Leanne Shirtliffe writes humorous posts for IronicMom.com as well as NickMom.com. She's a middle school teacher, which resonates with me in a big way. Most importantly, she is the mother of twins. You can pretty much count on her having a crazy amount of crowns in Heaven.
Oh yeah. She's also Canadian and has never tasted Chick-Fil-A.
She's a funny lady. If you're not regularly reading her blog and following her on Twitter, your life is not as fulfilled as it could be.
Leanne was a dear and gave up some of her very valuable to time to humor me and answer some questions, both for me and for you, the readers.
Let's get this party started!
Kevin Haggerty: Leanne, thanks for joining us and being willing to introduce yourself and who you are to the Isle of Man readers!
Leanne Shirtliffe: My pleasure, Kevin. I hope you won't regret inviting me by the end of this interview...
KH: You're a visitor on "The Isle of Man." It's certainly not the first time you've found yourself as a woman in a man's world. Even though there are a ton of very talented female bloggers (such as yourself), it's still a somewhat male-dominated format. Talk about your experience dealing with all that?
LS: You don't know how difficult it is for me not to take this question sideways. If it was the last question, I'd likely veer into dangerous territory. To answer seriously, however, I've never really thought of blogging as male dominated. What has surprised me is that so many of my readers are male. I've always had a lot of male friends, though. I grew up on a farm driving 5-ton trucks, playing basketball and baseball and liking the taste of beer, so I fit in pretty well with the stereotypical world of the "Y" chromosome.
KH: In addition to being a writer, you're an educator. This is something you have in common with myself, as well as other well-known bloggers like Clay Morgan and Tyler Tarver. What do you think it is about being a teacher that lends itself to being a blogger?
LS: I don't know if I can speak for you, Tyler and Clay, but I will. I think we all love an audience, like to communicate, enjoy learning and crave immediate feedback. So we're either selfish Type A's or philanthropic souls or crazy.
KH: You love to travel and do it often. What is it about "road tripping" that so enthralls you? Where/what is the coolest place you've ever visited and why?
LS: Correction: I used to do it often. I love traveling because I enjoy throwing myself into new situations (like a rat in a new maze) and learning from other cultures. Travelling naturally fires up a writer's brain; my senses become alert to details. It's hard to pick a single coolest place. I have the most stories from India, saw condensed beauty in New Zealand's south island, and adored the Wadis in Oman. For a single interaction, I'd pick the time I decided to use a toilet in a stranger's house in Sri Lanka.
KH: You're in the process of shopping a book manuscript. If you don't mind, tell us a little bit about it and what can we expect when it's published.
LS: I like your use of when. My manuscript is tentatively called "Get That Train off Your Penis: Things I Never Thought I'd Say As a Parent." My agent is currently shopping the proposal. Early reactions have been very positive, but I know the parenting/humor section is a crowded marketplace so it's never easy. I'm writing forward, finishing the manuscript, and starting to think about my second manuscript. It's an adventure filled with challenges and rewards.
KH: Name dropping time. Who are some of your favorite bloggers that you read on a regular basis?
LS: My favourites know who they are and how much I adore them. Plus, I'm pretty sure you're acquainted with a number of them. So I'm going to list two of my favourite Canadian bloggers that you and your readers may not know.
- Liz McLellan from Life with Bellymonster. Her writing will take your breath away. She is the mom to two red-headed cuties and she writes with humor, compassion, and a rare honesty. She's become an amazing friend, one who makes me a better person. Try reading these posts to start: Letters to Heaven, When Santa Calls, or Truth Hurts.
- Nancy Hayes, a member of my writing group. I want to be Nancy when I grow up. Nancy is a grandma, an adventurer and an amazing writer. I am in awe of her travel experiences, from attending ping pong camp in China to traveling across Canada in a Porsche with a pup tent. She is currently in India for five weeks with her equally adventurous husband. Try reading Salaam Alaikum, Peace Be with You, Delicious Kerala, or Elephants and Tea Plantations.
KH: What's the best part of being a mom?
LS: The laughs and the cuddles.
