HIM and ME: An Interview on Eric's World 2012.

HIM and ME:  An Interview on Eric's World 2012.

As I stand up from the computer, he quips a "That was fun!," from his position on the coach.  I felt a bit like a shrink for the last 20 minutes, while I asked Eric some questions that I would ask anyone I was trying to get to know better.  Difference is, he's my husband.  Some things I knew.  Some things I didn't.  Overall, I would totally recommend interviewing each other for New Years!  It was a super fun exercise reminding me who the most interesting man in my world is.

ME:  Okay.  Let's just start with a list of some fave things of 2012.  Favorite TV show?
HIM:  I gotta say Happy Endings.  I like that it takes place in Chicago and has lots of inside jokes about Chicago.  The comedy is really funny, silly and smart.  And it reminds me of a mix between 30 Rock and Friends and I like the fact that they can acknowledge that.

ME:  Favorite theatrical show?
HIM:  When we took Soph to see Mary Poppins at the Ahmanson Theatre in LA.  We were seeing our good friend Maddie Mullahey in the role of Jane Banks and she was wonderful and unbelievably nuanced, especially for a kid.  It was magical that it was Sophie's first full musical theatre show. She had seen me play Shrek, but she was just a few months old and would see the show in sections. At 2 years old, she was beyond her years as far as attention span and theatre etiquette.  She loved the whole thing, singing and dancing the whole night.  Because she had a great time, I did too.
ME:  Favorite website of 2012?
HIM:  The Fancy.com and Pinterest.com.  I really like the Fancy cause it's based on a guy-cenntric point of view.  Pinterest inspires both of us to think about our house and craft ideas to do with Soph.  I love the DIY attitude that Pinterest provokes.
ME:  I love the project we did together in our kitchen.  Every time I look at that wall, I feel like it's totally us.  Sophie's Christmas crafts, that were her presents, were all Pinterest inspired too.  And, if I'm not mistaken, they were all ideas found by you, daddy.  And speaking of daddy, you are the Ap-Daddy.  For anyone that doesn't know, let it be known that you are super skilled in the arena of modern, social technology.  Favorite App of 2012?
HIM:  Huff Post app.
ME:  Why is that?
HIM:  It's an online news magazine that is easy to use, easy to read, and totally current.  It's not super left or right leaning.  I love reading about media news.  News about the news, ratings and who's who in the news.  They have a great sports section too!
ME:  Favorite Kids App 2012?
HIM:  The Disneyland app and the Tozzle app.  Disneyland is a really well designed app.  It's beautiful how it guides you thru the parks.  The music changes when you go to different lands and she loves the interactive features.  Tozzle is a puzzle app. Seeing how active her mind is and how she has advanced at doing the puzzles is amazing .  They're pretty complicated puzzles with small pieces.  The things she was able to teach herself, as far as navigating and working the app was mind blowing.
ME:  Favorite movie of 2012?
HIM:  Midnight in Paris and Safety Not Guaranteed.  I never thought I had any interest in Paris, until I saw this movie.  Now, I really want to go there.  I just want to be able to time travel there in the 1920s.  Safety Not Guaranteed is with Mark Duplas from The League, the girl from Parks & Rec, and Jake Johnson from New Girl.  In a nutshell, a guy puts an add for a time travel partner with courage, strength of character and laser gun expertise.  It was just inspiring.  It was about having faith in an idea and people.  So....I guess I have a thing for time travel movies.
ME:  How did you decide to go back to NYC and how was that experience for you?
HIM:  My agent, Charles, called during the summer asking if I'd be interested in doing Peter and the Starcatcher.  I'd auditioned for the play like 4 years ago, before it went to Broadway and heard that it was a really magical, one of a kind, experience.  I'd always wanted to do a PLAY on Broadway.  So, you helped me make a tape and we sent it off to NYC.  They weren't acccepting tapes, but I emailed one of the directors and asked if they'd look at mine, because I had a conflict (TV shoot for a guest spot on "Pair of Kings").  I was suprised and exited at the possibility of going back to New York, but it was definitely a family desicion and discussion to be had.  