Beach Blanket Interview With Scorpio

Good evening to all. I recently had an opportunity to chat with and ask Marie over at the Scorpio blogsite a few questions in an impromptu interview. For those who have not visited her blog, please do so. It's a great read, written by a really terrific person. The following interview will give you all a little background on Marie. I hope you all enjoy it:

CMAC- What person in your life has influenced you the most and made the biggest impact on your life thus far? Explain.

MARIE- Wow, this is a difficult question to answer because it's almost a tie between my mother and father. However, I would narrowly have to choose my father as having made the biggest impact on my life thus far. And as I type this out, I astound myself because my dad and I butt heads and I used to feel that I was somehow not "cutting" it according to him. I don't feel this way anymore, however, because he and I cleared the air not too long ago. The reason I say that my father has made the biggest impact on my life is because he is the one who has shown me, by his own example, that one simply *cannot* sit on the sidelines and let life pass you by.He is a man of action and his word. I strive towards that every day. He has shown me
that is in my best interests to believe in myself, my talents, my dreams and to take risks. Sure, there were many times in my past where I was afraid to charter into unknown territory but it was my father that was always behind me giving me that gentle yet firm nudge to move forward despite my fears of the unknown. That, to me, was the greatest gift he could have ever given me as a parent. I would sometimes feel immense frustration with him in that he was pushing me too hard or expecting too much, but then I came to realize that it was out of love for me in that he never wants to see me live passively or later have regrets over not having TRIED. I used to fear failure and making mistakes big time, and of course, that always lingers in the depths of my mind. But I don't let those fears or insecurities alter my ability to let loose and take paths unknown anymore *because* of those lessons my dad instilled in me.

CMAC- Marie, we are both in our 30's and have had our share of life experiences. If you could go back to ONE year in your life and stop time because you enjoyed it so much, what year would that be and why?

MARIE- Good question! I would go back to the year 2001. I had just turned 30 a ouple of months before the start of 2001 and I was feeling like I was in my prime. I began to feel truly confident and comfortable in my own being. I had an innate gut feeling that my 30s would be my best decade. In 2001, I was living just outside of San Francisco, working in a cool start-up design firm in the city, had many cool single girlfriends, and became involved with a man who made me open my eyes as to who I was really looking for in a love interest and partner. I learned a great deal about who I was, what I was like in relationships, what I would and wouldn't tolerate, and what I had to offer in many aspects. It was also the year that I decided to hallenge myself by running in a marathon. I *never* ran a marathon - just a few 10Ks. And for some reason, I always had it in my head that I could never run a marathon because it would be too difficult. However, I could not STAND that I was imposing limitations on myself. That is one area in which I usually turn it back around and call myself on it. I thought "Why *can't* I run a marathon? I was in good health and could come up with no reason as to why I could not physically or mentally train for and run a marathon. So for 5 months that year, I trained vigorously and learned in those months that the mind is a very powerful tool. I learned how to use it to my advantage in pushing myself through pain but to also heighten my senses in any environment. I still cherish that medal from that 2001 marathon because it is a constant reminder of that time and of my ability to break through any self-imposed
barriers.

CMAC- Tell all the readers out there what your top 5 favorite songs of all time are. Tell us why you chose each song and the meaning it has in your life.

MARIE- Yes, I love music and I tend to associate certain songs to different experiences or time frames in my life. Here's my list:

1) "I won't back down" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. When I am feeling as if I'm struggling with an issue that means alot to me or a challenge that I am facing, I think to this song. When I was younger, I used to cave into peer pressure or societal "norms" to feel accepted. Time passes and you grow out of that (hopefully). I now know who I am and refuse to let anyone bully me or chastise me if I don't live a certain way or believe in certain "ideological" norms.

2) "In my Life" by the Beatles. This song has always been a favorite because it causes me to look back on my life with an element of fondness and sometimes sadness. It makes realize that change is perfectly normal and inevitable. I used to cling to old friendships even though we had perhaps outgrown each other. People come and go in our lives, we hopefully learn from each other and hopefully carry some of those memories in our hearts to look back on with some element of appreciation.

3) "You are the Sunshine" by Stevie Wonder. This one holds a special place in my heart because it is what my mom used to sing to me when I was a little girl. Every time I hear it, I feel very warm and loved. My mom and I are extremely close.

