Interview Game: Heather

  1. Leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed.
  2. I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
  3. You'll update your website with my five questions, and your five answers.
  4. You'll include this explanation.
  5. You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.

My questions are from Heather of gravitylens.org. Her questions and her answers are archived on her site as well.

1. You get one book and one CD on your desert island. What would you choose?

I'll take Steely Dan's The Royal Scam. It was either that or Aja. I know, there's a massive contingent of you who are surprised that I didn't pick Jonatha Brooke's Plumb, but that's a definite third-place finisher. If I'm stuck on a desert island, I'm going to be pissed, and I want snarky bitter music to go along with it. Aja is the better album of the two, but Royal Scam would more suit my mood.

Thanks to Andrew for pointing out that I forgot to answer the other half of this question...

Complete & Collected Works of Jane Austen. I assume such a book exists. It'll do quite nicely. It's either that or I want the complete & collected works of David Brin.

2. How's that pile of knitting coming?

Actually, I don't knit much in summer. It doesn't make much sense, since it's the same temperature in the house year-round, but at the end of spring, I begin to lose the driving urge to knit that I have in wintertime. The grey sweater I started last fall is about half done right now. The pattern is brain-dead simple, and I've thought about bringing it to 'con to work on during the brain-dead times.

My other halted project is a scarf for a friend, and I'm slowly admitting to myself that I probably need to undo my work so far and pick a simpler pattern. It's just proving to be a bit too much for me. I have a beautiful, beautiful yarn, and I should probably just do something simple to show it off instead of trying to gild the lily. Plus, it makes it more likely that I'll finish the project before 2005.

I wanted to do a new rasta hat for 'con. It isn't going to happen. Graphics work took priority.

3. You play mother hen to the techops geeks at DragonCon. Why?

When you guys first invited me to work 'con, I didn't know my ass from an XLR cable, and I didn't know my way around the hotel. The first time I managed to navigate from Centennial to Harris and looked in the Box Of Cables, I had the sinking realization that I was in way, way over my head. I think it was Jessica who said, "Well, we need someone to feed the geeks at 'con. You do that here in Huntsville. Why not there at 'con?"

I still have issues with the job sometimes, mostly because there's a bit of cult of personality on tech staff that says 'you are what you know how to fix.' Quite frankly, if something blows up, I can't fix it. It's easy to translate that into a feeling of inferiority.

The best part of doing what I do is that it gives me an excuse to talk one-to-one with virtually every person on tech staff. The first year that Jeff and I worked 'con, we didn't know anyone on staff except for the Huntsville crew (which was much smaller then). We would show up for the pre-con gatherings at Thomas' house and just not know who to talk to. Everyone else already knew each other, and I remember distinctly feeling like an outsider. After 'con, that wasn't an issue any more; we were part of 'the group,' and we ... belonged.

I remember what it was like, and that makes it easier to approach people who are new to tech staff. Sometimes it's as simple as, "I'm Amy. This is my spouse. You need to know who Thomas, Suzan, and Jody are." (Pointing ensues.) "He runs the whole shebang, she runs the equipment room, and he's the night manager for Centennial. If you don't know what to do, or where to go, one of these people is very likely to know. If you don't have a specific job, you should go either to the main techops office or to Harris, and you'll undoubtedly get drafted for something."

Short version: I remember what it was like to be the newbie.

4. Favorite late-night snackage?

Phish Food! It and Jamoca Almond Fudge are the two best ice cream flavors, ever.

Though, strangely, I've had this bizarre craving this past week for toasted peanut butter sandwiches. Toast the bread, slather on the peanut butter while the toast is still warm. I'm thinking maybe I just haven't gotten enough protein lately.

5. It's 2am. You have code you really want to finish RIGHT NOW. What do you drink to stay awake?

I know it's dull, for all you drinkers of Red Bull, but my answer's just going to have to be mundane: anything with over 0.00002 micrograms of caffeine does the trick. Even just a single soda will do it. I've never had any of the uber-caffeinated energy drinks, mostly because I'm not sure I want to see what that much caffeine will do to me.

There are a few of you who will remember my taking a caffeine shooter a couple of years ago at dragon*con. That night, I learned what a sensitivity to caffeine really meant. Within thirty minutes I was so wired that I couldn't sit still at a midnight screening + live-action performance of Rocky Horror. I had to get up and pace the hotel...and I paced until six a.m., when I decided that I absolutely had to get some sleep.

I went back to our hotel room, lay down in bed, and shut my eyes. No sleep. I basically levitated quietly for two hours, gave up, and got up.

I might actually try that caffeine shooter again at another 'con, but I certainly wouldn't take it anytime after eight p.m.

Comments

Very interesting questions & answers... Too much caffeine can & will knock me out or do other freaky things. I did wonder how you got the job of feeding the geeks. I remember shopping for sandwich stuff a couple of years ago for the crew - catch as catch can was NOT fun. Then again, having SOME kind of staffing schedule makes everything run much smoother..... As for ice cream, I tried the Bryers Mint with Oreos & it was gone QUICKLY! Awesome combo :D

I must count myself among those who were surprised that Plumb was not on your desert island music list, however, I understand the need to be snarky on said island -- without my internet connection, I would be snarky too. Just ask my ISP. So... would you mind so very much interviewing me? I'm not much of a meme propagator, but this one seems to have a bit less of a livejournal-y flavor to it than most.

Even though I'd rank Jamoca Almond Fudge second behind Mint Chocolate Chip, you could still interview me.

Sometimes you just gotta say what the frack. I'm game for the interview.

Why not...I've been meaning to set up some sort of blog page over at Eastwind and an interview would give me a good excuse to get off my butt and do it.

