The Interrogative Mood: A Novel?...

Are you acquainted with Padgett Powell? Have you read his new book, The Interrogative Mood: A Novel? Dare I risk a poor imitation even though I haven't read it yet?

Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas? Do you remember that line from A Christmas Story? Have you ever had soap poisoning?

Do you still think about toys you loved as a kid? Is Colorforms on the list? Did you ever have a playmate whose parents bought them all the messy toys that your parents wouldn't dream of bringing into the house? Did you like that kid, or just their toys? Were there a lot of kids in your neighborhood growing up?

Have you taken down your Christmas tree yet? Do you pack everything away carefully, or just take your chances with breakage? Have you vacuumed up all the needles? How often do you vacuum in general? Are there dishes in your sink? And how often do you change your bed? Is that too personal?

Is it nerdy to be home on New Year's Eve blogging? Do I care? Can you believe that it's been ten years since we were all worrying about the Y2K doom and gloom threats? Are you happier today than you were ten years ago? Why?

How long has it been since you talked to your best friend? Went to the dentist? Weighed your ideal weight? Is your bathroom scale in the bathroom? What else is in your bathroom? Do you keep magazines in there?

Have you ever made a mistake that you can't forget? Have you forgiven yourself? Have you tried?

Are you green? How big is your carbon footprint? Are you committed enough to live without air conditioning? Are you old enough to remember when schools weren't air conditioned? And when the black boards were actually black? Did you have a policeman come to school once a year to hold a bicycle rodeo? Do you remember what the hand signal is for a left turn?

Was this post annoying? Or was it as much fun to read as it was to write?

Do I want to read Mr. Powell's book? Is the Pope Catholic?