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good questions from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bene!
1. What led you to quit your job in the South Bay (btw, this is
something I admire you for having the guts to do).
well, i actually had a plan. that plan was to work for a few years, hopefully end up with some money saved up, and then go travel the world. i never really wanted to work in sysadmin, but i'd been hanging out with computer geeks in college, and it was the thing to do at the time for good money. after two years, i knew it was probably time to quit, but i was too chickenshit to do it. the commute was killing me and i wasn't enjoying the job anymore, but it took another year before my performance began to suffer noticably enough that patrick had a talk with me about what we could do to get me more motivated. it was only at this point that i finally said it would better if i just quit. and it wasn't until over a year after that that i got up the courage to actually go on my 3 month trip. it wasn't the year long trip i'd originally envisioned, but nonetheless i think it was a personal feat for me.
2. You're another mid american transplant, right? What do you miss about
"back home"? what's better here. Would you ever consider moving back?
i spent much of my youth in nashville, tn, but i was transplanted there from the bay area originally, so i never really saw it as home. but, i did live there for 10 years (from 8 - 18), so obviously it was a major part of my growing up experience. the things i've always said i miss are summer thunderstorms and fall colours, but when i go back to visit, i realise that i also kind of miss the small-town friendly atmosphere. nashville is a pretty big city (and fairly cosmopolitan), but it does have that flavour of southern hospitality. and it's clean and covered with lovely greenery. it's also fairly diverse and tolerant for the south, but of course nothing compared to here. here, pretty much whatever you're into, you can find not only a few likeminded souls, but a whole community of supportive and welcoming people. i also really don't miss the humidity. summers there were torture for me. i'm pretty sure i'll never considering moving back there, but i must admit, when i think of raising children, it does start to look kind of nice...
3. In your recent travels what impressed you most in other countries?
Where would you like to return to? Anywhere you'd like to move to?
i like old cultures, ancient art and ruins, so i was pretty impressed by the temples of angkor in cambodia. thailand was very beautiful. i'm easily moved by landscapes... new zealand was really amazing. i'd love to spent some significant time there, but i wouldn't move there permanently unless i was ready to retire to the countryside, because besides extreme sports, there's just not a whole lot going on there. i was impressed by the cities in australia that i saw, which were clean and pleasant. really i haven't visited anywhere yet that i don't feel i need to return to, because my time was quite limited. australia and new zealand each really need an extended stay of several months, which i would love to be able to do. buy a used car and drive around and really see the countryside. new zealand is probably the most beautiful place i've been and i didn't even get to the south island at all. one of the most amazing things there to me was the clarity of the water, especially after my time in southeast asia, where the soil is full of red clay and the water is therefore extremely murky. in nz all the rivers and lakes i saw were incredibly clear and beautiful.
4. Describe your favorite bike route in Berkeley.
i haven't really ridden many bike routes. it's hard for me to get off my lazy ass. the one that i try to do is up spruce and across grizzly peak to centennial, or to claremont if you're up for it, though i've only ever done that twice. it's nice to see the great views of the bay from the hill, and it's fun to zoom down at the other end.
5. You've been given the chance to live in the Berkeley or Oakland
hills. You can either face the city or Tilden park. Which do you choose
and why? Or would you rather just stay on flat land?
oh, i like hills. i like views. i like water and pretty sunsets. i would definitely have to go for the bay view.
ok, who wants me to interview them? leave a comment and the meme goes on.
bene!1. What led you to quit your job in the South Bay (btw, this is
something I admire you for having the guts to do).
well, i actually had a plan. that plan was to work for a few years, hopefully end up with some money saved up, and then go travel the world. i never really wanted to work in sysadmin, but i'd been hanging out with computer geeks in college, and it was the thing to do at the time for good money. after two years, i knew it was probably time to quit, but i was too chickenshit to do it. the commute was killing me and i wasn't enjoying the job anymore, but it took another year before my performance began to suffer noticably enough that patrick had a talk with me about what we could do to get me more motivated. it was only at this point that i finally said it would better if i just quit. and it wasn't until over a year after that that i got up the courage to actually go on my 3 month trip. it wasn't the year long trip i'd originally envisioned, but nonetheless i think it was a personal feat for me.
2. You're another mid american transplant, right? What do you miss about
"back home"? what's better here. Would you ever consider moving back?
i spent much of my youth in nashville, tn, but i was transplanted there from the bay area originally, so i never really saw it as home. but, i did live there for 10 years (from 8 - 18), so obviously it was a major part of my growing up experience. the things i've always said i miss are summer thunderstorms and fall colours, but when i go back to visit, i realise that i also kind of miss the small-town friendly atmosphere. nashville is a pretty big city (and fairly cosmopolitan), but it does have that flavour of southern hospitality. and it's clean and covered with lovely greenery. it's also fairly diverse and tolerant for the south, but of course nothing compared to here. here, pretty much whatever you're into, you can find not only a few likeminded souls, but a whole community of supportive and welcoming people. i also really don't miss the humidity. summers there were torture for me. i'm pretty sure i'll never considering moving back there, but i must admit, when i think of raising children, it does start to look kind of nice...
3. In your recent travels what impressed you most in other countries?
Where would you like to return to? Anywhere you'd like to move to?
i like old cultures, ancient art and ruins, so i was pretty impressed by the temples of angkor in cambodia. thailand was very beautiful. i'm easily moved by landscapes... new zealand was really amazing. i'd love to spent some significant time there, but i wouldn't move there permanently unless i was ready to retire to the countryside, because besides extreme sports, there's just not a whole lot going on there. i was impressed by the cities in australia that i saw, which were clean and pleasant. really i haven't visited anywhere yet that i don't feel i need to return to, because my time was quite limited. australia and new zealand each really need an extended stay of several months, which i would love to be able to do. buy a used car and drive around and really see the countryside. new zealand is probably the most beautiful place i've been and i didn't even get to the south island at all. one of the most amazing things there to me was the clarity of the water, especially after my time in southeast asia, where the soil is full of red clay and the water is therefore extremely murky. in nz all the rivers and lakes i saw were incredibly clear and beautiful.
