he doesn't mind I have an L.A. crass way about me

A continuation of the survey I stole from Saisei.  Advisory:  there are several NSFW pictures/GIFs in this entry, mostly due to the F word, but there are also some scantily clad angels and James McAvoy-inflicted violence.

Day 6: What band/musician is most important to you

I don't really have a favorite band or musician, though if absolutely pressed to name one, I would go with The Smiths, who made me feel not so alone as a teenager, or REM or Sparks, because they served as the soundtrack to my college years.  (Other music I associate with college:  Morrissey's solo work, Jesus Jones, Saint Etienne, the Soup Dragons, Primal Scream, The Waterlillies, and, thanks to clubbing in WeHo, techno.  For the young'uns among you:  techno was basically 90's dubstep.)  They remain beloved by me to this day.  Sparks also provided the name of this humble blog.

Day 7: Do you read? What is your favorite book?

Read?  You mean like BOOKS?  God, no!  Never touch the things.

/sarcasm

You bet your sweet ass I read!  It's by far my favorite pastime.  My favorite book, as you probably already know, is As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann.  She has a new book coming out this fall, but like her second novel (The Wilding), it probably won't be released here and I'll have to order it off Amazon.uk.   

Day 8: Pet peeves

I could go on forever with this one, but I'll just pick my biggest:  the fact that common courtesy ain't so common anymore. 

Day 9: If you could live off one food and beverage for the rest of your days, what would they be?

Oh god, this is a tough one.  I have a major sweet tooth, but even I would probably get sick of nothing but sugar for the rest of my life.  Not only that, but if I have too much sugar on an empty stomach (like, for example, a donut for breakfast) I get nauseated.  So I'll go with a cheeseburger.  As for the beverage, assuming I wouldn't have adverse effects from drinking nothing but Coke Zero the rest of my life, then that's what I'd choose.  Otherwise, I'd go with plain old boring ass water.  No, wait...coconut water, because at least that's sweet and also has potassium and electrolytes.  (It's what plants crave!)  Wouldn't go so great with a cheeseburger, but whatever.

Day 10: Picture your desktop

Like my esteemed colleague Saisei, I'm not exactly sure what this means, so I'll go with the three most likely possibilities.

First up, my laptop's wallpaper is a slightly modified version of this DmC concept art:

At work, I have some boring approved wallpaper that came with my computer.  It's a photograph of a tropical island, and I like to look at it and pretend I'm there instead of a cube farm.  Cold drink, good book, and hammock optional but preferred.

My physical desktop at work is cluttered with all sorts of work related items/paperwork, as well as framed photos and gewgaws that make me happy.  A partial list of my gewgaws:  a purple plastic dinosaur, an anthropomorphized Mt. Fuji, several maneki neko figurines, a toy sloth I got in Costa Rica, and a stuffed flamingo that was one of the first presents G ever gave me.  At home, I tend to use my laptop at the kitchen table, which is otherwise empty aside from place mats.

Day 11: What is your favorite quote?

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."  (Oscar Wilde)

Day 12: Your current relationship. If single, discuss how single life is

G and I are coming up on our 9th anniversary, if you can believe that.  I mean, what can I say that I haven't before?  He's my life partner, my best friend, my everything.  He's funny, smart as hell, and handsome, and whenever I'm with him, I'm home.  We have this total Vulcan mind meld that never fails to astonish anyone who sees it in action.  Being around most people completely drains me (yes, I'm a textbook introvert), but being around him energizes me.  We have so many interests in common, though we'll never agree on food (I live to eat, he eats to live), travel (I love it, he hates it), or music (aside from harmonica-heavy down home blues and the occasional guilty pleasure 80's song).  I had always heard that relationships take work, but it's just so EASY being with him.  I can be myself around him.  He's seen me at my worst emotionally and physically, and he's still here.  It's a cliche, but I would literally kill or die for him.  I mean, I'd have to have a damn good reason to do either one, but I wouldn't hesistate.  G is the best thing that's ever happened to me.  He's my life.

Day 13: Three confessions of your choice

CONFESSION #1:  I don't floss as often as I should. 
CONFESSION #2:  The two dreams I've had the longest will probably never come true, and that will never stop breaking my heart.

CONFESSION #3:  I wish I had been a better daughter to my mom. 

Day 14: Things you want to say to an ex

Day 15: A photo of someone you fancy at the moment

Well, G probably wouldn't want me to share his picture, so here's my current celebrity crush instead.

