So you think you're in the middle of the ocean?

They're re-painting the new digs so I'm still at Amy's. The walls which were gold and spattered with purple (Maxx colors) are now the standard white that come with any new place. Smells like paint. Noxious.

1. Do you believe in love? Why or why not? I do. But it's fleeting. I think that it ebbs and flows with everyone.
2. What is beauty? Something that makes you think. You can see the beauty in a rubik's cube, or a line from Gabriel Garcia Lorca.
3. Where did you grow up? Do you think that environment significantly influenced who you are today? How and why? Midland/Odessa area. Yes, in some ways I feel it influenced me. When I moved to the Dallas area, I was astounded by having trees and narrow streets and huge houses. I think where I grew up I learned to appreciate the small things.
4. Describe your most memorable dream (night dream, not aspiration). What, if anything, do you think it means? Watching a parade. I don't have any clue, it was really long and really colorful, and people were smiling and laughing. It was a very surprising dream.
5. What are the top five things you need to be happy/content? to be content? I've always been envious of the guy from the Twilight Zone that survived the apocalypse and was left with all the books...until his glasses broke. There's always been a part of me that would just be content to be surrounded by books. As for the other four, I could give a stock answer (friends, chocolate, sunlight) but I just feel that the happiest I could be is just spending an enormous amount of time reading.

7. Who is your favorite author? Douglas Coupland with a bullet. Michael Chabon, Johnathan Lethem, John Steinbeck, Bret Easton Ellis. The writers which I can connect with.
8. What material possessions would you have the hardest time giving up? My Hahoe mask. I've carried it from Denton, to Big Spring to NYC.
9. Do you think prostitution is immoral/wrong? Why or why not? No. I don't feel that it's wrong. People make their own choices regardless of society or religious constraints. I think those choices are their's alone, and I wouldn't feel right passing judgment.
10. Which do you feel is more important - art or science? Science. I feel that science is the proof in the pudding. Art inspires emotion, but I feel that science is what really drives civilization forward.
11. What constitutes a work of art? Anything and everything that provokes you on more than one level. Amoebas under a microscope could be seen as art.
12. Who is your favorite artist? Rene Magritte. Surrealism always wins me over.
13. What do you tell yourself to make yourself feel better when you're bummed? Everything always gets better.
14. Describe your most satisfying sexual experience (not limited to intercourse).
Being with someone that you know that you love.
15. Is living by a code of ethics important to you? If so, what are those ethics? I do. Don't ask me why. I have a certain system set up in my brain.
16. Do you think evil exists? If so, what constitutes evil? Evil is the root of everything. Just like science, the passion to commit crimes and murder and take candy from children is another thing that drives society forward. Native Son- Richard Wright is a prime example.
17. What is the best gift you've ever received? Why was it so perfect? I still say Hahoe mask. Because it's the sentiment behind it. It's like a real turning point in my life having it around.

19. What are you most afraid of? Thinking that I'll be 40 years old and still trying to get dates. I call it at that age.
20. Are you religious? If so, what religion do you subscribe to, and why? If not, what religion do you feel is most similar to your beliefs?Ha, subscribe to. I still feel that Judaism is probably the most satisfying (to me) to relate to the Western idea of God. Christianity has watered itself down to t-shirt sales and lines of people wanting to stand near Joel Olsteen. No thanks.
21. What are you most ashamed of? Shying away from opportunities.
22. If you could erase one event from your past, what would it be, and why? Nothing. I think it's all important.
23. What does it mean to be "pure"? Innocence.
24. What are your favorite websites? nytimes.com, gothamist.com, wikipedia.org, achewood.com
25. What story do you tell the most often? Tell me. How I moved to Denton on a whim. Putting your finger on a map and just moving is gratifying. I had no clue about North Texas, no idea where Denton or what Denton was even. I just hauled all my stuff into a minivan and the next day I'm in Denton.
27. What relatively obscure thing do you know EVERYTHING (or almost everything) about, and why does it interest you? Music history. I have a knack for knowing dates, people- anything to do with music. It just clicks with me.
28. How do you feel about pornography? What separates porn from "erotica"? Erotica is what you do when you try to make pornography into art. When you want to provoke another emotion besides lust.
29. What is the most disturbing thing you've ever seen on film? Amy brought this up the other day- Silent Hill. Her and Jane kept their eyes covered while I watched the horror. It was graphic. Needlessly graphic.
30. Is ignorance bliss? Absolutely.