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meet, "southernlady05" | the golo profile

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 In this week's GOLO Profile, we meet "Southernlady05." She was kind enough to give me 30 minutes of her time on Friday and it was certainly time well spent. She even opened up about one of her greatest fears, and what it would take to make her get over it.

Angela: You mention on your profile page that you LOVE your southern heritage. What do you love about it?

SouthernLady05: My family has deep roots here. The culture I love. I have a lot of great aunts and great-great aunts and uncles who I am very close to. I just like the life down here. It’s laid back, slower paced. My whole family is from the sticks. Me living near Raleigh is a big deal. I’ve been to the big city, but I love it here.

Angela: Do you feel homesick when you’re away?

SouthernLady05: Oh yeah, oh yeah. I never stay more than a week. 

Angela: Does food play a part in some of those southern roots?

SouthernLady05: Ooooh yeah. I love me some collards and I love Thanksgiving. We all go to the farm at Thanksgiving and they’ve got collards and corn pudding and I just love Southern food. It’s probably not good for me, but I love it.

Angela: Are you good at preparing it?

Southernlady05: No, I’m not a good cook at all. I can make meatloaf, hot dogs and hamburgers.

Angela: But, that’s not even a complete meal.

Southernlady05: Oh I know. But you can get some Easy Mac and some canned green beans to go with it. But I do better with Pastries, and they’re probably not good for me either.  

Angela: If money was no object and you could travel all over, where would you go?

Southernlady05: I’d go to a beach somewhere. I’d love to go to Puerto Rico but I’m terrified of flying. I have a big phobia.

Angela: Really? What prompted this phobia?

Southernlady05: On a trip in high school I had an issue where the oxygen masks fell and that just makes me a nervous wreck. I told my husband if he wants to fly he has to get me drunk or get me some sleeping pills.

Angela: What do you find so terrifying?

Southernlady05: The takeoff worries me to death and then when it’s straightened out it feels like it’s going to drop out of the sky. Towards the middle is okay but when it gets close to the landing and starts circling around I just know that we’re going down. I know I could never fly to Jamaica or some 13 hour flight. It would be one long prayer. It makes me nervous just thinking about it.

Angela: Okay, well let’s ease your mind some and change the subject….   

Who are some of your GOLO favorites?

Southernlady05: I love Historians. He’s helped me out with a couple of things. DJM is hilarious. I have to give him a shout-out.  Packy, Sessy…they’re all great, And I love going toe-to-toe with con amor even though we kind of disagree it’s a fun thing to do.

Angela: What does GOLO mean to you?

Southernlady05: It’s a break from work. I’m probably on more than I should be…and you get to talk to a whole bunch of different people. When you’re at work talking around the water cooler, you have to be careful but on GOLO you can really speak your mind regardless of your viewpoint and maybe you will change your mind on something.

Angela: One last plane question: You’re stuck in Alaska and the only way to get out is on a plane. What are you gonna do?

Southernlady05: I’m going to crawl up into a big ball and shake to death.  (We both laugh) No, somehow I’ll get on that plane. As much as I hate planes, I hate the cold even worse.

Angela: So do you even talk to Yukon John?

Southernlady05: Oh yeah. I talk to him, but I don’t envy him.

Angela: What do you do for fun?

Southernlady05: I love hanging out with my son and my family who are all concentrated around Eastern North Carolina. I love going to the beach. My grandmother has a house on Topsail Island. Being a mom I don’t go out every weekend. I like hanging out at home and grilling out.

Angela: Who was your childhood crush?

Southernlady05: My childhood crush was Leonardo DiCaprio when he was brand new. I had a big poster over my bed. I had this little dog and she was terrified of that poster. She would jump up and down and growl at it until she was hoarse. I also used to love the Backstreet Boys. 

 Angela: Tell me two things you have to do before you die.

Southernlady05: I do want to go to Puerto Rico before I die. I want to have grandkids before I die.

Angela: Tell me one of your earliest memories.

Southernlady05: I don’t remember much from when I was a kid. Well, maybe when I was about 5 or 6 I remember there was a huge snow and everyone got to play all day except me. I was supposed to ride the bus home from school that day and I faked being sick so the principal called home and my momma had to come and get me and she wouldn’t allow me to play in the snow.

Angela: What scared you about the school bus?

Southernlady05: I don’t know. I guess I was used to my mom picking me up.  I thought it was a big yellow crazy looking thing with all of these kids I don’t know.

Angela: So what are you cooking for dinner?

Southernlady05: Tonight?  (Laughs then pauses…)It’s Friday so we’ll probably go get some Sonic.

Angela: No meatloaf ?

Southernlady05: No, that takes a while to make.  

Angela: Fast forward 30 years. What are you doing?

Southernlady05: I hope to be retired. Yeah I don’t want to be working. There are a lot of old people working in my office and that’s not for me. I hope to sell my house and move to the beach with my grandkids.

Angela: Do you think you’ll be on GOLO?

Southernlady05: If it’s still there. I might change my name though.

Angela: How about “oldsouthernlady05?”

Southernlady05: Laughs…I just might.

Angela: Thanks for talking to me today.

Southernlady05: You’re welcome. Have a good weekend.