71 steps closer to me
1. Who are you? Joel Mendes, a son/brother/boyfriend/uncle/student/coach/shiftlead/boy
2. What are the 3 most important things everyone should know about you? 1. I’m sensitive and can dish it but can’t take it. 2. If you get me excited about a topic, I get heated. 3. I really do care.
3. What stage of life are you in right now? I’m graduating soon, beginning grown up life. I’m in the beginning stages of a relationship that has made me optimistic about a lot of things. I’m about ready to move out, just need to figure details out. I enjoy myself when I’m not tired, hurt, or at school.
4. Have you ever taken martial arts classes? I was a blue belt when I was 6 and legitimately thought I could kick anyone’s ass if I wanted to.
5. Does your life tend to get better or worse or does it just stay the same? I don’t think I really like when people answer or questions with “it depends” but I don’t think I can escape it here. Life isn’t just this black and white. Work, family, general well-being is all staying the same. School is getting better but only because Im almost done with it. Relationships have gotten ridiculously better, and I am starting to feel like it isnt possible to keep on improving, but everyday I am still more amazed.
6. Does time really heal all wounds? I tend to think that getting over anything aside from physical pain is just a matter of will-power, and most emotional and mental pain is sustained in selfishness.
7. How do you handle a rainy day? I bundle up in bed with more blankets than I need listening to the continuous trance-inducing rain drops pounding on the window.
8. Do you tend to be aware of what is going on around you? I get really bummed when people arent, so I sure hope I am but, just like many philosophical and religious questions, I just can’t possibly know.
9. What did you want to be when you grew up? For a long while I wanted to be a plastic surgeon, then I learned that they have to cut people open.
10. What is the most physically painful thing that has ever happened to you? Continuously, but not all in one painful moment, my shoulder injuries that ended baseball dragged on forever and were quite painful. I broke my arm; I got black eyes; I cut open my chin...
11. What is the most emotionally painful thing that has ever happened to you? I guess I’ve been pretty darn lucky. Anytime I disappoint people I’m tortured.
12. What does each decade make you think of:
The 19..
20's: temperance
30's: grapes of wrath
40's: dad, mom, war
50's: complacency
60's: hippies drugs love
70's: disco, weed, brown/orange/maize
80's: coke, pretension, mtv
90's: elementary school, san diego
2000: social consciousness
2010's: comfort
13. What does your name mean? Strong-willed; it’s hebrew
14. Would you rather explore the deeps of the ocean or outer space? I don’t really care. Neither really interests me. I think to do both you have to withstand quite a bit of inconvenience and uncomfortable extreme conditions15. What was the last thing you made with your own hands? I don’t do manual labor.
16. Do you believe in god and if so what is he/she/it like? I guess so, but I don’t really know what it/she/he is like. I just know we started somewhere and what was before us did too, and as far back as you go there’s always a day before except the ultimate and inevitable beginning which had to be initiated by something..that something is what I think is god. There’s more to it, but I don’t particularly like typing. Ask me.
17. Do you believe in Hell? I think we’re here. Not in the pessimistic and pathetic sense to where people say “how can it be any worse than this” but I think eternal suffering would include deteriorating pretty much your entire life, war, torture, disappointment, injustice, boredom, physical pain, the inability to come to an agreement on which way to run a country or which god to believe in and follow which set of religious rules and doctrines, people not being able to make their own decisions and just following in the foot steps of other ignorant people...the list goes on, but everything I could possibly think of to be included in the worst possible place-a hell-exists here.
18. Is your hair natural or dyed? Natural, baby.
19. Do you have any deep dark secrets or are you pretty much up front? I can’t hold stuff in. Don’t tell me things.
20. What is under your bed right now? Not a whole lot. Some electrical cords.
21. What is the one thing that you love to do so much that you would make sacrifices to be able to do it? Relax with the people I love.
22. If you had to choose would you live on the equator or at the North Pole? I guess the equator; I like people..
23. Which would you rather take as a gym class...dancing, sailing, karate, or bowling? Sailing sounds pretty emo...but I’d still say bowling.
