OH HAI, HIH. DID YOU MISS ME?

[ledbylove]

1. What sort of profession in the wizarding world would you choose and why?
   This question is really hard, because there's a huge difference between the job I'd WANT and the one I'd be able to do. I'd love to be a Quidditch player, but in reality I'm kind of terrified of heights. When I was younger I wanted to be a journalist, but I'm not much for talking to people I don't know, which would make me a crappy reporter. I work in retail in real life, so I would honestly probably end up working in one of the shops, possible the magical menagerie, because I like animals or the Quidditch shop, because I'd definitely be a fan of Quidditch, even if I didn't play.
2. You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one Harry Potter character other than Hagrid and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you'd want with you.
   Why the hell am I in the forbidden forest? That's pretty stupid and death-wishy. I assume this is against my will or I'm just being an idiot, but I'd take Dumbledore and a Portkey. Dumbledore is pretty much the most bad-ass wizard who isn't evil and a Portkey would get me out of there if for some reason DUMBLES failed to protect me, so one way or another I should come out okay.
3. If you had the opportunity to live forever, but your family and friends did not, what would you choose? And if you did choose to live forever, what would you do with eternity?
   No way, no how. The idea of eternal consciousness scares me. Sure, it might be fun for awhile, but eventually I'd run out of new ways to entertain myself. My friends wouldn't be around anymore and I'm not good at making new ones. I'd run out of books to read, TV shows to watch, etc etc. Life would just eventually get boring and I think I'd get tired. Im nlt all WOO DYING, but I think one lifetime is enough for me.
4. If you could travel back in time to one point, when and where would you go? Why?
   I have to pick just one? I will admit that I am fascinated by history and there are so many things I would like to see and experience for myself. There are so many great moments in our history and it would be so amazing to see them first hand. I know this is a cop out and not really answering the question, but I honestly can't point to any one time and place as the one I'd like to visit. If the Doctor suddenly showed up in his Tardis, I'd either be so indecisive that we'd never get anywhere, or I'd tell him to just surprise me.
5. What HP character do you identify with most and why?
   I've always identified the most with Hermione Granger. Hermione tries to be logical. She's ambitious enough to study her butt off so she can be the best in her class and go on to have a good future. Hermione also recognizes the value of friendship and she's a little bit insecure, especially when it comes to personal relationships. She tries to make friends by impressing people, by being a know it all. Obviously, this doesn't work very well for her, but it's something I have done myself at times. From the very first book, I identified with her as a character, because she has so many traits in her personality that I see in myself.
6. What would you see if you looked into the Mirror of Erised?
   I would see myself with enough money to pay off all of my debts, to buy the house I want to buy and to travel to all the places I want to see. Basically, I would have enough money to do the things I want to do and any restrictions - such as time off from work, etc, would no longer be an obstacle.
7. Do you believe that moral actions should be judged by the intentions behind them, or by the consequences they create?
   This is a very black and white question, but it doesn't have a black and white answer. Every situation is different and I don't think you can apply one answer to every possibility. If someone steals a loaf of bread to feed his starving family, is that as wrong as someone killing someone? But on the flip side, plenty of criminals believe they are doing the right thing. Many people who do bad things believe their intentions are pure. Look at the Harry Potter world - Voldemort thought what he was doing was write for wizardkind. Obviously, it wasn't, but his intentions, from his point of view, were good.
   
