Sunny, With a Chance of Interview

That's right... it's Sunny's turn today. You know the routine. My words will be black and bold, Sunny's words will be red.

Hmmm… where to start, where to start… I guess I’ll just write some questions and see where it takes us…
Okies!!!(don't you just HATE when people say that? Me too!!!)
Never heard okies… I’ve always been an okey-dokey type myself.
LOL- It's just Okie-Dokie(southern variation) shortened even more....we like doing stuff the VERY easy way down here.
OK is still the shortest in written form, and verbally they’re equal… two syllables. Besides, I prefer to think of it as being concise, not “doing stuff the VERY easy way."
That's because you're not a Southerner. Concise is a BIG complicated word to us and we like to keep it simple. ;-)

I know that you live in South Carolina now. Have you always lived there? What do you like most about the area? What most makes you want to pack up and leave tomorrow?
Yep- Born and bred South Carolina Girl. What I like most is we live so close to so many different areas....feel like a dip in the river? We're about 5 minutes from the closest one. Feel like a fishing trip to the lake? We're about a 30 minute drive to one. Feel like the mountains? Drive an hour (or two) you're there. The beach? No problem- it's about a four hour drive. South Carolina is honestly one of the most beautiful places on earth in the Autumn. The only things that make me want to pack up and try somewhere new is 1) the lack of snow in the wintertime...2)the unbearable heat and humidity in the summertime....and3) the Super-high unemployment rate- we're fourth in the nation. And that really sucks.
As far as the weather goes, I hear you saying that you only hate SC half of the time… winter and summer. It’s interesting that a born-and-bred Southern girl would “miss” the snow. You do realize that snow must be accompanied by cold weather, right?
Yeah, I realize it. Southern winters used to be different. Up until I was about 9 we actually HAD snow every winter, tho. Then we had NO snow for about 5 years and then we started having mostly ice-storms. I would be very happy with a white Christmas every few years- but that hasnt happened here since I was 8. I can deal with the cold much better than I'm dealing with the heat of the summers- maybe it's my age. :-P
Personally, I do better in the heat than the cold. Maybe we’re both in the wrong part of the country. Speaking of the weather, what is your ideal temperature range for outdoor activities? When was the last time you saw snow?
My ideal temp for indoor OR outdoor activities is in the 65-75 degree range, to which our utilities bill can attest. If I can wear a tee shirt or a turtleneck, I'm happy. The last proper snow with no ice storm mucking it up was in '86 or '87. 16 inches of pure ice- free snow. It was great!

Does SC have boom employment during good economic times? You see, my neck of the woods doesn’t have horrible unemployment, but then again, we don’t explode during the booms either.
Not really. It's pretty steady just BAD..only lately it's gotten even worse. Not just for the undereducated either. My son has a GED and finds occasional work as a handyman. My husband has the equivalent of two Associate Degrees AND a Bachelors and he can't find anything at all because he's "over-qualified" for minimum wage jobs. I really DO wanna move.
Where would you choose to go?
I definitely wouldn't choose a big city like NY or LA or Chicago....Nor Atlanta or Houston. Some place like Charleston or maybe even Cleveland or Boston would be great. Ideally, if I came into some money, I'd like to move to Montana. That's beautiful wide open spaces with no neighbors for miles and miles. My idea of Heaven.

It seems that you’ve had quite a few stressful events over the last few years. How do you keep your … ummm… Sunny disposition?
You're joking right? Have you READ my blogs? I swear I sometimes don't see how anyone even reads them anymore as much as I RANT about my "Misadventures". I actually feel sorry for Paul - I can barely live with myself sometimes- the man has the patience of Job, I think. Seriously, I just try to take one day at a time and look for that silver lining.....and the winning lottery numbers.
Yeah, I’ve read the blog… how else would I know about your trials and tribulations? I think that writing is a great coping mechanism.

City girl, or country girl?
Definitely Country girl- but I can hang with the "Country-CLUB" crowd just as easily.
Meaning what… that you’re able to keep up pretenses if required? Sorry, that was designed to be a slam on the country club snobs, not you.
That's exactly what I meant......or maybe I really am the country-club type and keep up the pretense of Country-girl. There's so many of my personas that sometimes I can't keep up with who's at bat. Scary, huh?

What’s your favorite type of music and why?
Hard Rock & Classical- Golden Earring, Ac/DC, ZZ Top- I love that hard hitting bass thumping for dancing.
Classical or Chamber music is my choice for relaxing, tho.

