About Me

I asked you to ask me some questions. Here are my answers. Thank you, all of you, for reading and caring. I've divided the questions into somewhat fuzzy categories. It made sense to me; I hope it does to you, too. Enjoy!

Oh, and I will link to this entry on my About page.

PERSONAL

Does it bother you when people spell your name the wrong way?
Yes! But it happens less and less these days. For the record, it's ALISON.

What is a day in the life of Ali like?
I exist. I create. I love.

Here’s a difficult one that you don't need to answer. How do you cope on a day to day basis not being with your kids?
I just do it. Sometimes it hits me hard, and I ache. Mostly I try to look at this time as a gift of freedom; some day, the kids will live with me, and my life will change again.

So what besides weird questions gives you the heebeejeebees?
Creepy-crawlies. Jell-O. Heights.

Do you have hairy toes?

Nope. 

Hey, you take lots of pictures. How'd you get into that?
Ever since I was small, I have loved images and photographs. I got my first camera when I was eight. In college, I took a photography course, which taught me more about light than anything else, and now here I am. The digital age has allowed me to experiment and create photos more easily.

How's your career in photography going?
Hmm, career? I don’t have a career. Yet. I just have a love of images, and I try to create with a camera what I see in my head. It doesn’t always work, and I am constantly learning.

Your philosophy of the photograph--what single piece of advice would you give to other aspiring photographers?
Observe other photographers' work. And remember that the camera is only part of it. You need an eye. Develop your eye.

Who do you want to be when you grow up?
A person who made a difference somewhere.

What was your favorite breakfast cereal growing up, and what is it now?
I LOVED Life cereal. Now, I’d have to say my favorite is something healthy, like muesli, or something with twigs and shit. Fiber is key.

Have you ever named a pet or one of your children after something or someone that meant a lot to you AND what was the name?
No. The two requirements for my kids’ names were that they had to work in both English and French, and they couldn’t be common names in either language. And my pets? They just get names that fit them.

What's your tattoo, and where is it located?
My tattoo is a sunflower, because I couldn’t decide between a sun and a flower, and I liked the symbolism of the sunflower’s following the sun. The tattoo is located somewhere on my body (well, duh! -ed.), and it’s not generally visible.

Why did you start blogging?
I have always enjoyed writing, and was intrigued by the idea of blogging when a friend started doing it in 2001 or so. But I didn’t think I could put my thoughts out there for the world to see. The idea matured, and after I finished writing my mémoire for my teaching credentials in April of 2004, I started a blog on AOL, which was my ISP at the time. After a couple of months, I tried Blogger, then moved to Typepad a month later. I started blogging because I needed to express myself. And AliThinks was a great form of therapy for me when I went through a bad time. I've been fully assimilated into the blogosphere (read: addicted) for some time now.

How'd you meet Allan?
We met on the internets! We both listened to Radio Paradise, and when we met, the community that surrounds the station was a lot smaller. We became friends by participating in the Comments thread on the RP website. Later on, the friendship grew into something way deeper. We carried on a long-distance romance for more than a year before I moved back to the U.S. I am the luckiest woman on this earth.

While Allan is your main man, do any other bloggers get you all tingly in the right places (I know *I* do it for every woman on this planet, but alas, I blog no more)?
Tingly? No. But there are a number of guy bloggers out there whose writing I enjoy.

What is your favorite thing about Pittsburgh?
Pittsburghese. Just kidding.

What is the thing you really hate about Pittsburgh?
The fact that it is still dragging around its bad reputation.

How did you acquire your love of food and music?
Good question! I grew up in a home where there was always music playing, so I am sure that was the genesis of my interest, nay, my need. As far as food goes, I got into that when I was in college. I wrote about it here.

How often do you read others' blogs? How often do you comment on others' blogs?
Every day. I use Bloglines to manage my blogroll.

Who are your favorite musicians?
This question is too hard. I love so many different kinds of music. When I was growing up, though – even during my hardcore Durannie phase – my favorite group was The Police.
What are your favorite (or the most influential) books, albums, movies of all time?
For the albums and movies, I’m drawing a blank. One book that affected me deeply is Summer of the Great-Grandmother, by Madeleine L’Engle.

FRANCE

Hey, you lived in France. How'd that happen?
My senior year of college, I dated the French teaching assistant at my college. I graduated, but he still had some schooling to complete in France. I moved over there and we got married. That’s the nuts and bolts of it!

