In 2007, Neil Kramer started a project on his blog Citizen of the Month called the Great Interview Experiment. The premise is to have random people interview one another. As Neil states, “The interviews are random. You may be paired with a Nobel Laureate or an insane person — and it doesn’t matter.
Here’s how it will work –
The first commenter will interview me.
The second commenter will interview the first commenter.
The third commenter will interview the second commenter.
And so on. “‘
I have interviewed Julianna from cathairtumbleweeds.com We share the same favorite book! Below are her answers to my questions. I will post a link to my answers to Fran’s questions once she has posted them on her blog amothersangst.blogspot.com.
And so the interview begins…I will try and avoid bad grammar.
1. This is my most dreaded interview question…tell me about a time when you failed.
Oh, geez, which one to pick? I’d have to say I’ve failed myself more often than anyone else. I have this lovely habit of caring too much about what other people think about me, and have spent far too many hours in my life feeling badly about myself as a result. I would say my greatest failure in my life thus far is not putting my own happiness first, but trying to find happiness by pleasing others, which, as we know, often backfires.
2. What is your favorite blog entry you have written?
I love the entries that are snippets of conversations or interactions between me and a friend, or myself and my husband. It reminds me of how unique and clever my favorite people are, and also helps in establishing my voice as a blogger. I think many bloggers see blogging as a monologue, whereas I think it is important to really show the relationships you are in, as it helps give your readers a greater picture of who you really are.
3. What is your favorite blog entry by another author?
Oh geez, where to start? Linda from All&Sundry (www.sundrymourning.com) is just plain hysterical, and often her observations about her life so sharply resemble my own that I suspect we might be long lost twins. Fraternal, of course, since she is lithe and blonde and tan and I am, well, not.
My dear friend Bucky 4 Eyes also has quite the gift for gab, and I feel comforted knowing that someone else in the world is as obsessed with reality tv and their cats as I am. http://bucky4eyes.blogspot.com/
Finally, before I even started a blog in earnest I was always entranced by the writing and photography of Melissa at sarcomical.com. She manages to seamlessly intertwine humorous and silly observations about life with more deep philosophical ones.
4. What book or movie most influenced your life?
The book I have read more times than any other is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I first read it when I was an early adolescent, around the same age as the protagonist, Francie, for the majority of the story. At the time, I related to her adolescent woes about her appearance, having difficulty forming lasting friendships, and feeling as though there was not a soul in the universe who saw the world the way she did. As I have gotten older, I have related more to her parents, and to the community in the book as a whole: people for whom the American Dream seems far beyond their reach, but who still appreciate the simple joys of life. I read it again this year with a fresh pair of eyes, as I have recently switched my career focus to the educational field. This time, I saw in the description of Francie and her peers every child in my class to whom very few opportunities have been given. It struck me how little has changed in the US from then to know, and how we are still continuing to fail those who need the most help, educationally and socially.
5. What do you recommend doing if your drama llama is in your immediate family?
This is a toughie. My best advice for anyone dealing with a drama llama in any form is simply to limit your contact to that which is absolutely necessary, and to remember to put your own sanity ahead of theirs. If you are already having a bad day and they pop up on your Caller ID? For the love of God, hit the ignore button. The thing about Drama Llamas is they always seem to have a backup plan of who to torture if you are unavailable. So, don’t feel too bad about ignoring them–chances are they have a few other folks on speed dial who they can Llama all over if you are not around.
6. What is your goal for your 30s? 40s? 50s?
My goal for my thirties is to continue doing the work I love as a teacher, while still finding time to nurture my creative and musical talents which I neglected a bit in the rat-race of my twenties. Also, I want to start a family, and probably leave Chicago to head somewhere warmer and closer to our family.
My forties will be mostly focused on helping my kids become good people. Good people who are also happy people. I also want to continue to work in education, and possibly begin to do some work on the educational policy side of things, making change in more than just my classroom and home. I am a big proponent of the necessity of arts education in our school system, and hope to get involved in making the arts a crucial component of our curriculums once again.
By my fifties I suspect our kids will have left the house, and I’d love to spend time with my husband traveling a bit, as well as continuing to teach, and doing my arts advocacy work. I’d also like to live somewhere where I’d have the room to help foster and/or adopt special needs or older homeless animals–especially cats. I’m basically a crazy cat lady waiting to happen!
7. What is the best advice you have ever received from a friend?
Very recently I had a good friend tell me that if I ever said my feelings didn’t matter again, he would inflict a very unpleasant punishment upon me that I shan’t elucidate here as it is not PG. My husband also reinforced some good advice with me lately, one which I have often given to others but have a hard time following myself: when someone shows you who they are: believe them the first time. It’s not my job to “fix” someone who doesn’t have the capacity to be the kind of friend I need them to be.
8. What is something that really annoys you?
BAD GRAMMAR. I once had a coworker who said “supposably” instead of supposedly. Like nails on a chalkboard, each time. And any student I have ever worked with is now very aware that they cannot “axe” me a question, as there are no axes allowed in my classroom, but they can ASK me any question they want, anytime.
9. What is your goal for your trip to Guatemala?
My goal is to not only improve my pedagogical skills in a trial-by-fire kind of manner, but also to meet other educators from whom I can learn and develop professional as well as personal relationships with. This will also be my first major trip out of the country without parents or husband in tow: I’m looking forward to proving to myself that I can negotiate the stresses of international travel by myself. I’m also, of course, looking forward to getting to know the children I will be teaching, who will undoubtedly leave a lasting mark on me, and whom I suspect I will be quite sad to leave once it is time to come home.
10. Habla espanol?
Si! Nacio en el sur de Florida, y todos alli hablan espanol. I used to be damn near fluent, but have lost my mojo a little bit in that area–definitely looking forward to testing my brain in that way!
11. What question could I ask that would be most revealing about your true nature?
Oh geez, I guess you could ask me if I thought all people were inherently good, or if only some are and the others are inherently bad people.
12. What is the answer to the question you answered #11 with?
I would say everyone is inherently good–and can choose to be so. Often, those who choose to be “bad people” are really people to whom the world has been bad–and has told them they are not capable of being good.
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