An Interview with a Mugwump

I have this somewhat bad habit/compulsion that when I enter someone's home for the first time, I like to look at all of their stuff.  Well, not like digging through their undies or anything especially creepy, but I like to look at every travel souvenir, every family photo, each tchotchke on the shelf above the sink, every piece of art.  You can learn a lot about what people value and their tastes by looking at what they put in their home.  

Turns out, about two months ago I purchased the conversational equivalent of reading the spine of every book on someone's shelf.  A book of questions!  Which was a genius invention for people like me, who could did spend an hour 'interviewing' someone about their favorite foods and activities at the Minnesota State Fair.  We brought the book along on our trip to Florida and I learned some really neat things about people I have known for 10 years.  

So, because blogging seems more fun than packing right now and there isn't anyone here to interview, I figured you (I?) would enjoy an interview with a Mugwump.  Particularly because I know there are some new followers-- thanks!-- and I haven't done any 'About Me' list-like things in quite a while.  And because I don't want to pack.

What are things you once believed that more knowledge proved different?

I once believed my parents knew everything.  I mean, they could make a math problem out of a restaurant napkin!  They knew about all of these things that happened in the 1970s! Do you know how long ago that seemed for a Kindergartner in the early 90s?  Of course, things have changed since age 5 and  I don't believe that my parents know everything.  I know they know everything.

Are you good at answering trivia questions?

I cannot remember what I ate for breakfast, where my shoes/keys/cup of coffee went, or remember to accomplish many things without a list.  That's because my brain space is filled with trivia, particularly on current events, art, and pop culture history.  My trivia weakness is film history. I cannot identify famous people in a line up and I have seen an embarrassingly low number of films. 

Do you want an open seat next to you on an airplane? 

This question had me torn.  My first reaction was to answer as follows: An open seat?! I'd settle for more than 3 ounces of beverage and 2 peanuts, I'd be thrilled if the lady behind me would stop mining for precious gems in the seat back pocket, and I'd love if Mr. Snores-Too-Much in front of me did not lean his face back all the way into my lap.  

But that's really not a problem at all.  Would I like an open seat? Sure, it makes air travel a little more comfortable.  What I really want is for everyone on my flight to remain healthy. I want my plane to take off and land safely. In the event of an emergency, I want my chair cushion to actually float or for my oxygen mask be free of any kinks that prevent the flow of air. After that, an open seat is just a bonus.

Do you stand or walk on escalators?

Yes.  I rarely sit, squat, or dance a jig on the escalator.  I find that standing or walking, while a bit bland, is the most socially acceptable.  Also, imagine getting your bum caught between the joining stairs at the end of the ride! Ouch!

In what order do you put on your clothes? 

Undies last! (When I am feeling Superheroic)

What would you name your yacht?

This question came up in Florida, and I am still struggling.  If it were a river-traversing vessel, I would call it "Mudflat Mugwump" but this is not a very classy, elegant name.  A sea-faring vessel needs something a little more regal.  Perhaps I would name her "Lady Gray." I have no idea where that comes from, other than I am pretty sure it is a type of tea. . . Also, I would like "Yellow Submarine" but I imagine this is probably trademarked and I would prefer my hypothetical yacht not act like a submarine.  

Do you prefer summer or winter?

This question is being asked of a non-skiing Minnesotan who had their spring rudely interrupted by a rain/sleet/snow/ice-stravaganza that made traffic a nightmare and is contributing to the rampant flooding that is about to befall our beloved state.  As far as I am concerned blistering sunburns, swimsuits, fancy cocktails over ice, and rooftop or patio bars cannot happen soon enough.  Summer. 

You Can't Always Get What You Want, But if You Try Sometime You Find You get What You Need

Update: I got the apartment in St. Paul.  Turns out, no one else in my life had any doubt that I would pass the rigorous application process ("Please list the first and last name of both your parents.  Please list all debts you have ever or might ever consider having.  Please rank your toes in order of favorite to least favorite.")  Okay, maybe I didn't have to rank toes, but let us remember that I am now in my dreaded mid-twenties (omigoshwhathappened?) and have never applied to live in an apartment by myself.