I remember reading a while back that you know a little bit about cars… you can at least appreciate them, and it sounds like you’ve done more than one tune-up in your day. What’s your favorite car of all time and why?
72 Challenger. I LOVE muscle cars and with no doubt in my mind the standard 318 was way superior in both performance and sound over the larger 400 or 440. My first car was a 65 Mustang Hard-top and since I couldn't afford to hire a mechanic- so I did the next best thing and took Automotive in 4-H. That year I won the State Automotive Championship trophy. The older model Muscle Cars are so much easier to work on than the new ones with not a half inch to spare in the engine bay to work on 'em....it's very therapeutic working on your own car, altho I rarely work on mine now. My son(s) do/did it for me since they turned into grown-ups, bless them.
How do you quantify the 318’s superior performance?
I'd say that the savings in gas alone from the smaller engine size would qualify. My ex had a matching Challenger with the 440 in it. I called it Hoover because it SUCKED the fuel like nobody's business And despite the fact that it was a bigger engine- my Challenger with the 318 walked all OVER it everytime we raced them. And we did that alot. It was like it was almost too much power for the car and did more damage than good.............. Did I mention how hyper-competitive I am?
Let me guess… the 440 did too much rubber spinning at the beginning of the race?Nope, it just seemed to hesitate and then did a lot of fishtailing all over the road- no control...or maybe it was just the driver...I never tried actually racing it myself- I only drove that hunk-of-junk when I had to go to the parts shop when mine was on the rack for maintenance.....that and the fact I liked being in the WINNING CAR!

Is automotive work the only mechanical skill you have, or are you mechanically inclined in general? Who’s more handy, you or Paul?
LOL- yep- I have failed every single skills and dexterity test I have ever taken for a job......except for my weapons test. But me being me- I can take anything together and put it back together because I have a system. :-).......Hmmm...who is more handy? Well, if you're talking about computers and such as that- Paul is much more handy. If you're talking other stuff, I think we're both about equal, altho we have COMPLETELY different styles getting to the same place and we usually disagree about the method while we are doing it. Usually one of us ends up just walking away and letting the other one take over the whole job rather than debate it all day.
Yeah, I’ve heard that Paul’s kind of a masterdebater.
Yep- and I'm a mom and neither of us like to give way.

Who’s a better cook, you or Paul?
Difficult........I have a certificate in Culinary Arts, but I detest proper COOKING...Paul excels at it so he cooks more than me unless we 're having the whole family over for a get-together. I BAKE much better (and more)than him(so far as I have seen), so I do most all the baking. It works.
How did you end up doing Culinary Arts? Is it the proper part that you don’t like… and what constitutes proper, the presentation? Tell me more about your culinary experience. Did you ever work as a chef? Going to the baking aspect, what’s your favorite thing to bake and why? Is there a reason you like baking better than cooking?
I started it in high school as an elective course. Actually, it began earlier than that- in 4-H. As for the proper part.....I got my certificate- with MUCHO difficulty. I'm a cook who likes to experiment and try different things and do things MY way- not by the textbook. That's what bothered me. I worked as a chef at a local dinner restaurant for a while and I just got bored with the same things night after night and decided that it would have to be put aside as a career.
Baking........I love doing cakes. I have a LONG List of cakes I bake and get requests for. Around the holidays are my busy time for baking...not only for my own family but for special orders as well. My favorite used to be a Southern Buttermilk Poundcake, but now I have so many it's hard to choose one as a favorite. Boston Cream Pie Cake, Red Velvet Cake, Chocolate Decadence cake, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake, Pina Colada Cake, How do you choose?
Cheese-cake? (Evan grins at his witty play on words.)That's the only kind of cake I prefer to buy.I really should invest in a springform pan so I can perfect my skills on it.

There are things that couples love about one another, and there are things that are …. Ummm… less loveable. What’s your favorite thing about your husband, and what drives you nuts? How would he answer these same questions about you?
My favorite thing about Paul is he can always make me laugh and makes me happier than I have ever been. The thing that drives me nuts about him is his short term memory is horrible because of his sleep deprivation when he was working and putting himself thru university. Sometimes we have the same conversation three or four times and it drives me mad because I sometimes think I sound more like his mom than his wife and that makes me feel horrible.
I think if he answered those same questions about me he would say the thing he likes least about me is that I talk incessantly and do annoying stuff just to get a reaction out of him. I honestly have no idea what is his favorite thing about me.....I'd have to ask him and he probably would say something weird just to annoy me....two can play that game, you know.

