adult adolescent survey

A while back, we asked OtP partygoers and friends a few questions prompted by our current issue. Some folks refused to answer, some got tongue-tied, and some answers we thought best to keep to ourselves. Here's a sampling of responses....

what do you want to be when you grow up?
theme song for your adolescence
theme or actor, movie, show, or song for your adulthood
describe your first or most interesting kiss
what do you do or want to do that your parents don't approve of?

view results by individual respondent

what do you want to be when you grow up?

Flight attendant valerie, 34, clinical researcher

What I am now, though less self-conscious, less fearful of consequences, and (of course) more wildly successful mike, 31, writer/musician

Graduated dušan, 34, grad student

Redeemed stan, 49, writer

Older paul, 50, sailor, writer, carpenter

When I was young, I wanted to be an astronaut or a garbage-truck driver. For some reason, I just loved to see that hydraulic thing crushing all that garbage. That and the fact that you got to ride on the outside of the truck. mark, 30, civil engineer

A bass player in a promising local rock band clyde, 29, dog-groomer

I never want to grow up. ana, 28, teacher

Painting and officially retired keith, precambrian, artist

Forest ranger, goat-cheese maker, person who puts [together] museum exhibits at the MoMA ed, 30-something, not sure

A singer in a rock and roll band esmerelda, 32, it's a long story, but first I was publishing online and then I got laid off and then I got another job on Monday but I already want to quit.

Confident jimbo, 33, general manager

Something different than I am aaron, 30, construction worker

The best Victor I can be! THE Victor. victor, 36, tough guy

Old, fat, and happy wanda, 25, bullfighter—I mean teacher

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theme song for your adolescence

"Babe" valerie

"I'm a Loser" dušan

"Lonely Too Long" stan

"Come On Feel the Noise" clyde

"Got to Give It Up" keith

"Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" paul

"Nights in White Satin" [sic] (even though I didn't understand English and never had white satin sheets) aaron

"Niño en Amor" victor

"Destination Unknown" ana

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theme or actor, movie, show, song for your adulthood

"Beautiful Day" valerie

"Getting Better" dušan

Best in Show—sad, but true clyde

Waiting for Godot paul

Citizen Kane keith

Robert Duvall is everything that an adult male should be. He is this way despite lack of height and lack of hair. We can all learn something from him. jimbo

The Graduate, "Hee Haw," and Mollie Ringwald sometimes esmerelda

Trudy the bag lady, from Lily Tomlin's "Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe" rose

Waterworld marco

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describe your first or most interesting kiss

Spin the Bottle with Brad...wet and weird. valerie

On the Adriatic Coast after eating squid. Her name was Frencis with an "e." Go figure. dušan

I had an incredible equine moment when I was eleven. I first felt part of the universe when the horse's tongue licked my face. clyde

Noah at his father's dissertation party under the magnolia tree. I had Dr. Pepper breath. ana

End of baseball practice—our lips met through a lucky square of the chain link backstop. keith

Albert in Andy's closet when I was 16...and the most interesting involved honey and took place in a small kitchen. esmerelda

I once kissed my mom goodnight when she was ironing some clothes. It was not the usual tightlipped thing, instead our lips mashed a bit. It was not on purpose. I thought, "this is how people must kiss when they mean it." I felt both guilty and worried that my mom felt uncomfortable. So I went to bed. jimbo

Elephant in a Torquay Zoo. paul

I was a late bloomer with the ladies. One of my first kisses was with this girl when I was a freshman in college. I had my first heavy makeout session with this gal. We kept hitting our teeth together, so it was kind of a clanky experience….Recently I was in L.A. in a bar, some gal asked me if I'd do a body shot with her friend. She puts this lime in my mouth and tries to get some extra mouth action out of me and in the process bites the shit out of both the lime and my lower lip. Gave me a huge blood blister and I had to leave the bar to get first aid. mark

The first one was pretty wet and the other one hasn't come yet. aaron

Embarrassing—didn't know what I was doing. stan

One comes to mind, but in retrospect it's just too depressing to share the experience in this format. Maybe that's what being an adult is all about. mike

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what do you do or want to do that your parents don't approve of?

Moved to California valerie

Moved out dušan

Dog grooming to start clyde

Renting keith

My mother still thinks I'm a virgin. rose

No suit paul

At the age of 30, I'm still living in a house with five other people. Other than that, I'm pretty popular with the parents. mark

Quit my job and travel to places where they don't have indoor plumbing esmerelda

Shave my legs. ana

I cut my hair on the sides even though I am losing my hair, and they don't like the way I dress. aaron

Everything, they don't approve of anything. victor

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survey respondents

aaron dušan jimbo mark rose victor ana ed keith mike stan wanda clyde esmerelda marco paul valerie

aaron, 30, construction worker

what do you want to be when you grow up? Something different than I am

theme song for your adolescence "Nights in White Satin" [sic] (even though I didn't understand English and never had white satin sheets)

describe your first or most interesting kiss The first one was pretty wet and the other one hasn't come yet.

what do you do our want to do that your parents don't approve of? I cut my hair on the sides even though I am losing my hair, and they don't like the way I dress.

ana, 28, teacher

what do you want to be when you grow up? I never want to grow up.

