Friday, February 20, 2009

Interview with a dork.......

Dork, that'd be me. You see our friend, Kathy interviewed me. Possibly you've seen this making the stitching blog rounds? The idea is you ask a blogging comrad a series of questions (of the interviewers choosing), they post the answers on their blog, and, in turn, offer to interview someone else. So, here goes.

Kathy's interview and my ruminations--
1. Of all the wonderful cities you have visited which is your favorite and why?
I'd say DC wins hands down simply because of the vast amount of different kinds of things you can do, see, go to, experience without a $20+ admission price for each one. I probably went to 8-12 museums on my last trip to DC and only paid an admission fee for one. If you don't want to do "the museum thing" DC is also a city that lets you just wander around -- lots of interesting architecture and outdoor events exist in a compact space. You can wander and experience at will. Also it is an easy city to get around in -- aside from the fact that it's rather compact and therefore walking-friendly, there's the Metro to use as well. Even at the height of tourist season it doesn't rival NYC for crowds (which always make me edgy). In the end, if the city is too much, a brief drive gets you to beautiful countryside -- Mount Vernon, Monticello, Montpelier, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Jamestown, Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, etc, etc ..........
Ultimately, I suppose a lot of what makes DC attractive to me is that it is a city of transplants -- the majority of the city is people from somewhere else, making "locals" and the city itself more sensitive to visitor's needs and issues. You don't feel like a nuisance or the butt of jokes; you're just one of the crowd of "foreigners" milling around.

2. Who is the person who has influenced you the most in your life and why?
It's gotta be my mom. For good and bad she made me me.

3. What is your favorite piece that you have stitched and why?
Darn. I'm riffling through the ole memory -- some "big" pieces come to mind (JN's Enchanted Swans is lovely, I'm fond of the quilt needlepoint I did for my sister last Christmas, and there's always the giant quote by Emerson that was put out by Twisted Threads),
Just Nan's Enchanted Swans
12_27_2008 056
Twisted Threads -- To Laugh Often
but I don't know that they really are my favorite. What I keep coming back to at the moment is the presonalized sampler I did for a friend based on my Cross Stitch Pals class with Mary of M Designs.
1_31_2008 002
I think I like it over any of the others because I got to be creative an put a lot of originality into it -- I charted Australian Shepherds and my friend's funky-shaped coffee mugs for it, I tracked down patterns from all over for little bits and pieces (like the garden bench she has along her front walk), and I was a able to find all sorts of charms to add-- like the parton saint of dogs, a purse (she has such a fetish for purses), and lucky charms (since she's got hoards of those in her life too). It was a lot of fun and I want to do it all again, just differently.

4. What does stitching mean to you?
Calm. Quite calm. Oh and possibly an excess of TV listening--- it's not like I "view" much TV while I stitch.

5. Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
Don't I wish I knew? I should have an answer to this since I'm supposed to know stuff like this in my hunt for a more reliable job, but frankly I just don't. I'd like to see myself settled, peaceful, adequately employed, and surrounded by stash though.

Now, that I've yammered on to Kathy's very thoughtful questions, is there a sucker.... errr volunteer for me to interview?

7 comments:

mainely stitching said...

Reading what you've written about DC, I think I really need to see it with my kids. I've never been, which I'm more than a little ashamed to admit.

(I've already been interviewed, but if you wanted to sling an interesting question or two at me.... LOL!)

Kathy A. said...

Wonderful answers girl. I can tell you put some thought into them. Thank you so much for being interviewed.
I love DC too. We always tell our friends that it is one of the best cities - the supply of things to do is endless and the price is right!
Hope you get a couple people to interview too. It was thought provoking but fun

Unknown said...

DH and I lived just outside of DC the first eight months that we were married. We both worked inside the city, so we never went home except to sleep. Every weekend we were "tourists", and after those eight months, we still felt like there was more to see! It truely is a fantastic city.

I am really boring, but if no one else signs up for it....

Amy said...

Ruth, you're one of the most interesting people I've ever met, (and also one of the funniest!) Don't you dare call yourself a dork. Actually, I think you need to talk (write) even more... and do find your dream job on the east coast, please?!?!? ;-)
You don't want to interview me... not unless all you want to hear about is stitching & stash. My 4 miles (round trip) to town & back once a twice a week would put anyone to sleep! lol ;-)

Cyn said...

Hi Ruth,

If you need someone to interview, just let me know. :-)

I'm very familiar with DC and VA. You are right, lot's to see and do and most of it is free!

Cynthia
Windy Meadow

Siobhán said...

LOL about the dork thing. From one dork to another, there could be worse things than being a dork. ;) I love your stitched pieces! I'm right there with you, too, on DC. My dad used to drive us down there on the weekends to get us out of my mom's hair. I have fond memories of so many visits. My brother lives just outside of DC, in northern VA, so we go into the city when we visit T-Dog. I love it. Fun interview!

Chris said...

Who are you kidding, you are NOT a dork. I've been to DC once, and only saw a tiny bit of all it has to offer. I have been wanting to make a return trip for a while now. If you still need someone to interview, I'm willing.