More!

Well, I begged A.C. to ask me some questions, mostly because I really like answering questions but no one ever asks me things except stuff like “Is it possum or O-possum” and “Can you actually read Old English?” (Technically opossum but I call them possums and yes, a little bit. And yes, these are two actual questions I fielded today. Oh and I do get the "Um...did you mean to do that?" and "Oh, was that on purpose?" kind of questions but I really don't like those so much.)

So here are five more and I hope they at least KINDA make sense. And just so you know the Old English of “ask” was actually pronounced more like “axed”, well according to my dubious education anyway…

1. What is your favorite vegan cupcake recipe? And why do you like vegan cupcakes so much?

Well, so far my favorite recipe is actually an old girl scout recipe. I didn’t recognize it until the second time I made it. It’s called “Wacky Cake” and I remember it from my old Brownie handbook. I also really liked the chocolate-coffee-coconut cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes take Over the World. They had a really different, but pleasant texture from a regular cake.

My fascination with vegan cupcakes is completely random. I started reading about veganism years ago and somehow I became obsessed with the idea of vegan baking. I have tried a lot of different vegan baked goods and when they are good, they are very good, but when they are bad…well, you get it.

Since I have always loved baking but never liked to follow recipes, vegan baking is a real challenge. I know how cake batter is supposed to look and smell, but vegan cake batter is a whole different animal…oh…I guess that’s a bad analogy. Heh. Anyway, it keeps me on my toes in the kitchen. It’s like a science experiment for me. And so far it’s been going well. Some are better than others, yes, but nothing has been uneatable…yet.

Um…that was a longer answer than I expected.


2. What would be your dream vacation?

Oh see, here is another long answer…this is a tough one for me. Part of me always wants to go anywhere that there is sun, sand, palm trees and boat drinks. I have had excellent vacations in Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Key West. But another part of me screams “GO BACK TO THE UK! GO BACK TO IRELAND! GO BACK TO WALES! GO BACK TO SCOTLAND!” and then a third part wonders why I wouldn’t go somewhere completely new, like Spain.

I think the key to a dream vacation for me is no planning involved. I want to be there with no worries, no packing, no airlines…I just want to be somewhere else. Since that will never happen then today I am wishing for Key West, a fruity drink and a sunset at the southern most point in the U.S. with the southernmost bagpiper in the U.S. and the tightrope walking cats for company.


3. Where do you get the ideas for your design work?

Hmmm. This is kind of a weird answer. I get them from words. And usually the juxtaposition of two strange words. Like bunny and steak. I just get a word in my head and turn it around and around until I can visualize it in a different way. I’ve always been a big reader and when I read something, I see the pictures in my head, as I am sure most people do. But the pictures tend to connect themselves to the words and then the things I draw are usually an attempt to illustrate how I see a word in my head. Crazy? Perhaps. But I work the same way when I write a poem; I have one or two words in my head that turn round and round until I can string them into a sentence or a rhyme.

I spend a lot of time in my own brain. Which would explain why it doesn’t get used for much else.



4. You are taking a space-ship trip to a planet that's a long way away. You will be gone a long time. What people/things/places will you miss the most? What essential items would you have to take with you?


Well, let me start by saying that there is no way I am taking a spaceship anywhere. I have a fear of lack of oxygen, there’s no oxygen in outers pace, hence there is no me in outer space, but for the sake of imagination, I will carry on…
I will miss my family and friends. I don’t see most of them often enough but I am in contact with them pretty regularly. When people ask me how I can live all the way across the country from most of my family and many of my friends I say “Airplanes and telephones” and I am a firm believer that any distance can be bridged if you just try…even if I don’t really like airplanes or telephones…hmmm…this is harder than I thought. I will miss my cat. She is very precious to me.
As far as places…well…I am not all that attached to places but I suppose I would miss Disneyworld. I only get to go once in a while (like this year! YAY!) but it’s a place that sparks my imagination and lets me relax.
Things? I guess I would miss television, computers and books. But they are all things I could take with me. I wouldn’t miss my bed, or my dishes or anything like that. I like my things but I don’t feel particularly attached to any of them.
Essential items…well...OXYGEN of course. And water and food. But other than the necessities of survival, I would have to take a lot of books. A lot of books. And I would like to have a computer because that’s how I draw but failing that I could use some paper and pens. Chocolate. Good dark chocolate. And maybe a supply of whisky, Ablerour please. And tea. Lots and lots of tea. I don’t think I can live without my tea.


5. I like cookies. What is your favorite kind of cookie, and why?

I like cookies too! I have two favorites. For store-bought cookies, I am an Oreo girl. Classic. No double-stuff, no mint or peanut butter. Plain ol’ Oreos. For many years my dad ate 3 Oreos and a cup of coffee for breakfast. That sounds like heaven to me. (But I eat healthier than that!)

For homemade cookies I love chocolate chip cookies…but without the chocolate chips. Weird, I know. I do like chocolate chip cookies but I have a strange issue with them. I like the cookie soft and warm but I don’t really like melty chocolate. So sometimes I just make brown sugar cookies. But, since everyone else seems to like regular chocolate chips cookies, usually just let them sit and day so the chips are firm. Whatever. They are still good, I just have…issues.

Any other questions? Anyone? Wanna hear me recite the first fourteen lines of The Canterbury Tales in middle English? No?

If you want to be interviewed by me, please leave me a comment or send an email saying: "Interview me." (or the like).

* I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
* You will update your weblog with the answers to the questions.
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