This survey courtesy of Mistress Aria.
Name?
Connor Coyne, or Connor Ryan Brendan Rush Coyne
“Connor” is a Celtic name meaning “lover of hounds.”
“Coyne” is also Celtic, according to Paddy Coyne is a anglicised form of the gaelic O Cadhain, meaning “descendant of Cadhan”; the name Cadhan itself comes from the Irish meaning “wild goose.”
“Ryan” is my middle name, and is (surprise!) Celtic, meaning “little ruler.”
“Brendan” is my saint name, and he is the patron saint of mariners. He supposedly discovered the New World in the 6th c. AD, but then, he couldn’t tell an island from a whale.
“Rush” is my Nocturnal name, and possibly the greatest band of all time.
Age?
25 years, 6 months, 1 week, 6 days, seventeen hours, and about eighteen minutes.
Gender?
Male.
Where were you born?
Lansing, Michigan, actually…
Where do you live now?
McKinley Park, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
What’s your religion?
I recently converted to Christianity, specifically Roman Catholicism.
I considered conversion to Christian Orthodoxy.
I was raised Unitarian Universalist and, perhaps because of that fact, have a broad respect for all faiths.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE…
Color?
CMB violet, though closely followed by a rich mildew teal. I also like blue.
Car?
1959 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Baby-Blue.
Non-Alcoholic Drink?
Alcoholic Drink?
Rye, straight up.
Bourbon, Guinness.
Mickeys.
Food?
It varies.
Right now, my mom’s Swedish meatballs.
I like almost anything, actually, including fries (all kinds), coney islands and Coney Island (diner) fare, pasties, catfish and steak, salmon, sausage and sauercraut, potatoes, potatoes, potatoes and corn, Romanian and Middle Eastern and Indian and Vietnamiese food, stews of all kinds, and the bland, Irish stuff, cookies, and yes, yes, McDonalds.
Sport?
Baseball.
Artistic Gymnastics.
Movie?
It varies.
Right now, Lost In Translation.
Of all time probably Man on the Moon and Romeo and Juliet and Casablanca.
Honorable mentions are the Shawshank Redemption, Eve’s Bayou, Cast Away, Bowling for Columbine, Nosferatu, Young Frankenstein, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the Secret Garden, the first and third installments of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (the second was crap), Magnolia, Back to the Future, and Pleasantville.
Song?
It varies.
Right now, Jane Says.
The other all time faves are, in order, approximately, Man on the Moon, by R.E.M., Hunter, by Björk, Here’s to the Atom Bomb, by the Smashing Pumpkins, Sweetness Follows, by R.E.M., and Set the Ray to Jerry, by the Smashing Pumpkins.
Music?
It varies.
The pre-college canon (the Big Three, if you will) includes The Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M., and Tori Amos.
Up for serious consideration are Björk, Lush, Outkast, Parliament, Radiohead, and Eminem.
I should note that no group has received “status” since 1997, and so the veritable “threshold presence” of these upstarts is nothing short of revolutionary.
I take my musical taste very seriously… (it should also be noted that I do not, however, take myself very seriously).
Other music that belongs on this list (that is by no means complete) includes, chronologically, approximately, old Celtic, Andean, Romanian, and Roma folk music, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Porgy and Bess, Basie and Ellington and Miller. West Side Story, the Temptations, the Doors, Jimmy Hendrix, Suzanne Vega, Liz Phair, U2, the Cranberries, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, The Digital Underground, the Dayton Family, the Black Eyed Peas, Esham, Drugstore, Gerry Mulligan, and many, many, many others…
Book?
It varies.
Right now, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
Of all time, probably Les Misèrables, by Victor Hugo, in spite of its (considerable) flaws.
More than half of recreational reading is fantasy, for which I whetted my appetite as a child with first Tolkein, then Lewis, and on to those (mostly terrible) TSR series: Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, and Ravenloft. The Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends series, the Realms’ Avatar Trilogy, and the Ravenloft novels “Vampire of the Mists,” and especially “Dance of the Dead,” represent the best TSR ever achieved. More recently it’s been Harry Potter, thought I’m rereadings some old ones.
More than half of the reading that is left is historical reading, or reading unintended for “fun.” I especially like Eastern European history, Michigan history, Physics and Astronomy, Social Science and Demography. I spend a sickening amount of time studying map and population statistics. I also love a specific few art critics, particularly in theater, namely Antonin Artaud and Peter Brook.
The remainer is split pretty evenly between “pulp” and “literature,” which are often equivalent and undestinguishable in my eyes. I’ve surprised myself by going in for the old adventures, like Robinson Crusoe and Heart of Darkness, and the Secret Sharer. I have a soft sport for Jane Austin.
Holiday?
RANDOM THINGS ABOUT YOU
Any pets?
One cat. Eponine.
Where would you like to live in the future?
It varies.
Eventually Flint.
In the meantime, I wouldn’t mind Ireland, Romania, Kyrgystan, Vietnam, Bangladesh… Karachi, Alexandria, Cairo, Cuzco, Tahiti, New Orleans, New York City,
Seattle, Albuquerque, Kansas City, Denver, Detroit, and Omaha. Actually, I’m not that incredibly excited about Omaha.
At the end of the day, I’ll head home to Flint.
Any children? Their names?
None.
Yet.
As far as I know. 😉
That was a joke: don’t freak out.
Name three people you’re close to.
No. Naming three would dishonor too many.
If you could get away with murdering one person, who would it be and why?
Oh, now give me a break!
What do you want on your tombstone?
Ouch! Stop stepping on me!
What’s your motto?
Want more. Try harder. Stop and smell the roses.
Shoe size?
8, 8 1/2.
Hair color?
Brown.
Eye color?
Hazel. (Inner ring green, outer ring brown)
Height? Weight?
5’9″, 120 lbs.
HAVE YOU EVER…
Been drunk?
Yes.
Been in love?
Da.
Gotten a tattoo?
Non.
Gotten pierced?
Nìl sè.
Dyed your hair?
Sì.
Shaved where people of your gender don’t normally shave?
?!
Gone a week without bathing?
I’m sure it’s happened at some point.
AND FINALLY…
Give us some words of wisdom.
If all else fails, talk about the weather.