A Saturday Meme Thing

I'll share more about my girly day out soon-ish, but for today, it's the weekend and I'm running late getting something posted and feeling lazy, so I'm falling back on one of my stand-bys for these sorts of days - Ye Olde Meme. I got this one from Amber, Susannah, and Kristen. What is your idea of perfect happiness? A day spent with people I love, doing things I love. (Or is it a day spent with things I love doing people I love? Naaahhh...) What is your greatest fear? I'm not going to say. I'll talk about my normal everyday sorts of fears all you want, but I'm very superstitious about talking about the big ones, and in particular of putting them in writing. Dwelling on them feels to me like I'm inviting those very things in to my life. (Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts~~~~~) What is your favorite journey? The one to someplace I've never been What do you consider the most over-rated virtue? Chastity (That was Susannah's answer and I'm keeping it because I agree.) What virtue do you wish you had more of? Moderation. I truly believe in the saying "All things in moderation, including moderation" but I'm not very good at it. I tend more toward an all-or-nothing sort of attitude toward things. On what occasion do you lie? When I think the truth will do more harm than good and I don't have the option of remaining silent. Which words do you most over use? Really, totally, very, actually (I'm very attached to my modifiers!) What is your greatest extravagance? Books! I should use the library more, but I want to OWN them, dammit. What do you dislike about your appearance? For most of my life I'd have said my never-flat stomach, but in the past few years I think the toll gravity is taking on my face is bothering me more. Clever dressing can help camouflage an overly-round belly, but puppet lines forming around my mouth and a sagging jawline are just out there for all the world to see. Which living person do you most despise? I agree with Kristen - there's a special place in hell for pedophiles. (I don't even believe in Hell in the Biblical sense, but pedophiles almost make me hope there is such a place.) What is your greatest regret? I don't regret much, but if I could have a talk with my teenage self, I'd tell her not to worry so much about being "good" - trying to be what people thought she should be. When I was younger, I spent so much time and energy on that, that when I did break loose now and then I did some things that, looking back on them, were just plain stupid. I'm luckier than I probably deserve that nothing bad came of those times. So I'd tell my younger self to spend less energy on being "good" and more energy on being smart! What or who is the greatest love of your life? My husband, the rest of my family, books, art. When and where were you happiest? I don't know. I've had lots of happy days in my life, but no one thing stands out to me as THE happiest. Which talent would you most like to have? I'd love to have a really fabulous singing voice. What is your current state of mind? Lazy (Hey, it's Saturday morning!) If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be? My mom would still be alive. If you could die and come back as a person or thing, what would it be? Well, I wouldn't want to come back as a "thing" so it would have to be a person! But I don't know of a specific one - someone who is happy and loving, and who lives a good life. What is your most treasured possession? My photo albums stuffed full of memories What thing would you like to have, that you do not? Enough money for my husband to retire now instead of years from now and for us to travel What do you think is the lowest depth of misery? Grief, in any shape or form (This is another of Susannah's answers that I'm keeping) What is the quality you most like in a man? Kindness, intelligence, passion, integrity, humor, an adventurous spirit (I know that's more than one quality - so sue me!) What physical quality do you like in a man? Tall, beautiful eyes, a great smile, and I kind of have a thing for both dimples and sexy forearms (and I can't tell you what defines "sexy" for me in regard to that part of the body, I just know it when I see it!) What do you most value in friends? Kindness, humor, intelligence, integrity What quality do you most dislike in a person? Being two-faced (Or as a friend of mine says - Don't smile in my face while you're pissing down my leg!) Who are your favorite writers? WAY too many to list them all, but some that come to mind would be Jane Austen, Charles deLint, Dean Koontz, Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters Who are your heroes in real life? People who live through experiences most of us can't imagine and not only survive but somehow find a way to use those experiences - that survival - as a source of strength What are your favorite names? I like old-fashioned names, things like Lily, Rose, Grace, Elizabeth, Adam, David, John, William How would you like to die? I'd like it to be one extreme or the other - either slipping quietly away in my sleep or being right in the middle of doing some fabulous adventure, like having a heart attack during a Senior Citizen parachute jump or something. Either way I'd prefer it to be several years from now. :-) What is your motto? "“Reality is fine in small doses, but as a lifestyle it's much too confining." (Lily Tomlin) If any of you want to do this meme and haven't already, let me know in comments (assuming Blogger lets you, that is...gggrrrrr) and you can consider yourself "officially" tagged. Here's today's Daily Art Thang: "Bluebird Box" (clickable if you want to see it larger in a new window)