This is my interview with Golfwidow. She has been reading my blog and commenting for almost as long as I have been writing it. It was about time I got to her interview. Thanks for letting me interview you, Golfwidow!

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Where do you live? What is like where you live?
I live in West Haven, Connecticut. It’s not a particularly intriguing set of surroundings – I live near a beach, but it’s never really warm enough to swim; it’s an old settlement in the United States but not as historically interesting as New Haven (where Yale University is), and the pizza is okay but doesn’t make people want to make television food shows about the city.

What do you do for a living? Do you like what you do?
I’m sort of generalist, even though my job title contains the word “specialist.” I work for a company that makes electrical products. If you’ve ever been in a factory or in a restaurant kitchen, and seen those kinds of waterproof plugs or big huge plugs and switches hanging down from the ceiling connected to industrial-sized machines, chances are my company made them. I don’t do that, though. I work on their website, and when there’s nothing new for the website, I answer phones, balance budgets, place orders, and do a lot of stuff to help the company run smoothly. I like my job but I would rather be a professional writer and stay home all the time writing books. So far I’ve only written one book and it’s not a best-seller, so I haven’t made enough money to stay home and write another.

I think you are married, right? What is it like being married?
Being married, for me, is kind of like living with a really good friend. We get into fights, then we forget what we were fighting about five minutes later and get back to normal. Also, my husband, when we were just dating, used to remember everything when he would come back from the store, but after we got married, he started to forget stuff off the list. I think he hopes I won’t make him go to the store anymore.

What is your favorite thing to do when it is raining?
I like to be inside when it’s raining. In Connecticut, even a summer rainstorm is pretty chilly and uncomfortable. I like to curl up on the sofa with my big blue quilt and read a book, watch a movie, or take a nap. Naps are some of my favorite things to do, ever.

What is your favorite type of cookie? Why?
Well, my favorite cookie, unfortunately, is a cookie I make called “white lightning.” It’s a double-chocolate (chocolate batter with chocolate chips), dunked in white chocolate. I say “unfortunately” because I am allergic to chocolate, so when I make them, I can only have, like, one, and I have to take Benadryl before I eat it.

What is your favorite place to go and just enjoy life?
I like outdoor cafés. I like to bring a book, grab a cup of coffee and a piece of cake or fruit, and just read all by myself, or people-watch. I make up stories in my head about the people I see. Sometimes I’ll come home and write them into short fiction.

If you are a vegetarian, don’t answer this….if not, what is your favorite type of meat product? Why?
I could never be a vegetarian. I love steak. LOVE IT. When I was a little kid, the price of beef was really expensive. We had ground beef sometimes, but mostly we ate a lot of turkey, which was cheap, or we had soy products that pretended to be beef. By the time we could afford steak, I was sick and tired of soy. Steak was delicious, and now I can’t get enough of it.

What is your favorite thing to do in the world, in your opinion?
I think my favorite thing to do in the world is to write. I put words together every day, whether I just leave a quick note for someone or write a 1,000 word blog post or add a couple of pages to my next book. I love watching letters turn into words, which turn into thoughts, and then to know that someone else is going to read those words and turn them back into thoughts in their own head … that’s powerful, to me.

What is the coolest thing you have ever seen?
Ooh, that’s hard. I have seen a lot of cool things. I think maybe the coolest thing I’ve ever seen was the British Museum. Every exhibit I went to had at least one really interesting fact that made me go, “Wow, I never knew that.” I want to go back to England someday and just spend a couple of weeks going to the museum every day, but take my time instead of being rushed on to the next big thing.

What makes you laugh?
It doesn’t take much. I laugh at everything from cute animals to stand up comedians, and I also laugh at gross jokes and bad puns. Laughter always makes me feel better, so I go out and actively look for it when I feel kind of depressed. If the news is bad, I turn it off and watch a comedy instead.

My Mamaw is on vacation, and we are watching her dog. It is actually my mom’s dog, but she lives with my Mamaw because our fence is short and our neighbors have a pit bull. We brought her from Mamaw’s tonight and she met our cats. I wanted to put all of the pictures on my blog, but instead, I have this. My mom made it for me. You have to watch!

This is my interview with Mir, from Woulda Coulda Shoulda. She has cool kids and can kill giant bugs. Thanks for letting me interview you.

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Where do you live? What is like where you live?
I recently moved to a small-ish town in Georgia. I love it here; there
are fields and livestock but Starbucks and Target, too. I often refer
to it as the perfect Big Little Town. We’re in the middle of the worst
drought the area has seen in 100 years, too, but this week has been
rainy. The advantage of a drought is that you don’t mind so much when
it finally rains.

I know you just moved. Where did you live before? Which house do
you like better?
I used to live in New Hampshire. My new house beats the old house,
hands down. For one thing, we have a pool here (and weather warm
enough to use it more than a month a year). For another, I have my own
office in this house (and in the old one, I just had a corner of the
family room). Finally, in this house the kids can make a lot more
noise without me getting mad, because the sound-proofing between the
upstairs and the downstairs is phenomenal.

