Before you skip on down through the questions, is there anything she missed or that you are wondering about me? Any question about me that are burning inside you like a scorching case of herpes?

I have a lot of new readers and my life can be a little “HUH?” (and in some cases, “WTF”?) so I want to throw that out there. Usually these open calls involve a sad, lonely comments section with crickets chirping forlornly in the background.

Sigh.

Let me know and I’ll pipe up.

My First Contribution to the Great Interview Experiment: Interviewing Loralee

As part of my participation in Neil’s Great Interview Experiment, I’m not only honor-bound to be an interviewEE, but also an interviewER. I was lucky enough to be able to interview the lovely, bright, and interesting Loralee, and at long last am able to post my (fantastic, imaginative, intelligent) questions and her (hilarious, sweet, revealing) answers.

Et voila:

1. Let’s start light. If you could ask your cat, Wilbur (a girl, for readers who are unaware) just ONE question that she would actually be able to answer, what would you really want to know? (I’m almost sure I know in which direction this could be headed.)
   HA! I get to thwart you in the first question! Most people would assume I would want to know why my kitty is a rampant whore that regularly rapes my carpet, but no. I can actually wrap my head around getting jiggy with a neighborhood full of Tom Cats when you are a pretty feline that doesn’t have to worry about being considered “Slutty” by your fellow felines. The one question I would ask Wilbur is this:“WHY the freak to I have to walk you to your food and kick the dish before you will freaking EAT IT?”Seriously, it is bizarre. You would think she is blind and has no sense of smell. She will sit there and meow at me like she’s dying of hunger when she has a full food dish.Cats are weird.
2. You’re a trained vocalist (opera) and an actress. What has been the role you’ve most enjoyed during your time on stage?
   Oh, I have lots and lots of things I’ve done that I love. I loved playing Lalume in Kismet because it is a vampy role and they are always fun. Probably my proudest moment was doing the lead in a one act opera called “The Medium” by Menotti. It’s about 150 pages and I was in about 112 pages of it. The music is atonal (Which means that what the piano is playing and what you are singing are TOTALLY different). I was an evil, evil, woman that made her living ripping of grieving people. I got to use a bull whip and a gun. It was the hardest role of my life and I really thought it would kick my ass, but I did it and I did it well.
3. I see you’re a twin. That whole twin bond seems a bit mysterious and kind of cool for the rest of us. Do you have that with your sister? If so, what’s a good example of a “twin moment” you’ve had with her?
   My sister and I have a difficult relationship. (Not all twins are best friends.) However, we DID have our own language and we can still somewhat speak it to this day.
4. What kind of sleeper are you? (Light? Snorer? On your side? etc.) What side of the bed do you sleep on?
   I am a HORRIBLE sleeper. I have the worst insomnia on the planet. I also have a pretty bad back and so I am in a lot of pain. It sucks a duck. I sleep on the right side of the bed and I always sleep on my right side. I don’t snore that I am aware of, but wouldn’t be overly surprised if that wasn’t true.
5. What’s on your bedside table right now?
   EVERYTHING. Seriously, my house is TINY (we’re moving in the near future) and my bed is where I hang out, lounge, work, talk, etc. I like to have everything around me. So…Right now I have a water bottle, vitamins, a stack of books, Coffee mug, jewelery basket, hair clip, Ipod, pen and notebook and Nyquil bottle on my stand right now. Cluttered, I know.
6. Do you have a celebrity crush?
   I am QUITE fond of Denny from “Grey’s Anatomy”. It is nothing compared to the crush I had on River Phoenix when I was 12. It was intense. I have seen “Stand by Me” eleventy billion times. I even went vegetarian in homage to him for about two months. Sigh…
7. You’ve recently gotten into running, even completing a 5K! (Congrats; I did one once and it was a definite challenge, coming at it as a complete Non-Runner.) I see you, too, like to run with your mp3 player (it really does help!). Right now, put your Ipod on random and tell us what the next 12 songs are.
   • • Lost- Micheal Buble
     • More than a Feelin’- Boston
     • I know you by heart- Eva Cassidy
     • Fallen Angel- Alphaville
     • Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Soundtrack: Opening credits
     • Closer- Nine Inch Nails
     • Follow me- John Denver
     • Penny Arcade-Neil Diamond
     • Glory Soundtrack-End Titles
     • Sampson-Regina Spektor
     • You’re the inspiration- Chicago
     • For unto us a child is born- Handle’s Messiah

