Well, here is the second in a series of survey compilations. This one took up the month of September, 2001. This time I upped the word limit, given how many people felt compelled to go over last time. Once again, there was fantastic variety to the responses. That would only make sense, given the fantastic variety of respondents. As last time, I have posted them in the order in which they were received.
Jacquelyn Allen-Olson wrote:
I am what I am. No more, no less.
-and-
Okay so you really want to know who I am? After so many years together it is about time that you find out:
I am woman. I am warrior. I am peacemaker.
I am Tigger. I am Pooh. I am wise old owl. I am gloomy Eyore.
I am a shy violet, a bold tiger lily and the questioning daisy, loves me, loves me not!
I am a romantic. I am a realist. I am a republicrat.
I am cool. I am hot.
I am the surprise in the box of Cracker Jacks, the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae.
I am a fine Bordeaux. I am a bubbly champagne.
I am a daughter, a sister, an aunt and a mother.
I am a friend. I am a lover.
All else is still to be discovered.
Karyn Schairer wrote:
A very very amused observer.
I guess you could also say I'm a collector, mostly found objects real and
metaphorical. Things like stories, quotes, ideas, anecdotes, all that.
For all those who don't know about the "Karyn Quote Board of Infamy" it's
time you learned.
Otherwise, I think I am.... asleep.
Carl Klinger wrote:
I was going to try to fill this with the maximum of words(Question for you- Just who do you think YOU are, making a fun-themed-essay 500 words?), but I'll boil myself down to one.
Philanthropist.
If you'd like 499 or so more words about me, I'd recommend hanging out with me for about an hour. That should be plenty of time for you to find words to define me, if that many words exist.
Jackie Herman wrote:
I'm not Over analytical. I thought about this question a long time
....still thinking about it. I discovered 2 things, the previous statement
I made, and If I knew who exactly I thought I was I would not be me. Cause
I don't know who I am, but Damn the Man...I'm having fun finding out!
Nathan Hall wrote:
A serious dipshit most days....the rest, just a jackass.
Aaron Pavao wrote:
Just this guy, trying to get some stuff done and to be with people without
causing too many problems.
Janson Olson wrote:
I am Iron Man. I am Batman. I am Woman hear me roar. I am the walrus coo coo ga jubb. I am what I am I'm Popeye the sailor man. I am Kaiser Soze. I am Tiger Woods. I am You. You are Me. We Are Free. I am not heavy. I am your brother. I am a rock. I am an island. That's about it.
Janson.
Ya know the weird guy in the group photos
Nathan Ferch wrote:
i am the operator, with my pocket calculator.
David Johns wrote:
I am the detective,
the inventor,
the analyst,
the dissector.
I discover its inner processes,
its methods
its reasons
its WHY.
Whatever IT is,
I incorporate it,
improve it,
or throw it away.
Little Bird wrote:
I think that I am the product of a bunch of seemingly innocent decisions. I think that I am a bell. I think that I am far away from home in a place where the keyboard a isn't where it should be and a very small apartment is a lot bigger -and scarier - at night than one would think originally. I think that I'm brave becauseI can open a bank account in French. I think I'm special because my mommy told me so.
And I think that I'm feeling far enough away from everyone now that I'm looking forward to hearing who you all think you are.
she who leaves country for fun
Lindsay Hayden wrote:
Oh, gosh. Y'know, it's ironic that I had a long ass response to "what's
wrong with people" but that, when I have to think about myself, I seem to
have nothing to say. Or, really, too much to say, none of which really
means anything. I think that "who do you think you are" may just be the
pivotal question of my life. I think that's the question that makes me get
up everyday. I think that's the question upon which all of my work
resonates. So in short: I don't know who I am. But here's a few ideas:
>From a sociological point of view, I am a young caucasian female vegetarian
feminist anarchist bisexual pacifist artist. I weigh 170 lbs, am 5'6" tall,
have blue yes and hair of an undetermined color that changes every few
months according to my whims.
