Woo-hoo! These weren’t due until the end of next week, but since Kara (of Sanity Denied) and I exchanged questions (and answers) so soon, I might as well post these. Besides, Blogger Insider took a break last fortnight.
Here are Kara’s questions and my answers. Hit her site for the reverse.
1. I went back and read your archives. I was really enthralled by the way you seemed to post and update exactly how you felt at each moment durind the terror of 9/11. I think a lot of people’s blogs from that day stand as an incredible monument to their feelings and the powerful emotions of that day. Do you ever reread that section of your archives, and if you do, what are your feelings?
I’ve been intentionally not going back and rereading things until I get to some major anniversaries. The 24th of this month, for example, is six months since I began blogging, and I’ll probably do something then. And when we get around to 11 March, I’ll probably go back and reread them.
Well, that’s not 100% true. I had cause to go back and take a quick look, and it was interesting watching my emotions bob up and down that day, and the few days following — lots of anger, but also lots of trying to intellectualize the whole thing.
All I know is that I’m glad I have the blog, because, frankly, I don’t remember much of those couple of days.
2. How is your New Year’s resolution coming along?
Heh. Well, my pants have been feeling a little loose. I’ll know tomorrow, because a few days after New Years I was in at the doctors and was Officially Weighted at 248 … and I’m going in tomorrow and we’ll see what they say.
I was just noticing that, in trying to keep Katherine from ruining her appetite for dinner, and so not giving in to her desire for snacks, I’m also perforce not snacking, which is probably a Good Thing. Scratch that — I know it’s a Good Thing.
3. What is the most unexpected or suprising experience you have had as a
parent?
As a global thing, just the incredible time sink it’s been. I look back on those feckless days of, “Sigh, here we are in the afternoon on a weekend with just nothing to do. Let’s hop in the car and drive someplace,” and marvel.
As a specific thing, it was probably the first time Katherine climbed out of her crib (during an afternoon nap), toddled downstairs, past where I was sitting at the breakfast table (within eyeshot, if I’d turned my head), went out to the living room, got a knick-knack, and walked back to me and … I finally spotted her. “Gah!” (That was me, not Katherine.)
4. What was your first meeting with Margie like? There has to be a good
story behind all that love!
Actually, Margie and I met in college, introduced by a friend of ours who was running a D&D game and invited us both to it. We were friends then, good friends, and stayed in touch through the various intervening years (and a marriage on my part, where Margie was one of the bridesmaids, as she was also a friend with my now-ex).
So I don’t remember much of that first meeting. Certainly it was not memorable in terms of anything interesting happening, but it was memorable in that we met playing That Evil Demonic Game (which, in fact, is where I’ve met probably 90% of my friends).
Now, asking her out for our first date … there’s an interesting story. But that’s not what you asked. 🙂
5.Tell me more about NaNoWriMo, and how you conquered it.
National Novel Writing Month, a/k/a “Take November, Wad It Up Into A Little Ball, And Throw Any Non-Writing Activities You Had Planned Then Into The Trash.” I conquered it by (a) being someone who writes a lot as part of his job, (b) deciding I would do something fun, not profound, (c) deciding I would not go back and revise lest I never get past the first chapter, and (d) having a wonderful wife who let me sequester myself upstairs for a couple of all-day catch-up fests. Having a friend who was also doing it helped, too, since that made it a bit of a competition.
6. Name your top five places to visit on the web (not weblogs).
In terms of frequency of visits? Amazon, Google … er, SpamCop … um, RefDesk, … damn, I really don’t go that many other places these days, besides blogs. The Rocky Mountain News, the Christian Science Monitor, Yahoo News, and the Wall Street Journal as news fodder for my blog.
7. Do people “in real life” know about your weblog, for instance, people
from work or extended family members? Have they ever reacted negatively to
anything you’ve blogged about? If so, how did you deal with it?
My folks know about it, and read it — my mom does, at least. I’ve mentioned it to my in-laws, but they’re not much into Web stuff. Most of my local friends know about it. I don’t know that anyone at work knows — but I assume that they can find it, so I’m always very discreet about work-related stuff (especially anything involving managing or HR or stuff like that).
So far I’ve not had any negative reactions from anyone from those arenas — but I endeavor at all time to be inoffensive, so …
8. Do you consider yourself an “artist” or a “scientist”?
Tough one. I’d probably say artist, if pressed — but I try to apply logic and reason to the things I do, esp. at work, as well as creativity.
9. Favorite book?
Urg. I hate this question, if only because I read voraciously, and I only tend to read what I enjoy (reading is entertainment for me, not education). So I’m drawing a blank here. I can tell you what I’m presently reading, which is Which Lie Did I Tell? by William Goldman, one of his books detailing his career as a screenwriter. Vastly entertaining and an interesting introduction to the screenwriting trade.
10. The answer is… 16. What is the question?
“When did you learn to drive?” “What’s four squared?” “What base is hexidecimal?” “How many comic books are in the bag you just picked up from the comic book store?” And we’ll leave it at that.