I visited my friend Stacy who lives in Colorado a couple of weeks ago.
Her church The Refuge is a pretty cool bunch who takes care of each other and the downtrodden.
They even have a community garden on the property where they meet.
So…this is a strange interview for me. I haven’t actually “met” Jaime in real life yet. We became Facebook friends because we have a mutual friend in common Sarah. We were commenting on the same thread when we realized, “WE HAVE THE SAME NAME!!!” Our given names are nearly identical, middle name too; we just spell each name differently. We were born in the same city, in the same hospital, about two weeks apart. And it took us this long to find each other-crazy!
JM: Tell us a little about yourself.
JC: I am thirty two years old, which still somehow surprises me – it is hard to think of myself older than twenty six maybe, but at the same time I have really been enjoying my thirties! I am the oldest of four – two sisters and a brother. Actually, I have three more sisters, but I have not met them yet; we have been in contact the last almost ten years now. My mom and my biological father split before I was born and when my mom and my dad married, he adopted me – so I have always had a dad. I have not met my biological father yet either, but I think I am more interested in meeting my sisters, I don’t know what he would be to me exactly.
My brother was born with Cystic Fibrosis and died almost twelve years ago, he was fifteen and a half. Ian and I were pretty close so losing him was very difficult but the pain is less sharp with the passing of time. He was very funny and compassionate and a gross boy through and through – I miss him a lot! J
I went to college in Indiana, Anderson University for two years then transferred out to a school in California, Azusa Pacific. I have a year left of school, basically what the degree is in is what I need to finish. I do not know what I want the degree to be so I just stopped. I would like to finish but at the same time, I haven’t had a need for it and my free time is valuable!
My sister that is just younger than me, Alyssa, is married and has a two year old daughter. Natalia is the only grandbaby in the family, so she gets a lot of attention. She is just perfect, that is a fact and not a biased opinion either! J I love taking her for the weekend and just having some munchkin time but then am able to give her back! Being an aunt is the best!!
I bought a house a few years ago in central Phoenix. I am a native, which also surprises me that I still live here. I like Phoenix but never thought it would be where I ended up. I enjoy my life here though.
I do not have any children… exactly… I have a boxer named Shelby. She is my baby – she was actually the first grandbaby in the family. She is ten years old. She has more personality than most people I know.
I work in the construction industry – commercial mechanical contracting. I really like it. I have a fantastic boss and the company is brand new and I am in on the ground floor – good opportunity and I am learning a lot, even though it is overwhelming some days because much of it is brand new!
I go to church in Scottsdale, Grace Chapel. I have been there almost fifteen years. They have been with me through some very difficult times in my life, and I learn so much from the people there and have grown a lot as a person, as well as spiritually.
I like MOST kinds of music – pretty much everything except 80’s. I think that is a terrible era for music and fashion and avoid it like the plague that it is. I get a lot of flak for this too, but facts are facts! Ha! 🙂
JM: You don’t have to answer this question, but I would like to ask a little more about your brother Ian. Do you mind telling us more about his life? I don’t want to pry, but I want to give you an opportunity to say whatever you’d like.
JC: Of course! 🙂 My brother was born with Cystic Fibrosis (genetic illness – terminal). He was the only boy in the family but liked the attention and was just “one of the girls” on the occasions he chose to play with us growing up lol (oh, we dressed him up as often as he would let us!! My dad was NOT amused! lol). He was your typical boy: gross, silly, rough, gross… he was also very compassionate. He seemed to find all the kids that were the outcasts in school and church and was their friend. He also always had a bunch of girlfriends in grade school. He was the only boy allowed to go to the girls’ sleepovers… till they used him to learn how to French kiss.. then that stopped real quick! 🙂 Ian died when he was fifteen and a half, May 24 – it will be twelve years this year since he has been gone. It doesn’t seem like it could be anywhere near that long but a lifetime ago at the same time. It is hard to describe.
JM: Thanks for sharing that about your brother. Love the French kiss story! What were you studying in college? What made you move from California to Arizona?
JC: In college, I was studying Christian Ministries, but looking at the possibility of other majors as well – never was really sure what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I have never really had that “thing” I always wanted to do. I have a million things I am interested in and that I can do but nothing pointing one direction really. I transferred from Anderson University (IN) after my sophomore year to Azusa Pacific (CA). Actually, when I got home from school in Indiana, my brother died a couple weeks later. I took first semester off from school and went to California in the spring. There was a major mix up with the school and my financial aid for the following fall (and I didn’t have $18K) so I stayed home in Arizona and went to community college for a semester instead.
JM: How did you get into the construction industry?
JC: I started in the construction industry JUST before the big boom that happened here a handful of years ago. The guy I was dating at the time, I interviewed for a job with his cousin who was the manager at a grading company (residential construction in Maricopa and Queen Creek). I worked there for a while, then interviewed at a commercial mechanical company and got that job. The boss from that company started his own company last year and tracked me down and I work for him again. He is a really good boss and I am in on the ground floor now and can do anything/everything… I do a bit of everything right now, I am learning a lot!!
JM: So, we were born with the same name, but different spellings. My mom was watching television in the hospital and named me after Jaime the character in the Bionic Woman although I got a different spelling. My older sister gave me my middle name. How did your parents pick your name?
JC: Mom’s name is Jenny and my aunt’s is Amy. When they were younger, my grandfather would yell for them to come inside, and Jenny and Amy blended into Jaime. My mom used the French spelling for my first and middle names Jaime Michele. I like that my name was created from yelling ha! 🙂
JM: Okay, another interview question: what are your hobbies and interests?
JC: I don’t really have too many hobbies that I can think of. I think my interests surround people more than activities. I like spending time with people, family, my niece… I worked with my youth group at church for a while. I loved that!! My kids are amazing!! I bought my house and moved and I just wasn’t able to do that anymore… I still go to church there on Sunday’s but not midweek – just too far and I can’t get there on time lol.
JM: Would you like to share an internet link?
JC: One of my favorite sites is www.someecards.com – this site brings much joy – AND they have postcards you can put in the mail as well. I love these!
Thanks Jaime for participating in the interview series! Ask her your questions in the comments below!
It’s strange to find someone with the same name, yet a mix of similarities and differences. We share birth names, hospitals, and physical characteristics, but she’s a feeler; I’m a thinker. She’s an extrovert; I’m an introvert. And hey-neither one of us seems to really know what that one thing we want to do when we grow up is!
