Alisa Wilhelm
Brent Morgan
Courtney C. Johnson
Pangburn Photography

The Proust Questionnaire: Sept. 14, 2008

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Knowing how to silence the mind: zen.

What is your greatest fear?
My mother dying.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?
I wish I could identify more with Joseph Campbell.

Which living person do you most admire?
lately, Joe Pangburn, for showing that a person really can: love his career; show strong moral character; embrace values; work hard; balance family, friends and work; and totally rock out.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
lately, my inability to quiet my mind

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
lately, disrespect.

What is your greatest extravagance?
lately, iced chai & a 2-hour massage every 2 weeks

What is your favorite journey?
A journey involving a supercharged sports car and a contest-worthy stereo system, with the bass making the whole car feel like a rock conert.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
academic achievement. In order to appease society, students strive for letters rather than for actual knowledge they can remember and apply to make society a better place.

On what occasion do you lie?
I don’t.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
My face. acne.

Which living person do you most despise?
It's a secret.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
"Whuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut"

What is your greatest regret?
thinking I could balance an honors thesis with the Wildcat (when I signed up for courses at the end of last semester)

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
lately, sleep, because I work 18- to 20-hour days

Which talent would you most like to have?
mindfulness

What is your current state of mind?
a frenzy, because instead of working on homework, I've been redesigning my Web site

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
I wish my brother, Jason, and I could be closer.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
every day

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
I’d be the ocean.

If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
the ocean.

What is your most treasured possession?
Snagglepuss

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
lack of sleep

Where would you like to live?
SAN FRANCISO!

What is your favorite occupation?
creating

What is your most marked characteristic?
putting 110 percent into all the work I do even when I could (and sometimes should) slack off

What is the quality you most like in a man?
intelligent and respectful

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
a real listener

What do you most value in your friends?
their weirdness

Who are your favorite writers?
JK Rowling, L.J. Smith, numerous journalists

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Faye

Who are your heroes in real life?
everyone who has helped me adjust to the Wildcat

What are your favorite names?
Bunny. Foreign names. I like other languages. I love Abdulaziz’s name.

What is it that you most dislike?
disrespectfulness, arrogance

How would you like to die?
shot in the head

What is your motto?
stolen from Ash: "Way to rock it!"