An Interview from Reena

Interview courtesy of Reena:
1. If you were a professional cartoonist for a newspaper, what would your weekly strip be about?
If I wanted to do something right now, I'd probably do something vaguely autobiographical, since it's best to 'write what you know' and there aren't many comics about girls or women that aren't centered around the stereotypical boys, clothing, and diet themes. Of course, while I could use myself, I'd probably have to invent or combine the other characters so I could have enough flexibility without annoying real-life friends. I think the title 'Penny, the Graduate Student who Lives in Los Angeles Whilst Driving a Broken Down Car' is catchy, don't you?

2. What were the benefits/drawbacks of going to an all-girls college after attending Marlborough? Did going to an all girls college effect your law school co-ed experience at all?
I think it was nice to have the luxury of not having to deal with relationship issues for the most part, and the school had a degree of camaraderie that you would have trouble finding at a co-ed school. Finally, I think that a women's college was a good place for me to build confidence and engage in more in-depth academic discussions.

Though Bryn Mawr wasn't a 'nunnery' and I had contact with guys from our co-ed 'brother' school (Haverford, where I went to Chorale and took some academic classes), going to school in a largely female environment obviously meant that I didn't have to deal with some annoying pseudo-romance and relationship situations if I wanted to avoid them. I think the whole 'crush-boy' situation wouldn't have gotten so out of hand if I was more experienced at spotting the warning signs and being firm about getting him to leave me alone.

3. In the past two years, which novel that you've read have you found the most enjoyable? Which did you find hit the closest to home? (if they were the same, that's fine too)
Well, I don't know if this is the most enjoyable novel that I've read in the last two years, but I did enjoy reading Wuthering Heights while going through Haworth and Brontë country. I can't think of any novel that hit particularly close to home, though most novels have at least a character or theme that is personally relevant.

4. Has there ever been a time in your life that you've been sans-bangs? what's the most radically different haircut you've ever had? (aside from the way we all know you!)
I actually don't have bangs right now! I decided to grow them out after graduating from Marlborough, since they always seemed to grow so fast and I figured college would be a good time for a change. Other than that, my hairstyle hasn't changed much at all.

5. If you could speak fluently in one other language (not learn it in school, but actually be able to speak it to people from that culture) which would it be?
Part of me would like to speak fluent Spanish, since it's a useful language to know and I'm frustrated by my lousy Spanish skills. But I think I would prefer to have mediocre Spanish skills and fluency in both English and a third language rather than merely be fluent in Spanish and English. Fluency in French would probably appeal to me most, because so much of Europe's literary and political history has been influenced by France. Italian and German would also be interesting, and it might also be useful to be fluent in a language that was completely different from the romance languages, such as Chinese, Japanese, or Arabic.