The cameras open on a night sky, lit up by the bright lights of downtown St Paul's, Minnesota. The beautiful lights of the city shimmering across the mighty Mississippi in the heart of the American mid-west. At a distance the city seems peaceful and still, the glow of the city lighting up the purples and dark blues of a clear night sky. Then as the cameras move in toward the banks of the river it becomes clear that even at 2am the city is still bustling, cafes and bars with couples and groups of friends mingling and chatting, the smell of food cooking in the air and then as we move along the river the gentle sounds of 'Moonshadow' eminating from an all night cafe. The camera passes a couple of bearded gentlemen sat outside smoking and talking about the result of the latest Minnesota Wild's hockey game.
Inside the cafe, the arched shaped windows and neon gives way to round tables and wicker backed chairs, with paintings depicting musicians and movie stars from the 50s and 60s. Two waitresses topping up the small number of clientele's coffee cups. An old style jukebox up one end of the cafe half hidden away in an alcove. Then panning the room we find a couple up the other end in deep conversation, one a beard gent sipping from a cup of coffee and the other, a laid back lady lounging in her chair and playing with the lava lamp that sits between. Ahhh so this must be Boff Moatman's next celebrity guest. "Oh hello", says Boff, putting down his coffee. "So here we are Stateside again, I caught the red-eye first thing and I still didn't arrive till this afternoon, but it's been totally worth it". "Today's guest is a fasinating mine of information, with her own cultural smarts, and plenty of Sass to boot". Today's guest is our very own Trish Finley. *Trish shoots the camera a grin, and then turns to face Boff*
Thank you for inviting me to come and see you, I must admit, I'm pretty excited. I have plenty of questions I've been dying to ask you, but to help ease us in, why don't you tell us all about your home town?
Well, says Trish, Assuming her best Alice Cooper from Wayne’s World Pose… "Saint Paul is the capital city of Minnesota and was founded near historic Native American settlements as a trading and transportation center. Saint Paul rose to prominence when it was named the capital of the Minnesota Territory in 1849 and lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River.
Minnesota's official nickname is the North Star State, originating from the French motto that appears on MN's state flag and seal: l'étoile du nord (translation: the star of the North), lying to the northern most reaches of the USA and bordering with Canada.
Minnesota and North Dakota have the highest proportion of Scandinavians in the USA, with Norwegian immigration reaching its peak at the end of the 19th century. Historically, the majority of Norwegian Americans live in the upper Midwest, especially in Minnesota, western Wisconsin, northern Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
People who aren't familiar with MN may have the notion that the Academy-Award−winning film 'Fargo' is an accurate depiction of MN, and to be honest, they aren't missing the mark by much, albeit the film was a purposely condensed and exaggerated version of MN culture. 'Fargo' was written, produced, and directed by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, natives of Saint Louis Park, MN, a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis.
Minnesota consistently ranks in the top three to five coldest of the United States. Minnesota gets so exceptionally cold in winter that it often places just behind Alaska, with the lowest air temperature (which excludes the windchill) recorded in Minnesota of −51 °C in 1996. The winter (approximately half the year) does mean that Saint Paul is able to host the annual winter carnival a tradition dating to 1886. Ice sculptures a most ;)
Saint Paul is also the birthplace of cartoonist Charles M. Schulz ('Peanuts'), who lived in Merriam Park until 1960. Schulz's cartoon inspired giant decorated Peanuts sculptures around the city in the late 1990s.
Yours truly is an alumna of Saint Paul's Hamline University, MN's first private, liberal-arts university, founded in 1854. I graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in English, with an emphasis in creative writing, and minor degrees in anthropology and Spanish. Needless to say, I've made a fortune hand-over-fist with such a practical background!
