Sugar Rush Interview 2002

A while back, can't remember when exactly, but I think around the beginning of 2001, Mike Gavin interviewed me for his website Sugar Rush. I noticed the other day that the link to that interview was dead, so I dug up the content on web.archive.org and "reprint" it here.

mike: so, metagrrrl, *rowr* :) let's get started

let's hear all about this crazy site of yours, just what is it?

metagrrrl: Oh, usual weblog pontification, silliness and linkage.

mike: all the ingredients of a great site :)

metagrrrl: I am slowly extending the site adding new things as I develop them. For example, the Eclectic Encyclopedia is where I put any random factoids I think people might be amused to look up later.

mike: i've already spotted a few i've been amused by :)

so what does it mean to you? do you see it as a place to let out some of your rants, or is it just a way to pass the time?

metagrrrl: I see it as a representation of myself online. It's a very personal site, revealing most facets of my personality. If you spend enough time exploring it, it's really as though you've met me. Maybe only the casual chat that you might have at a party, but still a real and valid connection.

mike: that's good, it's nice to have something which is a part of you online :)

so how much of your time is spent on metagrrrl.com then?

metagrrrl: Oh, probably half an hour to an hour a day. Sometimes less, sometimes more. I definitely spend an hour or two a day working on my weblog and/or reading other weblogs.

metagrrrl: I do a lot of that in between other things. From work, from home, wherever.

Hrm. Well, it's not on my site per se, but I just did some more proofing for Strafe's Guide to Streetspeak. We just put up the 3rd Edition a week or so ago and I'm polishing the internal links to be sure we've covered the cross-references.

metagrrrl: Hrm. Appears that the last thing I did on *my* site was to point to Jason's blog.

The last non-Blogger-powered thing I did on metagrrrl.com was (hmm, checks Dreamweaver) add A Day Without Weblogs to the Eclectic Encyclopedia.

mike: aaah, a good cause :)

so let's just put your site to one side for now, and let's hear a little about you, who is the dinah behind the metagrrrl?

metagrrrl: Well, there isn't a great deal of difference between Dinah & MetaGrrrl. It's not so much a secret identity as it is an amplification of my extroverted side. When not MetaGrrrling, I'm just a bit quieter, probably to be found reading, puttering around in libraries or bookstores, or playing games.

metagrrrl: I socialize via my website, though it isn't my only outlet. With a busy schedule (I'm a mission commander in an up-and-coming software company), it is easier to connect in bits & bytes as I have time for weblogging & email & ICQ.

mike: ahh ok :) well, let's hear a little more about you then, how do you like to relax?

metagrrrl: I tend to read a lot (and fast too!) but I also enjoy feeding grapes to attractive, semi-clothed men. I am definitely more drawn to "indoorsy" activities.

metagrrrl: I do not golf or play tennis or snowboard or drive a racecar. I also don't play polo, water or otherwise.

metagrrrl: And at 5'2", basketball is right out.

mike: sorry, can you go back to the feeding me grapes part? erm.. no wait, forget that last bit :)

do you not do danger sports also?

metagrrrl: That's right, Mike, I do not do danger sports. Except for possibly feeding two boys grapes at the same time. That takes iron nerves.

mike: crikey.. well, i can test those nerves of yours if you want, although, i'd have to find somebody else for you to feed grapes to
and raise enough money to get to where you are
and find where you are
and buy some grapes

oh well :)

so you're a big reader then? who's your favourite author?

metagrrrl: Ah, many many favorites. Favorite book of all time is Little, Big by John Crowley from which comes the quote "The things that make us happy, make us wise."

mike: oooh - so are you in the middle of anything at the moment?

metagrrrl: Heh. About 10 or 20 things.
Geisha by Liza Dalby
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
The March of Folly by Barbara W. Tuchman
Livy's Early History of Rome
Creating the Not-So-Big House by Sarah Susanka
Those are the most active ones at the moment.

metagrrrl: Recently finished Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden which I recommend.

mike: oooh ok :)

so i'm gonna flex my mad interviewing muscles and ask a few quick-fire questions to dig a little deeper, ready?

metagrrrl: yep

mike: here goes...

if you could change one thing in the world today, what would it be?

