Spotlight on MrsKatie! « Back to Group Discussions

[seraf]

Fill in the blank

Hi! My name is _____. I am ______ years old. ______ and I have been together for ______ years. We have _______ kids and ______ pets. If I was at my favorite restaurant right now I would order _____ but we will actually be having _______ for dinner tonight. When I work for pay I ______.When I am home with the kids my favorite part of the day is _____. My hobbies and interests include _____, _______ and ______.


Favorite

Music:
Movie:
Book:
Season:
Household chore:
Cause:
Diaper:
Baby carrier:


If you could change one thing about _____, what would it be?

The world?
Your house?
Your parenting?
Your life?


What would your best friends say is your best feature?
If a genie gave you three wishes what would you ask for?
Do you have any pet peeves?
Where would you go on a dream vacation?
Where is the best place you've been?

[MrsKatie]

Hi! My name is _Katie_. I am _29 (almost 30!)_ years old. __Paddy__ and I have been together for _4__ years. We have ___1____ kids and ___0___ pets. If I was at my favorite restaurant right now I would order _everything off the friggin' menu at Asmara, an Ethiopian restaurant -- or all the vegan stuff at India Palace buffet_ but we will actually be having _???_ for dinner tonight. When I work for pay I _am an Early Intervention Specialist__.When I am home with the kids my favorite part of the day is _first thing in the morning, or after a long nap, when KJ is super smiley and cheerful__. My hobbies and interests include ___playing piano, running, journaling, and dancing to music.

Favorite

Music: RADIOHEAD IS THE BEST BAND OF ALL TIME.  Followed closely (maybe even tied?) with the Beatles.

I love lots of electronic music (NOT techno) like Aphex Twin, the Knife, Fever Ray, Amon Tobin, Squarepusher, Modeselektor, Kraftwork, Boards of Canada, Mum, Venetian Snares, Ovuca, DJ Krush.

I love Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, and Hot Chip.

I love The Cure and Johnny Cash and Four Tet.
I love hip hop and drum and bass like Outkast, Eminem (seriously), anything by Timbaland or Dr Dre, dieselboy, M.I.A. (omg omg omg), Prefuse 73, and Missy Elliott.

I love Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Beirut, Ratatat and The Temper Trap.

I also love classical music.  I studied classical piano for 20 years, and I was a piano teacher for a few years before I went back to graduate school. I am partial to Bach and Brahms.

This list could go on forever.  What I've mentioned represents approximately 1% of all the music I love. This song and video is one of my favorite things ever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F-CpE73o2M

Movie: The Muppets Christmas Carol. Dead Man, Donnie Darko, The Jerk, O Brother Where Art Thou?, and many others.

Book: The Count of Monte Cristo, The Giving Tree.
Season: I get excited for them all.
Household chore: It's a tie between laundry (minus the folding and putting away part) and dishes (minus the drying and putting away part).  So ultimately neither goes over too well.
Cause: Veganism and Animal Rights.  Veganism, to me, is not a way of eating, it is an ethical imperative.  I am deeply passionate about it.

Diaper: the cloth prefolds from my diaper service (thanks, mom and dad!)
Baby carrier: Tie between my Boba and my Kangaroo Korner fleece sling.


If you could change one thing about _____, what would it be?

The world? World Peace. Between individuals as well as between countries. Not very creative, but I really can't think of anything more important.

Your house? I'd have one.

Your parenting? I'd be articulate and calm, and stand up for myself with confidence and conviction, when defending and explaining my parenting choices.  Even when it's to someone whose approval means the world to me (my mom).

Your life? I'd release all my anxiety and rumination.  I'd forgive my younger self for my behavior.  I'd stop dwelling on the past.


What would your best friends say is your best feature? My compassion, my empathy, and my sense of humor.

If a genie gave you three wishes what would you ask for? I'd only need one hour of sleep every night.  Everyone on the planet would be vegan (and have enough food, too, duh). Everyone I love would live remarkably long, exceptionally healthy lives.

Do you have any pet peeves?  Weak handshakes, one-armed hugs.

Where would you go on a dream vacation? Ireland

Where is the best place you've been? Kauai

Edited by MrsKatie - 4/12/12 at 7:47pm

[jbk21]

I know we got a good glimpse of what you love, but don't think you can get away with not answering this! "My hobbies and interests include _____, _______ and ______."


