Meme virgin no more...

So generally I am a little averse to memes. Some people do them very well when they integrate a little narrative about themselves into them, but I occasionally find them a little self-indulgent if that storytelling or personalization is missing. However, I generally like the responses I've seen in the "ask me 5 questions" variety, especially when one is interviewed by the charming rogue that is Ant. So here goes...

1) Let's start with the ever-faithful crush question - looks/personality...
It may be a bit of a cop-out to describe my boyfriend, but he genuinely was my most recent crush, and the first serious crush I'd had in a long time.
Looks wise... big blue eyes, great dimples, and a cute scruffiness about him.
Personality wise, what drew me most to him was his unique take on the world, his quirky sense of humour, his genuineness in his interactions with anyone, and how I felt like he saw me at a more honest level than almost anyone. We would plan to go out for coffee for an hour, and somehow five hours would pass nearly instantaneously-- that kind of connection is hard to ignore, I guess.

2) The city you live in was recently described as officially *the* best place to live, with residents having the longest life expectancy of anywhere in the world. Do you ever get fed up with the excess of old people around town?
You know, I honestly never noticed a particular predominance of old people here. My only pet peeve about the elderly is the few who don't wait for the train to empty before they get on, and you have to move for them because they are old, and theoretically brittle.

As an aside, I actually did a practicum in geriatric psychiatry a few summers ago, and I found it a great deal more interesting than I expected. The stories some of the folk I came across were fascinating, and the hardships they've endured are something that most people my age in North American have no frame of reference for.
Because of this, I would say that I get fed up more with the preponderance of trendy 20-somethings in this city-- though I know this is hypocritical as I arguably fit in that category!

3) Same question as for Ifreud: why did you decide to study psychology?
While I was in high school, a course called C.A.P.P. (career and personal planning) was introduced to ostentatiously help us teenagers, well, plan our lives. I remember little of use from this class outside of awful pictures of genitals rife with herpes and warts, as well as work experience, where we got to go into the community to work a few days at a real job (side note- my first was in radio broadcasting, which was great, but there was nothing else that interested me for my second placement, so I picked a spa in order to get a free manicure. I spent the day punching out business cards).

Anyways, one of our assignments in C.A.P.P. was to complete a computerized career assessment (this was also around the time that the internet was being integrated into the curriculum in really random ways), and write about the top results. The first thing I noticed when I completed it was that actress was only in the second category on my list. At the time, I was enveloped in dreams of movie-stardom, and briefly considered going back and changing my answers to get it ranked as number one.
Secondly, however, I noticed that psychologist was in my number one category. In completing the assignment, it suddenly began to make a lot of sense. I volunteered doing peer counselling and mediation, I tended to be the one that friends always came to for advice, I was always fascinated when hearing about the topic, and I, too, had a natural tendency towards voyeurism and fascination about the human condition. It also fit with the fact that I had always planned to go to university, and was a little split knowing that a degree in drama wasn't exactly going to guarantee me a career.

So, yes, I actually decided my career through this awful course. And, no, I'm not too sure why the same traits would determine someone to be a good actress and psychologist, outside of perhaps a certain degree of extraversion.

4) Have you ever screamed at one of your clients "Oh for fucks sake, stop crying and just get over it!"? If so, did you enjoy it? If not, do you think you will?
I have not at this point. I have had one client who certainly made this thought run through my head on occasion-- but they teach us how to say things in a much more diplomatic manner, such as "With a little reflection, do you think the situation is quite as dire as you have conceptualized it?"
I love how you frame it as "you will", as though I have no choice in the matter.
I think I would be way too racked by guilt to enjoy it for very long.

5) What aspect of your life makes your soul peaceful?
Live music, lying in the sunshine, and the ocean. I can forget about myself in those moments.

If you are feeling particularly disclosing or intrigued, feel free to respond to this post with "interview me", and I'll do my best to stir up some worthwhile queries.