What is like being a writer?
It’s tons of fun. I get paid to make stuff up or just write down what
I think. How lucky is that??

You’ve been blogging a long time. What made you want to start blogging?
I actually started blogging because I was sad, and I wanted to stop
feeling so sad all the time. Writing things down had helped me in the
past. And I’d always been pretty good at making other people laugh,
and it turns out that you can’t make people laugh and not end up
laughing, yourself. Blogging is my story of my journey, but it’s also
the greatest reminder in the world not to take things too seriously.

What is it like being a mom?
It’s even better than being a writer. My kids delight me and infuriate
me and prove to me that God does indeed have a wicked sense of humor.

What is your favorite TV show?
Hmmmm. That’s hard. With the WGA strike on I’ve been watching much
less TV. I absolutely love (and miss) The Office. And the original
Iron Chef (not Iron Chef America, but the Japanese version) was my
favorite for years.

I know you guys like The Mythbusters. What is your favorite
episode? I like all of the airplane myths.
We adore Mythbusters. My favorite episode thus far is probably the
Myth Evolution one where they tried to figure out if a ninja could
slap a bullet away. That’s also the one where they tested whether or
not an airbag could break your thumbs if your hands were in the 10 and
2 position on a steering wheel. (I like anything where they play with
ballistics gel. My son always says “THEY’RE MAKING A JELL-O PERSON!”)

When we lived in Colorado, I had to fly to see my dad in CA. Was it
hard to let your kids go on a plane to visit their dad?
My kids are actually too little to fly alone, so thus far we’ve either
driven them back home or their dad has flown with them. It’s always
hard to have them gone, though. I miss them a lot when they’re not
here.

What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?
One time when I was in first or second grade, in all of my little-kid
wisdom I decided that underpants were unnecessary if I was wearing
pants. (Don’t ask me how this came about. I was a weird little kid.)
So, I stopped wearing underwear. Until the day the crotch seam split
on my pants when the teacher was making us sit cross-legged in a
circle on the floor. Whoops!

What happens to you when you eat sugar? A lot of sugar?
If I eat a moderate amount of sugar, I get happy! Sugar! Yum! If I eat
a lot of sugar, I get hyper and obnoxious. And then later I get a
headache. Yuck.

What is the most disturbing thing you have ever seen? (Was it that
huge spider you found on your porch?)
Ha! That spider on my porch was pretty bad, yes, but at least it was
outside. Down here in Georgia we’ve had some palmetto bugs INSIDE and
that was much worse. But definitely the worst thing I’ve ever seen was
when the kids and I were in a car accident and my daughter’s head got
split open pretty badly. (She’s fine now and barely has a scar. But it
was pretty awful-looking.)

What is the worst injury you have ever gotten?
I’ve been lucky enough to have very few injuries; I’ve never even
broken a bone! I did fall while jumping on my bed when I was about
four (kids: don’t jump on the bed) and gashed my arm so deeply that it
didn’t even bleed. My mom had to take me to the emergency room. I
still have the scar, over 30 years later.

What is your favorite place just to go and enjoy life?
I’m much less about places and more about who I’m with, actually. But
given a choice, I’ll always pick somewhere with clear blue water and a
nice sandy beach.

What is the funniest word you have ever heard?
Mastication, because it sounds dirty but it just means chewing. (Are
you sure that you’re the 10-year-old boy, and not me?)

Do you have any special talents?
I can make a clover with my tongue. And wiggle my ears. At the same
time, even. Also, I’m a decent singer and cook. (I like to do those at
the same time, too.)

This is my interview with Jay, from The Birdman’s Blog. Jay is also homeschooled. He sounds very cool. Thanks for letting me interview you, Jay.
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Where do you live? What is it like where you live?
I live in Delaware. It’s very hot in the summer and cold in the winter. We don’t get a lot of snow, but usually some. It’s flat and there are lots of trees.

Your blog has a lot about birds. What are your favorite birds? Why?
My favorite is the eastern bluebird, because they are pretty. I also really like all the birds of prey. Really, I just like birds, it’s hard to pick a favorite.

What other things do you like beside birds?
Stuff I can do with my hands, like knitting, weaving, spinning wool, woodcarving. I also really like to study botany.

You are homeschooled too. What is your favorite thing about being homeschooled?
The thing I like most about being homeschooled is being able to spend time with my family while I’m doing school.

What is your favorite field trip you have ever gone on?
To visit the Tri-state bird rescue. When I’m old enough I hope to volunteer there.

Is there anything you don’t like about being homeschooled?
No

Do you have any brothers and sisters?
Yes. I have one sister and three brothers. I’m the oldest. I hope my mom has a baby soon!

What is your favorite board game? Favorite computer or video game?
My favorite board game is one from the cranium company called “zooreka”. I don’t play lots of computer/video games, but I do like one on yahoo games called “feeding frenzy”. I get to play it a couple of times a month.

What is your favorite book?
Another hard question. I like books almost as much as I like birds. The bible is my favorite of all. I really like bird books, especially the Stokes guides. My favorite fiction book is probably Trumpet of the Swan by EB White.

