Hailing from the Great State of Texas....Andrea!

What is your name?



Andrea Bain



What is your hometown?



Tatum, Texas. Never heard of it, you say? I'm shocked! We have a 4-way stop, people. It is a thriving metropolis!



What do you look for in a friend?



This one is easy and hard at the same time. Hard, as it seems that now that I'm in my 30s, I just don't connect with other women as well. When you're young and still in school, pretty much everyone is in the same awkward place in life, and you can relate to just about anyone in your age group. I mean, our major stresses were school and boys, or boys and school, depending on how your priorities were ranked. Not to mention, there are so many other girls around you to make friends with. Now, I've sort of fallen into that unmarried, childless category - that mysterious 10% of the population. When I meet a gal my age, and I think wow, she seems really nice and I want to hang out with her!, I inevitably find that she has children, or is pregnant, or has her own circle of friends dating back to college, and sometimes, when the attempt to connect happens anyway, she grows bored with me, and stops calling. I mean, when I can't commiserate on dirty diapers and play date drama, I am kind of dropped. It's not always like that, mind you, but it does happen pretty frequently. The other hazard is that I work in an industry that is predominantly male and predominantly crude (hey, I'm not joking, you try working in I.T.), which doesn't lend to many opportunities outside of being encouraged to rate my farts.



The easy part of the answer is that I know what I look for in a friend. Someone who gets my sarcastic humor, isn't afraid to break from the social norm around me, has a sizable brain between her ears, and doesn't faint in the presence of singers like Justin Timberlake (vomit). Is that too much to ask? Sometimes I feel that it is, because I've pigeon-holed myself into a category of people that I can only seem to find via the internet. And in those cases, I've found better (and lasting) friends than I ever did in real life. Luckily, those friends I have made via the internet? Those friends get me, get my humor, and all have brains. WIN! And the fact they are in my life makes me feel so very blessed and thankful.


My future mother-in-law told me once that she just doesn't get how I can make friends online. Sometimes I think that she thinks that the internet is just full of child-molesters, chat-room sex fiends, or just plain weirdos. And while she has a giant Rolodex full of social contacts sitting in her kitchen nook, I often feel sorry for her that she's missing out on the possibility of so many great friendships.



What is your favorite childhood memory?



Probably the evenings spent on my trampoline with my dad watching, and encouraging me to do flips for him. When he would come home from work, if I was outside on the trampoline, he'd come out and be my audience while unwinding with his evening beer. I can't say much more about this without getting sad and nostalgic.


What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? & what would you change about your current profession & what is it?



I currently work as a Windows Systems Engineer for a large government-bailed-out mortgage company. The only thing I'd change about it would be to actually do what I'm doing in a more stable environment. I love what I do. Always have. But let's face it; the mortgage industry is not where anyone wants to be right now.



If I had to change careers, I'd definitely consider sonography. I've always thought that it would be super fun to look at babies in the womb all day. The people coming in would generally be happy and excited to see me. I'd get to wear scrubs and tennis shoes to work.



What was your favorite food when you were little? and what could you eat every day now?



My favorite food when I was younger was definitely macaroni and cheese. I might be able to argue that it still is, truth be told. When I was a kid, we didn't have the luxury of eating out. It was a real treat to get pizza every once in a while, so really, I wasn't exposed to anything more exotic than my mom's meatloaf, which my step-dad will tell you is pretty darn exotic. Then, for a while in my 20s, I got into a bad habit of eating out almost every night. It didn't bode well for my wallet or waistline, but as a result of doing that, as well as living in a big city (Dallas), I was able to try so many new and exciting foods. I think though, that at this point in my life, I would say I could eat Chinese food daily. I absolutely love fried rice (calories!) and stir-fried vegetables (fat!) and all the delicious sauces that are used (heart attack!) in the cuisine.





What question that hasn't been asked here should i have asked you?



Asparagus - pee stinky, or pee no stinky? Ha, I'm sure that little joke is the VERY REASON I don't make many real life girlfriends. ;)

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Sometimes I feel the same way about friends Andrea. Especially since so many have kids and for some reason they don't feel like you fit in with their group of mom's and kids. I also have many friends on the internet, including you! I think we've known each other well over 7 years or so.
I think mac n cheese is the favorite food of choice for not well off families in the 80s. It was in regular rotation when I was a kid and I still love it today, much to my husband's disgust :)

Thanks for the great interview Andrea!

-Teresa