   I wish I had kept the running up! I wouldn’t be struggling so much in my bootcamp right now! I am a well known musical DORK, so please keep that in mind:

8. What’s one thing you’ve been wanting to try, but haven’t yet?
   That’s a tough one. I have gotten to do many of the things that I have wanted to do. However, I am very, VERY excited to begin the process of building our own home. It will probably take a year, and we are crossing our fingers that we can break ground before the ground freezes this next year.
9. This past year, you took a trip to England and Scotland (lucky girl). Yes, I know they’re gorgeous, full of history, blah blah blah…but what I REALLY want to know is this: What was the best meal you ate in each country?
   We had the best food EVER on this trip. Mainly because I researched it to death. My biggest advice? Eat whatever is local. The freshest and regional “Specialty”.In Scotland, there were two meals that were the best. One? We went to the local Tesco (UK WalMart) and bought roast beef, roasted and marinated Red peppers, cheese and thick, crusty bread. We also had Thai-Chili crisps (Chips). We made sandwiches and ate a picnic on the banks of Loch Ness. It was so good and so beautiful. I loved it.On the other end. I drove 3 hours round trip to eat at the best restaurant. We were on The Isle of Skye and this place was a thatched cottage in the middle of nowhere. I ordered a smoked salmon appetizer with a beet relish. Fillet of Red Deer (BEST meat I have ever had in my life) and for dessert, a steamed marmalade pudding that is to die for. Worth every.single.freaking.penny. In England, I had a Cumbrian cheese and red onion relish sandwich in the Lake District of England. When I was in London, we went into BFE to eat the BEST Indian food on the planet in a little strip mall in a rather run down area. Again, I never would have found it if not for research. It was fantabulous.
10. Could you take a picture of your favorite pair of shoes? How did you discover them? (Strangely, it seems like women are able to remember this kind of information like men seem to be able to remember the most minute details from their Games of Glory during school, like what underwear they were wearing or what they ate at the team dinner afterward.)
    I saved $70 on this rocking pair of Born wedges. They have this adorable flower on them and the cutest curved wedge heel. Most important, they are COMFY. They are not my “Cutest” pair of shoes, but they are definitely the most comfy cute pair that I own. Since comfort speaks volumes to me, they are the ones that I wear more than others in the summer. The fact that they only cost me $15.00 means they are even more awesome.
    
