Two more sets of borg meme questions while I take a break from the hustle and bustle.

[mellymell]

• Leave me a comment saying "Resistance is Futile."


• I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can satisfy my curiosity


• Update your journal with the answers to the questions


• Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people questions

Q&A from verdaera:
1. What got you into costuming?

I've always had an interest, but I guess I never really thought of it as costuming until about 5 years ago. I loved playing dress up and my mom always made great costumes for me for Halloween which I also loved. I had a Barbie fashion designer set which I loved and looking back on it, that was the same thing to me as when I sketch out design ideas to get a better idea of how to put something together. When I was planning our wedding, I decided I wanted a pre-Raphaelite type of gown. I started looking for a seamstress and was in talks with one to make me a modified version of Eowyn's White Wool gown from The Two Towers. But after a long time with no communication from her I started researching it myself. I fell in love with the Lord of the Rings costumes, specifically Arwen's Coronation gown and I joined the LR_Cos Yahoo group. Everyday I saw people who described themselves as beginner costumers turning out beautiful creations and started to wonder if I could possibly pull this off myself. Our wedding kept getting pushed back for one reason or another, so I made a couple of costumes in the meantime as practice sewing. I wound up not making my wedding dress after all, but found one which had the look I wanted and did some hand embellishments on it. I've only in recent years started to branch out from Lord of the Rings costumes, though there are still several that I want to recreate at some point. They'll always kind of hold a special place for me and it seems as though there will be at least one on my list per year for the rest of my life. ;)

2. What is your ultimate dream costume (and have you made it/plan to)?

I'm going to cheat and copy and paste my answer from before:
The costume that got me into costuming is Arwen's Coronation gown. It's so simple and gorgeous but with intricate details and such a lovely, unique color. That headpiece is simply amazing! I do have plans to do it one day, but I have no idea when. I guess I'm working up to it. I've got to gain and hone silversmithing skills and talk myself into beading and embroidering the sleeves by hand. I've always thought this would be a secret costume. No one will know when I work on it (though I'll document privately). I'll just show up with it somewhere one day.

3. If you could have any job in the world regardless of location or real-world limitations, what would it be?

I'm fairly practical and don't tend to think of far off possibilities much when it comes to professions. So you'll see I might dream big, but attainable and in many directions. Also, if there's one thing I've learned about myself in the past 10 years, it's that I am constantly changing my mind about what I want to do. So, I've decided to indulge that behavior as much as is responsible. For now, my dream job would be to be able to make jewelry full time with none of the menial tasks associated with running the business. I'd just want to design and do the construction, that's all. As many hours a day at my bench as I felt I needed to put in. That's it.

But, I've got other ideas for down the road as well. Among them are writing this novel I sort of started. I could certainly consider doing that for a while.

Also, I'd love to run a bed and breakfast in the mountains somewhere. I love to cook and host people and it just really seems like it would be fun to do that for total strangers who paid me for the privilege. Although, I don't think I'd want to do all the housekeeping myself, so I'd want to have hired help to do some of that.

I also had a multi-faceted business idea about running an exotic plant greenhouse with three services. One, I'd rent plants out to people for events and offices and such. Two, I'd winter people's patio plants. I know people who every year buy tropical foliage for their patio but let it die in the winter because they have no place for it indoors. I know even I wind up letting several plants go every winter because I have no place to bring them in. Three, I could use some of the greenhouse space to sprout and nurse seedlings for annuals, herbs and vegetables to sell as plants.

Yet another idea was to set up a non-profit to help the elderly with little chores like changing light bulbs and things of that nature. Kind of like a Meals-on-Wheels sort of thing for odd jobs that wouldn't take too much time or expertise to complete (like an hour or less). I got the idea last Christmas when my 90-year-old grandmother had been waiting weeks or months to replace a light bulb while someone tall and agile was around to help her with it.

