A New Appreciation for Meredith Vieira

 When Neil, of Citizen of the Month fame, came up with a harebrained scheme called the Great Interview Experiment, I couldn’t sign up fast enough.  The idea is for the common blogger to interview a fellow common blogger, to prove to the world that every blogger, big or small, is somebody (and besides, who doesn’t love to be interviewed?).  I was lucky enough to comment right after Liz at Marriage 101 which mean she was stuck as my interviewee. 

I learned that interviewing is a skill that I don’t possess.  Even though Liz and I have a lot in common, we both live in the Midwest, we were married within weeks of each other, etc…I had a hard time coming up with questions that would get to the heart of what Marriage 101 is all about.  But Liz, bless her heart, somehow answered my lame questions with some pretty interesting answers. 

 So here it is, my interview with Marriage 101: 
WP: What was the most memorable part of your wedding?

Marriage 101: This is a tough one for me because when I think of my wedding, a dozen different images enter my head at the same time – my dress, the cake, the flowers, the cake, our first dance, the cake…it’s hard to pick just one, but I did really like my cake. It was uniquely designed by a woman who lists the Food Network on her resume, and I recall not being able to meet with her one weekend because she had to judge a cake baking contest of Elvis cakes in Memphis for the network. I wanted something elegant yet simple in design, and even though a quick poll of friends and family voted on the traditional white cake, I was feeling a little selfish (um MY wedding!) and had one layer in red velvet. Behold the deliciousness:

WP: Is it just me or does the amount of time you spend at Home Depot and Target roughly correlate to the length of your marriage? And speaking of Target, on your recent trip, you didn’t buy even one piece of clothing. Where did you find the will power?

Marriage 101: For the first question, I assume you mean the younger the marriage, the more time you spend at those stores? Probably, but only because when two people get married, a lot of other changes – such as living arrangements – are happening simultaneously. As for avoiding the clothes? Well, to be honest, I’m not comfortable with my body and thus don’t enjoy clothes shopping as much as most women. I’m shaped differently which requires trying on any piece of clothing before I buy it. And that’s just a hassle. One day, when I’m rich, I will hire a personal tailor or seamstress to custom-fit all of my clothes for me.

WP: What does your husband think about your blog?

Marriage 101: You’re implying he reads it! Sometimes, when he reads it, he thinks I’m funny. But, as someone who won’t even consider joining any of the social networking sites and his only presence online is a hotmail account for personal email (which he never checks), he sees blogging as my dorky little hobby. So I guess I would say “he’s indifferent.”

WP: I read that you are planning a trip to Europe, I’m so jealous! What are you most looking forward to about your trip?

Marriage 101: Provided we can still afford to take one this fall, I’m most excited about visiting some place that has been inhibited by civilized humans thousands of years longer than America. That, and the added stamps to my passport (do they still do that?).

WP: I’m new to the blogging world, and I’m amazed by (and appreciative of) how much people reveal about themselves on their blogs. Are there topics you don’t feel comfortable writing about?

Marriage 101: Absolutely. When I first started this blog, I refrained from posting pictures the revealed the faces of myself or of my husband. Since then, I’ve let my guard down some, but still refrain from discussing my job with the exception of stating that I work in PR. I do this out of respect for my employer and for my clients who probably wouldn’t appreciate being in written company of my thoughts on the latest celebrity gossip or my affinity for John Stamos. Everything else is fair game depending on my mood.

WP: You’re from St. Louis, a city that doesn’t have the most glamorous reputation. What is your favorite part about the Lou?

Marriage 101: What? St. Louis isn’t glamorous?? I beg to differ! (No, not really, I can’t back that up.) While I don’t plan to live in this city forever, there are things I love about this place. For one, the die-hard baseball fans. Go Cards! Second, the free shit. Like the zoo, the art museum, and the Science Center. The only thing you pay for when you go there is parking. I like the fact that I can get almost anywhere in 30 minutes or less, and that despite its size, you’re always running into someone you know, or someone that knows someone you know. The food here is good too. Toasted ravioli anyone?

WP: You had a recent revelation that you’re “not completely against living in Kentucky.” What brought that about?

Marriage 101: I have step-family in KY that I really disliked visiting when I was a punk teenager. It wasn’t them, I just had my nose stuck too far up my ass to give any place any more rural than where I grew up a chance. I had dreams of living in NYC or LA. Anywhere else should just as well not exist. Ah how life can change a person. Sometimes when you get what you thought you wanted, what you really want wasn’t that at all.

WP: I totally stole this question from someone else, because I thought it was great. What clique were you a part of in high school? Were you a cheerleader, geek, Goth…?

Marriage 101: This is hard because I had known the majority of my classmates since elementary school, so there wasn’t this social barrier for me as there were for some of the kids who were new to town. I was never popular because I was never athletic. In my school, the jocks were the popular ones. My average day? Spend my class periods (basic courses) socializing with some of the popular kids in class, socialize with the nerdy kids in my advanced classes, lunch with the Goths or “rejects” as I liked to call them, and after school with the drama club/band geeks (neither of which I was a part of.)

WP: You’ve been blogging for over a year and a half. What is the most interesting thing to have come from it?

Marriage 101: The friends. I have met some really cool people through blogging (and some not so cool, be we don’t talk about that). Some of them I’ve met face to face, and some I haven’t (yet). I’ve always enjoyed learning about other people and engaging in conversation so to me, blogging is just natural. I’m not banking on this blog to be my claim to fame (good thing, right?) but I do hope I can help people – whether it be through a kind word, a relatable story, a thought-provoking point of view, or just an extra tick on someone’s stat counter. I just want to make people’s lives – even if it’s just their online lives – a little brighter or better. Because that’s what you all do for me.

Thanks Marriage 101! I enjoyed learning more about you!