The LiveJournal Interview
- Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
- I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
- You will update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
- You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
- When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
The kjtoo interview is :
- kjtoo: Playing off imnotandrei's last interview question to me, do you think you've got what it takes to run the country? Why or why not?
baab: I absolutely do not have what it takes to run the country. I have no desire to do so, and I do not, at a fundamental level, understand anyone who does. As for currently prominent politicians, I think I'm leaning towards John McCain. He may be a republican, but he's not a fundamentalist stooge and he seems legitimately interested in doing the right thing, even if it means going against the grain.
- kjtoo: What qualities do you look for in a pen-and-paper RPG group, and what makes a good DM?
baab: At the risk of sounding glib, I look for a group that'll have me. Some are better than others, but I've never been in one I hated. As to good GMing, I think the primary characteristics would be a flair for the dramatic and the ability to improvise.
- kjtoo: You love the sporty cars, but have you ever considered buying a motorcycle?
baab: I have considered it, but they scare me. I'm sure the controls become second nature after a while, but the few brief times I've had to play with one, I've never felt in control of it like I do with a car.
- kjtoo: If you could take any work of written fiction and adapt it to the screen, which work would you choose and what three aspects of that work would you be most concerned about translating properly?
baab: And here's where I display for all just how pedestrian my tastes in film and literature are. There's a series of books by Brian Daley, known as the Hobart Floyt and Alacrity Fitzhugh adventures. They're probably pulp sci-fi adventures, but they appeal to me very strongly for some reason. They include Jinx on a Terran Inheritance, Requiem for a Rule of Worlds, and Fall of the White Ship Avatar. I first read them in high school, and I've read them several times since. Since about the second reading, I've had dreams of adapting the screen plays. It'd be a series of buddy films with a lot of adventure and some interesting twists.
Things that might be difficult to translate:- There are a number of scenes that explain how his universe works. They're interesting sequences to read, but they'd play slow on film and the story won't work without them.
- The films would either need to be animated or have an outrageous effects budget in order to pull off well.
- Casting might be a problem. I can't think of anyone for most of the roles.
- kjtoo: What's so great about guacamole, anyway?
baab: I don't know. It's just about the yummiest thing in the world, though.
The yotto interview is :
- yotto: Of all the cars you've ever owned, which was your favorite and why?
baabThere's no question, it's the '93 Mercury Capri XR2. It's not going to be a car people will still talk about fifty years from now, but I loved it. There's an indescribable something wonderful about driving with the warm air whipping around you. - yotto: Your debut album is doing abysmally in the stores, but three tracks off of it are the top three mp3s shared on P2P networks. How does that make you feel and what do you do about it, if anything?
baab: I'd be thrilled that people are enjoying my music. I know I'm never going to make a living playing music. That's why it's a hobby. Just like I'll never make money at the other things I'm good at: playing video games and making sweet, sweet love. It's an accident of history that for about a century there was enough technology to record and distribute music, but not enough that anyone could do it. It'll be quaint in another decade. - yotto: What game show would you most like to be on, and why? Do you think you'd do well?
baab: I'm not really up on my game shows these days. I suppose I'd like to be on Celebrity Poker Showdown, except that I'm even lower on the Hollywood lists than Neil Patrick Harris. I think I'd do pretty well. Maybe even win the first table, assuming I don't do anything stupid like bet on a flush that I don't have. But, poker being poker, luck has a lot to do with it. - yotto: In our current game of Risk, are you not killing me because you're worried about Jeffrey ending up with the stronger position, or becasue you don't want to kick me out of the game (leaving me to sit and watch you two)?
baab: A little bit of both. When you were at your weakest, I was extremely vulnerable to Jeffrey. If I'd left my lands with less defense so as to finish you off, I 'd likely have been destroyed the next turn by Jeffrey. - yotto: for the last one, I'm going to steal borrow from your questions to me because I can't think of another one am curious to find your answer: Is there a historical figure that you particularly idolize or identify with? Why?
baab: Hmm. The tables have been turned. See, I was just having trouble thinking of questions when I came up with this one. Samuel Clemens is pretty freaking cool. He had a keen insight into the human condition. Everything I read of his rings true now, a hundred years later. I'd like to be that observant if not that eloquent.