Inside the cafe, the arched shaped windows and neon gives way to round tables and wicker backed chairs, with paintings depicting musicians and movie stars from the 50s and 60s. Two waitresses topping up the small number of clientele's coffee cups. An old style jukebox up one end of the cafe half hidden away in an alcove. Then panning the room we find a couple up the other end in deep conversation, one a beard gent sipping from a cup of coffee and the other, a laid back lady lounging in her chair and playing with the lava lamp that sits between. Ahhh so this must be Boff Moatman's next celebrity guest. "Oh hello", says Boff, putting down his coffee. "So here we are Stateside again, I caught the red-eye first thing and I still didn't arrive till this afternoon, but it's been totally worth it". "Today's guest is a fasinating mine of information, with her own cultural smarts, and plenty of Sass to boot". Today's guest is our very own Trish Finley. *Trish shoots the camera a grin, and then turns to face Boff*
Thank you for inviting me to come and see you, I must admit, I'm pretty excited. I have plenty of questions I've been dying to ask you, but to help ease us in, why don't you tell us all about your home town?
Well, says Trish, Assuming her best Alice Cooper from Wayne’s World Pose… "Saint Paul is the capital city of Minnesota and was founded near historic Native American settlements as a trading and transportation center. Saint Paul rose to prominence when it was named the capital of the Minnesota Territory in 1849 and lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River.
Minnesota's official nickname is the North Star State, originating from the French motto that appears on MN's state flag and seal: l'étoile du nord (translation: the star of the North), lying to the northern most reaches of the USA and bordering with Canada.
Minnesota and North Dakota have the highest proportion of Scandinavians in the USA, with Norwegian immigration reaching its peak at the end of the 19th century. Historically, the majority of Norwegian Americans live in the upper Midwest, especially in Minnesota, western Wisconsin, northern Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
People who aren't familiar with MN may have the notion that the Academy-Award−winning film 'Fargo' is an accurate depiction of MN, and to be honest, they aren't missing the mark by much, albeit the film was a purposely condensed and exaggerated version of MN culture. 'Fargo' was written, produced, and directed by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, natives of Saint Louis Park, MN, a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis.
Minnesota consistently ranks in the top three to five coldest of the United States. Minnesota gets so exceptionally cold in winter that it often places just behind Alaska, with the lowest air temperature (which excludes the windchill) recorded in Minnesota of −51 °C in 1996. The winter (approximately half the year) does mean that Saint Paul is able to host the annual winter carnival a tradition dating to 1886. Ice sculptures a most ;)
Saint Paul is also the birthplace of cartoonist Charles M. Schulz ('Peanuts'), who lived in Merriam Park until 1960. Schulz's cartoon inspired giant decorated Peanuts sculptures around the city in the late 1990s.
Yours truly is an alumna of Saint Paul's Hamline University, MN's first private, liberal-arts university, founded in 1854. I graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in English, with an emphasis in creative writing, and minor degrees in anthropology and Spanish. Needless to say, I've made a fortune hand-over-fist with such a practical background!
*With that Trish calmly smiles to camera as she subtly slides her mobile phone back into her pocket, and sighs just under her breath 'thanks google'. Then she turns to Boff and says, "now tell me about Wimbledon?" To which Boff shrugs and says it's got a park, a crap football team and Wombles. Oh and it's not London! which makes them both laugh. Right then, time for the probing to begin *oooh lucky me, chuckles Trish*, I know you're a free spirit, happy in your own skin and comfortable with the world, but you've had quite the rollercoaster to get here, so, lets start at the beginning. You're one of eight children. So I wanted to ask what that was like growing up? were you more Waltons, Brady bunch or Adams family?
Yes, as you mentioned, I'm one of eight siblings (four boys and four girls) all born within a span of 10 years. I'm the sixth child, so I have five older siblings, and two younger ones. Frankly, my family isn't comparable to any of your suggested clans. Rather, I consider my entire life—from the time I became a freshly cognizant being to this day—a version of Edward Albee's seminal play 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,' albeit with additional out-of-control, out-of-their-minds cast members and much more abusive behavior. I abhorred the chaos, cacophony, competition, contempt, and cruelty on which the rest of my siblings thrived, and still do. Around the age of four, I made the conscious decision that I was NEVER going to get married nor have kids, thus I'm single and childless, with absofuckinglutely no regrets.
