This week’s Tuesday Blogversation is with Heidi. The whole premise of her blog is the ‘sorta annoying’ things that her boyfriend, Erik, does. She tells the stories of their relationship from an annoyed girlfriend perspective. A request to interview her boyfriend was denied (by him, I think), but she provides insight on that as well. I was happy to cover both her sarcastic and serious side in this interview in both her blogging and personal endeavors.
Heidi ( blog | twitter ) is not new to the blogging scene. She’s been blogging since her mid-teens about mostly relationships, but has put herself out there as well. She’s a budding teacher working on obtaining her teaching license/Masters degree from Augsburg College for Biology. She volunteers in the Minneapolis Public School system and also mentors a 10-year old from NE Minneapolis. She enjoys running, reading, and beer (and also wants you to think she’s only drinking cranberry juice in the picture to the left).
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Do you remember the single act that made you think “I should start a blog about this!”
I think I said something like, “Nobody knows what I put up with!”, to which he replied, “So let them know!” It seemed appropriate. I had also just stumbled on the blog “My Husband is Annoying” (before she got “famous”) and thought, “Geez, her husband sounds tame compared to what I put up with. And I’m not even legally bound to him!” I also thought I was funnier (because I’m full of myself).
How long had you been dating before becoming sorta annoyed?
Initially, my boyfriend kind of had to step up his game because, while he and I were still friends, I was dating someone else. After that relationship fizzled out, he continued being an ideal candidate. (He made me a potato head picture book out of construction paper!) However, after it was clear that we were dating (maybe a month later), I found him slowly moving stuff into my tiny, on-campus apartment. Pretty soon, I was doing his laundry and feeding him. So…a month?
You mentioned in your first post that you had blogged before… where is that at? What did you blog about then?
(Yes, I read ALL your MBISA posts today, and I just gave you an acronym)
First of all, I’ve always wanted an acronym, so thanks. Although, I was hoping for something a little cooler, I’ll settle for that one because it sounds like an ethnic entree.My earlier blogs are lost in cyberspace and the URLs have been carefully hidden in the back of my mind. Here’s a breakdown of each one (because there were several):Early high school blog, age 15: “OH MY GOD I’M SO IN LOVE”, exclamation points, emoticon hearts, copied/pasted instant messenger conversationsLate high school blog’: My “love” was now gone because we broke up (duh), so my new posts were all really vague and attempting to be artsy/intelligent. (“Hey, guys, check out this quote that really moved me from the book ‘Utopia.’”) At this point, I was also aware that several “frenemies” were reading them, so I made every possible attempt to brag about my [actually boring] life.Mid to Late college: I was out of the blogosphere for awhile, but soon, I realized I simply enjoyed writing. I basically just did the usual and blogged about what I ate for dinner, what I was reading, how cool I thought I was, etc. I guess I can link you to this one. http://redandunruly.vox.com/That brings us to now!
What do you do when you aren’t being annoyed?
I’m going to assume this question is referring to when we’re together. We basically watch a lot of Seinfeld, drink beer, and go to the YMCA. We also enjoy really long walks (10+ miles) around Minneapolis, Tuesday improv nights at Brave New Workshop, and hanging out with our (his) friends. And when I sense he’s in a good mood, I bother him about letting me get a cat.
Except for the two posts around Valentines day you seem to be generally annoyed with your boyfriend; so I want to know, what isn’t sorta annoying?
Occasionally, he takes out the trash. He also comes home from work with pounds and pounds of coffee and 6-packs of beer. (I make myself sound like an alcoholic by talking about beer so much, but we’re fanatics not addicts. I’m trademarking that phrase right now.) He scratches my back and lets me use his car (because I bus). He lets me read his books. He also kisses me on the forehead before he goes to sleep. (Awww!) I guess the biggest non-annoying thing is that he makes me laugh. And really, every “sort of annoying” thing he does I end up laughing at anyway.
Why does Erik call you cheeks?
I’d like to think it’s because I have a sweet ass, but really it’s because I have a fat face. My cheeks are, apparently, the biggest ones he’s ever seen on such a small gal. He pokes, licks, pinches, and suckles them frequently. As time goes on, though, “cheeks” is turning into “sheeks”. When I call him, he answers with, “Hiya, sheeeeeeks!”
