(no subject)

[geekchick]

1. If you could change one thing (yes, just one thing) about your present job, what would it be?

Oof. I can think of three things (which, all things considered, isn't too bad if I can *only* come up with three things). If I had to pick just one of them, I think I'll go with wishing we had a telecommuting policy which would let us work from home one day a week.

2. You've talked a lot about your mood swings. What kinds of things have you done to help you get out of the "bad place" that have worked well for you?

A lot of it is done by adjusting the various supplements I'm taking (5-HTP, SAM-e, pregnenolone, etc.) to try to even out the serotonin and hormones. Those usually work pretty well for me; I don't know if it's placebo effect or not, but so long as I feel better I don't care much *how* it works. ;) If the weather's okay, I'll often hop in the car and go out for a drive for a few hours so I can be by myself; this seems to help a lot, since I think a lot of my moods come from either not enough sunlight or feeling a severe lack of personal space. Housecleaning can help, because when I'm done I can point to the piles of laundry or clean living room and say "I accomplished something today". Sometimes exercise will help, but it's not consistent. Unfortunately, I also shop. Retail therapy might be my middle name. It's not the best of all possible mood-elevators, but it does seem to work lots of the time.

3. Did you attend university? If so, what did you study? Have you used anything you learned there in your work?

I went to Georgetown's School of Languages and Linguistics (which sadly no longer exists as a separate school), and left with a BS in Spanish. I had originally wanted to go into the School of Foreign Service, but for some reason I thought I'd get a better language education by picking SLL for my major and taking SFS classes as minors; little did I realize that the SLL language majors were the only ones who did not have to take an oral proficiency exam to graduate, so I ended up with a degree but not really feeling like I could speak Spanish very well. I haven't used my actual degree for anything at all in the last ten years other than being able to say that I have one.

4. Name two things you'd like to do before you die; one scary one, and one benign one.

Scary: I'd like to travel on another continent by myself. I am such a coward when it comes to the idea of going to Europe on my own (and going to Asia alone is almost out of the question for me), although travelling by myself in the US doesn't bother me.

Not scary: I'd like to own my own house, where I'd have my own space to retreat to and I could finally have something other than white walls and beige carpets.

5. How do you feel about organized religion?

Oof, this is the hard one for me. =) It's not really for me at this point in my life, I've decided. If it works for others though, that's okay (although I'd prefer they not try to tell me what I should and should not believe). I have to confess that I don't have many clearly-defined opinions on it right now, as you'll see from this rambling answer. ;) I think that when it's taken over by wingnuts it can be twisted in such a way that it doesn't much resemble the original (i.e., there's no way I could in good conscience call Fred Phelps and his ilk Christians), and I think it's unfortunate that most of what gets press is wingnuts like Fred, Islamic fundamentalists, etc., which colors people's perceptions of the religion in question. Even though they're the majority, you never hear about the average church member who volunteers at the food bank and has no interest in picketing funerals, for example, because that just doesn't make for an exciting story. I think the one clear opinion I have on religion right now is that it should be completely removed from any connection with the government (*cough*Ashcroft*cough*Shrub*cough*). Using US examples: no ten commandments plaques in courthouses, no "under God" in the pledge, no laws created or abolished because they don't fit in the framework of [dominant religion].


If anyone else would like to be interviewed, leave a comment and I'll try to come up with something resembling good questions. =) I am loving this meme, especially getting to read everyone else's answers.

Comments

[griffen.livejournal.com]

Please interview me. :)

[geekchick]

Hopefully I'm avoiding too much duplication of stuff you've already been asked. =)

1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
2. If you could have a single "perfect" day, defined however you wish, what would it be like?
3. You're casting a movie of your life; who would play you?
4. What characteristics do most of your friends have in common, if any?
5. If you could wave a wand and change just one thing about the world, what would that be?