the great interview experiment

i'm nobody.
who are you?
are you nobody, too?

this famous poem by by Emily Dickinson, was probably the best blog comment i've ever read. its simplicity spoke volumes, just as the powerful poem intended. the comment also hit a chord with its recipient, neil, at citizen of the month. as it inspired him to create an exercise where everyone who wanted, could participate in becoming known.

the great blog interview extravaganza created a blog chain of interviews, whereby each blogger would interview the next. no one is left unknown. i was given the good fortune of meeting Bre of Win or Lose, We Go Shopping. She's a twenty-something, free spirited gal who has awesome friends and an equally awesome job at the local college.

please take the time to click the link and get to know Bre. her blog is witty, real, and is a place you find yourself visiting often. here's my feeble attempt at interviewing a stranger via email and blogland:


where do you live?
I live in the Philadelphia Suburbs – close enough to the city to enjoy all of its awesomeness, but far enough out of it not to have to deal with city traffic or, you know… shootings.

how long have you been blogging?
I’ve been blogging since late 2004

why did you start blogging?
It all started with a boy I used to be sweet on. I’d been reading blogs for a while but hemmed and hawed about starting my own. When I found his I figured that if he could do it then I certainly could. Of course my blog has lasted far longer than my interest in the boy!

what's the best thing you've gotten out of blogging?
A community of interesting folks! They act as my sounding boards in many aspects of my life and my connection to them and with them is truly fantastic!

what motivates you to do a certain blog post?
I find myself writing blog posts in my head from time to time now that I’m used to the whole blogging thing. Usually something ridiculous happens and I start composing. Other times I use my blog as a way to work out some particular topic that I’m stuck on.

is your blog life separate from real life (secret identity) or mixed with blog friends and real life friends?
The people that I’m closest to know that I have a blog – my immediate family (my family is HUGE so they don’t all know about it because telling each of them would take the better part of a decade) and my closest friends. I keep it separate from my professional identity more for the sake of the students I work with than my own. I change names and fudge details from time to time for that same reason.

real life occupation?
I work in the Office of Residence life at a small, liberal arts college. I’m in charge of several Residence Halls and act as the primary judicial force. I also do emergency response, counseling, and programming.

what drama is going on in your life right now?
Hmmm, there always seems to be drama! One of my good friends is about to give birth to her first baby, so we’re all on edge about that one. There’s all sorts of relationship drama that weaves its way into and out of my life on a daily basis, but I’m not one for big time drama!

with what successes are you most pleased?
This is going to sound hokey, but I’m most pleased when I get the really difficult, undervalued, troublesome, “delinquent” students to respond to me. When I can develop them and make a difference for them. I am a champion for the underdog – both the bullies that “won’t go anywhere” and the “losers” that they tromp on. I love to make an impact on them.

what do you want to tell the world right now?
Phew, I don’t know if there’s enough room to type that all! I’d like to shout out that I’m happy. Really really happy. I may not be completely satisfied, ready kick back and just live like this for the rest of my life – but for now I’m happy. I tend to talk more about the exasperating and annoying parts of my life, but honestly I’m one happy girl!

what kind of things do you keep private?
Names, certain interactions that I have with students are just too private for me to talk about, or they hit me too hard and I don’t know how to talk about them! I don’t talk about anyone who could read the blog when they bug me, and I tend not to talk about my political views or religious views often.

who knows you best? why?
In my family I’d say my sister, which is baffling to me because when we were younger we were constantly at odds. She’s very observant and she knows all my little habits. I’m very comfortable with her and with telling her things I know she’ll keep close to her. Outside of my family I’d say probably Frank, who is one of my closest friends. Frank keeps all of my secrets. I can go to him and just vent everything out and then never have to talk about it again unless I want to. He’s like my brother in the best possible way – he gives great advice and he can always make me laugh.

who in your family knows you least?...why?
That’s hard because my family is pretty huge! I’d say my Aunt Aggie because I haven’t seen her in eons!

goals?
Fall in love, get married, purchase a house with a white picket fence and entire room devoted to my wardrobe. Build a family – I’m terrifically interested in international adoption and I think that that will play out in my life even if I don’t find Prince Charming! I’d really like happily ever after.

travel goals?
I’m going to LONDON in March and I’m terribly excited. I get to travel internationally probably about once a year with work, so it’s mega good times. Other than that, I like to bop around the beach and go exploring wherever and whenever I can!

relationship goal?
Uhm… get one? I’m extraordinarily weird when it comes to relationships. And by that I mean that I meet a guy that I think I should be interested in and try to convince myself that I am. I need to get past my own head and just date guys who actually interest me! Ack! I’m sure I sound completely neurotic right now, but that’s par for the course when you’re 25 and single…right?!? I don’t actually know what I want or what I need out of a relationship (though I can tell you what I DON’T want or need!) but I’m working on figuring that out!

professional goals?
One day I’ll be the Dean of Students… how I get there is up in the air right now! J

do you keep a list of goals or go with the flow of life?
I go with the flow of life, but I do have some immediate goals I’d like to accomplish!

what draws you back to certain blogs?
For me it’s all about voice. If I like the person (or what I can tell about the person from their writing) I’m interested in coming back and reading more. I’m very interested in folks who have a different experience or life than my own, and I’ve found that I (oddly enough) have the greatest connection with them!

are you following the presidential race?
Not really at this point. I know who I’d like to win the primaries, but I can do very little about how that candidate does in other states, so I’ll just hang out and wait for Pennsylvania to come up, cast my vote, and then hang out until we vote again!



please go visit Bre. you'll be glad you did