Chris is someone I met when I was in college. I interviewed his brother Dan earlier in my series. Some of the best memories I had in the college church group was with Dan and Chris laughing and telling pickle jokes. Dan and Chris play off each other’s humor really well-they make each other laugh with their distinct comedic timing.
One day, Chris just disappeared to Colorado, and now we all know why…
JM: Tell us a little about yourself.
CH: I am 5’11” tall. I wear size 12.5 shoes except for chucks, I wear 11’s. Chucks have always made me feel bad about myself in that way. If there weren’t so friggin cool I would boycott on principle.
I will be married to my first wife 10 years this July. We have two darling children, Emily (five going on 18), and Evan (three going on ninja). I know a lot of people are biased and say their family is the best, and their kids are the best looking, etc, but truth be told, they are lying. When I say it, I am not. My wife and kids are amazing. I had no idea how good it could be to have a wonderful wife, crack up kids, and get them all at the same time. I know plenty of people that cannot say the same of their life, and I am in no way trying to brag because it is all through the grace of God that I have been this blessed.
I have a bad habit of new hobbies. The good news is, I can do a lot of different things. The bad news is, I am not very good at most of them. Here are some things I like to do: Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, Play/Coach Volleyball, Video Games (xbl gamertag: nakedjed), play the ukulele, shoot archery, shoot pistols, shoot pool, shoot craps (not really), I love making digital art via illustrator and photoshop and I design and create shirts, stickers, decals etc.. I love doing new things. But I can get a little obsessive about getting proficient at doing new stuff, maybe a character flaw of mine…
JM: How did you end up in Colorado?
CH: I ended up in Colorado after I met my wife for the second time… It actually sounds much creepier than it was at the time. I was living in the mighty PHX and just living the bachelor’s dream: work, come home, eat ramen, play computer games, sleep, repeat. I would mix in church a couple of times a week as well as swing dancing on Tuesday nights…… Something was missing…like, A LIFE. Anyway, I had dated my wife, Kim, in college very, very briefly. Like 3 weeks brief. I hadn’t talked to her in years. I always wondered what had happened to her, so I decided to find out. I, like any interested friend (or skilled stalker), called the alumni association at our school and told them I was trying to get a hold of her. They gave me the last address they had on file, which was her parents, and I sent a letter. She had just returned from living in Venezuela for almost a year and just happened to be living at her parents when the letter got there. She called me the next week, we played the whole AOL chat game for a while and then I came out here (CO) for a visit. I made up my mind that I wanted to move out and pursue Kim. It worked out for me….. 🙂
JM: Tell us a pickle joke.
CH: What’s big and green and always blurry?
Pickle Foot -or- Big Pickle (which might sound bad.. or be taken the wrong way… that’s what she said kind of thing…) -or- the abominable snow pickle? -or- the abominable pickle man -or- the pickleable snow man. Take your pick. The point of a good pickle joke isn’t the joke itself, its more about being up for like 30 hours straight and inducing some kind of sleep-deprived, caffeine and sugar fueled hallucination. Hard to describe unless you’ve been there.
JM: You’re a P.E. teacher, yes? How’d you find yourself on that path?
CH: I was sitting in Pre-Calculus my sophomore year of high school hating the class. I remember thinking, “You know what? I really hate math. What could I do that would require me to do as little math as possible…hmmm….Oh, yeah, I could be a p.e. teacher! yay!”
Then I found out how much work it actually is. Which is fine, because at the end of the day, I am still teaching and playing games, sports, activities, etc. But more than anything the thing I love about my job is the ability to talk to high school students about their lives, choices, struggles, etc. There is something about making a high school kid feel normal in such a world of awkwardness. I don’t just teach “gym” though, I teach a rhythm and dance class, an adventure education class, sports medicine and strength and conditioning class. I love my job. I honestly never want to do anything else ever again. I would be fine working until I die at this school.
I have a whole other laundry list of reasons I enjoy p.e. and how it benefits kids, but most of it kinda goes without saying. I do not have my students play dodge ball. Or pick teams themselves. Or go shirts and skins. It is not how we all grew up, its evolved into keeping kids interested in activity for life, so they won’t suffer the fate of their grandparents, parents, etc.
I actually took two cracks at it too. I dropped out my first trip through college, then went back and got my Bachelors. I was hired after my first interview, and a few years later got my masters in P.E.
JM: Tell us more about Rhythm & Dance class and Outdoor Education Class.
CH: Rhythm and Dance was a new class for me this year. I was the only male teacher who had taught a dance unit in a regular p.e. class, so somehow that qualified me to teach an entire year of it. Imagine me, in all of my fat oldness trying to teach hip hop dance to a bunch of high school girls who would rather make fun of me than actually dance. EVERY DAY. Actually, it works out, I teach jump rope, tinikleing, yoga, swing dance and some line dance. I really enjoy dance class, but in all honesty, without boys in the class, it nearly eliminates or at least makes hard teaching dances that are lead-follow based. Like swing, waltz, salsa, etc. At the end of the day, we have a good time though, and as long as they are learning, we are good.
Outdoor education is where my passion lies, however. I teach all types of “alternative” sport activities. Things like, archery, disc golf, geocacheing, fishing, hiking, orienteering, etc. It’s all the stuff that “regular” p.e. classes don’t typically teach. Fortunately, it is all the stuff I love to do. My favorite thing is that it’s an evolving class; we keep adding more stuff to do, like wall climbing, paintball, horseback riding, etc. It is, in my opinion, where p.e. is headed. The era of sports based p.e. curriculums are coming to an end. Teaching kids how to stay active after their high school years is becoming the focus. Finding ways to keep people moving after they have given up on becoming the next Michael Vick is no longer on the horizon.
JM: Would you like to share an internet link?
CH: Wow, there is a lot out there… maybe a couple…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fad6eZTDikA&feature=youtu.be youtube classic. I almost snot every time I watch it.
Anything these guys do is worth watching…
http://www.teefury.com/ An interwebs sleeper. Sick cheap one time offered shirts. I own several. In fact, I went to verify the address for this interview and ended up buying a shirt. <3
www.peteranswers.com Look this one up. It is probably the best way to mess with someone on the internet. It’s been around a while, but if you can find someone who doesn’t know about it, It can be simply epic. You may want to google how it works first, as there is a trick to it.. but holy crap is it fun to jack with people….
