i'm going with "just like oprah"

My favorite reader who I've never met in real life (fairly) recently had this nifty post. I thought it was an interesting idea. Let's face it. I saw the bandwagon and I jumped right on. The lovely Mrs. Campen kindly provided these questions for me to answer.

1). You just bought a house! If you were given a million dollars to decorate and renovate it, what would you do and why? (Remember, sky is the limit!)

Sheesh, a million dollars. I'm not going to be so anal that I'm going to make sure all these things would end up costing less than a million dollars. Let's just assume they would. One thing I would do would be to move the house. (See, I'm sure that's pretty pricey.) It's not that I hate my neighborhood, it's that there's another area fairly nearby in which this house really belongs. Most of the houses there are of the same period. I would also have someone come and blow insulation into the walls and what's left of an attic. And get new windows. And get all those little things done that I'll eventually get done without the million dollars--new floors in the kitchen, bathrooms, sunroom. I could maybe even have someone paint for me. Gasp! A new garage door. Subway tile in the kitchen and baths. Yeah, I could go on and on and on...

2). You travel for work and pleasure. Of all the places you've been, would you ever think of living there? If so, where? If not, what is it about Texas that you love?

I think about living other places, but would I really do it? I'm not sure. I love living near my friends and family. Do I really love some places I've been? Certainly. Those would be San Francisco, Seattle, Nashville. Who knew I'd ever miss places like that? And, just to cover myself, what do I love about Texas? Everything. I love its size and its diversity. I love that there's just about any kind of climate you'd want here. That we have 624 miles of coastline. That the beauty of the Hill Country during wildflower season can't be beat. That our state flower is blue. Tex-Mex. Friendliness. Pro sports and fine arts. 130+ wineries. Mostly that people here have the kind of pride that quite possibly can only come from once being our own country.

3). What made you start blogging?

See this post. I'm pretty much sticking with that (except now I have met Mrs. Joel, aka katielady). I think being home-based for work contributed to it, too.

4). What is your most irrational fear and why?

It's roaches. I hate them. Since Sam lives up north, she may need some clarification. These guys come regardless of cleanliness. And they are huge. Like 3 inches huge. And what's better? They can fly. I really do not like them. I cannot kill them with by squishing. I have to use bug spray. A lot of bug spray. My brother teases me that I spray them so much that they stick to the floor. You'd think that their death would make me feel better. A little. I still hate them. I can sweep them out the door while screaming like a girl.

5). What is one skill that you'd love to have but don't have the time/money to learn?

I'd like to be able to sew with a sewing machine. First, I didn't have one...that really poses a problem. But I've had one for about a year and a half. Then I didn't really have the space to set it up and leave it out because, let's be serious, I wouldn't drag it out and put it up repeatedly. Now I have no excuses except time I suppose. I want to just magically know how to sew expertly instead of putting in the time to learn. I'd also like to be able to play a stringed instrument like the violin. Or the harmonica (I know it isn't stringed); I even have one of those.

So that's it. My interview. Fun questions!