This is actor Ray Stevenson, who's been in a ton of stuff but first came to my attention in season 7 of Dexter when he played Ukranian crime boss Isaak Sirko.  At first his character was just a generic mobster, but as the season went on (no spoilers forthcoming), he grew much more complex.  Even though I watched Isaak do bad shit, I became very fond of him.  The non-spoilery reasons:  he was charming, funny, dapper as fuck, and he's just so utterly delightful to look at.  Goddamn, I find him attractive.  Look at those eyes and that smile and oh god he has an Irish accent to boot (one of my weaknesses; see also John Connolly and Tristan MacManus from Dancing with the Stars), though of course he wasn't using it in Dexter.  He looks like he drinks single malt scotch and wears L'Artisan Mechant Loup cologne and is old-fashioned in the best possible ways.  As a bonus, Ray Stevenson is a damn good actor and I look forward to seeing him in many more things, including Rome (currently in transit from Netflix) and the next Thor movie.

D'awwww, look how embarrassed he is by all my adulation.

---

Coming soon(ish) to a blog near you:

Day 16: If the world were to end tomorrow, what would you do with your remaining time on earth?

Day 17: What do you want to be when you get older?

Day 18: Name the tv show(s) you have become addicted to

Day 19: The best thing to happen to you this week

Day 20: Your definition of love

Day 21: What kind of person attracts you

Day 22: A picture of what you wore today

Day 23: A letter to someone. Anyone.

Day 24: Would you rather date someone plain with an amazing personality or someone beautiful with a plain personality?

Day 25: Seven things that cross your mind a lot

Day 26: How you hope your future will be like

Day 27: A picture of your handwriting

Day 28: Do you wish for anything at 11:11? If so, what do you wish for

Day 29: Picture of yourself

Day 30: Anything you want to post

he doesn't mind I have a Las Vegas past

With great cunning didst I steal this from Saisei.  I should probably save it for NaNoJoMo, but I'm going to do it all in one (or two) fell swoops because I'm bored.

Day 1: write something basic about yourself

I am a 41-year-old female, generic in visage (and I'm not being self-deprecating here; you know how some grocery stores sell generic products in white packaging with blue lettering?  I'm the human equivalent, and as such, I would make a great spy), nearsighted and bespectacled. 

Day 2: 10 loves and loathes [note: I changed this from "likes and dislikes" because my feelings on the following are quite strong]

Loves: G, cats, candy, video games, movies, books, magazines, monkeys, watching Hell's Kitchen, libraries

Loathes: onions, spiders, cruelty, rudeness, my job, stupidity, when I have to take a dump when I'm already running late for work and think "maybe I should just do it once I get to work" but then I get all paranoid that I'll get in an accident on the way and shit my pants so I poop at home and then I'm late, cleaning my apartment, the birds that nest right above my assigned parking spot and pollock my car with shit, people who stare at their goddamn fucking smartphones while walking and don't look where they're going and then make YOU feel like the asshole for saying "Excuse me" because they're inconsiderate douche nozzles

Day 3: the meaning behind your Blogger name

It's the Japanese pronunciation of Silent Hill.  They used katakana for the title in Japan instead of literally translating it, so that really is how it would be pronounced.

Day 4: Your day in great detail

Today is still in progress, so I'll tell you about yesterday instead.

7:45AM  The alarm goes off, and I hit the snooze button until...

8:12AM  I finally roll my lazy ass out of bed.  I stagger to the bathroom and pee, and then I go online while I eat breakfast (a Fiber One bar, several vitamins, and a bottle of water). 

8:45AM  I get ready for work.  I'll spare you the particulars of my grooming ritual, as I assume they're the same for just about everybody.  It doesn't take me long to get ready because I wash my hair at night and my idea of makeup is Bonne Bell Dr. Pepper Lipsmackers.  Yesterday's perfume was Flight of Fancy by Anna Sui.  I wore a striped black and white shirt and jeans.

9:15AM:  Out the door!  I live 3.5 miles away from work, so my commute is pretty sweet.

9:25AM:  I get to work and park out in Buttfuck, Egypt.  My company shares an enormous building with 2 other companies, and since I work the late shift, all of the good spots are taken by the time I get there. 

9:30AM:  I get to my cube, sign in, and go to the break room to refill my water bottle and put my lunch in the fridge.  As usual, the fridge is stuffed with lunch bags, coolers, and totes, some of which are so large they'd have to be checked on an airplane.  I'm not even kidding.  Seriously, do you have to bring enough food for the whole fucking week?  Jackasses.