What brought you from France to the US? I can't imagine why someone would leave France.
A need to be “home” again brought me back. France can be a great place to live, but my situation at the time was not an easy one. I was on leave from my teaching job, but because it was a choice, I got no government aid, i.e. unemployment benefits, RMI, allocations, and the like. There were no jobs in my area. If I had to move to Paris to find work, I thought, I may as well move to the States! My kids were already living with their father, and although the plan was for them to move here with me in the summer of 2006, we decided they weren’t ready for such a move. So I came here a little early, and without my kids. 

Are you proficient in French and English both? Or more one than the other?
English is my native language. When I left France six months ago, I was at the point where people didn’t know I wasn’t French. Or if they heard an accent, they thought I was from northern France or Scandinavia. Yes, I am proud of that. 

Do you (maybe you never did) still dream/speak to yourself/think in French?
Yes, yes, and yes. 

What is the biggest difference you see between France and USA?
The get-up-and-go mentality we have in the US is almost nonexistent in France. Example: Nine years ago, after my then-husband was laid off, he thought about starting a company. I was the only one who encouraged him to do so; his mother told him to stay on unemployment, because it was safer, and his father refused to lend him any start-up funds. For the record, he started the company, and it is still going. On the other hand, because the French government taxes businesses so much, he and his partners have never really made a profit.

Do you miss Europe?
A little bit. I imagine that I will miss it more, the longer I am in the States.

What is your most cherished memory of France?
I can’t answer this. There are thirteen years of memories, both good and bad. I can’t think of one in particular.

Okay, everyone is asking what it was like leaving France. I'd actually be interested in reading what your first day was like as a person who Lives In France!
It was exciting! And then it got very, very hard. The first few months there were very difficult, as I learned a new language and culture.

I love Europe. And as such:
1. What is your favorite part about living overseas? What is your least favorite part?
2. Same question, but about the USA.
1. The chance to experience other cultures. My least favorite part is the distance from my family.
2. My favorite part of living in the US is the feeling of being home. I integrated fully into French life, but the US is my home. My least favorite part of living here now is the sense of fear and paranoia that pervades everyday life.

When you lived in France, what was the one thing that you missed the most about the U.S.?
Tough question! I’d say that I really missed the fall colors. The leaves in France (at least where I lived) don’t turn the brilliant colors they do here.

TEACHING

Were you a teacher here in the US before going to France?
No. I planned to work in television, on the production side of things. Teaching never crossed my mind until I moved overseas and realized that my degree was worthless there. I spoke English, however, and that somehow qualified me to teach it.

After your experience teaching in France, do you think you would ever teach in a classroom setting again? As a permanent teacher? As a substitute?
Never say never! I kept my status as a tenured teacher in France, just in case. And I might consider teaching here, maybe as a sub. Right now, though, I am concentrating more on freelance writing.

You have said before that you would never teach again; what is it about teaching that you hate?
Okay, I probably did say that. I think what I hated was the feeling that I got roped into teaching because it was the only job I could get in France. This led to a lot of resentment on my part.
One thing I don’t like to do is plan lessons, and if you want a class to be successful, you have to plan it almost down to the minute. Because I worked in so many different places, I never reached the point where I could reuse lesson plans. I had to create new curricula almost every semester. By the time I entered the Education Nationale and got tenure (meaning I'd teach in one place, and could theoretically stock up and reuse lesson plans), I was at the breaking point. The other thing I hated about teaching was classroom management. Put me in a classroom with thirty 8th graders who don’t give a shit about learning English, and you’ve put me in hell.

BACK IN THE USSR

After so many years spent in France what was the most difficult adjustment being back in the USA?
So far it’s been pretty easy! But I’ve been here six months, and I have already been back to France twice. The hardest part for sure has been being so far from my kids.

What has remained eerily similar here in the States since you left lo those many years ago?
People’s ignorance of the world they live in. There is life beyond the borders of the United States.

Having lived abroad, how are you now most disillusioned with the US, your home?
Again, the ignorance and cultural laziness of Americans. I also am unhappy with the pervasive sense of fear here now. I understand that this is an effect of 9/11. We needn’t let the media tell us what to think or feel, however.
The big thing, however, is the current government of this country. I feel strongly that the United States is headed in the wrong direction, and that we are making more enemies than we already had.

Besides your kids, what is the one thing that you miss the most about France (I am aware too that your kids are not "things," by the way...)?
Good wine for not much money. Ditto for cheese, olive oil, and decent yogurt. We have a yogurt maker now, though, so that’s taken care of. 

What, if any, aspects of French life and/or culture, do you miss?
Besides the wine and cheese thing, not much. I haven’t been gone long enough.