What does Erik think about your posts?
He stopped reading them awhile ago, but I don’t think he minds. All his friends read them and comment on them, so I think he sort of feels famous. He’s also very camera shy and doesn’t let me take his picture very often, so I guess he lets me write about him to make up for that.
Does he have anything to say?
Right now, he’s still kinda…taking in the fact that people are starting to read about him and enjoy his mannerisms. When I asked him if he had anything to say, he kinda just shrugged. (He’s also secretly shy.)
You mentioned to me that you run marathons, read books and drink beer.
You also mentioned that doing all three simultaneously would be awesome.
Are you going to participate in the James Page Blubber Run in September? (to hit 2/3 requirements?)
I did not know this existed! I will definitely be there. With a book.
What marathons have you run in?
I’ve done Twin Cities, Grandma’s, the Minneapolis Half Marathon, and Las Vegas. Up next is Fargo in May, and I’m undecided on a fall 2010 one. (I try to do two a year.)
What are some challenges with mentoring?
By far, the biggest struggle is understanding her mindset. I didn’t come from a rich family, but I still have trouble grasping how hard it is living in a single-parent home in a not-so-nice neighborhood. On top of that, she has very little expectations for the rest of her life. “You mean I can study anything in college?” She brushed this aside as something she wouldn’t be able to do, and I nearly cried. It is also hard explaining things to a ten-year-old, especially things I’ve learned the hard way myself. For example, she has “dated” older boys over the internet. No matter how many times I tell her how wrong that is or how much they don’t actually love her, she shrugs it off because I’m “too old to understand”. In addition to that, she thinks she has to act a certain way around me because of my skin color, which is so heartbreaking, especially since she’s only ten. My favorite moments with her have been times she’s “forgotten” her own rules and let her personality come through.On a lighter note, no matter how “hip” or up-to-date I am, I’m constantly trying to win her over. “You know who Chris Brown is? Oh, my god.” Yes, I know who Chris Brown is, and, no, I don’t think he’s “cute” because I know a little more about him than you. Also, she was completely at a loss for words when I told her I’ve had more than one boyfriend. However, I’m still uncool.
How will this prepare you for your teaching career?
As a future urban school teacher, I feel mentoring is a view into the life of my average student. Every teacher dreams of knowing her students on a personal level; the mentality behind this is that, “Gosh, if I simply understand where my students are coming from, I can get through to them!” This is nearly impossible, though. With mentoring, I am taking it one kid at a time. I’m also getting back in touch with the age level I may end up teaching. I had forgotten how stubborn kids can be and feel I’m more prepared now. I’ll probably still wait a few years to start teaching, but every little bit of life experience helps.
What other blogs do you enjoy reading?
I find it funny that I often write a lot for my blog entries, but I hate reading long blog entries. Most of the blogs I read are fashion ones, consisting primarily of photos. Some of my favorites are: The Sartorialist (thesartorialist.blogspot.com), The Minneapoline (theminneapoline.blogspot.com), The Midwasteland (www.themidwasteland.com), What I Wore Today (whatiwore2day.blogspot.com), and Style Rookie (tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com). However, when I’m feeling particularly academic, I’ll read the New Yorker’s Book Bench (www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/). Oh, and MN Â Beer (www.mnbeer.com) is a Minneapolis beer drinker’s bible. For humorous purposes: Buzzfeed (www.buzzfeed.com), Boner Party (bonerparty.tumblr.com), Hipster Runoff (www.hipsterrunoff.com), Stuff Hipsters Hate (stuffhipstershate.tumblr.com), Stuff White People Like (www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com), Look At This Fucking Hipster (www.latfh.com), Models Are Smart (modelsaresmart.tumblr.com), and Three Frames (www.threeframes.net). And to drop one last name, Fuck Yeah Tattoos (fuckyeahtattoos.tumblr.com). (I love tattoos.)
So, yeah, there’s a lot. I’m slightly addicted to the internet.
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Tuesday Blogversation is a weekly series on iamdez.com featuring bloggers of all kinds from the Twin Cities (Minneapolis / Saint Paul) area. If you’d like to be considered for an interview please send mail to dez [at] iamdez [dot] com or get ahold of me on twitter.