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Abstract

love it. My relationship with sound is much like my Ambivert-ness — <i>I fall somewhere in the middle.</i> I’ve come to cherish and appreciate the piercingly quiet times in life. On other days, you’ll find (or hear) me in my music room whaling on my guitar practicing a new song I wrote when I couldn’t sleep the night before.</p><blockquote id="6cfa"><p>“Silence isn’t empty. It’s full of answers.” — Herman Melville</p></blockquote><p id="6311"><i>mic drop</i></p><h1 id="4f79">[4] How has your culture or context shaped your beliefs about relationships and what they “should” look like? How much do you subscribe to those expectations?</h1><p id="6cf7"><i>Oh boy, this is a loaded question if there ever was one.</i> Catholic school girls rule — but I’m not Catholic anymore. I attended a religious-based school all my life, and then I lovingly let those beliefs go after I become an adult. That said, I still have <b>high </b>expectations of myself. Maybe even higher than when I was attending those private schools. <i>I’ve matured a lot since then, you know.</i> These days, I subscribe to more of a Hippie/Free Love/Buddhist/In-a-World-Where-You-Can-Be-Anything-Be-Kind kind of mindset, rather than attending mass three times a week. And as for relationships, I’m not really sure what they <i>should </i>look like — I’m still figuring that part out. But at thirty-eight, I finally discovered what relationships <b>shouldn’t</b> be.</p><h1 id="c8e3">[5] What is one food that reminds you of childhood?</h1><p id="4f39">Barbecue chicken with homemade sauce. The story goes, my grandma’s family owned a restaurant; she learned the recipe from her mom, taught it to my mom, and my mom taught it to me. That special secret sauce is the link between sweet and savory memories of barbeques at my grandma’s when I was a kid and watching my baby boy devour his mama’s homemade grilled chicken skewers when he was five. Either way, you look back at it; it’s a damn good thing.</p><h1 id="d733">Top Fives!</h1><h2 id="b1e1">Who are 5 of your favourite musicians/ bands?</h2><ul><li>The Red Hot Chili Peppers</li><li>Stefani Germanotta (a.k.a Lady Gaga) because OMG, her voice is like a glob of heavenly buttah.</li><li>Jimi Hendrix</li><li>Led Zeppelin (because “When The Levee Breaks.” Do I really need to say more?)</li><li>Santana</li><li>bonus musician Demi Lovato because one of these days I want to learn how to belt out “Anyone” on my guitar the way she does</li></ul><h2 id="7701">What are your top 5 favourite fruits?</h2><ul><li>Strawberries</li><li>Blackberries</li><li>Raspberries</li><li>Mangoes</li><li>Big, crunchy, and sweet green grapes</li></ul><h2 id="006d">What are your top 5 least favourite vegetables?</h2><ul><li>I ❤ veggies. The only one I would say is my <i>least</i> favorite is asparagus because, well, you know…</li></ul><h2 id="68c6">What are 5 times in your life where you wish you took more time to celebrate?</h2><ul><li>Losing all my baby weight the first time</li><li>Losing all my baby weight the second time</li><li>Maintaining a 4.0 GPA in a College Healthcare Program while going through a divorce</li><li>Standing my ground and sacrificing anything necessary to s