QUESTIONS I CAN'T DO JUSTICE TO

Who are your heroes? Personal and photographer heroes?
Personal, Ida M. Tarbell. Photographers -- there are many that I admire.
 
What inspires you? Where do you wish to be in ten years?
Hope and energy inspire me. I hope that in ten years, I'll be as happy as I am now.

What is the meaning of life?
You had to ask!

You get to choose your last meal. In detail, it is? Please include all beverages and desserts.
No fair. I want to taste a little bit of everything.

Guess what. You lucked out. You got to include both you last breakfast and lunch too. You will be normally hungry for each meal. Enjoy!
See above.

So, you're trapped on a desert island - what five books do you take? Five albums?
No offense, but I hate this kind of question because I am really, really indecisive. Next!

What do you want to do when you grow up?
Something that will help and inspire someone else.

If your life were points on a compass what would we see at the four major points?
The death of my mother would be one point. Then probably my move to France. My divorce. My move back here.

If you discovered a new land what would you call it, how would you populate it and what would you do with it?
There is no way I can answer this. My name is not Jonathan Swift.

If you could travel anywhere on (or in) the planet to photograph, where would you go?
Everywhere!

You need cheering up--what movie do you pop in the DVD player?
Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain

You're channel surfing--what TV show or movie causes you to stick and watch that show to the end, each and every time? (Guilty pleasures encouraged here.)
I didn't have a TV for so long; it's hard to answer this question. I love most anything on Food Network ('cept for Rachael Ray). I like old sitcoms from when I was a kid, like M*A*S*H. I LURVE Jeopardy. But I will watch reality TV, sometimes.

If you could be any writer (alive or dead) who would it be?
This question is way too hard. There are so many writers I admire. I choose Anaïs Nin, for the epoch and place she lived in.

If you could be any artist (alive or dead) who would it be?
Aww, heck, I don't know! Maybe Annie Liebovitz.

What would you do with a million dollars?
Pay off my student loans, ensure that my children will never have any student loans, invest wisely, donate to charity, and travel.

If you could be anywhere right now, where would that be?
Right here.

If you could live anywhere in the world (assuming you had Allan and the kids with you and all other dependents were ok!), where would you live?
Let's pretend I had that million dollars. We would live all over the world.

If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be? An evergreen of some sort, because I like the idea of keeping my greenery during the winter.

GOOFY STUFF THAT MADE ME LAUGH

Am I falling out of this chair?
Probably. Sit up straight, young man!

Is this a pimple or a boil?
Let me take a look. *squeeze* It’s a pimple.

White or whole wheat?
Whole wheat.

Would you care for some fresh ground pepper?
Always.

Do these pumps match my purse?
No.

Does this milk smell funny?
Doesn't all milk smell funny?

Panties: Thigh high, bikini, boy-cut, granny panties or "Commando"?
No, yes, yes, sometimes, and yes. 

What was the make/model of your first car and how did it meet its demise?
It was an Isuzu I-Mark that my husband and I had during a 6-month internship he did in the States (this was after we were married). I don’t know how it met its eventual demise, since we didn’t have it that long. 

Pluto: Planet, asteroid or animated canine denied the upright skeletal structure, verbal skills and opposable thumbs given to that fool, Goofy?

Planet, and for the record, this question was posed about a day before the scientists decided that Pluto wasn’t a planet.

What's your favorite flavor of chewing gum?
Cinnamon (because it’s very hard to find cinnamon anything in France) or wintergreen (ditto).

Aisle seat or window seat?
Aisle.

Which do you prefer: being a blonde, redhead, or brunette?
Blonde, for sure. I’ve never been a brunette, though.

Favorite color?
Green! No, orange! I mean, pink!

Sleep on side, back or tummy?
Yes.

Have you been eating? You look thin.
You need to get your eyes checked.

Emeril Lagasse OR Alton Brown?
Alton. 100%, all the way, without a doubt, Alton.

Comments

[Margaret]

Very interesting. There were so many questions when I looked that I felt intimidated. I would love to do this; maybe it should be my goal for this blogging year.

[ally bean]

Man-o-man you've got some curious readers. I'm worn out just reading this list. You must be exhausted writing all those insightful answers.

And I do appreciate how you left the best question for last!! I'm honored. ;-)

[Anne]

Question: Fit for Life or South Beach?

[samantha]

This was a great idea Ali, thanks for sharing all that with us!

[meredith]

That was fun to read, now I feel like I know you a little better. I started reading your blog about 5-6 months ago and could tell I had missed a lot.

