Questions . . . and answers

Oh, my. Meggie has tagged me to answer some questions. Unaccustomed as I am to public answering, she's such a good friend I'll have to give it a try. So here goes.

1. What are your current obsessions?

As always, the computer. And my poor Arizona Diamondbacks, off to a lousy start this year but winners of their last two games!

2. Who would you most like to have dinner with?

Hmmm, well first of all, SWMBO, my most consistent dining companion. And I think Tim and Jeanne and Tom and Lana . . four old friends with whom we shared many a gourmet meal in the past. Famous people would probably awe me too much to enjoy the food.

3. Last dream you had?

What? Anyone can remember dreams? Daydreams, maybe - Having lots of money and living somewhere near the sea and a good, mostly private beach.

4. Last thing you bought?

Other than lunch, a fancy three-foot USB cable to hook up my friend Reed's new DVD player to his HD television set. 28 bucks! Incredible!

5. What are you listening to?

Mostly the sound of silence and an occasional bird tweeting.

6. If you were a god/goddess, who would you be?

Ares, the god of war, so I could take out a noisy neighbor.

7. Favorite holiday spots?

Generally the beach. But that was in the past. Now I spend holidays at home where I am most of the other days of the year.

8. Reading right now?

Nothing, actually. But I just recently finished "Columbine".

9. Four words to describe yourself?

Witty, Handsome, Sensuous, Wise. (You didn't say they had to be true!)

10. Guilty pleasure?

Admiration of the female form. Though the older (and more harmless) I become, the less guilt I feel.

11. Who or what makes you laugh until you're weak?

For some reason having to do with my Norwegian/English ancestry, I'm not a big laugher. I find many things amusing but don't express it that much. However, a standup routine by Eddie Izzard can bring me to rollicking laughter (and tears).

12. Favorite odd thing to do?

Tearing up at some ridiculous movie moment. Well, I guess that's not a favorite because I hate it but it certainly seems odd to me.

13. Planning to travel to next?

Hopefully, Canyon de Chelly on the Navajo reservation in northeastern Arizona, in the autumn.

14. Best thing you ate or drank lately?

Last night's dinner, one of my favorites: Chicken Piccata with Creamy Pasta. I've loved that since we finally found a recipe in Bon Appetit magazine many years ago and realized capers were the ingredient needed to duplicate a wonderful dish I first had in a Georgetown restaurant.

15. When did you last get tipsy?

Perhaps last night but I can't remember!

16. Favorite ever film?

Oh, too many to select but here are some of them: "Casablanca", "Key Largo", "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming" . . . hmm, those are all old ones. A couple I saw recently that I thought were great were "Frost/Nixon" and "Elegy".

17. Care to share some wisdom?

Ah, a friend e-mailed it to me this morning: "Buddha taught that the desire for pleasure is insatiable. As soon as one desire is satisfied, another arises. Witness the couple who light up a cigarette immediately after sex."

18. What item could you not live without?

Oxygen. (Fooled you, didn't I? You thought I was going to say my computer!)

19. Thing you are looking forward to?

Lunch. Then, dinner. (I'm a simple man.)

20. What's your favorite smell?

Onions cooking on the stove.

21. What food makes you heave?

When I was a child it was parsnips and rutabaga. Since I haven't gone near them in decades, I don't know about them now. But I detest liver and salmon, much to the regret of SWMBO.

22. How many REAL regrets have you got in your life?

Ye-gods, too many to enumerate. I am prone to constantly making mistakes!

Now, I'm supposed to tag 8 people but I think I'll leave it up to you, dear readers, to decide for yourselves.