I'd also love to do textile arts, like dyeing yardage, silk painting, custom machine embroidery and things of that nature. Leaving the realm of probability, I'd add weaving my own fabrics, especially silks, like brocades and taffetas and such. Or perhaps commissioning them to be done for the business at the very least, because I'd want to design them, but I'm not sure I'm interested enough to do it myself.

And, there's also the custom costume accessories business that I plan to work more on in 2010.

And, all of that (and more) is why I want a general business degree at this point. I need to know how to start and operate any sort of business because I never know what may spark my interest next and I've got to be open to the call.

I guess in the realm of the improbable, I'd love to be a marine biologist in the tropics so I'd have an excuse to snorkel all day, everyday FOR SCIENCE! Or perhaps some other sort of biologist or botanist somewhere seeking out new species in the rain forest or something. Geology also appeals, but I'd want to be doing something with sustainable gem mining or something like that. Or even better, something crazy like astrogeology. Also archeology, or specifically anthropology interest me greatly. What can I say, I love science but I've never excelled at it enough to go into one of these fields.

Or, you know, the ultimate in laziness. . . a philosopher. ;)

4. What would your superhero (or super villain!) power be?

Telepathy or telekinesis. I want to kill people with my mind. ;)

5. Tell me about a memorable event, like meeting a celebrity or an awesome concert.

I'll pick awesome concert. I spent New Year's Eve 1999 in the Everglades at a 3-day Phish festival. We rang in the new millennium in the middle of the Seminole Indian Reservation on generators. What did we care if the grid failed? ;) Seriously though, it was an amazing experience. They played a 7 hour and something-or-other set from midnight to sunrise. Then, when it was all done, they played "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles on the loudspeakers as the sun was rising and everyone filed back to their campsites to catch a brief nap, then hit the road home. It was magical and exhilarating. I've spent the last 10 years trying to top it. Nothing has come close.

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Q&A from padawansguide:
1. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? ie, Do you want more kids? Do you want to be doing more with jewelry?

Chris and I both agree, we're "one and done" on the kids. We just feel kind of complete as is.

Right now, I'll say that yes, I do want to be doing more with jewelry. I'd like to really be doing some serious silversmithing by then and even some fabricating and perhaps casting as well as lapidary and stone cutting (LOL, Stonecutters, "who made Steve Guttenberg, a star"). But who knows what I'll be able to do and what equipment and space I'll have in which to do it.

Also, I'd like to at least be in school and working on my bachelors in business. Jonah will be in 2nd grade by then, so I should be well on my way, hopefully with 2-3 years under my belt. I'd like to start school the same time he does, if possible. Also, perhaps I can have or be working on my Graduate Gemology degree from GIA by then.

2. What Simpsons character do you relate to the most?

I used to say Lisa, hands down. I even have her bad qualities. But, now, I'm starting to find myself relating to Marge more and more though mostly for the obvious reasons (housewife and mother). So, I'll say I'm mostly Lisa with a touch of Marge. ;)

3. Least favorite Simpsons episode?

"All Singing, All Dancing", definitely! Though all the clip shows are pretty hard to watch. "The Simpsons Spin-off Showcase" was the second worst one, I think, but at least it was kind of original material. "Who shot Mr. Burns" was definitely up there (or down there, whatever).

Homer: "I thought Smithers did it."
Lisa: "That would have made a lot more sense."

4. What period of time would you most like to visit?

Ancient Egypt. Though I'd love to enjoy a visit to several other periods (Victorian, Elizabethan, Regency, Georgian, etc.) mostly just for the garb, I'd like to spend some real time absorbing ancient Egyptian culture and learning as much as I can about it. It just really fascinates me for some reason.

5. What 5 people, living or dead, fictional or real, would you want to have a dinner with?

Hmm, Kevin Smith, Lao Tsu, Tori Amos, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Colleen Atwood. I almost said Lestat de Lioncourt, just to throw in a fictional character. But then I realized it was more likely he would have me for dinner and not in a fun way. ;)