Where is your favorite place to go and just enjoy life?
I like to go to the woods and dirt piles behind our house. They are developing the land and digging a 20ft deep pond, so right now there is lots of dirt piled up. It’s fun to go out there and play. My dad hooks the wagon up to the lawn-tractor and pulls my younger siblings while I run ahead.

This is my interview with Rohan from The Fillet Skillet. He is super cool because he is from Australia. Thanks for letting me interview you, Rohan.

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G’Day Mate! I know you are from Australia…where in Australia? What is it like?
G’Day! Australia is a continent that is next to New Zealand and below Indonesia. The Pacific Ocean is to the east and the Indian Ocean is to the west. Australia is a great place to live because the people are friendly and laid back. The weather is also very nice in most of the country. I live in the tropical north of Australia at the moment so the weather isn’t quite as nice. It’s very hot and humid.

Have you ever visited Perth?
I have only been in Perth for one day in my entire life. I stopped over in Perth overnight on my way to South Africa for my sister’s wedding. It looked like a nice city, but it’s a long way away from almost everywhere. Perth is officially the most isolated capital city in the world!

What are learning as a trainee audio engineer?
When I started at my job at the beginning of the year I was learning how to take a recording somebody made in a studio and make it sound better by taking out background noise. I was also learning how to edit the tracks so I could take out the bits when people say ‘um’ and ‘ah’. I mostly do audio engineering on interviews that get played on a local radio station. Occasionally I’ll do some recording with the people in the studio and make sure they are talking loud enough – but not too loud!

You just moved. Was it hard or scary to move somewhere new?
Technically I wasn’t moving somewhere new because I was born and grew up in Darwin, so I still had friends there which made the move much easier. It was still scary though because I had never moved on my own before or lived away from my parents. I was moving across the country from the Gold Coast in Queensland to Darwin in the Northern Territory. I’m only in Darwin for one year though and then I move back, so I’m now getting ready to move all over again.

I read your story about the frog and the hermit crab in your house. What other exotic animals have you seen in your house?
That frog and crab was the weirdest thing ever! We keep chickens as pets in the back yard and occasionally one finds a way into the house. Also once my friend had an unwelcome rat we had to chase out of his room. There are lizards that live in the garden outside too, and sometimes I’ll find one in the laundry. Also we get big huntsman spiders that sometimes get into the downstairs living room or the bathrooms. *shudder*

What is your favorite place ever?
That’s a tricky one. I think in a way it’s Darwin, because I have so many childhood memories here. In another way it’s the Gold Coast because I know so many people there and it’s such a vibrant city. I think I’ll always be missing those two cities, even though they’re really nothing like each other!

Did you ever have braces as a kid?
Funny you should ask that. I never had braces but my teeth were growing very crooked so I had a big operation on my mouth where they pulled out four of my front teeth! While I waited for my front teeth to grow back I couldn’t bite into things because my incisors were sitting in a little bottle on my bedside table. It was worth in though, because now my teeth are perfectly straight.

If you are a vegetarian, please don’t answer this (unless you want to hurl)…otherwise…what is your favorite type of meat?

I like chicken. A lot. I think I eat chicken more than I eat any other kind of meat because it’s just so yummy. Roast beef is my other favourite though, especially with lots of gravy!

What is your favorite type of writing? What do you read?
When I was a kid I liked to read fantasy books more than any others. Now I like to read all sorts of things – biographies, classic literature, young adult fiction, non-fiction, history books – anything! At the moment I’m reading a book about a man who works on big oil rigs called This is Not a Drill it’s a very funny book full of true stories. Also in addition to books I like reading blogs and the news on the internet.

What do you dream about? What was the worst nightmare you have ever had?
My dreams are always weirdly disjointed and I only occasionally remember them. Often I’ll dream that I’ve forgotten to do something and that I’m in trouble or that I’m a spy and I have to sneak around. Other times I’ll dream that I’m a character in a computer game and the Earth is being invaded by aliens. Usually I’ll meet people I know in my dreams. The worst nightmare I had was about a zombie which chased me through my house, but I won’t go into detail in case some of your readers get scared! (Not everyone is as tough as us)

When is the happiest you have ever been in your whole life?
When I finished high school I was very happy, but I don’t know that I can pin it down to just that one time. When I finish something that I’ve put a lot of work in to I’m very happy. Otherwise I am very happy when I am eating ice-cream while I watch a movie or TV show that I really like. Christmas time is always a happy time for me too, because I like to get together with my extended family. We sit around and drink Lemon Lime and Bitters or Champagne and we eat things we’ve made like sushi or little cupcakes.

What is the funniest thing you have ever seen?
This is such a difficult question! The frog and the hermit crab come close. My friend’s dad found another hermit crab in the downstairs living room the other day and that came even closer. Mostly the funny stuff happens to me though, like when I was young my Dad convinced me that spaghetti grew on vines in Italy and I believed him for ages.