Boff nods, I see, well if you ever get bored I have a house full of small hairy folks who would love to monopolise your time in various ways. What's your opinion on drum and bass? actually forget that; it's not a real question. Lets stick with the topic of family, what about your school days, I know you said that the eight of you fit within 10 years, did you all go to the same school? and how did you get on with your teachers?
During my 'formative years,' my family lived in a small, rural town. It was only when I turned 18 that I moved to 'the big city' to attend university, and I've never looked back. Because my childhood hometown supported only one primary school (kindergarten through sixth grade) and one high school (seventh through twelfth grades), all of my siblings did attend the same schools. When I attended kindergarten, my oldest sibling was in the sixth grade; and when my youngest sibling entered kindergarten, I was in the fourth grade. There was a lot of overlap in school attendance, and in some cases in high school, I actually was in the some of the same classes as my year-older sister. It was hell. It was nigh-on impossible to carve out space for myself at home, and the complication of spending school days brushing elbows with my siblings made the situation all the more untenable.
I was a diligent student who earned top grades in every subject, so my teachers thought I was 'a great kid.' However, my unhappy home life caused a schism in my personality, wherein the good girl next door increasingly frequently went on benders where she became the bad girl from the other side of the tracks.
Yes, as you mentioned, I'm one of eight siblings (four boys and four girls) all born within a span of 10 years. I'm the sixth child, so I have five older siblings, and two younger ones. Frankly, my family isn't comparable to any of your suggested clans. Rather, I consider my entire life—from the time I became a freshly cognizant being to this day—a version of Edward Albee's seminal play 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,' albeit with additional out-of-control, out-of-their-minds cast members and much more abusive behavior. I abhorred the chaos, cacophony, competition, contempt, and cruelty on which the rest of my siblings thrived, and still do. Around the age of four, I made the conscious decision that I was NEVER going to get married nor have kids, thus I'm single and childless, with absofuckinglutely no regrets.
Boff nods, I see, well if you ever get bored I have a house full of small hairy folks who would love to monopolise your time in various ways. What's your opinion on drum and bass? actually forget that; it's not a real question. Lets stick with the topic of family, what about your school days, I know you said that the eight of you fit within 10 years, did you all go to the same school? and how did you get on with your teachers?
During my 'formative years,' my family lived in a small, rural town. It was only when I turned 18 that I moved to 'the big city' to attend university, and I've never looked back. Because my childhood hometown supported only one primary school (kindergarten through sixth grade) and one high school (seventh through twelfth grades), all of my siblings did attend the same schools. When I attended kindergarten, my oldest sibling was in the sixth grade; and when my youngest sibling entered kindergarten, I was in the fourth grade. There was a lot of overlap in school attendance, and in some cases in high school, I actually was in the some of the same classes as my year-older sister. It was hell. It was nigh-on impossible to carve out space for myself at home, and the complication of spending school days brushing elbows with my siblings made the situation all the more untenable.
I was a diligent student who earned top grades in every subject, so my teachers thought I was 'a great kid.' However, my unhappy home life caused a schism in my personality, wherein the good girl next door increasingly frequently went on benders where she became the bad girl from the other side of the tracks.
Agreed, it is important to be independent and have your own identity, I remember when Bertie Phelps was daring all the boys to do home-made tattoos with a bottle of quink and a compass, I'm no sheep I can tell you. That and the compass would have probably hurt, so tell us more about how you managed to carve out your own place in the world?
There was a period during my 30s and 40s when I had to go into self-preservation mode by estranging myself from my siblings for 15 years. They're emotionally draining, and I have a form of PTSD as a result of my year-older sister physically, psychologically, and verbally abusing me from earliest memory to present day. Not until my parents died did I tell a select few that she was terrorizing me for two main reasons: first, no one would've believed me, and second, my sister threatened to kill me if I said anything about the abuse. I finally realized that reacting the way my siblings expected was exactly what they wanted. I learned to rise above their negative, scapegoating, hurtful tactics, and my behavior confounded them nearly to the point of apoplexy. People don't like it when you refuse to bend to their will or stoop to their level.
