I’m still doing questionnaires, you guys. They’re … kinda addictive. I’m looking for but haven’t yet found a style-related one (per suggestion from a BCRL reader), but in the meantime I went through Marie Claire’s Twenty Questions.
[In the interests of disclosure, my Marie Claire ban is still in effect, all these years later. I found the questionnaire online which … is kinda, maybe, not cheating? In any case, I’ve actually been considering picking up the magazine again, and seeing if it’s any better these days. I actually don’t read any “ladies mags” anymore and sorta miss them. Any good ones you would recommend? Halp!]
Before we go any further, however, requisite apology to questionnaire non-fans – this week, courtesy of Mr. Snake Hips himself:
(P.S. I CANNOT wait to see Crimson Peak!!)
What brings you the greatest joy?
My kids, and finding the perfect turn of phrase.
What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
I find that good advice changes with the seasons. Of your life, not the calendar (ahem). At this point in mine, the advice that resonates the most is this: you will miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Hokey? You betcha. But it reminds me not to be so damned scared of failure.
What charities do you support?
Alberta Cancer Foundation, Edmonton Food Bank, SPCA
What app do you most often use?
Probably Layout or PicStitch, for my Instagram OOTDs.
What do you wish someone would invent?
A teleportation device. Beam me up, Scotty!
What is your fantasy itinerary?
The dozen steps from the front row at the Dolby Theatre in LA to the stage where I’m accepting my Oscar for best screenplay.
Just kidding. The more literal answer: London –> Paris –> Loire Valley –> Provence –> Cote d’Azure –> Tuscany. Or the full length of the Orient Express, if I could go back and travel in the 1920s.
What book had a profound effect on your life?
The last one was probably The Unbearable Lightness of Being back in my late teens/early 20s. I’m overdue for another one.
Who is on the guest list for your ideal dinner party?
I’ll tell you who is NOT on the list: Jesus. That would be freaking nerve wracking. What the hell would I serve for dinner? How would I stop myself from swearing? Too much stress, you guys.
Ok, on a (somewhat) more serious note: Bill Murray, Helen Mirren, Tina Fey, George R. R. Martin, and Brandon Flowers. Maybe not all at the same time, though.
What makes you laugh?
My husband’s dad jokes. But, in my defence, I’m pretty sure it was part of the original contract, somewhere after the “in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer” bit.
What makes you cry?
SPCA commercials. I have now developed a reflex whereby I start tearing up as soon as I hear any snipped of Sarah McLachlin music.
What irrational fear do you have?
Fear of spiders probably doesn’t count because irrational it is very much not. Probably the fear that everyone secretly hates me but is too polite to tell me to my face. Wait, is that an irrational fear? Don’t tell me.
What is your beauty secret?
Mascara and bright lipstick. It’s not so much a secret, as the key to not looking like Casper’s paler cousin.
What do you hope your friends say behind your back?
I hope she’ll tell us more about this book she’s writing.
What advice would you give to someone with a broken heart?
Whatever you do, don’t listen to Mariah Carey’s “I Can’t Live (If Living is Without You)”. Been there, done that, and I can tell you that it will take on average five extra pints of Ben & Jerry’s to reach the “acceptance” stage. Fact.
What song instantly puts you in a good mood?
“Let Your Hair Down” by Magic. It reminds me of being on the beach in Mexico with my family. The parts that didn’t involve screaming toddler tantrums.
How did you make your first dollar?
If we’re counting foreign currency, then by patting family members on the back and calling it a “spa massage”. But my first actual dollar I made by shelving books at the campus library.
What do you wish you could stop doing?
Putting my foot in my mouth. Or, at the very least, remembering in excruciating detail, after the fact, all of the instances in which I put my foot in my mouth during any random conversation.
How do you define success?
Working because you love what you do, not because you have to.
What should every woman try at least once in her life?
Thinking like a boss.
How would you like to be remembered?
I’m totally stealing Amy Poehler’s answer: Often, fondly and loudly.
