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April 23, 2007
A Mind-Wobbling Interview
You know I don't do memes, except on MySpace, where I'm a whore for anything involving questions that allow me to talk about myself. Dirty little secret, right there. But I do enjoy the interview memes that float around the blogosphere on occasion. Since I've been in such a foul mood of late, I need something to distract me from the crabby-ass writing I've done in the past few weeks. So, when I saw Dixie and Hilda participating in interviewing each other, I jumped aboard. Here's what Hilda had to say to me:
Let's see I don't *know* you too well, as I'm a relatively new reader of your blog. So I'll go generic.
Whoa. I'll bet we know each other better than you might realize. I occasionally particapte on a message board where you were once quite active. We were even partnered in a swap for our spouses (as opposed to a spousal swap, which is something entirely different) way, way, way back when.
1) Did you go to college? If so where and in what did you major?
I've spent seven years in college and have yet to optain a degree, thus making me the dumbest overeducated person in the world. I have a big problem that involves refusing to take "required" classes that have absolutely nothing to do with my course of study. From 1991 until 1995, I was a communication and English double-major at the University of Missouri - Columbia. For a year and a half, starting in January, 2000, I was in the culinary program at a local St. Louis college. I took the classes that interested me and went to work. While I was building my teensy little culinary empire, I took a year of English lit and writing classes because I'm nerdy enough to consider that fun, and also to keep my student loans deferred while I got my catering company up and running.
2) How is it that you're familiar with Cuban coffee (as opposed to espresso - they are so *not* the same thing!)?
Mainly because I'm a coffee nerd, but I'll get to that in question #4. I'm also a foodie, as I'm sure you can tell from my first answer. About ten years ago I checked out A Taste of Cuba: Recipes From the Cuban-American Community by Linette Creen from the library and, shamefully, never returned it. It's still on my cookbook shelf, and I still use it all the time. I'd checked it out because I was interested in Cuban-American culture, and wanted to learn more about Cuban cuisine, since there aren't many options for it in Missouri. Anyway, Cuban coffee was mentioned in the book, and I was fascinated.
When I moved to St. Louis, I found a few coffeehouses and a little Cuban grocer/deli that made real cafe Cubano, and I was hooked. Still am.
3) We know all about the beautiful Clara Jane - was she planned or a surprise? Do you want more kids?
Clara Jane was a planned surprise, of sorts. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome and had been told by many doctors that my chances of conceiving without fertility treatments were slim. In September, 2002, I was having such problems with the condition that my doctor went so far as to utter the H-word - hysterectomy. I was a month shy of 30 at the time and even though I hadn't given much thought to having kids, that kicked me into gear. I didn't have the overwhelming urge to have a kid, but being told that I can't do something is a sure-fire way to motivate me.
We started trying, somewhat half-heartedly, in January, 2003. My ob/gyn wanted to start me on Clomid immediately, but I wanted to hold off for a year on the off chance I could get pregnant without medical assistance.
Lo and behold, four months later, I was pregnant. Shocked the hell out of us. Needless to say, I'm glad we skipped the Clomid because otherwise, I'd be dealing with three-year-old octuplets right now.
As much as I adore Clara Jane and enjoy motherhood (most of the time), I'm not hepped up to have another. While my pregnancy was damn near perfect, I had a horrible delivery that ended in an emergency C-section, which led to a staph infection. I was sick for a long time. I also had some pretty severe problems with postpartem depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. I don't want to go through that again, nor do I want to put my loved ones through that again. Besides, I was an only child. It's a darn good deal in a lot of ways.
4) How did you meet your significant other? We want a story!
Oh, we're another one of those online couples! Back in 1998, I'd sworn off dating for six months. When I hit 25 I realized I'd grown tired of being a swingin' single gal about town.
Three months into this break, a friend and I were reading personals ads on Yahoo during our lunch break, making fun of them. Oh, these guys were rich. And I don't mean financially. We're talking comedy gold. But there was one ad that caught my attention, only because it didn't contain any sexual innuendo and the guy seemed smart. What made him seem smart? The fact that his email address was decaf_is_evil@yahoo.com.
I commented to my friend that his ad was cute, and she dared me to email him. I said no. She double-dared. I said no. She triple-dog dared me. I can't resist that, so I sent him an email that simply said, "I like your email address", just to fulfill my dare committment. I didn't expect him to email back, but he was bored at work that day, as was I, so we wound up exchanging a few mails.
