My Great Interview Experience With Bugginsword

I just got back from Bugginword where I interviewed blogger extraordinaire Elly for The Great Interview Experiment. If you unfamiliar with this, then head on over to Neil Kramer's blog: Citizen of the Month. You sign up, leave a comment, then interview the person who left a comment before you. Since I am a new blogger, I decided to give it a try. Elly from Bugginword is my first victim, errr, interviewee. After reading her blog I knew she is my soulmate and fate will intervene and move us next door to each other to live out our days in sublime happiness. Oh yes, I'm being interviewed by txtingmrdarcy. Anyone who crushes on Jennifer Nettles is A OK with me. Ok. I think I am ready. Laptop. CHECK! Drink. CHECK! Interviewee. CHECK! ME: Hi Elly. Do you mind if I call you Elly? Hope so because this is my interview and I'm calling you Elly. :) Bear with me as this is my first interview and I tend to ramble and become distracted by small shiny things. ELLY:Every girl likes shiny things. I’d refused to answer your questions if you tried to tell me you were only into mud and legwarmers. Oh and Elly is fine. That’s much better than the name my fellow drivers usually scream at me. ME: Appreciate that. :) So, I was reading your blog and between extreme fits of giggling and laughing, I saw that your blog is written by you and your 3 brothers. Did it start out that way? ELLY: Aw, ok now that you’ve showered me with flattery I feel really bad about the legwarmers comment. You can wear wet wool on your entire body while wallowing in the mud if it makes you happy. I shouldn’t judge. But you should feel free to judge my brothers. Initially they were all about getting their blog on and contributing their wealth of wit and insight. Then they dropped me. One got a promotion and is running around like mad trying to figure out his new gig. One went and started his own site which is sadly far prettier than mine (http://housecarl.com/wordpress/). The little one keeps threatening to write again but he’s all “I’m trying to finish my dissertation” or some shit. Boys. Hmph. So now I’ve tweaked the site a bit so it’s a little more “ELLY” (in flashing 972 pt lights) and a little less “Brothers” (in plain old movie theater marquis plastic letters stuck up with a long pole and a suction cup). ME: I also noticed that they don't contribute as much as you do. Do you think it's because they are not as interesting or is it general laziness? ELLY: Oh they’re plenty interesting. I blame the lazy. And clearly they don’t love me enough. F***kers. ME: I have to admit I was a little, ummmmm, curious about the poetry. I have brothers and the only one I have ever heard any of they quote was, "There was a young woman from Nantucket..." ELLY: Oh none of them whip out the poetry in real life. Apparently they didn’t conspire to all write poems for their bios either. IT JUST HAPPENED. Sometimes I think maybe we’re a little too close as a family. ME: Close huh? You know this is a family blog right? ELLY: No! Stop thinking that! Yes we’re from the South but we aren’t THAT close. Ew. ME: Did you have a particular reason for starting a blog? ELLY: Actually, I was having a mess of trouble with my chemo brain and Aloysius (my pet name for my oncologist) told me to try and exercise my brain for improvement. I of course pictured my brain in a sweatband, wearing a unitard and little sneakers while sweating to Oliva Newton John’s Greatest Hits. Then he suggested crossword puzzles and sudukos. Somehow I decided that I’d try and learn HTML instead. Fortunately I learned about WordPress and I haven’t really had to get too hot and heavy with the code, but I’m still learning a new trick every day. ME: I see you love words. Especially made up ungrammatically correct ones. Did you always feel the need to screw with the Oxford Dictionary? ELLY: I’ve always felt the need to screw with everything. I’m an instigator. It’s wicked fun. But yeah, I often wonder about words. For example, why isn’t the past tense of freak froke. I love the word froke. I tried desperately to get it some acceptance while in undergrad, my professor froke out and failed me when I tried to use it in a paper. F***ker. ME: Speaking of sharts and poo, do you find it's just men in general that like talk and giggle about body functions or do you join in the fun? ELLY: That’s a tough one. I think that boys are always the instigator of poo talk, but I too am guilty of the giggles. Coincidentally, the gal I’m interviewing seems awfully obsessed with feces herself (http://www.puttingthefunindysfunctional.com/2008/07/beware-turd-burglar.html) My favorite poo word is actually turd. I think turd should be used with far more frequency than it is. It really is fun to say! Well, and my favorite Christmas Ornament is my Mr. Hanky The Christmas Poo. Hmmm, that question might have inspired a whole new holiday craft idea! ME: Yea!!! Another Twilight fan over the age of 15. So you are team Edward? I am both team Edward & Jacob. I mean COME ON. Jacob shirtless? w00T!! Though, I will admit I feel slightly slimy for thinking that. Being that I'm old enough to be his mom. Have you seen New Moon? Did you feel weird being in a theater of squealing giggling teens? Did Rocco go with you? ELLY:Yeah, I ‘m incredibly embarrassed about my Twilight problem. I did see the movie (opening night – the horror) and Rocco went with me. It was ridiculous. (http://bugginword.com/2009/11/20/debriefing/) Yes, I’m a total douche but I honestly can’t get enough of that sh*t. In fact, I’m going again tomorrow with a girlfriend. Jeez the embarrassment. I am EMPHATICALLY Team Edward. Taylor is just a little too young for me to stomach. I feel less dirty when it’s Rob, but only slightly. Then again, maybe the dirty is part of the appeal. I listen to the audio books when I go jogging…but of course I occasionally have to stop, swoon, and then squeal at a disturbingly high pitch. I think I have to go hide under my bed in shame for a little while. Maybe it isn’t too early to drink, after all. ME: So Rod Stewart is the Antichrist huh? I always thought it was Barry Manilow but to each his own. ELLY:Hallowed be the Manilow. He writes the songs, lady! What the hell are you thinking? I’m going to listen to his Greatest Hits while I finish out these questions. ME: Ok. Calm down there tiger. But just out of curiosity, WHY is Rod Stewart the Antichrist? ELLY: I wrote a whole paper on it for my Ethnomusicology class in undergrad. SOB I wish I still had a copy. It was sheer brilliance if I say so myself. The short answer is he’s pure evil. No force that makes music so hideous and painful but comes all wrapped up in a miniature blonde nugget body can be good. There is no reason that man should have had any success. Clearly he sold his soul to the devil. Or maybe he just IS the devil. Oh Christ I can hear him singing in my head. MAKE IT END!!! BARRY HELP ME!! Where was I? Oh yes, we hates him. Vehemently. ME: *Note to self-don't mention long term friendship with Rod Stewart around Eilly* If you saw him in person would you throw holy water on him to see if he melts? ELLY: If I saw him in person I would probably drop to the ground and army crawl to the nearest exit while sobbing uncontrollably. If I was feeling super brave, I might try to rescue whatever supermodel was with him at the time. I’d then spend the next fifty or so years in therapy trying to recover from the PTSD. In case I’ve left you with any doubt, I REALLY, REALLY HATE ROD STEWART. ME: I loved your post on Reflections. Ummm, I didn't finish NaBloPoMoF either. ELLY:Oh more flattery! This interviewing thing is fun when I get a whole mess o’ sweet lovin’ from strangers! But in all seriousness, thanks for the warm words on Reflections. I’m proud of just about everything having to do with that one – the writing, the cancer beating, the painting – all of it. I’m currently working on a little collection of essays about the whole cancer experience so it’s particularly rewarding when I get positive responses on the pieces around that theme. You and your mud-caked legwarmers are a-ok in my book. ME: You know, f they had a Twitter one-I'd be the champion! ELLY: You could start that ya know… ME: I could, but that would require more ambition then I have to give. Because if you can't say it in 140 characters or less then it's just too much. But back to you. ELLY: Oh yes me, I know stuff about me! ME: Did you find it had to do NaBloPoMoF? Do you think it's easier to blog when you don't have a real reason to ? ELLY: NaBloPoMo actually wasn’t quite as hard to do as I’d feared. It gave me an excuse to publish some posts that might have otherwise just been forgotten on the cutting room floor. Then again, that might have been better for society as a whole. I’m always fascinated by what topics and posts resonate with what people. I’ve actually had people say they prefer it when I ramble without anything to say. Then again, most of those people have been prescribed behavior modification drugs so their opinions might be…well should be taken with a grain of salt. Then other times I think I’ve