metagrrrl: poverty...no wait, Daniel took that one. Gender bias.

mike: do you notice a lot of that nowadays?

metagrrrl: Not personally, but then I live in one of the least biased areas in the world as far as gender & sexual orientation are concerned. No, I say that more because it is such a factor in poorer countries. Disenfranchised women really contributes to overall poverty. If you educate women & allow them equal rights it improves the overall economy and decreases population growth.

mike: *nods*

what's your most vivid memory?

metagrrrl: Opening my bookstore.

mike: a good memory i take it?

metagrrrl: Oh most definitely. :)

mike: good :)

if you could invent something, no matter how impossible it seems, what would it be?

metagrrrl: Monitorless, keyboardless computer-interface wallpaper. I want to walk up to the wall, tap it with my finger and say "Desktop" and voila, there's my computer. I want to be able to type in the air where it feels comfy and have the computer sense it.

mike: that would be soooo cool :)

mike: and would it talk to you too?

metagrrrl: Sure. But only when I wanted it to. :) And it would have a great voice. Depending on the role it was playing. (Work messages come in Patrick Stewart's voice, personal stuff in Tammy Grimes' voice...)

mike: hehe :)

you wake up. your house is on fire, you only have time to get one thing out of the house, what do you pick?

metagrrrl: Three small pieces of art in the wall of my library, charcoals sketches done by a friend of my great-grandmother. They show a girl reading, brushing her hair & asleep on her bed. If I could only grab one, it'd be the brushing one. So beautiful.

metagrrrl: But realistically, I wouldn't grab anything. There is NO TIME when your house is on fire and you should just get the hell out.

mike: definitely :)

if you had to lose one of your senses, which would it be, and why?

metagrrrl: As much as I love scents (flowers, spring earth, my lover's skin, hot cocoa), I've spent enough time with allergies & colds to know I can live without my sense of smell.

mike: do you want some coffee?

metagrrrl: Yes, but also no.

Caffeine really fucks me up, so I've had to give up coffee even though I love the bitter bastard.

mike: oh? how come?

metagrrrl: It brings on my fight or flight response and makes me alternately weepy and homicidal.

mike: eeek... well it's a good thing i actually don't like coffee, and have no idea how to make it then :)

if you could have one super-power, what would it be?

metagrrrl: the ability to make people (including myself) see things with new, unbiased eyes.

mike: that's a strange, but very thought provoking super-power :)

metagrrrl: Well, that's me "strange, but thought-provoking". :)

mike: hehe :)

if you died, and were re-incarnated as an animal, which animal would you be?

metagrrrl: rat.

They are smart. They like to eat, cuddle and sleep.

mike: i didn't know rats cuddled, that's kinda sweet :)

metagrrrl: Oh they are just lovey-dovey little animals. You should get a pair. Alas, I became allergic to them about, oh, 17 years ago, but I still miss them.

mike: well i really shouldn't get a pair, as my cat would eat them :)

metagrrrl: Hmm, yes, that could be problematic.

mike: hehe :)

so before we wrap up the interview, let's return to the net. you know the score - mad proppage time :) which are your two favourite sites?

metagrrrl: hoo. Tough one, but topical since I'm simultaneously voting on the Bloggies. I'd say http://www.lileks.com/ is first.

mike: oh? for what reason?

metagrrrl: He's frickin' brilliant, a great writer, it's gorgeous, it's always growing and he makes me laugh until tears roll down my face.

metagrrrl: And he has a fine dog.

mike: hehe :)

mike: so what's the second?

metagrrrl: Second choice: evheadmegnutonfocusbradlandsharrumph

metagrrrl: Can't decide. :)

mike: hehe - that's going to be hell to link :)

metagrrrl: yeah, well, I like them all. I just have to check them every day.

mike: ok :)

so if you had to describe your site in just five words, which would you pick?

metagrrrl: dinah speaks her shameless mind

mike: *laughs*

ok, so before we go, is there anything you'd like to say to the people out there?

metagrrrl: Jump on, join in! The web has room for everyone and everyone has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to start small, we all did and some of us don't do anything fancy, we're just ourselves, online.

mike: nice message :)

thanks a lot for doing this, it's been great, now i have to go buy a plane ticket and as many grapes as i can carry :)

