The Name’s Beck ... Cindy Beck

© Cindy Beck, 2008
(Keywords: Cindy Beck, interview, Cheese Doodles, SeaWorld, humor, Latter-day Saints, LDS, Your LDS Radio, yourLDSNeighborhood.com)

Last spring, Candace Salima interviewed me for yourLDSNeighbhorhood.com. The point was to give my readers—all one of them—the opportunity to know me better. It's too bad my mom was off line that day and missed her chance.

Just in case I've picked up any new fans lately—besides that stalker that keeps calling me—I'm posting the interview again. Here, for your reading pleasure, are the questions and answers that give a glimpse into the mind of Cindy Beck ... what little mind there is.


Q: What brought you to the Blogging World and what is your favorite thing about blogging?

A: I arrived at the Blogging World quite by accident. I was trying to find SeaWorld, but I've never been very good with maps. Apparently the Internet is nowhere near Orlando, FL.

I love blogging because it gives me the chance to write whatever comes to mind. Alas, that's also what encourages me to write answers like the one I gave to "What brought you to the Blogging World?" Plus, blogging gives me a perfectly acceptable excuse for staring at my computer screen for hours on end, while eating Cheese Doodles and humming aimless tunes. "Sorry, Sweetie," I'll say to my husband as I wipe Doodle dust off my fingers. "I can't possibly fix supper right now ... I'm blogging."

Q: What intrigues you the most about blogging for yourLDSneighborhood?

A: First of all, it seems like such a nice neighborhood. So much nicer than my own— no kids throwing rotten tomatoes at my dog, or leaving a sharpened hack saw blade at my front door as a present. Or as a warning. I'm not sure which it was supposed to be.

Second, I can use words like, "Oh my heck" in a blog, and all the visitors will completely understand what that means. Not to mention the fact that if I were to blog about baptisms for the dead, no one would wonder if I was talking about putting sprinklers in the cemetery.

Q: What is your favorite thing about yourLDSneighborhood?

A: Oh, you mean outside of the fact that no one has left a sharpened hack saw blade as a present?

Okay, I suppose I'll be serious for just one second. I love the bright colors and the way the home page is set up like a neighborhood. The images and graphics are very inviting. I feel like I've stepped into an LDS Mayberry. All it lacks is Aunt Bee, Opie and a cold glass of lemonade on the front porch.

I think it's great to go to a site that's geared toward Latter-day Saints, where you don't have to worry about content that you might find insulting or offensive. I love the fact that I can read blogs and not have to worry about what wording they'll contain. Oh my heck, yes!

The stores contain items I'd be interested in buying; the blogs are writings I'd be interested in reading. They also have a great radio station called Your LDS Radio.

I think that pretty well sums it up, don't you? So, okay then, back to the Cheese Doodles.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself: What are your likes, dislikes, hobbies, hopes, dreams, etc . . .

A: Likes: Cheese Doodles, donuts, chocolate cake.

Dislikes: Liver, and Brussels sprouts. Either together or separately. Come to think of it, they have the same affect on me as syrup of Ipecac, and I’m not too fond of that, either.

Hobbies: Readin', writin' and NOT 'rithmetic.

Hopes: The only Hopes I know are Bob Hope and the Hope diamond. One has passed away and the other is beyond my budget.

Dreams: Last night, I had the strangest dream. I sailed away to China, in a little row boat to find ya, and you said you had to get your laundry cleaned …*

No wait. That wasn't a dream. It was a song that was playing just before I went to bed.

Q: Tell us something unique about yourself.

A: Not to get technical, but that’s not a question. Anyway, I’m getting tired of typing. Let's just skip this one.

Q: What has been your greatest challenge to date?

A: Coming up with the answer to question number five, above, which is why I skipped it.

Wait. Did you mean my biggest challenge in life? That would be how to get the Cheese Doodle bag open without dumping cheesy puffs in my lap.

Q: What books/projects/ songs are you working on right now?

A: As far as books go, I'm working on a book of LDS Humor with my friend and co-author, Nichole Giles, who also blogs for yourLDSNeighborhood.com. Cedar Fort is interested in publishing the book, which contains humorous anecdotes for and about Latter-day Saints. Some of the stories are funny enough that you might need to do that little dance and run off to the bathroom.

As for projects, I'm trying to figure out why my dryer keeps overheating. There's nothing like charred and blackened socks to give you a clue that something is amiss with the dryer.

When it comes to songs, I'm working on an opus. Or maybe it's a jingle. I've never been clear on the difference between the two. At any rate, I have the music written. It has eighth, quarter, and half notes. Once in a while, for variety, I've thrown in a full note.

The lyrics are simple, so that it appeals to the common man. They go, "Dee,dee, dee. Dee, dee, dee."

Q: What obstacles have you run into?

A: Whether "dee" is spelled with one "e" or two.

Q: If you had three minutes to give advice to someone headed into danger, what would it be?

A: Unplug the dryer before trying to figure out why the socks are burned.

What's playing in my head: *Break My Stride (written by Matthew Wilder)

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