I always check out Roger’s answers to these before I decide if I want to do the quiz too–sometimes the Sunday Stealing can be a bit heavy–but this week’s seems fine, so let’s do it!

1. If you like art, who is your favourite artist and why?

One of the developments of this point in my life that I did not see coming was my newfound love of museums and art galleries. I never disliked them, by any means, though I do recall having a limited attention span for such things when I was a kid. But now? I find myself almost obsessing over such places. Like, all I want to do is travel to other cities and see museums…and when we’re not traveling, I want to hang out in the museums here. I even bought a membership in the AKG Museum for The Wife and I last Christmas!

My favorite artist would probably be John Constable, whose landscape paintings probably play a big role in my approach (thus far) to landscape photography.

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I remember seeing several of his paintings reproduced in a high school English text, and I’ve loved his work ever since.

2. If you were able to learn any three skills or talents instantly and with success, what would they be?

Refrigeration repair (this would be exceedingly handy at work and in general), piano playing (I took lessons as a kid and I was not terrible, but I haven’t touched a piano since college), and maybe some kind of dancing–ballroom, maybe?

3. If you were to live in Ancient Times, where – in what country – would you want to live in?

Celtic Britain, I suppose. Though the “nasty, brutish, and short” nature of life isn’t much of a selling point.

4. What is something you’re embarrassed to admit to liking? Whether it be a guilty pleasure show, or unusual hobby, etc.

Sheesh, I have no idea! I mean, I’m a weird dude who collects bib overalls, wears poofy shirts that make me look like I just walked off the set of a pirate movie, and I think it’s fun to get hit with a pie once in a while. I collect Toby jugs and I have a lovely little collection of toy spaceships. I’m honestly not sure what’s left!

5. What is the worst job you’ve ever had?

Beer delivery. This was right after college. I rode around in trucks and helped deliver beer to stores and bars in the Southern Tier. Lots of heavy lifting, and some of those places were really hard to get into. Also, I wasn’t very good at it, and the manager guy decided to can me, but he didn’t have the guts to do it face to face, so he told me to keep calling every day to see if I was needed. This went on for two weeks before the sumbitch finally summoned up the intestinal fortitude to tell me I was done.

The company was called Allegany Beverage and his name was Hank something. If you know him, tell him I said he was a gutless weasel then and I stand by that. Harumph. (I turned out fine, obviously.)

6. What is something that you wanted to do as a child that you would still like to do now?

Conduct a symphony orchestra! I coulda been quite something in that arena! And instead, I’m watching Gustavo Dudamel live my life, the jerk. (Maestro Dudamel is incredibly gifted.)

7. What do you hate being judged for more than anything else?

Not smiling enough. Yes, this is a thing. There’s an expectation in a lot of walks of life where you’re supposed to be wearing a permagrin, and if you aren’t smiling at every moment, people assume you’re in a bad mood or, worse, you’re unfriendly and antisocial. This is utter nonsense. Anybody can walk around smiling all the time

8. What is your life’s mission?

To create something worth leaving behind. I’m not sure if I’ve got there yet.

9. If everyone walked around wearing warning labels, what would yours say?

“May contain adult-like substance.”

10. At what age did you first feel like you were an adult?

I have no idea. In fact, it may not have even happened yet. Instead I find myself thinking, “How can I be this old when on the inside I’m just a 12-year-old looking for the next big high?”

11. When did you not speak up, but wish you had?

I wish I’d spoken up more in school against the bullies who surrounded me. 

12. What is something that makes your skin crawl?

MAGA.

13. What was the last thing to give you butterflies in your stomach?

I’m getting that feeling a lot when I make videos of myself. I don’t know if I’ll ever warm up to the sound of my own speaking voice. (I am behind on videos because things have taken a few busy turns the last month. I’m getting back into it very soon, I promise! It’s on my list of goals for June.)

14. What’s your favorite type of media to work with? (Paint, clay, pens, etc.)

Photography! Always photography. One of the things that makes me most happy about this particular new journey I’m on is that I feel like I can finally do something meaningful in the visual arts. I was never good at drawing or painting as a kid, which was unpleasant because that was in the days of teachers refusing to admit that maybe a kid just wasn’t good at something, so I had a few art teachers in school do the whole “You can draw if you just try harder” bullshit, which I now know to be complete and utter nonsense.

15. What question do you hate answering?

I can’t think of one specifically, but I dislike political “gotcha” statements that are phrased as questions, but are clearly not intended to gather any information of interest to the person asking, if that makes sense. Like telling people I live in New York State, and being asked something like, “Huh, do you like all those taxes up there?” I find that annoying. Also non-political versions of that, like “So whaddaya do with all that snow?” when I tell people I live in Buffalo.

Oh wait, I can think of one, but nobody has asked it, or any of its related versions, in a long time. Maybe that’s because I’m old enough that it’s not a thing anymore, but I used to have to brace myself for this, after I told people that we have a daughter: “Just one? Why’d you stop there?” One time I waited a few seconds, said “We didn’t,” and…left it there.

OK, that got a little heady, didn’t it?