Meme (was this from you, Susan?)

What were the three stupidest things you’ve done in your life?

1. My first marriage. Lots and lots of my stupid things encompassed in those three words.

2. Taking my guidance counsellor’s advice and not taking a double major – music and English – in university. Too intense, she said. I wish now I’d tried it. If it proved too intense, then I’d have had the choice of which major to settle into. Instead, I eliminated one option untried. Not that I regret my ultimate choices, just that I think it was stupid to decide without trying first.

3. Settling for – ha! suggesting! – less child support than my legal entitlement, out of noble notions of fair play. I wouldn’t regret it so much were it appreciated, rather than even the lesser amount greatly resented.

Who has the most influence in your life right now?

– My partner. His quick mind, his emotional intelligence, his compassion, his constant conversation, his love and support for exactly who and what I am are the core of my life. While we both know I could manage just fine on my own, now that I’ve experienced true friendship, now that I’ve known a soulmate, I’d be terribly, terribly lonely.

If you were given a time machine that functioned, and you were allowed to pick only five people to dine with, who would you pick?

Oh, this one was by far the most interesting. Took me three days to come up with this list, and I’m still not sure about the fifth one. True hostess that I am, I considered not only who would be interesting to me, but how they might interact with each other; I also kept the balance between male-female equal, because mixing up the sexes makes for a richer evening:

1. Jesus: this one was easy. One of the most influential figures in the course of human history. I’d like to have him visit in the last three months of his life, not at the beginning of his ministry.

2. Jane Austen: because she’s so intelligent, such cutting wit, low tolerance of fools, and with just the right balance of clear-thinking, hopefulness and wry humour; and she’s be a great conversationalist. I revel in the language in her books.

3. Oscar Wilde: I like the idea of having a bright and witty gay man at my dinner party, but I’m a bit leery of the world-weary cynical shtick. He could be a lot of fun, or he could just be a real downer. I’d have to be sure to liquor him up first… As the only gay man present, he’d have no one to flirt with, though.

4. Queen Elizabeth 1: because one assumes that the woman who had the strength of character to flout social epectations and remain unmarried so she could Rule, and who single-handedly dragged the Brits into the Renaissance 100 years after everyone else (probably because her subjects were quite happy to continue their ale-swilling and bear-baiting and cock-fighting, never mind all the painting, singing, writing, and composing those poofs on the continent were up to…) would make for a fascinating dinner guest. (And yes, I know good Queen Bess could down her ale and wasn’t against a little cock-fight!) But she liked the other stuff too – she was her own woman.

5. Robin Williams: because I need another man; I wanted someone funny and intelligent, but not too pugnacious, someone the women could flirt with. I’m not sure he’s not pugnacious, though, but I’m quite sure he’d be a spectacular flirt! He could probably even keep Oscar on his toes. 🙂

I also considered Dorothy Sayers because of her quick wit and biting humour, but she’d be too acerbic, cynical, and combative, I think. I considered John Cleese for the same reasons as Sayers, and rejected him on the same grounds, too. I considered Ghandi: the dynamic between he and Jesus would be amazing, but I wanted the conversation to encompass more than faith and social justice issues, and how could it possibly get past those topics with those two men at the table? (Who’d want it to?)

So I haven’t quite decided for sure, but that’s my list at the moment!

If you had three wishes that were not supernatural, what would they be?

– financial ease, not to have to work
– long, slim legs
– less selfishness in the world

Name two things you regret your city not having…

– more, and more vibrant, ethnic communities
– it pretty much has everything else, being a capital city: museums out the wazoo, an orchestra, theatres, galleries, history, monuments, landscape, vistas, tourists…

…and two things people should avoid.

– downtown after 6 p.m.! (Not dangerous, just boring)
– Danny, reprehensible owner of a certain Irish pub on Bank Street (only necessary if you’re female).

Name one thing that has changed your life:

Time/maturity/my kids. (So that’s more than one. My kids contributed to my maturity, how’s that??)

Tag, whoever wants to be it!