I have to confess, it's a little embarrassing...I'm one of "those" people. I have been for as long as I have been an internet user. Online surveys, you can usually count on me to fill them out. I act like it's an annoying waste of time and that I am only filling it out because I feel obliged to, I like to assure myself that my life is way to jam packed and exciting to waste time that I can never get back.
This actually isn't true. These surveys used to fill my AOL email box back in middle school, where we would would spend countless hours online after school, chatting on IM, filling out the email surveys and sending them to each other. Today they are mostly confined to Facebook, which may lead you to believe you are no longer victim to the obliging email forward. Not true again, you are now obliged to fill one out if someone 'tags' you in theirs.
When this happens, I tell myself, " Wow they must want to know more about me!" I'm really just flattering myself here.
The thing is, you really can learn a lot about a person by their seemingly mundane answers to random questions, these impromptu "innerviews" are fascinating to me.
So I signed up on Plinky. Like every other vice I have, (this blog for example) my original intent was virtuous. On Plinky, they call the random questions "prompts" and they are supposed to inspire you to compose great material. Considering the writing season is nearing high tide for me; contest submissions are due, conferences are looming, there's a half finished novel at home, and my mailbox is filling with rejection letters from publishers, a little inspiration can't hurt.
One question on Plinky I found particularly fascinating is what someone might have at any given moment in their purse, especially if they are random and unorganized like me. If you can swing it, you can learn a lot about somebody by what they've got in their purse/wallet. I remember once I was caught with a copy of "The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene in my bag, that was the epitome of great coincidence, how often do you find someone carrying around a book about quantum mechanics? There was also a mini thesaurus, a pocket U.S. Constitution (don't ask) and a tape measure modeled like a cow.
I confessed to Plinky last night about my bag contents:
Christian Dior Makeup Palette I never use
I don't usually wear makeup...and I rarely reapply on the fly unless it's a special occasion, but what if it suddenly becomes a "makeup day" in the middle of the day? Heaven forbid I am unprepared! (Note: this has never actually happened)
Shu Umeura (sp) Eyelash curler
I'm usually tired, it makes me look awake
Bag of kumquats
I wanted some new food to try that I don't eat on an everyday basis. So I bought kumquats, they travel surprisingly well. Sour though...
Dior Sunglasses
There are a few things I get excited about purchasing and am willing to splurge for, one is designer sunglasses. A stupid frivolous purchase, especially in Portland. But I don't care.
Checking Account and Savings Register
Unlike my previous listed items might suggest, I am a prodigious saver! I actually save or invest over half of what I make. This springs from having a past where I was hugely in debt and always freaking out about bills. Now I am liberating anal retentive.
crackberry
About a million different lipglosses
(see item #1)
Lifesavers
I get dry mouth when I go running
