Interview

Since I didn't really do the interview meme correctly last time, Florinda sent me some questions:

1. What hobby or pastime that you don't seem to have time for anymore would you like to start up again? Singing, most definitely. Sure, I still sing in the car and in the house, but I miss singing in front of an audience.
2. If you could only have ONE of the following: music, TV, books, or internet - which would it be, and why? Oh, this one is SO difficult. You all know how much I love these vices. If I had to choose, I would choose music because it's the one that can lift me out of a bad mood, and since Sondheim has all of life's answers, I think I could cope pretty well.
3. What's on the menu for your last meal? (The foods can come from anywhere - six different restaurants, your late grandma's kitchen, a taco truck, etc.) A margarita from Caramba's in Alhambra, two tacos from that place on 19th street near downtown, a burger from Tommy's, a salad from Lucy's in Hollywood, my grandma's homemade tortillas, along with a popover or two made by my dad, and oh heck, throw in a pastry from Porto's!
4. What does the title of your blog mean? It's a reminder to myself that it doesn't have to be all or nothing, in pretty much any aspect of life. For example, as a parent, I don't have to be all authoritarian or all permissive; I need to strike a balance. I need to balance the priorities of each of my girls as individuals, as well as my own. Life should be balanced/equal parts laughter and learning. Obsession is very rarely a good thing. I used to talk more about balance than I have lately. I should probably get back to that.
5. If you could go back and give your eighteen-year-old self a few pieces of advice, what would you tell her? I had a chance to think about my 18-year-old self when I went on my cruise, since I turned 19 while working on a cruise ship all those moons ago. I certainly thought I knew a whole lot more than I actually did back then! But hey, that's youth, right? But back then, I didn't believe in balance at all. I believed in throwing myself fully and completely into everything. I've learned since then to back off a little bit. But I know my 18-yr-old self wouldn't have listened to such reason (and didn't). But I'm done beating myself up over the past. I lived life fully, and with that, came many mistakes, of course. But if I hadn't made all those mistakes, then there's no guarantee that I would have these daughters today. We don't ever really know what kind of consequences will come with certain decisions. I know now without a doubt that the decisions I made then led directly to my present, but there's no way my 18-year-old self would've seen that coming. And I would hate to say anything to her that might have stopped that chain of events, however painful some of them may have been.

Having said all that, however, I would probably tell her to avoid trying the cream and sugar with her coffee. Drinking it black was so much easier!

I don't think there's anyone left that hasn't answered interview questions, but if so, I'll provide some for you.