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urvive on one income and be home with my kids when they were babes</li><li>Shedding toxic/abusive relationships like a strengthened snake that’s outgrown its skin</li></ul><blockquote id="38a4"><p>“My shadow’s shedding skin I’ve been picking Scabs again I’m down, digging through My old muscles looking for a clue</p></blockquote><blockquote id="7b0d"><p>I've been crawling on my belly Clearing out what could've been I've been wallowing in my own confused And insecure delusions For a piece to cross me over Or a word to guide me in I want to feel the changes coming down I want to know what I've been hiding</p></blockquote><blockquote id="aef0"><p>In my shadow” — Tool, Forty Six & 2</p></blockquote><h2 id="1ff9">What are 5 reasons that get you out of bed each morning?</h2><ul><li>My kids</li><li>My kids</li><li>Coffee</li><li>I have to pee</li><li>My passion (and addiction) to start my day with a wicked workout (so I stop thinking about how much I miss my kids for an hour and a half)</li></ul><h1 id="d5ff">Articles to share</h1><p id="96d2"><b>A piece that deserves more love:</b> <a href="https://readmedium.com/no-one-ever-talks-about-their-fairytale-divorce-1a87eff64d13"><i>No One Ever Talks About Their ‘Fairytale Divorce. I’ll go first; I wish my Ex-Husband were more like Mrs. Doubtfire</i></a></p><p id="53aa"><b>A creative piece:</b> <a href="https://readmedium.com/an-impromptu-creative-writing-exercise-about-my-first-year-of-motherhood-5e3741fe0801"><i>An Impromptu Creative Writing Exercise about My First Year of Motherhood</i></a></p><p id="a357"><b>A piece shorter than 2 mins:</b> <a href="https://readmedium.com/house-of-pain-and-moderation-3edae6dac044"><i>House of Pain (and Moderation)</i></a></p><p id="beba"><b>An article from your favourite publication:</b><i> <a href="https://readmedium.com/im-not-losing-value-with-age-whatsoever-237d5197b7b5\">I’m Not Losing Value with Age Whatsoever</a> by Rachel Pressor, published on <a href="https://medium.com/age-of-empathy">Age of Empathy</a></i></p><p id="98d9"><b>A self-published piece:</b> <a href="https://divinasrelease.medium.com/i-cheated-on-my-husband-a-week-before-we-got-married-664a0b3dfafe"><i>I Cheated On My Husband A Week Before We Got Married</i></a></p><p id="41e3">As always, thank you to <a href="undefined">Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她)</a> — what an honor it is to <a href="https://readmedium.com/june-interview-questions-with-the-brain-is-a-noodle-753803243367">share</a> this space with such a bright and beautiful soul like yours.</p><p id="59c7">Thank you for your love and support. You Are Loved. ❤</p><p id="d172">©2021 <a href="undefined">Divina Grey</a>. All Rights Reserved.</p><p id="9c1b"><b><i>Divina Grey</i></b><i> is a ferocious woman and mother rebuilding her life one article at a time. She likes long bike rides, singing and playing her guitar, an electrifying workout, and a cup of coffee so decadent she can feel the frothiness in her bones. Over the last twenty-five years, Divina has stockpiled a collection of journals in an elegant wooden chest and is oozing with gratitude for the chance to share her staggering long-time love of writing with the world.</i></p></article></body>

June Interview Questions with One of My Favorite Gals

I’m egg-static to reply to more invigorating interview questions by Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她)

Am I going to write an intro?

Not today, Medium, not today.

[1] As a writer, how do you come up with new ideas? How do you capture them so that they are ready when you sit down to write?

Do you ever wish there was a water-proof phone with a steam-free screen that you could take notes on in the shower when all your best writing ideas hit you?

Yeah, me too.

To answer your question — they just hit me (like a freight train). If I don’t get my ideas out and write them down somewhere, I will burst. I am grateful for my phone (a.k.a — my mini portable computer) because I rely on it 99.8% of the time to capture my thoughts about life and the world. My last step is dragging myself to my desktop computer after a whirlwind of a day and editing my essay on the big screen before getting my final euphoric fix by hitting that ‘Publish’ button.

[2] On the spectrum of introvert — ambivert — extrovert, where would you place yourself? What are some reason(s) you think you might place in that position? Does it change depending on context?

Ambivert for the win!

I love people. I want to hug you, kiss you, slowly sip on frothy dark-roasted coffee with you, and talk oodles about life, laughter, and love with you. But that part of life (socializing, being my charismatic self, etc.) is emotionally taxing and often overwhelms me too. As I mentioned in my last piece link,

“If I’m around too many people, picking up on too many frequencies, my transmitter blows a fuse, and I need to be alone to recharge.” — Me, two days ago

My disposition most definitely exists on a sliding scale; If I’m about to get my period — it’s best if you don’t engage with me for a few days until I cool my jets (and my hormones even level out). If I just finished a grueling (but phenomenal) workout, I’ll want to hang and share a veggie omelet with you more than likely. (Unless I have my kids. If so, I want to get back to them to soak up all the “custodial time" I can.) With all things considered, I believe I keep a healthy balance between my quiet and more boisterous traits.

[3] What is your relationship with sound? Whether you interpret this word to encompass awkward silences in interactions to the connection found through music, take us on a journey on how you relate to the external world through this sense.