I would be amused at someone finding five diverse questions to ask me. LOL

Questions for Adam: 1) How has your intent to become a history teacher shaped your outlook and interests? 2) Now that you are mostly through your first round of collegiate experience, look back and tell us - how was it like, and unlike, your expectations when you began college? 3) Given the choice of any body piercing or any tattoo, which would you be more likely to get, and where? If a tattoo, what would it be? 4) What is 'home' to you? What is the furthest (in ideology or distance) you've been from home, and what's the furthest you *want* to go? (Three for the price of one.) 5) If you were introducing someone to American movies for the first time, what movies would you have them see first? It can be as few as one or as many as you like. (Extra credit: a reason why you chose the ones you did.) Questions for Suzan: 1) Perhaps the obvious first. Why goats? 2) How do your spiritual beliefs influence your day-to-day life? 3) You cope amazingly well with Brian's frequent and long-distance business trips. We're all adults here, and we're capable of functioning on our own, but for most of us, we get married because life just works better when we're together. How do you cope with switching back and forth between "half of the team" and "all of the team" so often? 4) How did you come to be the Queen Of The Equipment Room on tech staff? If you had to do something else on tech staff instead of that job, what would it be? 5) Are you keeping the little kitty? ( Jody and Donna - I need lunch. I will come up with your questions over some food.)

Don't want you overload you, but I'd like to join in on this as well.

oooh.... ask me too.. (heh)

I'd be willing, too. Of course, I don't actually have a website, so I might turn my answers into a post here.

Here's the next set...I'll ponder questions for Rick, Sam, and Matthew on Saturday. Do please post links to where your answers can be found... Questions for Donna: 1) What should an American traveler know before visiting London for the first time? 2) In what ways has your kitty established that you are the inferior being in the feline-human relationship? 3) What constitutes a perfect Saturday morning? 4) Do you believe that life is more the result of external events or internal choices? 3) Most webloggers and journalers maintain a fine line between privacy and exhibitionism in their websites. Where does your line fall? Questions for Jody: 1) Would you please state for the record the various types of jobs you've held since you were sixteen? 2) In your days as a chef, what were your specialties? On the other hand, what dishes were you unable to master, and why? 3) When did you know that you wanted to marry Kari? 4) What cookbooks do you have that you read through just to dream? Which ones do you find yourself using? 5) What, exactly, are you trying to teach me, anyway?

Okay, Amy - my answers are here. Thanks - these were interesting!

That was really interesting! I've never tried redbull either.

Even though my site will be on hiatus awhile longer, I'll play along too if you're not question-sick yet. =)

Comments added http://www.livejournal.com/users/trulyeviloompa/749.html

Questions for Matthew 1) You have five bullets and a guarantee that you will never be prosecuted. Who gets the bullets, and why? (A single person is allowed multiple bullets, if necessary.) 2) We're both netflix addicts, so I'm going to cheat and ask you the same question I asked Adam: If you were introducing someone to American movies for the first time, what movies would you have them see first? It can be as few as one or as many as you like. (Extra credit: a reason why you chose the ones you did.) 3) You did not have a television in your house when you were growing up, but your friends did. Did this choice in your house influence you in any way? If so, how? 4) Can you pinpoint when sarcasm became a lost art? 5) Your parents are the only people I know whom I'd describe as "professional travelers." How have their stories influenced you? What places would you like to visit, and which would you avoid, based on your own knowledge and their stories?

Questions for Sam: 1) Is art still relevant in American society? 2) Dogs, cats, ferrets, or fish? Defend your answer. 3) What books, when you finished the last page, left you a significantly different person than you were when you started reading them? Why? What were the changes? 4) The weblogging world is fascinated with the idea of being able to dip into the lives of strangers. Is it possible to truly get to know someone through this particular format? 5) Would you ever attend dragon*con? If you would, what appeals to you? If not, why not?

Thanks Amy! My answers are here: http://www.tealart.com/entry.php?e=295 Cheers,

Random interview questions, from a master no less. Amy, quite good questions, and I fear being on the receiving end of your onslaught, but what the heck. I may not be a "friend," but I'm certainly a fan of your writing.

Ok, Mr. Petrilli and Mr. King, you guys are on the hot seat. Five questions for Mr. Petrilli. 1) I admit that I don't know a lot about your religious beliefs, but I do believe I remember you saying that you're a Quaker. Assuming that's the case, can you give us some thoughts about American religious fundamentalism from someone who stands outside its doctrines and beliefs? 2) I'm way too much of a chicken to ask this at any other time...but I know I'll be back in the DC area next year. I'd enjoy sitting down and having dinner with you. What restaurant would you recommend? 3) What life decision do you keep putting off? Why? 4) Why do people always eavesdrop on cell phone conversations, even though they're virtually guaranteed to be banal and uninteresting? 5) I'm not so sure that this is so much a question as it is an invitation for a general reaction. In humanity, what is beautiful? ... and five questions for Mr. King. 1) What drew you to engineering? 2) We tease you about it, but both you and Jessica are on opposite extreme ends of height; you are very tall, and she (like me) is very short. Both can often make life interesting. Is your house more organized toward her needs, yours, or equal inconvenience for both? What compromises have you made? 3) What do you like about the South? What would you change? 4) When asked, most people will say that marriage has had little effect on their overall personality, but many smaller changes on their day-to-day lives. What has changed for you since getting married? 5) What music should I be listening to that I don't already know about?

Ah, never the easy questions, eh? You can find my answers here: http://www.amber.org/~petrilli/archive/2003/09/09/catty_questions.html

Answers are posted here. Thanks Amy!