Interview meme

Thanks to Julia, I've done a thorough review of my brain to come up with answers to her questions. Sorry it took so long, but I had to do a lot of digging for this one!

1. Pretend you're stranded on a desert island. You already have shelter, water, batteries, an abundant food supply that doesn't revolve around coconuts and even a cabana boy/girl to minister to your, erm, needs. However, you need some intellectual entertainment. Give me your top five desert island: books, movies, albums (NOT compilations of your own making) and tell me why these make the cut.
Books: I don’t read books much, which bothers me, but nonetheless I do actually read. Instead of books, I would like a steady supply of short stories. Lately, I’ve found myself drawn to The Georgia Review. I also really, really, really like Lorrie Moore. She’s witty and I can relate to many of her characters. Furthermore, magazines, even back issues, would be great. Time, Newsweek, Parents.
Movies: Shawshank Redemption (perseverance, triumph), Steel Magnolias (just cuz I like it), Coal Miner’s Daughter (just cuz I really like it and like the actors), Terms of Endearment (great introspective into mother-daughter relationship. And cuz I really like it). I need a funny movie, too. Geez, these are all tear jerkers. I cracked up watching Fun with Dick and Jane, so I’ll go with that one (hilarious, especially the ackowledgements, and gave me some ideas as to what The Mr. and I can do if we ever get that desperate).
Albums: Air Supply (can sing every song), Pink Floyd's The Wall (just cuz I really like it), Billy Joel's greatest hits double album, a Garth Brooks album that I would have to blindly choose since I like all of them, and some other country album that I would have to blindly choose since I like country so much.

2. Now, pretend you won the lottery. It's a huge amount, although not sickeningly huge. After you've given away your chunk to charity, paid off all your bills, set up savings/trust funds for kids and self and given money to deserving family and friends, you're left with $5 million, which you must use to build a house. Where would it be? What would it look like? Tell me how you'd furnish it and then describe your first party there.
Well, The Mr. and I have an agreement that if we ever have $1 million in the bank at one time that we’ll pack up and move to Colorado. I’ve never been there, but he loves it. So, we’d build a house in Colorado somewhere. It would have a mountain view and definitely a lake, creek, or small river. It would be one of those new-fangled log “cabins” that’s actually more like a mansion that happens to be built out of rather large logs, aka big, fat trees. There would be abundant trees and it would require either a very long walk or a short drive to our nearest neighbor. I would furnish it ruggedly. I’m a practical person as it is, so I’d go with practical furniture that would fit well with a family. No museum pieces, please. And I think earth tones with rich, dark highlights. Nothing country, nothing floral, absolutely nothing overly girly.
The party: family and friends, probably pot luck, nothing fancy.

3. If you could have dinner with five people from history, living or dead, who would they be? What about five fictional characters? What would you serve at each dinner?
These questions are always hard for me to answer because while I admire a lot of people, there are very few that I would crawl over myself to be in the company of.
Excluding people I can already have dinner with like my parents, my husband and my kids…
Real people: Maya Angelou—perhaps I could absorb her talent; Dorothea Lange and Annie Leibovitz—again, hoping to absorb talent; the aforementioned Lorrie Moore. Although I met and spoke with her in college I think now that I’m older and not so intimidated by folks who are better than I would be a much more appropriate time to actually pick her brain.
Fictional characters: the first and only fictional character that comes to mind is Murphy Brown. She’s real, she’s a journalist, she seems practical and is no holds barred.
For each dinner, I would somehow find out what type of food or what specific dish that person likes and try to make that. I would have something chocolate, of course, for dessert.

4. Describe your least favourite and best characteristics.
Least favorite characteristics: I’m self-conscious to a fault, I’m very hard on myself (which can be good and bad), I’m a binge eater, I tend to be controlling and anal-retentive (again with the good and bad thing).
Best characteristics: I’m a great friend, I’m very thoughtful, I’m passionate, I can usually see both sides of an issue, I’m frugal.

5. And finally, answer James Lipton's Ten Questions: (And I don't want to hear that this is cheating. It's MY interview, I'll ask what I want. So there.)
What is your favorite word? Right now, I think it’s “sweet”
What is your least favorite word? hate
What turns you on? strength
What turns you off? whininess, indecisiveness
What is your favorite curse word? Probably sh*t or crap. I don’t know. I use a lot of curse words.
What sound or noise do you love? rain
What sound or noise do you hate? Fingernails scratching a hard surface like a chalkboard or a wall
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Nursing--delivering babies.
What profession would you not like to do? Trash hauling, although I hear they make incredible salaries.
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? I love you. You lead a good life and did exactly what I wanted you to do.

Here are the instructions: Leave me a comment saying “interview me.” The first five commenters will be the participants.I will respond by asking you five questions.You will update your blog/site with the answers to the questions.You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.