Have a survey.

1. Something someone told you about yourself that you never forgot
Back in 2010, I reconnected (online) with a friend I’d known in junior high after not seeing him or speaking to him since then. I remember him saying over instant messenger, “you never seemed very happy.” I thought I’d been pretty good at hiding that in junior high, but I guess not.

2. What are your 3 top pet peeves?
1) people who do not use sidewalks/pathways courteously; 2) people who lie for the sole purpose of getting attention/praise (I knew someone in college who did this relentlessly and nobody seemed to ever call her on it; it was infuriating; 3) company logos that change for the sole reason to look more “modern.” I don’t know if that counts as a pet peeve, but it sure upsets me to an irrational degree.

3. List five places you want to visit
Antarctica, Leibniz’ museum in Hanover, Moscow (I’m super homesick right now), Washington, D. C., Vancouver.

4. Share something you struggle with.
Anger. I am a very angry person and I’m not very good at handling it in a constructive manner. I do my best not to take it out on other people, but I definitely take it out on myself in less-than-constructive ways.

6. Something you always think “what if….?” about
I always think about how historical figures would react to today’s world. Not just Leibniz (but definitely him), but others. What would George Washington think of what the US is today, for example? What would da Vinci think of the technology we have today, especially with regards to flight? That kind of thing.

7. Five blessings in your life.
My mom, my husband, my kitty, the fact that I am physically healthy, the fact that I am employed in a (hopefully!) stable job.

8. Something that you miss.
I miss pre-pandemic normality. It’s hard to appreciate something like that until it gets taken away from you, but the pandemic definitely has taken it away from us all.

9. Post about your zodiac sign and whether or not it fits you.
From astrology-zodiac-signs.com: Aquarius-born are shy and quiet, but on the other hand they can be eccentric and energetic. However, in both cases, they are deep thinkers and highly intellectual people who love helping others. They are able to see without prejudice, on both sides, which makes them people who can easily solve problems.
Although they can easily adapt to the energy that surrounds them, Aquarius-born have a deep need to be some time alone and away from everything, in order to restore power. People born under the Aquarius sign, look at the world as a place full of possibilities.
Aquarius is an air sign, and as such, uses his mind at every opportunity. If there is no mental stimulation, they are bored and lack a motivation to achieve the best result.
I’d say I’m pretty shy, yes, and I definitely need my alone time. I like to believe I’m a “deep thinker,” but who actually knows. I do get bored and demotivated if I don’t have at least one project or goal to work towards.

11. Write about an area of your life that you’d like to improve.
All of it. I’m terrible at everything and everything needs improvement.

12. What made you laugh out loud today.
This thing, oh my god.

13. What are your goals for the next 30 days.
To not get COVID, to win NaNoWriMo, to survive the end of the semester (though I guess that’s beyond the next 30 days).

14. Your highs and lows for the month.
Highs: none
Lows: everything
I hate this pandemic and it’s really starting to mess with me.

15. Favorite movies that you never get tired of watching.
I could probably watch Mystery Men every day for the rest of my life and not get tired of it. I love Mystery Men. Same with Apollo 13 (two very different movies, haha).

16. Books you have read more than once.
I tend to read books only once unless I really like them. I’ve read The Caine Mutiny many times, as well as The Great Gatsby. Candide. Lolita.

17. Something about which you feel strongly.
I think the car-centric nature of most cities is very detrimental to people. It really bothers me how it’s basically expected that everyone has a vehicle or has access to a vehicle and a lot of places (in big cities especially) are only accessible via car. It’s not even “this place is 20 miles away from where you live, so it’s a long walk.” It’s “the only way you can get here is via a very busy road with no sidewalks.” That’s something that I think needs to change. I don’t know how, but it does.

18. Five things that make you really happy.
Leibniz, teaching math/stats, walking, good music, being unhealthily stuck in the past

19. What are you excited about?
Ugh, not much anymore. Not anything, currently. Like I said, the pandemic is really messing with me. I’m not even excited about my job right now because teaching online is balls.

20. Three celebrity crushes
Leibniz, Leibniz, Leibniz.