On a personal level, I am a very shy person who has made it a life goal to
not be shy anymore. I love people too hard. I'm notoriously clumsy. I'm no
good at competition. I like to eat food that's bad for me. I like to move
and shout and be silly. I hate to be alone. I love to go on car-rides, as
long as I don't have to drive. I'm scared to talk to people on the
telephone, but I like to send letters. I'm too honest. I wish I could be
more honest. I wish everyone could be more honest. I'm more devious than
people give me credit for. I'm funny, especially when I'm really hurting.
I have secret dreams of being a rock star. (but who doesn't?) I wish my
hair was naturally flamingo pink. I'm no good at practical things, like
filling out job applications, yetI can do macramé or a half-lutz. I hate
bureaucracy, dogmatism, and complacency. I hate laziness, partly because
I'm sometimes too lazy myself. I love and fear change, which is why I force
myself into it.
...Oh yeah...
and I'm a damn good kisser.
David Meldman wrote:
...I'm the no pussy-gettingest cat in Milwaukee (or at least in the top five!)
Kerri Flippin wrote:
I am a Flippin by-the-book Virgo Martha Stewart wanna be much too young Miss
Havisham nurturing neo hippie yooper.
I adore olives, John Steinbeck, disco, kitty cats, and my boyfriend.
Katherine Olson wrote:
I am 4 going on 40. I am an assortment of riddles. I am a tomboy. I am
Tinkerbell. I am a Goblin. I am a Fairy Princess. I am sometimes a wolf in
sheep's clothing, and sometimes a sheep in wolves clothing. I am awkward. I
am an artist. I am part of something bigger than me. I am a student. I am a
wonderer and a wanderer. I am a collection of molecules and beliefs. I am
mostly water.
I believe in Love. I believe in Rock-and-Roll. I believe in a loving God. I
believe in Magic. I believe in "Brown Eyed Girl." I believe in the power of
a good kiss. I believe that there is something on the other side of the
looking glass. I believe that no chemical high can beat playing on a swing
set under a full moon. I believe in the Strange. I believe in my friends.
I believe that is just a fraction of what I am, but I believe that is all I
will write.
Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite.
Jason Akira Barnes wrote:
I am a riddle wrapped in an enigma, and smothered with secret sauce. I am
sick of our armed forces going off half-cocked before they know what the
hell their target truly is. I am an insomniac. I am a poet of few words and
little skill. I am a geek of all trades.
I believe that music is the key to thought and happiness. I believe in
freedom of speech and thought. I believe that nothing is original anymore. I
believe that my body would kill me, if it could. I believe that I drink too
much caffeine. I believe that private property created crime. I believe that
jealousy and contempt and uncaring are the worst things there are. I believe
I shall have some food.
Bria Baetje wrote:
I am an open mind, empathizer, dirty minded, lover of many kinds of music, metal head, able to see the "ying and yang" in people. Love to laugh and make others laugh. I am a peanut M&M....a little shy, hard, thin skinned, and colorful on the outside that may melt if held onto too long, but on the inside Im surprisingly crunchy, loud, tasty, long lasting, creating a good balance for the outer shell. Just hoping most will take the time to bite down and want another handful.
Gretchen Olson wrote:
A big phony. That's right. I am a kid trying to pass for an adult. A klutz trying to tap dance while carrying trays of steaming spaghetti. A regular Holly Golightly, drinking milk from a champagne glass and living out of a suitcase.
I'm not actually cool, though many believe that I am. I'm a joker, I'm a smoker (well...once upon a time when it suited me) You may wanna ask my close friends about the midnight toker part.....
I even have a fake name. I used to be Gretchen Olson, but now I'm Gretchen Hall. My hair color is bottle-bought. My teeth are fixed up. My boobies are pushed-up. My confident swagger I learned by watching my alter ego.....
