Ah, the joys of life as a reporter

No doubt you have heard of The Great Interview Experiment, which is possibly the most brilliant blog post/initiative I've seen this year - not to mention a lot of fun! You get to feel like a celebrity, make new friends, find great new blogs.

Today I finally got around to doing my part to contribute to the experiment (shout out to my new pal Ry!). And that'show I found My Mumbling Thoughts. Sam is an American living in London, so she is an expat like me. That alone may not be enough to foster bonding between two complete strangers, however I found it peculiar that she left home at the same age I did, on an inverted path: I went from Europe to the US, she went from the US to Europe. And then I read her post on how she really felt about the move. And it sounded so much like something I would have written, that I started feeling like it was kismet (actually, I thought "Oh dear God there's two of us!!"). You go read her blog and decide for yourselves - I found it to be addictive after a couple of posts, like a good book after a couple of chapters.

But wait! Don't go now! You haven't read the interview yet. Here it is:

First of all, how is the packing going? The last post I read on your blog you were kind of having a hard time there. But you are excited about the move, right?
Packing is such a pain in the ass. We were lucky when my mom was in the military, because they provided movers for us to pack away all of our accumulating crap; but now that I have to do it myself I find the task to be so annoying and frustrating. It is moving along, however, slowly but surely, and will get finished only because I know it has to be done. And yes, I'm extremely excited about this move. I cannot wait until we move out of this crap pile of bricks and I can put all of its problems behind me.

Let's talk about your blog. Your blog archives go back to June 2005. Is this your first blog? What has kept you blogging for over three years?
I did have a blog before this one called, In America, when I used Blogger, but ditched it and moved over to My Mumbling Thoughts when I thought I had been compromised at work. I simply moved all of my archives over from In America, though, to My Mumbling Thoughts where I've been ever since, and it feels like I never made the change. The only thing I can think of that has kept me blogging for over three years, though, is that I've always felt like I had to write. I go through stints where I'll only blog one time for an entire month, but that doesn't mean that the need still isn't there. I always find myself back behind the screen and clicking away at the keyboard eventually.

You mentioned in one of your posts that you are a deeply shy person but you mask it with banter and sarcasm. Do you think blogging helps you deal with stuff?
Blogging TOTALLY helps me deal with stuff. It's not only a fantastic way to exercise your writing skills, but it's also deeply therapeutic. I always feel so much better after I've punched out a post when I'm feeling depressed or pissed off or confused. Being able to sort through your thoughts like that and then go back over and re-read how you were feeling at a precise time is, at least for me, a kind of control. It's a great release and a brilliant way to get some of those toxins out of your system, so to speak.

Nowadays, it seems that blogging can sometimes turn into a bit of a pissing contest. I think you know what I mean, because I got the idea from your interview with Miss Grace that you "think that the 'blog hierarchy' is a load of wank". Man, I love that line. Tell us more about this, don't be shy ;-)
I think that blogging is one of the best things that I've stumbled on for a long time. I also believe that there are some amazing bloggers out there who have broken down so many different barriers in the blogosphere and have opened numerous doors and windows for other up-coming bloggers. However, I also think that there are some people out there who are in it for the wrong reasons, and only have a blog for the popularity, or to try and promote themselves to get a book deal, or make up a load of crap and bullshit their readers, which isn't what blogging is meant to be. So occasionally, when I do find bloggers out there who appear to be one of the "favorites" for no good reason at all, I can't help but think that the blog hierarchy is a load of wank.

You come across kind of badass on your blog, but I actually got a different impression, you seem really sweet to me. And on your blog you called yourself "a human mood ring", which I think is very poignant. Do you think your persona on your blog reflects who you are in real life?
Do I come off as a kind of badass? Sweet! Nah, I really am a nice person (really!), and I think that my blog is an honest representation of who I am, but it's the raw and uncut version of me. Rather than spending weeks or months getting to know me face-to-face and all of the different layers, my blog just gets right down to business.

Now, let's get down to the travel section. You currently live in the UK, where you attend University. What is the best thing about living in London? What do you miss from home that cannot be sent in a care package?
Aside from the fact that it's LONDON, and I love everything about this city, I would have to say that I love the public transportation here (it's kind of weird, I know). Honestly, we have nothing like it back home, and I am a huge fan, despite it's flaws (but hey, nothing's perfect). If not that, then I'd definitely say Ribena and Brown Sauce. I cannot live without either of those things always being in my cupboard. And the one thing I miss from back home (aside from my family and friends), would be my car (I guess I'm all about transportation). I love my car so much, it's unhealthy.

I think Alias was one of the best shows of all times - I love that you look to Sidney Bristow for inspiration. Who else do you look to for inspiration?
I know it's standard and cliché, but my mother is a huge inspiration. If I could even be half the woman she is, I'd be a lucky gal. I also love Audrey Hepburn, Kristen Bell (from Veronica Mars), Sarah Jessica Parker, Jenny Lewis (from Rilo Kiley) and Scarlett O'Hara. They're all pint-sized pistols that I admire very much.

I don't think it's cliché, I think it's awesome that you feel that way about your mom. I think any mom would love to hear that!

Thank you Sam for taking the time to answer our questions! Good luck at the new place :-)

Now there, off you go to read Sam's blog! Think I'm bossy? You haven't seen anything yet ;-)