15 Fun Questions With Amy!
Q- What was Your Dumbest Injury Ever?
A-I lost my footing on the wood stairs while wearing socks and slid down a flight of stairs at 17 weeks pregnant with Archer. I ended up breaking my coccyx (butt bone) and had to bring one of those hemorrhoid donuts with me everywhere. Classy.
Q-What’s One of Your Most Awkward Situations that Happens on a Regular Basis and How Do You Handle It?
A-I can’t remember someone’s name- NO wait, it’s worse than that. If I’m seeing someone I quasi-know, but I run into them somewhere totally out of context. I usually ask them something and then play detective and try to figure out where I know them from by listening closely to their answer, then I’ll ask sub questions, and I’ll confess I’ve had times that I genuinely walk away from a conversation having no idea who they are.
Q-What’s the Worst Possible Job you can Imagine?
A-Besides janitorial work? Data entry. I think 5 minutes in that just would be enough to send me screaming down the street while simultaneously pulling my hair out.
Q-What was your Favorite TV Show as a Kid?
A-“CHIPS”- I had the biggest crush on Eric Estrada. (This is showing my age but oh well!)
Q-What was Your Worst Hairstyle?
A-Easy. 4th grade. I had the “Dorothy Hamill-slash-Pete Rose” (With a sprinkling of John Denver on the side) Haircut. I decided my signature look was going to be a barrette that held up one side of my hair after receiving aforementioned haircut. I still wonder what the heck I was thinking. What sucked was I go that haircut after my friend Erika got it, and it was SO cute on her, so when I tried to copy it, it went south- big time.
Q-Would you Ever Be On a Reality TV Show? If so, Which One?
A-NO. I would get eaten alive. It would be like high school all over again. The worst for me would be “Survivor”… I’d last 30 seconds max on that show before being voted off the island.
Q-What was One of the Ways Your Mom Embarrassed You Growing Up?
A- She used to be in charge of bike safety at my elementary school. So we’d be driving though town and she’d gasp and say “Is that so-and-so?” And she’d immediately slow down, having found a book helmet violator riding around sans helmet. She’d put the window down and yell the child’s name and demand to know why they weren’t wearing a bike helmet. Then she would threaten to call their mom. Meanwhile, I sank to the floorboards of the station wagon, positively mortified.
Q-What was One of the Ways Your Dad Embarrassed You Growing Up?
A-So my dad cared about appearances never. In fact the first time my husband came to pick me up for a date, he was greeted by my dad’s butt crack peeking out from his saggy work jeans as he leaned over one of our family vehicles, ever tinkering with it. My dad let my mom drive around a station wagon with grey primer on it for years, and when he re-insulated our house, he left huge polka dots of insulation marks without painting over the stucco. What can I say, Randy does Randy!
Q- Did you Always Want to Be an English Teacher?
A-No. In fact, I graduated with a BA in Communication and didn’t even have a teaching certificate. In CA in those days, if you taught in a private school, you were good to go if you didn’t have a teaching certificate, just a 4 year college degree was all that was required. I met a friend in our “Young Married’s” group at church who was substituting teaching for the local Private Christian High School and since I had just basically graduated from college and had no clue what I wanted to do (horrifying, I know!). My friend suggested that subbing might be great way to make some money while I tried to figure out a career plan. Thankfully I had that luxury since I had just gotten married and could freeload off my new husband. I started subbing in the spring, and by fall the 10th Grade English Teacher had announced he wasn’t coming back, and the principal offered me the job.
Q-What’s a Little Known Fact About You that You’re Not Super Proud Of?
A-I can be a bit of a conspiracy theorist. It’s not pretty. When I was a kid I used to watch “Praise the Lord” (Jim and Tammy Faye Baker’s show) on Sunday Mornings. (Yeah, I know! Nerd Alert!!) Anyway when their scandal with fund collection in the name of their Heritage USA project was discovered to be a scam, I grew skeptical of institutions and organizations. I have remained that way ever since. On one hand, I get that being cautious is good- but on the other hand my first reaction is not to trust. And I STILL believe the government is listening in on our conversations and going to use them against us later in court.
Q-Do you miss California and would You Ever Move Back There?
A-Yes, I miss it sometimes. I most definitely miss the weather. I didn’t realize how much though, until I moved to Seattle. Seasonal Depression is legit! (The ones I find have the worst cases of it are the locals, surprisingly!) At least now, while we have kids in school, we have no plans to move back. Plus there are some things that irritated me about living there…. just how ridiculously expensive the Silicon Valley was/is, and all the homes were old and nasty if you couldn’t afford to redo them. But who knows, never say never-maybe someday? I actually think Andrew misses it more than I do. :)
Q-If You Could Have a Dream Car of Choice, What would it Be?
A-You know, I’m not really into cars. Not like my husband is. I do know 2 things: 1) I HATE, LOATHE station wagons (if you haven’t figured that out by now) and I’ll never drive one again. Ever. 2) I can definitely tell the difference between a POS and a luxury vehichle, and I prefer the latter, hands down. Whenever I have a rental car and I’m trying to floor it and merge onto a freeway, I’m thinking, “Oh, yeah. I forgot about this. The struggle is real.”
Q-Did you Ever Play a Musical Instrument? If so, What was it, and Do You Still Play?
A-I did play the piano through elementary school, but I sucked. Unfortunately my piano teacher wrote all the notes in on my sheet music so I never learned to sightread. This was a major liability as I was always chained to MY music, and I couldn’t take it any farther later in life because it’s like math- if you don’t learn the early concepts then you have to go back to the beginning. I was like, “Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That.”
Q-What are Some of Life’s Greatest Mysteries, According to You?
A-1) The opiate crisis. In the 90’s we were a compassionate society who prescribed too many pills, no argument there. But now we’ve completely and totally switched gears to the point where you’re told Tylenol is a great pain reliever (in WHAT universe is that true!!), and it’s borderline crazy the patient-shaming that goes on if you so much as ask for a couple pain pills if you break your arm…. the extremeness of the whole thing is just ridiculous to me, and it’s no wonder why people turn to herion. I just feel like there’s got to be a better solution. I mean, how would people who drink alcohol react if we brought back prohibition? 2) Opinionated Fights/Rants on Facebook. I’ve always said since Trump’s election that I’ve NEVER heard anyone say “You know, I used to be totally solid on my opinion, but then I read a political rant on social media and it completely changed my mind!” Said. No One. Ever. 3) The TSA. Why they care about confiscating my 5 oz. bottle of coconut syrup from Maui, but it’s totally fine for me to carry onto the plane that book of matches I always keep in my wallet. (And PS who am I kidding, I don’t smoke, and I certainly don’t have survival skills. Why do I even need a book of matches anyway!?!?) Well, who knows, but at least I know I can bring them on a plane….. that’s just perfect!
Q-Do You Speak Another Language? Yes. I speak Ebonics. Just kidding. But that was a thing back when I was in High School. But here’s the real answer: after getting thrown out of French Class in junior high for defacing my French Book with my Friend J.J., I tried Spanish instead and it just clicked better with my brain. I’m still able to use some messed up Spanglish today with my cleaning lady and with my kids. That’s good enough for me.