The Uncommon Life

My hometown is…
Fargo-Moorhead (North Dakota-Minnesota). It’s an interesting situation where two cities form one metropolitan area, but the area spans two states. Technically, I grew up in Moorhead, so I’m a Minnesotan. Yes, people there really do say things like “you betcha” and “Uff da.”

I’m inspired by…
Science, and fiction, and science fiction.

My guilty pleasure is….
How I Met Your Mother. (I read ahead.) Actually, TV in general. I make a lot of slightly outdated pop culture references (mostly to The Simpson’s seasons 1-10 and Seinfeld), but I’m also completely addicted to a bundle of more recent shows, like Game of Thrones and Mad Men.

An uncommon fact about me…
The first published copy I ever wrote appeared in my city’s newspaper when I was 12 years old, after I won a contest asking students to create an advertisement for a local bank. I did the art for the ad as well. I ended up building a career around writing, but my drawing ability hasn’t improved much over the past couple of decades.

My favorite bookstore in New York City is…
This is a tough one. It depends on what I’m looking for. My favorite used bookstore is Unnamable Books in my neighborhood. To browse what’s new I’ll stop in at Greenlight Bookstore. If I’m not really sure what I want, I’ll head to the Strand, because they have everything.

My favorite episode of How I Met Your Mother is…
That one where Ted tells a funny story that has very little to do with how he actually met their mother. (But if I actually had to pick, I think I’d say the one where the gang sets up rules for becoming “a real New Yorker” and they all race to see Woody Allen eating at a restaurant downtown.)

Since working at UncommonGoods I’ve learned…
The importance of TAGFEE (Transparent, Authentic, Generous, Fun, Empathetic, Exceptional) and the value of working on a team that believes in the power of those tenets.

Also, through working on this Uncommon Personalities project, I’ve learned how interesting and funny my co-workers really are.

Would you rather…never get to shop on the Internet again OR only get to express yourself in 140 characters or less for the rest of your life?
I can be pretty wordy, so I think I’d have to go with not shopping on the Internet. It might be a fun challenge to find a loophole and figure out how to buy things anyway (without really breaking the rules).

An uncommon fact about me…
It could be a slight Napoleon complex I have going on or having an older brother but I am a very competitive person, always aiming to win. I frequently have silent walking competitions with unaware people on the street – SSHHH!

Working at UncommonGoods I’ve learned…
There are people out there that are genuinely ready to help you better yourself.

I’m inspired by…
People, good or bad; their actions in one way or another shape how I choose to carry myself.

If my 6th grade teacher could see me now, he or she would say…
“Aww, Ms. Peters, we still can’t get you to stop talking.”

The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen is…
When I was about twelve, my older brother pulled the “I’m older” card when we discovered bubble gum flavored toothpaste in my house, so he went first to try it out. About a minute into brushing with his teeth tightly clamped together he mumbles, “is ooo.” I’m sitting there with tooth brush in hand waiting my turn and he continues, “is ooo.” It turned out to be bubble gum flavored denture glue and he glued his mouth shut. It may not be what people constitute as a beautiful thing to see, but I’ve never laughed so hard. With the cool persona my brother tends to portray, this was a beautiful thing to me.

If I won the lottery, I’d…
Donate to as many charities as I can without going too overboard, this little lady would like to own a house of her own someday.

Would you rather…have your own library filled with every book you’ve ever read or wanted to read OR have the ability to remember any 10 books word for word?
I’ve never said this out loud–but I don’t like when people are able to quote parts of movies during conversations, like I’m supposed to know what they’re talking about. 99% of the time I wouldn’t know, even if I’ve seen the movie numerous times. So you would imagine this goes for books as well… so library of books it is!