24. What insects are you afraid of? Honestly, I’m not.
25. What's the most eccentric thing you have ever worn? I don’t always match, but I have this fashion schizophrenia where some days I am pretty clean cut and wear designer jeans, nice shoes, a sweater and a polo shirt, and then there are other days I wear jeans with holes, a t shirt that doesn’t match, moccasins that are falling apart, and I-just-woke-up-and-didn’t-shower hair. I have a big fat giant nike sweatshirt that maris doesn’t like but I want to wear a lot.
26. If you could pick one food that you could eat all you wanted but it would have no effect on how much you weigh, what food would it be? Burritos.
27. What are your parents interested in? My parents they have their religion but sleep in separate houses. My dads a retired ramblin man who never stops talking and never makes any sense. He’s into boy scouting (yeah, he’s old and into it still), being completely overly particular, and being overall boring. My mom’s more interesting. She’s a nurse. She’s into skiing, catholicism, talking, bragging about her children, and coffee. She never follows recipes.
28. Have you ever caught an insect and kept it as a pet? When I was in north carolina I caught lightning bugs and smashed their phosphorescent guts on my arm.
29. When do you feel your life energy the strongest? When I can tell that someone I love appreciates me.
30. In what ways do you relax and de-stress when you are really tense? Make maris rub my shoulders. Or sometimes beer.
31. Have you ever been on the radio or on TV? Yeah, tv a couple times: Good morning america, hb channel three, eyewitness news.
32. Do you know what your grandparents and your great grand parents did for a living? Yeah, for the most part. Grandma and grandpa made dresses, other grandma made the home grandpa was an engineer that worked on the Abomb...great grandparents were professionally dead when I came around.
33. Is there anything really interesting in your family history? Not at all. My brother is probably the most famous in his own realm as a mathematician, unless I’m related to eva mendes
34. Have you ever spoken to a homeless person? Nearly daily. Maris and i saw a homeless guy when we were going to the grocery store the other night and i asked if he wanted anything and he said he wanted soy milk and as we were walking in he shouted "chocolate, if they've got it." so we bought this guy chocolate soy milk and he was stoked.
35. If you could add 70 years to your life but only by making some random person die 70 years sooner would you? Never
36. Would you rather be a world political leader or a rock star? Rock star I guess, but they’re pretty much the same thing.
37. Have you ever given someone a love letter that you wrote? Not a pure sap letter, I don’t think.
38. Have you ever though about hitchhiking across the country? No serious consideration ever, I’m sort of a wuss and don’t like being around people I don’t know.
39. Who are you the most jealous of? Those with complete freedom, no physical incapabilities holding them back from being an amazing artist, musician, athlete, or public speaker, and no mental hindrances that prevent them from expressing their thoughts with clarity and accuracy.
40. What is the happiest way you can start your day? Sleeping with her warmth next to me until I wake up naturally.
41. If you had to teach a class in something, what would you be able to teach people? Starbucks, English (maybe), grammar for sure.
42. Which is worse, working in retail, food service, or an office? I just don’t like being demanded to serve other people’s needs all the time, so I guess I’m screwed in any of these.
43. Do you like to sit in the front, middle or back of the Movie Theater? Just not behind rowdy kids or tall men.
44. If someone wanted to understand you what book could they read that would help? Siddhartha
45. Are you allergic to anything? Sleaze, I think.
46. Why do some people want to get more money than they could ever spend? Some people, because the status and power it brings. Freedom from financial stress would be nice, being able to give others what they want that will help them succeed in their own rite would be rad to.
47. What's the most boring thing you've ever read? I think great expectations.
48. Is fifty dollars a lot of money? Not really, but it is if I am buying a postcard or a t-shirt. If I lost 50 bucks though, I wouldn’t really care.
49. What's your middle name? Daniel.
50. Do you want to follow in your parent's footsteps? Not career wise, no. Intellectually, yes.
51. Can you eat with chopsticks? On a good day.
52. Who is the greatest philosopher of your country? Maybe daniel quinn..
53. Is it as easy to make you happy now as it was when you were a child? All I need is a bed. For sleep, I mean. Or maybe for more than that...
54. Does fashion matter to you? A bit. I like being comfortable and clothes to fit me right. I like judging other people’s choice of which fashion school to adhere to.
