Sunday, April 22, 2007

Meet The Blogger

Rebecca from Circle of the Muses has passed along this interview meme. It works like this. She sent me five questions of her choosing. I share her questions and my answers here. Rebecca asked some interesting questions. Here they are, along with my answers...

1. Do you share your blog with your family and close friends from REAL life? Or do you keep your blog as a private space?

I debated about that for a while. I eventually told my wife about the blog. And I told her I had hesitations about telling her. She took it all pretty well. She often asks what I write about. She asks about comments I receive. But she has never actually looked at my blog. And no other family knows I blog.

As for friends, the same hesitation exists. Not because I'm writing bad things about them. But I want to write freely without ever having to check myself to see if I'm gonna upset someone. For that reason, only two other people in my real life know. And neither of them are regular readers. One of them told me, it was fun to read, but it was stuff they already knew. So unless I had something new to say, there was no reason to read things they already knew. LOL

2. You stumble upon a genuine 'Genie in a Bottle'. He grants you the obligatory 3 wishes. What are they going to be?

Well, it is hard to avoid the Miss America answers here - world peace, the end of hunger, a cure for cancer, etc. All of those are good things. But that seems too easy here. Rebecca would want me to stretch myself beyond the obvious.

But first, what I would not wish for. Many people assume I would wish for Son17 to not have is disabilities. I don't think I would make that wish. To me, that would imply that he is not a beautiful person just as he is. He has his own integrity. His own personality. His own contributions to make. To wish that he were different feels as if I'm denying the whole person that he is now.

That being said, what would I wish?

I would wish for all three of my kids to have lives filled with love and joy. I want them to be successful in whatever they do.

I would wish that we could all live with less violence - in every form. Less war. Less crime. I guess the events of this past week weigh heavily on me with this one.

And Rebecca, I'm no fool! I would use my last wish to wish for more wishes! Cause I really do want to get in the Miss America things. And winning the lottery. And I would love to have someone else paint my garage doors for me.

3. Do you feel that the media coverage of unspeakable tragedies, such as 9/11 and Virginia Tech, has any kind of helpful or educational value?
Or is it all entirely exploitive?

I think it is important for us to know what happens in the world. Timely news coverage is important. But in moments like this, I do believe it goes way over the line. We could get the necessary information with much less coverage than what we saw this week. I think this much coverage begins to create a somewhat mythical figure of the perpetrator. I think this much coverage intrudes on the privacy and grief of the family and friends who lost loved ones. And I think this much coverage begins to minimize the event itself. The media people give these events names, they create graphics, they turn it into a news "event" which I believe takes away for the actual horror and severity of the moment.

4. You are given the opportunity to take 1 journey in a time-machine, back to any place or time in the history of mankind. The only restriction is that you go as an observer only. You are not permitted to alter any of the circumstances. Where will you go, and what will you see?

Wow! This is tough. Just one time in all of history...how to choose? I could witness some of the signatures on the Declaration of Independence. I could witness (if it happened) the resurrection of Jesus. I could witness my own birth. In truth, I'm not a student of history. That was always one of my worst subjects. So I'm sure I'm overlooking some obvious moment in time that I would love to see but I'm just not thinking of at the moment. And it would surely change my choices if I could interact and change events. But just as a witness...this is tough. I think I'll pick something that would just be fun. Not a major event in history. But a fun time to read about...a time that has spawned many books and movies and celebrations. I would drop back and witness a day during the Renaissance period. It would be fun to see the knights and the maidens and the jousting and so forth.

5. In your fondest childhood daydreams, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Ah, never a fireman or policeman for me. As a kid I wanted to grow up to be a performer. An actor or musician would have been okay. But the ultimate performer would have been a magician. I love magic. I've been to see David Copperfield live. I'm in awe of the combined skill and performance ability of good magicians. They must have the skill of their craft. But so much of what they do is interact with the audience, suck them in, make them focus on one thing while something else is happening out of their sight. And to pull off a trick when every person in the room is totally focused on figuring out how you are doing it...that is performing!

Rebecca, thank you for your fun and thoughtful questions! This was fun.

And now, in the spirit of the meme, I will pass it on. So if YOU would like to participate...

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me.
2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your weblog 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.

Just make sure that your email is listed on your blog, or leave it in your comment so I can send you questions.

And I won't try to come up with 5 unique questions for every person who might leave a comment. My brain would get tired. So I'll interview the first couple of folks who express a desire to expose themselves to my probing. Rebecca promised to be nice with her questions. I make no such guarantee. ;)

34 comments:

EsLocura said...

