Questions for Claire, part 2

(Part 1)

Here are the rest of the questions from Jen of Quarter Life Crisis:

6. What albums and/or artists are currently in heavy rotation on your iPod/mp3 player/stereo?

Mostly I'm a proponent of shuffle, so I rarely listen to full albums anymore, and I don't usually focus on particular artists. I just click 'next' if I don't feel like listening to the song/artist that comes up.

Scanning my last played and top rated songs though, I'd say: Sia, Olive, Jem, PJ Harvey, Diana Ross, Ivy, P!nk, and Moby.

7. The road is your favorite place, or so says some of your travel-related blog posts. You have all the time in the world. Describe the perfect road trip. Where would you go? What would you want to see? Who would you want to be with you? What kind of car would you take?

Not having a car brimming with my possessions would be an excellent start. I'm also going to assume I have as much money as I need because all the time in the world isn't worth much if you can't afford gas, food, and lodging. All through Europe is mighty tempting, but I think driving (and parking) abroad might be too recurringly stressful to qualify as a "perfect road trip," so North America it is.

In no particular order, I'd like to see/visit: the Tadeo Ando designed museum in Ft. Worth, Texas; Devil's Tower; Alaska; Toronto; Petrified Forest National Park; Joshua Tree; Death Valley; Griffith Park Observatory, The Juice Fountain, and Doughboys in LA; Yosemite; Chicago; Philadelphia; Pensacola, FL; museums in Washington, DC; Niagara Falls, Canada; New Orleans; Dollywood; Columbus, OH; Canyonlands Park; Bryce Canyon; Mt. Rushmore; the Egyptian wing at the Met (though I wouldn't really want to drive in NYC); Seattle; the Grand Canyon; Hoover Dam; Las Vegas; and more goofy roadside attractions than anyone could ever shake a stick at.

I'd look for things to do in states I haven't visited yet, mostly upper MidWest. I'd travel alone so I could keep my own schedule or change it at whim if I stumbled upon something cool, quirky, or fun. However, I would make a point of visiting friends, family, and perhaps some bloggers along the way (TequilaCon '08 is taking place in Philly after all.).

Some kind of boxy sedan would be fine. Nothing so flashy it screams: break in or steal me! An iPod dock/input, cruise control, and a moon roof would be cool though. And an intermittent windshield wipers setting. An oh-so-quiet, gas efficient hybrid would be nice. Preferably one that isn't real low to the ground (my car bottomed out on a couple of park roads last time). Against my better judgment, make it midnight blue.

8. I think I read that your family does not read your blog, is that right? Have you ever had a strong desire to reveal it to them? Why or why not?

That's true. I have no real desire to reveal it to them although I'm pretty sure they think I have one. Feels like an unspoken agreement to me. My mom has in the past said I should write about them, but that she wouldn't want to read it. I leave them out because I don't want to censor myself (in tone or content) or hurt their feelings. Mostly it wouldn't matter if they read, but those times it would are enough.

9. What's something people would be shocked to discover about you?

Shock is pretty subjective, depending on a person's own values/beliefs and how well she or he thinks s/he knows me. One thing that I know has honestly shocked several friends and strangers, to my own surprise, is that I don't like garlic.

10. You collect rocks. What else do you collect?

Hmm, I guess I did say that. More specifically, I collect fluorite which is a mineral with a crystalline structure (so they don't look like rocks). I've been meaning to photograph them.

Buffy season 8 comics when they appear as multi-issue trade paperbacks. I have the first, but the second won't be out until June, so this is painfully slow going.

Amelia Peabody mysteries by Elizabeth Peters
Books about Ancient Egypt and hieroglyphs

Ticket stubs: movies, museums, concerts, any event I attend with a ticket (or sometimes sticker).

Stamps from National Parks and Historic sites. I'm not trying to collect them all or particular ones; I just stamp my moleskine if I'm somewhere that has one.

Also, brochures from places I visit when I travel.


Thanks for the questions and for being my pinch interviewer, Jen! This was fun.

A year ago on TTaT: plus or minus 4000 miles, Mind Hacks