FAQ

Who are you?
My name is Lindsey. I'm a thirty-something writer who works at a health insurance call center for a living who likes to blog for herself (mostly).

What do you look like?
I don't have too many pics of myself, but I like this one my sister took:
Pointing at food is the new trend, right?









How tall are you?
I'm 5'6". It's above average for a woman in my hometown.

Who were you named after?
Depending on my mother's mood, she'll tell you it's either: Lynda Carter (the original Wonder Woman) or my grandfather (his name was Len). I like to say it was a perfect storm of the two. And maybe Lindsey Buckingham, but this could be wishful thinking, and yet my parents are big Fleetwood Mac fans... so it's not too far-fetched.

Where are you from?
Texas! I’m a second-gen native. And got a serious case of the red-state blues.

Do you have family?
Yes, my parents (happily married for 31 years and counting!) and my little sister (my first best friend). Sadly, I don't stay in touch with relatives on both sides due to a ton of familial drama. It's a miracle my parents turned out the way they did, their parents sucked (well, except my paternal grandfather, he was a cool dude).

Do you have friends?
I do. Many are from my job (past and present), others are peeps from my days in college. I tend to be a loner, but my friends are an awesome bunch.

Do you have any pets?
Yes, this cat is technically my responsibility, the closest thing I'll ever have to a child:
Shmii, or as I call her "Meesie"
Full Name: Shmii* Loki [my surname]

Birthday: April 1st, 2006

Breed: Domestic shorthair

Hobbies: chasing spangly balls, begging for whatever I'm eating at the moment, asserting her superiority, sleeping on my crotch, being a good writer's kitty, growling at other kitties, and being deceivingly adorable

*pronounced "shh-mee"


Where do you work?
Customer service for dental benefits at a major health insurance company.

Why Lola Bunny?
Lola Bunny was one of my favorite cartoon characters growing up. I like her personality more in the new Looney Tunes Show than in Space Jam. I always knew she had a little crazy in her.

What did you want to be when you were little?
Like most kids, I had a lot of dream jobs. But there are two that not only stand out, but I still kinda want to do: a meteorologist/storm chaser and work for the Weather Channel (when they were still awesome) or an animation director at Warner Bros.

Hold up, you were homeschooled? What was it like?
For some reason, next to the fact that I like Lady Gaga unironically, this surprises people. I guess they expect me to act like a stereotypical homeschooler: socially awkward, pious, self-righteous, and religious. And y'all know I ain't any of that! (Well, maybe socially awkward.) Either way, what was it like... it was interesting. I got to learn things I always wanted to learn, meet all sorts of people, and experience a whole other side of life previously left mysterious to me. I don't recommend it, though. But y'know... *shrugs*

Why do you censor most of your curse words/use minced oaths?
It just looks hilarious. I always found censored words to be funnier than the actual words.

What are your religious beliefs?
I’m a deist, which means I believe in a god through nature and reason, not by religion. I don't believe in a hell, and am unsure about heaven. I take a page from the Judaism playbook and don’t believe that Jesus was the son of God. I’m a huge follower/believer in the Golden Rule and believe in being good for the sake of it, not because God says we should. I'm also a huge believer in the clockwork universe theory.

What are your political beliefs?
I lean very left, probably more than the typical Democrat. I hesitate to call myself progressive or even a Democrat, mostly because of all the a-holes that tend to end up in those categories. I'm pro-choice, anti-war, pro-LGBT rights, pro-voting rights, and so on. I appreciate all sorts of discussion (I have plenty of friends on both sides of the spectrum), but I don't appreciate name-calling or any form of prejudice.

What in the world is an intersectional feminist?
Basically that feminism should include all the variations of a woman that can possibly exist in this world (race, sexuality, belief system, shape and size, etc.). Feminism, as most people know it, only includes upper-class, cisgender, slender, physically and mentally fit, straight, white women. That needs to change. Damn us to hell if we continue that nonsense third-wave feminism that's failing practically everyone.

Did you go to college?
Sure did! Graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor's in English with Concentration in Creative Writing.

Do you want to go to grad school?
Not anymore. Read this entry for more details.

