Weird. Two nights ago, I dreamt of refugees. Again. The first time it was Iraqi refugees. This time, Israeli (yes, Israeli) refugees. I'm puzzled. What is my unconscious mind trying to tell me? Too bad they don't make a Freud bobblehead, eh, Becky?

Anyway, I've been experiencing a little blogger's block lately. So, in lieu of a real entry, here are my (slightly fleshed-out) answers to a general interest survey at my favourite message board:

1) If you were going away for a month and you only had time to burn one perfect CD for your car or discman, what songs would it contain (maximum 15)?

- "How to Disappear Completely" by Radiohead;
- "Ny Batteri" by Sigur Ros;
- "Not the Red Baron" by Tori Amos;
- "Sullen Girl" by Fiona Apple;
- "Staralfur" by Sigur Ros;
- "Idiotheque" by Radiohead;
- "Pinned Together, Falling Apart" by The Dears;
- "This Night Has Opened My Eyes" by The Smiths;
- "Summer of Protest" by The Dears; and
- "The Eternal" by Joy Division.


2) If you knew you were going to lose your vision and not be able to read again, what book would you want to read (or re-read) before it happened? What movie would you want to see (or see again)? What artwork would you want to see (or see again)?

Books to Re-read - The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. Mind you, I'd learn Braille and fast. I can't imagine my life without reading.

Films to Re-watch - Peter Jackson's film versions of The Lord of the Rings. If I'm losing my sight, I want those beautiful visuals ingrained in my memory.

Art to See - the Rose Window of the Notre Dame du Paris.


3) Living or dead, what person would you most like to have dinner with and why?

I'd love to have dinner with Sylvia Plath because she's always felt like a kindred spirit.


4) If you could go to (or back to) university and study anything you wanted, without financial worries, what would you study?

Linguistics. Then I'd truly be able to call myself a philologist. Having only studied English (in addition to modern usage, I've studied Middle English and I'm studying Old English as of September), Italian, French and Latin, I feel so inadequate. I feel as though I need to study the sciences behind language...


5) Presuming it would be a guaranteed success, if you could open and run any kind of small business, what would it be?

I'd want to own and operate a bookstore with my cat at my side. (Hey, I'm not the only psycho cat lover! The owner of a local gaming/hobby store brings his cat with him to work.) I'd want the store to be really service-oriented (ie. we'd specialize in choosing the perfect book for a given person's interests, favourite genre, et cetera.)


6) If you could travel anyplace in the world, where would you go and why?

Ireland and the U.K. (I'm already planning a trip for mid 2004 or 2005.) And Italy and France. I've always wanted to see the lands my ancestors left behind to come to Canada.


7) If you could live in any setting, what would that setting be?

A log cabin overlooking the Georgian Bay with a backyard that opens out into the woods.


8) If there is such a thing as reincarnation, and you had a choice about your next life, what would you like to come back as?

Honestly, I wouldn't want to come back. Now, go back in time, yes. I would love to have been in my twenties during the 1940s or the 1960s/70s. Oooh! And if I could go back to the 1960s, I'd like to be living in the U.K. Imagine seeing bands like The Who, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles at their inceptions! Other perk: I might actually be able to afford studying at Oxford then.