Today’s 20 Questions is with Peg, over at Peg-O-Leg. Peg was the coordinator of the recent “Better Living Through Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups” onslaught that took the world by storm. She’s a terrifically talented and prolific blogger who’s earned a spot as “beloved” among many people out here. She has been described by some (well, her) as “the greatest humor writer of this, or any other, century,” a feeling at least supported somewhat by the WordPress gods, who have freshly pressed her posts on 5 different occasions! Despite despite being rendered catatonic with jealousy at this, I was thrilled she agreed to play along.
So, hey, Peg-o-Leg, Let’s Play 20 Questions!
1. What quality do you most admire in others? Character: both definitions. To be a character (march to his own drummer), and to have character (integrity).
2. What trait do you most dislike in yourself? A tendency to keep score and overanalyze. Like the fact that I got 21 questions instead of 20 means you like me better than everybody else. Or you think I can’t count. (editor’s note: it’s neither. I give people 21 in case one of them strikes them as, what’s known in the interview biz, a “crappy question)
Excellent choice. Oh, you said AN angel, didn’t you…
3. If you could come back in your next life as anything, what would it be? An angel.
4. You’re suddenly made the absolute ruler of your country. What is the first change you make? Rename it; AmeriPeg The Beautiful. Has a nice ring to it.
5. With which Peanuts character do you most identify? Lucy. I have an unfortunate tendency to know what’s best for everyone else to do.
6. What 3 songs do you think you’ve listened to more than any others in your life? “Roundabout” by Yes (favorite song), “It Don’t Matter to Me” by Bread (favorite crying/angst soundtrack during teen years), and Happy Birthday (can’t avoid it)
Nerdy? I hardly think being able to “stage your own talk show” is nerdy.
7. If you could relive one day – either keeping it the same, or changing something – what would you choose? March 15, 1969. My ventriloquist act snagged first place in the grade school talent show. It also set my feet firmly and irrevocably on the path of “nerd” for my entire school career.
8. What is your biggest fear? Not to make a mark
9. What would you like the title of your biography to be? “Ding, Dong, The Witch Is Dead”
10. What movie or book has had the biggest impact on you? “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand
11. What is your favorite thing about blogging? Getting to write for an audience, and forging friendships with that audience.
12. Least favorite thing about blogging? How important it has become to me.
“And as soon as I unwrap these bandages, all the Lite-Brites, Stretch-Armstrongs and Etch-A-Sketches will be mine! All mine! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!”
13. Which superpower would you choose if you could: the ability to fly, or to turn invisible at will? Invisible. As a kid I had a recurring fantasy about this that involved being able to walk into Kresge’s and take any toys I wanted. This assumes the power comes with the ability to suspend the usual rules of right and wrong. See question #3.
14. Which of the 7 Deadly Sins are you most guilty? Dopey
15. What public figure (past or present) are you just sure you’d be friends with, if you ever met? Erma Bombeck. Or Oprah if she’s reading this and considering giving me a job as a writer (call me, Oprah!)
16. What public figure would you really like to sit down and give a good talking-to? To explain why they’re wrong, wrong, wrong. Depends. Do I get to use violence to get my points across?
“My dearest Nigel, I’m so happy I’m rich…”
17. If you could spend a year in any time and place, when and where would you choose? 1815 England, but only if I were really wealthy
18. If you could “steal” the creation of any book, album or movie – to just suddenly be the creator of it, what would you choose and why? “Harry Potter.” The books are so very well written. They were also moderately successful.
Miss Marple also used to flirt with Bruce Willis shamelessly.
19. If you could be any TV detective, who would you choose? Mattie on “Moonlighting”. She was smart, sexy, sassy, got to flirt with Bruce Willis and had enormous shoulder pads. Or Miss Marple – same reasons.
20. What would you most like people to say about you after you’re gone? If you mean gone as in dead then, “she was honorable.” If you mean gone as in left the room then, “Hey, Peg, wait up! You forgot this huge sack of money.”
The Byronic Man 
May 3, 2012 at 3:49 am
“You forgot this huge sack of money!” = the best parting line EVER.
May 3, 2012 at 6:46 am
And one that nobody has ever uttered to me. Damn.
May 3, 2012 at 6:50 am
How disappointing.
May 3, 2012 at 6:46 am
I agree!
May 3, 2012 at 9:12 am
I don’t see a bag of money here, Peg.
None at all.
Really.
Honest.
Not a cent.
Now please enjoy this random diversion while I do not grab the bag of money which does not exist and proceed to not run out the door with it.
😉
May 3, 2012 at 3:54 am
Great answers Peg! You reminded me how much I miss Mattie on Moonlighting.
May 3, 2012 at 6:48 am
Wasn’t that a great show? She could chase down bad guys in high heels and not a strand of Super-Hold Aqau Net-ted hair would be out of place.
May 3, 2012 at 4:32 am
I thought Erma was your mom? And you’ve never met her? Wow!
I also wanted to be Maddie with the shoulder pads!
This was a fantastic interview, Peg. I’ll leave you with something to ponder–you doing a vlog of your ventriloquist act. Pretty please with sugar on top??
May 3, 2012 at 6:49 am
I’m afraid I set aside Charlie about 40 years ago after the mixed blessing/curse of the talent show. That was him on the left in Joel’s picture – in fact I think I got him from that very catalogue! Weird.
May 3, 2012 at 7:38 am
(shivers) As creepy and weird as a ventriloquist dummy that comes alive at night while you’re sleeping. Jim used to own one from his childhood. He’s gone now, I made sure of that.
May 3, 2012 at 4:44 am
Great answers, Peg!
May 3, 2012 at 6:50 am
It was gut-wrenching to come up with them, so..thanks.
