(no subject)
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
I would make good teachers the most highly-regarded people in the world, because teaching responsibly and accurately is the most important job in the world. Right now, it’s one of the most under-appreciated jobs in the world, and that is what I would change.
What makes a person respectable?
Someone who stands up for what they believe in, regardless of whether I agree with them or not. Someone who is honest and has integrity and is true to who they are.
What do you look for in a friend?
In a friend, I look for someone who has similar interests and taste, someone who will be honest with me and who I can be honest with. Someone I can share everything with, and who I can be sure will never betray me. And I would never betray them.
What are your hobbies?
Reading (mostly sci-fi/fantasy, some classic literature), singing (musical theater is one of my great loves), playing the piano/violin (so as to accompany myself, of course), listening to music (favorite groups are the Bangles, Carpenters, Beatles, Styx, ELO, Fleetwood Mac, Metallica - yeah, pretty eclectic), watching TV (favorite current shows are Gilmore Girls, Lost, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, but I’m also a Star Trek fan, of the TNG generation!
Have or would you give time and money to a charity?
I have (given both) and it was a very fulfilling experience for me. Honestly, it started when I had to do community service so I volunteered for Catholic Charities during their big Christmas/Thanksgiving drive, and since then I’ve become a regular blood donor and pretty regularly give to the Salvation Army. It sounds cheesy, but it makes me feel great to help people.
What is the one thing you would most like to accomplish?
Raising a stable, secure family with my husband, and giving a sense of curiosity, intelligence and ambition to my children. Also winning the Nobel Prize in physics. Hey, a girl can dream, can’t she? Although, apparently, I can’t limit my goals to just one.
Who is your role model?
My mother. I’m the oldest of seven children, and she has always been there for all of us. Helping with homework, keeping us on the “straight and narrow”, and sacrificing so much of her time and energy to make sure that we became who our best selves were.
What trait most annoys you about other people?
In a nutshell, stupidity. I know, that encompasses a lot of things, some of which are subjective at best, but I hate it when people who should know better, instead of relying on facts and reason, devolve into insults and name-calling. It’s one of the reasons I don’t involve myself much in politics. I like things to be clear, and I hate it when people aren’t.
What do you want to do for a living?
I have no idea. That’s partly why I haven’t finished my degree yet. I like things in many different areas of study, and I can’t force myself to pick just one. My top contenders right now are something science-y (biology/chemistry/physics), or something in a musical field.
If your friend was attacked (by a person, animal, or (in the magic world) beast), what would you do?
I would fight right back and give everything I had to protect my friend. The loyalty I ask of my friends goes both ways, with a vengeance.
Would you ever use an Unforgivable Curse for any reason?
No. I want to say never, and originally I did, but then I realized that 'never' covers a whole lot of ground. If someone I loved were in terrible danger and the absolute only way to save them was to use an Unforgivable Curse, then I think I would have to. Otherwise I would never be able to live with myself. But afterward, I don't know if I could live with what I did. But that's better than doing nothing, so there we are. I know that was confusing, but seriously, that was the only way I could explain it.
What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
Intelligence - I won't lie, I've definitely got the book smarts. Although as my family will say, I never really lived up to my "potential" (god, I hate that word). There are other kinds of smarts, and I like to think I'm picking up some 'street smarts', but the book kind is definitely my strong point!
Honesty - This one's almost to a fault. I'll tell you what I think, and I'll tell you why, and I won't lie to spare feelings. And sometimes I tell the truth when silence would probably be more prudent, but again...I won't lie.
Loyalty - Once you've got it, it's yours. I don't betray my friends, but if you betray me or my friends (or if a friend betrays me), I don't forgive easily, or at all. But I'll give my all to those who have my trust.
Determination - I don't give up easily. Once I find something to hold on to or to work toward, I get very single-minded and don't let go. Again, this one borders on fault, because I can sometimes ignore good advice while going after what I want, but determination in and of itself is, I think, a virtue.
Humor - Because life without laughter is not worth living, and because I sometimes take myself too seriously. I try to remember to step back and breathe and laugh and make those around me laugh (sometimes through no effort on my part...klutziness and the like =), and it's very relaxing!
What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
I can get too wound up over details sometimes, it makes me crazy and then I get very tense and tend to fly off the handle about tiny things. I tend to make snap judgements about people or ideas, sometimes based on things as stupid as looks or attitude; I know I shouldn't, but that's why it's a weakness. I do try to keep an open mind, but it sometimes doesn't listen to me! I have a short fuse and a hot temper, just ask my parents about the time I got angry and kicked a hole in my bedroom wall. Fortunately, I've controlled the general mayhem and destructive part of the temper, but it threatens to break out sometimes. I can be a snob about things like music and books, what I consider to be my areas of expertise and I tend to judge others on their taste or lack thereof. Finally, I hold grudges for a VERY long time. Seriously, there are people who I don't even know where they live anymore, that I haven't spoken to since the beginning of high school. Which for me, was about 9 years ago. You cross me bad enough, once, and it's probable you will never see or talk to me again. We're talking about serious betrayal though, most little things I just get angry about and stew for a couple of months and then it all blows over.
Define in your own words the following key traits:
Courage: Doing what needs to be done, regardless of the opinions of others. It may not always be glamorous, but I think it's worth more if it's not. If there's no glory to be had, and people still will think less of you for whatever reason, and you do the right thing anyhow, that is courage to me.
Loyalty: If you are loyal to something or someone, you will always be there for them, and you will never do or say anything to betray them. You keep their trust, as they keep yours.
Intelligence: Being able to take in information, understand it, and use it to make connections and put together facts. This one is so broad because there are different types of intelligence, but the major ones to me are book smarts (which I have), which would be basic overall knowledge, and street smarts (which I'm working on), which would be knowing your surroundings and knowing how to manuever them.
Ambition: Focusing on a goal and actively working toward it. In small to moderate doses, ambition is a good thing. It keeps you focused and keeps you moving forward towards what you want to achieve. In too-large doses, ambition becomes so focused that you lose track of your surroundings and you focus on what you want above all else, which then becomes a very bad thing.
Name: Megan
Age: 23
What house do you think DOESN'T fit you? (This question is optional for those who feel they just DO NOT fit in a house. Please explain WHY.)
Where did you find out about us?
Cleolinda’s blog