All-time favorite book/movie/band/etc.?
Book: The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
Short Story: "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner
Poem: "Come Up from the Fields Father" by Walt Whitman
Live-Action Movie: Casablanca
Animated Movie: The Great Mouse Detective
Band: Talking Heads
Album: Fear of Music by Talking Heads
Song: "Little Lies" by Fleetwood Mac
TV show: a tie between Monty Python's Flying Circus and Hannibal
Video game: Silent Hill
Internet show: tie between Lazy Game Reviews and Ross's Game Dungeon
Book on writing: tie between On Writing by Stephen King and The Kick-Ass Writer by Chuck Wendig

Favorite foods and drinks?
Food: Pizza, sushi, Tex-Mex, Greek, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, seafood in general, hot dogs, and macaroni and cheese

Drinks: Lemonade/iced tea (a.k.a. the Arnold Palmer), orange juice, lemonade, iced tea, Cherry Dr Pepper, Cherry Coke, and Real Ale beer.

Where do you get your news?
A plethora of sources: Media Matters, NPR,  Bitch Magazine, Twitter, and various blogs (some of them are in my favorite links, go check them out!).

Have you gotten published yet?
Yes, about four times as of 2014. Two poems in a university literary magazine (one got second place in the poetry category!) I once interned for; an online flash fiction blog, and three poems on an online literary magazine. The only reason I don't link to them is that it reveals my full name... and let's just say my surname is freakishly uncommon.

Do you have any physical/mental ailments?
For the physical stuff, I have sciatica, scoliosis, and tone-deafness (due to many ear infections as an infant). For the mental: OCD, GAD, and major depression. They have calmed down significantly thanks to therapy and medication.

What is your ancestry?
Irish and Cherokee Indian on my mother's side, German and God-knows-what-else on my father's side. My surname is German/Dutch.

What is your feeling on the military?
As someone who was born to military brats (father was an Army brat, mother a Navy brat) and who also grew up surrounded by military (family and people my father works with at his job), I tend to feel more for the soldiers and support them in general. America does not take care of its veterans and it's a damn shame. However, I do have grievous issues with the imperialism, the torture and invasions of various countries and their citizens, and individual soldiers who feel it's acceptable to hurt, abuse, and rape people. It's a culture that needs a serious overhaul. We need to quit hurting everyone in the world and stick to protecting our borders, which was the original reason we have a military.

What is your feeling on gun control?
We need it badly. Background checks, ban on assault weapons (we don't need freaking AK-47s in our homes), and so forth. But I do believe in the right to bear arms, like revolvers and pistols.

Wait, you're left and pro-gun? What nonsense is this?
Look, we live in a terrible world full of terrible people and we should defend ourselves from them. However, grievous abuse of this needs to be addressed and laws drawn up to protect us (see the Trayvon Martin case). And also, FYI, you can be left and pro-gun. Say hello to former Representative Gabbie Giffords.

What kind of writing advice can you give me?
Write a lot, read a lot, and for the love of everlasting God, grow a spine when you receive critiques. Not all opinions you'll get are right, but at least remain open-minded.

Do you think anyone can be a writer?
Technically, yes. However, the sticking point would be, how good of a writer that person is. I'm not one to crush someone's artistic dreams, but sometimes you gotta know when you have a significant weak point. Maybe you're better at poetry than fiction, or whatever else. And that's why there are so many other art forms to try out. Something for everyone.

What are your feelings on fan fiction?
As a former fan fiction writer, it's not as bad as people make it out to be. I used to read some excellent Tiny Toon Adventures and Silent Hill fan fiction back when I was a teenager. When it gets to porn territory or shipping real people, I can't defend it. If I ever become a well-known writer, I won't pull an Anne Rice and ban fan fiction. As long as fans don't make money off of it, it's all good.

Why have you abandoned your reviews blog?
I honestly got tired of writing reviews. I felt it was never something I was strong at, so naturally, I wanted to concentrate my energies elsewhere. If I get struck by the review bug again, well, there ya go. As Romeo Void once said "never say never".

If you could move anywhere in the world, where would you go?
It's a three-way-tie between San Francisco, Dublin, or Austin.

Who's your favorite Achievement Hunter?
Ryan! I even have his ACHIEVE shirt.

Who's your favorite TGWTG (That Guy with the Glasses) personality?
A tie between Brad Jones (The Cinema Snob) and Ross Scott (Freeman's Mind).

Who's your favorite Game Grump?
Danny!

I didn't see a question here. Can I ask it?
Certainly, post it below!

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