(no subject)
NSTRUCTIONS:
- Leave a comment saying "hi Anila Kenzie, ask me some questions."
- I'll respond my asking you five questions to satisfy my curiosity
- Update your journal with the answers to my questions
- include this explanation and offer to ask other people questions
1. What are your top 3 favorite things about yourself?
Ugh, this is kind of hard. I like that I'm creative. I like that I'm a pretty good communicator with almost any medium (verbal, written, photographic, etc). I like that I'm critically engaged in the world around me.
2. What is the most romantic thing you can imagine?
A couple dressed in white riding black horses across a beach at sunset while rose petals rain down from the sky romantically, blanketing the sand. The distant sounds of violins mingle with the crashing of the waves and the sound of the couple's laughter as dolphins on the horizon splash and flip through the shimmering golden sea. The romantic music crescendos as the couple arrives at a gray marble temple, now in ruins. In the center red wine tumbles from a fountain of pearls. The couple dips their chalices into the fountain and take slow, romantic slips. They begin to whisper sweet nothings into each others' ears - in Italian, duh - before succumbing to their desires on a bed of rose petals (which, as you may recall, are still falling from the sky). At the moment of climax the stars burst onto the sky, bathing them in white light; the violins play their most romantic notes; a thousand doves swirl around and above the scene; the fountain explodes into a shower of pearls; engagement rings the size of boulders sprout from the ground, along with a hundred thousand romance novels; and the dolphins all leap from the sea in a way that spells out WE LOVE LOVE.
Now that, my friends, is romantic.
3. How would you describe your relationship to religion/spirituality?
To spirituality: Strong. To religion: Tenuous. I wasn't brought up with any particular religion, and I've never been to church. My parents mention God three times per year, at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, which also happen to be the only days they say grace, or come close to praying. When I was younger, my babysitter was a devout Christian and took it upon herself to trick me into converting, which I almost did. After that I swung around and became almost a militant atheist (this phase coincided almost exactly to the phase in which I regularly patronized Hot Topic). I now identify as a spiritual agnostic. I believe in the transcendent beauty of the world, the "holiness" of the infinite, and the sacred right of the individual to achieve self-actualization. That said, I don't believe that it's in my best interests to subscribe to a set of beliefs handed down from a central authority. I think I can treat people respectfully, and live my life in a moral way, without having to conform to someone else's (archaic) system in the process.
Also, there's no way in hell I came from a stinking rib, and that's that. I am not a derivation of man, secondary, inferior, existing only to give him companionship. Anyone who tries to tell me otherwise, well, they know where they can go.
4. What is one personality trait you can't stand in other people?
Arrogance, narcissism, and close-mindedness. I know those are three traits, but I find they often go hand-in-hand. I think my distaste for this particular mixture of traits isn't just because I find it to be intrinsically "bad," but also because it fundamentally conflicts with my personality and the way I interact with others. I'm humble to a fault, so much so that I often under-represent how much I know about a given topic or what my skill level may be in a certain arena. At the same time, I'm pretty prideful, so I want people to recognize that under-representation for what it is. So when I talk to people who are arrogant, narcissistic, and close-minded, I get really pissed off because they think they know better than I do when they don't, or they think I'm stupid when I'm not. Or they think poorly of people who are really just grand. I could go on, but I'll keep this short.
5. What/Who inspires you?
Anyone who knows what they want and doesn't hesitate to pursue it. I think that's mostly because I've abandoned so many dreams because they weren't practical, or because I didn't think I could be the best, or just because I got bored. I feel like I've squandered a lot of talents and opportunities over the years, so I really envy people who hone in on a dream early on and see it all the way through. So that means you, Anila, for writing, Katie for going to feminist camp, Kaitlyn for working so hard with her coursework, and Jackie for doing the summer pre-law program. That means anyone who is younger than me, or my age, or just a little bit older, but already light years ahead of where I am right now - in terms of focus, maturity, skill. Those people inspire me, but they also depress me, because their success reminds me of my failure. And failure, or the fear of failure, has always, for better or worse, been my greatest motivator.