4) "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. I know this song is kind of a downer song, but the message really gets to me every time I hear it. For some reason, this song actually lifts me up. When I am in a moment of feeling sad, discouraged, alone or hurt, I listen to this song and I don't feel alone anymore and realize that the world doesn't revolve around me or my hurts. There are so many more people out there going through far worse and that we all do our best to get through the difficult times.

5) "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey. First of all, I love Journey and Steve Perry. But this song always reminds me that we all have stories to tell, lives to lead and we do our best to live them. I do my best to believe in myself always, although I struggle with it sometimes. I love this verse from the song the most "Some will win, some will lose...Some were born to sing the blues...Oh the movie never ends..It goes on and on and on and on"

CMAC- Marie, you seem to have your life in order. You are an intelligent, attractive,humorous, and sincere person...but you, like all of us, probably have things about your life that you don't like. What is the one major thing in your life right now that you want to change and what is your game plan to change it?

MARIE- Well, first of all, thank you for the compliments! Sometimes it doesn't feel that I have my life in order. I think that the one major thing in my life that I don't really like and want to change is the fact that I am not living in the area I want to be right now. At the same time I feel that I am in a temporary "limbo" stage. I have about 3 1/2 months left on my lease here so after October, I will be free to move again. I have mentioned in my blog that I loved living in the Bay Area near San Francisco. I don't want to live *in* the city but I do like being close
enough so that I could enjoy the nightlife and what it has to offer when I feel like it. Although I don't dislike being in Southern California, I feel more in my element in Northern Cal. So I am currently scoping out the job market in the Bay Area and am planning for a move this Fall if all goes well. In the meantime, I have been working on small consulting projects here so that I can pay the bills.

CMAC- Tell all of our readers what you look for in a love interest. What qualities are most important both physically and character wise.

MARIE- There definitely are certain key qualities that are more important to me than others. Character-wise I look for someone who is confident without being arrogant, honest, sincere, intelligent, ethical, humorous, passionate, affectionate, adventuresome, family-oriented and compassionate. It's important to me to be with someone who is not self-absorbed and can relate to others with some level of understanding and kindness, but also not be a wimp when it comes to standing up for himself. He needs to know what he wants out of life and ideally we would help each other achieve our personal dreams. I also look for someone who values his own space and interests as well as mine. I don't always need to be with my partner 24/7 and have interests outside of the relationship. I used to get caught up in the relationship and forget about what mattered to me that made me interesting in the first place! And I am not insecure if the person I am with wants to keep up with his interests and friends. Of course, I really like being with someone who shares in at least *some* of my interests (IE writing, reading, outdoor activities, music, travel, adventures) and vice versa. He also needs to be open-minded to use a omewhat general term. It's also important that we can make each other laugh and that we have fun being with each other in any setting.

Now in terms of the physical aspects, I definitely am more attracted to men who are taller than me (6 ft or above...I'm 5'6") and have a strong build especially the upper body. I definitely gravitate towards a guy with dark hair and light eyes like hazel or green. I'm just a sucker in that way! A winning smile is also extremely attractive to me. And of course, a nice ass is a huge bonus! ;-) Oh, and this may sound irrelevant to *some* but I eally need to be with someone who is sexually compatible with me and can keep up. I am not saying this to toot my own horn but it's just a matter of fact that I have always had a high sex drive and it hasn't diminished. LOL! I know that my ideal match will be someone whom I have that chemistry with as well as the other core qualities I desire. This all seems like a
tall order to fill but I don't doubt that it's out there.

CMAC- Tell us all how you got started blogging and what you've gained from the
experience.

MARIE- I had heard of the whole "blogging" sensation many months ago but felt that I was too busy to look into it. Writing has always been a passion of mine but I have always been extremely private with my work. Initially, I started the blog as a forum for me to let out some of my own personal feelings, wishes, rants, observations, etc. figuring that it would be a good outlet for me. I did *not* realize I would gain an audience and that it would increase over time. I didn't think anyone would find my blog, actually! It has been almost 2 months now and I have come across many incredible individuals, such as you, with their own life stories and experiences to share. I have learned quite a bit from those I visit people regularly and enjoy the sense of community that exists in Blogland. The aspect that I feel I have gained the most is learning to find my true voice in this particular edium.

Thanks for a good interview Marie. Be sure to visit her site soon!