Deanna Hoak

So my darling daughter turned eight today, and I was so enamored of John Scalzi’s “Exit Interview for the Seventh Year” that he did with his daughter that I thought I would like to do one with Blaine as well (and probably for Evan in a week, on his birthday, so brace yourself for kid stuff from me :-)). I think it will be a delightful thing for them to look back on someday. :-)

So, Blaine, have you learned anything in the last year that you’d like to share with people?

Well, in my school, we’re learning multiplication and division, and I really like this math in my school called “color rods”–

I meant kind of like advice for people.

Well, kind of as you get older, math gets harder, because you pass by a year in school, and year by year you learn things more. Like for an example, you might learn, say, Spanish in first grade, and Japanese in second grade. And like in third grade, Chinese. And in my school I’m in second grade, and we’re learning landmarks, and I’m doing the Washington Monument.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

If there hasn’t been a female president, then I would really like to run for president. And if there has been, then I would love to be a rocket scientist, because I love science. It’s actually my first favorite thing. I also love learning new words, and I really love school. . . . Mom, I think that would be a paragraph, wouldn’t it? Because I’m talking about something else.

So you only want to be a president if there hasn’t been a female one already? Why is that?

Because I can’t choose between rocket scientist and president. But my first pick is president because you can do more when you’re president than any other job.

But you still only want to do it if you can be the first?

Yeah, because I want to step forward for women. I mean, women already have a lot of rights, but…

I haven’t decided what I would say yet. I have a lot of time. I only turned eight today.

What do you think is the most important thing you’ve learned in life so far?

Just be yourself, and if you mess up, your friends are always there for you. And if they’re not there for you, then they’re not really your friends. Because a lot of friends you can really trust.

How do you think you’re different from a year ago?

Well, I don’t really feel any different.

What’s your favorite thing about yourself?

I’m very extroverted.

You want to say anything else?

My favorite food is seafood; if I had to pick my favorite foods, it would probably be shrimp, lobster, and crab legs.

Can you think of any questions I should have asked but didn’t?

No.

No because you can’t think of anything, or no because you don’t want to answer any more questions?

I don’t want to answer any more questions.

Okay, then. That concludes our exit interview for the seventh year!

(Really, I think we need to get Blaine, Athena, and Jay Lake’s “The Child” together at a con sometime. I expect they’ll take over the world someday. :-))