Interviewing

[Ponine]

My first interview'ie has a lot on his plate right now, and requested I choose another victim.....

I would like to interview LibraryVixen

1. Is there a single moment in your life that you find yourself returning to over and over in your memory? What is it? How old is the memory? Not something you can change, but something you just cant shake.
   
2. You are a great fan of the written word, who's life do you wish you could have experienced? Fictional or not.
   
3. What profession do you wish you could attempt, but know/feel that you are not say tempermentally suited for it?
   
4. What do you feel will be the hardest challenge in parenting when your daughter reaches her teen years, or teen experiences?
   
5. Describe for me, the ideal date.
   

Bonus: ____________________ is sexy. _______________ is sexier

.

[€uroMeinke]

I want to play! and I'd like to interview lndyHop:

Questions for LindyHop

1. I know you enjoy swing dancing at Disneyland. When and how did your interest in dance begin? Is it something you like to watch as well as do. Please tell us you most memorable dance experience.
2. What life experience caused you to learn the most about yourself, and what did you learn.
3. What are you curious about? What peaks your interests, and what information or experiences do you seek out?
4. What fictional character(s) do you connect with – either in seeming close to your own sensibilities, or as someone you’d like to be like.
5. 100 years from now, what would you like to be remembered for?
   

[lindyhop]

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

I want to play! and I'd like to interview lndyHop:

Questions for LindyHop

1. I know you enjoy swing dancing at Disneyland. When and how did your interest in dance begin? Is it something you like to watch as well as do. Please tell us you most memorable dance experience.
2. What life experience caused you to learn the most about yourself, and what did you learn.
3. What are you curious about? What peaks your interests, and what information or experiences do you seek out?
4. What fictional character(s) do you connect with – either in seeming close to your own sensibilities, or as someone you’d like to be like.
5. 100 years from now, what would you like to be remembered for?
   

Well, I just walked in after not being around all week and I see this intriguing list of questions. So I wonder what in the world is going on? Now that I've read the rest of the thread and seen all the thoughtful questions and answers...well, I'm going to have to give this some thought to really do it justice.

I'll be back.

[lindyhop]

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

I know you enjoy swing dancing at Disneyland. When and how did your interest in dance begin? Is it something you like to watch as well as do. Please tell us you most memorable dance experience.

When I was four or five years old my mother tried to get started with a tap dancing class. I was very shy and very awkward and hated it. Despite that experience I was always attracted to dance (on my own terms) because I love music, especially music that makes you want to move. I alway thought that it was out of reach for me because I didn't know any men who liked to dance and you needed a partner, right?

Then in the summer of 1999 I was at Disneyland and noticed that they were offering a free swing dance lesson at Plaza Gardens. I joined in that night and went back every Friday night for the rest of the summer. I discovered that the people who taught the lessons (and organized the rest of the entertainment during the band breaks that year) taught classes in Pasadena and they advertised that you didn't need a partner so I tried it out. I found 100 people (more men than women!) on a Sunday afternoon all learning to dance. That was more than five years ago and I've never stopped.

I like watching dance sometimes but mostly I just want to be doing it myself. If I am just watching I study to see what styling the woman is doing that I might try myself and I watch the man to decide if this is someone I'd like to dance with.

One of the magical things I've discovered about learning to dance it that it's really learning a whole new language and each dance can be an intense conversation even if you never exchange a word. My most memorable dances have been when I've been totally in synch with someone for those three or four minutes. Sometimes it happens with someone I know but it can also happen with someone I've never met before and I'll never see again.

What life experience caused you to learn the most about yourself, and what did you learn.

My divorce. That woke me up out of what I'd accepted that my life was going to be. I was married, I had a husband, a child, and that was the way things were supposed to be. I didn't even think about whether all that made me happy, it was just what was expected. I also learned how strong I could be on my own.

What are you curious about? What peaks your interests, and what information or experiences do you seek out?

I'm generally curious about the most useless and esoteric information. Like in today's paper there was an article about an archaeological dig on the Donner Party. I guess there was other news today but (yawn) who cares when people are digging up bone fragments to determine whether or not there really was cannibalism. I also like astronomy and reading about scientific discoveries I don't understand. It's still cool.

What fictional character(s) do you connect with – either in seeming close to your own sensibilities, or as someone you’d like to be like.