4. Describe your favorite bike route in Berkeley.
i haven't really ridden many bike routes. it's hard for me to get off my lazy ass. the one that i try to do is up spruce and across grizzly peak to centennial, or to claremont if you're up for it, though i've only ever done that twice. it's nice to see the great views of the bay from the hill, and it's fun to zoom down at the other end.
5. You've been given the chance to live in the Berkeley or Oakland
hills. You can either face the city or Tilden park. Which do you choose
and why? Or would you rather just stay on flat land?
oh, i like hills. i like views. i like water and pretty sunsets. i would definitely have to go for the bay view.
ok, who wants me to interview them? leave a comment and the meme goes on.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-06-10 02:47 pm (UTC)From:Sure, have at it :)
no subject
Date: 2003-06-11 03:50 pm (UTC)From:2. when/how did you realise you were/could be poly?
3. what's the hardest thing you've ever done?
4. what do you most wish you could change about how you relate to other people?
5. do you have a lost possession that you still miss? if so, what is it?
:OP
Date: 2003-06-10 03:20 pm (UTC)From:Re: :OP
Date: 2003-06-11 03:59 pm (UTC)From:2. what do you most wish that other people understood about your personality?
3. have you always liked orange? do you think you were dutch in another life?
4. do you regret the difficulties of your upbringing or do you accept it as part of what made you who you are today? (or...?)
5. what is your favourite thing about people?
Re: :OP
Date: 2003-06-12 12:29 am (UTC)From:i sent this to you via email
Re: :OP
Date: 2003-06-12 01:02 am (UTC)From:Re: :OP
Date: 2003-08-20 02:34 am (UTC)From:[lilamp] had long ago asked me interview type questions which i hadn't forgotten about but sucked at getting back to as life ran away from me. i had originally responded by eamil but the email program ate it, and i never got back to it again and, to honor [x] i'm going to add lots of lj-cuts for her questions:
1. is there anyone from your past you wish you were still in contact with but aren't? if so, who, and what is holding you back?
yes. this blind girl i knew briefly in elementary school named april. because she taught me that blue is a truly visual color. she was an enigma to me that i've thought about for years off and on. i never really got to know her yet she taught me something i still treasure.
2. what do you most wish that other people understood about your personality?
one time i was cutting a muffin with a fork. my (now) ex simply said i know why you do that cuz i've been there too - my deal is the tabasco. and in that moment, there was a mutual understanding. i rarely have those moments, and i think it's b/c my background is different than what most around me have lived through.
3. have you always liked orange? do you think you were dutch in another life?
no. when i was a little girl my favorite color was pink. then my parents excessed on pink - my mother would even label my underwear by sewing little pink dots in them. quite frightening. and in my late teens/early 20s i went into depression that lasted for a few years and decided my favorite color was black and started to hang with goths. i was starting art school so i suppose it was a natural phase. and then i gradually picked up more independence and decided my new favorite color would be orange b/c it's bold, modern, and demanding. i liked that.
i do not think i was dutch in another life although i dearly do love miffy by dick bruna. and when i was in amsterdam, i felt happy. it is my current favorite place to be with tokyo a close second. ok well i guess to be fair i don't really think about past lives or future lives.
4. do you regret the difficulties of your upbringing or do you accept it as part of what made you who you are today? (or...?)
the latter. i regret some things like the seizures that probably resulted from massive head trauma. it's unclear (my dad has grand mal epilepsy). it's not pleasant to have endured that much pain. but most of all i'm glad i'm alive and that i had enough willful stubbornness in me (i had a lot of sass and spunk since i was a little girl) to have gone full force into not taking no for an answer and demaning a better future by working hard for it. in college i was even 10 lbs. lighter than i am now b/c i lived off rice cakes ($2 weekly grocery bill!) and ice cream (free from my job at the ice cream shop). it taught me a great deal about how much endurance sheer survival takes. and i generally don't get all freaked out at the sight of blood or serious trauma - i just deal. the really hard part of my upbringing has been to learn how to trust, to love other ppl despite their flaws, and to learn to relax and have fun. i would certainly not have taken life as seriously had i grown up differently. but i also still sympathize with those who struggle. it brings a lot of issues head on to think about and deal with that most people try to shut out of their lives and pretend it doesn't exist...i guess so they can sleep better at night?
5. what is your favourite thing about people?
that they surprise me in lots of different ways. and that they teach me new things about the world that i may not have thought of or been exposed to before. i wouldn't be the person i am today also without the help of some very cool people in my life :O)
Interview....
Date: 2003-06-10 03:24 pm (UTC)From:Re: Interview....
Date: 2003-06-11 05:57 pm (UTC)From:2. what did you want to be when you grew up when you were small? (and what do you want to be when you grow up now?)
3. what do you most wish you could change about yourself?
4. what did you once think was totally cool that you are now most embarrassed about?
5. if you had to pick one record you couldn't live without, what would it be?
no subject
Date: 2003-06-10 05:33 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2003-06-11 06:58 pm (UTC)From:2. what do you consider your greatest achievement?
3. do you miss anything about having a jobby job?
4. do you any specific dreams for your future?
5. if you had to choose one hot sauce over all others, which would it be?