Reflective Questions and Such

[kybearfuzz]

It's storming here and I'm bored. Given the rush of interview questions, I'll just pose these five and let those who want to answer any or all come forth.

1. What do you think you will do in Heaven?
2. What invention would you like to create?
3. Do you believe in ghosts? Any experiences?
4. What was your proudest moment to date?
5. What was your most disappointing moment to date?

My Answers

1. I figure that I'll spend a great deal of time in Heaven reviewing history, learning all of those unknowns like who Jack the Ripper was or whatever happened to Amelia Earhart. I picture that they have a library where you could look up any past event and truly learned what happened.
   
   
2. To play off my first response, a time machine that would allow a user to venture into the past to observe historical events. I think it would be like a viewing panel to prevent tinkering with history. Either that or a car that runs on tap water to save some gas money.
   
   
3. I do, but not of the chain-rattling wailing sort. I've never seen a ghost, but my nephew has. He was four years old when my grandmother passed away. He spent a lot of time with her and didn't fully understand the concept of death. One day, weeks after her passing, he was at her house and my mom was watching him. She walked into the room where he was playing and he asked where Mother was (we all called my grandmother "Mother"). Mom tried to explain to him that she was in Heaven. My nephew said, no she wasn't, she was just there a few minutes ago. It didn't spook my mom, but rather gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling that Mother was checking in on things.
   
   
4. My college graduation, May 22, 1994. I was the very first to graduate from college in my extended family. It was nice to walk across the steps and get that degree after four long years of working for it.
   
   
5. Strangely enough, it was the same day, May 22, 1994. My mom and grandmother (dad's mom) and my sister and brother came up to watch my graduation. I was hoping for a party and a couple of graduation presents (a used car actually) when I got home. Instead, there was nothing waiting for me when I got home that night. No party, no dinner, no gifts. I felt slighted. Logically, I understood, my folks were as poor as church mice and couldn't have afforded anything anyway, but any effort would have been appreciated.

Comments

[shimbexprovides.livejournal.com]

1. What do you think you will do in Heaven?
I don't believe in the afterlife. You get one shot.

2. What invention would you like to create?
The POV gun from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

3. Do you believe in ghosts? Any experiences?
No, unless you include the backbone of the Democratic Party in there somewhere...

4. What was your proudest moment to date?
Don't know. Pride bores me.

5. What was your most disappointing moment to date?
November 3, 2004. Worst. Birthday. Ever.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

Why was your last birthday such a downer?

[shimbexprovides.livejournal.com]

Did you HEAR who we elected the night before?

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

Ah, now I get it...

[rockyjohn.livejournal.com]

1. I find it hard to imagine what it is like in Heaven. There are things here on Earth that I do for fun that I can't imagine going on up there (I'll let you fill in the blanks on that one). There would probably be a lot time to meet people and learn everything you have ever wanted to know.

2. A teleport device or a food replicator. Or, just about any of the tech stuff from Star Trek: TNG.

3. Haven't had any experiences myself, but I think there is some sort of extra worldly stuff out there. I used to read all about ghosts and hauntings when I was a kid...and Unsolved Mysteries was my favorite show.

4. High school graduation. I graduated in one of the top spots in the class, and it was all worth it to see my friends and family there.

5. Senior award night. Rather than give the scholarships away during the graduation ceremony, my school had a night a week before where they gave out the awards. The main award that I was to receive was the DeVry scholarship...which was one of the biggest ones to be given away that night. My Mom and I went, and Dad was supposed to be there too. He never showed up. After it was over and I got home, I called Dad (he and Mom were divorced, so he had his own place). He fed me some bullshit line that he wanted to make it, but lost track of time.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I understand the Unsolved Mysteries show being a favorite. I love any ghost-related documentary.

[scifibear99.livejournal.com]

1. I would have to say that my answer would be close to yours. There are a lot of questions that I would like answered. Hopefully, I would spend a lot of that time with the loved ones that have gone before me. I would also spend a lot of time looking after the
friends and loved ones still on Earth.