Yup, I'm a phony. But I'm a real phony. Proud of who I am and whatI can be. Perfectionistic and critical. I am your best friend and your worst enemy if you don't watch your step. The life of the party. A big dumb dork. A half-demon (also known as a fallen angel). The most beautiful girl in the whole world...OR.. a walking "Before" picture.
This is who Gretchen really thinks she is. But only behind the safety net of a computer screen would I ever tell you this. If you asked me to my face, I would have to say:
"I AM A GOLDEN GOD!!!!"
Anandi Gandolfi wrote:
I am not the person I was last spring and I don't know
who I have turned into yet but this I do know I am a
hell of a lot stronger then I ever thought I was
-and-
I am not who I was last april.
I don't know who I will be when all of tis cancer
stuff is in the past.
One thing I go know though is I am a hell of a lot
stronger then I thought I was!
Max Steiner wrote:
I am because I think. I think I am.
I am the sum of my parts. My parts are surely not mathematical.
I am part and parcel of a greater whole. I do not come in a box.
I am a whole lotta' sumthin'. I am certainly not nothin'.
I am something to be reckoned with. I cannot be compromised.
I am in debt. Once miserably, now joyfully.
I am the penny you drop for luck, but not the lucky penny you pick up. Lucky for you I'm not the bad penny that's always turning up.
I am not a poster child. Nor a poster boy. You will not see me on a postcard. I only require 33¢ postage. Unless you want to send me "Par Avion".
I am a traveler. Send Me On My Way. (Rusted Root, anyone?)
I am happy to oblige you, but you cannot oblige to make me happy. I just am.
I am man, hear me snore.
I am wealthy in all things that cannot be put in someone else's vault.
I am a soul with wheels. I am not a rolling stone.
I am bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy, full of fun fun fun. But I am not the only one.
I am too cool for this letter. I am in need of a sweater.
I am, in the words of my father, a day late and a dollar short. I resent that. I like to think that I am early for the next opportunity and able to make change.
I am a believer.
I am a biker. Curse engines, bring on the pedals.
I am a boarder. Avast, and RIDE the plank!
I am in a constant state of love. I do not need directions.
I am not worthy; He is.
However, I am only what it is that you perceive me to be and tell your friends about, and there is nothing I am able to do to change that.
Patti Segerson wrote:
I am someone who doesn't know how to answer the
difficult questions that have arisen this past month.
I am someone who is so appreciative of the fact that
there are people out there who are willing to fight
for our right to live fearless lives. I am also
someone who is tormented by the fact that innocents in
afghanistan are dying. I am someone who can see the
big picture. But I am also someone who can see that
our bombing will cause even more deaths. I am a
godmother who has been asked some pretty hard
questions about why my godson's father has to go away
again and why someone could do what happened on
September 11th. I am someone who is happy to be alive
and is also feeling guilty. Today I am someone who is
confused. Confused by life and all it's little
miracles, mysteries and tragedies. Yesterday, now
that's another question.
Luke Arthur wrote:
I think I'm completely honest and logical, but I still manage to
baffle others. I'm too shy most of the time to advertise, but I do
think I'm well worth knowing. I am not a follower, but I'm not a
leader either. I'm more of an ingredient, and to see what I'm capable
of you need to mix me together with complementary ingredients.
I sometimes think of myself as a mirror. I return whatever energies
people direct toward me. Some long-time friends will tell me they're
amazed by how much I've come out of my shell since our first meeting.
They assume that I've grown. But really, it's our friendships that
grow, and the energy they see in me is a reflection their own most
inspiring attributes.
I'm too shy, too slow, too perfectionist. I've got limitless
potential, but limited time and access. I go through life as a keenly
observant critic with a "thou shalt not criticize" commandment.
Finally, I'm the guy _least_ likely to ever be asked, "just who do
you think you are?"
p.s. I'm also somebody who will ponder indefinitely over whether I
should have ended that last sentence with a period or a question mark.
