Sucker

Much as I could go on about my many woes pretty much endlessly right now, I'm guessing my reader (how are you?) is probably fed up to death with that, so, being a sucker for memes, I've decided to borrow this one from Avitable...
• Guilty pleasure. Eating crap when no one's around to criticise me.
• Something that inspires you. Beauty in the natural world.
• The five songs you would have with you on a desert island and why. "Walking on sunshine" (Katrina and the Waves) to make me happy, "Girls just wanna have fun" (Cyndi Lauper) to make me dance, "Stuck in a moment" (U2) to make me cry, "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen) for when I'm feeling Leonard Cohen-y and "Wild thing" (The Troggs) for the rest of the time.
• What you imagine paradise to be like. Somewhere where the weather is always good, where nothing bad ever happens and where you never feel out of place or out of synch.
• A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life. To my two best friends in England, J and M, for always being here (even virtually) when I need you, and for making my life better. I miss you guys!
• Earliest thing you can remember. Playing games with my father in our entrance hall when I was about 2.
• Favorite cover of your favorite song. Not sure that my favourite song has actually been covered, but I love Sinead O'Connor's version of Prince's "Nothing compares 2 U" and, though absolutely not my favourite song, I love Springsteen's version of "Santa Claus is coming to town"
• Someone you think would make a good president. Here in France? No idea - it's like choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea, though our current incumbent seems to have a serious God complex. Elsewhere? I always thought (bearing in mind I'm not in the US, have only been once and know little about the country's politics) Al Gore would have been quite cool...
• Five things you want to see change. 1) I want there to be a selection process for entry to French universities; 2) I would love to see work paid at its just value (so, I'd increase salaries for nurses, teachers, dustbin men... and lower them for real estate agents, lawyers, accountants, politicians...); 3) I would like Britain to join in with the rest of Europe and give up on its "special relationship with the US" delusion; 4) I would love all religion-based conflict to just stop and 5) I'd like premature babies who die in utero to be given "child" status, even when they're born before the arbitrary legal "cut-off" point.
• A dream you had this past week described in detail. Insomnia rules right now, so no dreams to talk about...
• Favorite picture ever taken of yourself. These are very, very few and far between... Though I do quite like one taken on my 40th birthday (last year) with my two sweet girls...
• Your favorite musical artist’s life story. Not sure of this either, but I loved Oliver Stone's "The Doors" too.
• A memory that never fails to make you laugh. The infamous J-falling-under-a-Young-Conservative story from my student days - I love this story so much, and I wasn't even there!
• Best mashup you’ve ever heard. I'm too old, clearly, as I have no idea what a "mashup" is if it doesn't involve potatoes and mayonnaise...
• A moment, phrase, or song that has changed your life the most. "A person's a person, no matter how small" from Dr Seuss' "Horton Hears a Who"
• Something that you want to do within the next five years. Climb out of debt and find happiness.
• What you want to remembered for. Being a good mother.
• A picture that makes you feel. I love Emil Nolde's "Lichte Meerstimmung"
• A passage from a book that has touched you. Can't find the quotes right now (hell, I can't find the BOOK in this mess), but there are many passages from Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited" that touched me when I was younger, so I guess they still would now!
• A band that you immediately liked and the song that made you like them. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and "Joan of Arc" - first single I ever bought!
• Your favorite medium of art. Cinema.
• Someone you would give your life up for without question. My daughters.
• Most awkward first impression you feel you’ve ever given. Way, way too many to count I should think!
• Something you did as a child that other people remember you for. Winning the 3-legged race for 3 years in a row with my friend Sara, having failed wretchedly in every other athletics event.
• Something you would do if no one stopped you or if you knew you wouldn’t fail. Be a writer.
• Your definition of love. Accepting the failings of the one you love, loving unconditionally, having total trust in the other.
• Your definition of the meaning of life. Raising the next generation and realising that the world will be a better place thanks to your children (modest, I know).
• A moment you remember being completely happy in and a description of why you believe you were. What is your definition of happiness? I was happy on holiday in Italy (Lake Como) in August 2008. The place was beautiful, breathtakingly beautiful, the weather was good, my daughters were being adorable and I felt happy in my "marriage". Huh.
• What you live for. To make my children happy, healthy, fulfilled adults.
• Ways you believe you have grown over the past thirty days. My partner and I separated just over 30 days ago. Since then, I've become stronger, more independent.