(no subject)
Jan. 26th, 2004 01:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
geminigirlThat five questions/shower interview meme thing...there are people who apparently didn't get to do it the last time it went around, so I'm going to do a couple more now. If you've got another five questions that you didn't ask me last time, I'll do it again for you. I'll probably do it the same way I did last time to spare the friends pages the frequent updates-that is, combine it into one or two excessively long, really well cut posts.
The rules (in case you missed it, or need reminding)
THE RULES:
1 - Leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed.
2 - I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 - You'll update your journal with my five questions, and your five answers.
4 - You'll include this explanation.
5 - You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed
josephgrossberg1) What's the cat's name?
The orange cat is named Beta. The usericons of him were taken when he came to live with me in September of 2002. He got his name for two reasons-he's the second cat in my house (Oblivion, the white cat you sometimes see was the first) and because he's the first animal I've adopted as a baby, when I've been an adult, and he was sort of the test case to see if I could do well at raising him by myself. He's a pretty good cat, mostly well behaved, easygoing, very sweet.
2) Do you find that working for a non-profit is (a) motivating, (b) like
any other job, after a while or (c) sometimes "b", but then you take a
step back and it's "a"?
I think it's a balance of A&B. There's a lot of stress about funding, constantly, but even more so right now because we're in the last year of grant cycles that aren't renewable (one used to be but because of funding changes by the federal government-another rant entirely, is no longer, the other one was three years, non-renewable.) I think that funding stress is something that is different in the for-profit world. There are office politics just like anywhere else, but it's a pretty small office, so it's hard for people to not know what's going on. Sometimes you see the impact of what you're doing, or you're working on something really great, and you feel good about what's coming from it, and sometimes you're just drained by the politics of it all. I'd love to be able to do it without the constant money woes. I think also one of the things about the particular sort of work I do now (as opposed to stuff I did before, like working in an after school program for youth) is that I have to talk about sex with kids...and that alone comes with it's own set of baggage. I have to be really careful about what I say, how I say it, to whom, in what environment. I have to know what the rules are in each place I work about what's acceptable and what's now. And knowing that I have a nephew who is the same age as some of my clients has made things harder-I worry about who has some of these conversations with him, and what they tell him. But when I get kids who tell me that they're concerned about this or that that they did and can I help them get tested for HIV or another STD, or can they have condoms, or can I help them figure out how to talk to their partner about using condoms or whatever...then it's worth it. When I see clients outside, who I've seen in detention and they ask me about stuff, it's good. It's a real mix of motivating, and draining all at once.
3) Why HIV/AIDS instead of another worthy cause?
I've always done a lot of social justice stuff, ever since I was a kid. A lot of work with hunger and homelessness related stuff, volunteering at soup kitchens, and also with Amnesty International. So in high school, during "Youth Awareness Week",-an event we held each year at school which talked about different issues important to youth, like substance abuse, eating disorders, suicide, sexual assault, HIV, etc. I met my friend Craig. Craig was one of the speakers on one of the panels during that week, and he talked about his experience living with HIV. It twisted me up the way nothing else I'd ever done had, made me angry, made me want to do something, more than anything I'd ever felt before. And in the course of other stuff I did, I got involved with HIV related stuff...it stuck through high school, and college, and into grad school. I've done other stuff as well since then-organized food drives, done programs with the elderly, but as much as I tried to get away from doing HIV work, I kept coming back to it...because I've come close to burning out on what I do, and it's important not to do that, but I can't seem to get away from it...something draws me back every time. And I'll do it I think, in some capacity til I don't have to anymore...which means the sooner that day gets here, the better.
4) Are you into astrology, or was![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
geminigirl just what came
to mind when you picked a username?
The names I've used on IRC for years were both taken, so I had to come up with something else. Retaining a bit of anonymity is important to me, if you google my real name for example, everything that comes up is professional or academic, so I wanted to avoid my real name as a part of my username. I have a vague interest in astrology, it is kind of fun to see which personality traits are typical of people with x or y sign. (I'm a gemini, with a libra rising...I tend to seek balance, try and compromise and make peace, and I'm a terrible decision maker.)
