judecorp | The Lori Interview

1. What was your favorite toy when you were little?
My imagination. I really didn't play with a lot of toys when I was little. I was really close friends with a boy in the neighborhood named Keith, and there were two imaginary games we played the most: either we played "Dawn of the Dead" and pretended we were saving the world from zombies, or we played "Ghostbusters." I was Ray Stantz and he was Peter Venkman. The first gift I ever remember /really/ begging for as a child was a chemistry set. I asked every single person I could think of for one, and I ended up getting three. Good times.

2. What are your primary spiritual beliefs?
My spiritual beliefs lean heavily on Taoism, the Unitarian Universalist Church, and my days as a practicing pagan. From the Tao, I believe in the necessities of simplicity, letting things happen, being part of a whole, and balancing between being and non-being, knowing and non-knowing, doing and non-doing. From the UUs, I believe in the worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity, and compassion in human relations; acceptance of one another and encouragment to spiritual growth; a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; and respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. From the pagans, I hold dear the Threefold Rule (whatever you do comes back to you times three) and the Rede ('an it harm none, do what thou wilt').

3. What things matter most to you in your work -- what do you hope to help people accomplish in their lives?
What matters most to me is empowerment. I hope people realize their inherent strengths and resilience. I hope people realize that they are good people who deserve respect and dignity. I hope people realize that their opinions matter. I hope people accomplish the realization that they don't need me.

4. What could I cook for you for dinner next time you're in Pittsburgh?
I love seafood. Any kind of seafood. But I'm also partial to a really good baked ziti. Mmm. Heck, make me macaroni and cheese as long as it means I get to see you!

5. When did you "come out to yourself?" for want of a better way of phrasing my question.
When I was a senior in high school, I had a very close friend named Michelle. We did everything together, always hung out, and I told her all my most innermost things. We had a "pretend" relationship - we would send each other romantic cards for holidays and call each other tender diminutives. We used to spoon on her bed every chance I could get her to, and I often found myself stroking her hair or her body, wanting more. She had a boyfriend, and so did I (but mine was in the Army and therefore long distance, a pattern I continued until I stopped entirely), and I think for a short time I tried to convince myself that all girls did that. "Yeah, all girls spoon on beds with their friends, right?" Halfway through senior year I knew I was full of crap.