(no subject)
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? I would give people the ability to see the argument from the other side. I think that far, far too many bitter feuds and even wars could be avoided if both sides would just sit the hell down, explain their points calmly to each other, and reach some sort of compromise. Everybody is too quick to try and trigger an emotional response over touchy subjects (examples: abortion, gay marriage, school vouchers), and it just ends up in a bunch of yelling and bad television programs. So much drama in the world could be avoided if people would merely be rational! (...this also goes for personal disputes, as well...)
What makes a person respectable? "Respectable" is such a blanket term, but I'll try and cut it down poetically, I suppose. To get respect from me is an individual thing. I don't inherently challenge authority unless I feel it is unjust - but I don't respect it until it proves its competency. Respect is to be intelligent without being know-it-allsy, kindness without demanding recognition, backbone to stick to your principals while recognizing the need to compromise. In essense, to have respect from me is to be damn good at what you do, while not needing outside recognition to know that you're awesome. Respect is pride in oneself without having to tromp all over others to gain it.
What do you look for in a friend? Well, being able to carry on conversation is a must. Weave me in with your words, baby. ;) I really enjoy a good sense of humor, too. It helps if we have some things in common - but we have to be different enough to keep things challenging and interesting! I like friends who can offer counterpoint to my views; intelligent debate is excellent. I also like friends that I can bounce ideas off of - two heads are better than one, after all - and with the encouragement and support of friends, we can drive each other to our goals. Trust is a plus, too - but to be frank, I'm friends with a lot of people that I couldn't trust as far as I could throw them. But they're still good people. Plus, if you can make good brownies, that's bonus points, dude. :)
What are your hobbies? I write. A lot. I wrote a two-hundred page novel in eighth grade, and I've dabbled in fanfiction in Harry Potter, Gundam Wing, Legend of Zelda, and The Beatles. I'm a slasher. :-D I do poetry every once in a while... but I don't consider myself Robert Frost by any stretch of the imagination. I also love to read, and I'll read just about anything. History, fiction, fantasy, nonfiction, cookbooks, newspapers, poetry, it's all fair game, man. I also like webdesign, a whole hell of a lot. So I'm geeky. There.
I also play rugby! I've been doing so for almost two years now, and it's a really excellent way to destress. Because, after knocking the stuffing out of each other on the pitch for about an hour and a half, there's no anger left. Just good people, bad beer, and obscene rugby songs. And that, my friends, is the nectar of life.
I've been taking Japanese for going on four years now, and I guess you could say reading Japanese things is a little bit of a hobby of mine. I like translating, and it helps to keep my skills sharp.
Have or would you give time and money to a charity? Yes. I've volunteered for the Salvation Army before (you know, the people who stand outside until their toes freeze off and ring the bell by the red bucket at Christmas?), and I was a Under-11 boys soccer coach for a year, which was all volunteer and certainly gave me the patience of a saint at the same time. You try and get twenty eleven-year-old boys to stand in a line and listen to you. It's like trying to hold twenty corks underwater with the point of a screwdriver.
What is the one thing you would most like to accomplish? I would really like to be a published author someday. I won't be here forever, but words outlive people. It's a small manifestation of the human desire for immortality, I suppose. Plus, um, I really like to write. It'd be nice to make some money/get some recognition/gloat over myself in print for it. :)
Who is your role model? My father. One day, I hope to be as well respected, intelligent, hard-nosed, and kind as he is. He's an awesome person. We're very close, I've always been Daddy's little girl in a sense, and I think I always will. It's one of those things I can't get away from. :)
What trait most annoys you about other people? Not being upfront with me. I'm not clairvoyant, you know. (I don't think I'd do very well in Divination.) What I really hate is when people are upset about something (or upset with me), and just expect me to inherently know what is wrong with them, and how to fix it. I can take hints, but usually they have to be dropped on my head like two-ton bowling balls. Just tell me, for the love of crumb cake. I can't help you if you don't tell me what the problem is!
What do you want to do for a living? I want to work in the American Foreign Service, dispensing everybody else's favorite thing: American foreign policy! Yes, it's shitty, I agree. I'd like to work within the system to change it to my liking. I think it's silly, all these people who are moving off in droves to Canada or something because Bush won the election. Dudes, leaving isn't going to change the politics. If anything, it just lets the people that you don't want to win, win. Stay, get involved in the fun snarls in politics, and bend it to your liking. Plus, work in the Foreign Service, see the world, and work with it at the same time. I like world politics because... they're more... encompassing, I guess? I've always had a soft spot for hard power politics because I work well under pressure, and I've had a long-standing dream of being a mover and shaker.
If your friend was attacked (by a person, animal, or (in the magic world) beast), what would you do? Am I magical? I'd probably rattle off the first hex I could think of, and while the attacker was otherwise occupied by belching slugs or whatever, my friend and I would run like hell. If I'm not magical... well, this actually happened to my friend and I, believe it or not. I'm a rugby player. The first thing I thought of was to slam my body against the attacker, and when he fell, my friend and I ran to the nearest open facility in a well-lit place (happened to be a coffee shop), and we called the cops. Didn't catch the bastard, though.