Thanks Chris for participating in my interview series! Ask him your questions in the comments below!
Follow him on Twitter @nakedjed
This latest interview is with my friend Ash with whom I went to high school. I think he was a year younger than me, and we didn’t hang out much ourselves back then, although we ran in the same circles-we had friends in common, we both were in theatre classes and plays, and we both worked at the Arizona Renaissance Festival. We once drove to Colorado together.
I recently spent a day hanging out with Ash and his fiancée Kendra at the Renaissance Festival. (I decided to work/volunteer on President’s Day). We had a lot of fun, and I was reminded that people always surprise you. Ash turned out to show a super sensitive side when he encouraged a young love struck girl to forget the dumb boy that was ignoring her.
(aaaaaawwwwwwwwwww! so sweet!)
JM: Tell us a little about yourself.
AR: Oh man, where to even start? I’m currently thirty-one. Sorta. I think that on some levels I’m a very crotchety eighty five or so (if I had a lawn I would sit in a chair on it with a hose so I could yell at kids to stay off of it). On other levels, I’m about five. Given the chance and lack of supervision, I will absolutely eat chocolate until I’m sick and I think pretty much all vegetables are gross. Then again, I’ll always be seventeen or so . . . because boobs are AWESOME.
I live in Mesa, Arizona, which is somewhat embarrassing to me because it is the town I was born and raised in. I always swore I’d get the hell out of here, and I did, I traveled and lived all over, but I ended up right back here and when you encounter people from high school and they say “oh, you’re living in Mesa, huh?” it’s really hard to get out “but no! I’ve lived in California! And Tucson! And Denver! And I traveled the country! And I have a Master’s degree in obscure historical minutiae which I got while living in Scotland! I just moved back here because I was fucking COLD!!!” before they have turned and walked away. *breathe* Whooo. Sorry. Got a little worked up.
The rest. OK, well I work in the Internet field for a relatively large company which you’ve probably heard of (which is why I usually can’t mention it online). Yeah, you noticed that, huh? Get my degree in history, go to work on the Internet. Welcome to the 21st Century. Hey, at least there are benefits. I also work at the Arizona Renaissance Festival and have for the better part of two decades (other than the 3 years I took off for the whole getting educated abroad bit). Out there I am a street entertainer and an occasional part time photographer. I also managed to meet and wrangle myself a fiancée out of the gig, so it’s really not all bad! Like I mentioned, I also take the odd photo, but that is unfortunately rarer than I would prefer. And that is me. I work, I sleep, I eat things I shouldn’t, and then I repeat. It’s not a lot, but it’s a life!
(this is me and ash, photo credit goes to David Rubinstein)
JM: What’s the name of your renaissance festival character and what is he like?
AR: Ahh, that chap would be Lord Archibald Agincourt, the Earl of Bath. Or just Archie to his friends and his . . . friends. He is the eldest child of the Duke of Somerset and is therefore set to be one of the wealthiest men in Britain. Likely richer than the King (which honestly is hardly difficult these days, now is it my dear?). Archie is only vaguely interested in all of that . . . drivel. He is much more fascinated in what you are up to tonight. Honestly, how are you, my sweet? Still taking those lovely little photos everywhere? You know, there are so many wonderful uses which you and he could put that camera to . . .
Soooooo . . . in short Archie is a professional perv. But just a bit of one. OK, a lot of one. But he really is harmless. OK, he’s not at all harmless. But for REALS, at least he’s a lot of fun.
JM: When you were younger, your parents had you attend etiquette lessons. Can you describe what that was like and how it affected the rest of your life?
AR: I can only apologize entirely too late to those poor instructors. It must have been frightening. We were all thirteen and fourteen mind, so the air was thick with too much cheap cologne/perfume and barely repressed hormones, and yet all of us were (sometimes literally) scared stiff of the opposite sex. Were the lessons still going on now (they’ve been canceled due to a lack of interest after having been run for decades), I have no doubt that things would be quite different, but back then there was an invisible dividing line between the boys’ and girls’ seats and nobody even dreamt of sitting on the other side of that line. The classes themselves were amazing though. Surreal if you think about it. We had lessons on how to dance, how to ASK a girl to dance, how to eat properly in a formal setting . . . all the skills that are hardly even missed anymore but were once vital to a young person’s education.
The entire thing definitely gave me a certain perspective on life. For one thing, it dispelled certain teenage romantic comedy myths before they were firmly rooted in my brain. Let me assure you all, when the “ugly duckling” girl blossoms and becomes a swan later in life? Yeah, she definitely doesn’t remember the one boy who always made sure he had time for her. I always asked a girl (we’ll call her EH) to dance. She was . . . large. After about sophomore year, she suddenly became one of the major hotties at school. Our shared laughs at Junior Assembly did nothing to make her even acknowledge me after that. *sigh* John Hughes, you’ve lied to us once again.
Really though, I’d say that the main thing I took away from those lessons is a really healthy respect for, well, respect. That’s partially how I was raised (obviously, I was sent to etiquette lessons!), but we never got anything without a “please” and a “thank you,” and it drives me a little insane when it goes unsaid in the day-to-day world. I’m not so silly as to think it would solve the world’s problems if everyone showed those small kindnesses, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt either.
JM: How did you develop an interest in photography?
AR: This one’s easy. I was engaged to the first ex-Mrs. Rhodes (happily there’s only been one ex-Mrs. so far, but you never know) and she was a rather accomplished artist of all sorts. She could write, paint, draw, draft, and had even had a comic strip which she did with a friend in high school. I however was limited to stick figures. Lopsided ones. I was always fascinated by art in all of its forms however, and photography was no exception. Watching her create beauty out of nothing made me want so badly to be able to find my niche. Out of a certain naiveté, I thought that since I didn’t have to hold the actual brush/pencil, photography would be easy to pick up. *sigh* I got my first camera of my very own (a Nikon N75) for Christmas that year. I probably took 10,000+ images (I don’t want to think of the development cost) before I upgraded to a digital SLR three years later using what was left of a student loan check. I’ve been inflicting my photos on the world ever since.
So SO hard to pick one or two. If I absolutely HAD to, I would say it would be one of them in my “Dark Portrait” series which I had to take for my first photography class (http://bhphoto.me/darkportraits) . The first four are the originals. They’re the four generations of women on my maternal side and then a group shot. I continued the process for a while and still take photos whenever I get a chance. Always the same method (black backdrop, natural light only, same camera, same lens, same after effects once I’m done). In fact I would LOVE to shoot you some time. Just a nice simple shot of you looking somewhat serious (if you can manage it) wearing a black top. You’d look gorgeous.
