It’s Furious Balancing

Before I went to Paris, I picked up, once again, À la recherche du temps perdu.  I love reading Proust.  It’s not for everyone, but I enjoy the slower pace and intricacies of psychological detail.

When browsing a stationery store in the 6th arrondissement, I found a note card, Questionnaire de Marcel Proust.  It posed about two dozen questions — in French — and I thought it was poking fun at Proust’s detailed observations of peoples’ characters.  A little research on the Innernets proved otherwise.

So, without further ado, here are my answers:

Le principal trait de mon caractère (the main feature of my character). I’m trying to come up with one word that encompasses reserved, quiet, and observant. Introverted is too frequently misunderstood, primarily by people who aren’t introverts.

Le qualité que je désire chez un homme (the quality I want in a man). Wit. He also has to be able to do his own laundry.

Le qualité que je préfère chez une femme (the quality I like in a woman). Discretion.¹

Ce que j’apprécie le plus chez mes amis (what I appreciate most among my friends). They get my jokes – or they pretend to.

Mon principal défaut (my main defect). In my opinion – stubbornness; in others’ – selfishness.

Mon occupation préfèree (my favorite pursuit). Despite the closet full of yarn, I still can honestly say “reading.”

Mon rêve de bonheur (my idea of happiness). A book, several cats, a cup of something hot, and a long stretch of uninterrupted time. Bonus points if it’s winter and there’s a fireplace involved.

Quel serait mon plus grand malheur (what would be my greatest misfortune). To be trapped by children and be unable to spend any time, energy, or money on myself for decades.

Ce que je voudrais être (who I would want to be – if not myself). Michelle Obama.  She’s one class act and has a handsome, brilliant husband who is crazy in love with her.²

Le pays où je désirerais vivre (the country where I’d live). I’d split my time between France (an apartment in Paris)  and the United States (my home in Ann Arbor).

Le couleur que je préfère (the color I prefer). Cobalt blue.

La fleur que j’aime (the flower I love). Violets.

L’oiseau que je préfère (the bird that I prefer). Ravens.

Mes auteurs favoris en prose (my favorite prose authors). Other than Proust, Jorge Luis Borges and Ian McEwan.

Mes poètes préférés (my favorite poets). T.S. Eliot and Anne Sexton.

Mes héros favoris dans la fiction (my favorite heroes in fiction). Stephen Maturin (from Patrick O’Brian’s books); Neville Longbottom (from the Harry Potter books); and Randolph Carter (H.P. Lovecraft’s Dream saga).

Mes héroïnes favorites dans la fiction (my favorite heroines in fiction). Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice) and Harriet the Spy.

Mes compositeurs préférés (my favorite composers). I’m assuming this means “classical music,” so my answers are Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky.

Mes peintres favoris (my favorite painters). Monet and Vermeer.

Mes héros dan la vie réelle (my heroes in real life). Barack Obama, Winston Churchill, and Apsley Cherry-Garrard.

Mes héroïnes dans l’histoire (my heroines in history). Queen Victoria.

Mes noms favoris (my favorite names). Genevieve, Scooter, and Cecil.

Ce que je déteste par-dessus tout (what I hate the most). Prejudice and intolerance.  I really hate homophobes and racists of all stripes.

Caractères que je méprise le plus (characters that I despise most). Dick Cheney. The man is the incarnation of True Evil. Deceitful, self-serving, fear-mongering. He has set the standard for vile, cowardly behavior and has not one atom of integrity in his entire body.

Le fait militaire que j’estime le plus (the military event I esteem the most). This is the oddest question I’ve ever seen in a meme.  My answer — the invasion of Normandy; June 6, 1944.

Le réforme que j’admire le plus (the reform that I admire most). This is the second oddest question I’ve ever seen in a meme.  Off the top of my head, I’d have to say the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution.

Le don de la nature que je voudrais avoir (the natural talent I would like to have). I would love to be able to dance well or do gymnastics.  Actually, I would give my eye teeth to have any kinesthetic sense whatsoever.

Comment j’aimerais mourir (how I wish to die). I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

État présent de mon esprit (my present state of mind). Stretched thin.  I’ve been working on this questionnaire for far too long.

Fautes qui m’inspirent le plus d’indulgence (the fault I find easiest to tolerate). Narcissism.  It keeps the focus off of me and it can be endlessly entertaining if you’re in the right frame of mind.

Ma devise (my motto). Can you solo it?³ and if not that, then Hell is other people.

* * * * *

1. This can be interpreted a myriad of ways, and I mean them all. [↩]
2. And I envy her triceps, too. [↩]
3. Probably not clear to anyone who isn’t a gamer… [↩]

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