Interview meme
1. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Raising two great boys. They're amazing kids -- well, adults now, but they'll still always be my boys. I'm really proud of that.
2. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Nothing's ever perfect, so I think to be happy you have to let go of that idea. But pretty much as good as it gets is spending a relaxing weekend, hanging out with my boys or my friends or Tatja. Not worrying about anything, just being in the moment.
3. What is your current state of mind?
Well, I've got say I'm feeling pretty optimistic. The boys are doing well. Work's work. I'm pursuing hobbies. I've got this... thing going on with Tatja. Yeah, I'm optimistic. Things are good.
4. What is your favorite occupation?
Well when I was a kid, I would've said astronaut here. But I've worked for the US postal service for over 20 years now, so I'm gonna go with that.
5. What is your most treasured possession?
I got a few, so it's hard to pick one here. I guess if we're going with the most sentimental value, it's my dad's baseball glove. He was a real good player. Me-- not so much. But we played some good games, me, him, and my brothers. Then I used it when I played with my kids. So there's a lot of memories in that glove.
6. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My boys. They mean the world to me. Though well... if you mean romantically... I've got this thing going on with Tatja that I'm hoping turns into something like love. I mean... I'm not saying we're going to have whirlwind romance like in those chick novels or anything. But hey, at our age, love as a steady dependable thing can be a lot better.
7. What is your favorite journey?
When I was just out of high school me and my friends took a summer road trip. We were going to go all the way to California, but Jimmy's chevy broke down so we only got about halfway. Still we had a hell of a lot of fun.
8. What is your most marked characteristic?
I'm a nice guy. Sometimes too nice, I guess because I wind up helping to move a lot of furniture and getting friends out of scrapes, and taking on extra work at work. But what can you do? You got to be a good friend.
9. When and where were you the happiest?
I think I'm at my happiest now, to be honest. All that hormonal crap of youth is over. I didn't think I'd be happy after my boys left for collage because I was feeling kind of empty bored with all that free time, but now that I'm taking all these classes I'm having the time of my life. I'm learning all kinds of new things. Meeting great people. It's a good time
10. What is it that you most dislike?
Well. I know we got to change with the times and all that, but I kinda dislike how the post office is going downhill in this age of instant emails. Nobody's sending letters anymore, and even postcards from tourists are less than they used to be. They're closing offices down and letting good folks go because they don't have the work for them and they're in real financial trouble. It's sad.
11. What is your greatest fear?
I guess I'm kind of afraid the boys won't come home one weekend, and one weekend will turn into two, and three, and-- next thing you know we'll be that kind of family who calls on holidays and doesn't ever see each other anymore.
12. What is your greatest extravagance?
All these classes. A lot of them are low cost or even free in some cases, but then you got the supplies for them and all the time you spend practicing and making things and studying. But it's a good extravagance.
13. Which living person do you most despise?
Well I ain't real fond of Mitt Romney and I hope he doesn't get elected our next president, if you know what I mean. But despise is a strong word. Eh. I'll go with him though.
14. What is your greatest regret?
That I didn't end my marriage sooner. We kind of tried to keep things together longer than we should have, especially since she was clearly really unhappy. And a lot of that put unnecessary strain on the kids, and us too. It was just hard to let twelve years go.
15. Which talent would you most like to have?
I'd like to be one of those guys who seems to pick something up really easily. For all that I'm learning a whole lot of new things, it involves a lot of studying and hard work. Some guys just seem to be like oh I've never tried this before -- and now I'm a master six weeks later.
16. Where would you like to live?
I like where I live. It's a quiet little beach town, at least in the off season. It gets a little crazy come tourist time.
17. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
When my back's flaring up and I can't get around so well. The chiropractor helps keep it in line as long as I don't overdo things, but sometimes it still seizes up. I feel like an old man.
18. What is the quality you most like in a man?
A good sense of humor. A lot of my friends are my friends because they don't take themselves or life too seriously. Don't get me wrong, they're not going to laugh at a funeral or anything - but they're fun to be around and they keep a positive, upbeat sort of attitude even when life gets rough.
19. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
I like a woman who isn't afraid to be herself. One that doesn't need to wear the latest trends and gunk herself up with makeup and all that. A woman like Tatja. I admire the courage it takes to go your own way - women can be kinda mean to each other when it comes to that sort of thing.
20. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I don't like that it's sometimes hard for me to take a big step. I have my comfortable job and my comfortable house and all that. Everyone knows me here. It was hard to walk into take classes the first time, in a place were everyone wouldn't know me as Pete the Mailman. It's hard for me to take the next step with Tatja, too.
21. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Cruelty. Some people can just be downright nasty, for no reason other than to hurt people or to further their own agenda. That's just crap to go through life being like that. There's no call for it.
22. What do you most value in your friends?
I like that they're always there when you need them. They're really dependable. We've been friends a long time, me and most of them. Like my friends I met at work - Randy Brown and Jack Goldberg. They call us 'The Colored Boys' (though we're not boys anymore, and two of us are white and it's not pc but yeah, it's stuck. Because get it-- I'm a Greene--).
23. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Ah, I'm gonna take a literature course one of these days. But I guess I'll go with Don Quixote from what I remember from college. Tilting at windmills and all that, but you know he had some heart. He was doing what he loved to do and being the big hero, if only in his own head. I really should read more though.
24. Whose are your heroes in real life?
Well my dad and my grandpa were heroes to me. My grandpa fought in the second world war when he was a young guy- that takes real guts. And he was a hard working man. My dad too, with the hard working. He always had time for his family though. He helped put us through college, even though he hadn't finished himself. He valued education. They're gone now but I still consider them my heroes.
25. Which living person do you most admire?
I'm going to go with Obama here. There's a guy that's got real charisma. And being our first black president and all, that's something. And I think he's doing a hell of a job with the mess he got left with from Bush. If congress wouldn't cockblock him on so may issues, he'd do even more. But he's trying. And that says something.
26. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Uh, I don't know if it's a virtue really but there's that whole thing our culture has about how being skinny or built in a guy's case is so in, but then there's all this good food out there and all this junk food and yet you're supposed to not get fat. I've got a pretty average body-- bit of a paunch now that I'm getting older, ad I'm okay with that. And I like ladies with curves.
27. On what occasions do you lie?
On occasions where telling the truth would be more trouble than it's worth. Just little white lies- I try not to tell any big whoppers. But if you're late getting back to work from your lunch break, say - it's better to tell your boss that you got stuck in summer traffic then that you and Randy were playing Angry Birds on his new smartphone (That damn game is addictive!) and lost track of time.
28. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
'You know' seems to slip its way into my speech more than it should. So does 'Ah' or 'uh' when I can't think of what to say next. But what can you do? Ah, there's another one.
29. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My back would stop being so damn irritating and function again like it did when I was a young guy. And all those little aches and pains would be gone, too.
30. What are your favorite names?
Joshua, James, Tatja - what, I'm biased.
31. How would you like to die?
I want to go in my sleep, preferably while having some really nice dream. Just not wake up from it. When I'm old, provided I still have all my functions. I don't want to be shitting myself and drooling and unable to remember my name - I'd rather die before that point.
32. If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
A dog. Ol' Archie's got it pretty good. People feed him, provide him with shelter and toys he doesn't have to work for, pet him and talk to him and praise him. And he can crap and pee wherever he wants to-- and we've got to pick up the end result. Pretty easy life.
33. What is your motto?
Be good to folks, and they'll usually be good to you in return.
Raising two great boys. They're amazing kids -- well, adults now, but they'll still always be my boys. I'm really proud of that.
2. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Nothing's ever perfect, so I think to be happy you have to let go of that idea. But pretty much as good as it gets is spending a relaxing weekend, hanging out with my boys or my friends or Tatja. Not worrying about anything, just being in the moment.
3. What is your current state of mind?
Well, I've got say I'm feeling pretty optimistic. The boys are doing well. Work's work. I'm pursuing hobbies. I've got this... thing going on with Tatja. Yeah, I'm optimistic. Things are good.
4. What is your favorite occupation?
Well when I was a kid, I would've said astronaut here. But I've worked for the US postal service for over 20 years now, so I'm gonna go with that.
5. What is your most treasured possession?
I got a few, so it's hard to pick one here. I guess if we're going with the most sentimental value, it's my dad's baseball glove. He was a real good player. Me-- not so much. But we played some good games, me, him, and my brothers. Then I used it when I played with my kids. So there's a lot of memories in that glove.
6. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My boys. They mean the world to me. Though well... if you mean romantically... I've got this thing going on with Tatja that I'm hoping turns into something like love. I mean... I'm not saying we're going to have whirlwind romance like in those chick novels or anything. But hey, at our age, love as a steady dependable thing can be a lot better.
7. What is your favorite journey?
When I was just out of high school me and my friends took a summer road trip. We were going to go all the way to California, but Jimmy's chevy broke down so we only got about halfway. Still we had a hell of a lot of fun.
8. What is your most marked characteristic?
I'm a nice guy. Sometimes too nice, I guess because I wind up helping to move a lot of furniture and getting friends out of scrapes, and taking on extra work at work. But what can you do? You got to be a good friend.
9. When and where were you the happiest?
I think I'm at my happiest now, to be honest. All that hormonal crap of youth is over. I didn't think I'd be happy after my boys left for collage because I was feeling kind of empty bored with all that free time, but now that I'm taking all these classes I'm having the time of my life. I'm learning all kinds of new things. Meeting great people. It's a good time
10. What is it that you most dislike?
Well. I know we got to change with the times and all that, but I kinda dislike how the post office is going downhill in this age of instant emails. Nobody's sending letters anymore, and even postcards from tourists are less than they used to be. They're closing offices down and letting good folks go because they don't have the work for them and they're in real financial trouble. It's sad.
11. What is your greatest fear?
I guess I'm kind of afraid the boys won't come home one weekend, and one weekend will turn into two, and three, and-- next thing you know we'll be that kind of family who calls on holidays and doesn't ever see each other anymore.
