Majority rules

Perhaps unsurprisingly, of all the comments I got on yesterday's post, very few people said that they did not want to see photos of my injury. And many people said they actively did want to see. So, to the three of you who would probably not cause a huge traffic jam by rubbernecking an accident, please avert your eyes.

Unfortunately I do not have any photos of my leg in all its muddy, bloody glory. I'm a bad blogger, I know, but my self-documenting instincts were overcome by the pain of having so much dirt in my wounds and the need to get it out before I keeled over from the burning.

Anyway, a nice, clean shot from the next day will have to suffice:


Now, since we're already talking about me today, I'm going to go ahead and answer the rest of the questions that you all asked me about myself.

First, JMC asks, What is your favorite restaurant, and what do you typically order there?
Even though I live in a big city and am from a small town, surprisingly, my favorite restaurant is a sushi place in North Carolina. I order a variety of things there, but my main staple is the crunchy shrimp roll. Mmm.

Next, lfar asks, In two words, describe your most important virtues.
I have actually been thinking about my response to this question for awhile, and rather than considering a vast array of traits, I got stuck on two that seem like dealbreakers for me. So I'll go with them: thoughtfulness and intelligence.

Nilsa asks, What are the odds all eligible players will return to UNC in the fall?
Well, since Hansbrough has said he's returning, we only have to worry about Ellington and Lawson. My hope is that Hansbrough's return will convince them to withdraw from the draft. We'll have to see. Fingers crossed!

Hope wants to know, What is one of your favourite movie moments and why?
I struggled with this question because I am really not that into movies. I think I'd have to go with the scene in The Princess Bride when Buttercup pushes Westley and as he rolls down the hill, he yells out, "As... you... wish..." and then she throws herself down the hill after him. It's just so brilliantly hilarious and also true.

Shauna asks, If you only had one day to live, how would you spend it?
This is a fascinating question. I wouldn't want to do anything too stressful; I'd probably just want to relax with Torsten. I'd be happy to lie with him in a field by the ocean. And also I would obviously eat tons of high-calorie food that I've sworn off since Weight Watchers, since I wouldn't have to worry about my health. Plus the obvious stuff like calling my family to say goodbye and having sex. And maybe I'd write some sort of epic blog post too.

Sid wants to know, What was your childhood dream?
I hate to be boring, but I wanted to be a writer from the age of eight. I know, not exactly original. But I really did. And now that's what I do. Although not exactly in the way I dreamed. I don't think I fantasized about writing for public health campaigns. But still.

Rebecca says, Although there are many variables in the when to have a family equation, if you had to select the age you would be when you first become a mom - what is it?
I want to be a relatively young mom. So I'd say 26 or 27.

Poodlegoose asks, If you could pick any career, completely void of repercussions of any sort or disgruntled family members, what would it be?
I love writing and editing, which is what I do. Maybe in a slightly different field? Like literary agency.

Lara has myriad questions. (1) If you were a doughnut, what kind would you be?
I guess I'd be my favorite kind of doughnut, which is custard-filled with chocolate icing. Yummy.
(2) If you could have a drink with one dead famous person of your choosing (but they wouldn't be dead, they'd be randomly alive for purposes of drinking with you), who would you choose?
I don't knooooow. Amelia Earhart, maybe, just so I could find out what happened.
(3) How do you have time to read all the blogs that you read, little missy???
I read them slowly, a couple at a time when I need a break. And I organize my Google Reader into categories so it doesn't feel as overwhelming.
(4) If you had to change your name to something foreign (like Lupe or Annika or something like that), what would you change it to?
Um, actually I really like the name Annika (see my answer to Swistle's question below). So I'll go with that.
(5) What's your favorite zoo animal and why?
Tigers, because I like stripes and they have sweet faces.

Sally wants to know, Is there anything you regret?
No, not really. I am really happy with my life right now, and everything that has happened up until now has gotten me here, so even if it wasn't enjoyable at the time, I don't regret that it happened. My regrets are more about minor things that I could have done for other people and didn't do. Like this, for example.

Banana asks, What location do you think of when someone says to close your eyes and go to your happy place?
I hate to be boring, but I don't ever do that. If I try, I usually think of grass and water and cool sunny days.

RA asks, What are you reading now? Is there a so-called classic book that you had to read but hated?
I am currently reading Fat Girl by Judith Moore. I really like it. And I wasn't forced to read this, but I read Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger thinking I would like it, since I liked Catcher in the Rye, but I couldn't even get through it.

Ami asks, What is your guiltiest pleasure?
I don't feel guilty about much, really. Probably something to eat with lots of calories, since I'm not supposed to indulge in that stuff on Weight Watchers.

L Sass says, Have I asked you about your eighth grade outfit yet? Please describe.
When I was in eighth grade, I had trouble picking clothes because most regular clothes didn't fit me and plus size clothing was still designed only with grannies in mind. So I was pretty much forced to order my clothes from Delia's, which at the time did not have stores, so I did it old school through the catalog. I did once get this white mesh-type dress from Express that fit me by some miracle, and I wore it to a school dance, and I was so, so happy about it.

Swistle has several questions. First, she says, I would like to know some of the baby names you like. But I know that's not something everyone wants to share, in case of SNITCHING!
We have a couple of contenders that we both like that I won't share, but I will tell you two names that I love that Torsten has shot down, much to my chagrin: Shelley and Annika. For boys, I tend to like names that end with N, such as Owen, Simon, and Adrian.

Next, she says, I'd like to know if you're hoping your biological children will inherit your curly hair.
Yes. Yes I am. Particularly if they're girls. I also want them to inherit Torsten's red hair (although it's less red now than it was when he was a kid).

And finally, she asks, Do you like SCENTED things? Like, when you buy laundry detergent, do you get the scented kind or the unscented? Do you like scented fabric softeners, scented soaps, scented drawer liners, etc.?
No, I do not like scented things. I buy unscented everything unless it's not available without a scent, in which case I go for the scent that smells the least like anything discernible.

Cady asks, What is your biggest pet peeve?
I hate it when people don't hold doors for the people behind them. I'm not saying they have to hold the door and let other people go through ahead of them. But please just see if there's someone behind you and avoid slamming the door in their face.

Lara is back with yet another question! This time she asks, Are you a religious person? Feel free to expound upon why or why not.
No, I'm not religious. I wasn't raised in a religious family and I never bought into the idea of organized religion at all, or even the idea of God. I totally understand how and why some people are able to believe in God and follow a particular religion, but it's just not for me. I try to be a good, moral person and that's good enough for me.

Bren J. asks, How did you end up in DC?
Originally I wanted to move to Chicago after graduation, but my internship there the summer before my senior year of college fell through and I wound up in DC mostly because that's where my sister lived. And I liked it a lot. Also, I had a crisis of idealism my senior year and decided that working in book publishing wasn't noble enough, so I applied my editing skills to the nonprofit world, which is vast in DC.

Emblita asks, Now that you have been to London and liked it so much- would you consider moving there if the opportunity arose?
Yes, we would. We are both EU citizens, so that makes this a real possibility. But who knows if or when the opportunity will arise.

And lastly, Fairy Dog Mother asks, What is your favorite part of Spain to spend time in and why?
I like the little towns in the Pyrenees. Probably because that's the area I know best, because I went there a couple times with my French host family when I was living in Toulouse.

Whew! I think I made it through everyone's questions. In answering all of them, I kept wondering what all of YOU would say in response to these. But asking you to answer all of them would be insane. So instead, I'll ask you this: Please pick one of the questions in this post, any one at all, and answer it in the comments. I am very curious to see what you pick and what you all have to say!