This is my interview with Lori Piper. She sells tea. Thanks for letting me interview you, Lori!
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Where do you live? What is it like where you live?
I live in a little town called Olivehurst, which is about one hour north of Sacramento, the capital of California. I live on an acre of land in a small house, but my husband is fixing it up and making it a little bigger. It is very hot and dry here in the summer, and cool with a little bit of rain in the winter. There are no sidewalks or streetlights on my street.

There is also a small airport (mostly for crop-dusters) just past the hay field next to my house, so I get to see and hear airplanes taking off and landing a lot! Some people would be annoyed by the noise of the planes, but I like them. Twice a year they have an air show and I get to watch the fighter jets from my front yard! They fly very fast and then go straight up into the sky right above my house – it’s very, very loud and very, very cool!

Other than that it’s kind of quiet here. The closest grocery store is about 10 minutes driving time away.

I know that you sell tea? What kinds of tea do you sell?
I sell tea for kids and adults. I buy the tea and I buy the flavors and then when someone orders some tea, I mix and add the flavors to the tea and package it up for them. I have lots of flavors that you don’t normally find with tea, like Hot Fudge Sundae, Strawberry Shortcake, and Bubblegum Blast! All of the teas for kids are caffeine-free or decaffeinated, since caffeine is not good for children.

The teas I sell are green tea, white tea, and herbal teas called rooibos (which is from an African bush) and chamomile. I don’t sell any black teas because they have the most caffeine, and while caffeine isn’t too bad for adults, it is best kept to a minimum. Besides that, everyone sells black teas. If you have ever had hot tea or iced tea, it was probably black tea.

By the way, did you know that green, white, and black teas all come from the same plant (camellia sinensis)? That’s why all of the other teas are called “herbal” teas (or “tisanes”).

I myself prefer the rooibos tea. It is naturally caffeine free, has a nice sweet taste all by itself, and doesn’t get bitter if you prepare it incorrectly. It is also full of good stuff just like green and white tea. I drink it every day!

How did you get started selling tea?
About a year ago I read an article about the health benefits of green tea and decided to try some. I bought some green tea in teabags from a local supermarket and it tasted horrible! It was bitter and tasted very grassy. So I stopped drinking it and threw it away.

Some months later I came across another article online about green tea, and read that it only tastes good if you prepare it a certain way. The water cannot be boiling (too hot) and you cannot brew it for too long. If you do, it will get bitter. This article also mentioned that loose tea (without teabags) from smaller companies is usually better quality and commercially processed teabags are often made with lower grade teas. So I bought some more green tea from a small online retailer and prepared it properly and it tasted very good!

After buying the tea a few times I thought that perhaps I could save a little money if I started my own online store and then I could get my tea at wholesale prices. It wasn’t supposed to be anything big, just a way to save a little money and maybe make a little money too. Then for some reason I woke up one morning thinking that I should make tea for kids since there really aren’t a lot of options for kids when it comes to healthy drinks that are low in calories but high in flavor. Since your parents get to add the sugar and milk, they get to control how many calories go into your drink, but it still has load of flavor and health benefits no matter what!

So I did some more research and started my company.

How did you come up with the name Little Snowbird, when you don’t sell little birds that live in the snow?
There are actually two answers to this question. I decided on the name after again waking up one morning with the idea already formed in my head. I find that most of my best ideas come to me like that. I think that my brain works overtime when I am sleeping, trying to solve all of my problems for me.

The second answer is where the actual name came from. Do you what a CB radio is? It’s kind of like a walkie-talkie that goes very long distances. A lot of truck drivers have them in their trucks and they use them to talk to each other so they don’t get lonely when they are out on the road driving all day long. They also don’t use their real names when they talk to each other. They have nicknames called “handles”.

When I was growing up, my Grandpa and my Dad both had CB radios in our cars, so the whole family had their own handles. My Grandpa was Cajun, my father was The Greek, my mother Leadfoot, my sister was Turkey Trot, my Grandma was Big Snowbird and I was Little Snowbird. That’s where they name came from, sort of a tribute to my Grandma, who is the nicest lady I have ever met in my life. Plus it’s a cute name, and since I’m selling tea for kids, “cute” works!

How many kids do you have?
I have three kids. My stepson is nine (and a half almost!), my daughter is two and a half, and my son is almost one and a half.

What is like being a mom?
My life changed a lot when I had kids. My stepson lived across the country until the week after my daughter was born, when his mother moved with him back to California. So I went from no kids to two kids in a weeks’ time! It was a big adjustment.

I waited to have kids for a very long time because I knew what an important job it was and I didn’t think I had the ability to do it right. Actually, I think I was scared that I would mess up my kids’ lives by being a bad mom and I didn’t want to do that. Then I eventually got married and decided to have kids. Now I am finding that it is just as hard as I ever imagined. Having two toddlers in the house at one time takes a lot of patience, and I don’t always have enough.

The one thing I find myself doing that I am trying not to do is yelling too much. Toddlers can be very loud, and when there are two of them, they try to be louder than each other. Then I end up yelling just to be louder than them. It builds up until I just want to cry sometimes. Now I have noticed that my daughter has started yelling at her little brother just like I yell at them. Not good…

So I have decided to work on my patience and stop yelling. It’s not easy. Learning to give up a little control over a situation can be hard, but I just keep thinking about it every day so I don’t let myself forget and lapse back into the yelling. I put up big reminders on the fridge and the computer so I don’t forget to practice better patience!

