Five Questions: Interview Meme

The Rules: Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."I respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better. If I already know you well, expect the questions may be a little more intimate!You WILL update your journal/bloggy thing/whatever with the answers to the questions.You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Okay, so my questions from Ren-


1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Short answer: a million different things. For a long time I wanted to be a cardiovascular surgeon like Hawkeye from M*A*S*H. I loved dissecting things in class. Then I wanted to be a vet. Then I realized that the jobs I wanted were just those I was exposed to, and that there’s a ton of possibilities. I also really wanted (and still do) to work for CUSO, teaching or building houses in areas that need it. I actually applied once, but didn’t have enough education or skills to interest them. There’s still a strong pull for me to do that kind of work, but, now that I have the education and skills, it’s more complicated with kids.

And I wanted to be a pianist at a bar, singing show tunes with a group of drunks hanging around me. I also remember wanting to be a stripper – my girlfriends and I would perform shows for one another around age 11. We had the best sleepovers! Or a call girl or “kept woman” like Holly Golightly. Then I could do volunteer work in the community all day. I never wanted to be a teacher, because I hated all my teachers. But I thought being a scientist who does research all day would be cool. That or a “world traveler.” That sounds like a great job, but I’m not sure who foots the bill.

ETA -Oh ya, I also remember wanting to be an actor too - as I just caught myself acting out a scene in front of the mirror after brushing my teeth. And I always wanted to be a famous writer, like Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Still working on that one.


2. What feminist issue do you find yourself most torn on?

These days: how best to work with men and bring them alongside. When men ask questions we’ve all heard before and are getting weary of answering, some feminists shoot them down so quickly and with such vitriolic comments that I just shake my head. I don’t think it does a great service to the cause to treat men the way we don’t want them to treat us. Yet I understand where that rage comes from and why it’s sometimes necessary to jump on the comments fast and furious. For some trolls, if they don’t get a clearly angry comment from the onset, they never leave. Yet, on the other hand, I do think we get carried away, jumping on some who aren’t really malicious or particularly offensive even. But then again, I have a very thick skin. So what doesn’t offend me, might offend many others. But, then again, wouldn’t it be better to just delete offending comments and not reply at all in case some come just for the battle and to distract us from the real discussion?


3. Favourite comfort food?

Spaghetti. But I have to eat it alone, so I can shovel as much as possible in my mouth at a time and make a complete mess.


4. Do you watch cartoons?

Yes. More than I would by choice these days, though. My 2-year-old likes to watch the same ones over and over. Some I still like after 27 viewings: Mulan, Bambi (especially t the rain scene), and all the Hayao Miyazaki animes which are so detailed that you can always catch something new on repeat viewings. I really don’t like any cartoons on TV these days though. They’re all really annoying. (Except I quite like Robot Chicken, if it counts as a cartoon - and Les Claypool does the theme song so it can't be all that bad.)


5. Favourite time of year?

Every season. Cop-out answer, but I don’t like a particular season as much as I like the fact that there’s always something new going on out there. Today is grey and damp, yesterday was really sunny but cool. Last week we made it up to 12 degrees, but now it’s back down around freezing. I love the transitions from one time to the next, and the fact that even in the middle of winter, you can get a warm day, and in the middle of summer it can still get really cold (so far). It’s not a solid shift between four clear-cut episodes, but a mishmash with calendar indicators an impractical guide. I won’t put my boots away until long after March 21st.


Any takers?