Q & A: Part 2

You all had so many awesome questions—here’s Part 2 of the questions left on the original post(s).  This will conclude the Q & A, but seriously, fellow bloggers—if you want to THINK, this is a great way to generate material.

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Have you ever written a post, published it and then felt “uh-oh, I shared too much this time”? Or one that has caused problems in your “real life”? What did you do about it? — from Sarah F.

This is where I reveal what a boring blogger I am and say NO.  I am ridiculously careful about what I choose to share.  I have written before about my Unbloggables and I tend to stick to those pretty hard and fast.  Seriously, I have my parents, grandma and goodness knows who else reading (possibly students, co-workers, etc.) so I am really careful.  Sometimes, there is more that I’d like to say, but I firmly believe that no blog post, as hilarious or cathartic as it may be, is worth upsetting those close to me.  I want this to be fun, not a stressful thing.  There are definitely posts where I’ve felt exposed, but I’ve rarely had a negative response to honesty.

What’s your favorite cold-weather beverage? — from Tabitha

I am a coffee ADDICT.  Cold, hot, I don’t care—I just love it.  My favorite fancy drink is a nonfat, stirred, caramel macchiato or a nonfat white mocha.  Yum.  I want some coffee right now, just talking about it.

Favourite song or movie? — from Margarita

There is no way I can pick just one.  Seriously.  I can give you my top 15,000 maybe.  In another post.  Suffice it to say that I love music and have an iTunes chock full of a ridiculous amount of songs.  As far as favorite movie, I think that Before Sunrise and Before Sunset are my two favorites.  I prefer to watch them back to back, with someone I can have deep conversation with afterwards, because those movies make me think about the Big Questions.

Have you ever had a near-death experience? — from That Kind Of Girl

Oooh, FANTASTIC question!  The answer is YES!  My first year of teaching, I was driving to work and my front right tire blew out.  I spun out of control, across traffic in the middle of a very busy street.  I crossed the median into oncoming traffic, and traffic STOPPED, a total miracle.  A car that had been headed my direction had to BACK UP OFF ME so that I could open my driver’s side door.  Seriously.  To be in rush hour, spinning and nearly dying was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced.  I was in the middle of a rough patch, and holy cow that turned me around quickly.  It seriously felt like a wake up call to LIVE and ENJOY and LET GO.  I get chills just thinking about it.

How do you come up with SO MUCH MATERIAL for good story-telling? Does your life ever feel mundane? Are you ever all like, “I wish something epically stupid would happen right now so I can blog about it”? — from Andrea

Ha!  First of all, this feels like a compliment-question, because I think that I lead one of the most boring lives EVAH.  Seriously.  I am one of the most mundane people I know, but I do try to find inspiration like it’s my job.  And since epically stupid stuff happens to me all the time, I try and blog as much of it as I can.  The rest comes from me making the little moments and things that I think about somehow sound semi-compelling.  Sometimes, it’s surreal that ANYONE cares about my little internal monologue here, but I’m glad you guys do!  I think that blogworthy stuff happens to EVERYONE (and more often to other people!) but I am always cognizant of trying to find an angle that will make it work for me.  You’d be horrified if you knew how much time a day I spend recalling events and thinking, “Hmmm…can I blog that?!”

Who is your favorite comedian and why? — from Ally

I am not a huge live comedy person, though I do like going to the comedy club occasionally.  Other than that, I’m a HUGE sucker for the Chapelle Show and Jim Gaffigan.  I think they’re both absolutely HYSTERICAL.  Dave Chapelle’s Prince skit kills me every time, and I laugh every time I see a Hot Pocket thanks to Jim Gaffigan.  I don’t know what it is, but those dudes slay me.

If you had to pick one post that essentially defines you, which one would it be and why? — from Mandy

Gah, hardest question EVER!  I wish I had a simple answer or one post that defines me, but I don’t think I do.  I think that my life experiences make me really unique, especially at age 26—I’ve been through a lot, and seen a lot, and grown up a lot.  I think that the post I’m most proud of is this post that I wrote about getting through a difficult time.  It didn’t have the most comments, or the biggest response, but I think that what makes me proudest of it is that I could write such a list at all—that I’ve been through a bad time, and lived to tell about it, and have hopefully helped others thrive as a result.

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Seriously, those of you that asked: THANK YOU!  You’re the best, and this was so fun!

Happy Wednesday!