Whitney and Christi: Strangers in real life, opponents in Blogger Idol, partners in this assignment.We have survived the gauntlet of technical difficulties and interfering schedules to bring you our interviews.
Enjoy!
As a stay-at-home mom who spends her days changing diapers, napping whenever possible, and regularly speaking in high-pitched, sing-songy baby talk, Christi sometimes thinks she can actually feel individual brain cells shrivel up and die. She’ll take intellectual stimulation wherever she can get it, including from her blog, her virtual time-out chair. She can be found at www.mytemperedtantrum.com.
Whitney: Who would you most want to be for a day if you could trade places with anyone?
Christi: hmmmm, good question. Do I want to be someone rich and famous for a day, just to experience that lifestyle? No thanks. Do I want to be someone poor and hungry in a third world country so that I might better appreciate my own life? I think I'll pass. Do I want to be someone I know (like my 11-year-old daughter) so that I might better understand them? No, I might find out more than I want to know! So, I suppose that significantly narrows down the possibilities. My answer: A certain ex-boyfriend. Oh, imagine the fun I could have! Shave his eyebrows, dress in women's clothing and go out in public, get a tattoo... Does that make me a bad person?
Whitney: Where is one place you never want to go?
Christi: Insane? Wait, I think I visited there briefly once upon a postpartum time... Seriously though, my first thought was of war torn countries. However, I suppose that's not entirely true. There are places I would love to visit if they were not in the midst of turmoil. So, I suppose the one place I have absolutely zero desire to ever visit is Antarctica. I'm happy with Colorado winters and I'll leave it at that.
Whitney: What are five words you would use to describe yourself?
Christi: Loving, Educated, Introverted, Mommy, Wife
Whitney: Why did you enter Blogger Idol?
Christi: I almost didn't. On the very last day of auditions, I decided to give it a shot. I've learned a lot on my journey through the blogosphere and have put in countless hours of hard work along the way. I decided I owed it to myself to challenge myself and to go for the prizes and bragging rights.
Whitney: What three things would you save if your house was on fire and you had to get out?
Christi: Can I say: My living room, my bedroom, and my library? No? Fine, then assuming my family were all out and safe and we're just talking about items, I would save my photo albums, my computer, and my daughter's hope chest.
Whitney: What brings you the most happiness in your life?
Christi: This is an easy one. My husband and my two daughters. Even when I'm in a grumpy mood and feeling irritable, I always recognize the joy and laughter they bring to my life.
Whitney Boyd, university graduate, bilingual, published author. Looks like a good resume. On paper, at least. In real life, Whitney often feels like she can't even master English, let alone remember anything from her second langauge. She loves cooking and eating what she cooks. But she hates dishes. SO she found a husband, At least that was a smart move. When she's not running off her amzing cooking, Whitney enjoys reading, writing, blogging, devouring gossip magazines in hopes that Orlando Bloom is single again (a girl can dream) and talking on the phone. Anything else you need to know about her, just ask or check out her blog at whitneyjboyd.blogspot.com.
Christi: How do you come up with ideas for your blog?
Whitney: Alot of what I write is just the random crap that happens to me throughout my day. My blog is a good way to vent about the BO man on the bus who insists on sharing a seat with me because I am far too nice away from the safety of my keyboard and computer screen to ever tell him that he is annoying and smells. Other than that, I try to think of topics that would be relatively interesting to write and read. Some days I am more successful than others.
Christi: Are you more like a hammer or a nail? Why?
Whitney: I think today I am definitely a nail... pounded on by one thing after the other. But I'm probably not a very good nail either. I bend instead of going smoothly into the wood. See, I'm stubborn and so even when everything is piling up, one thing after another, if I set my mind that I'm not going to do it, I don't. So I would say nail. Some days I would like to be a hammer and noisily bang against the wall over and over again. But I just don't think I'm there yet!
Christi: What have you found most challenging about Blogger Idol so far?
Christi: What have you found most challenging about Blogger Idol so far?
Whitney: The biggest challenge with Blogger Idol was this post. No offense to my wonderful partner in crime, Christi, but I absolutely hate group work. I hate depending on other people. :) Back in my school days I dreaded having assignments in groups. Most of the group would end up slacking off and I, the studious one (notice I did not say nerd... I swear I was cool!), would have to complete the entire thing and they got the credit. Even assignments like this one, where each person pulls their own weight, I get way too nervous having to rely on other people. When our emails/tweets weren't connecting over the last few days, I seriously was having a mini mid-life crisis. Or something like that. So, long story short, this assignment was the most difficult. (Note to readers: Vote for us since we struggled and prevailed!)
Christi: If you could spend a year anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?
Christi: If you could spend a year anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?
Whitney: Spain. No question about it. I was a Spanish major in university and the most Spanish place I've ever lived is Florida. (Yay for Puerto Ricans and Cubans who pretend to be Puerto Ricans!) So Spain is the place. First up, running with the bulls. Or at least, watching others run with the bulls. I'm not sure how well my bladder would hold up while watching a million pound beast race down crowded metorpolitan streets toward me. I might be safer on the other side of the fence. Then I will tour all the historic places, probably register at the university in Barcelona so I can be a student again and feel smarter, and I will eat all the Spanish food I can find. Plus, the siestas in the afternoon have always been calling my name. Oh Spain... one day!