5) Why don't you have a pic of yourself as an LJ icon?
I don't recall the last time I liked a picture of myself that someone took.aquariumgirl took one that wasn't too bad, I think my comment was "My hair looked nice there." But I'm not a fan of photos of myself. There might be one coming soon though.
The rules (in case you missed it, or need reminding)
THE RULES:
1 - Leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed.
2 - I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 - You'll update your journal with my five questions, and your five answers.
4 - You'll include this explanation.
5 - You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed
josephgrossberg1) What's the cat's name?The orange cat is named Beta. The usericons of him were taken when he came to live with me in September of 2002. He got his name for two reasons-he's the second cat in my house (Oblivion, the white cat you sometimes see was the first) and because he's the first animal I've adopted as a baby, when I've been an adult, and he was sort of the test case to see if I could do well at raising him by myself. He's a pretty good cat, mostly well behaved, easygoing, very sweet.
2) Do you find that working for a non-profit is (a) motivating, (b) like
any other job, after a while or (c) sometimes "b", but then you take a
step back and it's "a"?
I think it's a balance of A&B. There's a lot of stress about funding, constantly, but even more so right now because we're in the last year of grant cycles that aren't renewable (one used to be but because of funding changes by the federal government-another rant entirely, is no longer, the other one was three years, non-renewable.) I think that funding stress is something that is different in the for-profit world. There are office politics just like anywhere else, but it's a pretty small office, so it's hard for people to not know what's going on. Sometimes you see the impact of what you're doing, or you're working on something really great, and you feel good about what's coming from it, and sometimes you're just drained by the politics of it all. I'd love to be able to do it without the constant money woes. I think also one of the things about the particular sort of work I do now (as opposed to stuff I did before, like working in an after school program for youth) is that I have to talk about sex with kids...and that alone comes with it's own set of baggage. I have to be really careful about what I say, how I say it, to whom, in what environment. I have to know what the rules are in each place I work about what's acceptable and what's now. And knowing that I have a nephew who is the same age as some of my clients has made things harder-I worry about who has some of these conversations with him, and what they tell him. But when I get kids who tell me that they're concerned about this or that that they did and can I help them get tested for HIV or another STD, or can they have condoms, or can I help them figure out how to talk to their partner about using condoms or whatever...then it's worth it. When I see clients outside, who I've seen in detention and they ask me about stuff, it's good. It's a real mix of motivating, and draining all at once.
3) Why HIV/AIDS instead of another worthy cause?
I've always done a lot of social justice stuff, ever since I was a kid. A lot of work with hunger and homelessness related stuff, volunteering at soup kitchens, and also with Amnesty International. So in high school, during "Youth Awareness Week",-an event we held each year at school which talked about different issues important to youth, like substance abuse, eating disorders, suicide, sexual assault, HIV, etc. I met my friend Craig. Craig was one of the speakers on one of the panels during that week, and he talked about his experience living with HIV. It twisted me up the way nothing else I'd ever done had, made me angry, made me want to do something, more than anything I'd ever felt before. And in the course of other stuff I did, I got involved with HIV related stuff...it stuck through high school, and college, and into grad school. I've done other stuff as well since then-organized food drives, done programs with the elderly, but as much as I tried to get away from doing HIV work, I kept coming back to it...because I've come close to burning out on what I do, and it's important not to do that, but I can't seem to get away from it...something draws me back every time. And I'll do it I think, in some capacity til I don't have to anymore...which means the sooner that day gets here, the better.
4) Are you into astrology, or was
geminigirl just what cameto mind when you picked a username?
The names I've used on IRC for years were both taken, so I had to come up with something else. Retaining a bit of anonymity is important to me, if you google my real name for example, everything that comes up is professional or academic, so I wanted to avoid my real name as a part of my username. I have a vague interest in astrology, it is kind of fun to see which personality traits are typical of people with x or y sign. (I'm a gemini, with a libra rising...I tend to seek balance, try and compromise and make peace, and I'm a terrible decision maker.)