Kinsey Milhone, Sharone McCone, Skip Langdon, Kate Shugak: These are all characters from my favorite detective fiction series. These woman are independent and strong, they confront problems and solve crimes. I wish I could be just a little bit like them.

Otherwise I think the fictional character that I've connected with since I was a kid is Alice from Alice in Wonderland. I love how she tries to be polite and proper but still manages to argue and disagree with so many characters she meets. She's cranky and bossy and curious and doesn't get punished for being herself.

100 years from now, what would you like to be remembered for?

I want to be remembered as someone who always stayed active even into old age. I want to be remembered as someone positive that people liked to be around, that I made them laugh. And of course, I was a really good dancer...


This was fun. Now the hard part, thinking of questions for someone else!

[lindyhop]

Okay, I'd like to interview Cadaverous Pallor.

1. You have the opportunity to visit your 6-year old self for five minutes. What do you tell your younger self? Does she listen?
2. I remember you mentioning a journal in another thread. Do you still keep a journal? What purpose does it (or did it) serve for you?
3. You have an unexpected day off work with no other obligations or errands needing your attention. None of your friends or family can take time off and join you. How do you spend the day?
4. If you were a super hero, what super power would you have and why?
5. Choose an animal, a vegetable, and a weather phenomenon that describe you.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by lindyhop

You have the opportunity to visit your 6-year old self for five minutes. What do you tell your younger self? Does she listen?

A little backstory first: When I was six we moved. I had been, from what I remember, very happy and even somewhat popular in my old school, for Kinder and part of first grade. As soon as we moved, all of that changed, and I was at the bottom of the social ladder. It wasn't until 9th grade that I actually started having fun socially at school again.

I'd say, "Life is going to be challenging. You are going to have some bad times. You may feel like things won't get better, and you'll feel scared and small. But one day, you will learn to be proud of yourself and not be scared of anyone. You have to be strong and even in the saddest times, remember that one day you will be happy. All your best dreams will come true, you just have to be strong."

I think being overly unhappy due to social pressure is the one big mistake of my young life.

I'd also say that my parents would be hard to deal with, but that one day that'll be ok too. And that I should try to be nice to my mom, because she really does love me, and just doesn't know how to show it very well. Same goes for my brother and dad. "One day you'll miss your brother very much, so be with him and enjoy it while you can."

Would six year old me listen? I think so. I believed in magic for a long, long time, and I can see myself completely believing that this is me, all grown up. Plus, I think just seeing me as I am now would be a great confidence booster. I do think younger me would ignore the "be nice to your family" part, but perhaps walk a little taller, and that'd be worth the trip.

I remember you mentioning a journal in another thread. Do you still keep a journal? What purpose does it (or did it) serve for you?

I did bits and pieces of journaling in high school. Toward the end of high school it was more poetry and short spurts of journaling done on notebook paper to vent frustrations and work out issues regarding attractions and conflicts with friends. I spent many a night writing out feelings by flashlight when I couldn't sleep.

It's funny because as soon as I moved in with GD and truly became happy and less conflicted I pretty much stopped writing all together. A pen and paper was my sole companion when I felt rejected by others and punished by God. Loneliness was my muse.

I turned my writing to emails, and then I became addicted to message boards. So you guys end up saddled with most of my musings.

These days, I don't journal very much really. I do still have one that I've written in sporadically for years. I only turn to it when I have something to vent that I don't want to bore others with....or if it's something that I don't even want to face, never mind burden anyone else with. I make resolutions and decisions, I clearly state when something really angers me....and it kind of makes the feelings feel permanent, or solid, in some way, and I feel justified. Even if I become a backslider later, which I do often.

I think mostly it's "how did I get here" musings, trying to see how things tie together, piecing together the path I'm walking. I also dig the idea of saving a moment for posterity. I love revisiting my emotions past.

You have an unexpected day off work with no other obligations or errands needing your attention. None of your friends or family can take time off and join you. How do you spend the day?

Reality: Sleep in, read the boards for half the day, take a nap, read my book, realize my husband will be home soon.

The better answer: I think I would sleep in. But perhaps then I'd go to the local park, walk around and breathe fresh air, feed the ducks, read and maybe even try working on writing my great novel/screenplay....but mostly clear my head, daydream, lay on the blanket and snooze in the sun. Yeah, I know, it's not much, but I seriously love being lazy laying in a grassy place.

