In January of this year, Neil Kramer @ Citizen of the Month started The Great Interview Experiment where he would interview a random blogger and then that blogger would interview another blogger — and so on, with the interviews being published on either the interviewee’s blog and/or the interviewer’s blog. I came across this through an online friend, Caitlin, in New York.
After at least one failed attempt at trying to set up a previous interview, here is an interview with astrogirl426 from Notes from the Bunker. I’m still awaiting my closeup, though.
Here’s my interview with astrogirl426:
1. I looked back at your first post on why you started blogging and I quote “I consider it part of my New Year’s Resolutions to start doing things like this for myself to improve my mental, physical and spiritual self?” Well, has it done that? If so, how? if not, what has blogging done for you instead?
Well, there’s two sides to that. The positive side of it is that yes, blogging has definitely helped me in all those areas: by giving me a place to write about some of the things that are on my mind (and having regular readers of my blog tends to make me post pretty regularly, so I don’t lose them), by exposing me to people who will read what I’m writing and validate my feelings (or tell me I’m insane, which is at least as useful, if not more so), and by helping me feel like I’m a part of a bigger community.
The flip side of that is that blogging has also brought out my competitive side (“I can write better than him/her!”) as well as some of my esteem issues (“Is anyone reading my blog? Do they like it? I suck! I can’t write! What the hell was I thinking?”).
2. You and your family live in a bunker in upper New York State. I’ve seen the picture (see first page of her blog). Why there and not a regular house? Are you granola-eating, tree-hugging freaks? [Note: I said this in jest because I figured from what I had read on her blog, astrogirl426 wouldn't be offended. Luckily -- Whew! -- she wasn't.]
We do live in a bunker. Technically, it’s a tetradecagon (the snotty way to say “14-sided shape”). Why? Why not a regular square house, like normal people? Why 14 sides, you freaks? Well, the answer is actually quite simple. The bunker is just the base for what will be, hopefully by next winter, a geodesic dome (a la Buckminster Fuller). Check out www.domehome.com if you’re curious. “Why a dome home?,” I’m sure is your next question (or should be).
Well, I guess we just saw a picture of one online, and thought they looked pretty damn cool. They’re also great houses, for a variety of reasons (structural integrity, so if you live in an area that gets heavy snow or hurricanes they tend to stand up to such stressors better; they’re more efficient to cool and heat; and you’d probably be the only one of your friends to have one, so they’ve got a lot of cache in that department)
3. You mentioned etcerablah.com as one of your favorite bloggers recently. Who are some of your other favorites, besides Neil, of course?
I don’t remember how I came across Neil’s blog originally; doubtless I was drawn there by a comment he left on someone else’s blog or by someone else mentioning him in their blog (that’s how I discovered most of my favorite blogs). Other than Neil’s incredible wit, devastating good looks, and phenomenal animal attraction (Side note to Neil: You’re welcome), he fit my requirements for a blog that I follow: He’s funny, he’s quick-witted, he’s intelligent, and he’s a good writer. He’s also a native New Yorker, which is always a good sign. Some of my other favorites (in no specific order) are: LookyDaddy (http://www.lookydaddy.com/weblog/); sweet | salty (http://www.sweetsalty.com/sweetsalty/); finslippy (http://www.finslippy.com/finslippy/); Suburban Scrawl (http://thesuburbanscrawl.blogspot.com/); and Etc. Etcetera (http://etceterablah.com/).
4. Back in July, you got a Phoenix tattoo. Why the Phoenix? What’s the significance? If you wrote about it, I might have missed it in my skimming. But if I didn’t, why the Phoenix?
Much as I LOATHE AND DETEST talking about myself (ooh, ow! Stop twisting my arm! Oh alright, alright!), I’ll do it, just for you and your readers. I got the Phoenix tattoo to symbolize the struggle I’ve gone through with depression, specifically a pretty rough patch earlier this year (not involving straitjackets, but there were some “nice places” that I got to visit, and not just in my mind), and the feeling I have now that I’m starting to come out of it. Anyone who suffers from depression or any other mental illness knows it’s a lifelong struggle, but I felt a few months ago like I had turned a corner in my battle with my personal demons, and I wanted to commemorate it. I’ve always wanted a tattoo, so it seemed appropriate to get it at the time. I happened across the Phoenix in my search for something symbolizing rebirth and change, and my lovely tattoo artist created it from out of his own head, and some images I brought him. Oh, yeah, and it’s a pretty kick-ass looking tat, too.
5. You wrote a post about wondering if you were crazy. That said, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Hmmm, that’s a tough one. Not because I’ve done so much that’s (in the nonclinical sense) crazy, but because I actually haven’t. Besides, everyone has a different definition of crazy. For some people, it’s getting the aforementioned tattoo (“some people” being my parents), or riding with my friend on the back of his motorcycle, neither of which rank in my book. I guess the craziest thing I did was back in high school, when I went to Hawaii on a class trip and my friends and I picked up some Marines stationed down there, and hung out with them for a few days. See? I told you. Not crazy.
6. You were an extra in a movie recently. Maybe the obvious question, but I’ll ask it if Hollywood did a movie of your life, who would you want to star as you, if you had a choice in the casting?
Hmm, I’d probably want Sandra Bullock. Not necessarily because I think she’s very much like me, but she’s the kind of person I’d like others to think I’m like (it’s all about image management, baby!).
7. I notice on your blog that it’s free of frills — fancy layout and all that. Why do you choose not to decorate it more than you do even with a few more picture or graphics?
Well after reading your questions, I felt a little guilty for not making my blog look a little nicer. So I have since picked a slightly fancier template (oooh, colors! And boxes! Pretty…). But the simple truth is, I don’t know how. Anyone reading this who wants to offer free web design services (although I’m not sure how much customization Blogger allows), feel free to help!
To learn more about astrogirl426, visit her blog Notes from the Bunker.
To learn more about the Great Interview Experiment, visit Neil’s blog Citizen of the Month.
Pingback: Saturday’s Me and You 10/4 « An unfinished person (in this unfinished universe)