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This is the brilliant idea of my friend ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
anoisblue. I'll answer her questions first and then you do the rest.
If you want me to interview you--post a comment that simply says, "Interview me." I'll respond with questions for you to take back to your own journal and answer as a post. Of course, they'll be different for each person since this is an interview and not a general survey. At the bottom of your post, after answering the Interviewer's questions, you ask if anyone wants to be interviewed. So it becomes your turn-- in the comments, you ask them any questions you have for them to take back to their journals and answer. And so it becomes the circle.
Who will play? May I interview you?
1. When you're laying there, getting more done on your tat, do you spend the whole time talking or do you lose yourself in thoughts? In either case, what about?
It's very similar to going to the beauty parlor, really. We spend almost all of our time chatting. I tell him about my life at the lake and my plans to move. He tells me about the cars he's restoring and his kid's sugar gliders. I watch people come in and out of the shop, when I'm decently dressed enough to not be behind a screen. It's all very fun and gossipy. The only time I'm ever really quiet is when he's working on a part of my back that hurts. I'm one of those people who becomes more quiet and still with pain.
2. What do you hope your boys will have learned from you?
I hope my boys will have learned to be free spirits, to have the courage to be who they need to be in spite of what anyone else may think. I hope they will have learned that women are strong and capable, that the earth and sky are touchstones without equal. I hope they will have learned to love.
3. What made you decide on law as a profession?
I went to law school on a whim, actually. What made me stick with it was a really horrible case that I worked on in law school. A woman (who didn't speak English--which is why I dealt with her most of the time...if you can imagine, there were hardly any Spanish-speaking lawyers in L.A.) who was seen as a bother by most of the prosecutors (because she would never follow through after her husband was arrested for beating her) was finally beaten to death. The whole experience made me sick, but it made me see how many people lived without any hope of their lives ever getting better. I realized that it gave me a lot of satisfaction to help people who needed someone to be on their side. I've always hated bullies and I think too many people get bullied--by poverty, by people, by society. I like the idea that I even things up a little bit.
4. Did you consider being a criminal defense attorney, or being any other sort of lawyer?
I was actually an immigration litigator for several years before I became a prosecutor. I also did a lot of legal work for people with HIV/AIDS, both in the U.S. and in Mexico. Criminal defense work is simply not my cup of tea, but I do have a lot of respect for good defense attorneys who do their jobs without intentionally perverting the system. That goes for lawyers in general, though.
5. You speak of your beautiful grandmother as if she were truly a mentor in your life, do you have other mentors?
I've been very lucky to have had many strong people in my life that influenced me greatly. My grandmother, without question, was one of the most important. All of my grandparents had a hand in making me the person I am and I'm so grateful that I knew all of them. My fourth grade teacher was named Mr. Andersen and was the first person to ever tell me I was really, really smart. He had a huge port wine birthmark on half of his face, but he never seemed afraid of anything and he was always laughing. I thought he was the bravest person I'd ever seen. There were so many others: the high school Spanish teacher who made me see what a gift my language ability was, the Chilean law school professor who showed me how a woman in her fifties can be amazing and beautiful and full of grace. Most of all, my friendraindog, who has unfailingly and unflinchingly believed in me and loved me even through the most painful and horrible times of her own troubles. I think that she has taught me more about peace, understanding, and life as a meaningful journey toward a spiritual wholeness than anyone else I've known.
anoisblue. I'll answer her questions first and then you do the rest. If you want me to interview you--post a comment that simply says, "Interview me." I'll respond with questions for you to take back to your own journal and answer as a post. Of course, they'll be different for each person since this is an interview and not a general survey. At the bottom of your post, after answering the Interviewer's questions, you ask if anyone wants to be interviewed. So it becomes your turn-- in the comments, you ask them any questions you have for them to take back to their journals and answer. And so it becomes the circle.
Who will play? May I interview you?
1. When you're laying there, getting more done on your tat, do you spend the whole time talking or do you lose yourself in thoughts? In either case, what about?
It's very similar to going to the beauty parlor, really. We spend almost all of our time chatting. I tell him about my life at the lake and my plans to move. He tells me about the cars he's restoring and his kid's sugar gliders. I watch people come in and out of the shop, when I'm decently dressed enough to not be behind a screen. It's all very fun and gossipy. The only time I'm ever really quiet is when he's working on a part of my back that hurts. I'm one of those people who becomes more quiet and still with pain.
2. What do you hope your boys will have learned from you?
I hope my boys will have learned to be free spirits, to have the courage to be who they need to be in spite of what anyone else may think. I hope they will have learned that women are strong and capable, that the earth and sky are touchstones without equal. I hope they will have learned to love.
3. What made you decide on law as a profession?
I went to law school on a whim, actually. What made me stick with it was a really horrible case that I worked on in law school. A woman (who didn't speak English--which is why I dealt with her most of the time...if you can imagine, there were hardly any Spanish-speaking lawyers in L.A.) who was seen as a bother by most of the prosecutors (because she would never follow through after her husband was arrested for beating her) was finally beaten to death. The whole experience made me sick, but it made me see how many people lived without any hope of their lives ever getting better. I realized that it gave me a lot of satisfaction to help people who needed someone to be on their side. I've always hated bullies and I think too many people get bullied--by poverty, by people, by society. I like the idea that I even things up a little bit.
4. Did you consider being a criminal defense attorney, or being any other sort of lawyer?
I was actually an immigration litigator for several years before I became a prosecutor. I also did a lot of legal work for people with HIV/AIDS, both in the U.S. and in Mexico. Criminal defense work is simply not my cup of tea, but I do have a lot of respect for good defense attorneys who do their jobs without intentionally perverting the system. That goes for lawyers in general, though.
5. You speak of your beautiful grandmother as if she were truly a mentor in your life, do you have other mentors?
I've been very lucky to have had many strong people in my life that influenced me greatly. My grandmother, without question, was one of the most important. All of my grandparents had a hand in making me the person I am and I'm so grateful that I knew all of them. My fourth grade teacher was named Mr. Andersen and was the first person to ever tell me I was really, really smart. He had a huge port wine birthmark on half of his face, but he never seemed afraid of anything and he was always laughing. I thought he was the bravest person I'd ever seen. There were so many others: the high school Spanish teacher who made me see what a gift my language ability was, the Chilean law school professor who showed me how a woman in her fifties can be amazing and beautiful and full of grace. Most of all, my friend
raindog, who has unfailingly and unflinchingly believed in me and loved me even through the most painful and horrible times of her own troubles. I think that she has taught me more about peace, understanding, and life as a meaningful journey toward a spiritual wholeness than anyone else I've known.
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From:
no subject
From:
no subject
1. How did you end up raising your kids on your own?
2. What's the weirdest thing that ever happened to you?
3. What is one of your favorite things to do for yourself?
4. If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Why?
5. What is it about your life that you are most ashamed of? And most proud of?