Vis-à-vis the second part of your question, I wasn't one or the other. In other words, I simultaneously was a wild teen AND the sensible, pulled-together type. I was performing a high-wire balancing act without a net.
It sounds like you've been through real cocktail of emotions and whirlwind of life, I must admit you're far more settled and stoic than I think I would be. Then, I'm sure you're well aware we all have our little quirks, Boff included (refers to self in third person ala Zlatan Ibrahimovic) and when we were talking before I know you said you suffer with cricopharnyngeal achalasia, so perhaps two questions and then we can move on, firstly can you explain to us what it is?
It really doesn't matter whether one fully comprehends the following discourse about CPA, but suffice it to say that this disease is the reason I'm 5'4" and 82 pounds. Swallowing is a complex function that affects the physical and mental health of all human beings. The mechanism of swallowing is a coordinated operation of the mouth; pharynx; and esophagus. Human beings swallow an average of 600 times per day. Under normal circumstances, swallowing is performed without thought or effort. Only the oral phase requires conscious effort.
Once the mass of a substance (including but not limited to food, liquid (including saliva), and pills) is swallowed, passing into the pharynx, involuntary reflexes serve to successfully pass it to the stomach. Dysphagia (from the Greek, translated as "difficulty swallowing") refers to two related, but distinct, clinical problems. In some circumstances, it refers to a patient's awareness of impaired transit of swallowed oral contents. In other situations, it refers more generally to any swallowing disorder. Disorders of swallowing may result from problems with neural control, muscular coordination, inflammation, or the formation or presence of an abnormal growth of tissue (neoplasia).
CPA is a type of dysphagia in which functional obstruction at the level of the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) is due to failure of relaxation (spasming) of the UES (aka cricopharyngeus muscle). The UES is located at the lower level of the larynx (voice box). This muscle is always contracted except at the moment of swallowing, when it relaxes briefly to let food or liquid pass through. The cause of CPA is usually idiopathic (unknown), as it is my case. Typically, individuals with CPA first notice that pills or solid food begin to lodge at the level of the lower part of the larynx. The problem tends to progress inexorably as the years pass. CPA never fully resolves.
However, I'm extremely fortunate to have a truly amazing nurse practitioner/therapist who prescribed the right medication (clonazepam; trade name Klonopin) for me after my so-called GI specialists abandoned me after my diagnosis. In regard to my condition, clonazepam acts as a muscle relaxant and allows me to lead a relatively CPA-symptomless life. A lasting effect, though, is that CPA affects one's entire GI system, and try as I might, I can't regain the weight (about 30 pounds) I lost during the diagnostic process. A surgical procedure (cricopharyngeal myotomy), performed through the mouth with a laser or, only occasionally, through a neck incision, may be an option, but the efficacy of such a procedure is minimal, and the benefits of the surgery generally last a mere two to three years, after which the surgical patient's CPA symptoms fully return, often to a greater degree than presurgery
There was a period during my 30s and 40s when I had to go into self-preservation mode by estranging myself from my siblings for 15 years. They're emotionally draining, and I have a form of PTSD as a result of my year-older sister physically, psychologically, and verbally abusing me from earliest memory to present day. Not until my parents died did I tell a select few that she was terrorizing me for two main reasons: first, no one would've believed me, and second, my sister threatened to kill me if I said anything about the abuse. I finally realized that reacting the way my siblings expected was exactly what they wanted. I learned to rise above their negative, scapegoating, hurtful tactics, and my behavior confounded them nearly to the point of apoplexy. People don't like it when you refuse to bend to their will or stoop to their level.
Vis-à-vis the second part of your question, I wasn't one or the other. In other words, I simultaneously was a wild teen AND the sensible, pulled-together type. I was performing a high-wire balancing act without a net.
