vox mariann

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could never fail? 
Submitted by BeckyPink. 

This is a great question. If I knew I couldn't fail at something, I would draw or play music or sing or dance or write.  All of these involve some level of creativity, some master of skill and talent, some display to others for approval and satisfaction.  If I knew I could not fail, I would want to try them all.

Do you have a pet? What kind of pet do you own, and why did you choose it? 
Submitted by Brendz.  

I have a beagle named Allie.  I found her at the county animal control shelter.  She'd just arrived, and I could tell she was incredibly sweet.  I feel in love with her big, soft brown eyes and calm demeanor.  She was on the small side, too, and I'd been looking for a dog that was a little older than a puppy because my son doesn't understand that baby animals are babies, not toys.  In any case, I put my name on the waiting list.  I was first on the list, but the dog had been chipped and the shelter was trying to locate her owner.

About a week later, the shelter called.  They could not locate the owner so the dog was available.  We drove out to meet her again, this time with my son.  He was thrilled so I completed the adoption papers.  The total cost was $16, including updated shots -- a bargain compared to what the pet stores were charging for puppies.

My son had some trouble adjusting to the dog.  He loves her and she's very good, but his autistic tendencies make it difficult for him to separate a calm experience -- just being with someone or something -- from constant activity.  So Allie lives at my mother's house, where she has another dog for company.  My son can still see her 3-5 times a week and he loves visiting and playing. 

Allie is clearly my dog.  She's bonded with me so much that whenever she sees me, she gets very excited.  She barks and jumps, and runs to me as if we've been separated forever.  I miss having her around, but until I have a back yard, she'll have to stay at my mother's place.

When was the last time you made a drastic change to your personal style (i.e., wardrobe, hairstyle, etc.)? What did you do? 
Submitted by miyna. 

I just got my hair cut last week.  Took about four inches off, so it's perky and curly now.

How many jobs have you had in the past five years? Where and what did you do? 
Submitted by M.  

I've had one full-time job over these last five years, but numerous part-time work has also kept me busy.  I've also taught, written, edited, designed and organized.

Would you go on vacation by yourself, and if so where would you go?
Submitted by Sean & Stefan.

I'm torn between finding a secluded cabin in the woods to rest, read and write, and visiting Disney so I can explore every nook and cranny at my own pace.

Who is the very first friend you ever had?  Are you still in touch?

The earliest friend I can remember was were two boys, Brian and Eddie.  I was six or seven years old, new to the apartment complex.  Brian was a year older, lived in the next apartment complex over with his mother and brother.  We played Star Wars a lot because it had come out, and we had action figures and trees and rocks.  I lost touch with Brian when he moved, and we went to different schools anyway.  I was in St. Jerome's, he in a public school.  I saw him once when I was ten or eleven, in the grocery store.  He wore a red and white baseball uniform, and he didn't seem to recognize me.  I was sad.  I haven't thought about Brian in years, and I don't know where he is or what he's doing.  If I knew his last name, perhaps I'd Google him.

I knew the other boy, Eddie, through his mother, who was a friend of my mother.  She was also a single parent, as I recall, and Eddie was a strange boy.  He'd seen a lot of horror movies so he was fascinated with movie make-up, special effects, drawing and scary characters.  I didn't spend much time with Eddie as we weren't in the same neighborhood, but I remember admiring his creativity.

There were some other childhood friends -- the Korean brother and sister with a large family, the Guatemalan boy destined to be a priest, the rich girl from parochial school.  They came and went with the tides, and sometimes I think about them in passing.  I suppose if I had more pictures from that period, I'd have stronger memories.

Did you see the Harry Potter movie this weekend?  Are you going to read the new book?

Yes, I saw HP5 and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  In fact, I plan on seeing it again this Friday, about six hours before attending the HP7 countdown party at a bookstore, just so I have thoroughly saturated myself with the magic.

I cannot wait!

How many email addresses do you have?  What are they for? 
Submitted by clippedwings.

Although I have a Gmail account for the majority of my email needs, I do have several other accounts to separate different parts of my life.  I have an email address for my son's school, one for teaching, one for blogging and one for freelance work.  I also have email addresses for different websites -- for example, amazon@mydomain -- so that when I get spammed, I can narrow down the leak.  All except teaching forward to my Gmail address so I can answer everything within one handy interface.

I do like the convenience of POP and off-line email, but Gmail makes everything accessible no matter where I am.

What was your worst hairstyle decision ever?

It was 1980, the summer after I'd turned 10, and a friend of someone in the family offered to cut my hair.  At the time, my hair was waist-length and I wanted it to be about shoulder-length so I could still braid it.  What I got... oh, it still hurts me years and years later.  This woman cut my hair so short that I looked like a boy!

I struggled with that short hair for several years after, trying to manage a cut that was feminine and flattering and easy to take care of... it was the 80s, too, when layers were stylish.  Unfortunately, with my chaotic waves, I ended up with a frizz ball, which has stuck with me since.

What's the longest boat ride you've ever been on?

I think I've been on two rides that lasted roughly six hours each.  As a teenager, I traveled from Belgium to the UK and we took the ferry.  There was a shorter trip if one traveled from France to the UK, but the drive north to the base where we'd stay for a reasonable price was longer.  It made more sense to take the longer ferry for a shorter ride, unless of course, I wanted to hit the theatre district in London.

The other boat ride was a whale watching trip off the Cape of New England.  I traveled north to spend a long weekend with three girlfriends from an online RPG.  We stayed at a timeshare, toured Martha's Vineyard, watched The X-Files, talked into the wee hours... it was a nice extension of our online friendships.  One of the days, we took a boat to see some whales.  The seas were really rough, and I got so seasick that I spent most of that trip inside, head between my knees and wishing I was back on land.