So normally I hate memes. H.A.T.E. hate. But I was over at Ivy’s house today, where she was being interviewed by Cuppa Joe. And frankly it looked like a lot of fun. So now she’s interviewing me! Here are the rules:
Leave me a comment saying “Interview me.” I will respond by
emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions. If you don’t have a valid email address on your
blog, please provide one. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the
questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
OK, on to Ivy’s questions for me:
1. What religion are you, and why that particular religion?
Well that is an interesting question. Just because I’ve noticed on your blog before that you say you’re Methodist. And I am too.
I grew up as a Methodist, but I have specifically chosen to remain one. Methodists put a lot of stock in understanding the tenets of our faith, and of our role in society. I don’t agree with the official position of my church on everything; in particular our ongoing debate over homosexuality just frustrates the hell out of me. [I think I'm safe to say that a large minority within our church would prefer that we be more accepting of the GLBT community. Not that we are exactly condemning. So far both the minority and majority have been unwilling to go to the mat over this. I think in time, we will resolve this into a fully welcoming stance toward the GLBT community. Not as soon as I'd like, but still, soon. Maybe I am an optimist??]
My personal faith is, umm, I can’t think of the best word for it. Let’s say that I’m 100% certain that large parts of the Bible are meant as allegory. [Dodging darts from 94% of Nashville now....] And that I believe wholeheartedly in the need for a faith community. And that I have one where I am encouraged and supported, though my personal beliefs undoubtedly differ markedly from many in my own welcoming UMC congregation.
2. Guilty TV pleasures, we all have them-what is yours? (And if you
don’t have a guilty TV pleasure, you suck. j/k, share your guilty
reading pleasure instead.)
I have both guilty TV and reading pleasures. In fact, most of what I watch on TV falls into that category.
My two favorite shows: House and Boston Legal. You wouldn’t really call either an intellectual pursuit, but both are mainstream enough that I can easily admit them in public. What you less often hear me discuss: The Dead Zone and Psych. I don’t watch every episode, but I’ve seen most of them. I have also retired two former guilty pleasures, now that I’ve seen all episodes of each at least twice: Star Trek: The Next Generation and JAG. I’ve also seen all of The West Wing at least twice, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s the best TV show ever.
Reading: I guess I actually don’t have that many guilty pleasures here. I do have two full shelves of fiction and nonfiction awaiting my free time. I usually pick my new books from the Sunday NY Times book reviews. So that’s maybe a little snotty, but not guilty. However, I have been known to pick up a People magazine in the airport. And I really enjoyed it several years ago when my sister’s roommate had a People subscription. Actually, I can also say that I love Go Fug Yourself and TMZ.com, both of which fall into the People genre.
3. Incredibly funky tomato aside, you’re an awesome gardener. How are
you with houseplants?
Crappy. I am not very good at keeping anything besides people alive inside the house. Although now that the dog moved herself inside, I do OK with that. But the kids are better at remembering to feed her. I have two fish who have, in the past, lived for weeks off algae, I guess. [Before you call the ASPCA, the fish tank is currently clean and there's food and water out for the dog. I just checked.]
4. If you could live anywhere in the world OTHER than Tennessee, where
would you live?
Wow, that’s a hard one. Because I really need to win Powerball….I have about three answers to that question. I have said for about a year now that one day, I’d like to retire to a horse farm on the upper Cumberland Plateau. Please keep in mind that I am actually afraid of horses and in fact only remember riding a horse once in my life, when I was 5. But I could learn. It is so beautiful in Pickett and Fentress Counties. [I just re-read the question and noticed I'm supposed to pick someplace outside Tennessee. Oops.] I’m a huge fan of the North Carolina mountains, especially off the beaten path. And I can’t think why I wouldn’t enjoy a home on the Florida Gulf Coast, especially in the fall, winter and spring. However: I have a long list of places around the world I’d like to travel to: India, China, Prague, Germany, Italy, Egypt, back to Greece.
5. Tell me about something that changed your life forever.
I really think I’m a pretty boring person. I can tell you any number of things that were turning points, shall we say, but I think all of them are pretty normal and happen to lots of people.
I will say this. I was very fortunate to be the editor of my college newspaper in 1992. [Ya, I'm old, peeps.] It was like working a 40-hour-a-week job, while taking a full load of classes, and managing a staff of up to 100. I didn’t realize it until it was over, but I couldn’t have paid to get that kind of experience at that age. I made so many mistakes, but it was a great place and time to make them. I learned a ton.
