I came across this write-off hosted by blackrose4eva when willowchild
responded, and I thought it would be fun to ease my way back into
Epinions writing after a month off by answering these questions. Here
goes!
1. Who named you, and what does your name mean?
My parents named me. They just thought Erin Elizabeth sounded nice and
went well with McCarty. Erin is especially appropriate to my Irishness. I
wonder sometimes how much that sort of thing unconsciously affects a
person; my name means Ireland and I’m obsessed with Ireland, my
birthday’s the same day as Lincoln’s and I’m obsessed with Lincoln. I
like to think I’m just lucky to have such an Irish name and the same
birthday as my favorite president, but maybe I’ve got the cause and
effect reversed…
2. Which is better: Classic Coca Cola or C2 Coca Cola?
Never had C2 but I’m getting really tired of this no-carb craze. I
mean, sandwiches without bread? Come on! As far as pop (notice I did not
say soda!) goes, Coke’s okay but a little bit strong. My favorite is
Dr. Pepper, followed by Mr. Pibb and Cherry Coke. Basically anything
dark is okay by me, though, as long as it’s not diet.
3. Are you a pessimistic or optimistic?
On the one hand, I would definitely say I’m optimistic. I’m an idealist
through and through. But I tend to be a worrier. I took the
Winnie-the-Pooh quiz and came up as Piglet, and that’s why. I’m
extremely timid and nervous, and I worry about the future all the time.
But I have great confidence in the human race and I have to believe that
ultimately everything is going to work out okay.
4. If you can rule the world for 1 hour, what will you do?
Save the trees! Um, yeah. I don’t know. I’m not much of a leader. But
as much preserving of the environment and stopping of violence as I
could do in an hour.
5. Who do you think is the WORST actor/actress in history to date?
I’m really not good at coming up with bad actors. I have to say that I
don’t really understand Brad Pitt’s appeal. Pauly Shore, David Spade,
Andy Dick and a couple other guys really annoy me. But I don’t know. I
can’t think of anyone deserving of the “worst” title. But when it comes
to actors I love, I’ve got a long list: Tom Hanks, Haley Joel Osment,
Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Jim Carrey, Jimmy Stewart, Nicole
Kidman, Julie Andrews… well, way too many to list here. And pretty much
every major cast member in Lord of the Rings. Except Karl Urban. Eomer really annoys me for some reason…
6. Which gender do you think should dominate: women or men?
I think we should have gender equality, but I have to admit that I feel
more affinity with guys and most of my favorite characters and famous
people are guys.
7. Do you think education should be free or be paid for? If you pay for it, do you think it is really worth it?
Everybody should have access to a good quality education, but I guess I
have no objection to having to pay to go to a private school. I went to
a Lutheran elementary school and a Catholic high school. My parents
could have saved a lot of money by sending me to public school, but I
think that the schools were well worth the money. I think college is
overrated, though. I did have some great experiences in college –
especially going overseas for six weeks – and had some wonderful
teachers, but on the whole I think that people put more stock in college
than is due. I went because I was expected to go, not because of any
huge expectations of where it would get me. And I don’t see any reason
at all for me to go to graduate school, in spite of the urging of
several professors. It’s great for some people, but it really doesn’t
interest me at all.
8. What do you think about the recent gas prices?
I’m not as aware of it because I don’t drive, but anything that drains
more money out of my parents’ bank account is a major pain. I think it’s
lousy. I also wish we didn’t have to be so dependent on gas. At the
risk of sounding shockingly backwards, I truly think that the car was
one of the most detrimental inventions of the twentieth century. If only
there were some way to make transporter beams a reality. Talk about
convenience! And no more car accidents!
9. Do you think animals have feelings? If so, why are you eating them? (Assuming you are not a vegetarian)
Yes, I think they do. All the animals I have known have had distinct
personalities and discernible emotions. I love animals and wish that I
had to will power to be a vegetarian, but I’ve tried it before and I
don’t. I’m pathetic.
