I didn't have any madeleines so I ate a few almonds.

I'm sort of into micro-interviews of the Proust Questionnaire variety these days. Especially ones where the questions are rapid-fire and random. This one, "The insider" comes from a fashion magazine, The Moment. I found it while researching The Juan McLean, a musical group comprised of Juan McLean and Nancy Whang, who are actually more like DJs, I guess. They're quite good, had a free download from iTunes last month. But they were interviewed in the March 6 "Insider". Their answers are more interesting to me than mine, but you know what would be even more interesting to me? Your answers to them! It would be so easy to copy and paste the questions into the comment field, erase my answers and put in yours...no pressure. Ever. I'll be doing more Proust Questionnaire-inspired questionnaires in the (hopefully not-so-near) future.

Name: Valerie Hecht

Age: 41

Occupation: Student of Latin American literature of this and the last two centuries

Home base: Vallejo, CA and UC Davis

Retail standby: Retail for me is actually re-sale. I frequent thrift shops more frequently than retail stores.

Music venue: Slim's or The Independent in San Francisco

Favorite concert: White Stripes in Berkeley

Music: Whatever the shuffle cues up. Ani Defranco's "Both Hands" is on every running mix I make now because it gets me up a hill or through the last few minutes.

Provisions: Dried cranberries, coffee, Bombay Sapphire, oranges

For gifts: Flowers, iTunes

Restaurant: Matsuri Sushi; The Front Room; Taquería La Cumbre

Drink: Pimm’s Cup or Sapphire tonic when it's hot, red wine when it’s not.

Party central: Any dinner table surrounded by friends.

Momentary style obsessions: black, properly-fitted t-shirts that bear an image or saying incongruous to my personality (ex: "What happens in Vegas" or the "Nascar" logo)

Reading material: This week, Judith Butler's Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity and the poetry of Mexican feminist and one-time ambassador to Israel, Rosario Castellanos

Art pick: Jim Dine's "Blue Clamp" at SFMoMA

Museums: SFMoMA; Museum of Musical Instruments inTrondheim; Train museum in Old Sac

Movie: Women on the Verge of Nervous Breakdown. It's time for a sequel or remake or update.

Vacation destination: Mexico City

Winter survival tip: Meyer lemons

Something you are looking forward to this spring: There and back, safe and sound.