This Q&A blog was originally published on April 28th, 2014.
How's it going my gumdrops? As you already know, I mentioned last week, that I would publish my Q&A blog today on It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns. Here are the questions, that I've answered:
Mimikoko's Question: I was always curious about your Asian Studies. I fell head over heals in love with girlie J pop a few years ago and, a while later, with K pop. I was wondering how it was you came into Asian Studies and if you have managed to use any part of that in your daily activities or making a living.
Answer: I was exposed to Japanese in 6th grade. My middle school teachers taught 6th graders different languages each quarter.
Once I started taking Japanese, I loved it. Japanese is a great challenge and a unique language.
I took my 1st entire year of Japanese in 7th grade and I continued all throughout high school. Some of my high school classmates labeled me "The Curve Breaker" because I almost always broke our classroom's curve.
Not that my peers couldn't learn Japanese. They reveled in being self-entitled, juvenile delinquents and making our teachers cry.
They were such terrors, that our teachers annually quit. My classmates did this non-stop for 5 years (7th-11th grade). By the time of my senior year, Japanese was removed from my high school. However, I took the initiative to contact 1 of our Japanese teachers and I took Japanese as an Independent Study.
During my adolescence, I wanted to become a Japanese Consecutive Translator/Creative Writer.
I took Spanish, German, and Japanese, during my college years. However, I always excelled in Japanese. I attended 3 colleges by the time I was 20 years old. At 20, I became a Radio DJ and hosted my own college radio show (All Things Frightening), while attending UW-Parkside full-time and Carthage College part-time, simultaneously.
Then, I completely transferred to Carthage College for the Japanese Major. At the last minute, I was forced to change my major to Asian Studies because the Japanese Major required students to study abroad for 6-12 months. I could not afford to study abroad.
During that time, we had 2 deaths in my immediate family, my grandmother had a Triple Heart Bypass Surgery, and I acquired a severe bleeding disorder, which I have been cured of these last 3 years.
Anyway, having an Asian Studies Degree, I can become an Academic Advisor, Journalist, Writer, Teacher, Translator, work in Sociology, Politics, and even Media. It really depends on what he/she wants to do with a degree in Asian Studies.
In addition to learning the Japanese language, I learned about Japanese and Asian cultures and religions. IL has more Japanese people and companies than here in WI, which puts me at a disadvantage.
Regardless, I can still use my Asian Studies Degree, since I learned about other Asians, their histories, cultures, religions, architectures, and art.
Victor Da Silva's Questions:
1) What are your thoughts on the actor, who plays TOM (Steve Blum) from the animation block, Toonami? Had you ever heard of him outside of shows you like? If so, do you have a personal agenda against him or had you not seen the shows he was on, aside from the elephant in the room, Cowboy Bebop? Have you ever met him at an Anime convention in your area or were you too busy with other things?
Answer: I have nothing against Steven Jay Blum. I like and respect him as a voice actor. No, I have never met him or attended any conventions.
I didn't know, who Blum was until Scryed aired on Adult Swim, 10 years ago. Back then, I was in college and barely had time, much less privacy.
I never liked Cowboy Bebop and I still cannot understand the hype. Steven Jay Blum has voiced many characters over the years. I miss him as Orochimaru on Naruto and Naruto Shippuden.
2) If you were to unintentionally meet Jason DeMarco in real life and had one thing to say, what would you tell him and why do you need to see him face to face?
Answer: I don't need to see Jason DeMarco in person. I can take or leave him. However, if I bumped into him, I would ask, "Will you ever acknowledge your female audience again, or are you going to keep ignoring as being a part of your viewer ratings?"
Marie Moore's Question: Why don't you put up any pictures of yourself?
Answer: This has been a common question over these last 3 years. I have endured trolls, cyber stalkers, opportunists, and creeps on social networking sites and forums within the last 2-4 years.
In fact, 4 years ago, I belonged to SOAPnet's General Hospital sub-forum. A troll, who has Fibromyalgia, had the audacity to make a mock prayer thread about my disabled mother. This was literally 1 day after my mother was released from the hospital.
My mother collapsed from strong medication, that her quack doctor prescribed and had a seizure. Not only that, but the poster also accused me of having a Facebook account.
Her friend IMPERSONATED me on Facebook and claimed, that I insulted that troll with Fibromyalgia behind her back.
4 years ago, I didn't have a Facebook account. I did NOT make my account, until 3 years ago. It was originally to reconnect with high school friends and classmates, since our 10-year class reunion was approaching. I purposely use my high school pseudonym and pre-blocked past trolls, stalkers, slanderers, high school bullies, frenemies, opportunists, cat callers, womanizers, exes, and simply people I can't stand.
I bet I have 1,000 people on my block list.
I especially endure cat callers and random creeps inboxing me for nudie pics, cyber sex, etc. Besides, I am not somebody, who requires a gajillion selfies, and I'm surely not desperately seeking validation about my sexiness like most people (typically women) today.
Since the time I was a teenager, I always hid from cameras. My birth name is on my Horror-Punks URL. Yesterday, some creep on Vivaldi.net cat called my old Yahoo avatar.