theme song for your adolescence "Destination Unknown"

describe your first or most interesting kiss Noah at his father's dissertation party under the magnolia tree. I had Dr. Pepper breath.

what do you do our want to do that your parents don't approve of? Shave my legs.

clyde, 29, dog-groomer

what do you want to be when you grow up? A bass player in a promising local rock band

theme song for your adolescence "Come On Feel the Noise"

theme or actor, movie, show, or song for your adulthood Best in Show—sad, but true

describe your first or most interesting kiss I had an incredible equine moment when I was eleven. I first felt part of the universe when the horse's tongue licked my face.

what do you do our want to do that your parents don't approve of? Dog grooming to start

dušan, 34, grad student

what do you want to be when you grow up? Graduated

theme song for your adolescence "I'm a Loser," by The Beatles

theme or actor, movie, show, or song for your adulthood "Getting Better," by The Beatles

describe your first or most interesting kiss On the Adriatic Coast after eating squid. Her name was Frencis with an "e." Go figure.

what do you do our want to do that your parents don't approve of? Moved out

ed, 30, not sure

what do you want to be when you grow up? Forest ranger, goat-cheese maker, person who puts [together] museum exhibits at the MoMA

esmerelda, 32, it's a long story, but first I got laid off and then I got another job on Monday but I already want to quit.

what do you want to be when you grow up? A singer in a rock and roll band

theme or actor, movie, show, or song for your adulthood The Graduate, "Hee Haw," and Mollie Ringwald sometimes

describe your first or most interesting kiss Albert in Andy's closet when I was 16...and the most interesting involved honey and took place in a small kitchen.

what do you do our want to do that your parents don't approve of? Quit my job and travel to places where they don't have indoor plumbing.

jimbo, 33, general manager

what do you want to be when you grow up? Confident

theme or actor, movie, show, or song for your adulthood Robert Duvall is everything that an adult male should be. He is this way despite lack of height and lack of hair. We can all learn something from him.

describe your first or most interesting kiss I once kissed my mom goodnight when she was ironing some clothes. It was not the usual tightlipped thing, instead our lips mashed a bit. It was not on purpose. I thought, "this is how people must kiss when they mean it." I felt both guilty and worried that my mom felt uncomfortable. So I went to bed.

keith, precambrian, artist

what do you want to be when you grow up? Painting and officially retired

theme song for your adolescence "Got to Give It Up," by Marvin Gaye

theme or actor, movie, show, or song for your adulthood Citizen Kane

describe your first or most interesting kiss End of baseball practice—our lips met through a lucky square of the chain link backstop.

what do you do our want to do that your parents don't approve of? Renting

marco, 32, student

theme or actor, movie, show, or song for your adulthood Waterworld

mark, 30, civil engineer

what do you want to be when you grow up? When I was young, I wanted to be an astronaut or a garbage-truck driver. For some reason, I just loved to see that hydraulic thing crushing all that garbage. That and the fact that you got to ride on the outside of the truck.

describe your first or most interesting kiss I was a late bloomer with the ladies. One of my first kisses was with this girl when I was a freshman in college. I had my first heavy makeout session with this gal. We kept hitting our teeth together, so it was kind of a clanky experience….Recently I was in L.A. in a bar, some gal asked me if I'd do a body shot with her friend. She puts this lime in my mouth and tries to get some extra mouth action out of me and in the process bites the shit out of both the lime and my lower lip. Gave me a huge blood blister and I had to leave the bar to get first aid.

what do you do our want to do that your parents don't approve of? At the age of 30, I'm still living in a house with five other people. Other than that, I'm pretty popular with the parents.

mike, 31, writer/musician

what do you want to be when you grow up? What I am now, though less self-conscious, less fearful of consequences, and (of course) more wildly successful

describe your first or most interesting kiss One comes to mind, but in retrospect it's just too depressing to share the experience in this format. Maybe that's what being an adult is all about.

paul, 50, sailor, writer, carpenter

what do you want to be when you grow up? Older

theme song for your adolescence "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun"

theme or actor, movie, show, or song for your adulthood Waiting for Godot

describe your first or most interesting kiss Elephant in a Torquay Zoo

what do you do our want to do that your parents don't approve of? No suit

rose, 37, nurse/student

theme or actor, movie, show, or song for your adulthood Trudy the bag lady, from Lily Tomlin's "Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe"

what do you do our want to do that your parents don't approve of? My mother still thinks I'm a virgin.

stan, 49, writer

what do you want to be when you grow up? Redeemed

theme song for your adolescence "Lonely Too Long"

describe your first or most interesting kiss Embarrassing—didn't know what I was doing.

valerie, 34, clinical researcher

what do you want to be when you grow up? Flight attendant

theme song for your adolescence "Babe," by Styx

theme or actor, movie, show, or song for your adulthood "Beautiful Day," by U2

describe your first or most interesting kiss Spin the Bottle with Brad...wet and weird

what do you do our want to do that your parents don't approve of? Moved to California

victor, 36, tough guy

what do you want to be when you grow up? The best Victor I can be! THE Victor.

theme song for your adolescence "Niño en Amor"

what do you do our want to do that your parents don't approve of? Everything, they don't approve of anything.

wanda, 25, teacher

what do you want to be when you grow up? Old, fat, and happy.

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