Man, I am eating these juicy thought-provoking questions up like the ravenous writer I am! I love it. My relationship with sound is much like my Ambivert-ness — I fall somewhere in the middle. I’ve come to cherish and appreciate the piercingly quiet times in life. On other days, you’ll find (or hear) me in my music room whaling on my guitar practicing a new song I wrote when I couldn’t sleep the night before.

“Silence isn’t empty. It’s full of answers.” — Herman Melville

*mic drop*

[4] How has your culture or context shaped your beliefs about relationships and what they “should” look like? How much do you subscribe to those expectations?

Oh boy, this is a loaded question if there ever was one. Catholic school girls rule — but I’m not Catholic anymore. I attended a religious-based school all my life, and then I lovingly let those beliefs go after I become an adult. That said, I still have high expectations of myself. Maybe even higher than when I was attending those private schools. I’ve matured a lot since then, you know. These days, I subscribe to more of a Hippie/Free Love/Buddhist/In-a-World-Where-You-Can-Be-Anything-Be-Kind kind of mindset, rather than attending mass three times a week. And as for relationships, I’m not really sure what they should look like — I’m still figuring that part out. But at thirty-eight, I finally discovered what relationships shouldn’t be.

[5] What is one food that reminds you of childhood?

Barbecue chicken with homemade sauce. The story goes, my grandma’s family owned a restaurant; she learned the recipe from her mom, taught it to my mom, and my mom taught it to me. That special secret sauce is the link between sweet and savory memories of barbeques at my grandma’s when I was a kid and watching my baby boy devour his mama’s homemade grilled chicken skewers when he was five. Either way, you look back at it; it’s a damn good thing.

Top Fives!

Who are 5 of your favourite musicians/ bands?

The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Stefani Germanotta (a.k.a Lady Gaga) because OMG, her voice is like a glob of heavenly buttah.
Jimi Hendrix
Led Zeppelin (because “When The Levee Breaks.” Do I really need to say more?)
Santana
*bonus musician* Demi Lovato because one of these days I want to learn how to belt out “Anyone” on my guitar the way she does

What are your top 5 favourite fruits?

Strawberries
Blackberries
Raspberries
Mangoes
Big, crunchy, and sweet green grapes

What are your top 5 least favourite vegetables?

I ❤ veggies. The only one I would say is my least favorite is asparagus because, well, you know…

What are 5 times in your life where you wish you took more time to celebrate?

Losing all my baby weight the first time
Losing all my baby weight the second time
Maintaining a 4.0 GPA in a College Healthcare Program while going through a divorce
Standing my ground and sacrificing anything necessary to survive on one income and be home with my kids when they were babes
Shedding toxic/abusive relationships like a strengthened snake that’s outgrown its skin

“My shadow’s shedding skin I’ve been picking Scabs again I’m down, digging through My old muscles looking for a clue

I've been crawling on my belly Clearing out what could've been I've been wallowing in my own confused And insecure delusions For a piece to cross me over Or a word to guide me in I want to feel the changes coming down I want to know what I've been hiding

In my shadow” — Tool, Forty Six & 2

What are 5 reasons that get you out of bed each morning?

My kids
My kids
Coffee
I have to pee
My passion (and addiction) to start my day with a wicked workout (so I stop thinking about how much I miss my kids for an hour and a half)

Articles to share

A piece that deserves more love: No One Ever Talks About Their ‘Fairytale Divorce. I’ll go first; I wish my Ex-Husband were more like Mrs. Doubtfire

A creative piece: An Impromptu Creative Writing Exercise about My First Year of Motherhood

A piece shorter than 2 mins: House of Pain (and Moderation)

An article from your favourite publication: I’m Not Losing Value with Age Whatsoever by Rachel Pressor, published on Age of Empathy

A self-published piece: I Cheated On My Husband A Week Before We Got Married

As always, thank you to Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) — what an honor it is to share this space with such a bright and beautiful soul like yours.

Thank you for your love and support. You Are Loved. ❤

Divina Grey is a ferocious woman and mother rebuilding her life one article at a time. She likes long bike rides, singing and playing her guitar, an electrifying workout, and a cup of coffee so decadent she can feel the frothiness in her bones. Over the last twenty-five years, Divina has stockpiled a collection of journals in an elegant wooden chest and is oozing with gratitude for the chance to share her staggering long-time love of writing with the world.