The latest issue of the comic Saga (at least the latest I’ve read) by Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan has the results of a reader’s survey at the end of it. As an old LiveJournal veteran, I thought it’d be fun to treat the survey as a set of interview questions and see how that goes. Warning: I haven’t actually read the questions yet, so this might not go well. It’s Sunday night. Not like I’ve got a lot else going on.
Question 1: Do you love your job?
Oof. This could get me in trouble, but the answer is “no.” I’ve never loved any job. The closest I’ve ever come to loving a job was when I was a record store clerk as a second job and the people I got to work with plus the type of work I was doing plus the fact that I didn’t need that job made it a lot of fun.
I don’t get loving a job. It’s just not how I’m wired. I had a gig in the sports world that seemed custom-made for me and not only did I not love it, it kind of made me hate sports at the same time. I understand the necessity of a job the way society is currently constituted and I try to make to do work I find meaningful, but “love”? That’s asking more than I think I have to give.
Question 2: How many pushups can you do?
Heh. Not many. I’m in lousy shape, but I’m in much better shape than I was six months ago. I’m just focusing on cardio work and not the arms, so…five?
Question 3: What are your pronouns?
He/him. I’m always tempted to change my nouns, but the pronouns are fine.
Question 4: Did that last question bother you?
Not at all.
Question 5: Other than the incomparable Fiona Staples (the artist on Saga), who’s your favorite comic artist?
I’ll always start with Bill Sienkiewicz. His work on New Mutants completely changes how I looked at comics. It was as revelatory to me as The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen. Denys Cowan always delights me, and Gabriel Rodriguez is such an incredible craftsman. I love Colleen Doran, Mike and Laura Allred, Jackson Guice, Phil Jimenez, Frank Quitely, and Jamie McKelvie…don’t make me pick one.
Question 6: What do you smell like?
I don’t really have much of an aroma. I don’t wear deodorant and I’ve never had anyone comment on it. Not the most interesting answer to a pretty interesting question.
Question 7: Who’s the best bald fictional character who is NOT a villain?
Jean-Luc Picard.
Question 8: Ketchup: yay or nay?
Nay.
Question 9: Have you ever killed someone?
Nope. Been in stupid situations where it could have happened, but I was fortunate.
Question 10: What was the #1 movie in America on the day you were born?
This is too much like a security question for me to answer it directly. I’d never heard of the film, but hoo boy did it have a great cast and a great director.
Question 11: Who’s the most famous person you’ve ever touched?
Sir Terry Pratchett. I met him at a book signing after the release of Monstrous Regiment. I had him sign my copy of Small Gods. He drew a turtle inside. He was every bit as magical in person as you’d hope.
Question 12: Do you believe in angels?
Nah.
Question 13: Is there a podcast you think we should be listening to?
I’m more of a YouTube channel guy than a podcast guy. I really enjoy Adam Something, Chase Carneson, Nik Nocturnal, Benn Jordan, Espen Kraft, and Bad Gear.
Question 14: What did you lose during the pandemic?
Personally? Not much. We were very, very fortunate and have continued to be so. I’m disappointed in my country. The time came for us to look out for each other and a big chunk of us flat-out refused and the other half got tired of it all and gave up. My expectations were pretty low, but…
Question 15: What did you gain?
A lot! Like I said, we were fortunate. Working from home put a huge stress on our relationship, but the combination of absurdly low-interest rates, pre-boom housing prices, and generous 401k withdrawal rules let us buy a house when it seemed out of reach. The fact that we’ve managed to (mostly) see no one but each other for three years and yet we still look forward to seeing each other gives me great hope for our future.
Question 16: Are you a fairly “accurate” representation of my astrological sign?
Hell if I know.
Question 17: How’s your local comic shop doing?
Moving to a small town, we lost the joy of having a local comic shop. Our old one, on the other hand, is doing swimmingly.
Question 18: Are you happy?
Yeah, I am. I probably have been for a long time, but I’m more able to appreciate it now.
Question 19: What would it take for you to be happier?
Depends on when you ask. A shitton of money would be welcome, of course. Everyone else having the same advantages and good fortune we’ve had would thrill me no end. But, honestly? I wouldn’t trade my lot with that of anyone else on this planet.
Question 20: Do you have any trophies?
I do! After playing baseball for 9 years, I was finally on a championship team. I blew out my shoulder that year, but it was a great year. Also, one of my snails won a costume contest, but that’s really their trophy, not mine.
Question 21: What’s the best sandwich you’ve ever eaten?
I’m not a big sandwich guy, but there have been some memorable ones. My first banh mi, my first lobster roll…all great. But the best was a burger I ate at the Rockin’ R in New Braunfels, Texas. We had gone tubing after working to open a new Bennigan’s (this was a while back), but the river was very, very low so a three-hour float turned into an eight-hour drag and we had nothing to eat with us. When we finally got to the takeout, we descended like flies upon the little burger shack. I have no clue if the burger was objectively any good or not, but I can say this: I have never enjoyed or appreciated a sandwich more than that one.
Side note: The best food I’ve ever eaten was under a similar circumstance. We did a week-long canoe trip in Big Bend National Park. When you’re out for a week, you travel pretty light, meaning our food was mostly of the freeze-dried variety. It was…not great. After a week of this, we finally arrived at our destination, loaded up the canoes, and started driving. The first gas station we found was a lonely place in the middle of nowhere. We piled out of the trucks and ran inside. Everyone grabbed whatever candy and snacks they could find. Not me. I found the lone head of lettuce in the building. I bought it, a small bottle of Wishbone Italian dressing, and those little cardboard salt and pepper shakers you see in every convenience store. It was the only fresh food for miles. Everyone eyeballed me with envy, but I was in no mood to share. It was, without question, the finest salad ever prepared.
Question 22: How is/was your relationship with your grandparents?
I wasn’t old enough to know my mother’s parents well. My mum didn’t much care for her mother, so we didn’t visit often, and her father died when I was quite young while we were on a family trip to Mexico. On my father’s side, my grandfather was a hard man, a WW2 vet, who treated me well but was too harsh on my sister. I wish I’d made more of an effort to spend time with my grandmother. She was a legendary character, one whose stories deserve to be told and I wish I knew more of them.
Question 23: Do you have any addictions?
Yes. I’m addicted to caffeine. The withdrawal is worse than the worst hangover and I’ve had three-day hangovers. I’m down to a cup of coffee a day on account of having high blood pressure, but the addiction is still there.
Question 24: What’s one good quality of someone you hate?
“Hate” is a word my mum always discouraged us from using, but OK, let’s do this. The guy who wrote that I was a jerk on the chalkboard before class was a terrific actor, probably the best in our school, and he was really bright as well.
Question 25: In case we lose your envelope and need to send you prizes, would you please share you name and address below?
Well, no. I’m not actually participating in your survey and I didn’t see it at the time as I was only reading the collections when this was published in the letter’s column.
So, that’s that. Not too bad, eh? I mostly just wanted to type a lot of stuff and not have to discuss medical issues (and yes, in spite of those, I do feel fortunate, which is something my therapist probably want to discuss). I miss the quizzes, lists, memes (which had a very different meaning at the time), and community of LiveJournal, and yes, it feels weird to be nostalgic about something from this century.
Hope you lot had a great weekend. Don’t forget to take some time off if you can. It does wonders for the, well, it does wonders for me at least.
Cheers,
-RK