INTERVIEW FRIDAY: Julix says, “GET A LIFE!”

HELLO READERS!!!

Today I am introducing a new feature for this blog: INTERVIEWS. Each week I will interview someone who is awesome and try to figure out how they got so awesome, and try to steal their secrets. You can too!

This week I have interviewed Julia Doctoroff, writer of Self Promotion. She writes about her life and opinions and people and things she buys like kitschy salt and pepper shakers. Here is an excerpt.

“My dad is officially a million times cooler than me once again. He got Ray Ban sunglasses.  My mom asked him, “Did you know those were cool?”  He did.  He is cool.  And he can afford things I can’t.  I hate him–he doesn’t even have to try to be cooler than me.  He just is.  He’s better educated, and thinner, and he knows how to drive. UGH.  DOC.

She is really awesome and you should subscribe to her blog. She is also famous and has way more readers than I do so I’m using her to steal some rays from her bright shiny stardom.

BEGIN INTERVIEW:

What do you do when no one is around?
I don’t do that many interesting things ever.  I eat ice cream.  I am compulsive about being on the computer.

How did you get so funny?
I think because I was a tomboy when I was little, no one expected me to spend time on being really girly and pretty.  I had a lot of time to develop my personality because of this.  I also think that humor is a great way to make fun of people that are stupid, and often they don’t even know you’re making fun of them.  One of my favorite groups of people to make fun of to their faces are dumb men hitting on me or my friends.  Also, my dad is really funny and has a really dry sense of humor.  

Do you think you’re blog could turn into a potential sitcom with William Shatner like “Shit My Dad Says”?
Yeah, I think I’m better than that guy.  All he does is direct quotes.  I write more than that.  I think it would be cool to have a sitcom about my dad.  It would be called Doc.  It might get kind of boring sometimes though.

Is life all you thought it was going to be? What were you expecting? How has it disappointed you?
It’s not as great as I thought, although I don’t think I ever had that high of expectations.  I’ve never wanted to get older and now I feel old at 25.  I think I expected I’d be making more money, or that I’d meet a man I could love, or even just respect.  Those things aren’t really happening. I do have a lot of really talented and creative friends, and a lovely family.  I appreciate those a lot.  

When you imagine the future, what do you see?
I am thinking of going to business school.  New plan!  It’s sort of ridiculous, but I’ve been increasingly interested in marketing and starting an arts business of some sort.

If you could make up a person that you would like better than everyone else, what qualities and features would you give them?
They would be smart, witty, humble, funny, and not a liar. There are so many people I know well and don’t trust.  I am so sick of people lying.  Also, one of my biggest pet peeves is people who talk about themselves so much that you want to throw up.  I hate those kind of people.  And low life straight men—ugh.  GET A LIFE!  I like how this has turned into a rant.  That person might exist.  Maybe I met him last week and didn’t get his number at the Young Adult Shabbat Service.  I think I need to be a little more open-minded.  I think the ideal person is not boring.  So many people don’t know how to carry a conversation.  So many people have horrible social skills.  Isn’t that what school is for?

Do you have any regrets? Please describe.
I sometimes regret having studied creative writing.  I sometimes regret how much time I spent in high school doing homework.  I regret the way I acted when I was a teenager.

What is your favorite place to be?
I really like spending time in my room because it has all of the pretty things I’ve collected and art my friends have made.   

Describe your personal philosophy.
It’s sort of ridiculous, but I really like this one Eleanor Roosevelt quote that’s about how no one can make you feel inferior.  It’s true.  When I lived in New York, I spent a lot of time feeling poor and inferior, but now I realize that’s stupid.  I try to live by that quote and not let other people bring me down.

Do you have any advice or life lessons that could benefit other people?
I would urge people to learn to write well.  I think it can take you far and it can make other people think you’re smart.  I think people depend on other people to edit their work too much.  Writing is about trusting yourself and being good at doing it alone.

What motivates you to do so many awesome things?
I don’t think I do that many awesome things.  I like to entertain at my house even though it stresses me out.  I think I’m motivated to organize events and parties because I will eventually become a diplomat.  Hahhahah.

How do you know when you’re working hard enough?
I don’t think I’m ever really working hard enough. I am usually sort of lazy and should probably always be working harder.

If you had unlimited resources, what would you do?
Travel all over with friends.  I don’t think I’ve been enough places and I think Self Promotion could do well in other countries.   

Who or what are your influences? Can you think or some influences that have led you to this point? Events, other artists, books, movies, teachers, friends, shows, etc.?
Wow, this is a hard question.  I think I was initially motivated by my high school teachers because I was so determined to get out of San Francisco.  But now I think I’m most motivated by my friends who make art.  They are my inspiration and I admire them more than anyone.  I am really influenced by 90s movies (Reality Bites, Clueless, American Pie.)  I can’t believe I am admitting that I am influenced by those movies.  Gina Landon was the person who told me to start the blog–so she gets a lot of credit.

What are you good at cooking?
Not much. I am a better baker.  I like to bake mint chocolate chip cookies.

How can other people be smarter and funnier?
Most people aren’t funny.  The people who try to be funny are the least funny.  I think some people use humor to distance themselves from other people.  I do that because I don’t really like other people that much.

END INTERVIEW

If you have a suggestion for awesome people who should be interviewed, email me!( arianna [dot] davalos [at] gmail [dot] com) But we are very selective, so don’t be sad if we don’t pick you.