Comments

Sugar Rush Interview

A while back, can't remember when exactly, but I think around the beginning of 2001, Mike Gavin interviewed me for his website Sugar Rush. I noticed the other day that the link to that interview was dead, so I dug up the content on web.archive.org and "reprint" it here.

mike: so, metagrrrl, *rowr* :) let's get started

let's hear all about this crazy site of yours, just what is it?

metagrrrl: Oh, usual weblog pontification, silliness and linkage.

mike: all the ingredients of a great site :)

metagrrrl: I am slowly extending the site adding new things as I develop them. For example, the Eclectic Encyclopedia is where I put any random factoids I think people might be amused to look up later.

mike: i've already spotted a few i've been amused by :)

so what does it mean to you? do you see it as a place to let out some of your rants, or is it just a way to pass the time?

metagrrrl: I see it as a representation of myself online. It's a very personal site, revealing most facets of my personality. If you spend enough time exploring it, it's really as though you've met me. Maybe only the casual chat that you might have at a party, but still a real and valid connection.

mike: that's good, it's nice to have something which is a part of you online :)

so how much of your time is spent on metagrrrl.com then?

metagrrrl: Oh, probably half an hour to an hour a day. Sometimes less, sometimes more. I definitely spend an hour or two a day working on my weblog and/or reading other weblogs.

metagrrrl: I do a lot of that in between other things. From work, from home, wherever.

Hrm. Well, it's not on my site per se, but I just did some more proofing for Strafe's Guide to Streetspeak. We just put up the 3rd Edition a week or so ago and I'm polishing the internal links to be sure we've covered the cross-references.

metagrrrl: Hrm. Appears that the last thing I did on *my* site was to point to Jason's blog.

The last non-Blogger-powered thing I did on metagrrrl.com was (hmm, checks Dreamweaver) add A Day Without Weblogs to the Eclectic Encyclopedia.

mike: aaah, a good cause :)

so let's just put your site to one side for now, and let's hear a little about you, who is the dinah behind the metagrrrl?

metagrrrl: Well, there isn't a great deal of difference between Dinah & MetaGrrrl. It's not so much a secret identity as it is an amplification of my extroverted side. When not MetaGrrrling, I'm just a bit quieter, probably to be found reading, puttering around in libraries or bookstores, or playing games.

metagrrrl: I socialize via my website, though it isn't my only outlet. With a busy schedule (I'm a mission commander in an up-and-coming software company), it is easier to connect in bits & bytes as I have time for weblogging & email & ICQ.

mike: ahh ok :) well, let's hear a little more about you then, how do you like to relax?

metagrrrl: I tend to read a lot (and fast too!) but I also enjoy feeding grapes to attractive, semi-clothed men. I am definitely more drawn to "indoorsy" activities.

metagrrrl: I do not golf or play tennis or snowboard or drive a racecar. I also don't play polo, water or otherwise.

metagrrrl: And at 5'2", basketball is right out.

mike: sorry, can you go back to the feeding me grapes part? erm.. no wait, forget that last bit :)

do you not do danger sports also?

metagrrrl: That's right, Mike, I do not do danger sports. Except for possibly feeding two boys grapes at the same time. That takes iron nerves.

mike: crikey.. well, i can test those nerves of yours if you want, although, i'd have to find somebody else for you to feed grapes to
and raise enough money to get to where you are
and find where you are
and buy some grapes

oh well :)

so you're a big reader then? who's your favourite author?

metagrrrl: Ah, many many favorites. Favorite book of all time is Little, Big by John Crowley from which comes the quote "The things that make us happy, make us wise."

mike: oooh - so are you in the middle of anything at the moment?

metagrrrl: Heh. About 10 or 20 things.
Geisha by Liza Dalby
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
The March of Folly by Barbara W. Tuchman
Livy's Early History of Rome
Creating the Not-So-Big House by Sarah Susanka
Those are the most active ones at the moment.

metagrrrl: Recently finished Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden which I recommend.

mike: oooh ok :)

so i'm gonna flex my mad interviewing muscles and ask a few quick-fire questions to dig a little deeper, ready?

metagrrrl: yep

mike: here goes...

if you could change one thing in the world today, what would it be?