With having never truly lived on my own, I have never had all the things one needs to completely fill an apartment. The time I did live alone in college was in a campus apartment, which was pretty much all set up with the things one would need to survive.  in 2008 entered Best Roommate Ever who owns (and uses beautifully) every kitchen gadget known to man, has furniture and decorations, rugs and plates, silverware and vintage records.  All I ever had to do was show up and we were ready.

Now that I am approximately 45 days from Step 1 to independent, mature adulthood, I realize there are things I really need for an apartment.  But for every 1 item I add to the list of things needed, I put about 2 to 4 items on the list of things wanted.  It goes like this:

Kitchen Need: Microwave.





Kitchen Want(s): Ninja Bread Men cookie cutters, fruit infusing pitcher, life vest for my wine.




Living Room Need: A Rug.



Living Room Want(s): Green head planter, metal owl, bird bookends.



The list of needs goes on: toaster, broom, garbage can, bed skirt, etc etc etc.  So you can only imagine what the list of wants looks like...

Current Situation: Extreme Anticipation

"I've been sitting, waiting, wishing..." -- Jack Johnson

I cannot fathom why, one whole hour into the work week, I have not yet heard about the position I applied for with a metro county (which closed at 5 pm on Friday) nor have I heard about the apartment I applied for Saturday afternoon. 

I'm just kidding. Of course I understand.

But logic doesn't make me stop compulsively checking my phone in case I missed a call which is impossible because the phone is practically surgically attached to my body at all times. All times.  Logic doesn't keep me from constantly logging in to the application I submitted to see if the status has changed in the last... 5 or so minutes.  Logic isn't keeping me from excessive chair swiveling, toe tapping, pen clicking, or speaking of little except a new job, a new apartment, and a new cat (which apparently 80% of my friends will hate/be allergic to).  It doesn't keep me from replaying this worst-case scenario over and over in my mind: I do not get the apartment, my sister kicks me out, the county laughs me right out of an interview, and I end up mopping floors for $6.00/hr and returning to a windowless basement apartment in which the toilet is in the kitchen. 

My imagination gets the best of me often.  Particularly when I am stuck waiting for something.

So here I sit, trying to focus on work, and instead bouncing back and forth between worst-case scenario and daydreaming about where I will hang art in a tiny not-yet-mine apartment in St. Paul.  And pondering why no one seems to think it is appropriate to name a cat Michael...

BONUS: I was looking for a word that rhymed with 'anticipation' for the title and also came up with these other possibilities:

• Anticipation Infiltration
• Anticipation: Fire Station (only to be bested by 'Anticipation: Space Station!')
• Crustacean Anticipation
• Anticipation Mutation (this happens when you change what you are waiting for)
• Anticipation Taxation
• Anticipation Activation (you're just starting to get excited!)
• Anticipation Cancellation (I hope this does not happen to me)
• Anticipation Confirmation
• Anticipation: Population 1
• Anticipation: Taste Sensation!
• Anticipation with Speculation
• Anticipation by Experimentation
• Anticipation: Guilt by Association
• Process of Elimination Anticipation

Really, the list goes on and on... but if later you check back and find this post has been renamed Anticipation: The Space Station do not say you weren't warned.

Reverb 11: March

If March 2011 was your last month to live, how would you live it?

Honestly, if I only had 31 days to live I would not continue life as normal.  I love my job, but that's probably the first thing that would change.  And I would probably stop caring about what I ate on a daily basis.  Bring on the ice cream sundaes, the ball park hot dogs, tacos every night, and cupcakes for breakfast.  I would probably move back to my parents' house. 

But on the other hand, some things would stay the same.  In fact, many of the things I have already done in March (or am planning on doing) would fit right in line with my wishes for my last 31 days. 