10. If you can only have one, which would you choose: a heart or a brain?
Definitely a heart. Give me Forrest Gump over John Nash any day. Genius
is nice, but kindness always trumps that. I’m a very emotional person
and think more with my heart than my head.
11. How much wood can a woodchuck chuck?
All the wood? Or can he? Just how much is “all the wood” anyway? All
the wood in the world? All the wood in his mouth? And just what is a
woodchuck doing chucking wood? I don’t think I’d feel too safe in the
presence of a wood-chucking woodchuck…
12. In your opinion,
do you believe that people--especially the younger generations--are
taking HIV and STDs seriously? Why or Why not?
I think
they’re taking it somewhat seriously but not as much as they should.
They’re using more protective measures, but I think a lot of people in
my generation are too promiscuous. I’m pretty old-fashioned; I’m in
favor of the whole abstinence before marriage thing. Not only do I think
it’s the right thing to do, it also would prevent a lot of problems…
13. What do you think about the idea of spanking your child – assuming he/she misbehaves – as a form of discipline?
I was spanked when I was younger, and it didn’t scar me for life. But
I’m really not a fan of corporal punishment, and I don’t think I would
spank my kids, if I ever have them, which I doubt I will. I think my
parents may have decided they’re not too crazy about it either because I
can’t remember my youngest brother ever getting spanked. Or maybe he’s
just spoiled…
14. Do you like people? (Be honest)
As Linus said, “I love mankind. It’s people I can’t stand.” Actually,
that’s not even true. I love people, I just don’t particularly enjoy
interacting with them. I am extremely introverted; I was voted the
quietest girl in my class of 200 students my senior year in high school.
I’m really bad at conversing with people. I work in a bookstore and am
supposed to initiate conversations with all the customers and suggest
books they might enjoy, and I’m terrible at it. I have no problem being
polite and pleasant, but when it comes to coming up with things to say
I’m really stumped.
And I really don’t like telephones. I
almost always spend the vast majority of the time not saying anything,
and the worst is when the person on the other end of the line doesn’t
have anything to say either so you spend the whole time trapped with a
phone in your hand and nothing to say. I love the internet, though, and I
have no problem communicating through message boards, emails, instant
messages and comments on reviews. The problem is that I’m a writer. I’m
not a talker. If it were up to me I’d use IM for all my conversations.
Maybe I wouldn’t, though. I have to admit that now that I have made all
these friends online, I’m very curious as to what they sound like. It
would be pretty cool to talk to them “live.”
Anyway, my point
is that I am very shy and unskilled in the art of conversation. I’m a
good listener, though. I’m very observant and remember little tidbits I
learn about people for a long time. And I like to think I’m pretty
empathetic. I agree with Anne Frank that people are really good at
heart, to the point where I’ve pretty much decided that I have to be a
universalist to maintain my sanity. I can’t believe that God is willing
to condemn billions of good people because they didn’t fall in with the
right religion. But I think I’m getting carried away now…
15.
You have a lion, a goat, and a bundle of hay. You need to cross a river
by using a small boat, which can ONLY carry you and something of your
choice (the lion or the goat or the hay). You CANNOT, for example, bring
the lion along with the goat, etc. Nobody can swim across the river or
make or bridge, etc. You MUST use the boat.
Question: how do you cross the river bringing the lion, the goat, and the hay? You are allowed to make more than one trip.
Hmmmm. I’ve seen this one before. Now let me think… Okay, I’d bring
over the goat in one trip. I’d come back alone and bring over the lion.
I’d bring the goat back with me and drop it off and bring the hay over,
leaving the hay and lion together. Then I would go back alone and bring
over the goat.
*Extra* 17. What is your WORST job ever? Are you still in it?
I’ve only had a couple jobs, and none were horrible. The most grueling,
though, was working at the zoo. I really enjoyed it because I love
animals and got to work with them, but it was a lot of physical labor
and I was very slow and clumsy.
Okay, that’s that. Something to tide me over until I write another real review. Enjoy!
