The Great Interview Experiment or What Was I Thinking?

Neil over at Citizen of the Month decided to "pay it forward" and casually did a little experiment where every blogger who left a comment would be interviewed by the person who left the comment before their own and this same commenter would then interview the person who left the comment just after theirs. Sounds complicated? No, not really. Sounds fun? Yeah, kinda. That's why I went and left a comment. (Along with something like 200 other people.)

But then I remembered that I wanted to stop blogging.

Luckily, I got the chance to interview a very charming and interesting person who waited patiently as I took a long time to put together a list of not-very-interesting questions. She is a big blogger. You know, lots of readers, good quality and quantity of posts, cool artwork, and she has a family. And a business. Well, several of them. So, I really appreciate that she took the time to respond to little old me.

So, here she is, the lovely Jessica of Kerflop.

And here is the interview:

Wow! You really have quite the life on the internet! Obviously when you were younger you didn't
imagine yourself running several blogs and selling products online, so what did you see yourself doing?

When I was in pre-school I drew a picture of myself in a nurse's hat and my mother tells me I used to collect various toys, a bucket of water, some bandaids, and situate myself on the front porch.  I told her I was waiting to see if anybody needed help.  While I did initiate my nursing education I never did finish.

So, how'd you gain all this online expertise? You've got great tutorials, you know how to use photoshop and do other fancy things to make your blog super cool - did you teach yourself?

I did!  It probably would have been less painless to just take a class, but I dove in and googled whenever I got stuck.  

I know you've probably been asked this before but how do you balance it all? I can barely keep up with one blog and a part-time job in addition to the care of one child and household stuff - you are doing so much, what's your secret?

My glorious, glorious mother's helper.  She takes care of the kids and helps with laundry for 4 hours per day Monday through Friday.  I can't justify blogging during those hours unless I'm waiting on a response from a client, so often my blog posts are written in snatches or after they've gone to bed.  To alleviate my guilt, my helper comes during school and nap hours so I don't feel like I'm missing as much face to face time with the kiddos.

Favorite/worst thing about living where you live? (Thanks go to LeahPeah for this one!)

Oy, I like the summer months here, but the winters are brutal.  20 degrees below zero has been the norm this season and I'm ready to flee to the Fiji Islands.

Is there a something you wish you could do - a hobby that you admire but you haven't yet undertaken as your own?

Oh so many!  I'd love to be proficient at the piano, be able to sing a song without cracking up at my own inability, and knitting.  I'd love to learn to knit.  You know, actual wearable items, and not just crooked pot holders.

What's your theme song?

This is a tough one since right now I have a running tape of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" running through my head at all times.  I suppose I like 10,000 Maniac's "These are the days".  My kids and I like to dance to that one in the kitchen and it makes me happy to be right where I am right now, and not longing for yesterday or tomorrow.

Being eco-friendly is very trendy right now. Obviously there is a lot of money to be made in the consumption of 'green' things (toys, clothing, etc.) While I know that your business does depend on this in a way, it seems you were around before the trend, so what do you think of this movement? Is it for real? Is the general public really becoming more aware or is just the consumption gods up to their old tricks enticing us to 'buy' something?

I'm always a ittle suspicious of fad movements.  I hope people can respect and take care of the earth and not get so caught up in the political nonsense regarding it.  If someone truly respects the land they live on, they'll continue taking care of it after the general public has decided to focus on something else.

What did you have for dinner last night?

Nothing, I was sick with a stomach bug, how exciting is that?  But my relatives (we were at my mother in law's house) feasted on a rice pilaf chicken noodle soup concoction that looked divine.

What did you wish you had?

A people-person's personality.  I think I can be intimidating and off putting in person.  I almost always say the wrong things.

What meal has your family completely burnt-out on?

Fast food, thank goodness. Bleh!

What's your favorite weekend activity?

Sleeping as much as is physically possible.

Where do you plan to travel in 2008?

You know, I'm not much for traveling.  I hate living out of a suitcase but I'm sure we'll spend time with family here and there and possibly visit San Francisco for BlogHer, but we'll see.

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