when you put ideas into the world, magic happens

when you start something, it begins with a few who are interested.

then it grows, as they invite their friends.

and who knows what it will become?

i am grateful for this evening. for being interviewed (if only for 3 minutes) on the radio. for being comfortable enough to spend my entire evening in danish. for those who were more charmed by my accent than offended. for those who came - some who felt a sense of duty to me (thank you!!), but who ended up inspired (thank you!!!). to the nodding and smiles and tears i saw in some eyes. to the beginning of something. something potentially special. and especially for the ideas that i hadn't thought of that already surfaced...words to go with the photos (of COURSE!) and photos already taken over the years. fantastic.

mostly i'm grateful for meeting neighbors and new friends. and the sense of community.

i love putting something out there into the world and seeing what happens. because it's always magical.

edit: i should have noted that this post is actually about the project i described in the previous one.

an interview with the novelista barista

my interview series continues. back a couple of weeks ago, adrift in the bloggy doldrums, in order to spice things up, i asked if anyone would like me to interview them. much to my surprise, 53 (as i write this) people have said yes and there are a handful of others who emailed me and also said yes). so i've been reading blogs and writing individualized questions ever since. and it's been really good for getting me out of my bloggy dolrums. the number of questions is entirely random...i write them in kind of an automatic trance until no more come out. that results in anywhere from 7-11 questions. it's an interesting process. and here is the latest installment...


when the uber-fabulous novelista barista said she wanted to be interviewed, i was like, "whoa? does she actually read my blog?" i had no idea! and so i jumped at the chance to ask her a few questions...

novelista barista at macchu picchu - photo provided by her (i'm not stalking her, you know).

1. you said recently you wished you'd gotten a different degree...if you could do it over, what degree would you get today?

i wish i got a degree in teaching OR with a specialization with my communications degree..i dont know which i would do because they both have their perks but i'd probably lean more towards the specialization.

2. in the same vein, what advice would you give your 18-year-old self?

id tell myself to TRAVEL ABROAD DURING COLLEGE. And find a specialized field to go into so that I can start making money when i got out of college.

3. digital or film?

digital... used to be film.. i felt like i was the last person on earth to have a winding camera with film but i ended up also being the only person with actual pictures. but now digital is the way to go... going to cvs to drop off film takes too long!

4.  your ultimate dream camera?

dream camera would be one that takes pictures really clear and in one second so i dont miss something when i am trying to take the picture... that always happens to me because my camera is too slow.

5. what did your parents think you would be when you grew up?

i honestly have no idea... i think a teacher and i should have went with that because i could have had the summers off!!!!! who ever told me that wasnt a good idea is insane!!

6. the best practical joke you've ever been part of...

lol i honestly have no idea about this.

7. who will you play you in the movie they make of your life?

Anne Hathaway!

8. share with us a quirky random story.

hmm...random story...when i worked at this coffee shop in new york, it was about 7am and i was doing the routine, making everyone's drinks on the espresso machine as they came in. i happened to look up and see Bill Murray there. He ordered a latte. So I got to make his latte, which was awesome because i do get star struck a little so I didn't want to mess it up. As he was leaving he tipped us well and said it was one of the best lattes he ever had. Go me!

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run along, read her blog and long for NYC.

an interview with jessi of the 3 a.m. rants

meet jessi whose blog, the 3 a.m. rants, makes me smile, since she gets all the rage and angst out in a way that i can only say proves my notion that blogging is cheaper than therapy. that and i LOVE the graffiti background she's used. jessi is one of the new (to me) people who wanted to be interviewed and i really love that part of this little project. do check her out, but first, read what she had to say...

1. i think we all have the occasional desire to use blogging as a 3 a.m. rant, but you do it very well. do you think it helps to get it out?

Yeah, it really does. Sometimes I feel like I get too personal on there, but it's become a part of who I am now. It means a lot to me to be able to look back three years and see how much I've changed (or haven't!) And as for the actually ranting part; writing has always been an outlet for me, but I'm awful at keeping journals. So my blogging in a lot of ways is like meditation - I almost always feel satisfied afterwards.

2. tell us about the flying monkeys...

Ah the flying monkeys. They always mess with things when you least expect it. Mischievous little buggers.

3. which angry chick music speaks to you when you're feeling like an angry chick?

Hmmm...that's a tough one. It depends on what kinda angry we're talking about. Sometimes, it's a "Rootless Tree" by Damien Rice kinda angry, and sometimes it's an anything Bright Eyes angry, sometimes "Kerosene" by Miranda Lambert and sometimes an Aly & AJ/Paramore/Christina Aguilera boxing session.

4. what's your guilty pleasure?

Gossip Girl. Haha and anything melodramatic. And chick flicks. Definitely chick flicks. Dear John made me cry, but don't tell anyone!

5. do you know what you want to be when you grow up? (i still have no idea, so don't worry too much about this one.)

Yes, actually I do. Well, I know I want to be a criminal psychologist, because nothing fascinates me more than picking people's brains, especially criminals and deviants.

6. your top three favorite cheesy movies.

Hmm.... Fox and The Hound. (I had that movie on my ipod for about four years.) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - I could watch it a million times over and still love every second of it. And When Harry Met Sally, because...well, just because. Everything about it makes me smile.

7. would you ever participate in a reality show? if so, which one?

Hhaha I'd love to say yes, but in all honesty, no way. Unless it was like "True Life: My Life is a Hot Mess." Kidding. But nah, blogging is enough "out there" as I want my business to me. =P

8. your biggest pet peeve?

My biggest pet peeve? Ignorance and stupidity. In whatever form it may be. But if you are ignorant and/or stupid, I can pretty much guarantee you you irritate me.

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thank you jessi, i'm so glad to have met you! i'm still stuck on my reality show concept - near miss - featuring ordinary people as air traffic controllers. i wonder why no t.v. producers have ever jumped on that idea....