It’s no secret that you two have a significant age difference between you. How did your family react, and what do they think now?
Well, my kids were okay with it as long as I was happy. My mom was okay with it, Dad was a bit cooler to the idea at first. My sisters were indifferent, one brother stood back and took a wait and see attitude, while the other thought all Paul was after was a green card.
Now- The kids are still fine with it, as is the rest of the family -as far as we can tell....and if anyone isn't- then too effing bad.

Do people ever assume you’re NOT together when you do stuff together, like go on dates? Do you ever notice funny reactions? How do you react? (BTW, some day I’d love to hear you two in the same conversation… maybe singing a song together or something like that… I think it would probably be hysterical at first!!)
I don't think anyone has ever raised an eyebrow to us as a couple....especially since Paul is usually the more mature acting one of us. I look and act younger than I am, Paul looks and acts more mature than his age so it equals out.The only reaction we get is when they hear Paul's accent and then the questions start. As for us talking....well, maybe someday!!! You never know when we might do something wild and crazy like that for you guys!! Or maybe we can set up a SKYPE conversation some day!
That’d be cool. Or you could hop on the mic next time Paul and I chat on Xbox Live.
That'd be awesome- but he saves that for when I'm at work. Occasionally we do see you online when we're watching/playing 1Vs100, tho.

I know that Paul is an atheist, and I believe that you’re Christian. How does that work out for the two of you?
Yes- Paul says he's an Atheist- but to me, just listening to him, he sounds more agnostic than atheist. I personally follow many paths. I was raised a Southern Baptist- but became disillusioned to religion early on in my teen years. Since coming of age- I say I'm more agnostic than anything...I believe in a Higher Power but not particularly in the huge Human-like persona that is pictured in all the stories of God. I believe in an afterlife. I believe in some of the Wiccan beliefs but not the main beliefs of a Mother Earth Goddess. I believe in Demons and Spirits. I also subscribe to Paul's rules of life....I try to be a good person and do unto others.....
And Paul and I don't talk about religion much.
The Southern Baptists retarded my spiritual growth as well. Too much focus on the angry, vengeful God… totally overlooking the loving, forgiving guy.
Yeah it's a total bitch to be scared of God. Sometimes I worry that I didn't do enough when it came to my kids spiritual/religious learning tho. I didn't insist they go to church, altho during my search for a 'religion" that "Fit" me, I did give them a taste of lots of different religions. We tried Pentecostal churches, less strict Baptist churches, Lutheran churches, Methodist churches and even a Catholic church. They were exposed to a lot of different views and I tried to let them decide for themselves.
I think that everyone is destined to find their own answer, regardless of the amount of influence they received from their parents.

It seems that you like to play some games on the computer, but you’re not into gaming like Paul and Kato are. How do you react when Paul gets so into gaming that the whole rest of the world ceases to exist for him?
I don't let it bother me too much. I just go about my business doing MY fun stuff.....FarmTown, YoVille, Reading, Cleaning house, baking. After about 4 or 5 hours tho- I start that annoying stuff so he will pay attention to me. I think that's fair- and to be perfectly honest, Paul RARELY goes on the XBox when I'm home..... unless we are playing 1 VS 100 together. He's usually the one telling me to "Geeeeet Offfff Itttt" about me being on the computer so much. I have an addictive personality and I fixate on one thing and get totally into it for weeks or months at a time. Much to his dismay, I just cannot get into Rock Band- probably because he picks stuff up so easily and it takes me longer and I have a frustration level of ZERO. That's just not very RELAXING to me.

Tell us more some of the “MY fun stuff” things you like to do.
I have a cycle.....when the weather is nice(meaning not so hot you can't breathe or so cold it takes your breath away) I like to do outside stuff. I like fishing and shooting. I like shooting hoops and pitching horse-shoes and badminton. I like Tennis but you'd think I was Hank Aaron when I'm on the court- so that's not a really good game for me.I indulge in my trashy romance novels sometimes, but I'll read anything except tech manuals. I crochet in the winter, and I LOVE to dance but we don't have room to dance where we live now. That sucks. I love to go on day-trips on the spur of the moment with Paul, too. It's one of my Guilty Pleasures. I'll do whatever for weeks or months til I get good at it or bored with it- then burn out and start something else.
Motorcycle or bicycle? How well do you shoot? Do you prefer shotgun, rifle or pistol?
LOVE motorcycles, but haven't ridden one since I sold my Indian Racing bike. It knew two speeds- sitting still and wide-open. I got tired of being thrown off it every time I tried to ride it , so I sold it and then life got in my way and I haven't owned one since. I'd LOVE to own a little Honda Rebel of my own someday, tho. Bikes(as in Bicycle) scare the crap out of me, to be honest, altho I do own one. As for weapons, I own a Glock 9....and am a qualified Expert Marksman with it. (Ask Paul about the first time he saw me shoot....That was FUNNY.) I am also EM with a S&W 38, and I prefer handguns to long-guns, but if I had to choose- I'd prefer a sniper rifle over any shotgun...much to Paul's chagrin. He seems to prefer destructive ability in a weapon- I prefer precision and neatness.