Jesse Steele's Question: Have you ever met any famous people in real life? If so, who are they?
Answer: Yes, I've met Elaine Browne (a former Black Panther) and Charlie Murphy (Eddie Murphy's brother).
The Dave Chappelle cast was at Carthage College doing their stand-up comedian tour, 10 years ago.
Also, Def Comedy Jam's Tony Tone did a skit about me 8 years ago, in his stand-up.
He joked about my Demonia boots. My boots have a Steampunk/Fetish Goth appearance. Tone called me "Bigfoot from Wauwatosa" and claimed, that me and my college female friend could supposedly end the war in Iraq with her hat and my boots.
The month after we met Tony Tone, we met Eric Nieves. Because his show was just before Valentine's Day my college senior year, he asked us women in the audience what qualities we looked for in men. I shouted, "HE'S GOTTA HAVE ALL HIS TEETH!!!" Eric did a spit take of his water on stage, while laughing at me.
I have met several comedians, political, and public figures in person. I almost met Jamie Kennedy my college senior year but my guy friend made me late.
I waited for my friend to return to campus, before Jamie did his stand-up. I was early for the stand-up but it was too late to meet him, before his show.
Thepowerman187's Question: In less than 700 words or so, tell us why you write the stories you do?
Answer: I write short stories that I believe other readers would be interested in reading. Some stories are about my past experiences, as well as other people's. I even add some twists to my stories to make them more appealing.
The more I think about it, my work is mostly for the young adult audience, who enjoy reading Semi-Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Horror, and Thriller.
My grandmother nitpicks about my non-"Christian" short stories because she's more of a Legalistic Christian. Meanwhile, my mother doesn't really care about what I write, as long as it's entertaining.
isolateX's Question: I notice you have more than one account to put out your work and recruit followers. What is your goal concerning all these accounts (not sure how many you have)? Is it to get your writing recognized? Will you be making another account like It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns or are you just satisfied with that one? Also, do you have any books written?
Answer: Please read It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns' main page. I explain more about myself and my chapbook.
I have multiple accounts and It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns is mostly for writing exposure. I don't have all my stories shared on here. Although, I do have "Across The Street" posted on my "Horror/Thriller" page.
Only members can read it. My blogs are mostly public. Meanwhile, I don't plan on making another website, right now. I spend 8 HOURS managing It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns alone.
Anonymous Questions:
1) If you were dating someone, and one of your former friends was harassing them, would you tell them to back off, even if your partner had already blocked them? Would you still tell them to back off just to basically show your support to your partner?
Answer: Yes, I would. I would also block the frenemy afterward.
The block list is my biggest Cyber BFF. It's also what I like to call my Cyber Shit List. I have more people on my block list than I do "friends." I don't care to be everyone's friend. This is especially when there are so many crybabies and temperamental flakes online.
2) Would you continue to date someone even if you loved them but your personalities constantly clashed and you felt unfulfilled at times?
Answer: No, I have done the toxic relationships too many times, when I was in my 20's.
The constant fighting and dating somebody with jealousy issues is exhausting. That's not including dating someone, who's lifestyle, views, and interests are completely incompatible. The whole "opposites attract" is a myth.
If opposites really attract, why are there so many people, who are divorced and/broken up today?
People DON'T have to date someone, who is exactly like them but if their lifestyles, views, personalities, and interests always clash, it's exceedingly rare, that those relationships will be long lasting.
3) What are your biggest pet peeves?
Answer: I could make a laundry list of my pet peeves. I am notorious for my complaints around family and old college friends. What's been annoying me most recently are a few things:
1. I'm tired of dealing with people, who are my friends on Monday. Then, on Tuesday, they're not only because I said something they dislike.
2. This somewhat applies to people, who get defensive about something incredibly petty and
3. people, who love being in denial about their own pasts or what their asshole friends have said and/done.
Regardless if it has nothing to do with me, people really need to stop sweeping everything under the rug and acknowledge their faults. NOBODY is perfect, but it does not mean we should NOT acknowledge our own faults.
4. Pretending to support me and my website. If readers choose NOT to join my website, that's their personal right. They're always welcome to visit the Guestbook on It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns.
At the same time, false supporters should NOT be surprised, when I do NOT support their views, hobbies, lifestyles, attend their events, "Like" every selfie (whether they are drunk or sober in it) they post online, and whatever else they say or do.
5. People drunk dialing and/or inboxing me and expect me to not be aggravated. I hated whenever boozehounds drunk dialed me in college, when I was in the middle of sleeping.
It is even more obnoxious now, that I am in my 30's and there are boozehounds (usually men) inboxing and arguing with me online, while I am in the middle of doing something and have already been warned.
I don't care how drunk they are. It only shows me and other people, that they can't handle their own liquor and/or lives.
Then, after their family, friends, co-workers, bosses, etc. lose respect for them, they want to whine.
Whenever I drank, I was NEVER drunk. At the most, I was buzzed. Most people today only drink just to have an excuse to get drunk and rely on their liquid courage to say what they really feel about something or someone. I don't waste time dealing with drunken, cowardly, zombies.
This is it for Q&A blog #1. Stay tuned for the next Q&A!
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