metagrrrl: poverty...no wait, Daniel took that one. Gender bias.

mike: do you notice a lot of that nowadays?

metagrrrl: Not personally, but then I live in one of the least biased areas in the world as far as gender & sexual orientation are concerned. No, I say that more because it is such a factor in poorer countries. Disenfranchised women really contributes to overall poverty. If you educate women & allow them equal rights it improves the overall economy and decreases population growth.

mike: *nods*

what's your most vivid memory?

metagrrrl: Opening my bookstore.

mike: a good memory i take it?

metagrrrl: Oh most definitely. :)

mike: good :)

if you could invent something, no matter how impossible it seems, what would it be?

metagrrrl: Monitorless, keyboardless computer-interface wallpaper. I want to walk up to the wall, tap it with my finger and say "Desktop" and voila, there's my computer. I want to be able to type in the air where it feels comfy and have the computer sense it.

mike: that would be soooo cool :)

mike: and would it talk to you too?

metagrrrl: Sure. But only when I wanted it to. :) And it would have a great voice. Depending on the role it was playing. (Work messages come in Patrick Stewart's voice, personal stuff in Tammy Grimes' voice...)

mike: hehe :)

you wake up. your house is on fire, you only have time to get one thing out of the house, what do you pick?

metagrrrl: Three small pieces of art in the wall of my library, charcoals sketches done by a friend of my great-grandmother. They show a girl reading, brushing her hair & asleep on her bed. If I could only grab one, it'd be the brushing one. So beautiful.

metagrrrl: But realistically, I wouldn't grab anything. There is NO TIME when your house is on fire and you should just get the hell out.

mike: definitely :)

if you had to lose one of your senses, which would it be, and why?

metagrrrl: As much as I love scents (flowers, spring earth, my lover's skin, hot cocoa), I've spent enough time with allergies & colds to know I can live without my sense of smell.

mike: do you want some coffee?

metagrrrl: Yes, but also no.

Caffeine really fucks me up, so I've had to give up coffee even though I love the bitter bastard.

mike: oh? how come?

metagrrrl: It brings on my fight or flight response and makes me alternately weepy and homicidal.

mike: eeek... well it's a good thing i actually don't like coffee, and have no idea how to make it then :)

if you could have one super-power, what would it be?

metagrrrl: the ability to make people (including myself) see things with new, unbiased eyes.

mike: that's a strange, but very thought provoking super-power :)

metagrrrl: Well, that's me "strange, but thought-provoking". :)

mike: hehe :)

if you died, and were re-incarnated as an animal, which animal would you be?

metagrrrl: rat.

They are smart. They like to eat, cuddle and sleep.

mike: i didn't know rats cuddled, that's kinda sweet :)

metagrrrl: Oh they are just lovey-dovey little animals. You should get a pair. Alas, I became allergic to them about, oh, 17 years ago, but I still miss them.

mike: well i really shouldn't get a pair, as my cat would eat them :)

metagrrrl: Hmm, yes, that could be problematic.

mike: hehe :)

so before we wrap up the interview, let's return to the net. you know the score - mad proppage time :) which are your two favourite sites?

metagrrrl: hoo. Tough one, but topical since I'm simultaneously voting on the Bloggies. I'd say http://www.lileks.com/ is first.

mike: oh? for what reason?

metagrrrl: He's frickin' brilliant, a great writer, it's gorgeous, it's always growing and he makes me laugh until tears roll down my face.

metagrrrl: And he has a fine dog.

mike: hehe :)

mike: so what's the second?

metagrrrl: Second choice: evheadmegnutonfocusbradlandsharrumph

metagrrrl: Can't decide. :)

mike: hehe - that's going to be hell to link :)

metagrrrl: yeah, well, I like them all. I just have to check them every day.

mike: ok :)

so if you had to describe your site in just five words, which would you pick?

metagrrrl: dinah speaks her shameless mind

mike: *laughs*

ok, so before we go, is there anything you'd like to say to the people out there?

metagrrrl: Jump on, join in! The web has room for everyone and everyone has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to start small, we all did and some of us don't do anything fancy, we're just ourselves, online.

mike: nice message :)

thanks a lot for doing this, it's been great, now i have to go buy a plane ticket and as many grapes as i can carry :)