She’s a wife, a mom, a good egg and a helluva writer.
She is Emily. (It’s like Cher. Or Madonna. Or Jesus. Except she isn’t old, washed-up or dead.) She is real and spectacular simultaneously. A quick visit to her Home page reveals a gal that’s been around the block – virtually, that is. Honestly, Emily is ridiculously well-traveled when it comes to the writing biz and I envy the hell out of her.
And not to dwell, but she actually takes pride in being the best damn mom she can be. I’ve observed millions – at least – of mothers from the hospitality trenches and I have to say, a good portion of them are way off their game while traveling. Granted, the term “family vacation” is the most horrible of all oxymorons, but many of the ladies I see could definitely step it up a notch. Rip a page from Emily’s book, ladies, and pour your heart and soul into everything you do.
And that, friends, is Emily in a virtual nutshell: A gal who gives everything she’s got to whatever she does. And now, I think it’s time to hear from the lady herself, don’t you?
1) Use five colors to describe your life journey so far.
My childhood was yellow and bright. I was very blessed to be surrounded by people who loved me and built me up from a young age.
Of course, by the time I was an adolescent, I still found something to rebel against because, guys, it’s so hard to go to private school, live in a safe neighborhood, and have parents who emotionally support you. For those years I chose black.
ANGST. College and grad school have a brownish sepia tint to them because I loved studying anything that was old, archaic, and a little weathered.
Then adulthood came and I married my husband, and kelly green was the color I chose for my bridesmaids’ dresses.
Nowadays, as the mom of a toddler, I’m tempted to chose the lovely shades of body fluids as a hallmark of where I am. However, I like to look at the glass as half full so I chose crisp, white light in honor of the girl who gets me up early enough to actually see it.
2) Your favorite Britcom is…
This is SUCH a hard one for me because British comedies are my kryptonite. As far as I’m concerned, BBC America exists solely for my own edification, and all the rest of you suckers are just along for the ride. I am a huge fan of Are You Being Served?, As Time Goes By, Shameless, and The Vicar of Dibley. But there is a very special place in my heart for Keeping Up Appearances starring Patricia Routledge as the social ladder-climbing Hyacinth Bucket (It’s pronounced BOUQUET!).
3) Being a nerd is fun: Describe your fantasy super-spy identity.
Little-known fact: I actually AM a spy and there is absolutely nothing fantasy about it. I discovered my own abilities when I was able to open a cellophane packet of Pop-Tarts and consume their contents without my two-year-old daughter Cee ever noticing. I think the word you’re looking for is “ninja.”
4) Being a mom isn’t all heart-swelling moments and rainbows; what does it take to lift your spirits when things get dark and hazy?
TV. Pure and simple. For me, writing and parenting are actually very similar because both can overwhelm mi if I dwell in my own head for too long. I tend to over-think things and the best thing for me to do when I’ve had an especially trying day is to just veg out with Netflix with my husband after our daughter has gone to bed. The cussier the show, the better. Louis CK is my secret lover.
(Not anymore, I’m afraid.)
5) Your favorite meal – that you don’t have to prepare – is…
Korean food. Eaaaaaasily. I lived in Korea for two years and the tastes I associate with it produce an overwhelming feeling of warm-fuzzies in my gullet, and try as I might to reproduce some of my favorite dishes at home back in the US, they are just not the same when they’re prepared by an ajuma. I love sam gyup sal (grilled porkbelly), japchae noodles (glass noodles with beef, veggies, and sesame oil), and dolsot bibimhap (rice and veggies in a steaming hotpot).
And lord, the kimchi. GIVE ME ALL THE KIMCHI AND NO ONE GETS HURT.
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Yeah, that’s all I have for you today, kiddies. I have comics to read, bags to deliver and a life to lead… somewhere. I think I’m going to let Emily’s progeny, Cee, see us out. Get it?
I know. They can’t all be zingers, okay? Shut up.
See you in the lobby after your nap, folks…
Loved this piece on Emily. Makes me want to hop over there and read her stuff (which I will). There’s just something about reading posts that are positive, funny and uplifting that make for a good start to the day. Thanks for sharing Hook!
Thanks, Mama! I’m not always totally positive but I certainly make a good try at it ;D
Me, too! Just think…if we were positive ALL of the time, we’d be kinda hard to live with, right?
Have a great day 🙂
The answers to questions 1-4 show that Emily and I are the same person. I don’t know about question 5 since I haven’t had kimchi yet.
Great person and blog to feature today 🙂
Are you a Hyacinth fan too????
OMG yes! I only wish I drove a Mercedes and had a house with room for a pony, like her sister Violet 🙂
😀 😀 😀 I am more like Daisy myself.
Same here, and Onslow is hysterical. If you notice whenever he reads, it’s always books like “Advanced Particle Physics” and the like. 🙂
YES!!!!! I love that. And the fact that he’s always referencing something from Open University.
I thought I was the only person who watched As Time Goes By and Keeping Up Appearances. The entire time I’m watching, I’m thinking to myself, “You know this is for old people, right?” I was chuffed (I think that’s the British term) to see Geoffrey Palmer pop up in a Bond flick next to Dame Judy.
Yes! Great to find it’s not just me and my mom who tune in to those shows 🙂
You are certainly not the only one! I LOVE those shows even though I don’t think I’m their target demographic. Judy Dench is my hero.
Reblogged this on The Waiting and commented:
Hey! I’ve been Hooked! Thank you so much to my favorite Niagara Falls bellman, The Hook, for having me over on his blog today. We laughed, we cried, we talked about kimchi. What more could you ask for! The Hook is a pillar in the WP community, so if you’re not alright following him get on that!