2. A stargate. I would love to travel to other worlds and meet new life forms.

3. Yes. I have never actually seen a ghost, but a similar thing happened to my niece. One year to the date of Ricky’s death, my sister went into Dana’s room and asked her why she was crying. Her response was that she missed Ricky. She then told her that she had seen him and had asked him when he was coming back. He told her that he had passed away and that this was the last time she would get to see him but that he would always be watching over her. She was too young to make up a story like that. They were pretty close. There was one other incident, but I won’t get into that here.

4. My proudest moment....I think that it would have to be the day that I mustered up enough courage to stand in front of a room full of people and propose to Ricky. Ring and all.

5. Same day. He turned me down. He didn’t know my parents that well at the time and he was afraid that it would cause problems between me and my parents. Of course that all changed. Sometimes I think my mom liked spending time with Ricky more than she did with me. :)

[dendren.livejournal.com]

ooooooh... a stargate, yeah, that would be way cool too :)

[scifibear99.livejournal.com]

Let me just add that I know it's 11 years later, but if we get together, I will take you out and we can celebrate your graduation. Of course, I don't think I will be able to bring you a used car. :)

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

Oh, I've outgrown the need, but I appreciate the thought. :)

[scifibear99.livejournal.com]

Any time Handsome.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

And I understand how little ones see things we don't. I think their minds are more open to possibilities than ours. We rationalize, they wonder.

[scifibear99.livejournal.com]

How true. It had a rather calming effect on me. To think that he was around looking after her.

[dendren.livejournal.com]

1. What do you think you will do in Heaven?
I'm always confused as to what exactly I believe in so this is truly not something I've ever thought about but I really really like your answer, that would be heaven to me. hmmmm.. that, and being with all the people I've lost over the years.

2. What invention would you like to create?
donuts that taste really really good and aren't bad for you, that and something world peace-y

3. Do you believe in ghosts? Any experiences?
I've seen too much in my life to not believe in them. I guess that's a yes to both parts of the question.

4. What was your proudest moment to date?
hmmmm... tough one. I've had some pretty cool moments... maybe January 16, 1994, the day my partner and I had our commitment ceremony.

5. What was your most disappointing moment to date?
being born 3 days before Christmas, I'd have to say my birthdays have always ranked up there as the most disappointing days of my life :P

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I can relate to the birthday close to Christmas, mine is 11 days afterwards, when everyone is broke :)

[dendren.livejournal.com]

yeppers, it sucks... before Christmas you are lost in the shuffle, after Christmas everyone is over the whole party thing, not to mention broke. One year my aunt gave be a box cake on my birthday. Not a cake made from a box, but the unmade betty crocker cake mix still in the box. she said "sorry, just too busy to actually make ya a cake but I didn't want you to think I forgot" grrrrr!

I did have *one* truly great birthday in my life, when I turned 30 and dragged my partner and best friend to to LA to spend the day at Disneyland. It was fabulous :)

Christmas babies should unite and make their own good time.

:)

[scifibear99.livejournal.com]

She actually gave you a box of cake mix. I'm really sorry, but thats kinda funny. Did she throw in some icing to? :)

I am so glad my birthday is in July.

[dendren.livejournal.com]

ok yes, tho I was hurt at the time, in hindsight it's pretty funny I have to admit. And yes, she included one of those pre-made icing things too. I'm sure she didn't mean it to slight me, she was serious that she thought of me. Not enuf to actually *make* a cake but she thought of me LOL

[scifibear99.livejournal.com]

Well it is the thought that counts.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

LOL.. she could have at least helped you make it!

[anziulewicz.livejournal.com]

1: When I get to Heaven, God will ask me what I would like to do with my time, and I would like to be able to simply fly around the Universe, looking at planets and lifeforms and civilizations. I would simply be able to point to a star and go there.

2: I would like to invent a theraputic vaccine against AIDS & HIV infection. I've been involved in AIDS awareness and prevention since 1989, and frankly I'm sick to death of it.

3: I generally believe in ghosts, if that term refers to a lingering spiritual presence, but I have not seen any per se. On the other hand, I did once see a spectral, indistinct shape of some odd creature running through my neighborhood in the middle of the night, then vanishing in front of a house. It was the strangest thing I've ever seen.

4: I was invited to Concord College (http://www.concord.edu) to speak to a student assembly about my experiences as one of West Virginia's first Gay rights activists. There were about 600 student in the auditorium, and while some of them probably had issues with me, I was generally warmly recieved. Outside, a local evangelical group handed out fliers about how homosexuals are going to burn in Hell. After my speech, members of the school's LGBT organization came leaping up on stage to meet me and thank me. I was on Cloud Nine for days.