I made it perfectly clear that I was on a dating break and he would get nowhere with me. He was fine with that, but made it clear that, should I change my mind, he was fine with that, too. And he kept his word, which impressed me.
On Memorial Day, about a month after that first email, I gave him a call and said, "I'm coming to St. Louis for the day. If you want to meet, great. If not, no biggie."
We met. Spent the day driving around the city and hanging out at his favorite coffeehouse, and have been together ever since, even though I swore for the first three months that we weren't dating and I wasn't his girlfriend.
5) Have you ever been to New Orleans? If so what was your favorite thing about it?
I have, but I don't really remember it. Not for the reason most people have fuzzy memories of New Orleans trips, but because I was a little younger than Clara Jane when I went. My parents took me all over the country when I was but a wee tot. I sort of remember playing on the white sand beaches in Mississippi during that trip, and I remember feeding peacocks in Jackson Square. Or was it the zoo?
My mom tells a horrible story about me and that day in Jackson Square (or zoo), which I probably shouldn't repeat but I will. Again, central Missouri isn't exactly the most diverse place in the world, especially in 1975. This was before I started preschool, so most of the people I encountered were in my family and looked just like me. Obviously, not the case in New Orleans where, upon seeing what was probably the first African-American person I'd ever laid eyes on, I loudly proclaimed, "Mama! Look at that chocolate man!"
I'm happy to announce that I didn't grow up to be a horrible racist who loudly and publically points out peoples' cultural differences. These days I have friends of all flavors.
Now it's someone else's turn to play if they wish: Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” I will respond by asking you five questions in the comments here on this post so check back here. I get to pick the questions. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Posted by Robin at April 23, 2007 07:50 AM
Comments
Oh yippee! Interview me!
Posted by: Marijean at April 23, 2007 10:50 AM
ooh, me. i'm kind of desperate for content nowadays.
Posted by: Wendy at April 23, 2007 11:03 AM
alas, i have no blog (yet), so i can't be an interview subject. you are one of my myspace friends, tho, and i wanted to tell you that i really enjoy your "meme question bulletins." i've copied and pasted quite a few for myself. so, thanks for those!
Posted by: beth at April 23, 2007 11:23 AM
Interview me! My content is also sparse and shite these days.
Posted by: Exena at April 23, 2007 11:36 AM
Your story about New Orleans was funny. My brother who is now almost 50 had never seen anyone who wasn't white; until my mom brought him to St. Louis. One day while getting gas he was out of the car talking to the guy pumping the gasoline. When it was time to go, he told my mom that he wanted to stay with the "chocolate man". My mom was mortified and apologized profusely... much to the man's amusement I'm sure.
Posted by: Amy in StL at April 23, 2007 12:50 PM
Interview me. I'm tired of complaining about college students.
Posted by: 41 at April 23, 2007 03:17 PM
I never get sick of reading these interviews. I wish someone would interview me again because I can't scrape up some content for my blog to save my soul.
Posted by: Dixie at April 23, 2007 03:20 PM
Oh do me.
Posted by: pkb at April 23, 2007 03:36 PM
Sweet Jesus! I didn't consider that I'd actually have to work after making this post. Obviously, I don't think things through. I'll do my part and ask the questions. I'd love it if everyone would pay a visit to the people I'm interviewing. They all have really interesting blogs.
Marijean:
1. I was never 100% clear on what prompted your move from St. Louis to Charlottesville. Explain.
2. You freelance write from home. How did that come about?
3. Have you done any more experiments with veganism?
4. Next time you're in St. Louis, will you let me take you to lunch? If so, where?
5. What do you miss most about the Lou'?
Wendy
1. When are you getting your next tattoo, and what will it be?
2. Do you rock the mic like a vandal?
3. What motivated you to get involved in your first 3-Day?
4. Will you make and share a video of the baby pteradactyl noise our family utilizes to indicate it's someone else's turn while playing dominoes?
5. What do you miss most about Missouri?
Beth - Which Beth are you? I've got about 447 friends named Beth on MySpace. I'll gladly give you some questions to answer on MySpace!
1. You know I'm going to ask you this, because I never get tired of this story. Will you please tell the blogging public about the wet cement?