Also, what top life lessons have you learned?

What is your favorite quality of your DH as a father?  A husband?

If you could go back to school to study anything at all, what would it be?

Celeb crush (because I always ask!)?!?!

 

[MrsKatie]

Good questions, J!
 

Top life lessons?  Man.  What came to my mind first is that I can't save other people from their own lives.  I've tried to save one too many messy people from themselves and their poor choices, and I have realized after a lot of pain and heartache that you can give advice, you can lend support, but you cannot do the hard work for anybody but yourself.  I can have empathy for other people's pain, but I'm not responsible for it.

I'm sure there's more, and I'll keep thinking about this one.  It's really good.

As for Paddy, if I have to choose one favorite quality about him as a father, it's his patience and tenderness with KJ.  No matter what time of day or night it is, no matter how terrible his mood is or how exhausted he is, he always talks so sweetly to KJ and is endlessly patient with her.  He always gives her big smiles and tells her how much he loves her, and talks to her softly.  I love that.  He also always takes over when I need him, no hesitation or questions asked.

As a husband... I really don't know where to start.  I truly believe that Paddy is the best person on the planet.  He is unfailingly honest, kind, tender, and understanding.  He gives sage advice and listens to me vent and cry to no end.  Even when I'm venting and crying about him or his family members, he listens quietly, holds my hand, and talks calmly to me.  He does all the chores I don't want to do.  He supports me 100% always.  I can't say enough about him, he is my best friend in the world, and he always, ALWAYS makes me feel better when I'm upset.  He trusts me and always follows my parenting instincts and choices.  He puts me and KJ above the wants and needs of anybody else.  He is brilliant at having those tough, honest conversations with people that others are too uncomfortable to have.  Ah I could talk forever about him!

If I could go back to school to study anything, it would be theater.

Celeb crush? Tyson Beckford.  OMG.

[TalkToMeNow]

Originally Posted by MrsKatie 

Cause: Veganism and Animal Rights.  Veganism, to me, is not a way of eating, it is an ethical imperative.  I am deeply passionate about it.

Your life? I'd release all my anxiety and rumination.  I'd forgive my younger self for my behavior.  I'd stop dwelling on the past

Between you and J, I'm going to end up being a vegan soon. 

Also, love the second part. I can so relate... forgiving and ending the dwelling... why is it so hard?

I have no idea who Tyson Beckford is...

Are you planning to go back to work anytime soon?

I studied piano from the time I was 8 to 20. My initial major in college was piano performance. 

[jbk21]

I found the transition from vegetarian (for 4 years) to vegan to be very easy Amanda! 

Katie, would you or have you ever thought about doing theatre just for fun?

 

[TalkToMeNow]

Thanks for the info, J! 

Katie, how are you feeling about turning 30?

[MrsKatie]

Originally Posted by TalkToMeNow 

Between you and J, I'm going to end up being a vegan soon. 

Also, love the second part. I can so relate... forgiving and ending the dwelling... why is it so hard?

I have no idea who Tyson Beckford is...

Are you planning to go back to work anytime soon?

I studied piano from the time I was 8 to 20. My initial major in college was piano performance. 

GOOGLE. TYSON. BECKFORD.

If you decide to go vegan, you will love it.  When I went vegan I finally felt in tune with my true self, and in harmony with all those animals I love so much.  How could I call myself an animal lover, or an environmentalist, when I consumed animal products?  I'd felt like a hypocrite, taking my dogs/cats/rats/etc to the vet and taking such good care of them while participating in the enslavement and abuse of cows/pigs/chickens/etc.  But I could go on about this all day.  The point is that I think you'd love being vegan!

And as for going back to work, I have no plans.  Becoming a mother has made it much more difficult to work with special needs children.  My heart feels too raw.  I worked with many children with terminal illnesses (heart failure, leukemia, etc).  At the time, I felt empathy and compassion for them and their parents, but now?  I don't think I could remain professional.  I think I'd just hold them and cry.  I don't know when/if that will change.

Also, I love, love, LOVE being home with KJ.  Paddy is happy with this setup and we want more kids (he wants them like RIGHT NOW and I'm thinking not for another 3+ years!) so I might be a SAHM for quite some time.

I love that you are a pianist, too!  I studied for a year at a music conservatory (Schola Cantorum) in Paris, and played concerts.  I am still in awe that I got to do that!
 