You were working and making progress in LA and Soph had just started pre-school, which we had already paid an entire year for.  I felt like I had already dragged you guys to California and wasn't sure if it was right to drag you back to New York, after we had just settled in LA.  But after we talked about it, we both felt it would be an amazing opportunity.  We weren't sure if we would be happy in New York.  Would being with old friends feel totally different now that we had a kid?  Would we miss Cali?  Would we want to stay in NYC forever?  But once we got here it was sort of all of those things at different moments.  It was definitely in phases.  There were days when we felt we really belonged here.  Other days we really missed our home in LA...and the weather.  Other days were confusing and we didn't know where we belonged.
I think at the end of it all though, it was a good excperience to come here.  It made us a tighter family unit.  Soph experienced some cool cultural things.  It was good for us to see friends again, but all in all we are excited to get back to our house...and our bed.  Our bed here is a major downside to the NY experience.  It's binding my body like the ancient Chinese practice of binding feet.  I literally feel shorter when I wake up.
ME:  What would you say was your greatest personal victory of 2012?
HIM:  Booking Giant Baby for TVLand.  Even if the show doesn't get picked up (which it will because it's great and the cast is crazy-amazing), it was a very big step in my professional career and... in a way, validation of my dreams.  If you would have asked me 10 years ago what my dream was I would have said, "I want to be a lead in a classic multi-camera sitcom."  The fact that a studio and creators put me in that postion was a huge achievement for me.  I couldn't have met that goal without the help, sacfrice, and support of you and Soph though.  That's for sure!
ME: Umm, thank you.  Brownie points for that shout out, honey.  Prior to the big TV news, what were some other experiences, that helped you achieve this dream.
HIM:  Getting cast as Shrek in the 1st National Tour of Shrek: The Musical for Dreamworks was a huge turning point for me.  They saw me as an unconventional leading man and that opened many doors, subsequently.  Also, in this past year, I never really had an opportunity to thank the Disney Channel people for taking a chance on me.  I got to do Jessie, which led to Pair of Kings, which led to a recurring part for that show.  They gave me a lot of invaluable experience in working on a set. While I had some TV experience in NYC, I feel like I understand so much more from the amount of work I got to do there this year.  And they were just fantastic people to work with.
ME:  What was your greatest challenge of 2012?  How did that grow you as a person?
HIM:  Being a true stay at home dad for 4 months was definitely the hardest thing!  It was so hard to give attention all of the time, beacuse it's not just watching her to make sure she doesn't break her face.  It's actively stimulating her mind with games and new activities.  It was hard to re-adjust my priorities.  You only really have those 2 hours, when they nap, which is truly "you time".  I wasn't really great at keeping the house clean.  In fact, I even hired someone to do it once.  Paying bills and cooking in my free time where not what I had in mind.  Battling the "stir-crazies" was super difficult and I struggled to find things to do with other adults.  It made me really appreciate what you and other moms do.
ME:  Aaaaand another gold star!  Favorite family moment of 2012?
HIM:  Car wash day.  There were so many exciting moments in 2012:  going to Disneyland, visiting family, seeing shows in New York, etc. BUT my favorite was that moment.  A simple, warm summer day, in an impromptu moment, when we decided to wash both cars.  Soph enjoyed the responsibility of washing the tires and we all ended up completely soaked.  The cherry on top was getting ice cream on Ventura Blvd as a reward for our hard work.  It was just perfect family time.

I attempted to do an interview with Soph and it went something like this...
ME:  What is your favorite thing to eat?
HER:  No.
(Mommy cannot be deterred)
ME:  What is your favorite movie?
HER:  Ariel!!!!!
(Yes!  It's working.)
ME:  What is your favorite...
HER:  giggles and runs away

Well, It's a start.
I am making a resolution to do this more often.
What are some ways that you check in with your partner and kids?  We might take your suggestion for a spin!