questions, answered (part 1)

C’mon folks, you can do better than these questions! But here are the answers so far. If anyone has more questions, you have until Friday to get ’em in.

Tom: Hey Derek, Riddle me this: I’m a fellow reporter and I’d like to know how you landed your current job. How many yrs experience did you have? How did you get your foot in the door? Thx, Tom

I had five years full-time experience working for papers up in New Hampshire and had worked my way fairly far up the totem pole there. I had two different columns, which got me a chance to write more narrative-style pieces. Also I finally figured out what big-city editors really want to see: trend stories, “think” pieces and the like. Breaking news and beat coverage doesn’t really cut it. So I took a beat covering education, a topic I really didn’t have much interest in at the time, so I could produce those types of stories. And I ended up liking it! There’s lots of interesting education stories to write.

I also worked really hard sending my resume out, getting my clips into the hands of editors. I went on interviews with the St. Paul Pioneer-Press, the Palm Beach Post and the Providence Journal — and got turned down by all of them. I was waiting to hear the results of a three-day tryout with the Boston Herald (which I think I did pretty well at, but you never know) when I got my current job offer.

Pluto: In a similarly serious vein: Will men seriously date a girl who isn’t any good at giving oral sex? As long as she really tries?

Sorry Pluto, but that will never ever ever happen, ever. Why in fact I was out with the boys last week, and one of them said: “Jeez … my girlfriend is kind, smart, sweet, hot, totally ‘gets’ me and is generally great in the sack. But she just sucks at sucking my d–k. I guess it’s back to the drawing board.”

Sad, but tr — C’MON!!! What planet are you on, “Pluto”, that you think so little of us guys? Yikes! I know I’ve said I’m shallow, but jeez…

(Well, I guess if there was biting involved or something, then that would be a definite deal-breaker. Ouch. But otherwise, c’mon).

Hamptons: Will you ever date an african woman/man? Were you ever attracted to other ethnicities? Which male celebrity would you resemble yourself with (physical attributes)? Who would you want to resemble youreself with?

Umm. I would never date a man, period, c’mon now. Most of the woman I date end up being white, but I’ve gone on a couple dates with a few different black women. I’ve never actually dated someone who was born in Africa, though. (And I did email you about this set-up, you never responded! It might be too late now). I am not sure who I resemble — maybe U.S. soccer player Landon Donovan? Except I’m tall.

Who would I want to “resemble [myself] with?” I’m not sure what you mean but I like the way I look.

rmrose: How are the kitties doing?

The kitties are doing great Dad!

Hamptons (again):why do you like running so much?

There’s a ton of reasons. But there’s something very liberating about using your body as a tool and pushing it. Many of my runs (except speedwork) are pretty effortless at this point, an opportunity to zone out, relax and think about things.

how can you withstand running for over 30 minutes? I can’t do that

Yeah, neither could I when I first started. Your body adapts.

Would you ever change your career?

Yes.

Which Cologne do you prefer?

I don’t really wear it. Although I have to admit I bought some of that “Axe effect” Tag body spray the other day.

Do you prefer Jewish Girls in New York or New Jersey?

Y’know, when I wrote that “Jewish chicks” post, I was seven months out of a long-term relationship with S. I had also recently been in a six-week relationship with M. (also Jewish). Additionally, there were two or three Jewish girls I counted as “prospects,” girls I kind-of liked.

But since writing that whole post last December it seems like I have been dating mostly lapsed Catholics. Since then I think I’ve been out with just one Jewish girl, an Ironman triathlete, and that was only for two dates. So who knows.

In any case, as I said at the time, it is not like I like girls because they are Jewish. Of course I prefer to date girls who live in Manhattan, but just because that’s where I live.