Cute~Ella Is Bold
While brainstorming about what to write blogs about, I wanted to find a way for my readers to get to know some of the awesome people who I know. The best way I could come up with was an interview series.
Meet my friend Cute~Ella Is Bold. Cute~Ella is a great gal who I met through a social networking group I’m part of. Since we’ve met she’s proven to be a great friend who knows how to listen and can give un-biased advice when it’s needed. So… without further ado – here is Cute~Ella. 🙂
Name: Cute~Ella is Bold
Age: Closing in on 30 faster than my mother would like. (Turning 30 on Saturday!)
Location: Upstate NY. Yes, there is one of those. It’s actually quite large.
Hails From: East Bum-fuck NY – within an hour radius of Oneonta, NY
Relationship Status: Newly not single.
Children: None of my own yet, I’m enjoying letting my friends have turns, planning baby showers and spoiling their kids.
Blog Link: http://cuteellaisbold.wordpress.com
Cute~Ella Is Bold
Occupation: My real job isn’t exciting. It’s supposed to make an impact, but all it really impacts for the most part is my company’s bottom line. Also, I spend a lot of time in bathing suits either teaching midgets not to drown or refining bigger midgets strokes by yelling things like “reach!”. “kick!”, “glide!”, “breathe!” and various other things across the pool.
What is the most challenging part of your job? My real job? Not quitting because I’m bored and need a change…swimming lessons is more like play time, but I’d have to say not getting kicked, flashing boobs when the little ones grab my bathing suit straps and or not getting spit on when they come up for air.
How did you get into blogging? I started blogging in 2004 for no reason I can remember now, then my friend passed away and I found that it was a good distraction and when I needed to get stuff off my chest it was a good way to do so.
Why did you move to the Capital District? I came up for college and for various and sundry reasons, just haven’t left yet.
What thoughts went through your mind when you found our your little brother was getting deployed to Iraq? He was deployed to Iraq in Oct ’08. It was complicated because I was so proud of him and what he was doing, but at the same time I was so scared for him. I eventually put it up to Fate that he was well-trained, focused and that he would be home again. My parents were more worried and I think part of the reason I was alright for the most part was because I was more focused on being there for them coordinating Christmas and my Dad’s retirement party than anything else.
Of course I worried all the time and started crocheting because it was the one thing I could do and not think about what he was doing and where he was. Also, I started working out with a friend and that took my mind off what was going on because she was trying to kick my ass regularly.
I can say though that the training camps and being out of touch for long periods of time helped. Also, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been because we had internet connections on both ends and he and I had a deal that we didn’t have to talk or email, but I had to see that he had logged into My Space on a regular basis or I’d worry more. He’s all about me not worrying.
I know you like crocheting. What is the most complicated project you’ve completed? Haha complicated? I don’t really do complicated. I do hats and scarves and I’m going to do a couple blankets for soon to be arriving bundles of joy. I am going to try making a poncho type thing for my niece. See the problem is, I don’t really know how to read patterns, I just play with different yarns and/or materials and hope for the best!
What’s it like being a swim instructor? Have you ever tried corralling cats? Kidding. I love it. I teach little kids basics and have fun refining older kids strokes. Sometimes it’s wicked stressful but it’s almost always fun. Every time a kid “gets” it, it’s a personal victory. I liked my special needs kids the best, but right now we don’t have a special needs program at the pool I’m at. Also, it’s quite inspiring to know I have to be in a bathing suit so many nights a week…keeps the inner fat chick at bay.
Do you find that kids are well-behaved because they enjoy time in the water? Sometimes. They try to be good for me, but some kids are just rambunctious or are facing other things that make it difficult. After 15 years of doing this, frankly, if no one drowns and we all learn something new, then I consider it a good day. I had some kids years ago we’ll call Igor and Namanja (because those are their actual names) and they were terrible. If we could make it through a class without they punching each other, trying to hold the other ones head under water or kicking each other in the junk then it was a seriously successful day. They were hands down the worst children I had ever met. I have often wondered what was going on to make them act out like that
How large are your classes? Up to 8 kids at a time. If I have more than 6 they give me a helper. My current one is awesome, but I fear that he will realize how good he is and want his own class. Then they’ll give me someone new to break in.
What do you do if you get a bad kid? There are no “bad” kids. I have kids that misbehave, kids that are going through a lot of changes in their life outside of class, kids who don’t want to be there, and kids who have trouble paying attention. When they misbehave they get a warning, if they do it again they have to sit out of the pool, and after that if they do it again they get out for the day. I’ve only had to tell one parent in my current program that if their kid doesn’t get better at listening/behaving then they can not return next session. The parent took it well because at this point, they’re just wasting money.
Cute~Ella Is Bold
What book has had an impact on how you think about life? Oh gosh, so many books! I don’t even know where to start. PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern hit home hard. When I read it, I had just lost a dear friend of mine/ex-boyfriend to complications from his lung replacement and it was just a really meaningful book to read right then and there. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss when I was little and it really did help form an opinion of “different is ok or even good” at an early age, my Intro to Semiotics class book in college – it really changed my view on word usage, and then a book in college about how a message is affected by the media used and mode of communication. That was really fun to play with. An example of this is the song “Good Riddance“, by Green Day. it’s a song we all know and most of us have loved or at least even liked, but if you read the lyrics with any degree of anger it’s not a happy goodbye, it’s the ultimate F*ck You. (You might only know the song by it’s secondary title of “Time of Your Life”.)
I’m working in Ishmael by Daniel Quinn right now. It’s about a Gorilla who has the meaning of life. I try to take something meaningful/educational from every book I read. Even the trashy novels. It might not be the message the author intended, but I get something out of it all.
I just finished reading Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. It’s religious satire at it’s finest. The writer is either drunk, stoned or crazy – or some combination of the three. (and I say that with the utmost admiration and respect for his talents.)
What do you worry about? I am a worrier by nature. I want my friends and family to be happy, healthy and loved. I worry about my parents, my siblings, my friends and their troubles and about finding a new job before I go completely nutso here. I worry that I don’t have it in me to make it through the next year with my guy, but I’ll find a way… I worry about money, if I’m eating the right food, if my car is going to die. Maybe worry isn’t the right word for some of it, but there’s a lot of passing concern and thought.
What do you miss most about your childhood? The only thing I miss about my childhood is the simplicity and reading by the pool every day all summer while I life-guarded (rarely had patrons). I don’t want to go back and relive high-school, I wasn’t a typical kid. My parents divorced when I was really little and I had a more adult role from about the age of 5. I was then raising my kid sister (we have different moms) at 14 on weekends… my parents actually considered letting me take the GED and leave high-school to start college at 16.
Cute~Ella Is Bold
What’s a goal in your life you have yet to accomplish? Figuring out what I want to do with the rest of my life. I’m not sure I’ll ever figure that out to tell you the truth. Right now my goals include saving 6 months worth of living expenses, making sure my friends, family, and new guy know how much I care about them, finding a job that I like more, working on the 101 in 1,001 Days, and finding a way to relax on vacation. I don’t do relaxed very well. 😦
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The Weekly Re-cap: You saw my Boston Self Portrait and Breakfast In Bed With Bella. I told you about Holy Cow: The Best Ice Cream In The World and My Yummy Salad. Bella’s friend Tequila came for a visit and I’ve had a couple sad days 😦
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