Molly
Thursday, 7 Jan 2010
I have decided that with enough house guests making a stop on our couch often enough, and with this blog being updated rarely enough, I will start interviewing whatever guests we have come our way. It also gives me an opportunity to learn to use the camera that Amanda was nice enough to loan me. And to procrastinate from doing actual schoolwork.
Molly was a good enough sport to up with some of my ineptness at doing this for the first time. Hopefully these things will get better with time. Happy 2kX everyone.
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Alright, so I guess we should start with your name.
My name is Molly.
Where are you coming from?
I'm coming from Minneapolis by way of North Carolina.
And North Carolina is where you live, right?
North Carolina is where I live and hopefully will get back to... soon.
Because of the snow?
Because of the snow, and Greyhound.
So I guess because it was just New Years, we should have a list of either your top resolutions or your top regrets.
I don't do much... resolutions, but I do have one. I feel like my biggest resolution is to not have expectations, fewer expectations and more trust in people.
That's almost like the oxymoron of resolutions. Is there anything that spurred that decision? or is it just kind of a general thing?
I have a friend who makes music and they just put out a cd called "Expectations Shmexpectations" that was great, and I think that was part of the inspiration for thinking about expectations and also like... feeling disappointed in people and realizing that... that's not necessary if I just kind of let bad things go and meet people where they're at, then that's less likely to happen.
You think this has anything to do with being in your last year of school and being tired of having expectations for yourself?
Maybe. Maybe it has more to do with being, having lived in the same place for like 4 or 5 years and wanting things to be a certain way and wanting people to be a certain way.
Are there any regrets you have over the past year? anything you'd change?
I feel like I had a good year. 2009 was ok.
...
No? You don't have to have one. If it was a good year, it was a good year.
haha, I think it was a good year.
I feel like starting with these two things, I want to keep listing things: best of 2009, worst of 2009... If you could count up your year.
My worst place I slept in 2009 was the Loreno airport in Texas. That was at the very beginning: January 2nd or 3rd.
What were you doing in Texas?
I was also passing through, trying to get-- I was coming from Mexico City to Buffalo, New York.
Sounds like a long ride.
It was a long ride. But I was on a plane. But bought my tickets in a way that didn't make any sense and so I ended up having to make a 12 hour layover in Loreno, TX, which is this tiny town, and the airport is like, maybe twice the size of your house.
I don't think I even know where that is in Texas. And I'm actually from Texas.
It's on the border. There's Loreno and Lo Voy Loreno [sp?]. And I was like, eh! 12 hours, I'll just sleep in the airport; it'll be fine. But apparently the airport closes. And so I had this crazy conversation with the cops there about whether or not I had dead people in my bag and that we finally decided that because I was female they didn't want to just let me out into the world, so I could sleep in the airport, but they would be watching me.
So the airport actually closed?
The airport closed, but I slept on the floor.
I don't know how many airports I've been in that actually closed.
I know, I didn't expect it. That was the worst place I slept in 2009.
Did you actually get much sleeping done there?
No! And the weirdest--perhaps one of the weirdest--parts: at like 4 in the morning, this man who I don't know who he was, comes to me with a hambrger and a Coke, and said something like, "I thought you might be hungry." Haha, ok! It's like 4 in the morning. Thanks. I didn't eat it.
Oh, so the airport was open again at 4 in the morning?
Well, it was unclear. There were always people there. Like it was never totally empty. ...I don't know, it was a strange experience.
Probably not the best way to start your year.
No... but it was a good adventure.
Was that your first time in Mexico?
Mmhmm. Well, kind of. I had been the summer before. In 2008, I worked on the border, on the Mexican side, a 100 yards into Mexico.
So technically..
I had been there before, but hardly.
Did you need a passport to work on that side?
Yeah... No, you didn't. It was still the time where you could use your birth certificate and your driver's license.
Have they changed that recently?
Mmhmm. I think, summer of 2009? or January of 2009? was when they officially changed it so that you needed a passport to get into Mexico and Canada.
I remember hearing about Canada, about needing a passport, but I've always had one, so... I've not noticed if they transitioned or not.
What was the best thing that happened to you in 2009?
...
or are there competing things?
There're probably competing things. One of the best things: I don't really birthdays much for myself; I like other people's birthdays. But I was out in the Arizona desert for my birthday and people always find out it's your birthday, even if you aren't telling people, so everyone knew.
Especially with facebook.
That too. And people are just sneaky and figure it out. And so two of my friends had made a cake. But before that had happened, I had just gotten back from a walk, and it had been storming all afternoon, and I was soaked from walking in the rain. And I got back to camp in the middle of the desert where we were staying, and over the hill, was the most amazing rainbow I had ever seen: all the way across the sky. And it was so, so bright, and there was almost a second one clearly above it. So like a double rainbow that went all the way across the sky and the sky was still like really dark grey from the rain, and the sun was on the hills, and they were like bright green. It was really amazing. That was my birthday.
That's pretty awesome.
And it was a full moon.
I don't know why Emmet [my roommate Josh's dog] has decided now is the best time to be on my lap.
He wants to be involved.
Well, I guess this is the first interview thing, so I don't really have much prepared. Any closing remarks you want to make? One message to depart?
That... I don't know. Probably that Chicago is snowy.
What's one piece of advice you could give anyone?
Uh, don't ride Greyhound in snowy places in the winter time is a good idea for the future.
