TheIsleofMan.Net Interview: 'Chad Jones from RandomlyChad.com'

Chad Jones writes for and runs RandomlyChad.com, a Killer Tribes blog that focuses on some of the every day trials, scenarios and awkward encounters that Christians and non-Christians alike experience regularly. 

He is a husband and father of two children. He is addicted to Coffee and Chick-Fil-A. I consider him a friend of mine, even though he admittedly thinks Tim Hawkins is funny. 

Chad was nice enough to donate some of his time and wit to TheIsleOfMan.Net and answer some questions that will probably have the internet ablaze in conversation for a matter of minutes.

Drumroll please...

Kevin Haggerty: Thanks for joining me and taking the time to answer a few questions. You may want to grab a box of tissues before we get started. My interviews are provocative.

Chad Jones: (Thanks for the warning, but my lacrimal glands are contractually forbidden from running over). Glad to be here, Kevin! The Isle of Man seems like my kind of place--in a totally non-Fire Island kind of way. IKYKWIM.

KH: For the readers who have never visited your site (the bizarre minority), please tell us about Randomly Chad, in several sentences.

CJ: Randomly Chad actually began as a Blogger blog (say that three times fast) in about 2004ish. I had initially intended to restrict the content to discussions solely centered around faith. Hence, its original name was "Move The Mountains" (movethemountains.blogspot.com). I don't know why, but I never really posted regularly until about October of 2010. And when I did start posting with any frequency, it dawned on me that as important as Jesus, and my faith, are to me, I maybe had some other stories to tell. And the result is content that varies from the (hopefully) satirical to the rawly honest. I've my missteps along the way, plunged into sheer mockery, but it's my hope to offer up fresh, ripe slices of life, and the occasional musings/confessions of a hurried husband and dad. Where the "random" in my moniker comes in is that while my content may be varied from day-to-day, or week-to-week, I hope I'm honing a consistent voice, i.e., that no matter what I'm writing about it sounds like me.

To this I would add that my worldview is necessarily a Christian one, from which flow my random brain droppings (whether my content is explicitly Christian, or not). Thus, I'm a Christian who blogs.

That was probably more information than you require, but it is what it is. Quod scripsi scripsi.

KH: You're a blogger, but also in the "IT" industry. What exactly is it that you do?

CJ: Short answer: I'm a jack of all trades, and a master of none.

Longer answer: whatever my customers need. I guess I'm what would be termed second-level support, as I'm dispatched by a centralized HelpDesk to solve whatever various and sundry technical issues arise amongst a very diverse customer set. There is: the setup of PCs, installation of software, printers, etc. Setting mail accounts, network accounts, Blackberries, iPhones, iPads, Droids... I make things work for people. Truly, I see myself as a facilitator: I give people the resources (and the access to those resources) that they need to do their jobs.

KH: What made you decide you wanted to start writing? How long have you been blogging?

CJ: I've always loved just playing with words, seeing how they sound together (how's that for a mixed metaphor?), you know? In fact, in high school I took one of those career assessment exams, and my top two results were vintner and writer. As we have no vineyards to speak of where I live in the Sonoran desert, I went with writing. Plus, I don't have to work outdoors. Which is a plus for me, because I'm so melanin-deprived I have two shades: pasty and lobster (I blame all of my dead white northern European ancestors for this).

KH: A while back, you had to step away from RandomlyChad.com and take a break from blogging. If you don't mind sharing, can you talk about what happened and what you learned through that experience?

CJ: TL;DR: I was a douchebag to my wife. Thanks for bringing up that painful memory. Next question.

Seriously, the answer is that I was doing what I wanted on my blog without really taking my wife's feelings into consideration. I was stubbornly refusing to humble myself and give her first right of refusal. And it all came to a head during a time when she was having some surgery, and really needed my support. I was kind of too wrapped up in myself (and arguably my stats leading up to that period reflect this altogether too well)...

Like I said: Douche. Bag.

KH: If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?

CJ: I don't play the lottery, because the odds are terrible. Honestly, I'd be too frightened to win due the (already established) flaws in my character. I think it would wreck me. Have you seen that old Nic Cage/Bridget Fonda flick, It Could Happen to You (yeah, it's a romcom)? Winning the lottery wrecked Nic Cage's marriage in that movie, and I love my wife too much to put that kind of pressure on us. God knows we have enough already. So, I hope not to win (you know what happened to Hurley on Lost, right?)

KH: What are your favorite blogs to read?

CJ: Bryan Allain, Rob Shepherd, Ricky Anderson, Tamara Outloud, Larry Shallenberger, Randomly Chad (kidding!), Deuceology, Seekingpastor, Jon Acuff, Ironic Mom, Jon Stolpe's Stretched, etc. Check my blogroll for others.

KH: Is it any kind of goal of yours to eventually quit the "IT" industry and write/blog full time?

CJ: I'm in no hurry to do so. My job enables me to support my family, and when it comes down to it, it finances my blog as well. I like being in the position of being able to write what I want, and my job gives me that freedom.

Sure--eventually it would be nice, but the fact is I'm not that organized, and truthfully most working writers have other sources of income. And IT's not a bad place to be.

KH: What's the most valuable lesson you've learned during your time as a blogger?

CJ: It's not about me--it's about the connections, and how the words facilitate those connections. (For a longer answer, see my recent guest post on Jon Stolpe's blog).

KH: What do you think about cussing?

CJ: I grew up steeped in a culture of cussing. So much so that, at the age of about five, I called myself: Chad "M-F-er" Jones. You can thank my cousin, who was living with us at the time, for that.

Because it's how I grew up it's not who I want to be anymore. So I don't cuss. I can downright hypocritical about this (log meet eye) when those closest to me "cuss."

KH: If you could fight any celebrity in a cage, who would it be and why?

CJ: Why would I do that? Not Jonathan Lipnicki, that's for sure! That kid is ripped! Hmm... Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite)--because him? I could take him.

KH: You and I have talked about your addiction to caffeine, specifically to coffee. How long have you been tossing back the "java?" How do you "take your coffee?"

CJ: Interestingly, like Captain Picard, I used to be a tea snob. But if we include soda, my caffeine addiction goes back to childhood. As for coffee, I would guess that I really began to imbibe it in earnest about the time my wife was pregnant with our daughter (end of 2005). She had a rough pregnancy, and the sleepless night began long before our daughter's arrival.

As for how I take it: hot, and as often as I can get it. If money were no object, this would mean a hot quad venti white mocha from Starbuck's everyday.

KH: More annoying -- Mimes or Professional Bowling?

CJ: Mimes are quiet--so I'll go with professional bowling. I value my downtime, and don't see how a mine could interfere.

KH: If you had to pick one meal to eat for each meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

CJ: "Chick-fil-A, I could eat there seven times a day" --Tim Hawkins, "Chick-fil-A." Truthfully, whatever my wife cooks--because she's that good.

KH: It's word association time! I give you a word or a phrase and you give your knee-jerk, abbreviated response. Example. If you said: "Nickelback," I would respond with: "Dregs of society."

Let's get it on!

Ron Paul: Too old to know he's too old to be president.

Killer Tribes: An awesome way to grow your tribe--whatever that may be. Thanks, Bryan!

Killer Bees: A menace to honey bees everywhere--because they exemplify the Microsft business model: "Embrace and extend." (Or is that steal and destroy?)

Wedgies: Fun to give, not so fun to receive.

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith: Thank-you for giving the world an Arwen Evenstar.

"The Walking Dead:" One of the best shows on television.

Laxatives: Purgatory here on earth.

New England Patriots: The football team most likely to win the Superbowl this year.

The Jersey Shore: Part of the Eastern Seaboard (I'm pretending I live in a world where the eponymously-named show never existed).


KH: Have you ever got a comment or criticism on your writing that made you want to quit (if even momentarily)? What was it and how did you learn from that situation?

CJ: Yeah, someone close to me once said something like "why don't you write more like so-and-so?" Once I got over my initial shock, horror, and dismay, I realized that:

A) The heart behind this was good--it was well-intentioned; and,

B) There was some truth to it. I could dial back the mockery, and do humor in a way that was more self-deprecatory.

KH: At some point, people just stopped saying: "That's what she said." It was used in excess and lost its funniness, much like the "joy buzzer" and "Your Mom" jokes. Imagine yourself in a scenario where you're in a crowded elevator and you make a comment, to which some guy responds: "That's what she said." How to you react?

CJ: [Rolleyes] <--that's how Or, "Actually, sir, I believe she said you farted."

(Truthfully, I did this once--with my daughter. She said something, I said "TWSS," my son misinterpreted, and I got in trouble. Awesome!)

KH: Would you rather eat a live scorpion or be tickled to death by Richard Simmons?

CJ: Eat the live scorpion. Keep Simmons (and his jeggings) away from me.

KH: What's your favorite sports team (can be any sport) of all time? Favorite player?

CJ: Hmm... The late 70s, early 80s, Steeler lineup. Terry Bradshaw, "Mean" Joe Green, etc. That team was boss!

KH: I'm gonna be a daddy in August. I've asked several other bloggers whom I've interviewed for advice on being a father. I'd love to get some from you, as well.

CJ: Get used to not sleeping. Let them be kids--not little adults. Engage at their level. Dream with them. Train them up in the way they should go (not the way you think they should). <--easier said than done, I'm afraid.

KH: If you could give one piece of advice to a blogger who is just starting out, what would it be?

CJ: Write for yourself, primarily. Write about what interests you, not what you see other people writing. There's no faking it in this game--like Holden Caulfield, folks can sniff out a fake. Be yourself, but not all about yourself.

KH: If you could train any wild animal and keep it for a pet, inside your house, what would it be?

CJ: My kids don't count? Um, other than the elephant in the room, I'd go with Minks. Cause that way if I get tired of caring for them I could kill 'em and turn 'em into an awesome coat for my wife.

KH: Did I miss anything? Is there anything you'd like to plug or promote?

CJ: People: Adopt me as your Killer Tribes conference sponsoree. I want to go, but resources are lacking. (Ok, that was douchey--but I do wanna go).

KH: Thanks for your time!

CJ: Thanks for having me, Kevin! Sure appreciate it.

Be sure to check out www.randomlychad.com for Chad's funny and sincere take on everyday life. Also, go ahead and follow him on Twitter at @randomlychad if you don't already.