Win or Die
Name: Patricia
How did you find out about the community? If it's through an LJ user, please tell us who it is (individual user if possible, not just a community name!): It's been so long, I don't even know! A lot of my LJ friends are members here. :)
Age: 24
Location: Georgia. The US kind where it's too hot and people are fake-polite and dress up plastic geese on the grass of their lawns, not the country.
Occupation: I work in the registrar's office of a local university, spreading delight and mass hysteria when I tell Freshmen that they should probably be registering for summer during registration and not 3 days before the end of the semester. Really, though, I just do a lot of clerical stuff with a heaping helping of student interaction. It's pleasant, I swear!
** I'm still on ADWD so if something I say book-wise doesn't make sense, that's why! **
All About You
1. Describe your ideal house/home. Please go into as much detail as possible, and be sure to include your ideal geographical location in the description!
As a child, I read this book called Anastasia Krupnik. Anastasia moved into a house one day and it had a turret, and she got to have the turret as her bedroom. (Anastasia was also incorrigably bratty and her parents gave her the turret to shut her up, I'm positive). I was maybe seven or eight at the time. Ever since then, I have wanted a turret.
Other than that, nothing I really want in a dream home is a huge fixture - it's little bits and pieces of things that add up to a nice, pleasant house. I'd like a recessed window seat that will fit both myself and my cat, or another person, perhaps, for sleeping or reading. Speaking of reading, recessed floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in a Beauty & the Beast-style library, please. My Masters is in library media and that's all I want in this world.
I would love a big kitchen with an island in it - the kitchen in my parents' house is very narrow and cramped and you can't fit two people in there without a death wish, so I would love to have the space to move around. My cat would get his own space, maybe even his own room. Not that he'd stay there, but I would like for him to have the freedom to run around and have a litterbox not in the dark recesses of the back storage room in my apartment.
I don't like hot weather. I can handle cold and cool temperatures, and even warm, but I can't do hot. I visted Texas once in July and I felt sure death was coming swiftly for me: it was a very "Jesus take the wheel" moment, and I am just not built for Georgia summers. I like cold weather. I've been known to get into a swimming pool happily while my friends are just standing on the side refusing to get in because it's still too cold for them. {That said, I don't really like swimming/water and so living by the water would not be a happy time for me}. So my ideal house would be, I guess, somewhere inland in New England or maybe in Europe? I'm flexible, just don't make me get overheated, please God.
2. Imagine you’re given the classic opportunity: a genie granting you three wishes. What would you wish for? Please be as elaborate as you can. Wishing for more wishes is not permitted!
1. A Debt-Free Life for Me + My Loved Ones
I want to be able to experience my life without worry about crippling student loan debt, or rent on my apartment. I want this for my boyfriend, too, as well as my parents' mortgage. There is so much adventure and wonder to be had in life and you just can't experience it if you're too busy worrying about which meal to cut out so you can afford this month's water bill.
2. Immortality for my Cat
Don't hate me for this answer, but hear me out. I love my cat. He is my best friend and I have realized his mortality, even though he is a year and a half old. The idea of losing him pains me and he's still got so many years left. I would make it so that he's forever young and always in this happy state of healthy, youthful and full of joie de vivre. I can honestly say that he holds so much of my heart that the very concept of losing him is physically painful, and haven't we all had a pet we've felt similarly about?
3. Never Having to Worry About Money
Notice I didn't say infinity money, because I do want to work. I get bored very quickly and easily if I don't have something to do, and even sitting around at home counting my bottomless pit of money would get old pretty fast. I want to be able to work to my heart's content, but doing whatever I want to do and not having to worry about living paycheck to paycheck. I want this to extend to a select few, of course: my boyfriend, my parents, my sister.
3. In your life so far, what accomplishment are you the most proud of? Why? You can list more than one if you have trouble deciding. ;)
Once upon a time, I was engaged. (this was in September of 2011). Then, in November of 2011, my fiance called it quits. I was still living with him, had no car or driver's license, and still had three semesters left in school. I thrust his ring at him and demanded that he drive me to my parents' house, which he shockingly did. I lived with them for a month and during that time recieved my drivers' license, got a car, and found a place to live. I went back a month later in my new car, some friends helped me move my things into my new one-bedroom apartment, and I replaced him with my cat. I've accomplished a lot in life, but I am someone with huge loyalty ties, and so this knocked me for a loop: I had no idea what to do, and it was awful. This remains one of my greatest accomplishments - I got so much done in so little time, with such grief looming over me.
