1. What is your name?
Tempestas, though you'd be forgiven for not believing me given my
tendency to switch usernames. You may remember me from past usernames as
kerawall and libertas. When you're 17, you don't really think
through the possible rammifications of using something people actually
call you as an online alias. I asked for a switch at 21, after I'd
written some more personal-type writeups and after Google indexed the
site.
The thing about having your username changed is the root name in the
database remains the same. If you Googled said nickname,
you'd still get to my homenode. A few years ago I asked to have
everything moved into a new account to quasi-eliminate this issue. It's
not quite perfect; you can still get here from
there.
You may think it odd that I'm making and talking about the
connection, but I had the most personal writeups I referenced above
moved to the everyone account. I also bring it up in the event that
you remember me by my old names.
2. Tell us something about you, your background, and what you've been up to lately?
Define "lately!" In the past month I was given the all-clear to
receive formal web developer training at work, which is a dream come
true. I got married in 2010; we just celebrated our second anniversary
this month. We're very happy.
But if you think about it in terms of the time I've been a member of this site, everything has
happened (no pun intended). I finished high school, started and
finished university, got a job and got married. I started running, ran
two half-marathons, had to stop due to a knee condition and now swim
recreationally instead. I'm also taking piano lessons again and loving
it.
3. How did you discover Everything, and how did you become a noder?
I was Googling something — this was 2002, before Google indexed E2 —
and a writeup was one of the search results. I was intrigued, so I
started poking around and signed up for an account.
I will now own up to not reading the FAQ. Like many
before and after me, I jumped right in, not quite understanding how
things worked. This led to a barrage of downvotes and concerned
messages. Some have suggested that this
turns people off, but it made me want to get better. (You people were
going to like me, dammit.)
4. What are your favorite writeups -- both your own and from other noders?
Of mine, you spoony bard!
From others, this, this, this, this, this. Eight
years on, I am still laughing at this. This is epic.
Some of my favourites were written by users who have since left,
taking their work with them. I'm just going to point out this nodeshell
here.
5. What are your favorite and least favorite memories from E2's history?
While it's not really part of E2's history per se, I did discover not
too long ago that my inverted pyramid writeup was used as a reading
in a high school journalism class in Florida. That's easily one of the
coolest things that's ever happened to me.
I have largely been oblivious to drama.
I was a mentor back when mentoring was a thing. I joined that flock
late in the game and only ended up assigned to two people. One of them
was showing a lot of promise before he up and left with no explanation.
That was extremely disappointing. The other seemed keen, regularly
asking me to review content on his scratchpad, but it quickly
became apparent that he had no intention of noding and was looking for
free editing for school assignments. That was also disappointing. C'est
la vie.
6. What keeps you coming back?
Curiosity.
7. What do you hope for E2's future?
I hope it keeps on keeping on. I hope people continue to get to know
each other through their writing. I hope people who have been around as
long as (or longer than) I have will continue to be as helpful to the
new crowd as people were to me.
8. What does E2 mean to you?
It's a place where I forged multiple lovely friendships, some of
which exist only in an online plane but are no less real. It's something
of a time capsule, too. I was 17 when I first joined, and the fact that
there are things that I wrote at 17 still online somewhere both
mortifies and amuses me. (Mostly the former.)
9. Who are your favorite noders? Which ones do you miss the most?
Don't make me choose favourites! I have to note a fondness for the
eh2 crew and for the authors of the nodes I listed as my favourites
above.
I want to gratefully mention tdent, who hasn't been seen in a
while, but who cared enough about classical music to constructively
critique my writeups on the subject. I'm in touch with some of my
favourite people who have left, so I miss their presence here but I'm
lucky enough to not have to miss them. And I miss those we've lost, of course. grundoon was such a
gracious lady who was always very kind to me.
10. Who would play you in the Everything2 movie?
Gosh. I can't think of any actresses I might resemble. Has anybody
said Sophie Aldred yet? I don't look like her, but as a kid I wanted
to be Ace.
11. Please fill in the blank: "E2 is to the Internet as ___ is to the world."
There's always an analogy question, isn't there? Can I say "whimsical badass library?" Is that a thing?
12. Any questions that I didn't ask that I should've?
Real or malarkey?
Everything2 Decaversary Interviews
If you have questions or comments, please contact Tempestas or Jet-Poop.