Five Questions from Orthoepy
Feb. 6th, 2004 11:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fleaA welcome distraction yesterday from rage at ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
veejane's boss...
1. You're not a NC native, right? What do you like about living in NC, and what drives you bugfuckupthewall?
Bugfuckupthewall? The dirt. I want dirt that's dirt, not clay! It can have rocks in it, as many as you want, but it should be brown (or, better, black) and loamy. I don't like the weather – too hot in the summer, not enough snow in the winter. I don't like being unsure what will grow, and when to plant it. My physical world is important to me, and I am a gardener of habit.
Other things I dislike: scrub pines; Elizabeth Dole (though she beats all hell out of Jesse Helms); being too far away from all my family and old friends; being stranded in the flat between the mountains and the sea; living in a region where the vast majority of everything dates from 1950 or later; working for a place, and living in a town, with a serious socio-economic divide that is also racial (okay, this is the whole United States, but still).
Um, I'm supposed to like something, too? We live in a wonderful, walkable, almost-downtown, historic (early 20th century, which is not really historic to this New Englander) neighborhood, across the street from a park, and our neighbors are friendly, and some may become friends. There's a Whole Foods grocer 10 minutes by foot, and a farmer's market on Saturdays. If we decide to stay, real estate prices are reasonable. We get beautiful spring days – granted, we get them in November or January on occasion, but still, beautiful.
2. Describe for me an episode in Casper's day, something you want to remember when she's all grown up.
Hmm, something I haven't documented in LJ yet. The ultimate "guh" motherlove moment: when she's nursing, and is finishing up, and looks up at me and smiles slowly, a little milk-drunk, and gives a throaty coo-gurgle, as if to say "oh this is so satisfying and all is right with my world." Also, when she is almost asleep nursing, her chin does this tiny wibble every minute or two. Mr. flea noticed it and hypothesized it's like a cat's purr.
3. What is your husband like?
Tall. Gentle. What I love most about him is his open and independent mind. He appreciates new ideas and experiences in a very pure way, like a child. He is able to go to an art museum and look at the paintings with his own eyes, not eyes, like mine, that classify according to the art history classes they sat through and forget to look at the actual painting. He approaches the world expectantly, without my glaze of cynicism.
Of course, he is ornery as all hell when it comes to his work, and nigh impossible to manage.
4. Good fairies come to Casper's christening. What do they give her?
A feeling of belonging in the world, of rightness in this place. Hope. A bright mind. Determination. Long golden-red curly hair, violet eyes, and a beautiful singing voice.
5. Describe for me the last non-work trip you took pre-baby. (Doesn't it seem strange now?)
We went to Chillicothe OH to mr. flea's sister's house for Christmas 2002. Nine hour drive there and back, mr. flea driving and me reading the map, and New Yorkers out loud for entertainment. We slept in the basement on a futon. Had good visits with sister's family (niece, then age 4 months, and nephew age almost 4), mr. flea's parents, BIL's mother who lives with them, the dog, and assorted others (full house). Nephew threw up all over the living room rug on Boxing Day after a breakfast of milk, hershey kisses, and excitement, and mr. flea had to hide in the study (with the dog, who wanted to eat the vomit) because human bodily fluids grossed him out. How he has grown!
The last pure fun (non-family holiday gathering, non-funeral) trip was for my birthday, Sept. 6 2002, to the Outer Banks. We drove, camped, were astonished by the number of mosquitoes and how abandoned the place was barely into fall and at the height of nice weather. We spent most of our time on the National Seashore – we collect National Parks. We ran around on the beach like kids, wearing our towels as Superman capes. We ate pizza and Dairy Queen. It was my only beach trip that summer – we'd moved to NC in June, I'd been unemployed all summer, so we couldn't afford to go to Martha's Vineyard with my mother, and I love the beach. (No beach last year – too hot, too pregnant, and needed to hoard my vacation leave. This year, we're taking Casper to the Vineyard – she'll be nearly 1!)
My last work trip was July-August 2001, to Kythera, Greece, to spend 3 weeks working on an archaeological field survey. It was in another life.
If you'd like 5 questions, respond and I will customize some for you.
veejane's boss...1. You're not a NC native, right? What do you like about living in NC, and what drives you bugfuckupthewall?
Bugfuckupthewall? The dirt. I want dirt that's dirt, not clay! It can have rocks in it, as many as you want, but it should be brown (or, better, black) and loamy. I don't like the weather – too hot in the summer, not enough snow in the winter. I don't like being unsure what will grow, and when to plant it. My physical world is important to me, and I am a gardener of habit.
