Mokona matata - what a wonderful phrase!
Stats
Name: Anonymity preferred, thanks.
Age: 22
Height: 5' 9"
Hobbies: Writing song parodies, but graduate school leaves me little time for hobbies; I may do some tutoring. Does "weeping quietly over a blurry electrophoresis gel" count as a hobby?
Sports: Was a fencer for a while - still have the foil and suit.
Likes: On the flippant side, I enjoy spoofy melodrama, Gilbert and Sullivan, archy and mehitabel, the webcomic Narbonic, and venomous animals. More seriously, I'm a student of genetics and development, and I love science. Fruit flies are awesome.
Dislikes: Academic and scientific dishonesty. Ignorance, too, especially when it's my own. I'd add "human apathy towards suffering," but I could be working in a soup kitchen now, so I'd better not. Also, my own failings, and in particular my insecurities. Though for somebody who dislikes them, I cling pretty hard to them.
Strong points: Where else but here could I cheerfully point out my 1590 SAT score, or my 4.0 cumulative GPA at a notoriously tough college? I'm using an anonymous account largely so I can say this stuff guiltlessly.
But I help others when asked, and my friends say I'm nice enough when you get to know me. I do not deny this. I do not confirm it, either, because people who say pointedly that they are nice guys rarely are.
Weak points: Ego and self-absorption put a damper on my general likeability. I'm pathologically obsessive. I have academic tunnel vision. And I write overlong posts.
Faves
Color: Blue.
Food: Yellowtail sushi.
Animal: Rat.
Season (summer, spring, fall, winter): Winter.
Fruit: Lime.
Flavor: Umami. It's the flavor of MSG.
Smell: VICTORY, or possibly fresh-baked bread.
Manga/anime (other than XXXHolic, if it is): Death Note.
Celebrity (and why): Peter O'Toole. Charismatic, classy, and fun.
XXXHolic charrie (and why): Hmm... I'm going to say Yuuko. She has a compassion, lethargic charm, and an odd mix of world-weariness and playfulness that make her entertaining to watch. To know her would be like having Oscar Wilde for your fairy godmother.
Genre of literature: Light verse.
Other
If you were stranded on a desert island, what 5 things would you bring?: Assuming that items that allow me to escape are forbidden? Water purification/desalinization kit, flint, a large plastic tarp, a knife, and a lot of fishing line.
Describe yourself in 1-3 words: Obsessive, petty, analytical.
Are you an energetic person or are you a lower energy level kind of person?: I shift from bouncy to lethargic in a wink. I think energetic is about right, though.
Do you act more on impulse or do you tend to think things through?: Impulsive, oddly enough, though I like to have a plan.
What would you say is your motto?: To think is wise, to believe is dangerous, and to know, impossible.
What's your dream career?: Science professor at a small liberal arts college.
Have a suggestion about the questions (+/-)?: "Literature" is spelled with one "t."
Which element do you most identify with?: Technetium - fickle, grey, and rarely seen outside of a lab.
Anything else we should know?: Hmm... possibly a lyric from my favorite song, or my biggest fear, or something like that.
Sing us a lyric from a favorite song, please!: (Okay. Done.)
What would you wish for from Yuuko-san & what do you think you'd have to sacrifice for it?: Information on the wishing process. The universe will not grant a wish without a sacrifice, but who decides the sacrifice? This bears closer examination.
We've no evidence that 'value' is anything more than a human invention. There are no Elementary Value Particles. But if I were one of Yuuko's customers - and believed her - I could determine whether certain things had intrinsic value. Arguably, this is dictated by the values of the wisher, but even then, that the universe would care whether I valued, say, my eyesight more than my hearing, or my hand more than $10,000, would be grounds for investigation. Could I pretend to value something immensely and get more wishing power out of sacrificing it? What if I used some form of hypnosis?
So I'd wish for a chance to experiment with the wishing process, and the sacrifice would be... well, figuring out the minimal sacrifice would be the first experiment, wouldn't it?
What's your biggest fear?: That the last thing I think will be, "That was a waste."
What's the meaning or significance of your username?: I'm owlish.
Description: Short, slightly-pudgy-yet-somehow-scrawny, round-faced, and bespectacled. My glasses violate the fire codes of five states. Topping the Nerd Classic look is a mop of unruly black hair. I look better in a suit than I do in casual wear; a friend once described my stolidly conservative dress as "protective coloration."