Now, where were we?
/Tap, tap. Testing 1...2...3. Is this thing still on? (And, more importantly, is it still a thing to ask that?)
As you might have noticed, we took a wee bit of a break for the last few weeks. It wasn't really planned; we put off a post one day and the next thing we knew three weeks had passed by. It ended up being a helpful little respite to take care of some of the other life-y things and roles we're juggling on an ongoing basis. (And, speaking for myself, there might have been some good old-fashioned mindless puttering along the way, too.)
Since internet years are approximately 8 minutes long, we thought we might take the chance to reintroduce ourselves. What better way to remind you who we are than to pretend that someone begged us to answer a Proust questionnaire a la Vanity Fair?
Sarah
Greatest fear?
snakes
Trait you most deplore in others?
bragging (especially humble brags)
Greatest extravagance?
I’m fairly practical, but I do have a cleaning person. I should probably be teaching my kids to clean better . . . but no.
Overrated virtue?
Efficiency (is that a virtue?)
Words or phrases you most overuse?
When I’m writing I tend to ALWAYS start sentences with an adverb (typically, often, undoubtedly)
Greatest regret?
Not doing study abroad (not that I had the money – I was super broke.)
When and where were you happiest?
When Sterling and I were both in graduate school. We’d left family and job and moved our four young kids to Waco, Texas. It was the best.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My family. Hands down.
Most treasured possession?
My iMac. We spend a lot of quality time together, and she’s a continual delight.
Favorite writers?
George Eliot, Margaret Atwood, Jhumpa Lahiri, Jane Austen
How would you like to die?
In my sleep. When I’m really old.
What is your motto?
I know it’s trite, but lately I find myself thinking, “Just keep swimming, swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming.”
Talent you wish you had?
Singing!!
Annie
Idea of perfect happiness?
A travel day with my family with napping, a long walk, good food, people watching, and a terrific book or movie in my future.
Greatest fear?
Honestly? Alzheimer's. I'm afraid of forgetting.
Words or phrases you most overuse?
Not exactly a phrase but I definitely overuse parentheses and dashes like nobody's business.
Greatest regret?
I think it might be not having more kids. I feel like I still have some good mothering left in me.
Greatest love of your life (who/what)?
My husband Greg. I'm such a fan.
When and where were you happiest?
Around a table, laughing and talking with my people. But if I have to pinpoint a certain time? Probably London, 1992. Greg and I lived there that summer. We were poor, poor, poor but the blissful memory of that summer still makes me smile.
What is your current state of mind?
Content and curious.
If you could choose what/who to come back as, what would it be?
A jazz-singing novelist who paints in her spare time. Or Christiane Amanpour. Or my great grandmother Elsie Brockbank.
Favorite writers?
Wallace Stegner, EB White, John Steinbeck, Colum McCann, Ian McEwan, Susan Minot, Jane Austen
Favorite heroes of fiction?
Scout & Atticus Finch.
What is your motto?
Probably "only connect." It's from Forster's Howard's End but I've kind of co-opted it for my informal motto: connect with others, connect ideas, connect generations, connect with God.
So that's us these days. You know what would be especially lovely? Choose your favorite question(s) and give us your own nice-to-meet-you-again answers in the comments.
