Q&A from D&J
More things about us you probably don’t care about
In response to way more Q&A posts than I kept track of, including:
So I warned Dennett I would include my wife in this, and since we had some dead time waiting at the airport (we like to get to the gate well before boarding, preferably before the flight even gets posted) I cherry-picked the questions to ask Debra A Herlocker.
What job did you want when you were growing up?
DEB: Teacher (she got married in college and then, as they say, life happened; however she was in higher education for over sixteen years, albeit working in the office of the president of a state university).
ME: Astronaut (hey, did you know chubby kids with bad eyes didn’t have a shot at being an astronaut in the 1970s? but we could be on submarines, which is kind of like being on a space ship, kinda).
Cranberry sauce. Yay or nay? Canned or homemade?
DEB: Cranberry relish, yay; sauce, nay. Homemade, definitely.
ME: I used to be a canned sauce guy, but I’ve shifted to homemade relish in my old age.
What is one thing your proud of related to your writing?
DEB: Personal writing, seeing Caitlyn’s Adventure in print; professional writing, seeing a standing ovation for a speech I wrote, even though nobody but me and the [university] president knew I’d written it.
ME: People like my stuff on Medium. Not hordes, but I’d rather have dozens of quality colleagues than thousands of fans.
What is one of your writing goals for 2020?
DEB: Finishing a high school writing assignment I’ve been putting off until retirement; making Tuesday my “writing day” after I’m fully retired.
ME: Getting Best Dressed Nest [Deb’s third kid’s book] edited, prepped, and published; catching up on ideas I have scribbled here, there, and everywhere.
You won a food truck. What kind of food are you cooking?
DEB: Tacos!
ME: Any food that helps me sell a food truck.
What book(s) are you reading now?
DEB: A Palm for Mrs Pollifax, on Kindle. I love mysteries. I also love real books, but I REALLY love not lugging books on vacation!
ME: I have a pile of books by my bed, many written (or edited) by online friends or former classmates, that I am very, very behind on.
When you write, does the story drive you or do you drive the story?
DEB: Bit of both.
ME: Very much depends on the story. Sometimes I have a clear plot, so the characters just need to wander in and hit their marks; other times, like my ongoing Nerd Romance series, I have no clue what my characters will spring on me.
What is the most memorable trip/location you’ve been to and why?
DEB: Our tenth-anniversary cruise in 2010, to the Caribbean; it was a big deal because it was our first real cruise together — plus we made it to Number Ten!
ME: What, I’m going to argue with that? I could also say, going back to my Navy days, the US Army base in Seoul, South Korea, where I was stationed in 1988; I was immersed in a foreign culture, with strange terms and rituals, and I had to cope with ways of doing things that didn’t always make sense to me. But then I could get off the base on weekends, and all I had to worry about were the Koreans, so that was a nice break from the Army.
If you could make a wish — just one — what would it be?
DEB: Peace on earth — because for it to really be true, that would impact both the big picture, like the Middle East and the small picture, like [our brother-in-law] getting well. [He’s a paranoid schizophrenic who refuses to take his meds. As you might guess, things at his house get ugly at times. But he’s sane enough not to do anything that would make him go back to prison.]
ME: That Deb gets her wish.
Have you ever wanted to completely alter your appearance? Ever done it? Why?
DEB: Not really. I’ve tried wearing a perm when I was younger, that’s about as radical as I’ve gotten.
ME: I had awful acne as a kid, even into college. So when I had the chance to grow a beard on a ten-week submarine deterrence patrol as a midshipman, I jumped at it. Besides covering my zits, it also helped with my weak chin. I had to shave it off when I got back to the Naval Academy, but I started back on it the day after graduation. Of course, at this point, I’ve worn a beard more years than I’ve been without it, so I guess the major change at this point would be shaving it off. But Deb wouldn’t like that!
If a cosmic blast of animal-matter rays hit the Earth, turning all humans into animals, what animal would you hope to become, and why?
DEB: A hawk — [first husband]’s mother always wanted to be a hawk; but I don’t want to kill my food, so maybe a deer, they seem to have such fun.
ME: Octopi seem to be amazingly capable. On the other hand, their lifespans are not great and they tend to be anti-social. So maybe something not in the food chain?
What is your ideal meal?
DEB: I like to go out. High end. Almost any restaurant.
ME: I like to eat with my wife. Any restaurant. Preferably one where we can talk and make observations about the other customers.
If you could be the best at any one thing, other than writing (don’t be so predictable), what would it be?
DEB: I’d want to be the best executive assistant (I could have said Best Wife, but nooo), but I would need a good boss. Fortunately, I have mostly had them, until the last one.
ME: I would say best husband, but I think to be the BEST husband, I want to keep striving to be the best. So I could never be the best if I actually was. If that makes sense. (Probably not so much. Sorry.) Actually, I guess that attitude would apply to a lot of things, so… whatever I wanted to be best at, it would be something I would be satisfied being just good at. So best tipper.
What is your favorite place, and why?
DEB: Many! #1, our back porch and yard; #2, any place on vacation.
ME: If I said, “Any place with my wife,” would that be too predictable? Too bad! Any place with my wife.
If you could pick a super-power, what would it be?
DEB: Flying.
ME: The ability to look into alternative universes. Not interact with them, just see what my “other selves” did with alternate choices. Everything from if I hadn’t gotten on a certain flight in 1982 that was 99% successful to how miserable I’d be if I had never met Deb.
Do you prefer hugs or handshakes?
DEB: Hugs — wait! Only from people I know and like. Handshake otherwise.
ME: I’ve gotten to where I’m okay with “bro hugs” from guys, but mostly I need to know someone pretty well before I go for the hug. On the other hand, I still hug my nephews, and some of them are twice my size now.
If you could teach any one lesson to the “youth of today” what would it be?
DEB: Learn to be flexible and adaptable.
ME: Start saving NOW. With automatic withdrawals. Even if it’s just ten bucks a paycheck. Then up it every pay raise. Seriously, it adds up!
It’s going to rain all day, how will you spend your time?
DEB: Reading or playing games.
ME: Reading or writing.
You’ve been awarded a nonfiction book contract. You can write about anything you want. What would you choose?
DEB: Nope, not doing it. Boring!
ME: Do I get per diem? Then The Technology of Ancient Rome. With on-site visits, of course.
Do you have a catch phrase? If so, what is it and, if you don’t, make one up right now!
DEB: NOP/NMP (Not Our Problem / Not My Problem) — motto for my remaining time at my university job.
ME: Deb says I say “Tru dat”, but I say my phrase is “What have we learned from this?” Usually used after something has gone badly.
You get a two weeks all expenses paid trip to anywhere in the world. Where are you headed and what will you do there?
BOTH: Alaska — already booked, as our 20th-anniversary cruise this year. But since that’s paid for, probably England, Ireland, Scotland, & Wales.
