73 Questions

I’m so grateful that Brettne pointed me to the Vogue video of Anna Wintour answering the 73 question challenge.  She’s hilarious, and, as Brettne said to me, I totally covet her office.  I was also fascinated by how the specific questions come together to provide a compelling portrait of a person.  I’ve often written about this, about how small details can tell us a lot.  In this case each question reveals a singular facet of a person and the 73 come together into a revealing kaleisdoscope.  I thought it would be fun to answer them.  I’d love it if you wanted to too!  (I’m going to change New York to Boston for my purposes).

1. How long have you been in the area?

I was born here, but we moved around a lot, and I came back for good when I graduated from college in 1996.

2. What’s your favorite season in Boston?

Spring

3. What’s your favorite activity in Boston?

Running along the Charles at sunrise

4. Would you ever leave Boston?

I don’t think so

5. What are three words to describe living in Boston?

Seasonal, bookish, manageable

6. What’s your favorite movie?

Hard to say – not a huge movie person.  But first reactions are: Stealing Home, all the Harry Potter movies, Old School.

7. Favorite movie in past five years?

Truthfully I have barely been to the movies in the past 5 years.  Maybe Where the Wild Things Are.  Though that may have been more than 5 years ago!

8. Favorite Hitchcock film?

I haven’t ever seen one!

9. Favorite TV show that’s currently on?

House of Cards

10. What’s a book you plan on reading?

Frankenstein

11. A book you read in school that positively shaped you?

To the Lighthouse

12. A book you read in school that you never think of?

Vanity Fair

13. On a scale of one to ten how excited are you about life right now?

Nine

14. iPhone or Android?

iPhone

15. Twitter or Instagram?

Close call, but Twitter

16. Vine or Snapchat?

Neither

17. Who should EVERYONE be following right now?

On Instagram, my friend @averdiroach, whose shots of where she lives take my breath away with their beauty.  On Twitter, Book Quotes (@ao_BookQuotes) and Mary Oliver Poetry (@MaOlPoetry) for beautiful snippets of prose and poetry.

18. What’s the coolest thing in this room?

The view out of the window

19. What’s your favorite Boston restaurant?

Probably the bar at the Harvest

20. What’s your favorite food?

French fries, chocolate chip cookies, a perfectly ripe peach, brie with fig jam

21. Least favorite food?

Any shellfish

22. What do you love on your pizza?

White pizza with arugula

23. Favorite drink?

Coffee in the morning

24. Favorite dessert?

Gooey chocolate chip cookies

25. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?

Dark

26. Weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Brain, maybe – as a baby I was looked after by a French woman who fed us very authentic foods

27. What’s the hardest part about being a mom?

Not doing anything well enough

28. What’s your favorite band?

Literally, this stumps me.  Pathetic.  Cool about music, I’m not.

29. Favorite solo artist?

James Taylor

30. Favorite lyrics?

Waiting for my Real Life to Begin by Colin Hay

31. If your life were a song, what would the title be?

Be Here Now

32. If you could sing a duet with anyone, who would it be?

James Taylor

33. If you could master one instrument, what would it be?

Guitar

34. If you had a tattoo, where would it be?

On the inside of my wrist

35. To be or not to be?

To be

36. What’s Oprah like in person?

I wish I knew

37. What number of question was this?

37

38. Dogs or cats?

Dogs

39. Kittens or puppies?

Puppies

40. Dolphins or koalas?

Koalas

41. Bird-watching or whale-watching?

Bird-watching

42. What’s your spirit animal?

A bird

43. Best gift you’ve ever received?

My engagement ring, from my husband

44. Last gift you gave a friend?

A book

45. A person you want to have coffee with?

Mary Oliver

46. A historical figure you’d love to have coffee with?

Joan of Arc

47. How do you like your coffee?

With milk and sugar

48. Can I play a note on this piano?

Sure

49. What’s your favorite curse word?

Shit

50. What’s your favorite board game?

Sorry

51. What’s your favorite country to visit?

Africa

52. What’s the last country you visited?

Ecuador

53. What country do you wish to visit?

Chile – Patagonia

54. What do you see in this image right here?

?

55. Can you write down your favorite word that starts and ends with the same vowel?

alluvia

56. What’s your favorite color?

Orange

57. Least favorite color?

Don’t have one

58. What color dress did you wear to your prom?

Black

59. Diamonds or pearls?

Diamonds

60. Cheap shampoo or expensive?

Cheap

61. Blow-dry or air-dry?

Blow-dry

62. Heels or flats?

Sneakers

63. Can you give an impersonation of someone?

Not well

64. Can you do the same impersonation with a British accent?

No

65. My friend outside this window would love to ask you a question?

Sure

66. [Holding two different colored dresses] Which should I give my girlfriend?

The one on the right

67. Pilates or yoga?

Yoga

68. Jogging or swimming?

Jogging

69. Best way to decompress?

Read in bed

70. If you had one superpower, what would it be?

Time travel

71. Can you describe an experience you felt most nervous?

Speaking in front of a group (giving a toast or reading at my grandfather’s funeral)

72. What’s the weirdest word in the English language?

I don’t know why, but “ooze” and “unctuous” come to mind – clearly I have onomotaepia on the brain.

73. Last question: Is this the strangest interview you’ve ever had?

No

17 thoughts on “73 Questions”

  1. Lindsey, I also did this a couple of weeks ago, before Anna’s interview hit the net. Sarah Jessica Parker did this interview too, and I had to do it! So much fun. And I LOVE House of Cards.

  2. I think this sounds fun. Love that you did it. Takes me back to our time in Watertown. Hope it’s a sparkler of a day in Boston today!

  3. This is wonderful. I just might try my hand at this one too…although I should probably disclose up front that just as I am a cook who never follows recipes for meals without making them my own with a dash of this and a pinch of that, I could see this list morphing into something new altogether. Or not. Either way I truly enjoyed reading your answers.

    You are so right, small details do tell us a lot. I am always so glad when I visit your blog, thanks for this today. 🙂

  4. Fun! I’ve never done something like this on my blog–maybe it’s time! Love orange too — just did our living room redo with that as the primary color. Something about that color just picks me up. And your three words about living in Boston are just perfect.

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  6. This was fun to read! I love learning little details about people. I also saw Sarah Jessica Parker do this. I’ll have to search for the Anna Wintour one.
    xo

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