We've got more answers...

Here is part 2 of "Rebecca answers questions!"  Enjoy! :)

Katie said...

If you could pick one famous person (dead or alive) to meet, who would you pick?  Ooh, that's tough.  Do I go with the drool-worthy (Cary Elwes but only if it was shortly after he was Westley in The Princess Bride), the historical (Martin Luther King would be pretty cool), the scientific (at the moment I'm fascinated by the scientists who developed atomic theory in the late 18th/early 19th centuries (Hi, I'm Rebecca and I'm a geek)), the 80s pop culture (Cyndi Lauper!)?  Actually, I think I'm going to go with one of my favorite authors -- Octavia Butler.  She was a female African-American science fiction writer -- not a very common thing!  Her stories are incredible.  Hard to even describe. Not like standard sci-fi.  She died about 4 years ago (at only 58) and I was SO devastated!  The thought that what I had now from her was it and there would be no more!!  Oh, it still makes me sad.  I re-read her stuff a lot and, every time, I get depressed that she won't be writing anything else.  I would absolutely love to meet her.

Lauren said...

What do you teach, and how did you come to be a teacher?  I teach college chemistry.  My mother would say that I didn't have much choice other than to be a teacher.  Both my mother and step-father were teachers (they now have an educational consulting firm).  I always thought I wanted to go into scientific research.  I didn't know if I wanted to go to grad school or medical school, but I figured I'd be doing "science."  When I was an undergrad, I started tutoring my sophomore year and TAing my junior year.  From that point on, I realized I wanted to teach.  I loved explaining things to students.  I think I was trying to "rebel" before then but my mother always says that she's known I would be a teacher.  I think I've always been one of those people who love gathering new knowledge and then sharing it with other people.  That can be a somewhat annoying trait in a kid.  But, as a grown up, I get paid for it!! ☺  So, now I work at a school where I focus on teaching but also have a research program (environmental, now, not medical) with undergrads on the side. 

Ana said...

Do you like bananas? haha. It has been a long day. Why, yes, I do!  Hated them as a kid but love them, now.  The best banana I ever had was in Costa Rica.  OMG.  It's hard to describe how delicious it was.  It almost actually tasted like the fake banana flavoring they put in things that tastes nothing like real bananas.  Oh, dear, now I'm drooling... 

erika said...

What is your favorite day of the year?  Hmmm....I've been trying to think of an actual "date" but I think "fall" is what keeps coming to me. So, I'm going to say the first day when the crisp bite is in the air in the evening and you can put on a cozy sweatshirt and sleep snuggled up in your blankets with the windows open and a cool breeze.  

erika said...

What makes somebody your best friend?  Wow, what an interesting question!  I think a best friend is the person to whom you can't wait to tell things.  The one who knows everything about you and loves even the ridiculous parts. The one who will tell you when you're being an idiot or overly dramatic about something.  The one who you know everything about.  The one who knows you better than you know yourself.  The one who you think of when you see something they'd like at the store, at a restaurant, in the park, on TV, in the movies.  The one who will drop everything to be there for you (physically and emotionally).  The one who laughs with you and cries with you.  The one who never judges you.  The one who you can see, call, stop by, etc. at any time and who you're always excited to hear from or just see sitting out on your front stoop.  Thank you for this question.  I've loved thinking about it -- it's made me realize just how wonderful it is to have someone like that in my life (my DH is truly my best friend) and who that has been at different stages of my life (it's made me wistful for some of them).  But, it also makes me think about how there are so many people who are like this to me in one way or another -- including some I've never really "met."  And, I'm truly blessed to have that.  (Seriously, I'm crying now.)

erika said...

What are you most proud of in your life?  I think my ability to overcome years of anxiety and self-doubt to become a confident person, move across the country on my own and find a life for myself.  I was always a very anxious, nervous, socially awkward person.  Moving five states away and starting by myself was a huge deal but, by the time I did it, it felt right.  I didn't even think about it being a scary thing to do. When I look back at it now, though, I'm amazed at myself.  I was always so shy and so anxious about interacting with people.  I honestly don't know when it was that I became a confident woman who could interact with strangers and friends alike.  (I used to walk around campus when I was in grad school repeating to myself "I'm a beautiful, strong, intelligent woman" trying to convince myself it was true.)  I got my Ph.D., I traveled the country on interviews where, apparently I came across as very confident and qualified.  I had a large number of job offers and I took the one that put me far away from home but was the best for me professionally.  I've been here more than 8 years, now, and it was the best decision I ever made.  I love my school (except when I hate it...) and, without it, I would have never met my DH.  I think how different my life would be not living in a tiny town in Missouri and I can't even imagine it.  Knowing that I could do that gives me hope that I can make it through IF and come out on the other side happy.

OK, I'm going to pause again and continue tomorrow.  Also, I stepped on a yellow jacket this morning and my toe is throbbing and the Benadryl I took for it is making me woozy.  My DH has been trying to eradicate a nest in our wall for a couple of weeks and I seem to be the one who keeps getting stung, not him.  I've decided that it is for one of two reasons:  a) the yellow jackets are mad at me for not rooting strongly enough for Georgia Tech or b) they're a type of wasp and they won't attack him because he's also a WASP.  ;)  (Sorry, told you about the Benadryl, right?)