[misschrisc]

You're right. There are no cinnamon flavored products in France. Strange.

[barb]

that *was* really cool! thanks Ali! sorry I never got around to submitting a question but it looks like people asked some interesting ones!

[cmhl]

you fear jello?

sorry, that was all wonderful, but I got hung up on the jello part!!

very well done.

[Chris]

Very cool! Thanks for answering my questions! :-)

[Carrie]

That was awesome Alison! :) Thanks for answering our questions.

The cinnamon thing was a surprise to me too..that it's not in France. Odd.

[newwavegurly]

First of all, this question:
While Allan is your main man, do any other bloggers get you all tingly in the right places (I know *I* do it for every woman on this planet, but alas, I blog no more)?
HAD to be from Thomas. Am I right?

Second, "Amelie" is a feel good movie for me as well. It was the inspiration for Gnomad (though I'm sure you've realized that by now).

Third, you are such a good sport for answering all these questions... I don't know that I could have done the same!

[Elisabeth]

This was awesome! I can't believe you answered all of those questions. You inspired me to do the same thing on my blog, someday soon.

Oh, and this - [...] they thought I was from northern France[...]
Should I take this as meaning that I have some sort of an accent? (the other day, I watched the trailer for Bruno Dumont's new movie, Flandres, which looks excellent, by the way, and I just couldn't believe the thickness of the northern French accent of some of the male actors (none of whom are professionals. I just hope I don't sound that way when I speak French!)

Also - Pittsburghese - I actually adore it!

[Kathryn]

Whew! Nice job and thanks for sharing. Great idea. Maybe if I get up the gumption I'll follow your lead. My About page has needed some updating in a long while.

[Maria]

"I'm the luckiest woman in the world..." I really love it every time I hear this. We deserve it!
And, let's see, that tattoo, that tattoo...where is it? :)
Good job Alison, in answering those questions.

[mags]

Thanks for all the answers - I love to hear that you're so happy, exactly where you are. Way to go!

[Thomas]

What!?! Me, make girls tingly?!? Why no, er, YES, er, maybe?!?

So, you like fiber cereals, eh. Ironic you mentioned twigs "and shit". I thought that those two were cause and effect, respectively.

I figure with that much fiber, "going commando" is a necessity. It shaves seconds off the pants lowering process during those "critical mass" moments.

Another question, now that we have "pants lowering" and shaved in one sentence: Triangle, Landing Strip, Lush Forest or smooth as a slip-n-slide (yet twice as fun)?

What's that?!? Too personal?!? I'm making a scene!?! What?!? Wait!?! Tell your goons to get their paws off me! No! I'm a serious jounalist! The people must know! They must know! Solyent Green is people! It's PEOPLE!!!

(door slams shut)

[booby gonzales]

i still can't get a handle on this blogging thing... the fact that people are so interested in the lives of people they've never met (assuming you don't know personally all the people who submitted questions)... it's like the reality TV phenomenon. hmmm...

[owld_skipper]

Who do you want to be when you grow up?

A person who made a difference somewhere.

You alread are a person who has made a difference. imho

:hug:

ps: How can I type italics when I'm commenting in your blog? (my usual Mac keystrokes don't work in here)

[Mist 1]

I feel the same way about Jell-O. It's connective tissues all boiled down with coloring and "flavor" added.

I was the only girl in college that wouldn't do Jell-O shots.

[Janet]

It's the fault of defective Alison's everywhere that your name is spelled "wrong". Alison is the spelling the makes the most sense people, along with Jaime, (it's not Jamie as a friend with this name pointed out) Michael and Jason.

End rant.:)

[AlisonM]

Aha! Now we know everything!!! You've led quite a life so far, keep it up. . .

[saundrah]

Jello fear... Completely understandable.

At least you don't fear pickles. They are terrifying. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSCotdOh5WY

TERRIFYINGLY GOOD!!!!!

[Karan]

Hey, I put 20-30 seconds into that Jonathan Swift question. :)

[anica]

Thanks for answering my questions and that although you life is full of ups and downs you still lived your life to the fullest.

Cool!

[jay]

Wow. I can't wait to read next week's
questions!
My question: 'How do you feel about punkuation an spellin?"
*hugs*

[Monty]

Before I was merely inadequate, now, shesshhh. My question wasn't very good, and I never had any answers nearly as good as yours. You'd have thunk I wuz from Michegan. You are overwhelmingly insightfull, and wizardly, or is it wizzenly, I just don't know anymore, awestruck.

[Rich Copley]

Another question: Is Pittsburgh the San Francisco of the East?