Happy Birthday, Virgil!
An interview with Virgil:
1 - How did you come about this site and what makes you keep coming back?
Just surfing on literature and this site kept coming up. I checked it for a while and seemed fascinating. I didn’t know these forums existed at the time.
2 - Have you visited other countries than your own and what did you like about it or not like? If you could live somewhere different from where you live now, where would it be and why?
I have family in Italy and so I’ve been there a few times. Other than border crossings, the only other countries I’ve been to is England and Scotland for work once and my wife and I spent a few days on the Caribbean island of Aruba. As far as countries go I probably could only live in the United States, though I respect all countries and would love to visit them all. Within the US, I would be hard pressed to leave New York City, but somewhere warm in winter would definitely appeal to me.
3 - What are your favorite hobbies?
I love to write, both poetry and story, photography, follow sports (though all my favorite teams just suck), gardening, exercise at the gym, and dogs. Actually what I really love is just learning, and since I don’t go to school any longer I do purchase college level teaching classes.
4 - Do you have any pets?
My dog a yellow Labrador Retriever, Brandi.
5 - What makes you happy?
Reading, exercising, food, success at work. A day outside in the sun. Red wine!! A nice little Scotch whiskey or a brandy.
6. What is mankind's biggest achievement, and its greatest downfall?
There are lots of great technical achievements but the one that continually creates wonder in me is the 1969 Apollo 11 trip to, landing, and return from the moon. When you think of everything that had to go into that, and doing it with 1960’s technology, I just have to say wow. I wish I had been part of that as an engineer. Man’s greatest downfall is his tendency to not see the humanity in everyone.
7. If you had a long day of hard work ahead of you what music would you be playing on your mp3, while working?
Well I love all sorts of music, classical, jazz, rock, blues, but my all time favorite music pastime is listening to The Rolling Stones. I can listen to them forever, and at my age I have.
8. If you could take one book, music album and one video with you to a desert island, what would they be?
Well, I’ve always said the single greatest work of literature is Dante’s Divine Comedy, so let’s stick with that; an album would be the Stones’ “Exile On Main Street;” and video, hmm, let’s go with Ben-Hur. You can’t beat those old epic films, and I love Charlton Heston. But if I'm stranded on a deserted island, I need to have my ipod.
9. Do you feel comfortable in your walk with God?
What an interesting question. I never saw it asked of anyone here before. Am I in particular trouble with God?
Well, I’ve always said I’m a sinner, and my biggest sin without doubt is pride and that’s the most severe sin so I definitely expect to face some pretty serious expurgation when it’s time to meet the good Lord. But I think I’m a pretty decent person (hey that statement is an act of pride in itself
) and I certainly hope to make amends. So comfortable? As best as possible given the conditions of life. No one should be comfortable.
10. Which actor should play you in a movie based on your life?
Easy, Al Pacinio, (1) he’s of Italian ethnicity and would be perfect for it and (2) no one else has the intensity of my personality.
11.Given the option, what animal would you choose to be?
Easy again. A wolf, or at least some canine animal.
12. What were your favorite things to do the past? What about now?
I used to love to play sports in the street (that’s a very New York thing) with my friends. I guess I don’t do that anymore. Now, it’s poker and beer with the friends, and wine and dinner with the wife. Other than that, I had the same hobbies in the past that I mentioned above.
13. What activities make you lose track of time?
Gee, lit net makes me lose a lot of time. Way too much. My wife reminds me all the time.
14. What makes you feel great about yourself?
Spreading some knowledge that I’ve acquired; guiding young people on the straight and narrow; helping someone. Making people smile with a quip. Certainly any accomplishment.
15. Who inspires you most? (Anyone you know or not. Family, friends, authors, artists, leaders, etc.) Which qualities inspire you, in each person?
My mother for her endless energy and work ethic, my father for his incredible courage; my wife for her complete love. In history perhaps George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and Churchill and Cicero from the Roman Republic, leaders who did not do the easy thing for the sake of popularity.
16. What are you naturally good at? (Skills, abilities, gifts etc.)
I think I’m a pretty good project manager, I think I have leadership skills, I’m a pretty good reader, I think I’m pretty good at arguing.
17. What do people typically ask you for help in?
Oh lots of things. I can’t think of anything off hand right now.
18. If you had to teach something, what would you teach?
Literature, writing, science. I’m not a teacher by nature but I do like taking someone under my wing.
19. What would you regret not fully doing, being or having in your life?
Having children, writing.
20. What song is in your head at the moment?“On Broadway” – The Drifters.
21. The last book you bought/borrowed from the library?
I haven’t been to the library in ages.
22. Which book are you reading at the moment?
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. It’s a personal account of the last few months of his life. Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor.”
23. The last book you finished reading?
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.