Being a mom has helped me understand both that I cannot control everything, and that I should be continually working on “being a better person” so that my kids will be better people too. Since I am a stay-at-home mom, they learn how to act from my example, and I want to be the best example I can be.

On a happier note, being a mom has also opened me up to the idea of doing extra things for kids! I have several other websites that I am working on right now that are about kids. One site is going to be a collection of bedtime stories that parents can read to their kids. Another is an informational site about how to raise physically, emotionally, and intellectually healthy children. My stepson also wants me to start a website for him so that he can take digital photos and display them for sale! He’s such an entrepreneur! I like making these websites; it’s rewarding to give back a little when you can…

Did you ever have braces when you were a kid?
No, I never had braces, but oddly enough, I wanted them! That sounds weird, doesn’t it? I thought they looked cool. I think maybe one of the prettier girls in my school must have had braces so I thought they would make me look pretty. Anyhow, I didn’t need them.

This question reminds me of another strange fact about me: I also wanted to have casts on my legs and have to be wheeled around school in a wheelchair! I wanted the attention and sympathy. But I never broke a bone, so I didn’t get those either.

The one thing I wanted that I did get was glasses. I’ve had glasses since the second grade, and I can’t see ANYTHING without them! It didn’t start out that way, but my eyesight just got worse and worse over time. I thought glasses were cool at first, too. I don’t think so anymore.

What are you afraid of? (Are you afraid of exploding teapots? Hee hee.)
I’ve found that I have a lot more fears after having kids, because I love them so much and it’s my job to protect them. I am afraid that they will be kidnapped or have an accident and get hurt or killed. I worry that they will die in the middle of the night and I will find them dead in the morning. I worry that they will choke on something they found in the house and die. Starting to see a trend? The worst part about these fears is that sometimes I play the scenes out in my head and actually imagine these things happening. When I do that, I experience a little bit of the emotions that I would feel if it really happened. I don’t know why I do that to myself. It’s definitely not a good thing.

When my kids are a few years older, I am going to enroll them and myself in martial arts classes. I think it will help them develop physically and mentally, and I think that if I know how to kick a little but I might not be so scared about being able to protect them!

I’m also a little bit afraid of heights. I have dreams every once in awhile about being up really high with nothing to hold onto.

And I’m afraid of drowning. I almost drowned twice as a kid, and even now that I’ve learned to swim I’m still very tense in deep water.

And now I am also afraid of exploding teapots. The thought had never even occurred to me until now. Thanks! ;o)

What is the most disturbing thing you have ever seen?
Wow, do you really want to know this?

The most disturbing thing I have ever seen was online. I won’t tell you the name of the website so you won’t be tempted to go there. They have very bad pictures of people who have been in accidents or have been killed (among other stuff). Pictures of people who have lost half of their face in a motorcycle accident and are sitting in a hospital room, pictures of people who have killed themselves by shooting themselves in the head with a shotgun, that kind of thing. I looked at the website for an hour or so, and suddenly I just couldn’t look at it anymore. Now I wish I had never seen it. Every once in awhile I will remember those pictures, and my heart drops into my stomach.

What is the funniest thing that you have ever seen?
Believe it or not, this was the hardest question to answer! I’m answering it last.

Everything I can think of that was funny – was funny at the expense of someone else, which really isn’t all that funny when you think about it. I suppose that if it’s funny at my own expense then that’s okay. One of my most favorite people ever taught me not to take myself so seriously. She was beautiful and funny and she really didn’t care if she acted silly in front of people. She was so secure with herself and it was the first time I had ever really seen that. I have tried to be like that ever since. I don’t even know her anymore, haven’t seen her in over 10 years, but she had a great impact on my self-esteem.

Back to the funny stuff: On my honeymoon (which consisted of camping in a tent on the beach in northern California – by the way I highly recommend trying it! Their website is www.westportbeachrv.com) my husband and I were jumping over rocks and checking out the isolated beaches just north of our campsite. There was one area where the beach was about 20 feet long between rocks, but you had to wait for the waves to roll out and scoot across really fast before the waves came back in and covered the area. Well I waited for the perfect moment, and as I jumped down I slipped on the rocks and went tumbling onto the wet sand in my shorts! It didn’t really hurt, but the funniest part was that I had to get over it real quick and get up and run to the next set of rocks before the waves came back in and soaked me even more. My husband almost fell off the rocks himself laughing at me. After I was safely on the next set of rocks, I had a good laugh, too!

What is your favorite type of animal? Why?
My favorite animal is the elephant. I actually have a line of elephants tattooed on my ankle! Did you know that elephants actually show signs of deep and profound emotions such as sympathy and regret? I watched a documentary once about elephants, and there were a pack of elephants walking along when they came upon a baby elephant, orphaned and stuck in some deep mud. They initially left the baby elephant there to fend for himself, but later that night when they heard the baby’s cries as some other animals (hyenas I think) were threatening him, they came back, scared away the other animals, helped the baby out of the mud, and adopted him!