Anyway, of those four, I especially love the one of my grandmother (this one). I think she looks so beautiful. I also like the one of the four together (der, this one). That was the original inspiration. There was once a picture of my great grandma, my gran, my mom, and my baby sister which hung on our fridge (just a snapshot), and I wanted to do an artistic recreation of that.
So there you have it. I have loads of others, much more colourful, which I really enjoy. In fact, that’s rather my thing. I tend to bump the vibrancy and occasionally nudge the saturation up a bit to really make the colours pop. Lovely. And yet my favs are these desaturated photos. I’m weird.
Thanks so much for this fun experience! Let me know if you’d be willing to sit for a quick snap or two.
JM: Would you like to share an internet link?
AR: Really, I think the thing I’d like to share most is stumbleupon.com. If you value your free time at ALL however, you will not install that on your browser.
Thanks so much, Ash, for participating in my interview series! Please feel free to ask him any questions in the comments!
Follow Ash on twitter! (he’s fallen off the wagon a bit, so perhaps this will be the nudge he needs!)
His photography website can be found here.
Bree and I went to the same high school. I guess. We didn’t really know each other then, although we were probably only about two people removed. Her friend (and future husband Ty) was friends with my friend Beth. Then about a year or two ago, Erin started chatting with her on the twitters. So I did too. And then Erin was all, “Hey let’s start #ClubAwesome-you, me and Bree!” And I was all, “Yeah! We are awesome. Let’s start this club.” So then I went to her house and met her. Or did we meet before then? Anyway, Bree is awesome. And so is this interview.
JM: Tell us a little about yourself.
BKQ: My name is Bryony Kathleen Mackey. No, I was not supposed to be a boy, and no, my mother did not invent my name. I was named for the heroine in the Mary Stewart novel ‘Touch Not the Cat’ which for some reason I can’t bring myself to read. Useless knowledge: Bryonia is a genus of flowering vine in the cucumber family native to the UK and neighboring regions, mainly North Africa & South Asia. It used to be used in medicines, namely sedatives, until they figured out that it’s generally poisonous.
I am currently 31 years old, born on the 20th of September which makes me a Virgo, although I’ll say I’m 90% Virgo, 10% Libra since I am much more A-type personality than the average Virgo. But the anal-retentiveness I’ve got down pat. Useless knowledge: coincidentally to my name, September is considered the vine month in Celtic Astrology.
I am in my third, wonderful year of marriage to Ty Mackey. He still won’t let me forget the time I didn’t go to Homecoming with him. (I already had a date.)
I am the youngest of 3 girls.
I currently earn a living as a HTML Programmer and Application Developer for a financial services company. I have no formal training for IT or programming at all, but rather a BS in Business Management and Equine Management. I find IT suits me fairly well as it’s a male-dominated field and I generally get on better with guys than girls. Also, I’m not what you’d call a ‘people-person’ so the less human interaction, the better.
If I had to fit myself in a nutshell (that’s gonna be one big nutshell): I am an insufferable know-it-all. I’ve been a bullrider, a soldier, a team roper and reiner. I’ve lived in a housing project and been on food stamps. I adore Apple products and believe Microsoft to be evil. I was an NCAA All-American swimmer. I played collegiate water polo. I was president of my sorority, Lambda Zeta Theta. I was secretary of the National Collegiate Honor Society, Gamma Beta Phi. I was president of the Business Honor Society, Delta Mu Delta. I am mildly bi-polar/manic depressive and mathematically dyslexic. I read the Iliad and the Odyssey for the first time in 5th grade. I’ve never done drugs. My motto is (sometimes unfortunately) ‘How hard can it be?’ (That or ‘Everybody Wang Chung Tonight’)
JM: What does an equine manager do?
BKQ: We just manage equines…OK, for real an equine manager would generally run a stable/ranch. When I was little my dream was to own my own stud farm and racing stable. (I was big on Black Stallion books.) I started college as just an equine major, but quickly realized I’m far too materialistic, and the odds I could get a really good paying job in that field are null. I kept with it because I had my mare at the time, so like all other things I just wanted to learn as much as I could. It was pretty fascinating. I took classes on barn construction and architecture, feeds and feeding along with anatomy and physiology. We also had general farm animal classes so I know a lot about pigs, cows, sheep, dogs, etc. Little known fact about me is that I know how to artificially inseminate a horse. That’s always Plan C at work. Because by the time Plans A & B fail, there’s nothing left to do but that.
JM: What does it mean to be a geek?
BKQ: Wow…I’ve typed and erased like three paragraphs so far on this question. In general, I’d say most geeks love sci-fi, gaming, and comic books, among other things. I used to be terrified of people finding out just how much I loved Star Wars, or comics. To me, I guess being a proud, adult geek means that I don’t need my likes and actions validated by other people. I love the things I love because, well…I love them. I think a geek is someone who is just fanatical about something. Whether its sci-fi or rock collecting, it’s just about loving something that brings you joy.
One thing that makes me a little sad is that some people won’t accept someone as a geek if they don’t fit a certain profile. Geek culture like mainstream culture has a caste system of its own. For example, one time when I was at a Browncoat Shindig, a girl snottily asked me if I was sure I was in the right place. Not to be too disparaging, she was probably what most normal people picture a geek girl to be: greasy hair, no makeup, overweight…not generally attractive. When I told her I was there for the Shindig, she told me there’s no way I could be a real geek because I was pretty and wearing designer clothes. After I proved my geek cred in a conversation, she did accept me, and we became friends. But she assumed that because I care about my appearance there’s no way I could make a serious, scientifically backed argument about how a lightsaber could not cut adamantium. (It can’t)*
JM: Does Ty share any of your “geeky” interests?
BKQ: Not really. I mainly married him for his money. And his body. So we don’t have much in common. He likes some of the stuff I’m into, he really liked Firefly and Battlestar Galactica. He likes Angel and Big Bang Theory (which he should, since he’s married to Sheldon) but hates Buffy. I took him to a Serenity screening once and we’ll just say it wasn’t really his thing. He tolerates my idiosyncrasies pretty well, and I like to think he thinks they’re cute rather than annoying.
