Well, I asked Gord a few questions, so now it’s your turn.
Ask me three questions in comments. When you’re done, be sure to post this on your own site (if you have one) so that we can ask you some questions.
Posted by on Tuesday, August 22, 2006 at 4:30 PM
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1. What is your single biggest timewaster?
2. You’ve mentioned writing from time to time. How would you describe the “kind of stuff” that you write?
3. What’s one thing you really can’t do and wish you could?
1. What is your single biggest timewaster?
On the whole, I currently don’t have any timewasters. I’m tempted to point a finger at my commute. Even though time alone is often useful, I don’t need it as much as I used to.
For a while now, I’ve been weighing the pros and cons of putting in a car stereo with a front-panel input for my MP3 player. To stop a boring story in its tracks, I had one installed today. In a weird karmic twist, my MP3 player went kaput today. When I get it replaced, I’ll be able to listen to podcasts, music, foreign language study, or any other audio besides NPR. That is, if I want. Or I can turn it all off.
In the not-too-distant past, my biggest timewaster was Civ II. I have over the years resolutely refused the attractions of the newer versions in favor of this one, able to play on only the oldest laptop in the house. Someday this laptop will die and with it my occasional obsession. At this moment, it is hidden somewhere in the house. Only Mr. Cuccu knows where it is.
2. You’ve mentioned writing from time to time. How would you describe the “kind of stuff” that you write?
I look at all of my open writing projects and wonder about the answer to that question. Several are merely in the idea stage; the rest don’t seem to have any common thread. All of them are intended as screenplays. Of the ones I am actually working on:
- One is an Isak Dinesen story I’d like to option for a screenplay.
- Another is an adaption of a book by a favorite childhood author.
- I’ve been working on an idea for a modern version of the story of Cupid and Psyche.
- The last, and perhaps the most interesting, is based on a historical incident. Two men perpetrated a fraud with heavy religious overtones on an unsuspecting small town. Although they were unmasked within a year, they were able to continue the same shady business (in different towns) for over 30 years. Amazingly, over a hundred years later some Christians make these fraudulent discoveries a part of their faith. Some people really, really want to believe.
So three out of the four have a religious element. Except for the screenplay bit, that’s about as common as it gets. And beyond all hope, both my historical and religious studies from college are getting a workout.
3. What’s one thing you really can’t do and wish you could?
While it’s untrue that no SDAs can dance, it is true that dance—whether it be ballet, jazz, or merely the prom—is not part of our upbringing. Not so long ago, an Adventist Review columnist recommended that even married couples avoid dancing in the privacy of their homes (unfortunately, an online reference is unavailable). So at most Adventist wedding receptions, there is no dancing. Which is really sad, because dancing at wedding receptions is a good thing. But not so much if one can’t.
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