9:45AM-11AM:  Boring work shit, interspersed with internet time.  My favorite websites while at work:  Jezebel, Gawker, Kotaku, Cute Overload, and Oh No They Didn't. 

11AM:  I slather on sunscreen and take a brisk walk around the parking lot.  As previously mentioned, it's huge, so this isn't as lame as it sounds.  I drove it once out of curiosity, and a full walk around the parking lot is just over a mile. 

11:30AM:  On the way back to my cube, I stop by the fridge and get out my lunch.  I return to my desk and eat (PBJ and a Coke Zero) while working.

2:15PM:  Usually I take lunch at 1:15, but I leave work early for my mammogram.  I have some time before I need to get there, so I go home and shower, since you can't wear deodorant or perfume.  I have a bit of time to mess around online, and I take off at...

3:15PM:  I drive to the radiology center, check in, and read (Red Moon by Benjamin Percy) until they call my name.  I change into a supremely attractive pink smock and get my breasts smushed as flat as IHOP pancakes.  For some reason, it's much more uncomfortable than it was last year, but bearable.  (So no excuses if you're putting it off!  You know who you are.)

4:10PM:  One of my absolute favorite things to do is read a magazine in bed and then take a nap, which is precisely what I do as soon as I get home.  (Well, after reapplying my deodorant.)

5:30PM:  I get up and make ghetto risotto for dinner.  I like to pretend that I'm in Hell's Kitchen while I'm making it, and then Gordon Ramsay tastes it and says "Perfectly cooked, that ghetto risotto."  I eat while watching the season premiere of The Killing. I'm so happy to have Holder back on my TV screen! 

7PM-9PM:  I finish Red Moon and have very mixed emotions about it.  Ordinarily, I'd start up a new book right away, but I have nothing else to read.  (I will rectify this during today's lunch break.)  Then I go online for a bit and play a few rounds of Tri Peaks while listening to Lana Del Rey, whose lyrics I swiped for my entry title.  ("Off to the Races", specifically.)  Why the hell is that fucking game so addictive?

9PM:  Shower.

9:30PM:  I watch an episode of Ai no Kusabi.  The CGI is terrible!

10PM:  I read lots of deliriously slashy Hannibal fanfics.  No spoilers, but after last week's episode, I am seriously reconsidering my commitment to SparkleMotion Hannigram.  I may switch my allegiance to GrahamKatzers.

11PM:  More goddamn stupid ass Tri Peaks.

12AM:  I blow dry my hair, brush my teeth, and climb into bed.  Sweet dreams!

Day 5: Five places you want to visit and why

FRANCE:  I spent a week in Paris, but never got outside of the city.  I'd like to see more of France, specifically the countryside.  It's an unbelievably gorgeous country, and I want to see more!  I also want to make a pilgrimage to Laduree for macarons.

ITALY:  Because of the food and the scenery. 

JAPAN:  I've been there twice, but I will never get enough of that place.  I'd really like to see Hokkaido and Sapporo, and I desperately want to visit an onsen, though I'll have to cover my tattoo or they won't let me in.  I doubt they'd confuse a white American woman with a Hello Kitty tattoo for yakuza, but the stigma against tattoos in Japan runs very deep. 

HAWAII:  Because it's just so freaking gorgeous.

THE SEYCHELLES:  Ditto.

Coming soon:

Day 6: What band/musician is most important to you
Day 7: Do you read? What is your favorite book?
Day 8: Pet peeves
Day 9: If you could live off of one food and beverage for the rest of your days, what would they be?
Day 10: Picture your desktop
Day 11: What is your favorite quote?
Day 12: Your current relationship. If single, discuss how single life is
Day 13: Three confessions of your choice
Day 14: Things you want to say to an ex
Day 15: A photo of someone you fancy at the moment
Day 16: If the world were to end tomorrow, what would you do with your remaining time on earth?
Day 17: What do you want to be when you get older?
Day 18: Name the tv show(s) you have become addicted to
Day 19: The best thing to happen to you this week
Day 20: Your definition of love
Day 21: What kind of person attracts you
Day 22: A picture of what you wore today
Day 23: A letter to someone. Anyone.
Day 24: Would you rather date someone plain with an amazing personality or someone beautiful with a plain personality?
Day 25: Seven things that cross your mind a lot
Day 26: How you hope your future will be like
Day 27: A picture of your handwriting
Day 28: Do you wish for anything at 11:11? If so, what do you wish for
Day 29: Picture of yourself
Day 30: Anything you want to post