The Five Questions Meme - via Sarafina

1. Knowing what you know now, would you still become a veterinarian?

Either I'd do it, and immediately do my Pathology Residency.... Or I'd not do it at all. Had I but known how thin on the ground the bennies were, and what kind of hours I'd end up carrying... there are better, easier ways to make a living that do NOT involve working so bloody many weekends. Or all the sleep I've lost getting dragged out of bed at all hours of the night. Or the generalized ingratitude of people.

What would I do? Not sure. Maybe I'd have gone for that PhD in Genetic Engineering instead. Or something like it.

My base problem is that I'm a "scanner" by nature. I'm not content to "know" something - I need to know something else. I flip mental channels the way men use a TV remote. And I'm not sure WHAT career choice would have satisfied THAT.

2. How did you meet John?

Hmmm, to sum up a longish story, we first got involved in an argument on an old Ancient History BB system regarding whether or not Claudius had bumped off various relatives with the intent of occupying the Imperial throne. It segued into a shared serialized fiction project and an offline correspondence. John was stationed on Okinawa at the time, but mail to APO/FPO addresses was the same as US postage. So, letters, packages, AND E-mail. Then, when he was posted back to the states, he got a recruiting billet in Michigan. And the rest is history. It's probably as well we got to know each other intellectually long before any sort of physical relationship was possible. It avoided a lot of the silliness that punctuates new romantic relationships.

3. Where would you live if money were no object?

I'd build a nice big house right here in Grand Haven, with just enough acreage to play. I have it all planned out in my head. Someday I can probably nearly draw you the floorplan and landscaping design. :-)

4. What led you down the path of the esoteric German stuff you study?

The thrill of discovery. I'm geeked by finding portraits that I've never seen before. Styles that are outside the norm. I started with the Cheese Ladies because I'm Dutch, and I don't see Dutch done well very often. (In my mind Flemish =/= Dutch, BTW). Since my heritage is in part Friesian, I spent a lot of time hunting THAT up, only to find there isn't much. But what there is looks a lot like Westphalian dress, and that started me down the rabbit hole.

5. Do you want more kids?

Yes, But there is FEAR. I already have two Autistic children. Could I handle three? Is that a big possibility? Would it be ethical to have a third, konwing that the chances of Autism are elevated and that some of the financial burden for them falls on other people (government agencies, Mom and Dad, etc.) It's something I gnaw on when I've dealt with all the other worries of the day.