Paper Napkin

Interview A Blogger

I signed up for Neil's Great Interview Experiment, and Heather was my subject. Take it away Heather....

A little intro about me first-- My name is Heather, I'm 25, I live in Indianapolis and my fiance & I are getting married in January.  Things are a bit crazy around our house-- planning for a wedding, getting married in 2 months, I'm a full time Radiology student with a focus in Infant Nuclear Medicine, studying for my first round of state boards, and of course I'm working full time. I blog at www.singingwithmyheart.com Anyways, here are my answers to your questions.

 

1   What are the best and worst things about you?

-- Hmm, the best things about me?  I'm kind, caring, compassionate and I am fiercely loyal until the very end, almost to a fault.  The worst things about me?  I am ridiculously over-sensitive, I take things too seriously, and I can be entirely too trusting at times.

2   What natural talent or trait would you like to be gifted with?

-- While I am artistic by nature, I would love the ability to draw or paint.  It's always fascinated me.

3   What is one event in the future whose outcome you would like to know now?

-- I would never want to know the future.  Ever.  I can tell you that if I had known at age 16 what my life would have entailed from ages 18-21, I can say honestly that I probably would have ended my life at 16 and wouldn't have wanted to live through the horror of what I lived through.  Now, however, I am glad that I made it through those rough years, because I have come out much stronger now, and have used that strength more recently to speak out against domestic violence, sexual abuse, and sexual assault.  That being said, even now, I still wouldn't want to know what is going to happen in the future.  I enjoy living in the now.

4   What would you like to hear God say when you arrive in Heaven?

-- Welcome home.

5   If you could be the spokesperson for any product on the market, which product would you endorse wholeheartedly?

-- This was a tough one for me because I don't really do the whole "review" thing that well-- I hate being in people's faces about stuff, but.. I'd have to say Clinique's 3 step skin care.  Everywhere I go, people tell me I have fantastic skin-- I have good skin because I take care of it with Clinique's 3 step skin care, and have since I was 11 years old.  It's the one product that I use on a regular basis that I can honestly say is worth the money, and that I will shell out the cash for, hands down. 

6   When you're having a bad day what's the best thing you can do to cheer yourself up?

-- Play the piano or take my dogs for a walk.  That's a tie.  I love my fiance, but playing the piano gives me a release like you wouldn't believe, and walking my dogs allows me to see beauty in places I never thought possible.

7   If you could swallow a pill that would stop anything of your choice from ever happening again what would the pill permanently end?

-- This is a tricky question for me because I take 17 pills a day anyways, so the thought of taking ONE MORE PILL is quite daunting.  That being said, if I could swallow a pill, and end all of the different abuse in the world, I would.

8   What is the best hundred (or so) bucks you've ever spent in your life?

-- See question 5 ha ha ha ha.  Although, a little bit goes a long way with that stuff, so luckily, I only have to shell it out twice a year-- usually Christmas and my birthday :)

9   What is something you really enjoy doing that is a chore or a bore for many people?

-- I absolutely LOVE to iron.  Set me up with an ironing board, iron and the TV and I am a HAPPY girl!

10  What sound or noise do you love?

-- I'm going to cheat and list all of my favorite sounds.  Bells from midnight Mass at Christmas, a babys laugh, leaves crunching, christmas music, birds chirping in spring, the silence of snowfall in the dead of night, a full choir singing, and last but certainly not least music--any and all kinds.

Sweet Petunia, is it STILL November?!

So update on The Lovely Bones. It's really hard for me to assert myself y'all. But you gotta go to bat for your kid. I haven't read the book, though I've heard good things about it. I'm sure it would be fine for some kids, but Emily is really sensitive.

So I went to the school library this morning and traded it for Ann of Green Gables. I spoke with the librarian, who was very apologetic. I asked if there was a section which housed books that had more mature content. She said there wasn't but that she would mark it with a YA sticker, which is how they warn that the content might not be appropriate for some students.

It was fine, and easy. I don't know why I feel intimidated by people. I'm a level-headed reasonable woman, so why wouldn't people want feedback from me?

