Happy Birthday!
An interview with Virgil:
Why are we doing this interview thing?
I don’t know. This might be my fourth one. I’m not sure I have anything left to say.
Are you sure you want to do this?
Yes, though I’ll try to be a little different from the previous interviews.
Are you male or female?
*feels for breasts, then down to the crotch* Yikes, definitely male.
What is your name (if you don't mind sharing it with us)?
Most people call me Manny.
Got milk?
Yes, ice cold with cereal. I think I’ll go get a bowl after this.
Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?
The dog. She’s a devil in disguise.
If you had a personal theme song what would it be?
Let’s go with a different side of me this year. How about Mambo Italiano.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAQQ1Vlk1nE
What makes you keep coming back to the Forum?
The literature, the poetry, the people, the laughs.
It has been a year since the last interview. What have been the high and low points?
Oh I guess a relatively successful demonstration of my work project as a high. The only low I can think of is the goal my wife and I had for this year has been delayed into the coming spring.
The best and worst books you have read during last year?
Worst: The Death of Virgil by Hermann Broch was horrible; I never did get to finish it.
Best: As I look over my list for the year I would have to say Kim, by Rudyard Kipling.
The biggest surprises of the past year (both pleasant and unpleasant)?
Certainly what my wife and I were hoping for this year that got pushed to the spring was an unpleasant surprise. When it does happen I will let everyone in on it, but until then, let me keep it under wraps. The only pleasant surprise I can think of is my nephew getting married.
What has been the biggest change in your life since your last birthday?
Not much. My hair keeps getting grayer at an alarming pace. I probably should replace my avatar with a gray wolf.
Do you feel comfortable in your walk with God/atheism?
I’ve said in the past no one should really feel comfortable. I continuously seek God’s mercy for my failings. But for the most part I do feel blessed.
Do you have any pets? What are their names?
A boisterous yellow Labrador Retriever named Brandi, who despite her 90 pounds thinks she’s a lap dog.
Given the option, what animal would you choose t
o be?
Hehe, I’ve always said a wolf, and I can’t vary that.
How did you meet your significant other?
Through mutual friends. And let me put in a good word for my wife here. She’s a saint for having to put up with me. Eighteen and a half years of marriage and three and a half before that, so that makes 22 years together. Most of you know how contentious I can be.She has to hear it from me all the time. But she gives it back, so don’t think she’s a push over. She’s definitely not.
What is the one thing you must do before you die?
Write a poem to my child.
Do you believe in ghosts?
No. Not in the physical world. But there is a metaphysical world.
What is your role in an emergency situation: the 911 dialer, the person who runs to
the scene to help, the video recorder, or the person too overcome by shock to do anything?
I think I’ve become the person that runs to help at the scene. Unless someone at the scene is clearly more capable in handling the emergency, then I’ll yield. But for the most part people tend to freeze in an emergency. Someone has to take charge.
What song is in your head at the moment?
Volare. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztGtPbp7tQc.
Which book are you reading at the moment?
I’m just about to start The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Book club Christmas read here on lit net. Come and join. Should be fun.
The last book you finished reading?
Actually I’ve been reading a bunch of short stories lately. The last novel I finished was Grendel by John Gardner, recommended by Jozanny here on lit net and she’s right, it’s a great work.
What are you wearing at the moment?
I’m sick in bed in my blue and green flannel pajamas.
Favorite TV shows?
Not much for TV actually.
Which LitNet members would you like to meet in person if you could?
Oh Geez, almost everyone. If I mention names someone might feel slighted. Certainly all my friends. If you’re a profile page friend, I definitely would love to meet for lunch.
Favorite post on the Forum?
Oh, I don’t know. JuniperWoolf had a post the other day that knocked me off my feet:
http://www.online-literature.com/for...3&postcount=77. Is that awesome, or what?
Favorite thread?
Again I don’t know, but I really enjoy the blogs most these days. Here’s a shameless plug for my blog. Look at what I had to say about the Nobel Peace Prize Speech: http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?b=9506. Or read about the one legged blues man and what I consider the greatest rock and roll song: http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?b=9465.
Last food did you have?
Chili that my brother-in-law made. Not bad.
Last words you said out loud? “I’m going up to sleep,” as I left my wife watching TV and I went up to bed and play on the computer.
Last person you hugged/kissed?
My wife, though I can’t remember when. I’ve been sick now for three or four days and she refuses to come within six feet of me. She’s refusing to sleep in the same bed, she’s smearing hand sanitizer constantly, and she won’t sit at the dinner table with me. And every time we pass each other by she wrinkles her nose and says, “oh skeeves.” I’m an outcast.
What question would you like to ask yourself?
Are you focusing or distracted by distractions?
What should you be doing at the moment instead of answering these questions?
Sleeping.
Last dream you remember having?
Can’t remember the details, but something about my departed father.
What is your most bizarre book memory?
Joyce’s Ulysses, chapter 15, “Circe.”Bizarre, convoluted, and should have been so much simpler. Some people praise that chapter, but I think it’s ridiculous.
Who is your best friend and how long you have known them?
I have a group of friends, what remains of us, that we’ve stayed together since I was twelve/thirteen. That puts us together for thirty-six years or so now. We try to get together once a month, but it just doesn’t happen that often.
If you had to lose one of your senses, which would you choose and why?
With this cold and sinus infection, I would love to lose my entire nose right about now. I have this urge to get the power drill and drill out my nostrils. Then maybe I could do a Michael Jackson and have a false nose put on my face.
Are you mostly happy with life or are you still in pursuit?
Both happy and still in pursuit.
How often do you tell lies?
Way too many to count.
What gives your life meaning?
Learning, accomplishing something, helping others. Being a friend. Having a good communal laugh.
What type of Faerie would you like to be and why?
The literature fairy!! I bet no one has used that before.
If you were a colour, what colour would you be and why?
Green, spring time, life blossoming. My favorite season. April is not the cruelest month.
What makes you laugh?
Humanity.
What was the happiest period of your life and why?
I’ve been mostly happy throughout my life, but let’s say the couple of years before I was married and going out with my future wife. I think that was a special time for us.
If you could be a disney character who or what would you be and why?
Gee, I don’t even know Disney characters, except for Mickey Mouse. And I can’t stand that wimpy character.Probably one of the dogs. Pluto. Is Pluto a Disney character? I’ll take Pluto.
Do those animated smilies ever get tired? Think of them day after day, dancing or crashing computers or laughing or crying till the end of time...
I like the way they do it in step.
One thing you would like to do before your next birthday?
Sing a lullaby.
Did you answer all of the question?
I think so
One final word of wisdom for LitNet users?
Believe in yourself. It’s amazing what any individual can do.
What would you like to ask to the person to be interviewed after you?
Do you feel the divine spark of life within you or do you consider yourself a mechanical thing?
Reply With Quote
I hope you have a really great day Virgil. 
Originally Posted by Mathor