JM: How do you find balance between your “geek” self and your “rodeo” self?
BKQ: I don’t think it’s so much about balance as it is about just plain being me. Like I mentioned above, people make assumptions that someone can’t be something (smart, funny, great backgammon player) because of something else. Growing up I didn’t think I could be a girly girl and a tomboy at the same time. Girly girls were weak! They weren’t strong! They couldn’t play football and fight. But somewhere along the line I had an epiphany…and just like that I thought “Um…Why not? Why can’t I be both?” That question probably drives most of my life. “Why not?” I think the most fascinating people are those who are just bursting with layers, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t try to be one of those people.
I like to surprise people; it’s fun to watch their pre-conceived notions fall away. At work, I showed up to a guy’s desk and he didn’t believe I was actually an official IT person because I’m a girl. I’m surprised his head didn’t explode when he found out that I rode bulls, I knit and crochet, I bake breads from scratch and can (have) replaced the clutch in a vehicle. I love rodeo and the western lifestyle. I love the smell of manure and hay. I love getting into discussions about how I think the most genius thing George Lucas did was blame the entire Clone War on Jar Jar Binks, who’s probably one of the most hated characters in the Star Wars ‘verse.
I think my beliefs are aptly summed up in my favorite quote from Robert Heinlein:
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
JM: When do you sleep?
BKQ: It’s funny you ask that, because I don’t like sleep very much. It’s highly improbable that you’ll ever find me napping, and if you do I’m pretty ill. Ty and I both work early, so we’re usually in bed by 7:30pm. I’m a total morning person, which I don’t think I came by naturally. Growing up I got up at 4:30am for swimming every day, so you get used to it. I feel like sleeping is a waste of time, wish I didn’t have to do it at all. I’ve definitely got the H in ADHD because down time in general is not something I enjoy. Ty sleeps enough for the both of us; he can fall asleep anytime, anywhere and can sleep through a dump truck driving through a nitroglycerin plant.
JM: Would you like to share an internet link?
BKQ: Fark.com My favorite website ever, because nothing is sacred there. It restores my faith that I’m not the only insensitive asshole around.
* JM: Why can’t a light saber cut adamantium? (I really want to know).
BKQ: Preface: this argument assumes we’re talking about the most well-known form of Adamantium which would be the man-made metal alloy invented by Dr. Myron MacLain, a metallurgist in the Marvel Universe, which is bonded to Wolverine’s skeleton. There are some other types of Adamantium which exist in the MU, but I’m not getting into those. I’m also not getting into the Earth-1610 reality (Ultimate Marvel Universe) where Adamantium exists, but has some different properties. We are taking into account the light sabers of the Star Wars Expanded Universe as well as cannon.
With that said, here’s a little background on Adamantium. It’s formed by mixing certain chemical resins (few know the exact formula) and keeping the mixture at approximately 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. The liquid can be molded into a shape, and after 8 minutes becomes solid. The shape of Adamantium can only be altered by the migration of an atom or bond, otherwise known as molecular rearrangement. However, the molecular structure is highly stable, making this unlikely. I believe that currently the only thing which is known to be able to pierce Adamantium would be Antarctic Vibranium or ‘anti-metal’. (Useless knowledge: Dr. MacLain created a vibranium/steel alloy which was used to forge Captain America’s shield.)
In the Star Wars Universe, there are more than a few rare materials which can withstand a light saber blade (aside from the blade of another lightsaber). Some of these materials even cause the blade to short out. Basically, a lightsaber is high levels of energy converted to plasma by a series of focusing lenses and energizers. The plasma is projected through focusing crystal(s) which lend the blade its color and allow for adjustment of power and length. The plasma is sent through a series of field energizers after being focused by the crystals, and then being further focused by modulation circuitry, it becomes the beautiful, coherent beam of energy we all know and love. A lightsaber blade does not expend energy or radiate heat until it comes into contact with something solid. I did a quick Google, but was unable to find an approximate temperature, because I’m guessing it would depend on the material it’s in contact with.
Useless knowledge: one item which many people may be familiar with which is lightsaber-resistant is the Mandalorian Armor worn by the bounty hunter Boba Fett.
So anyhow. Now that I wrote that all out, did a bunch of Google searches to check my facts and realized if I had been this interested in Algebra I’d probably be a much better programmer I’ll come to my scintillating conclusion:
A lightsaber cannot cut Adamantium because it does not possess a molecular reorganizer, nor does it have the properties to cause a chemical reaction which could (in theory) cause molecular reorganization. Assuming a lightsaber could reach the temperature of 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit without destroying the focusing crystals and/or the handle construction (not to mention the holders skin, Midichlorian count notwithstanding), Adamantium cannot be ‘re-liquified’ after being molded. So you couldn’t melt it like Plasteel, Transparisteel or some alloys of Durasteel which we see lightsabers melting through in the SW movies.
Phew. That totally could have been my thesis.
Thanks again to Bree for participating in this interview! Please feel free to ask her any of your questions in the comments below.
For my next interview, I chose a volunteer who I didn’t really know. Scott is a person I “know” through Twitter. We follow each other because of our mutual friend Joe. Scott drives a semi around the country and brings bags of potato chips back for Joe. (Joe has a weakness for potato chips. I am not sure if he’s looking for the perfect chip or just enjoys trying all the strange flavors that are available all over the country. My favorite chip is Chile Limon by Lays-pairs well with string cheese. I’m classy like that.) Scott and I had our first real conversation sitting at the high top at Liberty Market about two weeks before this interview so I could get a better sense of what kind of questions I wanted to ask him.
JM: Tell us a little about yourself.
SK: I am an East Coast (Florida-born, North Carolina-raised) Arizonan.
I am 29 (soon 30).
I am the oldest of 4 children (I have 2 sisters and a brother)
I drive a semi.
I LOVE music and I also write everyday (with the rare exception) and also take a camera (cheap point and shoot) with me wherever I go just in case I find something interesting to photograph. I also enjoy Twitter too. And things that have good design.
JM: You are a truck driver. I think that actually sounds romantic-driving the country, listening to music, eating at diners, meeting interesting people…tell us more about it and how you got into it.