11. As I sit here coming up with these questions, I’ve just watched yet another DVR’d episode of Gilmore Girls. It was one that is very close to Luke and Lorelai finally getting together. (Sadly, I’m all giddy with suspense to witness the blossoming of their relationship, which I’ve already witnessed in full.) I was Uber-Happy to see you are also an avid G.G. fan. Tell me, what did YOU think about that scammy, cheap ending they gave us which included an unsatisfying quickie Luke/Lorelai reconnect, no wedding, and very little else as reward for years of dedicated and anticipatory viewership? (ahem, I’m just saying…not that I want to lead the question or anything…)
    On one level, I was so effing happy that they ended up together but the whole thing was so CRAPPY. They needed a full blown freaking WEDDING. We didn’t even have time to mourn Rory leaving. It was all BAM! And she’s on the bus and GONE! Then that tiny moment at the end that just didn’t cut it. It was all so sudden and painful and awkward. Kind of like getting a bikini wax. In the end, though, maybe it is a good thing that there was no wedding because EVERYONE knows that there is only ONE “Mrs. Backwards Baseball Cap” and that is ME!!!
12. What is the strangest gift you’ve ever received?
    I got a piece of the inside of a typewriter from a boyfriend I had in high school. He had never actually given me anything before and so it meant a LOT to my dorkish little self. So, I put it on a chain and wore it for the longest time. (Someone should write a Haiku about my lameness some time!)
13. Describe your first kiss (circumstances, location, awkwardness-level, etc.).
    It was a Christmas dance and I was 14. I asked him out. (I’ve only ever been asked to one dance in my life.) He was four inches shorter than me and I thought he was the best thing in the world. I had braces and we kissed by the Christmas tree under a blanket during a game of “Truth or Dare”. I had braces and he slobbered. A lot. During our slobber fest we kept inching further and further toward the tree until if fell over on us. I had the biggest crush on him and I couldn’t believe he kissed me!!! At the time I was in HEAVEN.Until afterwards when he told me it had meant nothing to him and he was just giving me a good date because I paid for dinner. I was a “Little too big for his taste”.I didn’t have the best teenage years. Bleck.
14. You like tomatoes, and your husband hates them. What is something he loves, but you hate?
    Rush Limbaugh, for one. (Jonathan is a libertarian while I am more moderate leaning Republican). And? He LOVES black licorice, while I believe it is of the DEVIL and tastes like ass. (Not that I know what ass tastes like. Or anything.)*
15. How has blogging changed your life?
    Blogging is definitely one of those big markers in my life. I have a big, long, rather humiliating story about how I got started in blogging here. It’s a winner. People who are embarrassed about how they started blogging usually feel great about their beginnings after reading it. When I started blogging I was not very good at it in MANY ways simply because I didn’t know any better. I had very limited exposure to blogs and very limited technical knowledge. My drive for blogging came out of emotional need.I started blogging at a very low and dark time in my life. My son passed away in September 2003, and by November of 2005 I was a mess. Basically, I started my blog to have something in my life that was good. I didn’t have any readers outside of friends and families for a few months, but it didn’t matter. I thought “I am going to get out of bed and do ONE thing today that I can write about on my blog”.Bit by bit, I crawled out of my hole, met people, got involved in the community, developed healthy traffic and turned my blog into a place that I think is lovely.In some ways my blog and the people on it saved me. That isn’t something I say lightly, it’s true.In lighter ways, it is also something that I am very suited to. Granted, I suck at the technical aspects, but the writing part comes very naturally to me. I have enjoyed the challenge of making better and better.The best thing about blogging?THE PEOPLE.

    Sure, you get suckasuckaSUCK trolls that are haters, but for the most part, I adore the people that I have connected with through my blog. LOVE THEM. I have gotten to meet several of my fellow bloggers and am attending BlogHer in San Fransisco this summer to meet even more of them.

    The blogging community is full of fierce, wonderful, diverse people and I have loved carving out my place in it.

*Only on my blog. I can’t very well go on someone else’s blog and talk about asses and what they may or may not taste like, right?

They need to know how to cook before they leave my house. For one, it will help them when they are living on their own and for two, it’s just a good life skill to have. I LOVE that Jon and I can cook together. True, he isn’t as adventerous as I would like him to be, but still…There is something homey and comforting about preparing a meal with your spouse and family. The chopping, the banter, it’s just…appealing.

I decided I would start with a very basic recipe and show them how to turn it into something fun and creative, albeit a bit “Girly”. I got this idea, all on my own, way back in the 9th grade when I had to do a cooking demonstration in Home Ec. I have used it ever since.

RICE KRISPY KISSES

3 Tbs. Butter

1 Bag Large Marshmallows (Or 4 Cups Mini)

6 cups Rice Krispy Cereal

A cup of cold water, aluminum foil, butter, paper, scissors and a cookie sheet are also needed.

Make the Rice Krispy Treats:

Measure Rice Krispy’s and pour them in a mixing bowl. Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Add marshmallows and stir until a thick, gooey cream forms. Pour over Rice Krispy’s and Incorporate. Let sit for about 5 minutes.

Butter a large funnel.

Spoon mixture into the funnel. Dip your fingers lightly in the cup of cold water (Or you will get SO much goo on your fingers) and press. Turn the funnel over onto cookie sheet and repeat.

Let the treats sit for about 15 minutes.

While they are sitting and your children are devoring the remains of the mixing bowl, write out your personalized message to put in each of the “Kisses”.

Put a kiss on a square of aluminum foil. Place the message at the side and wrap up.

VOILA.

Yummy Rice Krispy Kisses.

