SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN WITH BLAISE K.

In January 2005, Blaise K. asked me seven questions.

1. now you're 30. how's that going for you?

A lot better than I expected. In fact, 29 was worse (psychologically, at least) because I spent all of it thinking of myself as pre-30, rather than simply 29. Thankfully, I'm not doing that anymore. In fact, just last night someone I don't know told me (before asking my age) that I look really young, and it felt kind of good to tell him I'm 30, as if that meant I would automatically be taken more seriously. Of course, I'm probably just trying to find a silver lining of some sort, so that it's easier to cope.

2. you grew up in raleigh and migrated to new york a couple of years ago. what was it that brought you here, and has the lady lived up to your expectations?

New York itself is why I moved here, but I went about it in a more calculated way, at the urging of my parents: I got a job (oddly enough, one that I like and still have), and I relocated.

I didn't have any doubts that I would love living in New York, but I half-expected that two (or so) years would be enough. It's not typical of me to remain completely fascinated with something for an extended period of time; I tend to get restless and want to move on, or at the very least, I get a little complacent. However, though it sounds trite, I think about how much I love this place nearly every day, and it's rare that I need a break from it. I keep waiting for that to wear off, but it hasn't yet.

3. name five songs that would be on the soundtrack from a movie about your life.

I have no idea. I Started Something I Couldn't Finish by The Smiths? Teenage Rampage by Sweet? I don't know how to answer this question seriously. I think a few well-chosen instrumental songs would be the safest bet, since they're the most flexible. One that I like a lot is Meeting in the Aisle by Radiohead, but I'm not sure it has any personal significance.

I make a lot of mixes for other people, but (though you'd think it'd be easier) I've never been good at making them for myself.

4. what was the first concert you ever went to?

Huey Lewis and the News, with my mother, in seventh grade. (I redeemed myself, a little, by following that up with INXS, whom I saw without either parent.) My mom's coworkers, who were less hip* than she was, were confused and understood that she was taking her 13-year-old daughter to see an act called "Huey Lewis and the Nudes."

*Is it wrong to use the word "hip" when referring to Huey Lewis and the News? I think it might be.

5. non-professional picture-taking in the new york city subway system has been banned. what if picture-taking altogether was in the process of being outlawed and there was one roll of film left in new york and you had it what would you do with it?

My favorite New York shots are of people, especially those who are natives to the city. I'd travel around the boroughs and take portraits of people in natural settings. I'd have to take photos of breakdancers last, because if I shot them first, I'd end up using the whole roll on them.

Boring as it sounds, the first thing I'd probably do with the photos is put them on my website, if that weren't outlawed by then as well.

6. who was your first true love?

I think I'm the only person on the planet past the age of 12 who is confused by this question. I've always had trouble knowing the distinct difference between "love," "in love," and "obsessed with." I do know that I have been in love; I'm just not completely sure who was first. I wish there was someone I could ask.

7. what are you wearing?

Even though I'm in my apartment, I'm wearing fingerless gloves, a scarf, and a hat that makes me look like a pilot from the 1940s. My landlords are cruel and thrifty, so that's pretty much my indoor uniform all winter long. Since that's not very exciting, I'll add that I've got a parasol balanced on one shoulder.

© 2001–2008 Lisa Whiteman | Powered by Movable Type