If you were a super hero, what super power would you have and why?

Damn, that's a good one.

Flight, gotta have flight! And I wouldn't be super strong or anything so it's not like I could save lives, just fly from place to place is all. Errands would be such a breeze.

Choose an animal, a vegetable, and a weather phenomenon that describe you.[/list]

Geez, I'm always so terrible at this. Um....that describe me? I think others would be better at answering that...

Animal...hmm, that's tough. I find admirable qualities in a lot of different animals. I've always loved giraffes but I'm nothing like them - quiet, tall, stately. How about frogs? Some are colorful and cute and they can be loud if they want. I don't know, I just pulled that out of thin air.

Ok, if by "vegetable" you mean any plant (animal, vegetable, mineral) then I'd pick daisies. I don't really know why, I just like 'em. They're simple, informal, pretty. Smell nice but not overpowering. They can be plain white or come in all kinds of cool colors. And they're decently hardy plants. I had daisies at my wedding.

Weather, wow....a warm rainy day. Where it's raining, but not too hard, just enough to get you wet...and just warm enough to be comfortable (we don't get much of that in SoCal but I've had it elsewhere). The humidity is high and warm and it's almost as if the air is hugging you, but the rain keeps it from being oppressive, and you're happy to get rained on. The sky is dark, almost green, and there's lightning high and far away. I love the rain. I don't know if that describes me but it's what I pick.

I'll come up with an interview tomorrow. Thanks for the great questions, lindyhop!

[libraryvixen]

Originally Posted by Ponine

My first interview'ie has a lot on his plate right now, and requested I choose another victim.....

I would like to interview LibraryVixen

Is there a single moment in your life that you find yourself returning to over and over in your memory? What is it? How old is the memory? Not something you can change, but something you just cant shake.

When my father in law was on his deathbed, he talked to each family member seperately to say his last goodbyes. It will be 3 years since that day on April 15. The first thing I remember saying to him was "Thank you for welcoming me into your family.". What he said to me in the 15 minutes we were together, alone... I will carry with me everywhere I go for the rest of my life. He talked about his love for me and the wishes that he had for me and Bailey. The funny thing... he never once mentioned my (then) husband.
Maybe my FIL knew something I didn't. Not many people get to say goodbye to their loved ones before they die. I was so blessed to get that opportunity. There wasn't anything that I told him that I would ever regret nor take back. I can't shake the feeling that there was something bigger in that room with us. That feeling put the both of us at peace. My FIL looked so serene and I'm happy that the last time I ever saw him, he was at his most radiant. That evening at about 2 AM, he slipped into a coma.

You are a great fan of the written word, who's life do you wish you could have experienced? Fictional or not.

So many people over my entire literary lifetime and I have to pick one. Having mulled over this for a good couple days, I'd have to say that I'd have loved to live the life of Holden Caufield. Catcher in the Rye was the first book I read that had the word fvck in it. I was amazed. Holden was everything that my parents had warned me about. I wanted to do everything he did... run away from school, go to NYC... and then meet my sibling at the carousel.

What profession do you wish you could attempt, but know/feel that you are not say tempermentally suited for it?

I'd love to be a rock star. I am better with small groups of people and not big crowds, so I know that having people scream and yell my name would only embarass me. Also... I hate singing in front of others. I'd love to know the rush of adrenaline associated with being in front of millions of people... but again.. .it's only a pipe dream.

What do you feel will be the hardest challenge in parenting when your daughter reaches her teen years, or teen experiences?

My challenge will be giving her an environment where she can talk to me. One of the kinks in my parent's parenting style is that they scare the crap out of me about so many teen experiences. They never told me any consequence of the actions.. only that I shouldn't do it. Another challenge is working as a team with her dad. He's (obviously) not a woman.. but really wants to find someone for B to talk to that isn't me because he likes to discount me at every turn (even if he has no idea what he's talking about). But, that's not so much an issue with B as it is an issue with R and myself.

Describe for me, the ideal date.

For me, it would involve a lot of talking in a nice, relaxing setting. I love places with lots of coffee... so I'd like to say a bookstore.. but again, I'm bias like that. Sometimes, what people read says a lot about them.



Bonus: Manners are sexy. Chivalry is sexier