Tonight I had the exclusive rights to a candid one-on-one interview with my wife of 841 splendid days… Lauren! She preferred to do the style of interview where she responds to the answers aloud and I attempt to type them in real-time, so hopefully I quoted her correctly. Let’s hear what this sassy little newly gainfully employed Texas citizen has on her mind!
1. Hello Lauren, how are you today?
LPG: “I’m good. I’m good. A little bit of acid reflux right now, but otherwise I’m doing great!”
2. I’m sure the biggest question on everyone’s minds is unanimous: how you are liking your new job?
LPG: “It’s really good! It’s hard to tell quite… I’ve only been there a week, I haven’t done all that much actual work just yet. It’s been a lot of training including two days in a store this week which I’m excited for. But it seems like a great company and a great team and I’m excited to be there.”
3. What was it like spending your days at home job hunting?
LPG: “It was… good… I had the beagle to keep me company and I kept him company. We kept each other busy and out of trouble for the most part. But I was very tired of job searching and I’m happy to have found a place that appears to be a good fit. Hopefully Baxter will come to agree with me that it’s for the best that I’m not home with him all day.”
4. Some locals here seem very baffled as to why you’d willingly take a bus to work over driving. What would you say to these people?
LPG: “I am baffled that they would think it is so unusual. I walk less than a block to the stop in the morning to take the bus for 45 minutes where I can stare off into space, read, play Sudoku on my phone, whatever I want to do. I then walk a few blocks to work. The only bad part is the walk back to the bus stop in the evening uphill, but that only increases my workout. Then I sit and do whatever I want for 45 minutes and walk home! Plus I dont have the stress of sitting in that terrible traffic on Mopac. But it will be challenging when that weather gets really hot. The locals should be thanking me for taking that one more car off the road. I think it will be a very positive experience for us.”
5. Your new job calls for up to 20% travel to a few southern states. Are you excited to hit the road for the first time as a career woman?
LPG: “I am excited! I will be going out to about half the new store openings in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma in this position. Each trip will be about a week long. I’m excited to see new parts of the country and bond with my team and have an adventure. I’m sure there will come a time when I will not look forward to the travel, but right now it seems very exciting and I’m happy for the adventure!”
6. How do you feel about 70s in January as we experienced today? Do you miss snow, ice, and cold at all?
LPG: “Right now I don’t miss the cold and snow. I’m sure if we continue to live in Texas I’ll miss picturesque winter mornings snuggling up in my house all nice and cozy, but I cannot complain about the amazing temperatures like we had today.”
7. Do you think getting a beagle was a good idea? Do you worry about Baxter being left at home all alone most every day?
LPG: “I do think it was a good idea, and yes, I do worry about him being home alone. There are times that I think ‘ugh, getting a dog was such an inconvenience,’ but he brings such joy to our lives. I just hope he gets over tearing up our carpet so we won’t be held responsible for all the damage.”
8. What are some of your favorite local Austin things to do, and what Austin things would you most like to show future out-of-town visitors?
LPG: “Hmmm… well number one has to be Torchy’s (a taco restaurant), you know how I love Torchy’s. There’s so much good food here and the weather is so perfect in the winter; I look forward to being able to walk around downtown and around the lake and taking future visitors to the world famous Salt Lick BBQ restaurant. There are lots of good hiking trails and great outdoorsy thing to do here. I’m sure we’ll have no problems finding things to do with out-of-town guests.”
9. Tonight is the grandest majesty in all of sport: the NFL Pro Bowl. Any thoughts on the game, or next week’s Super Bowl?
LPG: “I predict that various players will throw and catch the ball, others will run with the ball, and history will be made. As far as the Super Bowl, I always enjoy it no matter who’s playing. It’s a great time to get together with friends, eat junk food, drink a few beers, and mourn the end of the season for another year. But I’m not particularly pleased with the teams that made it to the championship this year.”
10. Some folks out there may have visited your new blog dedicated to your current cooking and knitting endeavors. Are there any interesting projects in the works right now?
LPG: “It’s not just for knitting and cooking! But I should finish a navy blue sweater for Baxter the beagle today, so expect to see photos up soon. I made it a little extra large for him as I expect him to get chunkier with age, so it may not be worn until the fall. Sometime this year I hope to knit [Ryan] a sweater; he just needs to tell me what pattern he wants and I’ll go pick out the yarn.”
11. What do you miss most about living in Minneapolis?
LPG: “I miss the location of our apartment, it was very central to so many fun things. I miss my family most of all though.”
12. Nick Sandbulte of Eden Prairie, Minnesota asks this question to you: Why would you go to college in Canada?
LPG: “I didn’t go to college in Canada, I went to university.”
13. Well thanks for joining us today Lauren. Last question: what is the best current show on TV these days?
LPG: “Breaking Bad. I really enjoyed watching [the first four seasons].”
Ryan Glanzer Blog 