Amy's Quiz...

Amy Wilson posted a quiz that she has developed that borders on conceptual performance art. CLICK HERE to go to the exact posting on her blog. Here are my responses:

What is your first memory of swimming?
I actually can't swim. My first memory of being in a swimming pool was at Aloma Park. I dived in and almost drowned. I don’t think I tried to learn after that.

What is your first memory of being lost?
I remember being lost early on, but the clearest memory of being lost that I can summon up is at Wal-mart. I couldn’t find my mom or the car.


What is your first memory of being in a forest?
I don’t know if this counts, but one of my earliest memories is running through the tangerine groves next to our house in Florida. The next time I actually remember being in an actual forest is when we went on a field trip to do the Mud Walk.

Do fish have feelings?
I suppose so.

Do plants have feelings?
I’m not 100% convinced on that they do. But I could be wrong.

Do bugs have feelings?
The animated cartoons tell me that they do.

What was the last lie you told?
“I’m really happy for you.”

Are there lies you believe in even though you know they’re lies?
Yes, but I’m not going to say what they are.

Were you lied to as a child?
Yes. We lived in a house of lies and secrets.

If yes, do you forgive the person who lied to you?
I suppose I’ve forgiven the people that told me lies. Some of them still burn in my memory though. I doubt that they will ever truly go away.

Have you ever punched someone?
Yes.

Have you ever wanted to be punched?
Yes.

Do you have an imaginary friend?
I’ve had imaginary friends in the past. Though it has been a while since we’ve communicated. To this day I don’t think they were imaginary, so much as just disembodied.

Have you ever felt that there is an exact replica of you, somewhere on earth?
Yes. I’ve been told countless times that people have met me before.

Do you still play “pretend”?
Of course. I think the job of an artist and a writer is to play pretend. I also spend time with a small child, not yet three.


Have you ever had a profound spiritual experience?
Yes.

Have you ever experienced incredible, transcendent beauty?
Yes.

Have you ever had either experience as a result of viewing a work of art?
Yes.

How do you feel when you stand in front of a famous painting?
It depends on the painting.

How do you feel when you stand in front of a work of art that you love?
My heart breaks a little bit.

Which is more beautiful – the most beautiful painting in the world or the most beautiful garden in the world?
Both. No one thing is more beautiful than the other. They are beautiful in different ways.

Do you have a deep, spiritual connection to very specific works of art?
I do. There are some pieces that I feel my soul is connected to in the act of looking, seeing, and experiencing.

Is there an object in your home you believe is endowed with special powers?
Yes.

Do you know that this isn’t true and yet you believe it anyway?
Some of the items don’t have special powers, yet I have faith in the fact that they should or might or could or could have had at one time... but there are some that still have powers and the knowledge of their power cannot be denied.

Do you believe there are ideas that are worth physically fighting for to protect?
Yes.

Do you think you will ever be called upon to fight for your beliefs?
Perhaps.

Have you ever stood up for someone or something because you felt utterly compelled to?
More often than I would like. I cannot stand it when someone is getting picked on. Especially when there are no grounds for it. I don't necessarily like conflict, however, I'm certainly not afraid of it.

Have you ever made sacrifices because it was the morally right thing to do?
Yes.

Do you believe in the existence of any moral absolutes?
I don’t necessarily believe in absolutes. It’s not always as simple as black and white.

Have you ever wanted to take on the suffering of another person to spare them the pain?
Everyday.

What was the last news story to deeply affect you?
A child being abducted, molested, and murdered. The child was the same age as Baby One.

How did you react?
I puked.

When you hear about the war in Iraq, how do you feel?
I have a mixture of feelings. Most of them are tinged with deep sadness.

Have you ever turned away from news coverage of a story you found too unpleasant to deal with?
Yes. I don’t read or watch the news on a regular or even semi-regular basis anymore. Having worked in the journalism field, I know first hand how stories are often times manipulated to get a certain point across. That alone is a reason why not to become involved with it. That and it is excessively negative.

Do you trust the American political system?
No, but you’re not supposed to. Too much trust or blind faith leads to bad judgments.

Have you ever wanted to travel to a war-torn country?
Yes. At times I think that I want to join some humanitarian aid organization and go around the world helping those who need help. Eventually I’ll do this.

Do you know anyone who has ever fought in a war?
Yes. Several family members and friends of the family.

Have you ever seen extreme poverty?
Yes and I didn’t like it.

Have you ever seen someone gravely ill?
Yes and I didn’t like that either.

Do you know someone who is sick now, but can’t afford treatment?
Yes, and it breaks my heart. It is STUPID that people who need help can’t always get help.

Have you ever been on welfare, food stamps or lived in public housing?
Nope.

If abortion becomes illegal, what will you do?
It doesn’t really effect me directly, seeing as how I have nothing to abort. But, if it did become illegal, I imagine that I would stand up for the rights of those who’s rights were taken away. “I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will fight to the death your right to say it.”

Do you ever wonder what’s going on in Afghanistan? Or New Orleans?
I do. Sometimes I imagine going to these places and seeing for myself. Sometimes I don’t believe anything really happened at all. It is so easy to distance yourself from these things.