24. Favorite food?/ Comfort food?
Oh I love lots of food. Let’s say chili since I had it over the weekend.
25. What time of day do you most often find yourself on the LitNet?
Well, now that they’ve blocked this at work, I can no longer sneak in. So it’s evenings.
26. What are you wearing at the moment?
Slacks, dress shirt (no tie today), dress shoes.
27. Favorite poem?
Oh lots to choose from. Let’s say the two Yeats Byzantium poems.
28. First novel you remember reading on your own?
I don’t remember. If you want to count this as a novel, Where The Wild Things Are.
29. Favorite TV shows?
I don’t care for TV too much. I like some of the old programs. Let’s say “The Honeymooners” with Jackie Gleason. I don’t know if people from outside the US know that one.
30. Which LitNet members would you like to meet in person if you could?
Almost everyone. I can’t possible single anyone out. I consider almost all my friends, even the ones I argue with.
31. Favorite post on the Forum?
I don’t know of a single one. Tal always makes me laugh.
32. Favorite thread?
Oh, I guess the D.H. Lawrence short story thread. I have really gotten into the blogs this past year. Check my blog out. Is that a shameless pitch or what?
33. Last food did you have?
I’m eating blueberry yogurt right now.
34. Last words you said out loud?“Oh that was terrible.” I was filling the air in one of my tires at the gas station and the air hose wasn’t working right and I was actually letting air out. It got completely deflated. It was a fifteen minute nightmare.
35. Last person you hugged/kissed?
My wife. I do that every morning as she’s sleeping when I leave for work.
36. What do you do (for a living) to be able to keep your LitNet addiction going? And are you happy with your chosen profession?
I’m a mechanical engineer and a project manager. For the most part, I love my job. But then I wind up loving most things I throw myself heartily into.
37. What question would you like to ask yourself?
Why do you get so prickly? Especially when you’re mostly fairly easy going. I can’t truly answer that.
38. What would you like to be if you could change your profession?
A writer, but that doesn’t earn any money. Perhaps my own business. It would be such a challenge to make something successful.
39. Least favorite book/song/movie?
I don’t spend a lot of thought on stuff I don’t like. If I didn’t like it, it’s forgotten.
40. The most generous thing you have done?
One that comes to mind is that a few months ago someone in the office was having a heart attack and had collapsed. Everyone was afraid to do anything. I rushed over and tried to help him. I think he had stopped breathing and I was ready to give him mouth to mouth, but as I turned him over he started breathing. I loosened his clothing and helped him breath with my hand on his diaphragm until an ambulance came. He was alive when the ambulance took him, but he ultimately died at the hospital. That kind of shook me up. I felt his humanity under my hand.
41. What is your most outstanding feature?
Probably my good gregarious nature. I make friends easily.
42. If you could change one thing about the way you look, what would that be?
Easy, lose ten pounds, no make that fifteen. I just gained five in the last two months!
43. Which book do you wish you had written?
Mellville’s Moby Dick. Faulkner’s Light In August, Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.
44. What is your favorite book cover?
Oh probably that classic cover of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
45. Most and least favorite characters from books?
I don’t necessarily have most and least favorites, but for this I’ll say:
Most: Nostromo from the Conrad novel with the same title; I also like Joyce's Bloom from Ulysses. Least: Iago, from Othello.
46. What would your biography be titled?
Vincit Qui Se Vincit is my personal motto. Let’s go with that.
47. What should you be doing at the moment instead of answering these questions?
Working. Writng a document that is rather boring.
48. Wonderful Superman or depressing Batman?
Depressing Batman has more psychological depth.
49. The most embarrassing moment in your life?
Lots. One that I wouldn’t mind sharing is that I was explaining once how I thought Halloween fell on Friday the 13th and how scary that would be. Well, by definition Halloween is on the 31st. It can never be on the 13th. That’s when I got the reputation of being an air head.
50. Which literary character (s) have you been told to resemble the most?
No one has ever told me I resemble a character. I’ve always identified with Conrad’s Marlow.
51. List some of the things that annoy you immensely.
Evasion of responsibility. Pure cynicism.
52. Anything that you want to forget but you never can?
The last year of my father’s life was spent on and off a respirator. But it’s best not to forget it. It was the closest I got to Papa.
53. One final word of wisdom for LitNet users?
Get a good education, don’t take drugs, get a job even if you’re young and even if you’re rich, work hard. You do the right things in life, you’ll be pretty satisfied in the long run. Don ’t be afraid of new challenges. Don ’t be afraid to get into the mix of whatever you want to do. I have framed quote on my desk at work. “The credit belongs to those who are in the arena…” by Theodore Roosevelt. It’s a long quote, so look up the entire thing.
54. What would you like to ask to the person to be interviewed after you?
Are you mostly happy with life or are you still in pursuit?
Originally Posted by Virgil
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