Random Thoughts and Musings

I find myself being a follower when it comes to questions and answers, so I have jumped on the “Interview Me” bandwagon. The trend was started by Immortal Matriarch, who was interrogated by Avitable (apparently twice). (O.k., maybe it started with Avitable? I dunno. We’ll go with my story for now.) Anyway, Immortal Matriarch interrogated my favorite sugar mama, over at Fear And Parenting in Las Vegas (she makes divine chocolates!), who forced dragged invited all of her readers me to join in on the fun.

So, here are the questions that my personal chocolatier friend FandPinLV came up with for me:

1. Why did you start your blog in the first place?
I have attempted blogging before, but had not made it past three entries on any of those previous attempts! As I explained when I first began Random Thoughts and Musings, a classmate dragged me to Twitter one day, and I was eventually sucked in by the awesome people there. After a few months of them asking me where my blog was, I gave in and started one. A few months after that, Mark Davidson offered to put me on my own domain, so I moved here, and the rest … as they say … is history (being made).
2. It appears that you have bonded, in some cases quite deeply, with some people online. Do you find it easier to open up to people you’ve never met in person or people who you’ve met?
My childhood was … interesting. As such, I am what I consider to be an anti-social person. I do not care what anyone thinks of me, but I fear outright rejection. It is a complicated state to be in, so it is even harder to explain. I am who I am, and I expect people to accept me or walk away: I will not change for anyone but myself. When I meet rejection, it does not really bother me. However, I fear the rejection anyway. Ok, this is not making sense even to me, so I will just leave it alone now.
Anyway. Online, I do not have to *see* the reactions people have towards me. I do not have to read it in their eyes, witness their body language, or hear the inflection in their voices. I can move around my world, completely oblivious to anyone else, for as long as I want. I never rarely put in a “friend request” to someone … I let them come to me. When I do bond with people, however, it is for the long term. I do not move whimsically in and out of friendships. An online relationship is just as important to me as one I have built face-to-face, because the person is still real, and I expect people to be just as honest with me as I am with them. When I find out differently, I simply walk away. Vengeance and grudges are for someone else. I prefer happiness and joy.

3. You have to be one of the most unselfish and thoughtful people I’ve ever met. While I think you’re fabulous, the glare of your halo is getting a bit blinding. So, what’s the most selfish thing you’ve ever done?
I am not unselfish. I am quite greedy, in fact. I do, however, like to share whatever I acquire. This is a matter of choosing happiness, and has nothing to do with being unselfish. Sharing brings happiness to others, and their happiness increases my happiness, so sharing is, in fact, a very selfish thing for me to do.
One thing I have done that is very specifically selfish is going to Jamaica with friends. I have done it twice - in 2006, and in 2007. I will be going again in 2009. Going to Boston for a working vacation was NOT satisfactory to my “recharge” and I will not make the mistake of skipping this few days of complete and total bliss. This is not a trip my Tween will ever make with me, as much as she wants to go to Jamaica. This is MY TIME. My completely, totally, selfish time to be a woman … a single woman … and not a mother. It sounds horrible even to me, but I will not give it up anytime I have the option of going.

4. You lost your job in 2008. That sucked. No doubts there. If income, location, education, and other restraints were removed, what career would you pursue?
I would love to be part of a nonprofit of some sort. I want to do something that helps people in a big way. I want to be a part of something far bigger than me. I would love to work an administrative job for a nonprofit, then go on missions with said nonprofit to less-than-wealthy places and work for a couple of weeks every year. Even a couple of months out of the year. Hell, even half the year. Maybe more. I am pretty selfish though, and I like to be pampered with things like massages and manicures and pedicures and soft curly hair and smooth skin and white sandy beaches and pretty clothes and jewelry (although I do go costume, not expensive) and tv and movies and nifty electronics and sweet appliances like the french door refrigerator. I would like to say I could live in Asia or Africa or China and be a full-time mission, but I do not think that would be truthful. I *could* do a rotation of one month there and one month home, one month there, one month home, etc …

5. So, I may be coming to Florida sometime in 2009 or 2010. What would we do if I showed up on your doorstep?
Hit the beach, chick! We have the BEST beaches in the US right here! Soft white sandy beaches, emerald green waters that allow you to see the bottom even in deep areas, sunshine, warm weather … Oh, and we would go to HelenBack for a pizza lunch, then go back to the beach. We could bring our own cocktails, relax … enjoy the day talking and watching the children splash in the water. Then, Tween could watch yours at home so that us adults could go to AJ’s for cocktails … then go back to the beach. For dinner we’d go to McGuire’s Irish Pub (there is one in Destin now) for a steak dinner. Yes, then go back to the beach. I am sure if you wanted to do something else, we could plan a perfectly reasonable day … but why? The beach here is an example of Mother Nature’s perfection!

Thanks for the questions, darlin! I always enjoy answering questions, although I am not ever quite sure what I will answer. Sometimes, the answer simply depends on what kind of mood I am in at the moment!

Well, Ramblers and Thinkers and Musers … do you want to play along? If so, here are

The Rules….

1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

For some reason, as long as I am progressing from one type of problem to the next, I grab onto the concepts easily and can move through them. When you start jumping around and asking me one type of question, then go back 8 chapters for another, then jump ahead 18 chapters for the next … I can’t follow along. Yes, I know the point is to ensure that we know how to do the problems without relying on our text. Guess what? I’m not capable of doing that.

I don’t know why it takes me hours to do one chapter of homework. I don’t know why the concepts that seem perfectly straightforward when I’m reading the chapter are so difficult to apply to the chapter questions. I just know that I will not - I repeat: WILL NOT - be getting into any kind of job where I have to use algebra. Period. Not sure what that leaves … pushing paper, I guess (as long as it is not in the Accounting Department). Dammit. I don’t want to be a paper pusher. I’ll have to think on this a while.

Thank you, Beav … you saved my butt. I still had to figure out all the equations after you gave me the help you gave, but I was able to understand how these problems correlate to my actual chapter once you told me what you did. Love you!

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