   I think the true answer depends on the severity of the consequences here. If the consequences are sever enough to outweigh a good intention, by all means, judge by that. If the consequences are minor, judge on the intent. I think you kind of have to do it on a case by case basis.
8. What was your ideal job as a kid? Has that changed? What is your ideal job now?
   When I was a kid, I wanted to be a lot of things - a doctor, a lawyer, a journalist. That was before the Internet was really a big deal, though and I learned about web design, graphics, etc. My ideal job would actually be the one I did when I was an Americorps VISTA volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. I acted as their Communications Coordinator, which means I managed the website, newsletter and email newsletter. The pay was almost nothing (VISTA volunteers work at the state's poverty level, which amounted to about $700 a month), but being a part of Habitat made it feel like I was making a real difference in the world and I loved the job itself. I would love to have a job just like it that paid well enough for me to have the things I want and pay all my bills.
9. If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it, and what would you call it?
   I'm going to be lame and call it Cure-All, but it would essentially be a potion to cure whatever ails you. Sinus infection? Take a little cure all and you're suddenly better. Asthma? Just a gulp and suddenly you can breathe again. There's nothing more annoying than having things you want or need to do and being slowed down by feeling under the weather. If I could invent anything, it would be a magic cure for anything that could possibly ail me and get in the way of me doing what I really want to be doing.
10. If you were to face a boggart, what would it turn into? And what does it turn into when you throw the counter-spell, Riddikulus?
    It would be one of two things - either my cat/mom/best friend would be dead or I'd be dying alone. These are my two biggest fears, which kind of go hand in hand with one another. I've always had this kind of certainty that the people I love are going to go before I do and then I'll be all alone when I am old, that because I don't have any children, I will die alone.
    
    I honestly don't know what my Ridikulus in these instances would be. I suppose the dead loved one would jump up and do something ridiculous or the dead me would jump up and dance or something.
11. What do you look for in a friend?
    Honesty, for one. Common interests are important, of course. I need to be able to talk to my friends and I need people in my life who understand me. Honesty and trust are the most important things in any friendship, though. I need to be able to trust a friend to keep my confidences and I need to be able to trust them to be honest with me even when the truth is unpleasant. I despise being lied to and I get really angry when I find out someone has been complain about me to others without having the balls to confront me with whatever their issue is. My closest friends are always the ones who talk to me, good or bad, even knowing I might not have the best reaction. Those issues only get bigger if you don't confront them, after all.
12. What trait most annoys you about other people?
    There are a few that really irritate me. One is the unwillingness to take action. So many people just whine and whine and whine about the bad in their lives without doing a single thing to fix it and that's something that drives me crazy. If you don't like your life or parts of it, only YOU can change it. Good things aren't just going to be handed to you - you have to know what you want in your life and go after it. If you just sit around complaining without doing what you need to do to make life what you want it to be, you're just going to be miserable and you're going to make everyone around you miserable, too.
    