Christi: It is the year 2025. You are living your ideal life. What does that look like and what did you do to make it happen?
Christi: It is the year 2025. You are living your ideal life. What does that look like and what did you do to make it happen?
Whitney: I am living in a fairly large house, gated and with armed security guards patrolliong the perimeter, somewhere in Spain, or possibly Arizona since my husband doesn't speak Spanish and Spain might be a tough sell for him. I am an internationally acclaimed best selling author and I have my very own stalker. Hence the security guards. (Every celebrity/famous rich person has a stalker or two. I want to join that club!). I have adopted a baby from eight different countries around the world (in your face, Angelina and Brad! I win!) and I am super skinny. Yes, it is partly due to exercise, which is what I will claim in magazine interviews. But it will also be partly due to my monthly liposuction appointments with my personal doctor. What will I have done to make this happen? Hmmm... well, I think first I will win Blogger Idol. Once I have the crown, I will write the next Harry Potter book (notice I did not say Twilight, shudder), and will soon be penning movie deals for my book rights. Seems fairly do-able. Now, to just come up with the next Harry Potter idea. Hmmm... maybe I can call it Mary Cotter? She'll be a... goddess. Or something. I like it. I like the concept. Next time you see me, I'll be on the cover of Forbes. See ya!
Judges Comments:
"Considering the difficulties that you had getting this together, I think you did a good job. Although I like to see interviews that are more conversational in nature rather than the more formal question-answer like you did, I know that you had to do it quickly. I like that the questions required some thought - especially the "where do you NOT want to go" question - I never would have thought of something like that.
One thing that I didn't really see was whether or not you were really familiar with each other's blogs. The questions were a little more generic and didn't seem to pull from your blogs at all. But again, factoring in the difficulties that you had, I think you did a really good job!"
Amy, from Non-Stop Mom
"I know that you guys had some huge obstacles with this. But I guess that it still leaves me wondering why it seems like the questions were fairly.... I don't know... generic, as Amy said. They weren't personalized or anything like that. I know you didn't really have the time to make it conversational, because of the technical difficulties, but in the time that you were trying to reach each other, it seems like you could have spent more time trying to 'stalk' each other and find out more about each other.
Not to say that it wasn't an interesting read, because it was. It just could have been more personal is all."
Heather, from My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream
"This was definitely a good read, but I don't think that we learned anything new about the writers. This was more like an interview rather than an easy flowing conversation. Their introductory paragraphs explain who each person is, but their questions didn't reflect that."
Kim, from Mamas Monologues
"It was a good read, this interview. However, I did not come away knowing a whole lot more about either contestant. For example, Whitney is bilingual - what is her second language? She's a published author - what is her book about? I agree, it could have been more personal, more quirky.
I do like Christi's last question: it's completely wide open and one could potentially be very creative with that.
I can see that both are talented writers, with distinct styles. That does come across.
I do like"
Alison, from Mama Wants This!
Judges Comments:
"Considering the difficulties that you had getting this together, I think you did a good job. Although I like to see interviews that are more conversational in nature rather than the more formal question-answer like you did, I know that you had to do it quickly. I like that the questions required some thought - especially the "where do you NOT want to go" question - I never would have thought of something like that.
One thing that I didn't really see was whether or not you were really familiar with each other's blogs. The questions were a little more generic and didn't seem to pull from your blogs at all. But again, factoring in the difficulties that you had, I think you did a really good job!"
Amy, from Non-Stop Mom
"I know that you guys had some huge obstacles with this. But I guess that it still leaves me wondering why it seems like the questions were fairly.... I don't know... generic, as Amy said. They weren't personalized or anything like that. I know you didn't really have the time to make it conversational, because of the technical difficulties, but in the time that you were trying to reach each other, it seems like you could have spent more time trying to 'stalk' each other and find out more about each other.
Not to say that it wasn't an interesting read, because it was. It just could have been more personal is all."
Heather, from My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream
"This was definitely a good read, but I don't think that we learned anything new about the writers. This was more like an interview rather than an easy flowing conversation. Their introductory paragraphs explain who each person is, but their questions didn't reflect that."
Kim, from Mamas Monologues
"It was a good read, this interview. However, I did not come away knowing a whole lot more about either contestant. For example, Whitney is bilingual - what is her second language? She's a published author - what is her book about? I agree, it could have been more personal, more quirky.
I do like Christi's last question: it's completely wide open and one could potentially be very creative with that.
I can see that both are talented writers, with distinct styles. That does come across.
I do like"
Alison, from Mama Wants This!
"I agree with what has been said, you do a good job at asking questions, but the substance within them leaves me wondering what you both know about each other in person and what you think about each other's blogs. In an interview like this you want to be able to hold a conversational tone to pull the reader in and allow the conversation to flow back and forth and this interview did not do this. You can definitely see that you are strong writers and that your styles are unique. What I would have liked to have seen here is that your unique styles flowed together as one instead of on divergent paths."
Chris, from Dad of Divas
Chris, from Dad of Divas