Would you ever use an Unforgivable Curse for any reason? ...well, the thing clouding this answer is that I'm not very well versed in self-defense spells, from the books. I'm assuming there are certain defense spells one can use in lieu of an Unforgivable, and I'd probably try that first. But, if push came to shove, I'd probably jump to Imperius, to get somebody attacking me/somebody else to back off. I liken using Avada Kedavra to shooting somebody in the head. Would I do it if it was attacker or me? Yes. But, not very likely. Crucio, though, has little point other than inflicting torture. I don't see any justifiable use for it.
What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
1. Pragmatism. If nothing else, I am good at putting things in perspective. I usually don't let emotions cloud my sense of truth or justice, and I really try to be impartial in the face of justice. I'm good at handling money reasonably, and investing. Put your money in me, ladies and gents, and you will never go bankrupt. :-D
2. Communication abilities. I love public speaking... mostly because it's a headrush and I love to hear myself talk. :-D I (as previously stated) love to write, and fancy myself with a relatively rich lexicon to express myself in. I've been told I'm a good storyteller.
3. Sense of humor. I have one, it's just a bit dry and sometimes sour. Just like fine wine. :) Besides, it's only life, after all. What good is it if you can't laugh at yourself?
4. Leadership abilities. Due to my fairly level head, and communication abilities, I find myself at the head of a lot of groups. I'm good at pretending I know what I'm doing, and I can bluff my way out of almost anything, if nothing else. My father gave me the best advice I think anybody ever has: "When all else fails, be bombastic." And it's true. It's hardly ever failed me.
5. I like giving, especially to my close friends and family. I like giving of my money and of my time. I really like surprising people with small gifts, and I really love giving presents, because I've got dropping the hints that people say unwittingly about what they like and being able to put something unique and special together for birthdays and other gift-giving holidays down to a science. I like trying to help people I like out, with emotional problems, and I like to try to give advice. Really, I'm a huge sap, if I like you. Ssh. Don't tell anyone.
What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
1. Disorganization. Um, don't come into my room unless you want to use my mounds of laundry as a barca-lounger and my piles of papers as a tasteful ottoman. And for the love of all that is sacred, don't open the closet.
2. Lazyness. Whatever needs to be done, I'll get it done, but generally on my own sweet timetable. I like the sound of deadlines as they go whooshing by. It's relaxing. And even after being involved in competitive sports since I was six, I still hate running. Eeesh. Procrastination is my anti-drug. "I'll get drugs later," is my motto.
3. Lack of stick-with-it-ness. Despite writing a novel, I show an astounding lack of perseverance with things, unless I really, really care. I am the queen of "I'll-start-this-it's-so-cool" and then the next week, the crown princess of "now-I'm-bored-ooh-I'll-start-this-new-thing-it's-so-cool."
4. Lack of problem with white lies. I have an innate ability to be deceptive, and I don't view this as entirely positive. Shouldn't I care that I've had two year-long relationships with girls and haven't said a thing to my mother about it? Shouldn't I feel at least a little bit guilty?
5. Lack of ability to hold a grudge. Argh. I hate fighting with people. I love debate, but I hate fighting. I'm so bad at being angry, and I'll do almost anything to avoid out-and-out emotional confrontation, even if that means letting something that's kind of important to me slide. If, despite my best efforts, it comes to blows, I'm likely the one to crumple first, because I hate being angry. Plus, I hate the awkward clean-up stage afterwards when everything is all uncomfortable.
Define in your own words the following key traits:
Courage: Being able to do something that has to be done, even when you really, really don't want to do it, for whatever reason. Immanuel Kant would call it the catagorical imperative, I believe. Doing something for the sake of duty, recognizing what truly is justice and being able to stake a claim. It is also the little bit of us which says, "Everybody else can go jump off a bridge; this is what I want, and I'm sticking to it."
Loyalty: This one is kind of difficult. There is loyalty to ideals, and loyalty to people. Loyalty is something undying in each of us, found at the base of our principals telling us what we are. All of us are loyal to something: be it other people, ideals, or even ourselves. Loyalty is a powerful thing to have: a loyal friend is somebody who will be with you, no matter what happens. Loyalty is dangerous, though... it's one of the easiest manipulated traits in human nature.
Intelligence: Intelligence is a very, very varied thing. It's not merely found in books, though that's certainly a facet of it. Intelligence is the ability to size up a situation and choose a certain response, evoking an aura of power and stability. It is found in knowing when to charge full speed ahead, and knowing when to back off. Intelligence is finding the way to win, while recognizing when you've lost and need to regroup.
Ambition: Is that which drives us to greater heights. Ambition in of itself is not evil, though it can certainly drive a person that way if it runs unchecked. Somebody who's not ambitious is just as bad as somebody who's overly ambitious, really. It is the source of fire which propels courage, I think. (On a side note, this is kind of why I think Slytherins and Gryffindors are yin to the other's yang. You can't be courageous without ambition, and you can't possibly achieve your ambitions without being a little bit courageous, no?)
Name: Laura
Age: 19
What house do you think DOESN'T fit you? ::laugh:: If I knew, I wouldn't be here.
Where did you find out about us? Through a friend. :)