1. In five words or less, describe what you do for a living. (Don't be cute.)

Eat, sleep, breath.

2. If you were worth $40 billion and had already bought and donated everything you wanted to, would you spend $40 million on a beautiful Van Gogh painting?

I would probably dedicate my wealth to bedeviling the plans of all the other wealthy people who secretly ruin the lives of the rest of the world in order to get more wealthy. If Van Gogh fit into those plans, then I'd consider it.

3. Would you spend $40 million on a 200-foot yacht?

Possibly. I like the idea of living in the ocean, attached to no nation. I'd have to hire mercenaries to defend me against pirates. Fun!

4. How many times have you been engaged to be married?

None times.

5. Did you have a steady boyfriend or girlfriend in high school?

Senior year I did. I had a dream about Jodie the other night...

THREE MARX BROTHERS-THEMED QUESTIONS:

6. Have you ever had a day at the races?

Horse? no. NASCAR? Unfortunately, yes.

7. Have you ever had a night at the opera?

Sort of? I've been to some pseudo-opera. Does rock-opera count? How about Slow Fire?  

8. Have you ever eaten duck soup?

I don't think I have.

9. If you accomplish something major that you're proud of, and nobody gives you any credit for it, does that bother you?

Not as much as you'd think. However, if someone else got credit for it, I'd buy a gun...

10. Of all the things that your "dream house" will have (which your current place of residence does not), what are the three most important?

More room(s). Land. Trees.

11. Who is the most famous person you've ever met? ("Met" = at least exchanged two words with face-to-face, preferably shook hands with)

Well, Not sure who's the most famous, but here's a list:
Orson Scott Card, Craig T. Nelson, Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussein, Robert Sledge, Curley Neal, Athenaeum, Robert W. Scott (Great-uncle), W. Kerr Scott (Great-Great-uncle), Dean Haglund and Howard Coble (as you can tell, I'm defining famous as "at least has a wikipedia article about them"). Of course, by this definition, I have to include the guy I stole this survey from, Tim Pratt.

12. Have you ever seen a U.S. President in person? (You didn't have to meet him)

No, but, as mentioned above, my Great-Uncle was Governer of North Carolina. Closest I've come. I've met a couple of congressmen, too.

13. If you go to a favorite restaurant, do you always order the same dish or do you mix it up a bit?

I go with favorite dish about 60% of the time, and mix it up the rest.

14. When was the last time either of your parents saw you naked?

Not since I was very young, for sure.

15. What town did you grow up in? What was the best thing about it? The worst thing?

Greensboro, North Carolina is often referred to by it's natives as "Greensboring". This is because there is surprisingly little to do for a city of its size (around 250K people) that has so many colleges. It's had a pretty decent music scene since I was a kid, which I've been a participant in. The best thing? I guess that it's a pretty "nice place to live", not too big, not too small, low crime, decent weather, etc.

16. What town do you live in now? What was the best thing about it? The worst thing?

San Diego, California. Best thing, most people would say, is the "nation's best weather", sunny and 72 degrees year-round. However, that's only true of the coastal areas, it gets REALLY HOT inland, which is where all of the "affordable" housing is. IMO, the best thing is the diversity. San Diego is easily the most ethnically and culturally diverse place I've ever lived. Worst thing: The weather. Seriously. I miss winter, and I can't stand the heat.

17. When you Google your name, in quotes, how many results do you get?

291. About half are actually about me. An annoyingly high percentage of them are about Kenny Loggins. Sigh.

18. What's your astrological sign, and do you think your personality is typical of that sign's supposed traits?

Capricorn. Some of it applies to me, some doesn't.

19. What household items do you have more of than you need?

Are "guitars" a household item? I ripped off Tim's answer and substituted guitars for 'books'. Other than that, since I just moved into a new place, we actually have too few of just about everything. Except chairs. We have too many chairs.

20. Name something you ate all the time as a kid that you wouldn't touch now.

I don't think it counts as "as a kid" but in college I lived off Ramen noodles for months, nay, years at a time. Now I can't stand the sight of them...