Friday, February 03, 2006

More Personal History Questions

What were you doing 20 years ago?
I was in the middle of my honeymoon with Mormonism, returning to the fold after two years of rebellion. I was thriving for the first time in my classes at the University of Utah, building the first healthy relationship with my on-again-off-again girlfriend, getting ready to go on a Mormon mission, and otherwise experiencing one of the happiest periods of my life. (This good mood hit a wall the minute I got onto the mission in July '86.)

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was working as an editor at the Ensign magazine and still married to my first wife. I think we were living in a newly built house in West Valley City by then, unless we hadn't moved there yet from our yucky little Sugar House bungalow. I was about a year out from treatment for Hodgkin's disease. I was still working on finishing up my master's in creative writing at BYU.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
I had just started this job as a senior writer at Neways. I had just finished up "Mormonism For Dummies" and was gearing up to start working on my novel again. I was still doing the Sugar Beet newsletter. We had a high-maintenance eight-month-old.

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Mint chip ice cream
2. Coke, decaf, Sharp's nonalcoholic malt beverage
3. Some candy bars, especially Crunch, Take 5, and Peanut M&Ms
4. Chips and salsa (and guacamole, when it's available)
5. Jif peanut butter on wheat Ritz

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
Ah, I dunno and don't really care enough to try to identify five. Probably just a bunch of church and Christmas songs. I don't memorize lyrics. I'm usually writing while I listen to music, so I think my brain keeps the sung words at arm's length so I can concentrate on my own.

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. The usual: new car, home, etc.
2. Probably restart my own literary magazine and pour in enough money to really get it out there
3. Quit my day job and spend my time writing, occasionally teaching
4. Maybe go for a PhD
5. Do some traveling and living abroad for several weeks at a time

Five bad habits:
1. Drinking too much Coke
2. Eating too much fast food
3. Plucking my beard
4. Sleeping and reading magazines during church
5. Not reading the scriptures

Five things you like doing:
1. Eating out
2. Reading for pleasure
3. Sleeping
4. Working on my own creative projects
5. Listening to music

Five things you would never wear again:
1. Turtlenecks, because they make my neck feel uncomfortable
2. A jockstrap, because I never intend to participate in any sport that would make it needful
3. Anything yellow, because I dislike the color and think I look bad in it
4. I hope to never again wear a business suit (I don't even own one, just a jacket for job interviews)
5. If I had my choice, I would never again wear a tie, because they are dumb and uncomfortable

Five things that scare you:
1. Driving (both my own inattention and that of other drivers)
2. Wondering what I'll do if I lose my job and how I'll earn a decent living for another 30 years
3. Worrying about my children's future, especially the older two who live with my ex-wife
4. Publishing something that makes someone mad at me; facing church and/or family reprisals
5. Serial killer books and movies

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