The dianamarie interview is :
- dianamarie: If you could go back to the you that you were ten years ago, maybe stroll up to yourself at that first CDI gather in the park and have a chat with you-of-the-past, what advice would you give yourself at that point? Don't stress about time paradoxes and the like, for the purposes of this question I declare them not a factor.
baab: I don't think I'd want to make too many major changes. I'd tell myself to invest in google, to avoid buying a Kia, and to try to encourage my sister not to marry that cheating asshole so that I won't have to maim him. - dianamarie: It's time to colonize the moon! They're having a land rush on it, where volunteers who are willing to live in some spartan conditions and help build/populate that hunk of rock get free acreage, supplies, instructions, etc. You'll end up living in a space-age yurt and eating frozen/dried food for a long time, but you get this kickass view and you're one of the colonists whose names will be on a monument at the site of the first lunar landing. Nee would probably NOT have allergy issues
there. Would you go? Why or why not?
baab: If you'd asked a few years ago, I'd have said yes in a heartbeat. Now, I'm not so sure. The adventure, the discoveries, the novelty , the 1/6th G sex all appeal to me greatly, but there are many earthly things that I've come to enjoy and I'm not sure I could do without. Let's call it 60/40 in favor of becoming a moonling. - dianamarie: Just like that famous song Summer of '69, many people tend to have one summer in our lives that stands out in our memories as brighter than the rest. If you have one, which is it for you and why? If you don't, make one up.
baab: I suppose the one I remember most is 1989. Renee and I worked at Cedar Point that summer. I can still do my Thunder Canyon saftey spiel (quickly). We were together and quite low on responsibilities, so yeah. '89 was good. - dianamarie: If you had to be some sort of criminal for a living, assuming that you could have the training/equipment to be decent at it, what would you be?
baab: I'd be a terrible criminal. I'd hate myself constantly. That said, it'd have to be some hacker fraud shit of some sort. The risk of getting shot is low, the profitability potential is high, and I'm already halfway there, skills-wise. - dianamarie: Having a unique physical characteristic tends to create attention for a person, both good and bad. Besides the obvious tragedy that you can't fit into the tiny sports cars comfortably, how do you feel being that sexy, wonderful, tall man that you are has impacted your view on life?
baab: Ahem. I'll skip over the sexy part since I can't quite agree with it, but being large certainly has its advantages. I think that it gives me a certain confidence to be the complete loon that I am. I don't generally worry about some guy with a chip on his shoulder proving what a man he is by beating up on me just because I wore a pink shirt, for instance. In fact, I've never really been concerned about my physical safety. And, apparently, I make Renee feel safer, too.
On the other hand, I have this sense of not fitting. Like, literally, the society we've made is too small for me. I'm too big for the cars I like; I have to pay 3x as much for clothes; I cannot fly coach comfortably, but I can't afford first class. My knees rub the seat in front of me in movie theaters and I have to be conscious of blocking the view of those behind me; my chair and desk are too low; the bottom shelf of anything is useless; I often have to duck when going down stairs.
So, you know, it's good and bad, and it probably balances out in the end.
(On a related note, one strange thing I've noticed about myself is that whenever I'm around someone as tall as or taller than me (which isn't often), I feel this weird, vague discomfort.)
The steamraise interview is :
- steamraise: You and Renee seem to have a wonderful marriage. How do you keep it hot after so many years? I hope your answer involves gaming and using coupons.
baab: Hmm. I can't say that we do anything particularly special to keep up the heat. We just have an abiding love, trust, and respect in each other. And, to be honest, it's simply not as hot as it was when we were young. I don't really think that's possible. It's a good warm, though, nice and comfortable. - steamraise: Tell me a little more about your new car. What color is it? Sport package? Any drawbacks so far? Does Renee like it?
baab: I haven't had a chance to take pictures yet! It's black with the sandalwood (tan) leatherette (fancy vinyl) interior. I've got the sport package and memory seats, but that's about it for options. I love it. Other than the CD player skipping on my cheap imation discs, we've had no problems. After a week with the Kia, we had a list half a mile long.
Drawbacks:- Sometimes my head bumps the ceiling.
- I'm going to get so many tickets.
- I'm actually worried about it getting dirty/dinged/stolen.
- I can't (easily) transplant my mp3 CD player from the Kia. <3 that gadget.