I had SUCH a good time doing this with my boys today. I think it’s just more fun than plain old Rice Krispy Treats and it makes me feel like one of those cool, inventive, “Crafty” mom’s.

Cool.

Also, this is week three of February’s Self Portrait Challenge. The theme is “Black and White”.

I have wanted to do a series like this for a long time. I prefer a strong contrast in black and white shots and I have prominent features that can pull it off. True, the color on the IPOD and the heavy contrast is akin to those prints you used to hang in your room in Junior High, you know, where the woman has a tear running down her face and her either her lips or a rose has a hint of red to it?

So, forgive the cliche, but I like these.

I picked a secondary theme of music for this series.

WHY, you ask?

Brace yourself. This is long, but it represents six MONTHS of planning and work, so it should be.

Last June, I received a very lengthy, very amusing fan email from a vocalist in California. Her name was also “Loralee”. She was even a “Loralee C.”! She was Googling herself in the middle of the night and found my blog. Just from THAT information, I knew we were going to click, and we have. She calls me “LL” and I call her “Thing Two” or “Thingy” for short. It is just too WEIRD to call another person “Loralee”.

I heard her CD’s and raved. She saw my dorky youtube videos and was very complementary.
About 6 months ago, we started discussing the possibility of recording a duet together. This is no small consideration, since I live in Utah and she lives in California. One day, though, we just decided to DO it.The next issue was what on earth to sing?! Thingy is all rock and roll and I am classically trained.

Hmm…A quandary.

She came up with such a great suggestion, I am ashamed I didn’t think of it myself. I love the song, “For Good” from the Broadway musical, “Wicked”, a story about how the witches of OZ became who they ended up. This song has such a sweet melody and the words are so emotional and meaningful to me.

She wanted to record it and asked if it would be a good idea. The answer was, “HELL yes!”

Once we decided that the project was a GO, we began the very long process of recording and mixing. Loralee 2 laid down her tracks in California and then sent it to me. My parents got me studio time for my birthday and I laid my vocals down in 70 minutes.

There were some concerns on my part. I have never recorded solo in a studio, and this was a stretch for me vocally. To quote my brother, “Where did your opera voice go?”. I love singing like this, but to be honest, I am usually not allowed or asked because a lot more people can sound like this than when I sing opera, if you get my drift. Liken it to being Dark Karo Syrup your whole life and then switching to being Light Karo Syrup in an hour.

People ask how we managed to “Blend”. This would be the almost 25 YEARS of choir I have participated in. You get good at matching people if you do it enough.

Besides being much less experienced than Loralee 2 at studio recording I had another fear about this project. This song is just about as emotional as it gets for me. I don’t need to go into it, but I was worried how I would do. I had to book my session 2 months in advance and it fell just a couple of days after a huge, horrible fiasco in my life. The day of my session I felt like a humiliated, despised, guilt-wracked heap of pathetic.

I didn’t think I would be able to eek anything out during my session. Is it was, I came of lighter and more nasally then I would have liked but this might have something to do with the tears and the mucous that came as I snotted all over the microphone at times. The sound guy was very understanding and he had plenty of water and tissues on hand for me to use.

In the end, I just grasped the lyrics for what they were: Take hard things (And the snot-drenched) , and try to get by by remembering what good came from it.

So, I did.

I sent back my vocals to California and then “Narren the Amazing” stepped in and worked his magic.Narren is the dad of Loralee’s son. He has a studio in his house and he is the one that recorded Loralee2 and mixed EVERYTHING for us. He put in all the instruments you hear and blended us together. He is so talented. Every time I listen I hear some tiny detail that I cannot believe he thought to add. What an ear.

I think the end result is that we sound really good together. It was a stretch for both of us, but it was so worth it. This has been one of the highlights of my life. It is just a perfect story, a perfect song and a perfect experience for very imperfect people.

The moral of our fairy tale?
Never underestimate what a bit of rampant narcissism at 2 am can garner you!

Enjoy it. WE did.

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(I need to mention that if Jonathan had not left my three boxes of vocal memorabilia on my driveway in the RAIN while we were renovating our basement, there would probably be more photos of me actually singing n’ stuff…)