Interview Meme

I have been chosen to be interviewed by Steph , The Incurable Insomniac. I will answer the following five questions and then I will invite, you, my readers to be interviewed as well.

1. You now have three blogs. Which one do you enjoy most, and why?

This is a really difficult question to answer because I enjoy all three of my blogs for different reasons.

I created my political blog last month because I realized that the number of politically oriented posts on this blog were starting to outnumber my other posts and I was afraid that I would alienate my readers who really aren't into politics as much as I am. Okie Sings the Blues was born out of my love for history and politics and keeps me challenged in those areas because I am constantly having to research the web for current events and news articles to post.

I created A Window to My Soul a couple of weeks ago as a place mostly for personal reflection and introspection. It's literally what the title says it is--a window to my soul.

However, if I must declare a favorite, I still have to say that Life in Shades of F-major is my favorite one because it's the one that expresses my passions. I enjoy sharing the things I've learned and/or discovered about music, life, people, places, and things, here. I'm a teacher at heart and this blog serves as an online classroom of sorts.

2. What has been the greatest (i.e. best) surprise you've experienced via blogging in the past year?

Almost a year ago I started a series of posts entitled, "The World's Most Beautiful Music" where once every week or two I feature a piece that I believe to be some of the world's most beautiful music. In June I featured Howard Goodall's lovely choral setting of the 23rd Psalm, which was composed for the opening of the BBC sitcom, The Vicar of Dibley, several years ago. I was thrilled when the composer, Howard Goodall, himself, posted a comment on my entry thanking me for featuring his piece and inviting me to listen to some of his other works. That event served to remind me how the web has made the world a much smaller, and friendlier place.

3. What would constitute the perfect day for you, if money, time, and place were no object?

Wow! Tough question. There are SO MANY options! The place would be Vienna. I would be with Steph. We would wake, not too early, and have a relaxing breakfast in our hotel and then we'd go out on a walking tour of all of our favorite sites in the old city--the Figarohaus, the Graben, St. Stephan's, the Hoffburg. We'd lunch at a sidewalk cafe and then do a little shopping on the Graben. At 3:00 we'd duck into a favorite coffee house for jouse and then return to the hotel for a little nap. Then we would dress for an evening performance of Le Nozze di Figaro at the Staatsoper, and then to a nearby restaurant for a late dinner afterwards.

4. How do you come up with ideas to write about on your blogs?

As I explained in question #1, I am a teacher at heart. I love sharing my passions for music, life, art, etc. I've discovered a wealth of resources on YouTube, and much of my inspiration, especially for my different post series come from there. My first series, as I explained earlier, was "The World's Most Beautiful Music". That one became so popular that I decided to create several others--"So I'm a Sucker for Baritones" featuring my favorite baritones both living and deceased, "The Music of Black America", (in honor of President-elect Obama), "Gender Bending Through the Ages", and now my newest series, "The Sopranos". All of these express my passion for music, film, culture, history, the theater, and the arts in general.

5. Before blogging, what, if any, was your main mode of personal expression?

Oh, music, most certainly. I have a musical soul. I express myself best and relate to the world most effectively through music. That's why I've dedicated so much of my blog to it. Music is who and what I am.

To be interviewed:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.