Welcome to the 2007 edition of getting to know your friends. What you are supposed to do is copy (not forward) this entire e-mail and paste it onto e-mail that you'll send. Change all the answers so they apply to you, and then send this to your friends including the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends which you might not have known!
ANASTASIA ANSWERS:
1. What time did you get up this morning? 8:00, my goal buddy calls to discuss yesterday’s results and what today’s plan is.
2. Diamonds or pearls? Pearls, having to do with past lives in the South Sea and all that. Diamonds are fun too, and sturdier.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Elizabeth, the Golden Age (big disappointment, I should have chosen Beowulf instead).
4. What is your favorite TV show? Punk’d -- just kidding. The Office.
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? A green drink and tea.
6. Favorite cuisine? Most Asian cuisines.
7. What is your middle name? Marie, a good Catholic schoolgirl name.
8. What food do you dislike? Overboiled, oversalted, overgreasy anything.
9. What is your Favorite CD at the moment? Angelique Kidjo, the Beninese Afro-pop singer.
10. What kind of car do you drive? I don’t drive but Burc just got a Hybrid Honda Civic.
11. Favorite sandwich? In Turkey, the pide doner (like a Greek gyro without the sloppy yogurt sauce).
12. What characteristics do you despise? A. The inability to be happy about others’ success. B. The need to spread bad energy.
13. Favorite item of clothing? Whatever fits, is comfortable and looks great all at once.
14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Morocco. Who wants to go on a group trip?
16. Favorite brand of clothing? I’m not brand loyal with clothing but Aerosoles always fit and keep things in the shoe department simple.
17. Where would you retire to? A vineyard in Oregon.
18. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Trying to find some Romans in Rome on my 40th.
19. Favorite sport to watch? Grand Slam Tennis, Badminton World Championships.
20. Furthest place you are sending this? Could be Buenos Aires, the West Coast, Singapore, South Africa.
21. Who do you least expect to send this back to you? The ones with three or more children.
22. Person you expect to send it back first? Dianne the African Princess.
23. Favorite saying? Various quotes as the situation arises.
24. When is your birthday? August 8
25 Are you a morning person or a night person? Afternoon person. I like to sleep in the morning and at night.
26. What is your shoe size? 7.5-8
27. Pets? Bunny (see his Kittenwar stats here http://kittenwar.com/kittens/85765/ )
28. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? I’m sure you’ll agree I share plenty of news.
29. What did you want to be when you were little? A career girl with a car and an office.
30. How are you today? Sliding early into the weekend and the holiday season.
31. What is your Favorite candy? I could fill a whole questionnaire on this topic alone. Answer for the laypeople out there: licorice, chocolate, Turkish delight.
32. What is your Favorite flower? Nightblooming jasmine for its ability to perfume a neighborhood
34. What are you listening to right now? School children chanting something into a microphone – the bayram is coming!
35. What was the last thing you ate? Leftovers from last night’s dinner: Aduki bean dhal, bulghur and collard greens – delicious pan-soul-food!
37. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Maroon.
38. How is the weather right now? Clear but wanting to snow.
40. Do you like the person who sent this to you? He is a family friend from my husband’s childhood who lives in Switzerland, which makes it doubly wonderful he is a warm and regular presence in our lives today.
41. Favorite restaurant? Lades off Istiklal for the menemen, a scrambled egg dish with feta cheese, tomatoes, and ground lamb.
42. Hair color? The box says “Acik Kestane -- Light Chestnut”.
43. Siblings? Two sisters.
44. Favorite day of the year? Halloween.
45. What was your favorite toy as a child? The mailboxes we sisters had attached to our offices – I was a big correspondent.
46. Summer or winter? I am a summer child!
47. Chocolate or Vanilla? Both, but has to be good quality.
48. Do you want your friends to email you back? That is the point but I realize it’s the holiday season and we all have something else going on.
49. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday, watching the Bachelorette Season Finale Part II – Meredith picked the guy she liked the idea of instead of the guy that was everything she claimed she wanted. Big mistake!
50. What is under your bed? Tons of luggage, regularly dusted.
51. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Julie, since we were 6 months old.
52. What did you do last night? Nice dinner at home with Burc and then he read Shalom Auslander’s memoir “Foreskin’s Lament” to me (had to, since he kept laughing out loud).
53. Favorite smell? Lavender, Sandalwood, Bergamot.
54. What are you afraid of? Wasting time. And yet, here I am, filling out this questionnaire which may or may not be viewed as spam somewhere down the line…
56. Plain, buttered, or salted popcorn? Plain.
57. How many keys on your key ring? I have pared my life down to 1!
58. How many years at your current job? If I imagine I am doing now what I have been training my whole life to do, then pretty much my whole life.
59. Favorite day of the week? Wednesday, when I delusionally exclaim to my husband “It’s the weekend!”
60. How many towns have you lived in? 11 -- Berkeley, Bryn Mawr, Rome, New York, Los Angeles, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Davis, Teaneck, Brooklyn, Istanbul.
61. Do you make friends easily? Somewhat, but that doesn’t diminish the meaning my friends hold for me.
62. How many people will you be sending this to? Maybe about 40.