After posting my last blog, several of my blogfriends wrote saying, “Hey — are you in Martha’s Vineyard?” Well, you found me. Yes, it’s one of the great pieces of luck in my life that, through my husband and family, we have a home on Martha’s Vineyard. Why didn’t I say so in the first place? Well, I had/have this awkward notion that a certain amount of anonymity ought to be maintained on the internet. It’s silly though, since my name is prominently displayed up above and both my website and work are easily accessed. So really, how anonymous can I be? I was thinking about this when I was trying to decide what I would blog about today, and then up popped an email from Tania Hershman of The Short Review fame tagging me with a list of questions about who I am and what I have done over the past ten years. And, just as I was eager to read about her background, so am I eager to write about my own. So much for anonymity, but I wonder what others of you feel about this issue and the internet. Hmm….
But in the meantime, here are my answers to Tania’s questions:
1. What were you doing ten years ago?
1998: I had already been living in London for eight years and I was deep into the demands of childrearing. My elder son was 14, my younger one, 7. We were beginning to look down the long, dark tunnel of adolescence. I was very much involved in various volunteer committees at my kids’ school, and was beginning to find the courage to start taking this writing thing seriously.
2. What 5 things are on your to-do list today?
1. Drive my parents to the ferry after their weekend visit (which I’ve
done and which is always sad).
2. Write my blog (ta-da!)
3. Write the next segment of the new novel (fingers crossed…)
4. Start organizing the book signing of Tangled Roots which I’m
having here on the Vineyard next month.
5. Take a shower
3. What would you do with a billion dollars?
To be honest, after putting a bit of it aside into a fund which would
allow me never to have to fly economy again, I would probably give
most of the rest of it away. I’d give some to my parents, so they never
have to worry; I’d completely endow CurvingRoad so the staff could
get paid and we’d never have to worry; I’d put a big (but not too big)
chunk away for my kids so they never have to worry; then I’d open a
foundation so I could fund whatever seemed important at the time. Oh,
and I’d keep enough for myself so that my husband could retire
whenever he decided he’d had enough.
4. List the places you have lived.
1. Long Island
2. Middletown, Connecticut
3. Chapel Hill, North Carolina
4. New York City
5. Boston, Massachusetts
6. London, England
5. List the jobs you have held
1. Salesgirl in a fruit store (the worst of them all)
2. Copywriter for an advertising agency (“Spring into Fall Sales!”)
3. Administrator of a small academic research company (alone in a
little building out in the country with snakes under the steps)
4. Reporter for the Wesleyan University publications office ( I often
covered sports, believe it or not)
5. Teaching Assistant in the Classics Department of the University of
North Carolina
6. Development Director of The French Library in Boston
7. Development Coordinator for The Acting Company, New York
8. Executive Director of The Thyroid Foundation of America, Inc
(weird, eh?)
9. Running poetry/writing workshops for all age kids and especially
those with learning issues
10. Writer…………now guess which ones made me any money :-))
6. List the People You’d Like to Know More About
I’m a nosey sort. I’d like to know whatever anyone wants to tell me. So
I’ll leave this one open to whoever wants to take up the challenge.
And thanks, Tania. This really was fun. Obviously, I’m always happy
to talk about myself…….
Thanks, Sue, for being “taggable”, this was really interesing. I love that phrase, “the long, dark tunnel of adolescence”, I hope things weren’t as bad as you thought! Director of the Thyroid Foundation of America, how did that happen? I have had quite a few thyroid issues over the past few years, would love to know!
Anonymity – I know what you mean, I’m always a bit nervous about what information I make public.
Enjoyed your Meme.
Kat
Reading the part about 10 years back actually made me think about my position now, and where I will be in ten years. Looking back, what will I say that I was doing? And will and be able to think, “Oh yeah, I worked up from that and look at me now!” I hope so.
Writing, from a non-writing-background perspective, is somewhat of a daunting task, and even though I don’t work in writing as a career, I feel my small efforts now to write will pay off big in the future. If I keep at it, that is.
Anyway, thanks for the article. Very interesting to know more about you.
You have a rather intriguing list of jobs hon!! Like Tania I’m quite curious how you ended up as Director of the Thyroid Foundation!!
It’s interesting looking back isn’t it….if someone had told me ten years ago that I would have been living in Thailand I would never in a million years have believed them!! (Shows what I know eh!!)
C x
Tania & Carol: Ah, The Thyroid Foundation of America….well, I had been doing fundraising work for a while and after my 1st son was a year old, I was looking for a non-profit I could work for that was nearby. The Mass General Hospital was down the street, they were advertising for an Exec Director and i somehow talked my way in. I stayed for about 2 years. It was a great job actually and I learned a lot. I recently heard though that after 20 years they are closing their doors due to a lack of funding. A shame. But now there’s plenty of info available on the internet whereas back at the beginning, such a thing didn’t even exist!
Anonymity, that is a challenge. I started out trying to be anonymous but have gradually allowed more and more of my real life persona to be revealed for various reasons. I guess I am sort of half and half now. I liked this post and may do it for a lazy Sunday post this week. Would you believe it is sunny in our neck of the woods today? Nah, didn’t think you would!
I think if you’re going to write (especially autobiographical stuff) and have a blog you’re bound to sacrifice anonymity. I try not to be too specific about personal stuff, and generally try not to say anything too stupid on my blog!