4. Which of the following is most important to you: Love, Money, Knowledge, Family, Friendship, Adventure, or Pleasure? Which is the least important to you? Please explain why for each choice.
Most Important: Love. I say "love" instead of "family" because the people you love are not just relegated to your family. Rather, you love your family, but you also love your friends, your boyfriend, your wife, your cats and dogs, your tenth grade English teacher who told you you'd matter one day. To say that family matters above all is to say that the other people in your life who are not blood relatives of yours aren't quite as important, and that's just simply not true. These bonds of loyalty are what hold me together, but not just for my family. If a family member did something against me, I wouldn't hesitate to blacklist them: being my family does not mean you get unlimited love. This is hugely important: love must be earned, by everyone.
Least Important: Adventure. I think that you can find adventure in just about anything you can do, and if you're with the right person, even the most mundane chore becomes an adventure. Adventure can also be found in "pleasure," but I place pleasure over adventure. You can adventure at home without necessarily "adventuring," just like you can "adventure" in a good book. Either way, though, "adventure" is tied to pleasure, so one of the two had to go.
5. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.
"There is reason for everyone to be unhappy. There is reason for everyone to be happy. What's your focus?" - Kelle Hampton
My life has done so much shifting around the past few years, and it's so easy for me to get bogged down in playing the "what if?" game - I am a world record-holding worrier, after all. But this quote helps me to remember that it's not all too bad, it could be worse, and either way it will be better. This is so important, but we all forget it when we need to remember it the most.
6. How do you manage your money? On that note, how important is money/financial security to you? Go into as much detail as you can.
I used to be awful with money, which was a terrible habit of mine. However, I have much less money than I used to now, and I manage it like a hawk watching its prey: I keep a google doc. spreadsheet and I constantly update it and cross-check it with my online banking. Financial security is hugely important to me - if I am running low on funds I almost go into a panic. I cannot stand being poor because it just adds such a stressor on my day-to-day life. I want to be able to go buy a new book or a cheeseburger if I'd like one, or a gift for a friend. I hate having to count on every dime, every penny. I live such a happier life with a cushion in the bank.
7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office?
I spend a lot of time reading. I love books and a good book can absorb hours of my time. I do love to nap, too, which I spend a fair bit of my weeknights doing, sad to say. The office is stressful, you know? Haha. I really enjoy cuddling with my cat, painting my nails and watching trashy TV. My boyfriend and I play classic video games and eat snacks from time to time, sometimes we go outside and play Bocce ball, sometimes we stay inside and play board games and eat pimento cheese. I also love arcade games and putt-putt golf. My focus on making sure I have enough money at all times doesn't allow me to spend very much on hobbies!
8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
1. Clusters
I'm a trypophobe and honestly just looking up "trypophobia" kind of sets me off! I'm afraid of things that come in clusters - beehives, etc - and they're prone to make me feel nauseous and indescribably ill. It's hatd to describe!
2. Abandonment
I'm afraid of being completely and utterly alone. I'm not talking about one person leaving me, I'm talking utter desertion. I couldn't handle being alone with just me and my thoughts for the rest of my life - I need to have that assurance that someone is there, looking out for me.
3. Losing my Job
I think this ties into my financial security thing, but really anything that would majorly hamper my ability to live steadily and freely.
9. Name (and elaborate on) your top three BEST and top three WORST qualities (personality-related, not physical). Please answer as fully as you can, as this is an important question.
BEST
1. I’m very quick. Intellectually, I mean - physically, that is just a hilarious laughing matter. I’ve almost always got some sarcastic, cynical thing to say, but it always comes from a good place. I am just a huge appreciator of the sarcastic comment, and have been known for it in circles of friends.
2. I’m a great communicator. My degree in Rhetoric allows me to talk and discuss and debate, and my favorite thing to do is just sit down with somebody and talk. I never seem to have much trouble coming up with a topic of discussion, and if I were mute I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. I am also a huge cynic and a sarcastic asshole in the best possible way, so the more sarcastic quips I can drop, the better.
3. I’m dedicated. Once I start something, I’m going to see it through. This shows in my school work, my friendships, video games, books, relationships, you name it. I’ve always been the Type A organized person, the one who is in charge of the group projects and hates writing a paper in more than one day.
