Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Interviewed by RA

I was recently interviewed by RA. Here is our Q&A. She asked some pretty good questions.

If you'd like me to interview you, leave the request in the comments and I'll send you an email.

1. Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging after reading several blogs and thinking "hey, I could do that!" I've always liked writing, and have been told on occasion that I write pretty well.

When my marriage began crumbling, it became an outlet for my feelings, especially since no one really knew about it. After my daughters died, it became more important to me to share my stories and my life. Blogging really got me through a lot during the first few months after they died. Even just writing about organizing my junk drawer helped, because it was a sense of normalcy. Not everyone can identify with losing a loved one but a junk drawer is pretty universal.

2. What's the best thing about where you live? The worst?

The best thing about where I live is that it's got a small town feel, but we have the amenities of the big city, like a 24-hour Wal-Mart. I'm also 15 minutes from St. Louis, for baseball games, the Zoo, and cultural activities like The Muny and The Fox Theatre.

The downside of my city is that parts of it are getting a bit rough. And those rough sections seem to be growing in size. I'm not so naive to believe that just because we're not a major metropolitan area doesn't mean we don't have drugs and crime, but it worries me that the perpetrators of those crimes seem to be getting younger. I just hope that I can educate Maddy, and keep the lines of communication open with her, and hope and pray that I'm raising her to make the right choices.

3. What would your teenage self think of the person you are now?

My teenage self would be impressed with me, I hope. She might also be disappointed in me, in that we didn't become a famous writer (but I'm still working on it!) The teenage me would also be surprised that our parents knew what they were talking about when they lectured us on manners, respect, and the importance of clean underwear. She might also be shocked that we make our bed every morning after swearing once we moved out we'd never make our beds again!

4. If you could hire a personal servant, who would you choose?

I think I'd like a secretary, to keep my correspondence and calendar organized. I envision a capable young woman, like in the movies from the 40s, dressed in a pencil skirt, crisp white blouse and kickin' round toe pumps, coming to me in the morning with her steno pad and reminding me of my daily engagements, letters to be sent, and invitations which need replies. Perhaps I should also stop watching so many Bette Davis movies.

5. What skill do you wish you had?

I wish I was able to crochet or knit. I don't think I have the patience or hand-eye coordination. I admire people who can take a ball of yarn and turn it into a sweater, or scarf, and not have it look like it was done by a 6-year old at camp.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have you seen that commercial for Blackberry (or something?) with a huge guy name Sven who wakes up the whole family, tells them the weather, and reminds them of appointments? Maybe that would be an okay switch from Bette Davis; Sven seemed pretty handy. :)

minniemama68 said...

If you want to interview me, I'll do it. No one knows who I am anyway. You'll probably get a lot of people saying "who???"

Zip n Tizzy said...

My guess is Maddy's going to turn out just fine. She's got a family who loves her, a large community of friends looking out for her, and an active interesting life. It is scary how many young kids turn to crime, but it's usually out of desparation and a feeling that nobody cares.

You are awesome, and I think your teenage self will see the writing dream through. (Particularly since the adult you keeps the beds made and dots all her i's and crosses her t's;)

Unknown said...

You can interview me if you want. (That'll help on the days I'm not sure what to post about, haha!)

Jaelithe said...

Hey I just learned how to knit! I thought I would have a really hard time learning, because I am clumsy and have so-so spacial skills, and also I'm left-handed so anything like that tends to be harder for me as instruction manuals, etc/ assume you're right handed.

But it was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I could teach you! (I could teach you how to knit anything rectangular, anyway. I still haven't learned more complex things, like knitting in the round. But lots of things are rectangular-- scarves, blankets, dishtowels . . . Heh.)

Janet said...

RA interviewed me too, and if my blog would let me in (grr!) I would answer. She had great Qs for you and I loved your answers too :)

Anonymous said...

"4. If you could hire a personal servant, who would you choose?

I think I'd like a secretary, to keep my correspondence and calendar organized. I envision a capable young woman, like in the movies from the 40s, dressed in a pencil skirt, crisp white blouse and kickin' round toe pumps, coming to me in the morning with her steno pad and reminding me of my daily engagements, letters to be sent, and invitations which need replies. Perhaps I should also stop watching so many Bette Davis movies. "

The statement above totally gets my idea for a personal assistant. I just can't afford one. :(

Good read and I liked that you opened up about yourself.