5) Why don't you have a pic of yourself as an LJ icon?
I don't recall the last time I liked a picture of myself that someone took.
aquariumgirl took one that wasn't too bad, I think my comment was "My hair looked nice there." But I'm not a fan of photos of myself. There might be one coming soon though.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-01-26 08:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-26 08:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-26 08:40 pm (UTC)Will do.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-26 08:55 pm (UTC)Do you parents know that your ideal mate may not be a nice Jewish boy? If they do, how did you tell them? If they don’t, why have you decided not to tell them?
What has been the happiest moment in your life?
If you were placing a personals advertisement, what would it say? (30 words or less…)
Dean, Clark or Kerry?
no subject
Date: 2004-01-26 09:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-26 09:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-26 09:25 pm (UTC)1. I know that you are Jewish and your partner isn't. What kinds of negotiation/compromise have you made so far in your relationship regarding that? Any thoughts on the future?
2. You're one of the people I know most protective of the anonymity of yourself, and others in your journal. What has driven you to go as far as you do in protecting anonymity?
3. As a young woman right now, what's the most challenging issue facing women of our generation?
4. Before you were married to J. what was the most romantic thing that ever happened to you?
5. The other day, in a comment in my journal you used the phrase "mostly heterosexual" to describe both you and your husband. What does that mean to you?
no subject
Date: 2004-01-26 09:39 pm (UTC)2. You made a major career change in the last few years-what drove you to that, and what have you seen are the results of it in your own life?
3. You talk quite freely of being in recovery. I find this admirable-I know very well what it means to me, to hear about people I care about in recovery. What do you get from talking about it?
4. If you were going to spend 24 hours, focused only on taking care of and nuturing yourself, what would happen?
5. Make one wish for the betterment of the world/humanity in general, and tell us why it's your wish.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-26 10:21 pm (UTC)*ahem*
I'll have to think a little harder for questions that I want to ask you.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-26 10:51 pm (UTC)2. I know you by a name other than the one you use on livejournal. What's the history of that name?
3. As a parent, what do you see as the biggest challenge facing your children in their futures.
4. You attended a Jewish Day School. How do you think that experience will influence the choices you make about how you educate your children?
5. What motivated you to study social work?
no subject
Date: 2004-01-27 12:48 am (UTC)It's getting hot in here again.
(I'll work on questions for you and reply later)
no subject
Date: 2004-01-27 12:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-27 01:47 am (UTC)*ps. interview me, too*. :)
no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 04:03 pm (UTC)2. What are some of the biggest challenges you face as an intern?
3. You made (and posted) a list of New Year's Resolutions in your journal. What prompted you to make them at that point in the year and not any other random day, and how are you doing at keeping them?
4. You have one day to spend doing nothing but nurturing yourself. What do you do?
5. If you had the power to make one positive change for humanity, just by wishing it would happen what would you do, and why?
no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 04:18 pm (UTC)2. As an engineer, do you find that you face any additional challenges as a blonde?
3. In a post the other day, you talked about your Kinsey score. Do you find that your own identity fluctuates, or tends to remain pretty solid with occasional blips? Are you comfortable with where it's at?
4. I can't remember the exact quote, but at one point, I remember reading something in your journal that was sort of about being okay knowing what kinds of less than good things your work was being used for. Ever had to work on something you found morally objectionable? How did you cope with it? If not, how do you think you would cope?
5. If you weren't on the career path that you're on, what would you want to be doing?
no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 06:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 06:35 pm (UTC)2. As anyone who has done volunteer work knows, it's often a thankless job, but the rewards from it can be astounding. What have you "earned" from your volunteer work?
3. For many adults, living with their parents can be challenging. It's also, for many a time of growth. Have you learned anything about yourself, or your relationships living with your parents again, after being on your own?
4. If you were going to travel somewhere alone, where would you want to go and why?
5. You have 24 hours to devote only to nurtuing yourself. What do yo do with that time?