I'm it!

Nancy has charged me with the following meme. A good distraction for a busy week!

1) What’s the most fun work you’ve ever done, and why? Easy -- teaching! I can't believe I get paid to talk about philosophy and encourage others to think philosophically. It's something that (when compared with my time teaching worldview, apologetics, and philosophical matters in the church) can be done successfully, and that is fulfilling. I also like people, much more than I admit I do, and being a teacher gets me just the right amount of exposure.

2) A. Name one thing you did in the past that you no longer do but wish you did? Not the piano, that's for dang sure. Hmmm. Honestly, one thing I don't do anymore -- and this is fairly recent -- is be adventurous in my fiction choices. I think I've read the same five books for the last four years (with the moderately notable diversion into Zadie Smith's On Beauty). I honestly just stick to De Smet, South Dakota. I didn't used to, but that's graduate school for you.

2) B. Name one thing you’ve always wanted to do but keep putting off. This is a tough question. I think learning to box would qualify here, or learning caipoera. Probably learning caipoera would be awesome.

3) A. What two things would you most like to learn or be better at, and why? (1) Not being so danged competitive (read: being a more gracious loser), because I'm convinced I'm much less fun when I'm losing and mad about it ; (2) teaching Spinoza (for reasons that should be obvious -- doesn't everyone stink at teaching Spinoza?).

3) B. If you could take a class/workshop/apprentice from anyone in the world living or dead, who would it be and what would you hope to learn? I could conceive of a class on cultural observation and what we might learn from crowds from Kierkegaard. I appreciate his acerbic observations of crowds and mobs. And honestly, I'd like a sit-down with Berkeley and Hume in the same room, just to hear the debate, which I'm certain would be full of witticisms and thrown turbans.

4) A. What three words might your best friends or family use to describe you? Ridiculous (in the good way, whatever that is), funny, prodigious (esp. when it comes to eating or drinking bourbon).

4) B. Now list two more words you wish described you… brave, fit.

5) What are your top three passions? (can be current or past, work, hobbies, or causes) -- (1) spending time with AV and thinking and talking about what we're thinking about; (1.5) spending time with my family; (2) philosophy -- teaching it and learning it; (3) KUVO, lately.

6) Write–and answer–one more question that YOU would ask someone. Q: What floats? A: Apples! Churches! Lead! Gravy! Very Small Rocks! (voice from off-camera) A Duck!

Now you're it: Nathan, Paul, MOM (you should answer in the comments, mom).