A lot of people don’t think animals can reason or have complex emotions but I disagree. Elephants are a perfect example of this! They may not be as highly developed as humans, but they certainly rely on more than just instinct to get through life.

What is the worst thing you ever did as a kid?
I once sprayed hairspray in my sister’s eyes on purpose. I asked her to smell the hairspray, and when she did, I sprayed it right in her face. She is seven years older than me and I am lucky she didn’t beat me up for that one!

Other than that, I was a pretty good kid. I was really shy, so I mostly stayed out of trouble.

What do you think about when you are going to sleep at night? (Do you think of tea cups flying and pouring you nice glasses of tea?)
Wow, what don’t I think about? Like a lot of adults, sometimes I can’t sleep because I can’t stop thinking! I think a lot about my tea business and how to make it more successful. I am hoping that if it is successful enough then I can stay home with my kids for longer and maybe even Homeschool them if I want to. I think about my other websites and formulate stories and articles in my head. Sometimes I want to get out of bed and write it all down so I won’t forget it by the next morning. This is also the time when I start worrying about my kids like I explained before.

I usually find the best way to get to sleep when I can’t stop thinking is to start going over exactly what I am going to do when I wake up in the morning. Get out of bed, put my robe on, go to the bathroom, walk into the kitchen, make a bowl of cereal, add milk to the cereal, etc. You get the idea. Since this stuff isn’t as stressful, it helps me relax and fall asleep.

This is my interview with Walter Bean of Super Psycho Magnet. She lives in Hawaii! Thanks for letting me interview you, Walter Bean!

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Walter Bean is not your real name is it? What is your name? Why do you go by Walter Bean?
I regret that I am not able to reveal my secret identity at this time.
I started my blog under a pseudonym out of necessity. I’m in the military and we’re not supposed to express
political or religious opinions while in uniform, or as a representative of the military. So, I made up a name to write under and I put a disclaimer on my site letting people now that the opinions expressed are my own and not the opinion of the military or its officials.

Where do you live? What is it like where you live?
I live in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, in Hawaii.

It’s very nice here. It rains almost daily but usually for not very long. The clouds clear up quickly and the sun shines again. It’s very warm here all year round too. I grew up in a small town in Maryland and have always loved the different seasons for different reasons. I love autumn and winter because I get to wear sweatshirts. I don’t get to wear sweatshirts in Hawaii and that makes me sad.
There are a lot of tourists here too. Tourists are nice and I love meeting different people from all over the world. However, the thing I don’t like about tourists is they think they don’t have to abide by the laws here. The biggest example of this is cross walks.

There’s a huge problem with people crossing when they don’t have the right of way and then cars have to slam their brakes on and risk getting hit by the car behind them. Worse yet those people run the risk of getting hit OR getting caught by the police and getting a hefty fine!! If you ever come to visit Hawaii make sure to use the cross walks and only cross when you have the right of way. That way you won’t anger the people that live here.

I saw on your blog that your favorite type of dog is a beagle. Mine too. What other kinds of animals do you like?
I like all animals, even snakes, but I think my favorite animals are dogs. They’re so much fun and very loving. They know when you’re feeling sad and they will just sit with you quietly or lick your face to try to cheer you up. If you’re feeling playful they’ll play with you and chase you.
One of my other favorite animals are turtles. I went snorkeling in Shark’s Cove on the North Shore of Oahu and I got to see all kinds of fish. It was hard for me because I’m claustrophobic (afraid of closed in spaces) and I felt a little trapped in the water. I was also having a really hard time breathing with a snorkel too. I kept forgetting that I could breathe. It was like half of my brain was insisting I couldn’t breathe because I was under water but the other half of my brain was telling me I could. It was very confusing. So, I was kind of freaking out in the water and all of a sudden I realized I was swimming with a sea turtle. Everything instantly calmed down and I had a sense that everything was going to be fine. It was a very soothing feeling and now every time I see a turtle I feel at ease.
I like monkeys too. They’re silly. I think they look like little furry humans and do a lot of funny things.

Do you have any pets?
I have one dog named “The Honorable Betsy Fraggelina Treppe IV,” or just “Betsy” for short. When I moved to Hawaii a couple months ago I went looking for a cat to have as a companion but I didn’t see one at the Humane Society that I liked. I walked through the dog run on a whim and saw Betsy sitting in the kennel at the end. She was pressed all the way up against the door trying to sniff everyone that walked by. A lady there put her into a bigger kennel so I could play with her and I knew that she was the pup for me.
The adoption assistant told me that I was the third person to adopt her from there but she didn’t know why. After the first vet appointment with her the Doc told me that she has hip problems and that was probably the reason she had been taken back. She’s on medication to help her joints but she doesn’t seem to be getter better. The vet is going to do x-rays in a couple months to see it she’s getting better. He thinks she might be an early candidate for hip dysplasia If that’s the case she might need surgery. I know he’ll do a good job but I’m still very scared that it will be a permanent and uncorrectable problem.
I wouldn’t ever give her up though. Not for a million dollars. The problems that she has just means she needs that much more love and that is the least I can do for all the love she’s given me.