It sounds like you've been through real cocktail of emotions and whirlwind of life, I must admit you're far more settled and stoic than I think I would be. Then, I'm sure you're well aware we all have our little quirks, Boff included (refers to self in third person ala Zlatan Ibrahimovic) and when we were talking before I know you said you suffer with cricopharnyngeal achalasia, so perhaps two questions and then we can move on, firstly can you explain to us what it is?
It really doesn't matter whether one fully comprehends the following discourse about CPA, but suffice it to say that this disease is the reason I'm 5'4" and 82 pounds. Swallowing is a complex function that affects the physical and mental health of all human beings. The mechanism of swallowing is a coordinated operation of the mouth; pharynx; and esophagus. Human beings swallow an average of 600 times per day. Under normal circumstances, swallowing is performed without thought or effort. Only the oral phase requires conscious effort.
Once the mass of a substance (including but not limited to food, liquid (including saliva), and pills) is swallowed, passing into the pharynx, involuntary reflexes serve to successfully pass it to the stomach. Dysphagia (from the Greek, translated as "difficulty swallowing") refers to two related, but distinct, clinical problems. In some circumstances, it refers to a patient's awareness of impaired transit of swallowed oral contents. In other situations, it refers more generally to any swallowing disorder. Disorders of swallowing may result from problems with neural control, muscular coordination, inflammation, or the formation or presence of an abnormal growth of tissue (neoplasia).
CPA is a type of dysphagia in which functional obstruction at the level of the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) is due to failure of relaxation (spasming) of the UES (aka cricopharyngeus muscle). The UES is located at the lower level of the larynx (voice box). This muscle is always contracted except at the moment of swallowing, when it relaxes briefly to let food or liquid pass through. The cause of CPA is usually idiopathic (unknown), as it is my case. Typically, individuals with CPA first notice that pills or solid food begin to lodge at the level of the lower part of the larynx. The problem tends to progress inexorably as the years pass. CPA never fully resolves.
However, I'm extremely fortunate to have a truly amazing nurse practitioner/therapist who prescribed the right medication (clonazepam; trade name Klonopin) for me after my so-called GI specialists abandoned me after my diagnosis. In regard to my condition, clonazepam acts as a muscle relaxant and allows me to lead a relatively CPA-symptomless life. A lasting effect, though, is that CPA affects one's entire GI system, and try as I might, I can't regain the weight (about 30 pounds) I lost during the diagnostic process. A surgical procedure (cricopharyngeal myotomy), performed through the mouth with a laser or, only occasionally, through a neck incision, may be an option, but the efficacy of such a procedure is minimal, and the benefits of the surgery generally last a mere two to three years, after which the surgical patient's CPA symptoms fully return, often to a greater degree than presurgery
Good gracious, it sounds like a constant battle my love, and do you think coping with it was been a part of helping you find your own two feet in the world and being self sufficient?
In a way, I do think it has done so. I spent an inordinate amount of time online trying to self-diagnose my condition. However, it wasn't long before I was sure I hit upon the disease that was causing my symptoms. Frustratingly, my so-called GI specialist wouldn't listen to me when I told her I had CPA, and she refused to perform the gold-standard test to diagnose CPA until she ruled out other conditions that had no bearing on the symptoms with which I was presenting. The unnecessarily protracted diagnostic process ultimately made me an extraordinary and articulate advocate for myself.
I'm in a fortunate position in that I'm financially independent, so I needn't work at all. However, I cherry-pick jobs to prevent myself from atrophying. In particular, the writing, editing, and proofreading I do keeps my mind agile, and because a lot of the work I do is for friends, I'm providing a service (pro bono, of course) that they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford or have the wherewithal to find a resource such as myself to help them.
The house- and pet-sitting part of my business came about in a very straightforward manner: I simply adore animals of every species. Animals are exceedingly intuitive, so they sense that I'm an unconditionally loving person, someone on which they can rely and trust. The truth is that I'd rather spend time with animals than with most humans.
