The revealing continues.
From Luke:
1. If a train leaves from a station at point A at noon and travels at a constant speed of 89 mph to point B, which is 548 miles from point A, will the conductor make it home in time for dinner at 6 pm? (Assume the conductor lives at point B.)
No. But I only know this because you told me so.
2. If you were running late for work and would be fired if you didn't show up on time that day, would you still stop and wipe down the dirty kitchen counter top before you left?
I think maybe, just MAYBE, this question implies that I am a neat freak with her priorities vastly out of wack, because it's always the little things that make me at least five to ten minutes late to work every day. Wait, that picture frame's not straight! Did I categorize each bill pile properly? Are all the cartons in the fridge facing with the labels pointing outward? You know, the usual.
In this case, I would hope I could live with crummies on the counter, but I'm not making any promises.
3. What are those little squishy things in tapioca pudding?
Hell if I know. I despise tapioca pudding. Just thinking about the texture makes me want to wretch.
Great questions, Luke. Sheesh.
Moving on...
From Liz:
1. What is your earliest childhood memory?
Now, do you mean a memory whose existence can be logically proven or one that I might have possibly perhaps made up? If you mean the latter, I can "remember" being six years old and dashing out of the Cherry Point, North Carolina, apartment my family lived in to play in the woods that surrounded our unit and provided the perfect pathway to my friend Melissa's house. Of course, for this to be true, my family couldn't have left North Carolina when I was four. Hmmm.
2. What can bring tears to your eyes?
Picturing my wedding day. "The Greatest Man I Never Knew" by Reba McIntyre. (While we're at it, damn ALL songs that speak of father-daughter heartbreak!) Holding newborn babies. The episode in the third season of Friends where Ross and Rachel break up. Zits.
3. If you could have a superhero power, what would it be?
To fly. I dream about it so much that I'd love to see what it'd be like for real.
From Will:
1. Do you believe that it is possible to be ethical or moral without being religious?
Yes. "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." I think that statement is the golden rule of life, whether you're Catholic or Buddhist or even an athiest. No matter who you think made this universe, here we are, living in it. We have a responsibility to ourselves and each other to make it worth living in. I don't believe behavior is ethical or moral because it's religious; rather, it's ethical and moral behavior that religion promotes. If that makes sense.
2. Which is more important, freedom or security?
When I look at the many countries whose citizens have no voice in their government, whose citizens must abide by somebody else's idea of a just society, I say freedom. When I look at the way Americans have abused freedom, I say security. In the end, I think it's freedom, as freedom can result in security--security in knowing you can make your own choices and change the circumstances you're in. You (ideally) should never have to feel trapped in your situation.
3. Can selfishness be a virtue?
I think it has to be. Selfishness enables you to say that you are important enough to have your needs met. It means you have confidence in yourself and your abilities. Those attitudes are important when it comes to living a healthy quality of life and making positive changes in the world. Too many people subscribe to the "I'm not good enough" club, which, in case you couldn't tell from the name, is not a very productive club. I think it's when you think your needs are MORE important than someone else's, instead of just as important, that turn this virtue becomes a liability.
Thanks for the questions, everyone!
Well, the squishy things in tapioca is actually the tapioca, which is starch from the roots of the yuca plant.
Posted by: Luke | September 22, 2005 at 02:35 PM
If you knew this, then why in the world did you ask ME?
Posted by: Frema | September 22, 2005 at 03:36 PM
I didn't know that. I don't even know if I like tapioca pudding.
Great answers, Frema. Especially the last one...
Posted by: Liz | September 23, 2005 at 05:33 PM
Further reason to despise tapioca pudding from www.britannica.com:
Tapioca - a preparation of cassava-root starch used as a food, in bread or as a thickening agent in liquid foods, notably puddings but also soups and juicy pies.
In processing, heat ruptures the starch grains, converting them to small, irregular masses that are further baked into flake tapioca. A pellet form, known as pearl tapioca, is made by forcing the moist starch through sieves.
Like you, I definitely prefer the pudding without irregular masses of starchy substances. Yuck. Great Q&A session, Frema!
Posted by: Mark | September 26, 2005 at 09:35 AM
Would it be tapioca pudding if one left the tapocia out? Or would it be just vanilla pudding?
ReM
Posted by: Anonymous | September 26, 2005 at 09:12 PM