55. Have you ever played in a band? Not for more than a day..
56. If not, what do you think of when you are staring into the ocean? Why is this an if not question? But I stare into the water and think about the near infinity that exists beyond our knowledge under the water and how we think we understand everything but can still discover knew species year after year. .
57. Are strangers more beautiful or frightening to you? Mostly frightening: they are the kind of people who I have to share the world with...
58. What stops you from doing everything you want to do? Distance, money, effort.
59. Are you very active? During volleyball seasons. I go on active kicks.
60. Is there a city that reminds you of the landscape of your brain? Not really. I have never envisioned what my skyscrapers are and where my ghettos lie...
61. Have you ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn't have? I don’t know if this question philosophically stands up to the questioning I have about it. If I have fallen in love with someone who I shouldn’t have, then have I really fallen in love, or does it have to be a two-sided street to make it being in love as opposed to just loving.? .
62. Have you ever fired a gun? Yeah, bb guns, .22s, shotguns, I was a scout when I was a kid. Frankly, though, I think guns are completely unnecessary in today’s society and will probably never fire one again.
63. Are people becoming more afraid of each other? Yeah, we can’t even take water bottles on planes anymore or have conversations with people we don’t know without evoking some fear.
64. Does anyone have a video tape of you doing something embaressing? The survey author should be “embaressed” about his or her spelling..
65. Where do you like to go on Friday or Saturday night? Matt’s apartment, my house, to get food. It doesn’t really matter though, I always end up with the one who makes my nights worthwhile.
66. Some say that high school is the best time of your life. Was that true for you? I enjoyed it, but I like young adulthood, too. More freedom, less time at school, more thinking and concluding, more realistic acceptances of identities, more maris.
67. Which is better: Mel Brooks or Woody Allen? Woody allen by a million. You should read without feathers..
68. What is the worst pick up line ever used on you? I don’t notice when girls are into me.
69. Do you own a record player? There’s one in my house, but it isn’t mine.
70. Did you/will you go to the prom? Once, it was kinda lame and over-hyped.
71. If you ever have a baby what might you want to name it? I don’t really know. I think people get a sort of gut feeling and babies are already kind of named before we place what that name is. But maybe not.
2. What are the 3 most important things everyone should know about you? 1. I’m sensitive and can dish it but can’t take it. 2. If you get me excited about a topic, I get heated. 3. I really do care.
3. What stage of life are you in right now? I’m graduating soon, beginning grown up life. I’m in the beginning stages of a relationship that has made me optimistic about a lot of things. I’m about ready to move out, just need to figure details out. I enjoy myself when I’m not tired, hurt, or at school.
4. Have you ever taken martial arts classes? I was a blue belt when I was 6 and legitimately thought I could kick anyone’s ass if I wanted to.
5. Does your life tend to get better or worse or does it just stay the same? I don’t think I really like when people answer or questions with “it depends” but I don’t think I can escape it here. Life isn’t just this black and white. Work, family, general well-being is all staying the same. School is getting better but only because Im almost done with it. Relationships have gotten ridiculously better, and I am starting to feel like it isnt possible to keep on improving, but everyday I am still more amazed.
6. Does time really heal all wounds? I tend to think that getting over anything aside from physical pain is just a matter of will-power, and most emotional and mental pain is sustained in selfishness.
7. How do you handle a rainy day? I bundle up in bed with more blankets than I need listening to the continuous trance-inducing rain drops pounding on the window.
8. Do you tend to be aware of what is going on around you? I get really bummed when people arent, so I sure hope I am but, just like many philosophical and religious questions, I just can’t possibly know.
9. What did you want to be when you grew up? For a long while I wanted to be a plastic surgeon, then I learned that they have to cut people open.
10. What is the most physically painful thing that has ever happened to you? Continuously, but not all in one painful moment, my shoulder injuries that ended baseball dragged on forever and were quite painful. I broke my arm; I got black eyes; I cut open my chin...
11. What is the most emotionally painful thing that has ever happened to you? I guess I’ve been pretty darn lucky. Anytime I disappoint people I’m tortured.
12. What does each decade make you think of:
The 19..
