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Benjamin

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About Me

Like the placard you hang on the hotel door when you just want to be treated like Garbo, my life is an enormous billboard shouting "Let Me Be!" I'm an intensely introverted, introspective guy who values every second alone. On the other hand, I like people, when they understand that about me, and dream of one day co-existing with someone who can tell precisely when I want delicious conversation and when I want to relish the symphony inside my head. Or on the stereo. I'm very likely to be found listening to music, often classical, and frequently conducting along... Music (and I don't mean pop fluff) is my greatest passion in life. Followed by, in no special order, theatre, films, books (chiefly, but not exclusively, non-fiction), wine and travel. I'm sure I'll update this more later when I remember some major thing, but for now, this is all you get.
You are a Passionate 'In the Moment' Kiss! You
love to make things a little sweeter than they
already are. Or maybe you just enjoy being one
damn hot boy!
What kind of Hot Boy Kiss are you??
brought to you by Quizilla
The sign says this is the world's shortest personality test, but it's actually the world's SCARIEST personality test.
Your Personality Profile
You are elegant, withdrawn, and brilliant.
Your mind is a weapon, able to solve any puzzle.
You are also great at poking holes in arguments and common beliefs.
For you, comfort and calm are very important.
You tend to thrive on your own and shrug off most affection.
You prefer to protect your emotions and stay strong. The World's Shortest Personality Test
You got the dirty Jock. He likes long walks on the
beach and going to public rest rooms. If you
ever run into this guy be sure to be cool and
wrap your tool!
What's your favorite GAY pic?
brought to you by Quizilla Which ArchAngel are you most like?
Gabriel. You're most like the ArchAngel of Communication, in charge of things like telephones, libraries, internet, and the 411 phone menu. You're organised and are not shy about inflicting that organisation on others.
Take this quiz !
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Like Cole Porter wrote: "Blow, Gabriel, Blow"
| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code
I knew a vocal coach who used to say that singers are very oral people: whether it be food, conversation, drink, kissing or sex. I can't say I disagree with her in the least. Wanna see if you agree??

My Interests

Umm.. Am I the only one who senses a vague redundancy in asking "about" us and then following that with "Interests" and then proceeding to specific categories like"Music", "Movies", etc.? It's like they're deliberately courting monotone.... If you didn't read the other categories, perhaps you should.

I'd like to meet:

Oscar Wilde once said "Some cause joy wherever they go; others, whenever they go." I'm interested primarily in the former, unless the infectious joylessness is due to an embittered, vitriolic wit. Then I'm all over them. *AHEM* Most people are answering this with very specific persons they'd like to meet. In their honor, I'll say Meryl Streep, but only if she's got hours to spend with me (no pun intended), Gore Vidal if he's nice, Stephen Sondheim on any terms at all, Woody Allen, Sidney Lumet, Peter O'Toole and, for drool factor, Brad Pitt, Ryan Philippe and "Trevor" from Sean Cody's site.

This is some seriously funny shit!

Video Codes

You Are a Seeker Soul
You are on a quest for knowledge and life challenges.
You love to be curious and ask a ton of questions.
Since you know so much, you make for an interesting conversationalist.
Mentally alert, you can outwit almost anyone (and have fun doing it!).

Very introspective, you can be silently critical of others.
And your quiet nature makes it difficult for people to get to know you.
You see yourself as a philosopher, and you take everything philosophically.
Your main talent is expressing and communicating ideas.

Souls you are most compatible with: Hunter Soul and Visionary Soul What Kind of Soul Are You?

Music:

Mozart, Bach, Prokofiev, Chopin, Wagner, Philip Glass, Led Zeppelin, Stephen Sondheim (from whom I have two notes!), Coldplay, Rufus Wainwright, Ella Fitzgerald, The Singers Unlimited, Glenn Gould, Maria Callas, Richard Strauss, Kirsten Flagstad. Choral music, big time. Others.

Movies:

Amadeus. American Beauty, Heat, Europa Europa, Gods and Monsters, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, Running on Empty, Ordinary People, Quiz Show.. Countless others.

Television:

None. I do not watch television.

Books:

Gore Vidal in any genre, Orwell, the essays of Susan Sontag, books about theatre history and biographies of people I admire/respect or who fascinate me, despite my loathing.

Heroes:

Uhh.. half the people mentioned so far, including Sondheim, Mozart and Vidal. Also, Abraham Lincoln, but not because of the reasons most people like him, Edward Albee, Eugene O'Neill, August Wilson, T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost. Others.

My Blog

John Cornyn on Iraq, with Deconstruction

My friend, Greg Sagan, wrote to his senator, John Cornyn, on the topic of Iraq. I don't have that missive, but I have posted below John Cornyn's ludicrous reply, as well as Greg's point-by-point ...
Posted by Benjamin on Sat, 21 Oct 2006 11:04:00 PST

"Choose Something Like a Star"

Choose Something Like a Star by Robert Frost - 1947 O Star (the fairest one in sight), We grant your loftiness the right To some obscurity of cloud -- It will not do to say of night, Since dark is wh...
Posted by Benjamin on Wed, 16 Aug 2006 09:46:00 PST

As luck would have it....

Strange things don't happen to me all that often, but I've noted an unusual trend of good fortune recently. Strike that. GREAT fortune. Even absurdly great fortune. It begins with my being stopped for...
Posted by Benjamin on Tue, 15 Aug 2006 06:16:00 PST

So Now I'm a Stalker...

Well, not really. But in the delusional mind of ... someone who doesn't like his name appearing in print. It all began with my trying, perhaps too earnestly, to communicate with someone who stubbornl...
Posted by Benjamin on Mon, 31 Jul 2006 08:27:00 PST

Criterion Whore

That's my new nickname. I don't know what it is: ever since I discovered the *gorgeous* transfers and extraordinary special features offered by The Criterion Collection's DVD's, I've become this compu...
Posted by Benjamin on Fri, 23 Jun 2006 11:38:00 PST

On "str8-acting"

Am I the only one who finds this trend alarming? And even a little insulting? I look at profiles here and elsewhere and there are more and more people who either claim to be "str8-acting" or express i...
Posted by Benjamin on Sat, 17 Jun 2006 11:07:00 PST

Single Again...

So, single is my norm. Really, anything else is the exception proving the rule. I don't "do" relationships much, and most people I know feel I don't "do" them well either. But the question, then, is w...
Posted by Benjamin on Tue, 30 May 2006 02:29:00 PST

Politics (as usual)

WAR CRIMES There are many who feel that the time has come for a serious investigation into the deeds of the present administration, and even some who have predetermined that we ought to or must impe...
Posted by Benjamin on Tue, 23 May 2006 08:34:00 PST

Drug Abuse, from a sweeping perspective

Time for another column from my good friend, Greg. As always, reprinted with his permission. Mexico retreats from the threshold of a fortune By Greg Sagan Opinion What you cannot enforce, do not com...
Posted by Benjamin on Sat, 13 May 2006 09:45:00 PST

Miscarriage of Justice

The jury today decided that it was OK to execute Zacharias Moussaoui. I'm still trying to figure out what he did wrong. Oh, I realize he intended to do wrong. But through a combination of ineptitude, ...
Posted by Benjamin on Tue, 04 Apr 2006 11:18:00 PST