SK: I got into truck driving only because I got bored with what I was doing (being a student at ASU) and was tired of not having money and bills for things I didn’t want to have to wait to pay without high interest payments, so I decided that my Plan B (school) was just not working and to go with my original plan (truck driving). I had decided a few years before what I liked and didn’t like and at least wanted to try for an education first. (I do have an Associate’s). But, that didn’t work, so I went to trucking. And that’s what I’ve done for around 3 and a half years now. It’s an okay job. Not too romantic as it IS a job with pressures and deadlines, MOUNDS of paperwork. It’s also essentially a retail job too in the sense it is all about customer service and the irregular odd hours I work. It is a good job though with pretty good pay for what I do. I could say I am proud of what I do, although, there is a few caveats. The stereotype of a trucker does hold true in some respects and it’s a strange culture too. The food is mostly fast food now and a lot of the truck stops are corporate chains. It’s kind of sad in a way.Tthat being said, I still like to find the few not corporate truck stops as often as I can. Usually, they’ll have different or regional food that I’m out looking for. That is why I like my job, I really do like it because I get to visit a lot of places most people don’t. America is a big beautiful place. It has everything. It really does. I’ve been nearly everywhere too, with the exception of Maine and Rhode Island. (I only drive 48 states.) I’ve seen some amazing things too. Lots of sunrises and sunsets. Seen lots of wildlife (a bald eagle in the wild!) and the changing of seasons too, although I don’t like driving in the winter. I’ve also been able to use what I do to visit places too like New Orleans and Salt Lake City and Santa Barbara and go enjoy a few baseball games (both major and minor league) in other cities too. I do like what I do. I’ve seen a lot.
JM: Have you made any friends in the trucking industry? Do you have a “handle” on the CB? (Is that what it’s called?)
SK: Not really. Trucking is still kind of like a brotherhood/camaraderie kind of a thing. Other truckers do talk with one another and usually it’s the same story (management/government regulations/complaining). That has also fallen by the wayside too. No, I don’t have a CB (and yes it is still called a handle). Reason why? There is honestly nothing good to listen too unless if you like listening to misogyny/xenophobia/homophobia/racism. It’s. Awful. When I did have one, this is all I heard. Just terrible. Thankfully, it shorted out and I never got one again.
JM: I’ve heard you’re supposed to flash your brights when passing a semi. Is that true?
SK: Yes and no. Depends on who you talk to. Cars do this if the person is impatient and don’t think I know they’re there. Trust me, I have 6 mirrors, I KNOW you’re there. Trucks do that (or dim their lights) to let the other truck has enough clearance to safely pass one another.
JM: What is your favorite part of the country?
SK: Ah, my favorite place(s) in America? It really depends. My favorite region of the US, by far, is the Pacific Northwest because of the beauty that is up there, particularly the Spokane, WA/Coeur d’Alene, ID area. It’s a perfect balance of city versus rural. Plus it’s green, all four seasons and weather is temperate enough and so are the people. I love it up there. But I’ve also enjoyed driving though the Bronx and watching the Sun start to rise through that part of NYC. It was almost like watching a movie. I also love driving along the Plains and being able to see “forever”. It’s an amazing sight. I also like being on the coast (Pacific, East or Gulf) and the smell of it. I love the smell of the ocean.
JM: You love music. How was that developed in your life? Who are your favorite bands?
SK: Music. Hmm, I’ve always been surrounded by music ever since I was little. Growing up as a kid in the South, it was mostly country that I listened too (we had 6 radio stations) and also growing up in a Christian household we listened to a lot of Christian music too, mostly contemporary Christian music, although my dad still had his record collection which was a lot of party-like 45’s (think Purple People Eater) and Stevie Wonder and his favorite country artist, Ronnie Milsap. Also, I did learn music as a kid, took piano lessons and I can still read (or at least figure out) musical notation. I’ve also taken guitar lessons at least 5 times, but it’s too time consuming, I’d rather enjoy music. That being said, I do enjoy it a lot. I’m always listening to something whether new or old. I’ve been collecting records (CD/vinyl) since about the time I moved here, about 13 years ago. I still love buying CDs mostly because it’s something you can hold onto, there’s artwork, liner notes. It’s much more than just a commodity or something you can download. It IS art. I really do love music though because of the way it can feel and make you feel too. See, I am more of a person who likes how a song is constructed (produced/mixed/built) versus what most people look for in a song (vocals/instruments). I look for what the music through its production and how it was produced is trying to say, what the underlying emotion is. And with that, a lot of the songs I enjoy are by artists who do it themselves or those who do a majority of their song craft themselves. I don’t really enjoy watching some corporate crap like “American Idol” because it is exactly what I hate about the modern music industry. Because there is no talent there, it’s all fake. Too me, it’s dehumanizing. It’s taking the person who has a great idea and warping it into a moment that maybe someone will remember for a few moments and then be forgotten. It’s sad to me. I like music that has more meaning and a lot less steps. I like the artist who shares his demos that he just recorded this morning just to see what other people think. That’s what I like.
JM: Who are some of your favorite musicians?
SK: Some of my favorite musicians/bands are Damien Jurado, Richard Swift, Starflyer 59, Radiohead, but generally I’ll listen to almost anything. *Almost*.
JM: Would you like to share an internet link?
SK:
Here’s my link(s): http://decknetwork.net/
It’s for The Deck, “The advertising network of creative, web and design culture”.
This is my link because I also like well-designed things and to me the websites served by this ad network are the best. My particular favorites are: kottke.org, waxy.org and themorningnews.org.
Also related: layertennis.com which is also brought to you by the same people who run The Deck. Layer Tennis is a great game of design. See the website for more information. It’s really neat.
Thank you to Scott for volunteering! Please feel free to ask him any questions you have in the comments below!
My latest in the interview series is my friend Dan who I’ve known for about let’s say twelve or so years. I have no idea. I am sure we met sometime in college when we went to the same college church group. It sure feels like a lifetime ago. I used to hang out with Dan and his brother-they are two really funny guys. Some of my best memories of them are wandering around Magic Mountain. And telling pickle jokes. More on that later.
JM: Tell us a little about yourself.