********
Molly's "top five things I'd like to change in 2010":
fewer expectations of other people-
more art projects-
more anonymous notes and gifts, extra points if they're attached to parked bikes-
prisons all fall down-
the border melts back into the desert and people come and go as they please-
more adventures in the middle of the night-
more surprise visits from friends near and far-
less time in greyhound stations-
North Carolina is where I live and hopefully will get back to... soon.
Because of the snow?
Because of the snow, and Greyhound.
So I guess because it was just New Years, we should have a list of either your top resolutions or your top regrets.
I don't do much... resolutions, but I do have one. I feel like my biggest resolution is to not have expectations, fewer expectations and more trust in people.
That's almost like the oxymoron of resolutions. Is there anything that spurred that decision? or is it just kind of a general thing?
I have a friend who makes music and they just put out a cd called "Expectations Shmexpectations" that was great, and I think that was part of the inspiration for thinking about expectations and also like... feeling disappointed in people and realizing that... that's not necessary if I just kind of let bad things go and meet people where they're at, then that's less likely to happen.
You think this has anything to do with being in your last year of school and being tired of having expectations for yourself?
Maybe. Maybe it has more to do with being, having lived in the same place for like 4 or 5 years and wanting things to be a certain way and wanting people to be a certain way.
Are there any regrets you have over the past year? anything you'd change?
I feel like I had a good year. 2009 was ok.
...
No? You don't have to have one. If it was a good year, it was a good year.
haha, I think it was a good year.
I feel like starting with these two things, I want to keep listing things: best of 2009, worst of 2009... If you could count up your year.
My worst place I slept in 2009 was the Loreno airport in Texas. That was at the very beginning: January 2nd or 3rd.
What were you doing in Texas?
I was also passing through, trying to get-- I was coming from Mexico City to Buffalo, New York.
Sounds like a long ride.
It was a long ride. But I was on a plane. But bought my tickets in a way that didn't make any sense and so I ended up having to make a 12 hour layover in Loreno, TX, which is this tiny town, and the airport is like, maybe twice the size of your house.
I don't think I even know where that is in Texas. And I'm actually from Texas.
It's on the border. There's Loreno and Lo Voy Loreno [sp?]. And I was like, eh! 12 hours, I'll just sleep in the airport; it'll be fine. But apparently the airport closes. And so I had this crazy conversation with the cops there about whether or not I had dead people in my bag and that we finally decided that because I was female they didn't want to just let me out into the world, so I could sleep in the airport, but they would be watching me.
So the airport actually closed?The airport closed, but I slept on the floor.
I don't know how many airports I've been in that actually closed.
I know, I didn't expect it. That was the worst place I slept in 2009.
Did you actually get much sleeping done there?
No! And the weirdest--perhaps one of the weirdest--parts: at like 4 in the morning, this man who I don't know who he was, comes to me with a hambrger and a Coke, and said something like, "I thought you might be hungry." Haha, ok! It's like 4 in the morning. Thanks. I didn't eat it.
Oh, so the airport was open again at 4 in the morning?
Well, it was unclear. There were always people there. Like it was never totally empty. ...I don't know, it was a strange experience.
Probably not the best way to start your year.
No... but it was a good adventure.
Was that your first time in Mexico?
Mmhmm. Well, kind of. I had been the summer before. In 2008, I worked on the border, on the Mexican side, a 100 yards into Mexico.
So technically..
I had been there before, but hardly.
Did you need a passport to work on that side?
Yeah... No, you didn't. It was still the time where you could use your birth certificate and your driver's license.
Have they changed that recently?
Mmhmm. I think, summer of 2009? or January of 2009? was when they officially changed it so that you needed a passport to get into Mexico and Canada.
I remember hearing about Canada, about needing a passport, but I've always had one, so... I've not noticed if they transitioned or not.
What was the best thing that happened to you in 2009?
...
or are there competing things?
There're probably competing things. One of the best things: I don't really birthdays much for myself; I like other people's birthdays. But I was out in the Arizona desert for my birthday and people always find out it's your birthday, even if you aren't telling people, so everyone knew.
Especially with facebook.
That too. And people are just sneaky and figure it out. And so two of my friends had made a cake. But before that had happened, I had just gotten back from a walk, and it had been storming all afternoon, and I was soaked from walking in the rain. And I got back to camp in the middle of the desert where we were staying, and over the hill, was the most amazing rainbow I had ever seen: all the way across the sky. And it was so, so bright, and there was almost a second one clearly above it. So like a double rainbow that went all the way across the sky and the sky was still like really dark grey from the rain, and the sun was on the hills, and they were like bright green. It was really amazing. That was my birthday.
That's pretty awesome.
And it was a full moon.
I don't know why Emmet [my roommate Josh's dog] has decided now is the best time to be on my lap.
He wants to be involved.
Well, I guess this is the first interview thing, so I don't really have much prepared. Any closing remarks you want to make? One message to depart?
That... I don't know. Probably that Chicago is snowy.
What's one piece of advice you could give anyone?
Uh, don't ride Greyhound in snowy places in the winter time is a good idea for the future.
********
Molly's "top five things I'd like to change in 2010":
fewer expectations of other people-
more art projects-
more anonymous notes and gifts, extra points if they're attached to parked bikes-
prisons all fall down-
the border melts back into the desert and people come and go as they please-
more adventures in the middle of the night-
more surprise visits from friends near and far-
less time in greyhound stations-