KH: What's the hardest part?
LS: The laughs and the cuddles at 5 a.m. And the occasional fear that I'm not good enough.
KH: You're Canadian. I've made fun of you for this on several occasions. This seemed to please you very little. How annoying it is when us smarmy Americans make comments about your home country? If you and I ever meet in person, can I expect to be punched in in my big, dumb Yankee face?
LS: A Canadian punching someone? Nonsense. We'd be more likely to apologize for thinking of punching someone and then feel superior about our pious actions. Did you know someone found my blog "why Canadians act like thay [sic] are the most superior"?
KH: What advice would you give someone just getting started as a blogger?
LS: Write as well as you can. Post consistently. Get involved in the community. Give more than you get. Take risks.
KH: What's your favorite song of all time? Favorite band/performer?
LS: Hallelujah, written by Leonard Cohen. The lyrics make me melt. And think. I love the version k.d. lang sang at the 2010 Winter Olympics and the youtube version of the four young Norwegians singing it.
KH: If you had to choose between skydiving and bungee jumping, which would it be? Have you ever done either?
LS: I've done neither but I'd skydive first. I live a pretty quick-paced life; I crave leisure activities that slow me down. Mostly. Plus, if I'm going to get my spine yanked, it's going to be doing something that lasts longer than nine seconds. Please.
KH: Word association time. I'm sure you probably know the deal. I say a word, phrase or name and you give me a short response. For example, if you said: "Madonna," I'd respond with: "If Voldemort and Christina Aguilera had a baby."
Here we go.
Barack Obama: I need to go to Hawaii. I have a birth certificate. It's Canadian.
Grey Goose: Wine please. Or prosecco. Or chai.
Maple leaves: Eastern Canada.
Simon Cowell: Clever entrepreneur whose name makes me think of turtlenecks.
Trampolines: Sponsored by chiropractors. See also: bungee jumping.
Heaven: A gift in every breath.
Bill Gates: Posterboy for my students who don't think they need post-secondary education.
Lil' Debbie Snacks: Chik-Fil-Eh's simpler cousin? I'm out of my element with these Americanisms. Can't we just talk about hockey, curling, and the windchill?
Hulu: Barack Obama. I mean Hawaii. Oops. Thought you said hula. Hulu? No time.
Nick Cannon being married to Mariah Carey: They have twins. Can you get them to blurb my book?
KH: My wife and I are having a baby in August. I'm probably going to be an expert right out the gate, but just in case that doesn't happen, do you have any advice for me?
LS: I'm going to direct you to the advice I gave Rob Shep last year. Actually, the advice came from my twins, who were six at the time. It still applies, though I imagine that "jumping on mommy" is what got you into fatherhood in the first place. Yes, you have to read the piece for that to make complete sense. If you want serious advice, here are three small pieces: laugh, love, and remind yourself that it's all a stage.
KH: What are three items (not people) that you could not go without (or at least would have a hard time going without)?
LS: My computer (with internet), books, tea.
KH: 2012 is still young. What is the thing you've done in this new year that you're the proudest of?
LS: In terms of parenting, I started reading the second Harry Potter book aloud to my kids. It's always my favourite time of the day. In terms of writing career, I came up with a few new book ideas.
KH: Who is your least favorite person on the planet? Take your time and feel free to go into detail.
LS: It's all the people who aren't reading this interview. Shame on them.
KH: If you had to start over, scrap your current blogs and do something totally new and unrelated, what would it be about and why?
LS: It's hard for me to think of career options than involve neither teaching nor writing. Two contenders would be a documentary filmmaker, or a medical degree with a career with Medicins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders). Both vocations involve meeting new people, seeing new things, and making a difference.
KH: Did I miss anything? Is there anything else you'd like to address, plug or promote?
LS: I'd like to plug in my iPhone to the wall, but I lost my connector doo-dad. And your male-dominated question has me a bit distracted, to be honest...
KH: Thank you so much for your time!
LS: Anytime. Well, not if I'm sleeping.
Make sure to check out Leanne's blog HERE. Follow her on Twitter, HERE.
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