra oomph. It is truly the most versatile curse word and you can even make up your own variations on it. A personal favorite I've begun using lately is 'fucko.' I'm sure I didn't originate it, but it signifies the worst disapproval you can give. But you can even change the meaning by the tone of your voice. If you call someone a fucking lunatic when they're coming at you with a meat cleaver, you're expressing genuine horror at their action and their state of mind. But if your friend or whoever makes an outrageous joke or does something wild but fun, you can say, "You fucking lunatic!" with a laugh, and it's a whole different meaning. Isn't that fucking fun?

I'll admit that I have a mouth like a sailor and it's gotten worse the past three years (see Question #4) but I can behave myself when I need to. I don't talk that way around certain people, including kids, but if you're my friend, you get the full fucking vocabulary! Case in point: I just saw a bug on the ceiling and thought, "Fuck, is that what I think it is?" I walked closer and saw that it was a stink bug. I said, "Oh, fucking hell. Fuck me!" I hate those things.

This is getting long enough, so I'll finish the rest of the questions another time. In the meantime, put this in your earholes!