I would take a vacation with my best friends and take in stories of their aspirations for their future and laugh as we compare those to the lofty dreams we had for ourselves when we first met as teenage girls. 

I would spend time laughing with my family and loving them up in any way I knew how. 

I would attend events that I enjoy and that have significance to my friends or family.  I would celebrate the accomplishments of those around me without jealousy or competition.

I would play ball with the dogs in my life. 

I would not fold my socks.

I would paint.  I would paint often.  I would paint big things and small things.  I would paint yellow things and blue things. 

I would eat Mom's classic chili.

I would love and be loved, and I can think of no better way to spend my final 31 days. 

100 Reads: The Tao of Pooh and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I would maybe consider myself someone who is pretty open-minded, particularly culturally and spiritually, to ideas that are different than my own and different than those promoted in American culture but after reading the Tao of Pooh, I can say for sure that I will probably never be a taoist.  The central ideas of taoism that the offer put forward were difficult for me to understand or relate to.  Much of it was about being very calm, and that I can support. I like the idea of creating time in your day/week to have some calm time to do simple things like enjoy coffee and the crossword or cryptoquip.  But the book also placed an emphasis on just leaving things alone, not creating change, and not having a drive for knowledge and to learn more.  I simply can't get behind those things.  I am always making changes and always wanting to know more.  And finally, I am not sure the book is really that well-written.  Many of the comparisons seemed to be a stretch and it seemed as if the author was trying to find a creative way to introduce a somewhat boring philosophy (things are the way they are, deal with it) to the reader.

Happily, I followed up with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and this was a fantastic read.  Written from the perspective of a 15 year old boy with an autism spectrum disorder, I recognized many of the behaviors and flighty thoughts from my days working with autistic and cognitively impaired children when I worked at a YMCA camp.  The things that are most lovely about this book are the things that I cherished about each of my autistic campers: their creativity, their fascination on a single topic, their frankness.  I am not sure it is an easy book to describe because it is a bit flighty and there are sections that seem entirely unrelated to the story (a murder mystery involving the neighbor's dog), but it is an exciting read and I easily finished it in the span of one week, including over 100 pages on a flight. 

Currently reading "off the list" Mennonite in a Little Black Dress (A Memoir of Going Home).  Very great book (so far) about a woman's return to her Mennonite family in her 40s after her husband left her from a man he met on gay.com.  The author, Rhoda Janzen, manages to describe her family with great humor without ever making the reader doubt that she loves them very much and would never trade her Mennonite upbringing for anything, despite not maintaining that lifestyle.  I have purchased myself a copy of the big, bad Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, so I think that will be next when I go back "on the list."

Spring Training 2011 and why the months of April (and maybe May and June), September, and October are going to be difficult

Hockey pre-season starts in September and regular season goes through April.  Play-offs and the Stanley Cup championships go all the way until the 2nd week of June.  

This makes it nearly impossible to also be a fan of a sport in which the pre-season starts late February and regular season starts in April (this covers the most critical period of hockey's regular season).  Further, post-season play could end up stretching into October, overlapping with hockey's earliest drops of the pucks.   

And, after all, I do live in the State of Hockey.  Not the State of Baseball.

But something makes me think I might slowly be turning a corner, and I may have to be a two-sport fanatic.  I am sure it has nothing to do with 4 beautiful days in Ft. Myers, FL, attending my first outdoor professional baseball games, third row tickets, ballpark hot dogs, fabulous company, or the awesomeness that is: a foam finger.  

The Final Countdown

I would really prefer to post this at the "24 hours until I leave on vacation" moment, but that would require me to wake up at 4:30 AM to post, and frankly the dedication to accuracy isn't that strong.  Consider it an early celebration of a vacation to Ft. Myers, Florida with some of my favorite ladies!




This is me, signing off.  But only for a few glorious sunny days!

xoxo