How did you decide that you wanted to do law enforcement?
To be brutally honest- I was a battered woman. My first husband was....well, if you watch the Farrah movie "The Burning Bed" you'll see exactly what it was like. After seven years of living with it and of listening to the put-downs and putting up with the black eyes and bloodied lips and beatings and degradation, I had had enough. I was scared to death of him and his threats and so when I finally got him out of the house and away from me and the kids with the help of my parents, I decided 2 things. 1) I would NEVER let that happen to me again and the best way to do that was to become law enforcement and 2) even if I didn't become a proper cop -which I did, but hated- it was good to have connections in the right places. Besides- you get excellent weapons training- you never know when it might come in handy.
There’s a pun in there… brutally honest, battered woman. How long were you a “proper” cop, and why did you dislike it so much? Do you like what you’re doing now?
LOL- I didn't see that til you pointed it out. I was a "proper cop" for about a year. I hated the "good ole boy" mindset of the commanders. I quickly learned that they didn't care about their officers as long as they had the cushy jobs for themselves. It's hard to explain- but suffice it to say I raised such a stink about a few issues that when told I was told that if I didn't "comply" I might want to think about other employment. So I went home, made one phone call and then turned in my uniforms the next day. The chief was astonished for some UNGODLY reason and asked if I was going to work notice. I told him that HE was the one that had told me the evening before that if I wasn't going to "comply" I might want to look into other employment and since I had no intentions on "Complying" to a policy that put my fellow officers at risk, I considered THAT my notice. I was black-balled, but since I don't EVER plan on going back into that part of Law-enforcement again- who cares? I still have my connections at the LEC and when it comes to something that I really believe in- I put my money where my mouth is. I-Don't-PLAY.
I work Private security for an elective surgery hospital now and I LOVE it. We don't have an emergency room so we have a nice quiet place to work. The worst we usually have to worry about is a smash and grab when someone leaves their GPS out in the open overnight or if we have someone walk into the lobby thinking we have an ER and we have to call a Code. We DO have to do all the extra training tho for all the contingencies. We have LOADS of training for TACT, weapons, hostage situations, Disasters of ALL sorts....the list goes on and on.... I told the regional director the other night that they can stop sending the promotional opportunities updates to us, because we all are happy where we are and plan on retiring from there. She thought I was joking....I wasn't.

Being a mother, wife and workforce drone are all really full time expectations… especially when you’re the primary breadwinner. Are you satisfied with how you’ve balanced things now that some time has passed? What would you do differently? What would you not change in a million years?
Nope- I'm not happy with the balance of things now, to be honest. I work way too much, I don't rest as much as I need to, I don't excersize like I should and I don't eat right. I fit right in with the rest of the world, tho. If I had it to do over- I would have followed my dreams instead of doing what everyone else thought was "proper' and then I would have been able to have had the things I wanted and spent my time much more wisely than I have. There's always the future tho!! What I wouldn't have changed in a million years- having my kids. They are the light of my life and along with Paul, my only reasons to keep living.
What are some of your unfulfilled dreams?
I would have liked to have been an architect when I was younger. Now- I just want Paul and myself to have a comfortable income and more than anything -I want a proper house of my own again. Big Dream- a proper house with a small Pool. I don't ask for much..I'm a simple woman(I wouldn't GO there if I was y'all, so stop smiling) with simple dreams.......(Is there such a thing???)
How about a double-wide with a kiddie pool ;) And have you noticed that you’ve implemented a lot of Paul’s words into your own vocabulary?
To be honest- A double-wide with a REGULAR pool would suit me just fine...have you SEEN any doublewides lately? I've seen some that would make stick built houses look sad. And yes- I have noticed my vocabulary has expanded to include a LOT of Paul's words......but he just laughs at me when he hears me saying them...he says "arse" sounds so vulgar said in a Southern Accent.
I, of course, don't think my southern accent is that heavy...unless I'm sick, and then I admit I sound like a corn-pone, or Scarlett O'Hara and a whiny one at that.

My favorite catch-all question… what question did you expect me to ask that I haven’t, and what’s your answer to that question?
You actually asked the question I didn't expect you to ask....it was the one about is there anything I would have changed or not changed for anything. You're actually pretty good at this interview thing!!