Originally Posted by jbk21 

Katie, would you or have you ever thought about doing theatre just for fun?

 

Actually, yes, I recently decided I'm going to seek out a community theater and do some acting for fun.  The tough thing is that I'm most interested in film cause I like the more subtle, nuanced acting required there, rather than the larger-than-life acting of live theater, kwim?  But I spent many years trying to talk myself out of acting, like I didn't "really" want to do that. I guess it felt risky. But I do want to! I love it!

Originally Posted by TalkToMeNow 

Katie, how are you feeling about turning 30?

Oh gosh, I feel lots of things about turning 30.  Mostly I feel excited.  My 20s were full of many wonderful things, but there were also a lot of... not-so-wonderful things.  A lot of trauma.  I'm ready for a new chapter, and I feel like 30 is very significant.  And very good.

At the same time, I struggle with anxiety over the passage of time. On the one hand, the alternative to getting older is dying, so why not embrace getting older?  On the other hand, getting older is bringing with it the anxiety over stuff like my parents aging and, eventually, dying. I am terrified of losing my parents.  I can't even think about it without getting hysterical.  I also am so obsessed with KJ at this age and I want to treasure it, treasure it, treasure it.  I don't want to feel like I wasted any time, or took anything for granted, you know?

[jbk21]

Originally Posted by MrsKatie 

If you decide to go vegan, you will love it.  When I went vegan I finally felt in tune with my true self, and in harmony with all those animals I love so much.  How could I call myself an animal lover, or an environmentalist, when I consumed animal products?  I'd felt like a hypocrite, taking my dogs/cats/rats/etc to the vet and taking such good care of them while participating in the enslavement and abuse of cows/pigs/chickens/etc.  But I could go on about this all day.  The point is that I think you'd love being vegan!

[LunaLady]

Katie, we have an almost identical taste in music!!! I love that!!! That video you linked by Fever Ray... that was like my anthem last summer. I listened to it every day when I was pregnant. And The Knife's 'Heartbeats' OMG LOVE. Have you heard Jesca Hoop??? Give this a listen if you haven't, it's amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT1lsEsjU5M&ob=av2e Turn the bass up if you can, it has a really deep heart thudding bass line that I love. 

I hadn't heard of Tyson Beckford before... but he's pretty yummy! 

So tell me, what's your favorite meal? 

What are you most proud of in your life?

How do you think becoming a mother has changed you?

How many kids do you and Paddy want to have?

How did you meet Paddy? Is he Irish?

[MrsKatie]

Christina - I CAN NOT get sick of "Heartbeats."  I have listened to that song obsessively for the last few years!
 

Thanks for that link - I hadn't heard of her! I put on Paddy's good headphones and turned up the volume. AWESOME.  Do you listen to Passion Pit, too?  I listened to "Manners" obsessively the last few weeks of my pregnancy.

My favorite meal? Oh gosh.  Probably Indian Buffet.  Like Aloo Gobi and saffron rice.  I get crazy cravings for Indian Buffet.  CRAZY.  But I also love sushi like crazy and crave that, too.  I guess I have lots of favorite meals...

I had a lot of outrageously unhealthy habits/coping mechanisms with which I struggled for many, many years.  Overcoming those is a source of extreme pride for me.  Otherwise, I am most proud of my parenting.  KJ makes it easy, too, but I love who I am with her.

Becoming a mother has opened my heart, on a profound level, to all the other mothers on the planet.  I feel connected to all the other moms, babies, and children out there in an intense way.  It's a blessing, but it also feels like a raw spot in my heart, in that I can't hear painful stories about babies/children/moms without absorbing that pain myself.  It's like my heart has no defenses anymore.  I think that's been the most intense change I've experienced since I had KJ.

I don't know how many kids Paddy and I want to have!  At least one more, but after that, who knows?

Paddy and I met at a dive bar in Oakland, CA.  My friend dragged me out one random Sunday night, and I was totally dressed down and ready for bed before she finally convinced me to meet her.  The bar had an amazing jukebox so I ended up staying much longer than I'd planned.  Good thing, cause Paddy showed up at like midnight with some buddies.  They had just come from a wedding where there were no single women, and they were dressed to the nines.  He was sitting at the bar and introduced himself.  The rest, as they say, is history!