This interview proved to be much more introspective than I realized it would be. I ended up spending most of my "working" afternoon thinking about my answers and even researching some. Now, if you will agree to be interviewed by me, put your email address either in an email to me, or in the comments and tell me that you want me to ask you some questions...then you will post the answers on your blog, and so on and so on and so on. Now, before you sign up, I must disclose is that I get to ask you ANYTHING I want!
(1) Name only one blogger you really respect and tell me why.
Every blogger on my blogroll has my respect for any number of reasons, but the question says name one, and I am all about the rules, so the one that really stands out for me is Ashley from Planet Davila.
I am not a nice person. I have mentioned before that I get very anxious about my future at my university because of the weight placed on student evaluations. So now, when I look at one of those rating professor sites, I get a secret thrill (not so secret anymore) when one of my colleagues gets bashed. I think...SEE, sucks don't it?
In the face of my own disappointments, I am not a good enough person to revel in another's happiness, and instead find myself entrenched in that oh. so. bitchy. place. of. IT'S SO NOT Fairville.
However, my grievances can not even begin to compare with Ashley's, yet I have seen, from just her blog and her comments on other blogs, that allowing myself to be happy for someone else's good fortune, even smack dab in the face of my own rotten luck, is really the path to take. That being said, I am not on that path yet. But I think maybe it is just through this thorny mess of branches, and I might be able to fight my way to it. Thanks, Ashley for being so awesome.
(2) If you had to pick a non-urban, U.S. destination in which to vacation for a week, where would you go?
I would go to Jeckyll Island, GA to spend time visiting and volunteering at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, and lazing by the water with Mr. P, but since that trip would violate question (3), please refer to the answer to question (3).
(3) If you had $500 to spend on housing, food and entertainment for the trip mentioned in (2), how would you spend it?
Last summer we bought a little boat, and we triple dog love being out on the water, so it would be so great to pack up the truck with food/supplies from home, then drag the boat to some awesome lakey area in Tennessee, or potentially a Carolina (since gas is so cheap right now), and boat for a week visiting various lakes. I was thinking for example:
Day 1: Drive to "location". Hotel.
Day 2: Boat/camp.
Day 3: Move to second location. Hotel.
Day 4: Boat/camp.
Day 5: Move to third location. Hotel.
Day 6: Boat/camp
Day 7: Home.
The hotels can be minimal...any bed and any shower are awesome after even one night of camping/boating in my book.
So the $500 would be, say $250 hotels (I added a bit more here so we could have free wi-fi (for blogging) and breakfast), $100 boat gas, $150 eating out on hotel nights. I am not counting the food/supplies we bring from home because we would eat and drink at home ANYWAY. Plus, I didn't count gas either since we could just use our gas card.
(4) Tell me about one person with whom you've lost touch. If you hope for a reunion, how would you like that reunion to take place?
I have lost touch with my best friend from college. We met at freshmen orientation, she was in line behind me at the cafeteria and talked to me. Which since you don't know me in person, that was painful for me. I don't do stranger conversation well. Then, she found me in a freshman directory and mailed me a postcard, all before we started school. I went to college in the Fall and knew NO ONE. I went through sorority rush and ran into postcard girl again. We ended up pledging the same sorority, and we were then inseparable for our entire freshman year.
About two weeks before sophomore year, her parents told her they couldn't afford school anymore and she didn't come back. I visited her sophomore year spring break and that was the last time I saw her. I talked to her once about 12 years ago.
As far as how I would want the reunion to go, I guess the chicken shit way - - email or perhaps Facebook. I have no idea who she grew up to be, and vice versa...we were 18 when we were friends. But I think about her often, and wonder how she is. Maybe I will try to find her.
(5) In 2008, what was your biggest achievement and your biggest failure/disappointment?
My biggest achievement was convincing the high school kid of the importance of the ACT. Yes, I know that technically the achievement was the kid's...but I was the source of motivation!
My biggest failure/disappointment was not being with my sister for ANY of the holidays. I hate that. I hate that we both had to spend time with our father alone to hear all about how he graduated from college this year, but failed to tell anyone, how he hung out with Bear Bryant (legendary football coach for University of Alabama, blech), how he is SO much smarter than all of his friends because he can calculate tips in his head, all while he is drinking lots. At lunch. At dinner. Watching a Star Trek movie.
I hate that my sister also had to hang out with my mother, and I don't even know that I can adequately describe what that is like. She tells the same stories (that are ridiculous to begin with) over and over in this whiny, cutesy voice because she thinks she is fucking hilarious. In the middle of her stories she takes these giant breathes for emphasis, and every two minutes coughs up an emphysema (stolen from Tracy). She tries to be sarcastic but it comes off completely condescending and obnoxious. If Steamboat is being bratty, she tells my sister how bratty she was. If my college kid is being a smart ass, she tells me how I am a smart ass. It is completely horrible. So that is my biggest regret. Having to spend time with my parents. Not spending time with my sister. I guess I still need to read Ashley's blog a bit more.
So step right up and let me interview you!!!
5 comments:
Ahhh, I've got everyone fooled :)
Seriously, that is really sweet what you said about me. Now I'm blushing. I think my "two selves" have helped me tremendously--poor Lee, he's the one who sees the bitchy, jealous, bitter, angry self as I usually am pretty adept at hiding it from the real world. Healthy? Probably not. But oh well. Anyhoo, thanks again for the sentiment.
I'm sorry about your family and not seeing Tracy at Christmas, that does indeed suck, no way around that suckiness factor. I hope you get to see her and Steamboat soon!
Sadly, my brain immediately took your first few notes of the ET theme and made them (inappropriately because the notes don't even match) into the Chicken Dance Song. SO I will be saddled with a shite polka in my head for the rest of the day.
If you aren't on there already, Facebook is a great place to find the long lost friends in your life. It is also a place for people that you never wanted to see again to find you, so beware. But it's really the best place to start. It's nice just to be able to say hi and keep up with the people we have loved.
You know, I *think* I posted a comment but then I think something went wrong.
Forgive it it's a duplicate.
OK, first off, I really must have everyone fooled..... :)
But seriously, thank you for your kind words. I almost got all teary here at work! I think the split selves helps...poor Lee is the one who gets to see bitter, bitchy, jealous self the most, as I am pretty adept at hiding her from the rest of the world. Unhealthy? Probably. But it is what it is.
I'm really sorry you didn't get to see Tracy and Steamboat. That sucks donkey. And the rest of your family--they sound very....trying. I'll keep it at that.
THANKS AGAIN :)
oh oh oh mr. kotter---pick me pick me! : ) i think. i mean, i think i want to be picked.
i love your interview answers and if you do come to the carolina's to boat/camp you HAVE to come visit me : )
I love your responses to my questions. Thanks for humoring me! Funny enough, I actually went up to a girl my freshman year and introduced myself. I went to a LARGE, SOUTHERN public university and knew I'd meet very few Jewish people there. For whatever reason, I knew she was Jewish and felt compelled to introduce myself. We became great friends and though our paths in school didn't overlap very much, we maintained a friendship there and ever since then. It's amazing what the power of HELLO will do.
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