    I also get really irritated with with the way people act about politics and religion. Not every Liberal is the same. Not every Conservative is the same. Not every Christian or Jew or whatever is the same. People are individual and it's not right to assume that just because you know some Conservative/Liberal/Christian/whatever assholes everyone who is a part of that belief system is an asshole. And maybe if we'd stop doing that, stop all the name calling and the assumptions, all these groups could work together to actually make the world a better place instead of making people want to avoid political and religious discussions altogether, because everyone turns into a jerk when these topics come up. You can't judge a book by its cover and you can't judge others by the way people of the same belief system act. Judge a person by how THEY act, don't just assume they're all the same.
13. What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
    1. Intelligence. See definition of intelligence below? But, seriously, I'm smarted than the average person. I have a decent IQ and I'm good at figuring things out. I love to read. I love to learn new things. If I don't know the answer to something, I know how to look it up. If I don't know how to do something, I know how to look it up and learn. I'm a pretty quick learner with most things and I have a never-ending need to know things.
    2. Flexibility - I'm pretty adaptable and easygoing both in my professional life and my personal life. When life throws me curve balls, I do what I can with it. I don't freak out or freeze. I adapt to the changes in life and make the best of them. In my work life, I go where I'm need. I work in areas other than my own, even areas I'm not familiar with at all. I do plenty of things that aren't strictly in my job description. When it comes to roleplay, which is a hobby of mine, I go with the flow. If someone decides a line isn't working out or they need to drop, I don't have a fit. I'm not afraid of change. If something comes along to disrupt my plans, I just adjust my plan accordingly and keep going.
    3. Tenacity - This kind of goes along with the above trait, but I'm not easily discouraged and I don't give up easily on what I want. Right now, my mom and I are working on buying a house. She's been pretty discouraged because we're not in a place to do it NOW, but I am determined to make it happen. I've figured out what I need to do to put myself in a position to do it and I'm doing it. When she comments that we're never going to do it, I counter with YES WE WILL. I think if you approach life with an attitude of refusing to fail, you won't fail.If you think you're going to fail, though? You will.
    4. Creativity - I'm a creative person. I have the ability to think outside the box. I'm good at coming up with new and creative ways to do things. I'm a roleplayer/writer with a ton of characters living in my head. I'm a knitter. I like to dabble in Photoshop and Web Design. I enjoy doing these kinds of creative things.
    5. Empathy - I am good at understanding people. I have always had the ability to put myself in someone else's shoes and understand how they are feeling or why they do the things I do. I might now always agree with them and I might not always feel sympathy for people, but I have a knack for at least getting into their heads and understanding where they are coming from. I think this trait makes me a pretty good diplomat and it definitely helps me in the modding I have done at various communities not to mention all the customer service jobs I've had.
14. What do you think are your  top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
    1. Selfishness/Tunnel vision - I have a hard time caring about things that don't affect me directly. I'd be in big trouble if someone fed me a potion that forced me to say whatever I was thinking, because often when someone is going on and on about their problems, I'm sitting there thinking "I. Don't. Care." I am aware that this makes me a huge bitch, but I just don't have it in me to care about the things that don't affect me at all. I care about my close friends being happy, of course, but the plights of people I don't even know/like very well? Well, that's a sad story, but what does it have to do with ME?
    2. Cold/Distant - "cold" is my best friend's word for this aspect of my personality. I don't know of another word that fits. I don't wear my emotions on my sleeve and I'm not always good at expressing them. I come off as very cold and distant, sometimes even to the people I consider friends. It's not unusual for someone to feel they've offended or upset me because I'm just not a talkative person. I don't make small talk, I don't send a lot of texts or IMs. I generally only IM/text/etc if I want something and then I ask for that things/get my business done and that's it. This is off-putting to some people, I know, but I'm not a chatty person unless I have something specific to talk ABOUT and I'm not always good at showing I care, even when I do.
    3. Arrogant -  I pretty much think I'm the bees knees. Or something like that. I know I'm awesome. I know that I do things well and I sort of think I'm smarter/better than a lot of people. Yeah, I know that's not a super attractive quality, but that's why it's on my list of worst qualities.
    4. Lazy - I do what I have to do to get by at work aka to get a decent review/keep up my good reputation and not get fired, but I am so lazy it's ridiculous. If there's a way I can get out of doing something without getting in to trouble, I will do it. At home, I tend to just sit around and veg a lot. I put off doing actual work as much as I possibly can. Hell, sometimes I go most of the day without even eating, because I'm too lazy to go upstairs and make myself something.
    5. Snarky - I can be kind of a snarky. I've been known to mock people and situations with my best friend, I'm not remotely politically correct with the people I feel comfortable with and sometimes I just can't resist leaving a snarky comment when I see someone being an idiot. It actually cracks me up when people tell me I'm the sweetest/nicest/etc thing, because anyone who knows me knows I'm really a snarky bitch.
15. Define in your own words the following key traits:
    • Courage: Confronting your fears. Not being afraid to do the things that scare you. Climbing that ladder at work to get your job done or getting on that airplane to visit a loved one even if you're afraid of heights. Not letting your fears paralyze you or keep you from going after what you want.
    • Loyalty: Sticking by an idea/person even when it's not easy. Not bailing on a friendship at the first sign of trouble. If you are loyal, you don't flip flop sides or throw away friendships based on what suits your own personal needs. You stick it out, no matter how tough it gets.
    • Intelligence: The ability to think for yourself, to reason. Having the common sense to understand how things work without having to be told. Knowing how to use the tools you have to figure something out. Being able to comprehend the meaning behind the things you hear or read.
    • Ambition: The thirst to achieve something, whether short or long term. The ability to set goals and stick to them. The determination to do whatever you need to do to reach those goals. Not being willing to settle. Always reaching for something better.
16. Name: Lena
17. Age: 39
18. Where did you find out about us? I'm a former member. NOTE: If you remember me from before, please don't be afraid to sort me into either of the houses I have been in before. I am re-sorting, because I love the sorting process, reading where people think I belong and why, not because I don't like the houses I have been in before!
19. Do you plan on being active in the communities once you are sorted? As much as I can be.