Rob - Lilly Friend Project

Preliminary Questions

Do you live within a thirty-minute radius/are you comfortable commuting to Murray Hill or elsewhere in Manhattan to hang out with me?

[REDACTED]

Are you crazy?

Yes No

Can you supply a personal website or social media profile?

[REDACTED]

Once I review your application, I will reach out to have a more formal, sit-down interview to be my friend in Manhattan. This interview will be videotaped and I will be posting the footage on social media. Are you able to report to Manhattan and spend at least an hour for the interview?

Yes No

Open Questions

Why are you filling out this questionnaire?

I was talking about friendship as I walked by the flyer. I've read all the questions, judged you, and now giving you the opportunity to judge me back.

How many "close friends" (by close friends I mean people that you see more than twice a month if they live in the tri-state area or if they are a long-distance friend that you speak with at least twice a month) do you have?

Do you listen to Billie Eilish? If so, why?

It's Saturday morning! What time are you up and what do you want to do with the day?

9am Go for a walk Drink coffee Depending on mood, work on a business project or work on a creative project.

Have you ever had an existential crisis? How did it come about and what was your ultimate takeaway from it?

At 22, I realized that I wasn't a rockstar or actor, and the chances of that happening had narrowed dramatically as most rockstars hit it big by 22. My friend said it's fine, you can now say you are "22" while she was doing scare quotes with her hands. Each finger being a 2. I was deeply amused and moved on.

You are at a party and a topic comes up that you could go on and on and on about that nobody else knows anything about. What is the topic and would you talk about it or not talk about it?

Maybe some obscure stock trading rule or computer networking or repair. Definitely not talk about it, it's a party!!!!

What do you think about feminism? How did you come to that conclusion?

Which wave? I have a fairly nuanced interpretation, depends on if you are asking from the personal lense or the structural lense. Personal lense, anyone can do whatever they want. Structural a nurture vs nature endless argument is started about the place and capabilities of women. >From books like the Scum Manifesto and lots of Wikipedia and talking to friends.

If there was an alternate reality in which you had a debilitating, life-altering addiction, what would you be addicted to?

Speed / Coke / Meth

What are your dreams?

To belong. To be in a collaborative group. To have a place, an importance, and be needed.

Do you believe in ethical consumerism or is it a drop in a giant well that has already been dug by multinational corporations so it doesn't matter?

Giant well.

Multiple-Choice Questions

What qualities are most important to you in a friend

Loyalty Honesty Humor Inspiration A and B C and D

What is the worst thing on this list

Processed sugar Stubbing your toe Throwing up Your mom(or another parental type figure) telling an old embarrassing story in front of new people Realizing you were scammed out of $30

Work is:

A means to an ends A way I bring my passions to life Something I do to better society A total bummer A myth that allows rich people to steal from poor people

Which poet's writing do you most connect with?

Sylvia Plath Rumi Rupi Kaur Rainer Maria Rilke Pablo Neruda

Do you feel like you've lived one life or lots of lives?

Lots of lives Once life I don't think about it like that I don't feel like I am living I am too busy living to think about it

How do you feel about answering all these questions:

Annoyed Intrigued Resentful Inspiration Excited to meet in person Neutral

Aristotle once said; "my friends, there are no friends." How do you feel about that:

Agree Disagree Neutral That's so cold and unfeeling! Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form. Form is not other than emptiness

Essay Question

Please describe a friend breakup you have gone through. If you haven't gone through a friend breakup, please explain why you think you have never gone through a friend breakup. Outline a major friendship in your life and explain why it is successful.

When I read the flyer, I interpreted it to be a friend matching service, as opposed to only matching with you, and I have thought or read about those services so that was my main interest.

Based purely on the questions you have chosen. I don't think we would be great friends. BUT the fact that you went to the trouble to make this and hang up flyers also makes me think we could be amazing friends.

I wish every question was a text box. I feel hemmed in. Or like I can't say, I haven't read any of those poets.

I like how completely without flourish the flyer and website is.

I don't use social media nor would want to be a subject in a social media post.

Happy to explain friend breakup but would rather not type it all out. Short answer is I grew out of the friendship, the things that use to be fulfilling where no longer there.