one small corner of the universe

If you could live anywhere where would that be & why?

London. I have a hard time explaining why, though. There just aren’t words to describe my love and longing for this place, for the sound and smell of the Underground, the confidence I discovered as I navigated the busy streets, the thrill of walking Portabello Road market or Regent’s Park. It’s been 12 years since I lived there and six since my last visit, and there’s still not a day that passes that I’m not homesick for London.

If you could only eat one thing for breakfast, one thing for lunch & one thing for dinner – for a month- what would that be?

Easy, as this is pretty much the case with me anyway.

Breakfast: a Zone Perfect fudge graham protein bar and a bottle of water.

Lunch: a plain bagel with cream cheese; a carton of peach soy yogurt; a small bag of baby carrots; a dill pickle; and a bottle of water.

Dinner: a bowl of campanelle pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese and a chicken breast with steamed broccoli or carrots; bread and butter; strawberries; and a bottle of water.

If you could create a fabulous summer music festival where would you have it & who would perform?

I have actually fantasized about this before. My dream job is to own a small music hall (like The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA or The Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC). With that in mind, my music festival would be small–only one stage, because I would want to be able to hear all of the musicians and not have to make difficult decisions. I would have it in the field behind my house a la Woodstock, because it’s all about me, of course, so I would be able to walk to the festival and get the best seat. Festival visitors could park in all the cul-de-sacs in my neighborhood. The performers could hang out in my house in between sets, and I would invite local restaurants like H*rsey’s BBQ and El*zabeth’s Pizza to set up shop in my yard.

The festival would last for two days, maybe three, and musicians would play full sets, not hourlongs like most festivals. The musicians, in no particular order, would be:

Tret Fure
Jack Johnson
John McCutcheon
Donna the Buffalo and Jim Lauderdale
Joan Baez
Mary Chapin Carpenter
The Indigo Girls
Dar Williams
Patty Larkin
Ubaka Hill
Willie Nelson
Josh Ritter
Girlyman
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
The Mosquitos
Erin McKeown
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
Johnny and June Carter Cash (hey, it’s a FANTASY!)

Okay, clearly it would last THREE days.

You have a dream of yourself in ten years. Describe it.

I am 41. I have been in public education for 20 years, the last 10 in the school library, and I am considering early retirement so I can get to work on my second career, which involves one, a combination, or all of the following: photography, writing, music (other people’s) and travel. My child (sometimes I see a girl, sometimes a boy) is 9, and we are excited because as soon as school is out we are going to London to visit Aunt Megan, who moved there a few months ago to work for a British publishing house; and then to California to visit Aunt Charity and witness the opening of her second art studio. Nonna and KarKar are going with us. I have just finished building my dream house on High Rock Lake, and every morning I watch the sun rise over the water, latte and Zone bar in hand. We’re having a party Memorial Day weekend, and when I close my eyes I can see clearly the faces of everyone I love gathered there in my home, smiling, laughing, dreaming right along with me.

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