Do you know how many seconds are in a year? Minutes? Hours? Just curious.
I don’t know off the top of my head. Is looking it up really quick online cheating? If your answer is “yes” then my answer is, “No, I don’t know how many seconds, minutes or hours are in a year.” If your answer is “no” then MY answer, according to Google is: 31,556,926 seconds; 525,948.766 minutes; 8,765.81277 hours.

What type of clock do you like better? Analog or digital?
I like digital clocks better but I think analog clocks are classier. I have a learning disability where it takes my brain a little longer to process information.What happens when I look at an analog clock is I have to stare at it for a few seconds to really process what time it is. Then, I’ve got to look at my watch again because I quickly forget what time my watch just told me.
Analog is much easier for me to read and remember.

Has anyone you know died? What did you feel like at their funeral?
I’ve actually been to a lot of funerals. When I was a little girl I lost a couple of my older relatives and I can remember being at the funerals but I didn’t really understand what was going on. Once I got older I started going through a rainbow of different feelings. I’ve been mad at the person for leaving me. I’ve been mad at God for taking the person from me. I’ve been happy that the person has moved onto a “better place” and I’ve been extremely sad that I’ll never get to see the person again.

What do you like to do on weekends?
I’ve actually just started volunteering at the Humane Society up the street from me. I have one or two three-hour shifts on Saturday or Sunday. I work in adoptions and get to help people find an animal that’s right for them. Just this past weekend I got to help 2 families find their lost dog and 2 other families adopt a cat!
Other than that I like to hang out with my roommate. My work schedule has been really hectic lately so I’m really looking forward to just hanging out in my house, catching up on some crafty stuff and maybe baking something.

Do you like to travel? What is your favorite place to travel to?
Traveling actually stresses me out a lot. It takes me a long time to get comfortable in my surroundings and I always feel like I’m going to forget something extremely important and be lost forever. However, one of the most fun trips I ever took was the Qatar. I volunteered to go to Iraq last year for 6 months and because we were there they gave us a mini-vacation. We could choose to stay on the base or go to Qatar. We flew in for 4 days and it was so much fun! I was with one of my best friends in the whole world and we had such a great time! We got to go on a boat ride through the Arabian Gulf and we got to swim! We got to relax for 4 days straight. It was a welcome break from a very stressful job.

What is your favorite room in your house?
I think I like my kitchen the most. I’ve recently started baking again after a long stint of not wanting to have anything to do with any of the appliances in my kitchen except for the coffee pot and microwave. I’ve been buying a lot of magazines and asking a lot of people for different recipes and I feel like I’m baking really well. My Dad has always told me that I missed my calling in life by not being a chef or baker. Maybe that’s what I can do when I’m done with the military.

What makes you laugh?
There are TONS of things that make me laugh! My dog makes me laugh a lot! She loves to play and run and you can tell how happy she is. That happiness becomes contagious and I have a good time. My roommate makes me laugh a lot too. We both have a semi-dry and sarcastic sense of humor so we crack each other up a lot! There are a lot of movies and TV shows make me laugh too. I used to watch TV all the time but I stopped when I moved to Hawaii. I didn’t even have cable hooked up in my apartment. I do still buy DVD’s of TV shows so I can still keep up with my favorites. I think Scrubs is one of the funniest shows ever written. The Janitor is my favorite!

So here it is. My interview with Dan Schneider!

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I’d say you have the coolest job ever (besides pilot). How did you get your job?
Well, I used to be an actor. I did a popular TV show and I also acted in a few movies. Then, while I was between acting jobs, a friend of mine asked me to help him make a TV show for Nickelodeon. Since I wasn’t busy acting, I said “Sure.” That show was called All That and ran on Nickelodeon for 10 years! I really liked writing and producing, so I kept doing it — mostly shows for Nickelodeon. iCarly is my 6th TV show for Nick. And I’m working on making a 7th one right now!

What is your favorite TV show you have ever done?
That’s a very hard question. Every new show I make is like my own child to me. So, asking me my “favorite” show is like asking a parent to pick a favorite child. I like all my shows for different reasons. But I will say that I love Drake & Josh a whole lot.

I know that right now you are doing iCarly. I give iCarly 107 gold stars! What is the progress on iCarly? Have you filmed the whole first season?
I absolutely LOVE making iCarly. Some people think it’s the best show I’ve ever done. It’s going great. It gets very good ratings, which means it’s popular. And yes, we have finished the first season which was 25 episodes. Nickelodeon has already asked me to make another season. So everything with iCalry is going GREAT.

I like the episode of iCarly is the one where they have a contest to get more viewers. What is your favorite episode of iCarly so far?
Wow, you ask tough questions! Hmmm… well, first I have to say that I love all the episodes. I don’t think we’ve made a bad episode yet (I hope not). But my favorite? I don’t know. Maybe the one with Nevel? It’s really hard to say. I really do love them all!

