Last week I stumbled on Vogue’s 73 Questions segment on The Scene. A reporter asks a celebrity 73 random questions on their lives within 6 minutes. I watched Anna Wintour’s interview and became intrigued by the premise. I thought I’d feature some of my answers to the same questions as answered by Sarah Jessica Parker as a fun exercise for Friday (of course, I put my own spin on the questions and for obvious reasons some of the questions don’t apply) Here goes:
1. How long have you been in the area? 5 years
2. What’s your favorite season in Arizona? Winter
3. What’s your favorite activity in Arizona? Hiking
4. Would you ever leave Arizona? Maybe
5. What are three words to describe living in Arizona? Serene, quiet and gritty
6. What’s your favorite movie? The Curious Life of Benjamin Button
7. Favorite movie in past five years? Blue Jasmine
8. Favorite Hitchcock film? Don’t have one
9. Favorite TV show that’s currently on? House of Cards
10. What’s a book you plan on reading? The Light You Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
11. A book you read in school that positively shaped you? Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
12. A book you read in school that you never think of? Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
13. On a scale of one to ten how excited are you about life right now? 7
14. iPhone or Android? iPhone
15. Twitter or Instagram? Twitter
16. Vine or Snapchat? Neither
17. Who should EVERYONE be following right now? Humans of N.Y.
18. What’s the coolest thing in your office? Vintage teapot that a friend gave me
19. What’s your favorite downtown restaurant? Cibo
20. What’s your favorite food? Pani-puri
21. Least favorite food? Food that is overpriced
22. What do you love on your pizza? Jalapeños and pineapples
23. Favorite drink? Coca-Cola
24. Favorite dessert? Any kind of ice cream
25. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Milk chocolate
26. Weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten? Seaweed
27. What’s the hardest part about being a mom? Time’s passage
28. What’s your favorite band? Coldplay
29. Favorite solo artist? Tori Amos
30. Favorite lyrics? Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through for you
31. If your life were a song, what would the title be? What a Wonderful World
32. If you could sing a duet with anyone, who would it be? Tori Amos
33. If you could master one instrument, what would it be? Piano
34. If you had a tattoo, where would it be? On my ankle
35. To be or not to be? To be
36. What’s Oprah like in person? Obviously this question doesn’t apply.
37. What number of question was this? #37
38. Dogs or cats? Neither
39. Kittens or puppies? Neither
40. Dolphins or koalas? Koalas
41. Bird-watching or whale-watching? Whale watching
42. What’s your spirit animal? elephant
43. Best gift you’ve ever received? my daughter
44. Last gift you gave a friend? book
45. A person you want to have coffee with? Joan Didion
46. A historical figure you’d love to have coffee with? Gandhi
47. How do you like your coffee? With cream and agave
48. Can I play a note on this piano? Doesn’t Apply
49. What’s your favorite curse word? F
50. What’s your favorite board game? Monopoly
51. What’s your favorite country to visit? France
52. What’s the last country you visited? Canada
53. What country do you wish to visit? Spain
54. What do you see in this imageright here? Doesn’t apply
55. Can you write down your favorite word that starts and ends with the same vowel? evoke
56. What’s your favorite color? Blue
57. Least favorite color? Yellow
58. What color dress did you wear to your prom? Blue
59. Diamonds or pearls? Neither
60. Cheap shampoo or expensive? Reasonably priced
61. Blow-dry or air-dry? Blow-dry
62. Heels or flats? flats
63. Can you give an impersonation of someone? No
64. Can you do the same impersonation with a British accent? No
65. My friend outside this window would love to ask you a question? Doesn’t Apply
66. [Holding two different colored dresses] Which should I give my girlfriend? Doesn’t Apply
67. Pilates or yoga? Yoga
68. Jogging or swimming? Jogging
69. Best way to decompress? Reading a book
70. If you had one superpower, what would it be? Curing illness
71. Can you describe an experience you felt most nervous? First court hearing as a lawyer
72. What’s the weirdest word in the English language? flubber
73. Last question: Is this the strangest interview you’ve ever had? Doesn’t Apply
What are some of your answers to these questions? Fun exercise! I recommend everyone to try it.
Image:“3/366: There are years that ask questions and years that answer” by theunquietlibrarian
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too.
Wow, I thought it would be a thicker read but these questions and answers flowed!
I’d have to hear about winter in Arizona. In New England.. it’s dark and endless.
I love ice cream, Humans of NY and Tori Amos too.
I would love to play piano too. Very much.
Tamara: It surprised me that the live interviews weren’t cumbersome, but enjoyable. I learned so much about SJP and Anna Wintour from these questions. They were also quite fun for me to answer as well.
I loved this!! Definitely put it in queue to do on my own blog sometime. Thanks for the inspiration!! I just finished reading the audio version of All The Light We Cannot See. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks, Paula. Hope you have a chance to do this meme. It is really is a lot of fun.
Interesting read, Rudri. Regular readers of your blog will definitely know that #37 and 70 would be your answers!!
Thanks, Luanne. I usually steer away from these kind of memes, but this one proved to be enjoyable as well as insightful.
What a fun questionnaire this is!
I also saw Blue Jasmine recently. Verrrry interesting and entertaining. (Loved your response to your least favorite food!)
Your #72 made me laugh! (Flubber, indeed.) And your superpower would be pretty fantastic.
Now about those flats… (Not even a little kitten heel?)
Thanks, Wolf. I had fun answering these questions.
I know how much you love heels. . . of course, when the occasion calls for it, I do wear them too.
See I’d prefer swimming! Android, Android, Android – the iPhone OS sucks and I find it lacking imagination! I think Coldplay is awesome! 🙂 I love where I live too (South of DC) and don’t plan to ever leave the area; it’s outstanding here. Haha I love both diamonds and pearls – tasteful ones of course. Great questions and answers Rudri! Have a great one -Iva
This was so fun to read and quick. It is crazy that this can be a 6-minute interview.
My favorite band is Switchfoot. A few months ago, I switched from coffee to tea, but I used to drink my coffee black. I love Pride and Prejudice. I just bought two half gallons of ice cream this morning – coffee and chocolate – I eat ice cream almost every day. I live just west of D.C., and I’d move out of this boring burb in a heartbeat (I do like my home – if I could pick it up and move it, that would be perfect). I preferred Philadelphia. My favorite Hitchcock movie might be “Rope” and my favorite T.V. show is Survivor. I am looking forward to the return of The Walking Dead and Homeland. I also love Game of Thrones. I haven’t watched House of Cards, yet.
Have a great week, Rudri 🙂
I’d read this last week but didn’t have a chance to respond. This was fun! And I think you were very clever to come up with some of these answers, like the one for the weirdest word in the English language. I will definitely need to think about that one…Also, we have quite a bit in common, from iPhone to flats to yoga to neither dogs nor cats, ha ha. From childhood through my teens I wanted so much to be a doctor so that I could have the power to heal. It didn’t end up being in the cards for me because I realized I was no scientist. But I can understand that desire to want to heal (and I am sure that yours is rooted in your personal experience).
Fun!!