rambled on too long about some scene in a park and people get all swoony over that. All I know for sure is Mom really doesn’t like it when I say “meat curtains” in a post. ME: I'm not even going to ask about the "meat curtains". ME: You are very talented. The picture is beautiful. Do you show your work or is it just for personal pleasure? ELLY: *Blushing and batting my eyelids* I’m starting to like you even more than Edward. Be careful. AS IF YOU COULD OUTRUN ME! Focus, Elly. I’ve debated selling or showing pieces off and on, but I find that regardless of the medium I use, I just can’t seem to part with my work. I mean, I’ll give it to loved ones as gifts on occasion. I’ve also done a few commissions. But I just can’t bring myself to just throw something so personal into the world and not know that it will be loved and treasured as I loved and treasured the experience of working on the piece. Holy hokey, Batman – I know. But it is what it is. I’ve started selling some concrete castings of some of my work on Etsy @ Caterpillarsperch, but I find that I just can’t part with the originals. That’s why I need a bigger house….and a manservant. ME: What did you do in the theater & music business? ELLY: Oh hell that’s a mess of long stories and I worry I’ve already prattled on far too much. I’ll see if I can keep it short. I did overhire (lifting heavy stuff and plugging in thick cables as needed) for the North Carolina Shakespeare festival while in college. I also ran spot a few times for the High Point Theater. All ridiculously glamorous stuff I tell ya. I’ve done booking, publicity, sales, online marketing, and event planning in the music industry. I think this post (http://bugginword.com/2009/09/22/flashbacks/) is probably the best way to sum up my experiences in that field, and why I’m not there anymore. But I’m still fluent in stripper and I can out drink almost anybody, and that’s all that really matters. ME: It's good to have goals. ME: When reading your bio I saw you are a cancer survivor and I'd just like to say congratulations and give you a BIG hug. My mom is a cancer survivor and I thank god for her remission everyday. ELLY: Aw, shucks. Big hugs right back, and big hugs to your mom, too. ME: The My Space/Your Space post made me laugh so hard. My mom is a space commander. She has HER space and you have yours. Do NOT come into her space without permission or you will regret it. She once told me that the worst part of cancer, besides the possibly of dying, was the fact that so many people felt that since they had seen every inch of your insides & outsides it gave them space commander rights. ELLY: I can dig that. The whole process is so dehumanizing and degrading; you just sort of forget you ever had boundaries. I mean, how much time can a gal really spend documenting and describing her shit turds to a roomful of strangers? Then when those boundaries come back – lookout! ME: Do you feel that blogging has helped in dealing with your cancer? ELLY: I think so. Therapy doesn’t hurt, either. My big thing is that I think people should talk about it. I’m neither ashamed nor embarrassed I had cancer. I’ve got no problem talking about any of it (unless I’ve got a scan looming – then I’d rather ignore it all), but I worry that others don’t feel they have that liberty. It’s like this taboo subject that no one wants to hear about because it’s “sad” and “tragic”. Well it affects just about everybody and we might as well acknowledge its existence and learn how to live with it. So I try and find the humor in cancer. If I can get people to giggle a little, then that takes some of the terror away and brings a little more humanity back to how people perceive cancer patients and survivors. Holy crap that sounds profound and heartfelt. That question is SO not good for my reputation. ME: I see you have a list of blogging biotches. I know a few of them and your right...they are biotches. LOL How do I become a biotch on your blogroll? I know I only blog about clothing...but I AM biotchey about it. What monetary, culinary, or visionary things do I need to do? ELLY: Ok you crazy dirt-wallowing, leg-warmer wearing biotch – you’re in. Remember to only use your powers for good…and excessive flattery of your favorite Elly. ME: As if. ME: Thank you so much for being my first victim, errr, interviewee. Your blog is wonderful and I look forward to reading more about you and your adventures. So what do you all think? I rock huh? LOL Go see Elly at Bugginword. Stalk her. Laugh with her. Flatter her excessively. It'll be good for you both. ;)

Pin It