Eleven Questions from Ann Sterzinger

So I haven't been writing here much because my reviews are going up on Adventures in SciFi Publishing, but I just saw that Ann Sterzinger tagged me in this chain posting thing. I haven't done one since Myspace was still something people used, and I'm not in the mood to repeat the experience. That said, the questions she asked were interesting enough that I decided to answer those.

1. Why are you still alive?

A mixture of luck (both bad and good) and stubbornness.

2. Why are you still trying to write a blog?

It's a good excuse for not working on other writing. 

3. Just who do you think you are, anyway?

Just some asshole in a tiny apartment in Iowa. 

4. What do you think about when you have insomnia? Just give us the five most persistent topics if the answer is "Holy shit, everything."

I almost never get insomnia these days. On the rare occasions that I do, I usually just think about what I need to do the next day. Boring, yes, but it gets me to sleep just fine. 

5. In order from least awful to most dreaded, which are your ten least favorite ways you could die?

- In my sleep.

- Being run over by a car while riding my bike.

- Being hung and choking to death rather than my neck snapping.

- Dehydration

- Starvation.

- Drowning.   

- Freezing to death.

- Having my throat cut. 

- Being castrated and bleeding out. 

- Outliving everyone I care about and then dying alone. 

6. Do you believe in God? If so, how can you tolerate His apparent indifference, even hostility, to your happiness and well-being? If not, how can you tolerate the void of your meaningless universe?

I don't. As for the universe being meaningless, I don't really see how the existence of a God necessarily gives the universe meaning. How do I tolerate the universe being meaningless? Pretty well.

7. Go back to question 6. Imagine that you believed the opposite of what you do, and then answer the second half of the question accordingly 

If I did believe in God, I would just tolerate his indifference by being indifferent back to him. I leave Him alone, He leaves me alone. Seems like a good deal to me. If He turned out to be actively hostile, I guess biting the pillow and dealing with it would be the only thing I could do. 

8. Are there any really amazing new bands you think I should know about?

I really like The Limousines. There's a band from here in Des Moines called Gloom Ballon that's really good too. I've also been listening to a lot of vaporwave lately, as much of big fat hipster as that makes me seem like. Saint Pepsi's Hit Vibes album is awesome and it's free to download. 

9. Is painting a dead art? How about the novel?

No and no. I honestly don't understand what people even mean when they say that these things are "dead." 

10. Come up with a worldview which is completely rational, based on evidence rather than wishful thinking, but which is also not a nuisance to one's mental health. You have 200 words.

I don't think it's possible to come up with a completely "rational" worldview that a person could hold while still maintaining mental health. Emotionally driven thoughts are a central part of the human mind, for better or worse. I don't think someone would be able to function as a human if they refused to come to terms with that.

11. What does it mean to you to be one of seven billion human beings? You may want to have some whiskey on hand for this one.

Not a whole lot. I can't really comprehend "seven billion human beings" on a deep level. It's just too big that it's just an abstraction to me. That's probably just my survival mechanism kicking in or something. I think if were to really comprehend my own insignificance on every level, my brain would force my heart to stop beating.

I'm not going to tag anyone. If you feel like answering these questions too, take a shot at it.