Five Quick Questions: Ellen Freeman
1. WHAT’S ON YOUR CURRENT PLAYLIST?
Los Angeles Azules, a classic cumbia sonidera band from Mexico City. They're playing a free show on my birthday (which happens to be Mexican Independence Day)!
2. SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW?
People who know me wouldn't be surprised by this at all, but I can't stop touching my hair. Left to my own devices, I will just sit and stare into space and stroke my hair, searching for the kinky ones. It doesn't help that a few months ago I had an unfortunate encounter with a gas water heater that singed off my bangs, so they're kind of wiry in a way that provides a whole new sensory experience. This is actually a big problem when I'm working; I either have to put my hair up or wear a hat to keep my fingers on the keyboard.
3. A RECENT PURCHASE THAT YOU REALLY ENJOY?
My partner and I bought a car! I'm a cheapskate, so I really didn't enjoy the buying part—but now that that's over, I'm really enjoying driving through the Mexican countryside, listening to the radio, and being able to pull over at every roadside elote stand that catches my eye. The only issue is that the passenger-side window sometimes doesn't roll up and we're in the middle of rainy season...
4. WHAT HABIT ARE YOU TRYING TO IMPLEMENT OR GET RID OF AT THE MOMENT?
Besides hair-touching? I'm trying to implement “office hours” for myself: working—and not doing anything else, like scrolling through Instagram or folding the laundry—for a certain number of hours, and not working/checking my e-mail when those hours are over. I thought I wanted freedom from the 9–5, but it turns out that I could benefit from the structure. (And, you know, I can always go to brunch during my “office hours” if I really need to.)
5. A BOOK THAT CHANGED YOU?
The Travel Book: it's made by Lonely Planet, and it's a HUGE tome with a double page spread on every country in the world, including photos, key phrases in the local language, traditional foods, movies to watch/books to read/music to listen to in order to get a sense of the culture, etc. Fingers crossed they'll hire me to write the next edition.