Interview Meme

This meme is going strong, I have traced it back to I think six other blogs before me. The path backward goes: Journey Woman, Motherreader, A Wrung Sponge, repressed librarian, profgrrrrl and hipsterwannbe (all of these several are blogspot folks I believe), who apparently got the idea from picodulce who blogs at LiveJournal who got it from… you get the idea.

These questions from Journey Woman were written for me… If you want to play, let me know and I will come up with five unique questions for YOUR blog! Journey Woman’s answers and questions were posted on her blog 18 March 2007.

1. If you could imagine a perfect hour for yourself, what would it be?

It would be an hour in my office, painting and listening to music, on a sunny warm day when I have the windows all open and I can hear the birds. Tom would be on his computer in the corner, and every so often one of the kids would wander through on the way to the refrigerator. The old dog would be snoring on the front steps, the young dog would be on the cool tile in the entry, waiting for me to be ready to play.

2. What is your favorite secret food — food you love but that you might not like to admit to?

I really love candy… sweet-tarts, chocolates, caramels, marzipans, gummy bears, abba zabba bars. Not good for me, and not something I would eat every day all the time. But when I can, and in the right moments, I really make a pig of myself.

3. What profession would you least want to do, and why?

It’s a draw between teaching and medicine. Both are heavy responsibilities, and I have seen the kind of time and energy both take from close-hand — I know that though my personal interests and talents put these professions at the top of the possibility scale at this time the negatives far outweigh the benefits. Take away the burden of people’s lives depending on you (in the case of teachers, the children you don’t reach or even turn off of learning; in the case of doctors, literal life decisions). Take away the burden of people thinking that all you do is show up at school or the office and then go home, without realizing the many hours of additional post-grad education, and the constant preparation and review that is necessary for even moderate good results. Take away the burden of competition for better pay, better hours, better support staff, better working conditions (not all teachers are in safe, modern schools; not all doctors have support staff who know what they’re doing). Take away the potential for lawsuits (a child accuses a teacher of inappropriate touching; a doctor is accused of negligence). Take away the incessant clamor from politicians, clients, and the public in general to do better with less. Take all those things away, perhaps they would be tolerable. Perhaps.

4. If someone did something very special for you, and you wanted to pay it forward to three people, how would you do that?

People have done things for me, with no expectation of repayment. I don’t think that paying it forward necessarily requires the same quantity or type of help. So, if I were to deliberately help three people, I would look at the things I do well (art, listening, teaching) and see who I know who can benefit from those skills… I have tutored people for free; I have donated paintings and hand-made clothing for charitable auctions; I have talked for hours with people who just needed to “vent.” We have also opened up our house to people sometimes when they needed a place to stay.

5. Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near? Seriously, what do people love most about you?

I am still trying to figure this one out. I think they like most that I am real. I don’t pretend to be smart, but I do like to share what I know. I don’t try to be better, but I like to be helpful. And I think part of all of that is, I am genuinely happy when other people do well… If I can’t have everything, then it’s nice when my friends have some good fortune!

So those are my somewhat off-the-cuff answers. Let me know if you want to play!

The instructions as found at hipsterwannabe:

1. Leave me a comment saying, “I would like you to ask me questions even though you are not Katie Couric.”
2. I respond by asking you five questions. You will answer them, because you like answering questions (and because I don’t know some of you that well).
3. You will update your blog/LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.