Day Somethingorother

Hey Dudes, I'm kinda swamped over here, and on top of it all Will's asthma is acting up, so I'm not going to knock myself out posting.

Here's a question for you though: Would you let your 11 yr. old read The Lovely Bones?

Emily brought it home from the library today. I haven't read it because since I've had kids I can't read about dead kids, or missing kids or watch the news or Kodak commercials, or pretty much anything that hints at the fragility of life. I told her I would want to read it first, and that it would probably be more traumatic for a grown up than it would be for a kid. But I don't know. I've never read any book by Alice Sebold, because I think they all run in about the same vein. If you read it, what did you think?

[Edited to add: Um, a resounding Hell no, my kid will not be reading that. And I will be contacting the school office to find out why a book that includes a somewhat detailed account of  rape is included in a middle school library. What if I had a kid who didn't show me what books she checked out of the library? WTF? Excuse my initials.]

Where has all the flatware gone?

Sometimes it's the little things that get you. Like you stop on the way to work to get a poppy seed bagel with cream cheese and some coffee, and you get a poppy seed stuck in your teeth. It's right there, front and center every time you smile at the lame jokes your boss tells. And your boss makes a mental note that if you fail to check your teeth for seeds, maybe your not as on the ball as she thought. And then when it's promotion time, and you're competing with someone in the company who only eats onion bagels, and immediately brushes afterward, you know who's going to get it. Pretty soon, you're on your way down the elevator with a cardboard box and a pink slip.

Well around here, right now, that little thing is silverware. Where have all the forks and spoons gone? Knives we still seem to have plenty of, but we're down to 10 forks and not many more spoons, and in a family of five, that just doesn't work. It's really got me singing the blues. 

Mr. Spoonless                                                                                                                (To the tune of Mr. Lonely)

Spoonless, I'm Mr. Spoonless,
I have no flatware to eat my lunch.
I'm so spoonless, I'm Mr. Spoonless,
need a utensil to eat my brunch.

I am a diner, a hungry diner, without a fork, not even a spork.
That's why I'm spoonless, I'm Mr. Spoonless.
I wish that I could eat my pork.

Spaghetti, can't eat my spaghetti, although it's ready, in my bowl.
Tired of PB&J, I want some consumme.
How I hope and pray, for mom's cassoulet.

If it were fingerfood, I wouldn't be so rude, 
Oh it would be grand, to eat with my hand.

Still, I'm spoonless, I'm Mr. Spoonless,
I wish that I could eat my lunch.

Those of you who've been around for a while know I've written a few ditties. A couple of years ago, I wrote the official Nablopomo Anthem, "I Guess That's Why They Call It Ambivalence" and of course, who could forget Lethargy.

So I decided a fun way to get all five of you to comment would be to give me a topic, and I'll write you a song. I like to write about things that are bothering me, but I suppose it can be any topic you like. I'll use the random number generator to choose.

So, spill it, what's on your mind?

Something that was too long to Twitter.

So I bought this butter at Costco, which I've never done before. Now, it might sound germy to you, but I leave my butter dish on the counter, because there's nothing worse than having your bread torn to shreds because the butter is cold. (OK, there's are a lot of things that are worse. Work with me here.) Anyway, I left the butter from Costco out, and it got kinda soft, but not nearly as soft as other brands. I was like, what, is this some genetically modified butter, or what? So when I had used that stick, I decided to stick my Costco butter in the freezer, and use my regular brand. Which didn't melt either. Yeah, turns out in the winter when your house is about 62° F, butter doesn't get quite as soft as it does in the summer. 

So yeah, not much I can think to write. It snowed last night, so this morning I started a big pot of stew in the crock pot for dinner. Yum. We didn't go to church because Will started running a fever in the middle of the night, although he seems to be feeling ok apart from that. Aaron had a serious case of PMS, so I spent a lot of time upstairs (read: out of his way) doing a lot of laundry. I returned a bunch of books at the library, and checked out some more. Now it's 6:30 and it feels like it's about 10:00, thanks to the season and daylight savings time. Ugh, hate that it's pitch dark by five. Think I'll read to the kids, then head upstairs and read to myself (uh, silently).

What did you do this weekend?