Other things I dislike: scrub pines; Elizabeth Dole (though she beats all hell out of Jesse Helms); being too far away from all my family and old friends; being stranded in the flat between the mountains and the sea; living in a region where the vast majority of everything dates from 1950 or later; working for a place, and living in a town, with a serious socio-economic divide that is also racial (okay, this is the whole United States, but still).
Um, I'm supposed to like something, too? We live in a wonderful, walkable, almost-downtown, historic (early 20th century, which is not really historic to this New Englander) neighborhood, across the street from a park, and our neighbors are friendly, and some may become friends. There's a Whole Foods grocer 10 minutes by foot, and a farmer's market on Saturdays. If we decide to stay, real estate prices are reasonable. We get beautiful spring days – granted, we get them in November or January on occasion, but still, beautiful.
2. Describe for me an episode in Casper's day, something you want to remember when she's all grown up.
Hmm, something I haven't documented in LJ yet. The ultimate "guh" motherlove moment: when she's nursing, and is finishing up, and looks up at me and smiles slowly, a little milk-drunk, and gives a throaty coo-gurgle, as if to say "oh this is so satisfying and all is right with my world." Also, when she is almost asleep nursing, her chin does this tiny wibble every minute or two. Mr. flea noticed it and hypothesized it's like a cat's purr.
3. What is your husband like?
Tall. Gentle. What I love most about him is his open and independent mind. He appreciates new ideas and experiences in a very pure way, like a child. He is able to go to an art museum and look at the paintings with his own eyes, not eyes, like mine, that classify according to the art history classes they sat through and forget to look at the actual painting. He approaches the world expectantly, without my glaze of cynicism.
Of course, he is ornery as all hell when it comes to his work, and nigh impossible to manage.
4. Good fairies come to Casper's christening. What do they give her?
A feeling of belonging in the world, of rightness in this place. Hope. A bright mind. Determination. Long golden-red curly hair, violet eyes, and a beautiful singing voice.
5. Describe for me the last non-work trip you took pre-baby. (Doesn't it seem strange now?)
We went to Chillicothe OH to mr. flea's sister's house for Christmas 2002. Nine hour drive there and back, mr. flea driving and me reading the map, and New Yorkers out loud for entertainment. We slept in the basement on a futon. Had good visits with sister's family (niece, then age 4 months, and nephew age almost 4), mr. flea's parents, BIL's mother who lives with them, the dog, and assorted others (full house). Nephew threw up all over the living room rug on Boxing Day after a breakfast of milk, hershey kisses, and excitement, and mr. flea had to hide in the study (with the dog, who wanted to eat the vomit) because human bodily fluids grossed him out. How he has grown!
The last pure fun (non-family holiday gathering, non-funeral) trip was for my birthday, Sept. 6 2002, to the Outer Banks. We drove, camped, were astonished by the number of mosquitoes and how abandoned the place was barely into fall and at the height of nice weather. We spent most of our time on the National Seashore – we collect National Parks. We ran around on the beach like kids, wearing our towels as Superman capes. We ate pizza and Dairy Queen. It was my only beach trip that summer – we'd moved to NC in June, I'd been unemployed all summer, so we couldn't afford to go to Martha's Vineyard with my mother, and I love the beach. (No beach last year – too hot, too pregnant, and needed to hoard my vacation leave. This year, we're taking Casper to the Vineyard – she'll be nearly 1!)
My last work trip was July-August 2001, to Kythera, Greece, to spend 3 weeks working on an archaeological field survey. It was in another life.
If you'd like 5 questions, respond and I will customize some for you.
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no subject
Date: 2004-02-06 10:14 am (UTC)Sure. Ask away.
Re:
Date: 2004-02-06 10:47 am (UTC)Re:
Date: 2004-02-06 11:22 am (UTC)Fox DX:
Date: 2004-02-06 11:26 am (UTC)2. What were you like in college, and how are you different now?
3. Where is the most exotic place (exotic to you) you have traveled?
4. If your assignment were to google someone you used to know and no longer do, who would you pick and why? (No need to include real names).
5. You are at Sears. Money is no object. What's the first thing you buy?
Re: Fox DX:
Date: 2004-02-06 03:49 pm (UTC)And I love hearing about Casper and Franny. Awwww!