WORST
1. I can be a realist and sometimes that can burst the bubbles of others. I tell it like it is, which a lot of people surprisingly respect. I don't ever do it if it's mean or only self-advantageous, though. It has to be to the benefit of the person I am being "realistic" to, like telling a friend in a bad relationship that she might need to leave. I tend to just blurt things out, and I'm bluntly sarcastic, so the two don't always match.
2. I’m an over-thinker. I am by nature an anxious person, and this manifests itself sometimes in relationships, but also with things like a school test (“I finished first, am I totally wrong?”) or a social gathering (“nobody is looking at me, do I smell funny today?”), and it can carry over from there. I’ll play an issue or topic over and over in my head sometimes, and it can be a pain.
3. I don't always have a filter and I am stubborn like bull. I attempt to, and I try to, and most days I do all right, but it's hard for me to always bite back what I want to say. I'm working on it and getting better, but it's like the words are a wave and my lips are the floodgates and if someone is hurting me or someone I care for, I can't hold it in any more. I have a temper in the worst situations. Well, in most situations. Hell, I have a temper, full stop.
A Song of Ice and Fire Related
1.How many books from the series have you completed? 4!
2.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Cat Stark
I have to admire her drive to just do whatever it takes to save her loved ones, and I also understand her rash decision-making. She's very "oh something is happening REACT NOW!!!" and I get that about her. I almost died with her when she was killed off: I just wanted her to be reunited with her daughers so much. I don't see much Tully in her, though, but I know it's there: I feel like she fully absorbed the Stark ideals.
Sansa Stark
Sansa is my favorite character, and has been from book one, though at first she drove me crazy. I can absolutely relate to be trapped in a situation you don't want to be in and just trying to hold your head up high and act like you're fine, even if it's all a show. She has been through so much since GoT, and it just keeps getting worse, and she just keeps right on plowing ahead with a smile, albeit a fake one. You've got to admire that about her.
Jaime Lannister
I hated his guts for a large portion of the series, until Martin began to humanize him. I think we all see ourselves in Jaime, can see our metaphorical "hand being cut off," and we all feel how it feels to be a disgrace to a cause, your family, your name, what have you. We've all messed up on something, and we've all felt the stinging shame of it. He's also just damn interesting - shoving a kid out of a window with little more than a Kanye shrug while also being able to care enough for Brienne to go back and save her from that bear. He's probably one of the most dimensional, interesting characters I know.
3.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Gregor Clegane
I feel like he just never really did all that much. I mean sure, he messed people up and was scary and fearsome, but we never really saw what drove him, unlike Sandor. We can see what went on in his brother's head from a third-party POV, but Gregor just sort of existed to be scary and that's about it. It worked, granted: he's a scary mofo! But I just never really saw him as anything more than a killing machine, which doesn't work well in Martin's world where everyone has a purpose.
Melisandre
She just annoys me, and I wish it wasn't the case. I hate people who are pushy with their religious ideals in real life, so I guess this translated to Westeros as well! Melisandre is just so pushy with her beliefs and has to be right 100% of the time. I also have a compulsive need to be right a lot of the time, but I don't totally ignore it when I'm wrong, either! I wish she would let things go when she knows she's lost a battle, but I guess she's too proud for that. Not a pleasant characteristic in my eyes.
Jorah Mormont
WHAT ARE YOU DOING, MAN!?! I feel like we see this trope a lot in romantic comedies: "I was just with you for {reason}, but then I ~got to know you~! Love me!" and it works, without fail, every time. I have a huge difficulty understanding why this is okay, I guess. I know he was meant to be spying on her but he gets so demanding about it! "But I love you so-" No, man. You earn love, and you lost mine.
4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?
Jaime jumping into that bear pit to save Brienne is probably high up there on my list. I got spoilered for a lot of stuff regarding ASoS, but that one was completely unsullied (heh heh heh) for me, and I ate it up with a spoon. I read it at my desk at my lunch break and I was practically standing in my chair whooping by the time it was over, I had to reel myself back down to earth and that saddened me. It was when I knew for sure that Jamie was an OK guy, and I appreciated that one. Plus Brienne got to live, and she's my homegirl.
5. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why? Sansa comes out of nowhere and rules it all. Probably some sort of universe where Dany does actually manage to "win," but when it's all said and done, there's not much left to rule! Everyone is all sad, and so she decides to let each house have some representatives and they do a democracy sort of a deal where everyone has an elected official and it turns very representative of the people - Dany is all about "the people," after all.