20's: temperance
30's: grapes of wrath
40's: dad, mom, war
50's: complacency
60's: hippies drugs love
70's: disco, weed, brown/orange/maize
80's: coke, pretension, mtv
90's: elementary school, san diego
2000: social consciousness
2010's: comfort
13. What does your name mean? Strong-willed; it’s hebrew
14. Would you rather explore the deeps of the ocean or outer space? I don’t really care. Neither really interests me. I think to do both you have to withstand quite a bit of inconvenience and uncomfortable extreme conditions15. What was the last thing you made with your own hands? I don’t do manual labor.
16. Do you believe in god and if so what is he/she/it like? I guess so, but I don’t really know what it/she/he is like. I just know we started somewhere and what was before us did too, and as far back as you go there’s always a day before except the ultimate and inevitable beginning which had to be initiated by something..that something is what I think is god. There’s more to it, but I don’t particularly like typing. Ask me.
17. Do you believe in Hell? I think we’re here. Not in the pessimistic and pathetic sense to where people say “how can it be any worse than this” but I think eternal suffering would include deteriorating pretty much your entire life, war, torture, disappointment, injustice, boredom, physical pain, the inability to come to an agreement on which way to run a country or which god to believe in and follow which set of religious rules and doctrines, people not being able to make their own decisions and just following in the foot steps of other ignorant people...the list goes on, but everything I could possibly think of to be included in the worst possible place-a hell-exists here.
18. Is your hair natural or dyed? Natural, baby.
19. Do you have any deep dark secrets or are you pretty much up front? I can’t hold stuff in. Don’t tell me things.
20. What is under your bed right now? Not a whole lot. Some electrical cords.
21. What is the one thing that you love to do so much that you would make sacrifices to be able to do it? Relax with the people I love.
22. If you had to choose would you live on the equator or at the North Pole? I guess the equator; I like people..
23. Which would you rather take as a gym class...dancing, sailing, karate, or bowling? Sailing sounds pretty emo...but I’d still say bowling.
24. What insects are you afraid of? Honestly, I’m not.
25. What's the most eccentric thing you have ever worn? I don’t always match, but I have this fashion schizophrenia where some days I am pretty clean cut and wear designer jeans, nice shoes, a sweater and a polo shirt, and then there are other days I wear jeans with holes, a t shirt that doesn’t match, moccasins that are falling apart, and I-just-woke-up-and-didn’t-shower hair. I have a big fat giant nike sweatshirt that maris doesn’t like but I want to wear a lot.
26. If you could pick one food that you could eat all you wanted but it would have no effect on how much you weigh, what food would it be? Burritos.
27. What are your parents interested in? My parents they have their religion but sleep in separate houses. My dads a retired ramblin man who never stops talking and never makes any sense. He’s into boy scouting (yeah, he’s old and into it still), being completely overly particular, and being overall boring. My mom’s more interesting. She’s a nurse. She’s into skiing, catholicism, talking, bragging about her children, and coffee. She never follows recipes.
28. Have you ever caught an insect and kept it as a pet? When I was in north carolina I caught lightning bugs and smashed their phosphorescent guts on my arm.
29. When do you feel your life energy the strongest? When I can tell that someone I love appreciates me.
30. In what ways do you relax and de-stress when you are really tense? Make maris rub my shoulders. Or sometimes beer.
31. Have you ever been on the radio or on TV? Yeah, tv a couple times: Good morning america, hb channel three, eyewitness news.
32. Do you know what your grandparents and your great grand parents did for a living? Yeah, for the most part. Grandma and grandpa made dresses, other grandma made the home grandpa was an engineer that worked on the Abomb...great grandparents were professionally dead when I came around.
33. Is there anything really interesting in your family history? Not at all. My brother is probably the most famous in his own realm as a mathematician, unless I’m related to eva mendes
34. Have you ever spoken to a homeless person? Nearly daily. Maris and i saw a homeless guy when we were going to the grocery store the other night and i asked if he wanted anything and he said he wanted soy milk and as we were walking in he shouted "chocolate, if they've got it." so we bought this guy chocolate soy milk and he was stoked.
35. If you could add 70 years to your life but only by making some random person die 70 years sooner would you? Never
36. Would you rather be a world political leader or a rock star? Rock star I guess, but they’re pretty much the same thing.
