inside dog: I'm going to New Orleans tomorrow and all you get is this crappy vlog

So, a lot of people who are going to The Blathering this weekend are doing vlogs to kinda introduce themselves before they arrive. I needed a few minutes to hide from my kids yesterday (and to procrastinate packing) and so I did one too! Thanks for the awkward screengrab, Vimeo. NOT.

Movie on 11-6-12 at 10.48 AM from Manda on Vimeo.

The questions were:

1. Why did you start blogging? I like hearing myself talk. Blah, blah, blah.

2. What's your favorite tv show? I said Parks & Recreation (which is true!) but I also forgot to say The Walking Dead. Even though I watched the most recent episode last night and couldn't fall asleep for like an HOUR afterwards. SO HORRIBLE AND SO SAD.

3. What's your favorite adult beverage? I didn't really answer this. Because I'm not really a big drinker. I spent the last Blathering puking my guts out thanks to food poisoning so I'll be avoiding anything that could mess my stomach up. So. I'll be eating only things that are deep fried (to kill GERMS, obviously. FOR SAFETY) and keeping a bottle of Zofran tucked into my bra the entire weekend. FINGERS CROSSED.

4. Who are you leaving at home? My husband John, my daughter Sydney who is four and my son Elijah who is two. Oh! And grandma and our special friend Lindsay who will be helping with the kids while John works. Also our awful dogs, can't forget them (yes we can)!

5. What are your holiday plans? EAT ALL THE THINGS!

6. Where were you born? Roanoke, VA

7. Best vacation you've ever taken? I gave a lame answer to this question. The Blathering in Sacramento was my favorite trip in recent years. We also went to Santa Barbara as a family about a year ago and I LOVED that trip. We are a roadtrip loving family.

8. Are you better in large or small groups? This question did not get answered. I think my kids were very close to discovering me in my hiding place at this point and I got distracted. I feel like I'm fairly adaptable. I love having fun in a large group and I'm not the kind of person who gets intimidated by public speaking or making announcements to a large group or dancing my face off like a complete fool. But I also love piling on the couch with my buddies and having a serious chat. This is why the Blathering is pretty much the perfect place for me ... I get to do both!

9. Three things attendees might not know about me:
-My house is messy. It just is.
-I once punched a man in the face at a bar in NYC.
-Tacos are my favorite food. DON'T YOU FEEL SO INFORMED?

10. What book are you going to read on the plane? I'm going to finish Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and then move on to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I'll also have Raising Your Spirited Child on my Kindle ... I read a hundred pages of it on my the plane home from The Blathering last year and it was the most encouraging book I've read in a long, long time. I would love to finally finish it.