Renee seems to like it, but she's afraid to drive it. She was very supportive through the whole shopping ordeal, though, wanting to make sure that we got something I'd be happy with, knowing that I'd be the primrary driver. - steamraise: Does it ever bother you when people you don't know greet you with, "How are you?" Like they really care how you are. (okay, so maybe this is my own pet peeve)
baab: It doesn't bother me at all. What bothers me more is how I rattle off a canned response with even less thought than went into the question. Or how I'll sometimes answer the /wrong/ question because I was expecting that one. I've never really been a social critter, so I don't much care, really, about people I don't know. - steamraise: You win dinner and a foot massage from any celebrity. Who do you choose and why? You are not allowed to pick Uma Thurman or Nicole Kidman (you're welcome Julie).
baab: Well, this is a tough one. The sorts of people that I'd like to have dinner with I wouldn't want to expose to my feet, which are quite unpleasant in a number of ways. Since this is a magical fairy land, anyway, I'm going to resurrect Douglas Adams and have dinner with him and Renee, then skip the foot massage. - steamraise: Pick one:
A. For the rest of your life you can magically eat anything and everything at fast-food restaurants (or pizza delivery) and never suffer any unfavorable health effects, but you can NEVER eat at a sit down place ever again. Also, you must pay for your food.
or
B. For the rest of your life you can magically eat for FREE at any sit down place, but you can never eat fast food again or order delivery or take out, and you'll suffer the regular health-related consequences of whatever you order. Sit down place is defined as any place that puts a real reusable menu in your hand -- not a take out paper leaflet.
Why did you choose the one you did?
baab: This is the easy one. B. Restaurants. If we could eat out for free, we'd free up a large chunk of our budget. If I'm concerned about the health consequences, I can choose healtier fare. There are good restaurants that serve pizza, so I'm good there. Plus, I make a decent pizza myself.
Eating out is about the only thing Renee is able to do outside of the house that she enjoys. Even if the B. option wasn't so insanely great, I wouldn't give it up.
The soulcatcher73 interview is :
- soulcatcher73: You were married at a young age. What advice would you give to other couples that choose to marry young?
baab: Probably: Don't do it. Don't get me wrong, I've got no regrets and I'm thrilled with having Renee for my partner. But, I recognize that that's because we were lucky more than we were smart. It's been a long, hard climb. Getting your education and career started is hard enough when your responsibilities are few, but doing it the way I did is just plain stupid.
If you're going to do it, though, you need to let each other grow. Don't try to keep your partner the person (s)he was when (s)he was 19. It won't work, and it'll cause resentment. If you grow together, that's great. If you grow apart, well, that's the trouble with marrying young. - soulcatcher73: Big wheel, or Green Machine? ;)
baab: Oh, definitely the Green Machine. I had a big wheel when I was younger, and it was fun, but the Green Machine was a psychotic deathmobile, which when you're 6, is fundamentally awesome. - soulcatcher73: Many that have known you have called you many number of things. 'Hot' 'Sexy' 'Gorgeous' so on and so forth. Never once have I heard a bad thing said about Bob, either look-wise, or personality wise. What do you believe is so unattractive about yourself?
baab: Well, obviously, first and foremost is my weight. I've got boobs, for crying out loud. Not attractive on a man. Then there's my mutant hair problems. I've got this birthmark on my back that has curly, wiry black hair growing out of it. I won't go into the rest. Suffice it to say that while I may appear passable clothed, a nekkid baab is a horror to behold. - soulcatcher73: You are a music-whore. I know you are. If you could only listen to one band for the rest of your life, which band would it be?
baab: I know I am! I know you are too! I'd have to stick with Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers. They play a southwestern rock with country influences that speaks directly to my soul. Roger Clyne and drummer P.H. Naffah are from the The Refreshments, who you may remember from Banditos or the King of the Hill theme. Roger Clyne is an amazing songwriter; some have called him the Bruce Springsteen of the desert. Their live shows are amazing to behold. In fact, they were playing Flagstaff while I was in Vegas and I very seriously considered sticking y'all with Renee so I could drive down there on Saturday. :) - soulcatcher73: You are an admitted lover of driving. You are A Driver. What do you love so much about being behind a wheel of a car?
baab: I don't really know what it is that gets me. The kid inside of me still just plain likes to go fast. I enjoy the physical sensation of the g-forces of acceleration, turning and braking. I like being able to go anywhere anytime.
The psychoanalyst inside of me thinks it's some kind of control issue. Behind the wheel, I'm in charge for a change. I control whether I live or die, where I go, and what I do.
It's probably both and more that I can't articulate.