A conversation with myself

I was all set to write a column this week about pregnancy woes, but I had a lot of trouble getting it to come together.

So, I decided to do what my co-worker Sadie Fowler did a few weeks ago. I decided to give my own answers to a few of the Sunday Conversation questions.

1. Describe your favorite meal. My favorite meal is very Southern. I love chicken and dumplings, dressing, fried corn, fried okra, green beans and sliced tomatoes. I could eat them every day and not get tired of it.

2. What did you want to do as a child (career) and why? When I was a child, I wanted to be a writer. I read the Little House on the Prairie series of books in the second grade, and I wanted to make people feel like Laura Ingalls Wilder made me feel when I was reading them. I still write fiction and still want to be published, but I'm beginning to have doubts that it will ever happen.

3. Who has been your favorite president in your lifetime and why? What about the worst president and why? My favorite president is Bill Clinton. When he left office, we were more prosperous than ever. And, although this isn't the popular answer here, I think President Obama will prove himself to be what many of us Democrats hoped he would be. He might be my favorite when his term has ended. The worst president would have to be George W. Bush. I don't think I agreed with even one thing he did while in office. I cried when he was elected the second time and cried again when President Obama won last year, but for completely different reasons. I guess it's no secret anymore that I'm pretty liberal.

4. What are three material things you can't live without? My laptop, my books and pencil and paper.

5. Do you have a personal hero? I do, but she passed away nearly two years ago. It is my granny, Alethea Green. She was just a wonderful woman, and if I could be one-tenth as good as she was, I would be happy. Of course, she wasn't perfect. She was stubborn and had a temper, but those imperfections just made her even better because she used those as examples of how not to be and tried to rise above them every day. Her life wasn't easy. She lost her father, along with the family farm, when she was just 13. My grandfather died in a farming accident, which meant they weren't able to grow old together, and she lost two children, one at birth and one at two months old. She was never bitter and very rarely had an unkind word to say about anyone. She was the least judgmental person I know, and even if she got mad at you, her love was still 100 percent unconditional.

6. What is your favorite motto? "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." This is a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, and I try very hard to not let others make me feel bad about myself. I tend to worry too much about what other people think, and this quote reminds me what others think doesn't matter very much.

7. What would you consider to be one great truth about life? If you can find something to laugh about, nothing is ever too bad. My momma and my granny both taught me this one. Even in the worst of times, my family finds something to laugh about. A good laugh can make you feel 100 times better.

8. What is your favorite pastime and why? My favorite pastime is reading. I can't remember a time when I couldn't read. My cousins came home from school every day and taught me how. I love how a good book can take you places you've never been. If I'm worried about something, I can pull one of my favorite books off the shelf and leave my worries behind. A good book is like an old friend.

--Tamara Belinc is a staff writer. She can be reached at tbelinc@t-g.com.