DH: Name: Daniel Ryan Hunt
Age: 33 years
Hair: Reddish-brown, short
Eyes: Blue, two
Ears: Yes
Height: 5′ 10″
Weight: Plenty
Distinguishing features: Large sideburns, glasses, sardonic wit
Likes: Martial arts movies, video games, reading, writing, making people laugh, the spotlight, listing vague things like ‘reading’ and ‘writing’ as things I like to sound smart and/or creative
Dislikes: Unsolicited career advice, listing my previous work history, the word ‘douchebag,’ when Wikipedia is seen as a valid source of information
Favorite breakfast cereal: Cracklin’ Oat Bran
Outlook: Stoic, mostly
Demeanor: Pretty middle of the road
Marital status: Married to Sarah Hunt, going on 4 years
Highest education level: Some college
Current occupational status: Fledging stand-up comic, cab driver
I have been diagnosed with: schizoid personality, gout, 1 cavity
People think I have: Asperger’s syndrome, a sadistic streak, encyclopedic knowledge of computers and GPS-level knowledge of the Phoenix area, including locations of every building, everywhere
JM: So…you can’t just drop a completely unknown (relatively huge) fact like you have been diagnosed with schizoid personality on me without any details.
Can I ask you about it “on the record”?
Can you explain what it is?
When did you get diagnosed with it?
Did the diagnoses come with any emotions or a sense of clarity?
DH: You never knew…? I coulda swore… Okay.
From my understanding, being schizoid is where a person (me) levels out their emotional experiences. Lower highs, higher lows. The affected also have difficulty expressing emotions, having meaningful relationships, and other social awkwardnesses. I was diagnosed with this in my early to mid 20’s when I went to a therapist to seek help for depression I was going through. Well, it was the result of this test I took, SAT style, complete with bubble fill in sheet and #2 pencil.
When it comes to things like being schizoid, or depressed, or anti-social, or even things like possibly having Asperger’s Syndrome, I shrug it off. I’m okay with me, and I’m at a point where I realize all the crap that happened so far was for a reason. I am the person I am, and I can not, will not, nor want to be anyone else. I feel that there’s a certain beauty in sadness, when you think about how bad a thing (whatever) is, you realize there is another thing (whatever) that is, to quote Teen Girl Squad, SO GOOD that not only does it make up for the sadness you feel, it surpasses that sadness, and all the other sadnesses that you’ve had or will have. I get sad. It happens. I also get happy. Sometimes the sadness in my life outweighs the happiness in quantity, it never comes close to it in quality. I guess the ultimate question here is, where does that happiness come from? How can it be better? One word: Christ. Knowing that all this (living life in this world) leads to something greater (eternity with Christ) nullifies all the crap this life can throw at me. Sometimes I forget that for a while, but I always come back to the security I have in Christ and the Father. The Spirit, too, even if I have a hard time understanding It.
That, and the Keebler Elves released a line of cookies that are versions of the Girl Scout’s Samoas that are available all year round. How can that NOT make someone happy?
JM: Thanks-you saved a lot of people from looking that up on wikipedia. Speaking of happy, tell us a pickle joke, and give us the background on pickle jokes in your family.
DH: Who’s green, Egyptian, and married Marc Anthony? Cleo-pickle. Who’s green and was shot nine times? Pickle Cent. What’s green and hangs above a baby’s crib? A mo-pickle.
I come from two large families. Mom had five brothers and sisters, Dad has six. The vast majorities of these large families lived far away from where I grew up, mostly in Portland, Oregon and various parts of Oklahoma. A lot of childhood memories I have involve riding in cars on long road trips for family reunions. Going to see the extended family was always a treat for my brother and I. Well, when you’re ten hours into a 20-hour road trip with no stops, people get tired, and random things get hilarious. Pickle jokes were born out of these late night/early morning drives, and they are part of those random things that get hilarious.
JM: Why do you find yourself drawn to stand up?
DH: I like laughing and I like making people laugh. I was doing improv, which qualifies, but I think I’m drawn to stand-up now because I get to control everything that comes out of my mouth (in theory). So if it’s funny, it’s funny that came from me and wasn’t dependent on something or someone else. That’s not to say that I’ll never do improv again, but now is the season for stand-up (again).
My foray into stand-up started a lot earlier than I realized, when I stop to think about it. Back in the fifth grade, I asked my teacher if I could tell jokes in front of the class during lunch. She let me, and I proceeded to bomb day after day for pretty much the entire school year. Fast forward about three years, and while I was attending middle school, I was put in the gifted/accelerated class with the other nerds. One of the things we did every year was a career assignment, where we would pick something that we were interested in doing when we were older, then we would be paired with someone who did that for a living, and we’d spend time with them as they did their job. I selected to do stand up one year, and I was paired with a comic whose name I no longer remember. I tagged along while he did a corporate gig. He gave me a video from one of his open mic nights that he hosted, and I remember all the comics either being filthy or extremely bad. To wrap that assignment up, we had a ‘career night’ where we had presentations of what we learned. I did about three minutes of material that I ripped out of a joke book. I remember everyone was polite about it. Since then, my desire to get on stage and make people laugh has manifested itself in various ways, like being the ‘announcement guy’ at VI, or doing improv at a theater in Scottsdale. Around the end of September last year I happened upon a class for stand-up comedy taught by one Tony Vicich, comedian who was prolific during the stand-up boom of the 80’s. I took the introductory and the advanced classes, and was in two showcases, one at Dave and Busters up in North Phoenix, and one at the Tempe Improv. Currently, I have an open-mic night coming up on the 30th in Scottsdale, and a set at ToSo’s up in North Phoenix on the 4th. Maybe it’s the 5th. I should probably find out. I’ve been told that I’m ‘edgy’ for whatever that’s worth.
JM: What would be the ideal comic “job” for you?
DH: As fun as it would be to be a touring comic, I think that would take me away from my wife and soon-to-be daughter too much. I’d be perfectly content to work a singular city like Vegas, LA or New York if I could provide for my family doing it. I also wouldn’t argue with acting, voice acting, or directing. But not producing. Maybe gaffing. That’s a ways off, though, I’m still working my way into the shallow end of the comedy pool.
JM: Who are you influenced by comically?
DH: I am influenced by any comic that can make a room full of people laugh without resorting to excessive swearing or crude/sexual/scatalogical/racial material. It’s a mistake to think that doing clean comedy is talking about rainbows and kittens and peaches. I actually pulled off a joke in which there is a baby that is on fire. You can be dark and edgy without dropping an f-bomb. Or an s-bomb. Want examples of who I am inspired by? Sure! In no particular order:
Demitri Martin
Brian Regan
Eddie Izzard (I said excessive swearing)
Jim Gaffigan
Ken Kaz
Donald Glover
Christopher Titus
Steven Wright
Ritch Shydner
I’ve also had the joy of being able to learn from good comics, both veteran and not-as-veteran. Tony Vicich, like I mentioned before, along with Emily Galati, Kevin Odea, Joleen Lunzer, Mike Gillerman, Dave Thurston, Jim Bambrough, Mike Bengoeceha… lots of people named Mike, all said and done.