5: The most disappointing moment? That's easy: It was the night of July 20, 2004, when I asked my partner Greg (whomI deeply loved) if there was anything he wanted to talk about, and LESS than 24 hours later he was living with another man. The pain simply never goes away.

[arktos62.livejournal.com]

Well, you've got us all thinking, so well done Mark for enlivening things on um, LIVEjournal.

1. I'd want to spend time with all the great comedians and raconteurs Jack Benny, Tommy Cooper, Kenneth Williams, Peter Ustinov, Dorothy Parker. And if there's no laughter in Heaven, I ain't gonna go!

2. A teleporter that can transport me instantly to all the places in the world I want to see - San Francisco, Sydney, Munich, Buenos Aires, Chicago, sigh! And now I've gone and raised my expectations again!

3. I've an open mind on the paranormal, but I don't have any experiences. A friend of mine went to see a spiritualist and while she was in the waiting room she heard a strange hissing noise. She was starting to get worried, when she realised the source was in her handbag - she'd left her transistor radio on!

4. My dissertation was published as a book. Proud parents, good reviews, invitations to conferences, plus royalties! The ripples from that just kept on coming.

5. I failed to get a job a few years back, one that I'd built myself up to believing was a sure-fire certainty. I needed the work and I needed the money, but after I'd been rejected, I decided to take one last holiday - a week in DC, as it happens. While there, a job agency contacted me about an interview. When I returned, I walked into the job, and that's where I've been since. So, a huge disappointment, a positive response, and a satisfactory outcome. Maybe I've just taught myself a lesson there!

Great to hear your other responses, guys, and well done Mark for stimulating that rare online beast: intelligent writing!

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked the set up of this entry. And you got your dissertation published? Email the title of it to me, I'm a bit curious to see what your field of study is :)

kybearfuzz@yahoo.com

[theatrecub79.livejournal.com]

1. What do you think you will do in Heaven?
Heaven will be the one place where there is no such thing as time and worry. I would spend my time seeing places I've never seen (both past and present) and meeting people I've always wanted to meet. There will be looking onto the world and checking on friends and family. Endless possibilities.

2. What invention would you like to create?
A teleportation device so I can have the ability to travel anywhere in the world I wanted to. That would be sweet!

3. Do you believe in ghosts? Any experiences?
Yes, I am a believer. I have had several experiences with spirits/ghosts in my life (comes with being empathic), but the most terrifying for me happened Sept. 12, 2001. I heading to bed and kept hearing people calling out for me. Whether they were spirits of people who had already passed or people trapped in the towers, I could never tell. The sheer fact that they were calling me by name terrified me. It only happened that one time, though.

4. What was your proudest moment to date?
The day I graduated from Berea College. The first moment happened during the procession when I made my way up to the stage to stand with the Concert Choir. They cheered for me and it just felt awesome walking up there and being with them. The second moment was after crossing the stage, diploma in hand. I had done it and was more proud of myself.

5. What was your most disappointing moment to date?
Like most people, sometimes your most proudest moment also has your most disappointing. After the graduation ceremony, I went out with my mom, sis, my dad and his mother. The dinner was awful and a little awkward (parents are divorced) and to add insult to injury, my grandmother gave me a card with $20 in it. $20! It felt insulting. I haven't been close to my dad's side of the family since the divorce, but this just felt like complete crap. My dad didn't do much either. I know it sounds a little selfish, but I guess I was disappointed in the fact that they would even do this. Hell, my mom's realtor sent me a check for $100 and she's not even blood-related! LOL (the $100 actually helped pay for my choir tour trip in Europe).

[kenetha65.livejournal.com]

1. What do you think you will do in Heaven?
I have yet to see any reliable evidence that it exists.

2. What invention would you like to create?
Teleporter

3. Do you believe in ghosts? Any experiences?
Nope. When you're dead you no longer exist. But maybe there are holes in time??

4. What was your proudest moment to date?
So far I've lost 39 pounds.

5. What was your most disappointing moment to date?
The 2000 and 2004 elections here in the US.