- Leave a comment saying "hi Anila Kenzie, ask me some questions."
- I'll respond my asking you five questions to satisfy my curiosity
- Update your journal with the answers to my questions
- include this explanation and offer to ask other people questions
1. What are your top 3 favorite things about yourself?
Ugh, this is kind of hard. I like that I'm creative. I like that I'm a pretty good communicator with almost any medium (verbal, written, photographic, etc). I like that I'm critically engaged in the world around me.
2. What is the most romantic thing you can imagine?
A couple dressed in white riding black horses across a beach at sunset while rose petals rain down from the sky romantically, blanketing the sand. The distant sounds of violins mingle with the crashing of the waves and the sound of the couple's laughter as dolphins on the horizon splash and flip through the shimmering golden sea. The romantic music crescendos as the couple arrives at a gray marble temple, now in ruins. In the center red wine tumbles from a fountain of pearls. The couple dips their chalices into the fountain and take slow, romantic slips. They begin to whisper sweet nothings into each others' ears - in Italian, duh - before succumbing to their desires on a bed of rose petals (which, as you may recall, are still falling from the sky). At the moment of climax the stars burst onto the sky, bathing them in white light; the violins play their most romantic notes; a thousand doves swirl around and above the scene; the fountain explodes into a shower of pearls; engagement rings the size of boulders sprout from the ground, along with a hundred thousand romance novels; and the dolphins all leap from the sea in a way that spells out WE LOVE LOVE.
Now that, my friends, is romantic.
3. How would you describe your relationship to religion/spirituality?
To spirituality: Strong. To religion: Tenuous. I wasn't brought up with any particular religion, and I've never been to church. My parents mention God three times per year, at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, which also happen to be the only days they say grace, or come close to praying. When I was younger, my babysitter was a devout Christian and took it upon herself to trick me into converting, which I almost did. After that I swung around and became almost a militant atheist (this phase coincided almost exactly to the phase in which I regularly patronized Hot Topic). I now identify as a spiritual agnostic. I believe in the transcendent beauty of the world, the "holiness" of the infinite, and the sacred right of the individual to achieve self-actualization. That said, I don't believe that it's in my best interests to subscribe to a set of beliefs handed down from a central authority. I think I can treat people respectfully, and live my life in a moral way, without having to conform to someone else's (archaic) system in the process.
Also, there's no way in hell I came from a stinking rib, and that's that. I am not a derivation of man, secondary, inferior, existing only to give him companionship. Anyone who tries to tell me otherwise, well, they know where they can go.
4. What is one personality trait you can't stand in other people?
Arrogance, narcissism, and close-mindedness. I know those are three traits, but I find they often go hand-in-hand. I think my distaste for this particular mixture of traits isn't just because I find it to be intrinsically "bad," but also because it fundamentally conflicts with my personality and the way I interact with others. I'm humble to a fault, so much so that I often under-represent how much I know about a given topic or what my skill level may be in a certain arena. At the same time, I'm pretty prideful, so I want people to recognize that under-representation for what it is. So when I talk to people who are arrogant, narcissistic, and close-minded, I get really pissed off because they think they know better than I do when they don't, or they think I'm stupid when I'm not. Or they think poorly of people who are really just grand. I could go on, but I'll keep this short.
5. What/Who inspires you?
Anyone who knows what they want and doesn't hesitate to pursue it. I think that's mostly because I've abandoned so many dreams because they weren't practical, or because I didn't think I could be the best, or just because I got bored. I feel like I've squandered a lot of talents and opportunities over the years, so I really envy people who hone in on a dream early on and see it all the way through. So that means you, Anila, for writing, Katie for going to feminist camp, Kaitlyn for working so hard with her coursework, and Jackie for doing the summer pre-law program. That means anyone who is younger than me, or my age, or just a little bit older, but already light years ahead of where I am right now - in terms of focus, maturity, skill. Those people inspire me, but they also depress me, because their success reminds me of my failure. And failure, or the fear of failure, has always, for better or worse, been my greatest motivator.