I found this questionnaire in my e-mailbox earlier today and thought it might be fun to answer it in public:
• What time did you get up this morning? Eight a.m.
• Diamonds or pearls? No preference.
• What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Believe it or not, Capote.
• What is your favorite TV show? I really don’t have one, though I’ve been enjoying the reruns of The Equalizer currently playing on Sleuth TV.
• What did you have for breakfast? Grape-Nuts and skim milk, with a few raisins thrown in.
• What is your middle name? Alan.
• What is your favorite cuisine?, Er, yikes, that’s a tough one! Maybe sushi?
• What food do you dislike? Blue cheese.
• What is your favorite potato chip? Salt and vinegar, mmmmm.
• What is your favorite CD at the moment? Rosanne Cash’s Black Cadillac….
• What kind of car do you drive? I don’t have one.
• Favorite sandwich? Grilled ham (smoked salmon is a very close second, though).
• What characteristics do you despise? Thoughtlessness.
• What are your favorite clothes? I don’t think much about clothes and don’t have any strong preferences.
• If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you
go? Bologna, to see the Museo Morandi.
• What color is your bathroom? Yellow and cornflower blue.
• Favorite brand of clothing? I don’t have one.
• Where would you want to retire to? I hope never to retire.
• Favorite time of day? The blue hour.
• Where were you born? Cape Girardeau, Mo.
• Favorite sport to watch? Hockey, with Our Girl.
• Who do you least expect to send this back? Not applicable.
• Who will be the first to respond? Ditto.
• Coke or Pepsi? I like them equally.
• Are you a morning person or night owl? Night owl.
• Any new and exciting news you’d like to share with everyone? Nothing I’m inclined to share just yet.
• What did you want to be when you were little? A fireman.
• What is a favorite childhood memory? Spending holidays with my aunts, uncles, and cousins out in the country.
• What are the different jobs you have had in your life? Musical-instrument repairman, bank teller, jazz musician, library clerk, editor, writer.
• Nicknames? None in current use (I’ve been going by “Terry” for so long that I don’t think of it as a nickname).
• Any piercings? Lord, no.
• Eye color? Brown.
• Ever been to Africa? No.
• Ever been toilet papering? No.
• Been in a car accident? No.
• Favorite day of the week? As a friend of mine likes to say, every day above ground is a good day.
• Favorite restaurant? Good Enough to Eat, of course!
• Favorite flower? I’m not fussy.
• Favorite ice cream? Alas, I’m off ice cream these days.
• Favorite fast food restaurant? Taco Bell.
• Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Sotheby’s.
• Bedtime? These days, 12:30 or so.
• Who are you most curious about their responses to this
questionnaire? Our Girl, naturally.
• Last person(s) you went to dinner with? Hilary, Corbin, and Henry.
• What are you listening to right now? The traffic on 82nd Street.
• What is your favorite color? I haven’t one.
• How many tattoos do you have? None.
• Who was the last e-mail you got before this one? I can’t remember–I was sifting through a whole day’s worth of accumulated e-mail, most of it junk, when I found this questionnaire.
• How many people are you sending this e-mail to? Thousands and thousands!
• What time did you finish this e-mail? One-thirty-five p.m.