Kind of a Mess Interviews: Sarah of Craftosaurus

Sarah is a cool lady.  Not only does is she known as craftosaurus (Dinosaurs AND crafting, two of the best things EVAR?  If there was a candy reference, I’d swoon…) she has volunteered to help me with my future knitting questions.  She also is smart enough to remind me that “IZ BROKE! FIX!!!” is not a question, thereby warding off any panicked emails with crappy iPhone pictures.  She’s crafty, that one. (HA! See what I did there?)

Fun fact about Sarah that you (and she) did not know: She says that she does not have a favorite words, but I have it on good authority that her top ten includes, “dither,” “scruple,” “shilly-shally,” and “vacillate.”

How has your life turned out differently than you planned it to be when you were younger?
I’m trying to remember what I actually had planned for myself when I was little, and I’m not coming up with all that much.  I mean, when I was four, I was determined to become a waitress (because I learned that my favorite aunt had been one, natch). Other than that, though, the future was always sort of nebulous, at least career-wise.  For about three months following high school graduation and while heading off to college, I was “planning” to become a high school band director, but that was more because I didn’t know what else I wanted to be when I grew up (hey, being in marching band was fun, so why not, right?), and — surprise — I hated it, went undeclared, and graduated with a liberal arts degree.  Clearly “not knowing what else I wanted to be when I grew up” continued to be a theme in my life (see also, “law school”). I did the attorney thing for a little while, but I’m not practicing anymore; even when I was in law school, I wasn’t necessarily planning to be one.  More like dreading, actually.  So to loop back around to the actual question: I have a job that I (mostly) enjoy, that I’m really good at, and that is an almost perfect fit for my personality.  I didn’t plan for this particular job, though, because I couldn’t picture it.

Oh wait, this wasn’t just a career question.  I remember assuming (though that might be different from planning?) that I would meet my husband in college.  Not high school.  Not after college.  In college.  Annnd, nope.  I was off by about seven years.  Thank gawd.   Also, my husband and I have a dog; I was terrified of them until several years ago so I definitely would NOT have planned that.

Tell me about a time when you surprised yourself.
A couple years ago when I was running pretty regularly — I had a couple 5ks under my belt, at about 35 minutes or so each — I got on the treadmill one morning and decided to start out running faster than normal.  I was taking a “what the hell” approach, figuring that I’d sprint for a bit, then slow down, then toggle back and forth between comfortable and I-might-die pace so as to combat boredom.  After half a mile I was still going just a shade under I-might-die.  After 10 minutes?  Yep, still going.  I ran my 3 miles in 30 minutes!  I honestly hadn’t thought I would ever be capable of that (and it hasn’t happened again — thanks, knees!), but I did it and I wanted to jump off the back of the treadmill, punching my fist into the air a la Chandler in that Friends episode where he’s had a zillion espressos and ends up leaping off the back of the couch yelling “I hit ‘er in the eye!”

What?  I always think of that scene when I feel like really exclaiming something.   Just me?

Where do you blog from most often? And if it is home, are you in your pajamas?
From my phone, actually.  I don’t use the “big computer” at home more than a couple times a week.  If a post starts with a picture that’s left-justified, it’s of phone origin.  If it’s picture-free and not overly wordy, it’s quite possibly of phone origin.

Do you call it “pop,” “soda” or coke?
“Soda.”  Or “vehicle for whiskey.”

What is your biggest pet peeve that makes you want to rip someone’s face off?
Getting a question from someone who should have been able to find the answer him or herself, had he or she simply read the comprehensive instructions/explanation/materials I recently provided.

What is your favorite time of day?  
Dinner time: if I’m home from work early enough, my husband and I cook something together, which is really fun and reminds me of some of my favorite early dates with him, especially if we’re sipping on drinks and stuff instead of rushing.   Even if just one of us has done the cooking, we sit together to eat at our little table — it’s actually not that small but the clutter takes up a fair amount of real estate — and talk about what happened to each of us earlier in the day.   Plus, I really like food.

What’s your secret ninja skill?
Reading, understanding, and meticulously quoting complex regulatory materials.  Think “the tax code,” or other similar materials with lots of subparagraphs in outline form. [Lord Jesus. That’s impressive. – Alyssa]

What is your guiltiest pleasure?
It’s a toss up…. no, wait: watching bad reality television while eating a serving of ice cream the size of my head.

What is the best thing you’ve ever won?
When I was in fifth grade, I went to a math meet (oh yes: marching band AND math team were part of my illustrious educational career) and won the award for getting the highest individual score.  I got a little trophy in the shape of a genie’s lamp.  Because nothing says “math” like genies.

My mom picked me up from school and we drove about an hour to where my dad worked at the time, so I could show him.  He was a retail store manager, and I remember that my mom went up to the service desk and asked the woman behind the counter to page my dad under the pretense of having to deal with an irate customer.  I distinctly remember learning what “irate” meant from that conversation.

So yeah, being the smartest at math was pretty cool.  I think I remember it as the best thing I’ve ever won because of the let’s-surprise-dad adventure, though.  [AWW! I love this so much. -Alyssa]

If you could ask me (Alyssa) anything, what would it be?
Of all the things you do in your life, what makes you the most profoundly happy, both in that moment and in general?
In general, Jethro. And when he’s being a dick, Maggie the Wonder Dog.
But in the moment? When I’m writing something solely for myself. I don’t have to think about what others will think and I’m the only judge at first so it’s really and truly mine.