May 3, 2012 at 12:30 pm
Jeez, “gut-wrenching” is a strong term. That’ll have people filling my email with requests to participate…
May 3, 2012 at 4:50 am
I love you, Peg.
May 3, 2012 at 6:50 am
I’ve got quite the girl-crush going on you, Renee. Especially in those hot new shoes.
May 3, 2012 at 5:48 am
The deadly sin answer is genius !
May 3, 2012 at 6:53 am
I always get those confused, don’t you?
May 3, 2012 at 7:03 am
actually, yes…..I’m not sure I understand them –
like “greed” …and thats a sin because…..or
“gluttony” …….clearly whoever thought of that as a sin has not had a burger from ‘Five Guys’!!!!
May 3, 2012 at 3:39 pm
Come on over and read the entries in the Deadly Sins writing contest – you might change your mind…and it’s not too late to enter a story of your own.
May 3, 2012 at 5:45 pm
I’ll have to check it out, thanks !
May 3, 2012 at 6:39 am
Peg, you lied. There isn’t a single cookie over here!
May 3, 2012 at 6:51 am
Hey, waiter. Waiter! A snickerdoodle for my friend, here, and make it snappy!
May 3, 2012 at 7:05 am
Much better.
May 3, 2012 at 7:22 am
Ameripeg the Beautiful! I Love it!
May 3, 2012 at 1:53 pm
And the best thing about AmeriPeg is all the national holidays – you’ll never have to work again!
May 3, 2012 at 3:06 pm
Now that would really be fantastical!
May 3, 2012 at 8:40 am
Oh man. I was so excited to read this. Your last line made me burst out laughing, Peg, as did the HP books being ‘moderately successful.’ And I learned so many new things about you! Like the ventriloquist victory. Geesh. You didn’t even need to pull that out to get Freshly Pressed 5 times?! Needless to say, I pledge allegiance to AmeriPeg!
And you are SO not alone about caring too much about blogging.
Byronic Man – love the Angel caption. That’s the picture that showed up in my Reader, and I was REALLY curious to see where it would lead.
May 3, 2012 at 12:29 pm
Never miss an opportunity to reference Joss Whedon’s material. That’s one of our guiding principles here at the Byronic Man.
May 3, 2012 at 1:54 pm
When I think of angels I think of Raphael-esque paintings. I feel old.
May 3, 2012 at 8:46 am
I love a good two-fer. Well done, Lucy. I pledge Alligience to Peg-O-Land. 😉
May 3, 2012 at 1:52 pm
I’m working on the flag – something sparkly, don’t you think?
May 3, 2012 at 6:30 pm
With a unicorn.
May 4, 2012 at 3:13 am
Flag bearers must wear blond wigs and red stilleto heels. Even the males.
May 4, 2012 at 6:54 am
Blonde flag bearers in red stilletos carrying sparkly, unicorn (3-D, PUFFY unicorns) embellished flags – now that would be a parade!
May 4, 2012 at 10:29 am
You know it.
May 3, 2012 at 9:17 am
Gees, just one more fabulous blogger I’ll have to start following! It’s a hard life… Awesome Q & A sesh, Miss Peg and Byronic!
May 3, 2012 at 1:56 pm
Sorry to be a burden. You don’t have to follow (sniff, sniff). I’ll understand (sniff, sniff).
(Refer back to Byronic’s FP-worthy previous post about the pain of the Unsubscribe.)
May 3, 2012 at 2:31 pm
Probably the most convincing guilt trip I’ve been treated to in a long time. 😉 Fine… I’ll follow…
May 3, 2012 at 10:14 am
Hey Peg, you play well in other peoples’ sandboxes. Well done interview! 🙂
May 3, 2012 at 1:59 pm
Thanks, Lorna. Any talk of sandboxes reminds me of my cat, Beeby, who thinks our entire basement is her personal sand/litterbox. Le sigh.
May 3, 2012 at 11:51 am
Re: #8, you’ve already made a positive mark on me, and I don’t mean that as in “you somehow managed to draw a ‘+’ on me from a distance.”
True story.
🙂
May 3, 2012 at 1:57 pm
Thanks Deb. There’s an uncomfortable amount of “fo real” sprinkled in with the goofy up above.
May 3, 2012 at 11:53 am
Hey Joel, thanks so much for hosting me here on your fab blog. Your photos really bring the whole thing home. That’s my dummy, Charlie, on the left in the Sears Catalog ad – how did you know?
I’ve heard a couple of grumbles that the beer, wine and cookies aren’t flowing as fast as they should – get working on that issue, won’t you?
I really appreciate all the kind comments and the big buildup. Goofing around with bloggers like you (and your Byromaniacs) make this whole biz worthwhile. Only 1 question – why is “beloved” in quotation marks?
May 3, 2012 at 12:28 pm
My pleasure! And that’s wild about the ventriloquist dummy. Just coincidence.
Refreshments are all set out, but no one seems to have shown up at my house.
Oh, and Beloved is in quotation marks because I’m quoting the Internet. I asked it about you.
May 3, 2012 at 3:43 pm
Nice answers, beloved. Very nice.
May 4, 2012 at 1:24 am
You have been mentioned in my blog today, please see Versatile Blogger Award. http://benzeknees.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/intermission/
May 4, 2012 at 11:54 am
I always love our humorous honesty.
May 5, 2012 at 9:35 am
Peg, I enjoyed your answers here — but why did you have to go and bring up ventriloquist dummies? I’m happy for you with your talent contest win and all. But really. Now I’ll have nightmares tonight and I was already trying to purge the image of the creepy turn of the century man that Byronic Man posted on here last week.
May 5, 2012 at 10:26 am
I pledge allegiance to Ameripeg and to the humor for which it stands. One nation, LIAO, with satire and irony for all.