anotheranon | meme alert! Interview

1. If you hadn't ended up living in the area you're in right now, where do you think you'd be?

Good question. I think the only certainty would be "not the South" - most of it always seemed too socially conservative/too far away from Where Things Happened for my tastes. Atlanta isn't bad, but I didn't want to be one of those people who lived in the same place all my life. I could see myself having gravitated to the West coast (minus L.A.) or near some other large city that doesn't get TOO cold.

2. What inspired you to construct your first costume, and what was it?

Probably the middle class Tudor I did a couple of years ago. I had been making everyday clothes from commercial patterns since high school, but assumed I wasn't talented enough to do historical or anything else that I didn't have a pattern for. Getting a copy of Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd during Amazon.co.uk's price burp (marked at GBP 18 instead of 75) convinced me that I should; LOTS of encouragement from folks on the H-Costume list and the sight of all the fabulous finished pieces linked off the Elizabethan Costuming Page convinced me that I could!

3. Your fairy gothmother waves her magic wand and makes you an immediate expert on one topic (or in one skill); what would that be?

A better grasp of abstract thought. I have a very difficult time understanding mathematics and programming because many of the subjects discussed are impossible for me to visualize in my head; in order for me to understand something I usually have to put it into some "physical framework" in my minds eye to fully comprehend it, and this approach doesn't work in all situations.

4. What's one thing you never got a chance to study in school that you wish you had?

Comparative religion, non-European history, more literature classes. I changed my major in such a way that it would have been impossible to graduate in under 5 years if I'd chosen to take them as electives. Maybe one day I'll finally get to have a go at some of them :)

5. If you had to leave your house and you could only take with you whatever material possessions would fit in a suitcase (you don't need to worry about D. and the cats), what would you bring with you?

Probably a change of clothes, underwear and socks, basic personal care items (toothbrush and paste, comb, soap, deodorant), a couple of good books and the costume I've made that I am most proud of. If that sounds rather utilitarian it's because I can't imagine having to leave my house with D. and the cats in tow unless there were some sort of weather/war/medical emergency!