12. What is your greatest extravagance?
All these classes. A lot of them are low cost or even free in some cases, but then you got the supplies for them and all the time you spend practicing and making things and studying. But it's a good extravagance.
13. Which living person do you most despise?
Well I ain't real fond of Mitt Romney and I hope he doesn't get elected our next president, if you know what I mean. But despise is a strong word. Eh. I'll go with him though.
14. What is your greatest regret?
That I didn't end my marriage sooner. We kind of tried to keep things together longer than we should have, especially since she was clearly really unhappy. And a lot of that put unnecessary strain on the kids, and us too. It was just hard to let twelve years go.
15. Which talent would you most like to have?
I'd like to be one of those guys who seems to pick something up really easily. For all that I'm learning a whole lot of new things, it involves a lot of studying and hard work. Some guys just seem to be like oh I've never tried this before -- and now I'm a master six weeks later.
16. Where would you like to live?
I like where I live. It's a quiet little beach town, at least in the off season. It gets a little crazy come tourist time.
17. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
When my back's flaring up and I can't get around so well. The chiropractor helps keep it in line as long as I don't overdo things, but sometimes it still seizes up. I feel like an old man.
18. What is the quality you most like in a man?
A good sense of humor. A lot of my friends are my friends because they don't take themselves or life too seriously. Don't get me wrong, they're not going to laugh at a funeral or anything - but they're fun to be around and they keep a positive, upbeat sort of attitude even when life gets rough.
19. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
I like a woman who isn't afraid to be herself. One that doesn't need to wear the latest trends and gunk herself up with makeup and all that. A woman like Tatja. I admire the courage it takes to go your own way - women can be kinda mean to each other when it comes to that sort of thing.
20. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I don't like that it's sometimes hard for me to take a big step. I have my comfortable job and my comfortable house and all that. Everyone knows me here. It was hard to walk into take classes the first time, in a place were everyone wouldn't know me as Pete the Mailman. It's hard for me to take the next step with Tatja, too.
21. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Cruelty. Some people can just be downright nasty, for no reason other than to hurt people or to further their own agenda. That's just crap to go through life being like that. There's no call for it.
22. What do you most value in your friends?
I like that they're always there when you need them. They're really dependable. We've been friends a long time, me and most of them. Like my friends I met at work - Randy Brown and Jack Goldberg. They call us 'The Colored Boys' (though we're not boys anymore, and two of us are white and it's not pc but yeah, it's stuck. Because get it-- I'm a Greene--).
23. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Ah, I'm gonna take a literature course one of these days. But I guess I'll go with Don Quixote from what I remember from college. Tilting at windmills and all that, but you know he had some heart. He was doing what he loved to do and being the big hero, if only in his own head. I really should read more though.
24. Whose are your heroes in real life?
Well my dad and my grandpa were heroes to me. My grandpa fought in the second world war when he was a young guy- that takes real guts. And he was a hard working man. My dad too, with the hard working. He always had time for his family though. He helped put us through college, even though he hadn't finished himself. He valued education. They're gone now but I still consider them my heroes.
25. Which living person do you most admire?
I'm going to go with Obama here. There's a guy that's got real charisma. And being our first black president and all, that's something. And I think he's doing a hell of a job with the mess he got left with from Bush. If congress wouldn't cockblock him on so may issues, he'd do even more. But he's trying. And that says something.
26. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Uh, I don't know if it's a virtue really but there's that whole thing our culture has about how being skinny or built in a guy's case is so in, but then there's all this good food out there and all this junk food and yet you're supposed to not get fat. I've got a pretty average body-- bit of a paunch now that I'm getting older, ad I'm okay with that. And I like ladies with curves.
27. On what occasions do you lie?
On occasions where telling the truth would be more trouble than it's worth. Just little white lies- I try not to tell any big whoppers. But if you're late getting back to work from your lunch break, say - it's better to tell your boss that you got stuck in summer traffic then that you and Randy were playing Angry Birds on his new smartphone (That damn game is addictive!) and lost track of time.
28. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
'You know' seems to slip its way into my speech more than it should. So does 'Ah' or 'uh' when I can't think of what to say next. But what can you do? Ah, there's another one.
29. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My back would stop being so damn irritating and function again like it did when I was a young guy. And all those little aches and pains would be gone, too.
30. What are your favorite names?
Joshua, James, Tatja - what, I'm biased.
31. How would you like to die?
I want to go in my sleep, preferably while having some really nice dream. Just not wake up from it. When I'm old, provided I still have all my functions. I don't want to be shitting myself and drooling and unable to remember my name - I'd rather die before that point.
32. If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
A dog. Ol' Archie's got it pretty good. People feed him, provide him with shelter and toys he doesn't have to work for, pet him and talk to him and praise him. And he can crap and pee wherever he wants to-- and we've got to pick up the end result. Pretty easy life.
33. What is your motto?
Be good to folks, and they'll usually be good to you in return.