Okay, everyone. Once again, time for another Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is "jack of all trades" Paula Yoo.
Who are you?
Jack of all trades, master of none. A violinist who wishes she could shred on guitar instead. A writer who procrastinates by updating her cat's Twitter page. Proud owner of over 200 silly apps on her iPhone. A master of Solitaire (current record: 9321 points in 1 minute and 17 seconds). A foodie who watches cooking shows all day long and annoys her Facebook friends with daily photos of everything she's eaten.
What are you?
I am made up of 65% oxygen, 18% carbon, 10% hydrogen, 3% nitrogen, 1.5% calcium, 1.0% phosphorus, 0.25% potassium, 0.25% sulfur, 0.15% magnesium, and approximately 0.7% of copper, zinc, selenium, molybdenum, fluorine, chlorine, iodine, manganese, cobalt, and iron, plus trace amounts of lithium, strontium, aluminum, silicon, lead, vanadium, arsenic, and last but not least, bromine.
Where are you?
Right now I'm in my special happy place, which is a world filled with sunflowers, puppies, and kittens. But most days, I'm bathed in the dull glare of my computer, staring despondently at my blurry reflection on the smudged screen, wondering why I haven't finished my deadline yet.
Where are you from?
When I was in the second grade and obsessed with Little House on the Prairie, my answer would be: "I'm a first generation Norwegian American pioneer girl from Walnut Grove, Minnesota." But now that I'm a grown-up, the boring answer is that I'm a Korean American who was born in Virginia and grew up mostly in Connecticut, then moved to Seoul for five years before returning to the States. After college, I lived in New York, Seattle and Detroit before moving to LA in 1995.
What do you do?
Play with my cat Oreo and maintain his Twitter page (@oreothecatyoo). Some say we have an unhealthy co-dependent relationship that makes people uncomfortable. So to prove that I'm not a Crazy Cat Lady, here's what else that I do in my life minus my cat: I'm currently Co-Producer of the show EUREKA on SyFy. BLATANT SELF PROMOTION: I wrote the Eureka/Warehouse 13 crossover episode called "Crossing Over" which airs Friday August 6th at 9 PM EST on SyFy. I'm also a children's book author and YA novelist. My books include the YA novel GOOD ENOUGH (HarperCollins '08) and the children's non-fiction picture books SHINING STAR: THE ANNA MAY WONG STORY (Lee & Low Books '09) and SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIXTEEN SECONDS: THE SAMMY LEE STORY (Lee & Low Books '05). BLATANT SELF-PROMOTION: My website is paulayoo.com. And because I'm Korean American, by default I play the violin very well (which means in tune). I've done everything from classical to Celtic to country to rock, and I've played or gone on tour with bands like No Doubt, Spiritualized, and Love. I'm currently in a King Crimson tribute band called The Great Deceivers. BLATANT SELF-PROMOTION: Our band website is www.myspace.com/tgdkingcrimson.
What are you all about?
Aside from BLATANT SELF-PROMOTION, I'm actually just about having fun. And working hard. And not annoying anyone because I can't stand conflict unless it's in a script or book I'm writing. I try not to take anything too seriously but at the same time, I also don't take anything too lightly.
What makes you angry?
People who don't like cats. KIDDING. Okay, well, maybe just a little bit. On a serious note, of course all the other usual suspects anger me - racism, sexism, age-ism and all the other -isms. But lately, now that I'm officially in my cougar years, I would say that rude people are really starting to irk me. For me, rudeness = being inconsiderate and not willing to give someone a second chance. And when you really think about it, isn't racism the end result of people being inconsiderate and not giving others a second chance? Thank you for letting me vent. :)