Hello world!

I have churned out several biographies in my other life as a PR flack. Bios have the same rhythm and feel; you know the person’s birthplace, alma mater, number of kids, current job, blah blah blah.

You get the boring stuff, not the real deal on people. Things like a favorite yoga position, their first love, who inspires them, what motivates them, and what makes them tick.

Here’s my attempt to not bore you to pieces and to give you some interesting tidbits/insights about me.

Who are you? Tiana Johnson
What is your idea of perfect happiness? Warm chocolate chip cookies; a sauna and a massage.
What is your greatest fear?
 Snakes, not being successful, public scenes when breaking up.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? 
Indecision and wishy-washiness.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
 Tardiness, inability to acknowledge the difference between em and en dash.
Which living person do you most admire?
 If I have to choose just one, it would be my mother. She puts up with me. I have to love her for that.
What is your greatest extravagance?
 Magazine subscriptions, Sephora, iTunes, and the health and beauty aisle of major drugstores...
What is your current state of mind? Prickly and sleepy.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
 Intelligence, manners, ability to make me laugh, strength, ability to quote Jay-Z in a meeting and read the entire Wall Street Journal over breakfast...
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
 Spunk, intelligence, grace, ability to make me laugh, creativity, fashion-forward...
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
 My one last nerve, dude, contrary to popular belief, off the top of my head, all I know is...
When and where were you happiest? Salsa dancing on an August night. Yesterday on the treadmill approaching mile 4. Two years ago at a Buddhist monastery in Thailand. Last Tuesday enjoying a burger and milkshake at the Landmark Diner.
Who are your favorite writers?
 Alice Walker. Toni Morrison. Pearl Cleage. Walter Mosley. bell hooks. Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Now that I’ve listed the highbrow stuff, let me list the favorites that my friends call literary junk food: Francis Ray, Brenda Jackson, Diane Mott Davidson, Carolina Garcia-Aguilera, Honey B, Rochelle Alers, Donna Hill, Eric Jerome Dickey, Julia Quinn, Kayla Perrin. This list could go on forever.
Which talent would you most like to have? 
Knit a pattern other than k1 and k1, p1; juggling; plumbing.
Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
 From one of the first romances I read: Kane Taggart in Francis Ray’s Forever Yours.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? 
Obtaining my Ph.D. Being a teacher. Being a good friend.
Where would you like to live?
 A farm where I could grow my own food and have sheep, but still close to a city where I can see plays.
What is your most treasured possession? 
My mental faculties.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
 A life without friends, family, a lover and candy.
What do you most value in your friends?
 Honesty, humor, respect, and discretion.
What are your favorite names?
 Naomi, Selah, Jacob, Noah, Grace, Segolene, Natalie, Leontyne...
What is it that you most dislike?
 Gluttony, sloth, intemperance, chipped nail polish, runs in stockings, rudeness, waiting for a near-death experience to realize how important life is.
What is your greatest regret?
 Giving up on writing while I was in grad school. Not going out on that Valentine’s Day date with Omar. Not moving out of the country when I had a chance.
What is your motto? I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes.