The First Interview

To prepare for this trip, I read through tips, tricks, questions and samples that might help make the most of the interview process. Armed only with my laptop and a list of questions and thoughts on what a non-chrono yet succinct set of chapters might look like, I was determined to perfectly capture Grandma.

Her assignment before I got here was to look through old photographs and memorabilia to help jog her memory. I suppose I had it in my head that her only other assignment was to sit and answer my questions as well as she could.

Hah!

Our first round of interviews, while I maintain that it went swimmingly, was anything but. Before we even started, I knew I was going to have to pay for bringing a video recorder instead of a voice recorder. True to form, Grandma fussed for a solid half an hour about lighting, angles, which was her good side, and "No Jessica, you cannot record while I take a sip from my glass."

The first round of interviews was just as much a learning experience about our family lineage as it was how best to tell Go Go that the videos can be edited, no we will not be stopping while dates are confirmed, and there WILL be time to fill in details. Aunt Sherry sat and listened while she took notes - just as interested in the project as I believe myself to be.

There are more thoughts, but as I am now a day or two behind on Grandma Blog, I think I will save those for posts to come. Until then!

The Journey Begins

"Grandma, could you please state your name for the record?"
"Gloria Crawford Kloss Gagnon Euler"
"Grandma, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"No! I'm going to color this the best I can."


Meet Grandma Go Go. She is easily one of the most interesting individuals I have ever been fortunate enough to know. Whether it is because of the precious artifacts I would stare at in her study, the casual mention of fairytale adventures abroad, her knack at making magic, or even her principled refusal to wear a branded shirt since she was not being paid to advertise (which made no sense to me when I was 9) - ever since I was a child, I have always thought of my Grandmother as a bit of a fantastic mystery. As I grew older and learned more, I found that the rabbit hole only got deeper.

Deciding to carpe the diem, I hopped a plane to Arizona for an impromptu trip to interview Go Go in the hopes of capturing the essence of this true Lady of the West. I plan on collecting enough material (video interviews, pictures, and mementos) that I could put together her biography as an ultimate end product. But life isn't just about the end product; what about the journey? Hence the blog. While the biography will be about her, this experience is my own, and I think it's one worth documenting. Without further ado, I'll end this post and start anew with reflections on our first interview. (Bay, clay, hay, may, etc).