2. What's your deserted island album, and why?
3. What's the most fun you've had with me?
4. Why do you kill all your favorite rock idols?
5. Best concert experience ever. Which one?
1. What happens when you eat nothing but blue foods for an entire weekend?
2. Did you move to D.C. just because it's easier access to John Edwards?
3. How many Communist countries have you visited?
4. What St. Louis food item do you miss most?
5. I'm a woman. Are you a machine?
Dixie, you're getting interviewed.
1. You have a mere four hours in Memphis. How do you spend it?
2. How did Lottie the Sock Monkey come into your life?
3. Favorite German food?
4. Everyone always focuses on the negatives of physical disabilities. What are some of the good things that have come about because of your husband's limitations that might not have happened if he wasn't paralyzed?
5. You have an unlimited yarn budget. What's the first thing you buy?
1. Are you ever gonna update that blog of yours, now that you finally have one?
2. What's the single funniest Baylorism you've ever heard?
3. You and I have a weekend in which our children and our men aren't our concerns. Where do we go and what do we do?
4. Does the beer really taste better at my house? And if so, would you be willing to make a statement to the people looking to buy my house?
5. What's the best part about parenting a 17-year-old young man?
Posted by: Robin at April 23, 2007 05:56 PM
I love talking about myself, too, but you already know me pretty well.
I would love to be called a chocolate woman. I'd be tasty and make everyone feel better and maybe I'd have a shiny gold wrapper.
I got called a snow bunny once, which I took as a compliment, as I was a surprisingly good skier. A "natural", as they say.
Posted by: allison at April 23, 2007 06:00 PM
Robin,
I *do* remember that swap, I'm just really bad with names!
Your answers were great - thanks for answering!
:)
Posted by: Hilda at April 24, 2007 12:00 AM
Interview me! I am on maternity leave!
Posted by: Zoe at April 24, 2007 04:09 AM
Heh! I didn't really think you'd interview me! I'm off to do my second round of answers. :)
Posted by: Dixie at April 24, 2007 08:05 AM
Can I copy Dixie and ask you to interview me? I swear I have nothing to write about on my own.
Posted by: Tiffany at April 24, 2007 11:24 AM
Hey, I've been sitting here all damn day waiting for Exena to tell the wet cement story. Poppy, light a fire under her ass, I really want to read that.
I know, I know, it's much better to hear it in person surrounded by Rolling Rock and belly laughs, but reading it will be sweet too.
Posted by: pkb at April 24, 2007 04:28 PM
Alrighty, Allison, Beth and Zoe, but no more after this. I'm done!
Allison:
1. I never understood how you wound up in Boston after growing up in rural Pennsylvania. Explain.
2. When did you learn to sew, and why?
3. As a 7th grade English teacher, what's the most entertaining example of 'tween behavior you've witnessed?
4. When are you going to make that aging punk rocker survey/meme/bulletin, and can you give us a preview of some of the questions?
5. That night that Matt was screaming, "You've gotta take me to Jack in the Box!", did you take him?
Beth:
1. How long have you had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and how have you coped with it?
2. When did you learn to knit, and are you as sock-obsessed as me?
3. Which came first - MySpace or my blog? How in the world did you find me?
4. How did Casper, Cleo, Tallulah and Truman come into your life?
5. You have an iPod. If you put it on shuffle right now, what 10 songs come up?
1. What made you decide to not learn the sex of your new baby in advance?
2. If I came to visit you, where's the first place you'd take me, and why?
3. How is having a baby now different than the last time you were pregnant, six years ago?
4. I miss your bouffant. Will you ever bring it back?
5. If you come to visit me, where's the first place you'd want me to take you?
Posted by: Robin at April 24, 2007 06:03 PM
I'm an ass and I forgot to interview Tiffany yesterday.
1. You make really lovely quilts. When did you learn craft, and what prompted you to do so?
2. Dixie stole my questions about hockey and being a young mom. I think she should knit you some socks to make up for it, don't you?
3. Since you had your kids early, that means you'll still be a young'un when they're grown and on their own. What are your plans for that part of your life?
4. How did you come about taking care of kids professionally?
5. With three kids and a kid-related career, what in the world do you do with yourself when you have some kid-free time?
Posted by: Robin at April 25, 2007 08:44 PM
Hiya. I stole just a few of these for my "about me" page on my new blog. I thought I would tell you about it, because I would feel all guilty and stuff if you somehow found me and saw that the questions were yours but nobody told you and you might get mad and stalk me and say mean things about me and to me...
so anyway, yeah.
Posted by: Terra at April 25, 2007 10:40 PM
