22 July 2006

Five Questions

Mo over at It's A Blog Eat Blog World has started a project. He asks five interview questions that you answer and then you return the favor by interviewing five other volunteers. If you want to volunteer for me to ask you questions, just mention it in comments. Here are Mo's questions and my answers:

You asked for it, you got it: 5 "interview me" questions
Remember the rules = you post the questions and answers on your site, then ask for "interview me" volunteers. You then send these volunteers 5 questions that you make up, along with the rules...


1. Explain the yak, please. It is a yak, right? In your sidebar? If not, what kind of horned bovine is it, and its significance?

That is not a yak, it is a Highland Cow/Bull (I didn't ask the little guy/girl and both sexes have horns). No significance other than it reminds me of my trip to Scotland and is one of my favorite animals. They are wonderfully gentle beasts and it is there to remind me of the real thing, meet Hamish.



2. If I were president, (Or King Of The World, whichever) I would make you my Cultural Ambassador. What one thing would you change in our public school system's curriculum to make kids today appreciate the finer things more?

Most school work at early ages is a deadly bore. By the time children get around to learning art, music, and history their imaginations have been killed off by Dick and Jane or their modern equivalent. I would expose the class to everything in passing as an integral part of the total K through 6 curriculum from great paintings to classical music to historical events via pictures, music played in the background, stories read to them, or field trips to museums and then ask them to do what they do best: Make up stories, dress in historical costume and do drawings about what they have seen or heard. If the Mona Lisa ends up in clown makeup fine, they will remember and love her again in ten years while humming Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.

3. Speaking of presidential stuff, if you had 5 minutes alone with Vice President Cheney, would you try and see if he's actually an android, or would you try and have a civil conversation with him? If you choose talking, what would you talk with him about?

He has always struck me as a very sad, bitter man. I would want to know why he has cut himself off from anyone and everyone who might challenge his opinions about anything and why his private beliefs and his public statements seem so at odds. Anyone so miserable and angry that they must always be right is dangerous.

4. If you were making a calendar, what 12 pictures would you use?

You do know how to make life difficult ... Only 12 favorite images of all the people, places, music, books, nature, animals etc. etc. etc. This was actually the hardest so I considered the imaginary by using photos of places on my eventual around the world trip in a luxury suite on the Queen Mary, but settled for a smidgen of honesty.

January - Hugh Jackman (I'm just aged not dead)













February - Dance Me To the End of Love by Jack Vettriano simply because I love the painting and there has to be a stand in for all the art that means so much to me.













March - There is and always will be only one for March - why? None of your business. lol










April - Barnum with Jim Dale & Glenn Close - Every song means something which is why this poster is in a frame is on my wall plus it represents one of my other obsessions - musical theater.









May - Baryshnikov - I'm still not dead












June - My granddaughter, The Incredible T










July - A Place to Be









August - His Majesty Rorschach I (Rory)











September - four Generations Triptych








October - One Author to Represent sixty years of wonderful, beloved books











November - Westminster Abbey for all the beautiful buildings in the World














December - Wither thou goest, I will go; Wither thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God (Ruth 1:16).















5. If you were Noah, which pair of animals would you NOT allow on the ark?

This one is hard. I genuinely like virtually all animals for being beautiful, useful, or strangely wonderful. The unicorn did get left behind ... very sad. I was tempted to say either the mosquito, flea or cockroach and then realized they keep populations in balance through disease and garbage disposal ... Aggravating but very necessary. I don't like chihuahuas because of an unpleasant childhood event, but that would mean all dogs had to go and that would be intolerable. Since you won't let me evict Noah and family as the most dangerous dolt on the dinghy, it will have to be the second worst thing on the boat - The Slug

(Drat! I like looking at Banana Slugs even if they are slimy. Oh Well - They're gone!)

10 comments:

Mo and The Purries said...

Oh! That was fun! I didn't expect you to actually post your calendar pictures, but that was amazing.

I just gotta ask - is that Horshack for March?????????????

I think that's my favorite quote from The Bible - and from Fried Green Tomatoes!!! :)

Oh - eliminating humans from the ark. Very deep. I would go with mosquito myself.

Thanks for playing (oh, and I didn't come up with this meme, I'm just playing along, like you!)
cheers,
mo

Durward Discussion said...

No that is not Horshack. That is just the picture that always brings a smile to my face and it's still none of your business. lol

Linda said...

What excellent answers all! I get the feeling, though, that if you and Dick Cheney sat down for a little bit of one on one, he'd be even angrier at the end as I'm sure you'd make him realize that he isn't always right!

Great calendar choices, too - though I am MOST curious about March! And I l just love yuor Highland Cow, especially when the wind is blowing!

I'm game if you'd like to ask me 5 questions, though I doubt I'd do as well answering them as you did!

Sadie said...

Excellent answers!

I love, love, LOVE Hugh Jackman. almost as much as Daughtry! ;)

And i want my (as yet unborn) child to go to a school you're running.

Travis Cody said...

I like the idea behind your calendar pictures.

Anonymous said...

As always... very thought provoking. I couldn't come close to answering so intelligently (I am more of an emotional being). I thoroughly enjoyed this posting. Thank you.

eProf2 said...

Jamie:

Check out Leonard Cohen's song, Dance to the End of Love to go with Vettriano's art work. March almost looks like a young Cohen, too.

Watch out with the Cheney stuff, he might invite you to go hunting. LOL!!!

Amazing Gracie said...

Great questions and wonderfully thought-out answers! I'd go with the slug, also. Yeeech! I've step on too many at night while barefooted.

Anonymous said...

My boys love Highland Cattle - or 'Heilan coos' as they call them :-)

Seen this meme a few times now, good set of answers.

Sandee said...

Excellent job, as usual. I feel like I am attending a class everytime I visit your site. It's an enjoyable learning process.