JM: Would you like to share an internet link?
DH: As much as I think that the internet is nothing more than 99.99% filler and a horrible time suck, here are a couple things I like looking at:
www.basicinstructions.net – One of the two funniest non-episodic webcomics ever.
www.xkcd.com – The other funniest non-episodic webcomic.
If you’re curious to see what I’ve done in stand up:
Shameless plug, I know.
And if you’re curious about stand-up classes, you can go here for more information:
Thanks Dan for participating in my interview series! Feel free to ask him any questions you have in the comment section below!
this photo is from last night. it’s one of many in a long line of photos of my brother and i sharing a birthday celebration. yesterday was his birthday, and today is mine. we are three years apart to the day. next week is his daughter holly’s birthday so she was getting in on the candle action here.
on my husband’s side, his youngest brother‘s wife’s birthday was two days ago, his second youngest brother‘s wife’s birthday was yesterday, and mine is today. strange that we all have birthdays in a row. our nephew on that side also has a birthday tomorrow.
and i have about a million friends that all have birthdays this week. including our adopted son drew.
I knew who Joe was before I met him. He’s a bit of a local celebrity who dresses particularly and is known for his restaurants. But I knew him as the only person in my area who owned a Vespa. And I had just bought one. So about three years ago, I introduced myself, asked if I could go along on any group rides he was planning, and somehow found myself helping to open the future Liberty Market. But be careful! Once you are Joe’s friend, you must succumb to all kinds of crazy adventures-many of them involving blind taste tests of food. And believe me, this guy will wear you out! He’s made me visit more than five espresso joints in a day.
You can find many interviews with Joe and his journey of starting the Coffee Plantation, Joe’s Real BBQ, or the housing development complete with childhood-home-turned-restaurant Joe’s Farm Grill, but I would like to illuminate the more personal side of Joe. Because I dare to ask the questions!
JM: Please tell us a little about yourself.
JJ: That is an open question, so I’ll answer it a bunch of different ways.
I am happily married (to the lovely, talented, power-house: Cindy), have two married sons, and live in Gilbert.
I am chubby, moderate in build, wear a hat, have a titanium rod in my leg, blood pressure within the normal range.
I am self-deluded in thinking I can eat anything and not gain weight, that I am 30, that I am not dying, and certainly much more that I am oblivious to.
I am a visionary. I don’t mean that in a proud way any more than if I was to say that I am an artisan, a craftsman, or a farmer. The primary gift that God has given me is in the realm of ideas and how to advance them to become reality.
JM: I love the story of how you and Cindy met, would you mind sharing the tale?
JJ: At the time, I was an engineer and happily single, living in an apartment. I don’t mind being alone and don’t get bored easily, so I enjoyed working on cars and general tinkering. My mother was quite concerned that I would never get married. For one thing, she identified me as a nerd with fashion problems that might make me un-datable. To work on my fashion problem, she sent me to “Sincerely, Sandra”, a modeling and personal improvement shop at Dobson and Elliot. The basic idea was that the owner, Sandra, would color drape me and then teach me how to shop for clothes. Sandra is a vivacious lady of Lebanese ancestry. Through the process of figuring out that I was a “spring” and taking me shopping at Marshall’s, she decided I was a normal person, so she asked me if I would like to meet her sister. She hooked me up with her little sister, Cindy, who was living with Sandra and her husband at the time. It took me a while to get around to a first date. When we met, I thought she was beautiful … we got along fine. For many months we went out, just as friends and then we fell in love. That’s the best way.
JM: You have a distinct fashion style. Tell us how you created it and what your inspirations are.
JJ: My awareness of fashion started in the same way I met Cindy (see above). Since then, I have become more interested in fashion and have developed certain philosophies regarding dress:
1. Be comfortable with who you are and where you live.
I am a bit chubby (but cuddly), have a short inseam, a bald head, and ordinary looks (which I think of as a blessing). Doesn’t sound like a promising physique for fashion, but I have come to accept my situation and be happy about it. I also live in a warm state. Given these factors, I try to dress in ways that make sense. Being bald has opened up the world of hats, an area where people with hair seem timid to explore (except with the baseball cap [yuck!]). It protects from the sun and has many more options than hair. Being chubby, tight fitting clothes are a big no-no. Guayabera shirts are a favorite. They are loose fitting, a traditional shirt in warm climates, and come in great colors. I do not wear jeans. They emphasize the wrong part of my body. T-shirts: only at the gym.
2. Don’t go with the trends.
I used to wear classic Hawaiian shirts for the same reason as a Guayabera. Then they became popular and started showing up at Costco and all sorts of unstylish people started wearing them in horrible ways. I stopped wearing them. Hats have become popular again (I’ve been wearing them for 25 years), but most people buy cheap ones from China at Target, so it really hasn’t diluted quality hat wearing and I am not planning on abandoning hats. I avoid trends like “Affliction” shirts, Ed Hardy, and all of that stuff. I prefer classic, timeless pieces that go together well and last.
3. Buy quality.
I don’t buy poorly made stuff. It won’t last and it won’t feel good. That doesn’t mean it has to be expensive. Just be picky about quality, inspect your goods carefully, and then try to get the best price. For instance, my go-to fedoras are US made and are fashioned from wheat straw. They are very well made and cost about $35. Yes, that’s more than a Chinese “felt” fedora, but not that much more. It fits and lasts, plus you’re helping US workers. Some things are just plain expensive, but worth it. My LV “murse” is a great accessory that I use daily. It is SO well made and perfectly designed. It will last forever instead of some bad fitting, cheap mini-messenger bag. There’s some truth in the phrase “you get what you pay for”.
JM: Would you please share some Joe “before” pictures?
JJ:
JM: Would you like to share an internet link?
JJ:
Best food related periodical: http://www.artofeating.com/
Best antidote to Rachel Ray: http://bitchinlifestyle.tv/
Thanks again Joe for participating in my interview series! Please feel free to ask all your burning questions of Joe in the comments below!
And you can follow him on twitter (@realjoe)-although rumor is he might take a hiatus for a month in February!