37. Have you ever given someone a love letter that you wrote? Not a pure sap letter, I don’t think.
38. Have you ever though about hitchhiking across the country? No serious consideration ever, I’m sort of a wuss and don’t like being around people I don’t know.
39. Who are you the most jealous of? Those with complete freedom, no physical incapabilities holding them back from being an amazing artist, musician, athlete, or public speaker, and no mental hindrances that prevent them from expressing their thoughts with clarity and accuracy.
40. What is the happiest way you can start your day? Sleeping with her warmth next to me until I wake up naturally.
41. If you had to teach a class in something, what would you be able to teach people? Starbucks, English (maybe), grammar for sure.
42. Which is worse, working in retail, food service, or an office? I just don’t like being demanded to serve other people’s needs all the time, so I guess I’m screwed in any of these.
43. Do you like to sit in the front, middle or back of the Movie Theater? Just not behind rowdy kids or tall men.
44. If someone wanted to understand you what book could they read that would help? Siddhartha
45. Are you allergic to anything? Sleaze, I think.
46. Why do some people want to get more money than they could ever spend? Some people, because the status and power it brings. Freedom from financial stress would be nice, being able to give others what they want that will help them succeed in their own rite would be rad to.
47. What's the most boring thing you've ever read? I think great expectations.
48. Is fifty dollars a lot of money? Not really, but it is if I am buying a postcard or a t-shirt. If I lost 50 bucks though, I wouldn’t really care.
49. What's your middle name? Daniel.
50. Do you want to follow in your parent's footsteps? Not career wise, no. Intellectually, yes.
51. Can you eat with chopsticks? On a good day.
52. Who is the greatest philosopher of your country? Maybe daniel quinn..
53. Is it as easy to make you happy now as it was when you were a child? All I need is a bed. For sleep, I mean. Or maybe for more than that...
54. Does fashion matter to you? A bit. I like being comfortable and clothes to fit me right. I like judging other people’s choice of which fashion school to adhere to.
55. Have you ever played in a band? Not for more than a day..
56. If not, what do you think of when you are staring into the ocean? Why is this an if not question? But I stare into the water and think about the near infinity that exists beyond our knowledge under the water and how we think we understand everything but can still discover knew species year after year. .
57. Are strangers more beautiful or frightening to you? Mostly frightening: they are the kind of people who I have to share the world with...
58. What stops you from doing everything you want to do? Distance, money, effort.
59. Are you very active? During volleyball seasons. I go on active kicks.
60. Is there a city that reminds you of the landscape of your brain? Not really. I have never envisioned what my skyscrapers are and where my ghettos lie...
61. Have you ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn't have? I don’t know if this question philosophically stands up to the questioning I have about it. If I have fallen in love with someone who I shouldn’t have, then have I really fallen in love, or does it have to be a two-sided street to make it being in love as opposed to just loving.? .
62. Have you ever fired a gun? Yeah, bb guns, .22s, shotguns, I was a scout when I was a kid. Frankly, though, I think guns are completely unnecessary in today’s society and will probably never fire one again.
63. Are people becoming more afraid of each other? Yeah, we can’t even take water bottles on planes anymore or have conversations with people we don’t know without evoking some fear.
64. Does anyone have a video tape of you doing something embaressing? The survey author should be “embaressed” about his or her spelling..
65. Where do you like to go on Friday or Saturday night? Matt’s apartment, my house, to get food. It doesn’t really matter though, I always end up with the one who makes my nights worthwhile.
66. Some say that high school is the best time of your life. Was that true for you? I enjoyed it, but I like young adulthood, too. More freedom, less time at school, more thinking and concluding, more realistic acceptances of identities, more maris.
67. Which is better: Mel Brooks or Woody Allen? Woody allen by a million. You should read without feathers..
68. What is the worst pick up line ever used on you? I don’t notice when girls are into me.
69. Do you own a record player? There’s one in my house, but it isn’t mine.
70. Did you/will you go to the prom? Once, it was kinda lame and over-hyped.
71. If you ever have a baby what might you want to name it? I don’t really know. I think people get a sort of gut feeling and babies are already kind of named before we place what that name is. But maybe not.