I've been a "lurker" for a while, having 2 disabled family members, have enjoyed your insight.just stopping in to say, today is stop "lurking day"

whimsical brainpan said...

Great answers Em! And I completely agree with you on #3.

meno said...

About #1, i have only one person in real life that i have given the URL to. Ironically, she hasn't bothered to read it, which i find amusing.

I just told my husband about a week ago, but he doesn't have the URL. I think he could find it if he tried hard enough, but i don't think he'll try.

#3, yep.

Bardouble29 said...

Great Blog! Its fun to be "interviewed"

Anonymous said...

fantastic answers. i especially loved the non-wish for your son.

Elle said...

Awesome answers. My husband doesn't read my blog. He says he thought it was private. UMMMM that's why millions of people could access it at any time to read it LOL.

Unknown said...

Dang. Those are some tough questions. Real tough questions.

And I need something to write about this week, Em. So "Interview me."

SzélsőFa said...

I liked your answers, the one referring to Son17 and to the tragic events, especially.

Radioactive Tori said...

I love your answers! Your answers just made me so happy because you are just such a good person!

Redroach said...

Interview me, I dare you
redroach@gmail.com

TV

velvet said...

This was really interesting. I was especially touched by your explanation about not wishing for Son17 to not have a disability. You're a really wonderful person.

This might be some fun. I'd be interested to see what questions you might have for me, so, sure, "interview me".

Rene said...

Great questions, great answers.

Chicky Pea said...

I think I'm almost afraid to say this but interview me!!!

Jocelyn said...

Your answers reveal the essence of Em, so we know they are questions well asked and answered. Thanks for your thoughtful sharing.

Crashdummie said...

Wow, deep questions, and wonderful answers! I don't thinl I wanna take the chance of getting interviewed - what you don't know )about me) cant hurt you. ;)

Chers!

Em said...

Thanks for all your comments! And for others who might drop by, I'm cutting off the interview opportunities now. Sorry 'bout that, but I have to go think up devious questions for Dorky Dad, Thomas, Velvet Girl, and Chicky Pea.

Chicky Pea said...

Crap, I knew I should have kept my mouth shut!

CynAnn said...

Very good thoughtful answers. I enjoyed reading your interview.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Good questions, great answers. I agree completely about your son. Why mess with perfection?

Also about the overkill school of media "reportage." They frenetically tear apart violent stories and turn them into carrion. OJ, Scott Peterson and Anna Nicole Smith were 3-ring circuses for months, worse even than Friends reruns. With such hysteria, we can't help but become somewhat desensitized as who can really exist at such a peak of horror forever?

ramblingwoman said...

Wow, that blog must have taken a bit of time! Great and thoughtful answers.

I have a good friend who's first son is Down's Syndrome (now 14). She has lost count of the amount of people who have (ignorantly and insensitively) asked her what she would have done had she known in advance he would have been Downs? And did she have more testing for her next child? It's like asking 'if you could swop your child would you?' (and of course you wouldn't)

Great answers Em. I have only told a couple of people in real life about my blog too. Funny isn't it?

thethinker said...

I can definitely understand #1. A lot of freedom comes of having no restrictions or fears that the subject of one of your entries could be reading it.

Charlotta-love said...

When I was young, I looked in the mirror one day and thought, "I could be an actress but I don't want to be hassled with all the autographing. I think I'll be a teacher instead." lol.

tkkerouac said...

Great answers!

Teena in Toronto said...

Nice to learn more about you :)

CS said...

Interesting answers and I liked your wishes. There are times when I wished I hadn't let people who know me know about the blog - it does constrain a bit what I say!

MarmiteToasty said...

Em - I love ya answers...... I childmind a couple of lads with varying diabilities, but I dont look on them as diabilities, they are just who they are :)....

You are one special person....

x

Melody said...

Great answers Em. I agree with your answers in regards to wanting the best joys for your children etc., In regards to family/friends knowing you blog, in my case, most do - family especially. Most of them lurk and rarely comment, the same with friends. Anyway, I regard all my blogger friends to be friends and you all know that I blog! LOL!!

Jenster said...

I love your comment about Son17.

Creative-Type Dad said...

Good answers!

As for the genie one - I think the genie rules don't allow you to wish for more (you could get hurt.)

FENICLE said...

I did this a while back with JailDiet. It's fun!!!

ZZZZZZZ said...

hmmm great answers!

Sandy said...

Interview me :)

Ruth Dynamite said...

Very thoughtful responses that get people thinking. Thanks, Em!

Attila the Mom said...

"To wish that he were different feels as if I'm denying the whole person that he is now."

Yep, yep and yep. Just loved it!