Ah! Such a thrill to be on your blog today, Hookster! From one (former) hotel employee to another, if those moms ever give you a hard time, just slip her kids a Caillou DVD and she’ll be punished forever ;D
I’m a former front desk clerk! What did you do, Emily?
I was a front desk lady too!!! Twinkies!
Thanks, Emily for everything, Emily! You’ve made my week and you’re in great company, aren’t you? Jennie rocked the blog just as hard and I couldn’t be happier to know both of you. I have the greatest friends a bellman/nerd could ask for, don’t I?
Hook – you 5×5 all the best that wordpress has to offer! I’ve been following (NOTSTALKING! NOT STALKING!) Emily for a while now – she is one of the first bloggers I started commenting with 🙂
That was a happy day!
I am in blog love (it’s not as creepy as it sounds, I hope) with Emily. I love everything about her writing and she is absolutely hilarious.
What he TD said. 😀
I feel the same way about her so I get it!
Yay! At least I’m not awkward alone!
I blog love you back, TD ;D
Yay!
Emily, you can’t have all the kimchi. Jus’ sayin’. (Trust me, I’m meaner than you. 😉 )
What a fun gal and super mom. Thanks for this great intro, Hook.
;D
Emily is certainly a little bit of everything I love wrapped into one. Not to mention I just LOVE her name so much that i actually gave it to my daughter. I’ve never met a bad Emily yet! Can’t wait to check out more of her goodness!
Thanks, Lisa! I really didn’t like my name very much when I was a kid but as soon as I was old enough to look around and see all the truly wonderful Emilys surrounding me, I started embracing it.
But if you announce that you’re a spy, doesn’t that defeat the purpose? Or is this just some misdirection?
You know, that’s a good point. I am going to have to come up with a new special skill and then remember not to tell anyone about it ;D Knowing me, my silence will last for about 28 minutes.
Emily is so friendly, supportive, intelligent and talented. I would say I aspire to have half her talent, but I know that wit of hers goes untouched. Great answer Emily….well except maybe the kimchi. 😉
Awwww, thanks, Deanna. I am going to forgive you for that kimchi slight 😉
I always have this strange craving for Pop Tarts after I read something by Emily…
Em, I have yet to read something by you that you haven’t owned. You are amazing, and generous, and full of heart. I was “hooked” right from the get-go.
Emily never ceases to amaze AND entertain me 🙂
I adore Emily, and I think she’s one of the most talented people on WordPress.
…But that was all before I read what she had to say about Louis C.K., and now we’re at odds.
Is this a case of a love triangle or is he just a deal-breaker?
Yay! All of my homeboys and girls are being interviewed and I love it! Emily and I are very similar so whenever I find out that she loves something that I love, I’m like, of course. Because we’re twins. But she’s the more likable twin and I’m the grouchy one.
There’s no “like” button here.
We ARE twins, Lils. We talk to each other through telepathy and can sense each others’ pain (ie, when we run out of hotdogs at our respective homes.)
Don’t even speak of that horrible situation!
What fun! Great questions, Hook. Emily could teach all of us how to find Life a little more hilarious.
I certainly try! Thanks, Britt ;D
As a jaded, single, happily kid-free New Yorker, Emily’s consistently well-written site is about so much more than being Cee’s mom. In fact, I never think of Emily as those two dirty words: mommy blogger. I think of her as an excellent writer with an adorable toddler sidekick.
Ahhhh, your comment is the BEST, V. Thank you so much for saying that. I have a post coming soon about that label and all that it means to me. It’s been a long time coming.
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer Hooker. Well you know what I mean.
I told my mom I was being Hooked today and she got a little nervous too. She just wanted to make sure the baby was out of the vicinity.
It takes a village.
Double awesome! Hook and Emily
Mike! I miss your blog! I need to check in on you soon.
You haven’t missed much. Been totally lazy this year. What’s new with you?
I hope to acquire Emily’s ninja poptart eating skills as a mom.
Actually, I hope to acquire all her skills. Including the one that turns baby bodily fluids into white light. (That’s what she did, right?)
You will definitely acquire them out of necessity. I think they come bundled with the ability to lift a car and rescue our child if we need to.
Nice!
Love those Britcoms. Bloody brilliant. Emily, definitely Ninja woman spy!
Thanks, Veronica! Which one is your favorite?
Hmm, all very good but I would have say the Bouquets. Absolute classic.
Emily rocks it. Excellent choice… Great line up.
YOU rock it, Audra 😀
Pshhht nope.
KIMCHI!!! Oh, now I have a kimchi craving and no Korean places nearby… damn you Emily!
I love the description of colours and what they meant to you at different times of your life. It’s given me some inspiration…
Kimchi cravings are the worst because sometimes it’s so hard to find good kimchi to satisfy them. Glad I’ve given you some inspiration, Daile! Thank the Hook because he was the one who came up with such great questions!
Can’t get enough Emily… Her posts always deliver! Nice choice, Hook, for featuring her. Loved this.
Thank you for reading, Dawn! My life is going to be slowing down near the end of the week and I’m looking forward to spending some much-needed quality time with your blog ;D
I hate do sound whiny, but I have missed you darlin’!
I l.o.v.e all those shows although I haven’t watch television in about three years. When / if I get around it again I KNOW I’ll need to catch up. 😀 😀 😀
Wonderful interview. Each has it’s own rhythm. This one is is a heart-popping jazz band. 😀 😀
She seems awesome!
Emily certainly has it together. Thanks for the intro.
Emily is one of my favs! 🙂
A lovely introduction to Emily. Thank you….one other thing, Hook…although Cher is old, Madonna, washed up…Jesus…is very much ALIVE! Christians around the world are celebrating his resurrection beginning with this Ash Wednesday through the season of Lent ending with Easter. 🙂
awwwwww Emily so cute….thanks for coming by my blog today 🙂 ♥ ya