When is Drake and Josh in New York going to be out?
I know that on IMDB.com it says that I’m working on a movie about Drake & Josh in New York — but that’s not true. However, I am planning on a new Drake & Josh movie. Unfortunately, I can’t talk about it right now because it’s a SECRET. All I can say is this: there is definitely a new Drake & Josh movie being planned. And we’re all going to work really hard to make sure it’s awesome!

Do you like writing, producing, or acting better?
Yikes! I feel like I keep saying this, but I love all three: writing, producing, and acting. It’s sort of like asking me, “Do you like pizza, ice cream, or hamburgers better? I love them all! I truly love writing AND producing AND acting.

What makes you laugh?
My friends (some of them are VERY funny). My wife Lisa (she’s super funny). Also great comedy movies. And TV shows like the Simpsons. And my family.

I read somewhere you were from Memphis? Do you like Hollywood or Memphis better?
Memphis will always be my home town, so I’ll always love Memphis — that’s where I was born and grew up. Los Angeles has been my home now for more than 20 years, so this is home, too. I really enjoy living in Los Angeles.

What is the worst thing you ever did as a kid?
Uh-oh. Do I have to answer this one? Okay. I will. When I was a kid, I loved working on computers. But I didn’t have one at my house, so I used the one in my school library. One time, it was 4:30 in the afternoon and the teachers said it was time for all the kids to go home so the teachers could lock up the library for the night. I was working on the computer and didn’t want to stop. So, I stuck a pencil in the side door of the library, to keep it from locking. Then, after all the teachers went home, I sneaked back into the library and worked on the computer some more! I got in a lot of trouble for sneaking into the library “after school hours.”

What is your favorite flag from the world?
That’s an easy one. U.S.A. all the way!!! Go America!

I like to collect airplanes. What are your hobbies?
I like computers, cool electronic gadgets, music, cooking, swimming, and awesome cars.

What is your favorite type of flower?
My favorite flower is the same kind that is my dad’s favorite: ORCHIDS.

Do you have any special talents?
Yes. I’m pretty good with voices and stuff. I do a lot of funny voices. I can sing a little, but not that great. I guess I’d say I’m pretty good at comedy.

What is the most disturbing thing you have ever seen?
I once saw a kid pick a scab off his arm and eat it. That was disturbing. Oh, and once I drank a soda (in a paper cup), and at the bottom of the cup was a big dead bug. I screamed.

What is your favorite type of pet?
Bunny rabbits. Specifically, small lops (that’s a special kind of bunny). I also love dogs and cats… and ALL ANIMALS. I’m a big-time animal lover. I always tell everyone how important it is that we humans always be nice to animals.

Matthew has six interviews completed and waiting to post. They will be up soon after Christmas. One of the interviews is with someone he met in LA, at the Nickelodeon Studios. Any 80’s movie fans know who this is?

Maybe, just maybe…he sits around all day crocheting and snorting nasal spray. If you can guess correctly, go right to the head of the class.

Matthew will be back soon after Christmas, but for now, here is the status on his room following The Great Debate, from my blog.

Matthew’s mom

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So about nine million years ago, The Boy and I squared off on the issue of his messy room. You all voted and gave very well thought out suggestions. All big improvements on my approach to dealing with his pig sty of a room, which was banging my head against the wall and muttering obscenities under my breath. Before I post the pictures of what his room looks like now, I want to address a few things.

Many people noted that there was a lack of proper storage space in his room. Ah, but that is not so. All storage options were buried in his filth…..and you will see that in the new photos.

Many people mentioned that it was too overwhelming for him to be expected to clean on his own. You would be right. The Boy has never ever (Never in his life. Never ever ever. Did I mention Never?) cleaned his room on his own. That was my beef. I was at my wit’s end with helping him clean up his room, only to have it look like a hurricane hit it a day later. When the first set of photos were taken, it was only a week or so after his room had been gutted and cleaned top to bottom to fit in that evil futon. Which brings up another point mentioned….yes, his room is a wee bit crowded. That was his choice. He wanted that futon, that had been living in a box in the garage, in his room in the worst way. After a full 4 hours of assembly (the manufacturer had included the wrong bolts), and another couple hours of furniture Tetris, is was in. He was happy. He began calling his room “The Lounge.” The creation of “The Lounge” was part of his birthday present. We painted his room and hung posters as well. But still, a few days later, the filth returned to “The Lounge.” We needed a way to get The Boy to keep his mess at a manageable enough level for him to clean up himself.

So? What does his room look like now?

Look! No filth! Are you admiring my fantastic leopard print jammies?

And Look! Storage!

Quite a difference from this, isn’t it?

“The Lounge” and its host….

It’s been about a week, and the room still looks pretty close to what you see in the pictures. Why, you ask? How did we convince him to keep it clean? Well, both The Boy and The Girl were told that not a single present would be opened on Christmas morning if their rooms were not clean. While this is working for the short term….then what? Well, we have purchased a present for The Boy….one that he desperately wanted….one that I have been dragging my heels on……That present? Will only be accessible to him when/if his room is clean. Period. Will it work? We shall see. But for right now, I am going to go hang out in “The Lounge.”