"In your dreams, in your bed, in everyone and in your head"

Aravis asked: “If you could compete in any Olympic event, what would it be? You can choose one for summer and one for winter. Is there a sport not currently included in the Olympic games that you'd like to see added? For example, in-line skating still isn't an Olympic sport, a fact which cause Chad Hedrick and John Cheek to switch from in-line skating to speed skating quite successfully. But shouldn't their original sport become an Olympic one?”

I think that I would probably enjoy competing in snowboarding or the luge. However, I have never done either, so that is all theoretical. I have to admit that I don’t feel strongly about any sport being included that is not already there. Interestingly, I haven’t paid much attention to the Olympics this year. My best experience of watching the Olympics was the year I lived in a house where our television didn’t have any sound. We would play classical music and watch the swimming and diving. We, therefore, avoided the annoying commentary.

Bee asked: “If you woke up one morning to find you had suddenly acquired the ability to read people's thoughts, who would be the first person you'd seek out so you could have a good riffle through their mind? And how would you use your newly-acquired powers?”

This is a hard question. It raises all sorts of interesting ethical concerns. Those aside, I would probably seek out my manager, in search of the answer to the question I frequently have concerning her: “What WAS she thinking?!” I think using the power is where most of the ethical concerns come in. Thoughts are private in a way that nothing else can ever be in this world. It’s one thing to have access to another person’s thoughts, it’s another to act on them. How would I be able to tell if those thoughts represented anything more than just fleeting ideas? How damaging is it to confront someone about thoughts/feelings that they may not yet be ready to share?

Shorty asked: “If you were to run for President in 2008, what would your campaign pitch be?”

My pitch would be to find a viable exit strategy from the war in Iraq, and begin to carry it through. I would probably also focus on providing services to veterans that had been cut. And I would focus on healthcare, namely, trying to straighten out the mess that is Medicare Part D. I’m sure I’d have more to say, but those issues would have pretty good mass appeal, I think.

And: “If you would have just won the lottery for the 365 million, who would you tell first and what would be your first purchase?”

I would tell my parents first, then Hippy Chick. After various expenditures to friends and family, and paying off my debt, I would be looking into non-rental housing (which I will never be able to afford in this area, unless I win the lottery).

Mystic suggested: “I think you should start up a monthly post where you give a little analysis online.”

I am intrigued by this idea, Mystic, but I think I will decline. The main reason is that I try really hard to avoid this in my personal life. I know that sometimes it comes through in what I write because I can’t get the info out of my head, but I really try hard not to be my friends’ therapist. It sets up a weird dynamic. I will, of course, continue to dissect my own psyche occasionally for you all to enjoy!

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Dream Update: Last night it was rock stars. I dreamt I was at a concert and Madonna was the warm-up. I was the only one in the audience and she, pregnant, started feeling ill. I suggested to the roadie who came to help her that she needed to go to the hospital - and they whisked her away. Then I was at a restaurant having dinner with Matisyahu. All very odd.