The Great Interview Experiment: Meet Amy from Girl in the Room

Let’s see, when I was 18, I wanted to live out of hotel rooms around the world.  Now, I wish we could find a clean , safe, liberal, little town and live in an inexpensive house.

My life is definitely NOT what I expected it would be.  I thought it would be much more exciting and a little less mundane.

Q. Why did you decide to get your MFA? Have you “used” it?

It was the late 90′s and everyone was doing it?  No Seriously,  I had my undergraduate degree in film and literature and was working as an editor and doing freelance stuff and really wanted to pursue the creative arts and I really loved being in art school.  CalArts is a little haven for artists and there are very few places like that left and so even though my loans are a monkey on my back, I treasure and feel very lucky for the experience.

I tend to dumb myself down in in everyday life because it is sometimes easier when people think I am just a blonde So Cal airhead.  But yes,  I taught film while working as the Administrative Director at a private school in West LA and every now and then my successful friends ask me for help or an opinion on a project.   High School teaching isn’t really my gig though.  I would LOVE nothing more than to teach on the college level but that is pretty much a pipe dream in my field and I have accepted that fact.

Q. What, so far, is the biggest delight of motherhood? The biggest surprise? The biggest challenge?

The biggest delight (oh hard to pick just one) is when she runs toward me with a smile so wide it could save the world yelling “Mommy”  and literally leaps into my arms.  Who wouldn’t melt?

The biggest surprise is the intensity of emotion that comes with mothering.  The love I feel for this kid is almost painful.  Actually, it sometimes is painful.

The biggest challenge, hands down, the utter lack of sleep.  I have decided that it is torture and I am certain it is outlawed somewhere in the Geneva Convention.

Q. You wrote early on in your blog that you started it as a journal of sorts. Does your blog still feel like a journal to you? Has knowing that others read it affected what you write about?

In some ways, it is more of a journal now than it was when I first started.  This comes from needing a place to vent, sorry peeps.  When I started I had to be totally anonymous because of my job.  Now that I am no longer working, I am much more open.  Yes, I still question “how much” to tell.  Some things should be kept private, in my opinion.

Q. How has blogging affected your life?

Blogging started as just a personal exercise.  I didn’t really think about other people reading it.   But being a mother and a natural introvert, blogging has become a bit of a lifeline for me.  I have met other mothers that I relate to and I can pop over and check in on them and they can check in on me.

Q. Since you’re living on one income now, what are some ways you have adapted your life and spending habits? What don’t you miss buying?

We don’t get to eat out much. Though that may have to do more with the crazy elimination diet that Bug and I have been on for far to many months.

And I haven’t been to Nordstroms or bought jeans over 100 buckaroos since long before Bug was born.

I without a doubt do NOT miss buying gas to make my insane commute from East to West Los Angeles for work.  The amount we spent in gas makes me a little sick to my stomach.  My carbon footprint shrunk significantly when I quite working.

Q. Outside of your family, what are you most passionate about?

I am passionate about human rights though I think pedophiles should have none and should be eradicated from the planet.  Is that a contradiction?  Maybe.  But that is how I see it.  I think children get a really raw deal in most places around the world and should all have basic healthcare, food, shelter, people who love them, and peace.

I think that mothers and fathers in the US should have longer maternity/paternity leave.  Americans are always throwing around family values crap yet our country does little or nil to support the family.

Aside, from that I really really like Top Chef, Project Runway, Desperate Housewives, The Rich Little Dudes that Sell Real Estate, Say Yes To The Dress, What Not To Wear, Tabitha’s Salon Takeover…

Q. What are the three physical items you’d save from your burning house?

I know you might not believe this, but there really is not one single object that I am tied to.  As long as I got my daughter and my Hubs out and I guess the dogs too, I’d be fine.

Q. Who do you want to be 18 years from now?

Wow.  That is a tough one. I have kind of given up on projecting into the future and am focusing on living in the moment.  If I were going to go there, however, for a moment, I would hope that I am living somewhere other than Los Angeles in a nice little liberal town.  That we have a comfortable house and that our financial house is in order.  I hope Bug is happy and healthy and ready to go off into the world and conquer.

Who do you want your daughter to be 18 years from now?

I want Bug to be a loving, kind,  and compassionate person who follows her dreams and has the self-confidence to go out into the world and explore. I want her to know she is loved and supported.