Tag: interview

OMG, a Pittsburgh Magazine interview

Sometimes there is good news.

A couple of weeks ago, I sat down with the super talented Lori Jakiela. Though we have known each other a very long time, I’m not sure we ever really talked about my past this way. Of course, I gabbed her ear off for hours about ADHD, doodling, letter writing, my dad, motorcycling, the whole bit. (I hope she learned her lesson asking me questions like that, ha!)

Then, she tells me a photographer will be coming by to snap a picture of me. I have to admit that I was dreading it. I mean, does anyone love their picture taken? Little did I know, Becky Thurner Braddock and I would be laughing and gushing in my driveway for 2 hours (the day before I left for San Francisco—another post entirely). She was an absolute magician—she put me at ease immediately and really seemed to capture my guts. Props included: my motorcycle, my helmet, my chicken helmet cover and even the Beez, at one point. Those pictures weren’t used for the article, but don’t worry. I’m hoping a few will see the light soon.

Ok. While I’m pretty sure this all makes me seem much cooler than I am, I am so grateful for the opportunity to be seen and heard. Leave it to Jakiela to turn my blabbing into a work of art. Her column, “Stories of Our Neighbors” is a beautiful peek into the lives of Pittsburghers.

A big thank you to Pittsburgh Magazine and everyone who went into making this happen. My cheeks will be red for weeks, I bet.

Read the interview by Lori Jakiela:

“Stories of Our Neighbors: When Things Don’t Work I Want to Fix Them”

Meghan Tutolo for Pittsburgh Magazine - 2 / by Becky Thurner Braddock

Pumpkin candles, Blood-Moon stalking and an interview with Blast Furnace

So many things have been going on lately. Namely, this new blog/website. Dig my digs? It’s been so exciting to create this space (including my logo). I don’t know what I’d do without Shane. It’s a work in-progress, of course, but so am I. And who doesn’t love to piss around with WordPress.org and impossible code?

Speaking of impossible… can you believe it’s October? I’m obsessed with fall. We know this. And now I’ve gotten my grubby mitts on heavenly pumpkiny candles, so I’m even more in the spirit. Isn’t it amazing how just the smell of something affect you. I swear my heart is tied to my nose! Do you feel that way? Any smells in particular? Tell me I’m not alone.

Then there’s the moon. If I can manage to hang in there until 5:15 a.m., I’ll be stalking the blood moon. It’s quite an event—one I have yet to truly experience. Damn Greensburg and it’s cloud shield. Still, I have to try. Look how amazing this looks!

As seen outside of Tokyo, NASA
As seen outside of Tokyo, NASA

And then there’s good ol’ Becky Clever. I’m not sure why she’d want to interview me, but she and I got coffee and pretty much spilled our guts all over a Crazy Mocha. She heads up Blast Furnace, an indie literary publisher, but also an amazing destination on the interwebs for literary fill and awesome interviews. It was an honor.

Check out the interview here.

Well, I better get a quick snooze in to wake for this spacial spectacle.

How much does a hipster weigh?

Yesterday’s Photo-A-Day May prompt was: Someone who inspires you…

My first reaction is always: ATWOOD! So I was creepin’ (as usual) on the great interwebs and found this stellar interview with her. I like it. I like the questions and her short, quirky responses. She’s loveable in most every way.

Not only was I inspired by her answers, but I was inspired by the questions, and so… like in the old days when questionnaire-type blog posts were socially acceptable, I decided to answer for myself. See what the lovely Atwood and I have in common. (:

This interview first appeared in The Guardian on October 28th, 2011. The author: Rosanna Greenstreet.

MY INTERVIEW

When were you happiest?
Who’s to say? Life just keeps getting harder, and so life always seems best or happiest in the past. Maybe.

What is your greatest fear?
Losing the marbles I have left.

What is your earliest memory?
Waddling about with a cast up to my hip, trying to get on the couch.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
My restlessness. Not the productive kind, the other.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Contagious, jealousy-laden self-loathing.

What is your most treasured possession?
Just one? I suppose my jump drive (with all my writing!)

What would your super power be?
Saving all the people. Or invisibility. I’d love to watch people. Creepy.

What makes you unhappy?
Being bombarded.

http://blogs.discovery.com/.a/6a00d8341bf67c53ef0168e747a1e5970c-600wi
Image thanks to: blogs.discovery.com

What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Chubs.

If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose?
Woolly Mammoth. Hell yeah.

Who would play you in the film of your life?
Someone sassy. And awkwardly cute… until she opens her mouth. Can it be a cartoon? Daria.

What is your favourite word?
“And/&”—which is oddly enough, Atwood’s favorite word. CRAZY! It’s nearly infinite.

What would you wear to a fancy dress party?
A tux, duh. With a bowtie. Black. 

Is it better to give or to receive?
To give. I’m bad at receiving. In all ways.

Which living person do you most despise?
I don’t know, actually. I suppose I’m annoyed primarily by conservatives and their ignorant hatred. But a single person? Nah.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?
Shakespeare, Margaret Atwood, Tina Fey, Hilary Clinton, Maura Tierney, Tori Amos… shit, I gotta stop somewhere.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_D_Z-D2tzi14/TBpOnhVqyAI/AAAAAAAADFU/8tfM4E_Z4pU/s400/responsibility12(alternate).png
hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com —best EVAR!!1

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Um… “all the things.” As in: “Yes, I do all the things.” Or… “Have you cleaned all the things?” And… “I want to buy all the things!”

If you could go back in time, where would you go?
Civil War era. The Underground Railroad fascinates me. Go, Harriet!

How do you relax?
If you knew me, you’d know this is nearly impossible. But the ocean does it sometimes.

What is the closest you’ve come to death?
Geez, I don’t know. When you’re sensitive, near-death experiences are a weekly occurrence. Hm. A wheelbarrow flying at my car on a back road, 2009.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Probably becoming a professor. Mostly because I was absolutely terrified and had planned on spending my life just dreaming of teaching. Otherwise, losing 70 pounds. Maintaining a mostly healthy diet/exercise routine.

How would you like to be remembered?
Clearly I’m not famous, but I’d like to remembered for being passionate, funny, selfless and determined. That’s kind of generous, huh? Ok. Someone just remember I liked ice cream.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
To swim. Every struggle is a wave. Just keep remembering that it’ll pass. Oh, and CoCo Wheats—no matter how catchy the ditty—does not taste as amazing. Hardly. Cocoa.

Where would you most like to be right now?
Nags Head, NC. Familiar but foreign. The Atlantic always sounds good.

Tell us a joke
How much does a hipster weigh? An Instagram.

Feel free to post and respond. Would love to hear some responses!
mt