From DK:

Where do you see yourself a year from now? five? ten? include your job/career, Antonio, where you’re living, hopes, dreams, whatevers.  (Also, from j, “Where do you see yourself in 2 years?”) 

I see all sorts of stuff for myself.  I see myself moved in with Antonio within a year, In two years I see myself actually working on a career rather than a job.  In five years, I see myself married, and not living in the middle of the country – give me a coast or give me death!  In ten years, I see myself panicking over approaching 40.

But, really?  If I think back five years and pretend someone asked me where I saw myself today… Well, I’d have been SURE I would be rotting beneath the ground, a young suicide. 

Hell, I actively tried to make that one a reality and couldn’t manage it.  So what the hell do I know about the future?  Nada mucho, that’s for sure.

My biggest hope is that no matter what happens, my love for life, my tolerance and compassion for all living beings, and my ability to weather storms all stick with me.  I don’t want to be where I was five years ago.  Or ten years ago.  I want to keep WANTING to live.

What do you like to wear? Are you a tomboy or a girly-girl in terms of wardrobe; or somewhere in-between?

I guess somewhere in between? I’m terrible at describing my style!  I like looking pulled together but like I could actually go DO something, not just hang around attempting to look a certain way.

What do you rank as the most important quality or qualities in a guy in a relationship? Least important?

Most important qualities – intelligence, confidence, humor, attraction, loyalty.

These are important because I want to learn from, respect, laugh with, desire, and trust my partner.

(By confidence, I mean an APPROPRIATE level of confidence.  Confidence is laughable when it’s baseless.  By attraction, I mean that certain something that just DRAWS you to a person, not necessarily physical beauty, but presence, I guess.  And by loyalty, I don’t mean “monogamous,” I mean a man who is loyal to his word, his principles, his family – whatever matters to him TRULY matters.  A man with drive, if you will.)

Least important qualities – Whether his fingerprints classify as loops, whorls, or arches… Which leg he puts into his pants first… His feelings about face painting at fairs… His ability to quote Full Metal Jacket… Whether or not he feels 11:11 is an appropriate time to shout “it’s STICK time!” and celebrate by making a wish.

(I realize most people would probably say things like, “skin color” or something.  But to me, that’s not something that happens to be really far down the list of important things.  It’s not on the list at ALL.  There’s a difference.  These things?  They are important.  They’re just… You know, LEAST important. )

From what activity or hobby do you gain the most? What fills you up emotionally the most? What gives back the most? (If this is not clear, please forgive me! Let me know and I will try rewording it) 

My favorite thing, or one of my favorite things, I only got to do for a year.  I volunteered to tutor ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and spent a year helping people break the language barrier.  What AMAZING people they were.  I’d love to do that again.

There is something else I do currently that I find really rewarding, but I ain’t allowed to mention it here. Hmph.

From impy:

If you could have as many ‘pink’ things as you like in the world, what would your world look like? 

Well.  I wouldn’t bathe in pink, that’s for sure.  I’d accent my life with pink, in really stunning ways.  I’d get pink accents throughout my home and wardrobe.  I’d indulge in a lot of pink nail blushes and lip stains.  And I’d definitely get a pink Cadillac, like Elvis.  That shit was sweeeeeet.

From (not-so)vanillamom:

oh! piercings and/or tats? 

I have eight piercings (three in each of my ear lobes, one in the cartilage of my left ear, and a tongue ring).  I used to have nine piercings, but the second tongue ring didn’t last very long. 

Other piercings will be at Antonio’s discretion. But his first choice (the second tongue ring) was a crappy one, so I dunno if he’ll be going for more any time soon.

I have no tattoos and I’ve never wanted a tattoo.  I really dislike them.  Not in general, just on me. (Well, okay, I hate some tattoos on other people.  You have to wonder what in the hell a few of them were thinking and/or smoking…)

The natural processes of human skin are much more beautiful and interesting to me than pouring ink into it.  Scarring, tanning, stretching, healing, etc. I like the idea of branding and scarification.  If Antonio decided on giving me a brand – I’d want him to do it.  There is no point, in my mind, of representing ownership like that if someone else makes the mark.

From subtle:

Did you google all that trivia about PB or is that just stuff swimming around in your head??If it’s the latter, you’re awesome.

First of all, I’m awesome ANYWAY. Hmph.

Of the twelve things I listed, ten and a half of them were just swimming around my head. (Had no idea about the shaving, YouTube let me know.  And I do buy packets of peanut butter and keep them in my car, but I had no idea they fed kids in starving countries with it.)

Of the ten and a half swimming around my head, I’ve personally done (or had done to me),almost all of them.  (I’ve never had reason to assassinate anyone via a peanut allergy, sadly.)

Everything other than murder and shaving, I’ve pretty much done on a REGULAR basis for myself or for kids I nannied.