daf666: Yes, and it usually occurs after I leave the office. I feel dirty.calisi: Chemotherapy.duncandahusky: Well, I suppose I should explain this answer a little bit. Even when I ws little I ws always fond of cats, especially the barn cats that wandered onto the farm now and then. But outside of wishing for a kitten as a pet now and then I didn't really care until 1995 or 1996, and then suddenly -- wham. I blame it on a gentleman who came into the store I was working for at the time. This fellow had one tattooed on his arm, and I think he had one painted on his truck as well. This customer figured that since we sold wildlife art we might have some paintings or lithographs he could buy, but sadly we didn't (I say sadly because I'm sure that if we had he would have cleaned us out). I asked him why he was so "into" that particular animal. I was treated to a twenty-second speech, then he ducked out the door. Afterward I slowly become fascinated by them as well. I did research in the library and on the 'net, and each new thing I learned just seemed to drive me onward, fueling this allure in a way that I simply cannot explain. I guess in part it was because I was intrigued by how rare they are despite the common genetic background they share with their brothers and sisters, how graceful they can be, their fierocity and how incredibly indepentent they are. These animals have a reputation amongst trainers as the most dangerous and unpredictable of any species of big cat, an attitude that's frequently attributed to the treatment they receive as cubs (something about the melanistic coloring makes the mother treat the cub very poorly). It wasn't long after I developed this affinity that I stumbled onto FurryMUCK. I thought for a while about the whole species choice, then it just sort of fell into place. I find that today I identify with them quite a great deal, especially on the qualities of independence and aggressiveness. There seems to be a misconception where people think I have the character because I want to be "mysterious" and "dark." Simply put, that's wrong.
shiver101: Sadly, m'lady, there are not a lot of moments that I have to choose from in answering your question (there are a lot that would qualify as the exact opposite, however). I guess if I were forced to make the choice... I would say it was when I somehow found the courage to ask RB if I could have the privledge of taking her to her prom. I wanted to make her feel special, to share in one of those experiences in her life that are there and gone in a heartbeat. If I'm very lucky I'll get to feel something similar again some day. When she accepted I think I nearly collapsed.Thanks everyone. It's been a lot of fun reading these questions, and a very interesting exercise for me in answering them. I hope my responses were just as fun and interesting.
The losing card I'll someday lay