The 'problem-solving' aspect of my venture veritably speaks for itself. However, lately I've been accused of being a source of problems rather than a solution. I shan't elaborate in order to protect the innocent, which in this case, is me.
Well, I'm glad you're fighting the good fight and helping others along the way. So, perhaps now a change of direction, something more mellow, what about music?, I know you're a big fan of Cat Stevens, what is it you love about him?
When I was four years old, my mom brought home Cat Stevens' LP Teaser and the Firecat, which was released in 1971, and in my opinion, is one of the best records ever produced. I listened to that album at least once a day henceforth, until it literally wore out from overuse during my final years of high school. Cat's always been my idol, and I consider him the greatest living singer / songwriter / musician / humanitarian / philanthropist. He's a beautiful person in every sense.
hahahah indeed, I can just imagine you in your office listening to him while beevering away at work and how does a busy business woman like yourself find time for ...ahem... men. More's to the point, what do you make of the other half of the species?
I lived with a guy for eleven years, but I booted his ass to the curb in 2002, having had about ten-and-a-half years more than my fill of a toxic relationship. I'm currently seeing someone, although he's "unavailable" for various reasons, which suits me just fine because I like feeling unfettered, and I'm one of those "odd" individuals who craves solitude.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm an incurably shameless flirt. I'm definitely not the type of person who requires validation from others to boost my self-esteem or gauge my self-worth, but I do enjoy titillating, straightforward, salty conversation and the potential acts that could ensue as a result of the former.
Well if it's salty you wanted, you came to right place, I'm well aquainted with innuendo you know, hard to believe I know, but true. I also know you're close to your adopted sister, so I wanted to ask whether you had any good tales of things the two of you got up to together?
Around 1990, when my mom was working as a community health nurse on a reservation in Shanto, Arizona, my mom "unofficially" adopted my Navajo sister, Shelley, who at age twelve, had been locked out of her family's house because she finally summoned the courage to tell her biological mother that her aunt's boyfriend has been sexually abusing her for years. Shelley lived across the road from my mom, and pretty much right then and there, Shelley became an integral part of our family. She's the most beautiful person inside and out, and she means so much more to me than any of my three biological psychopathic sisters ever has.
Unfortunately, Shel, husband Tim, and kids Alexandria (18), Ethan (16), and Timara (12) live in Spokane, Washington, and I'm in St. Paul, Minnesota, so I don't get to see them often. We write and call as frequently as possible, though. Because I seldom see Shelley in person, and we weren't afforded the opportunity of growing up together, as I'm about 15 years her senior, I don't have any anecdotes of our shenanigans. However, if it suits your needs, Boff, feel free to imagine that we had sleepovers at which babydoll pajamas were donned and giggly pillow fights occurred.
hahahah oh you are a scamp, now then you also had a special relationship with your mum, your namesake, what's your happiest memory of your mum?
I'm a lot like my mom, who passed away in May 2013, in that injustice and bull-headed ignorance really get my blood racing. My mom must've seen something in me when I was born that reminded me of her, other than the fact that I looked the most like her amongst her children, because it wasn't until I, her third daughter, came into the world before she named one of us after her. Her name was Patsy, but she preferred to be called Pat, so she named me Patricia, and gave me the nickname Trish, so people wouldn't call me Pat as well, which could've caused some confusion. She also called me 'Babe.'
As a sidebar, my dad died in June 2015 after being ill for a very long time. Of course his death saddens me, however, he was an abusive, alcoholic, absentee father-figure, rather than a real flesh-and-blood dad, so my mom basically raised eight kids on her own ... nine kids, really, if you take into account the fact that my dad was a selfish man-child who made all our lives more difficult, especially that of my mom.
It's difficult to pinpoint just one happy memory of my mom. She was the most amazing person, the have-it-all woman before such a concept entered the collective social conscience. In addition to raising eight children, she worked full-time as a registered nurse, then earned her master's degree in nursing instruction when her offspring ranged in age from primary school to neonate. When it came to choosing the different types of work she did, she inevitably followed her heart and went where she felt she could make the most impact on others' lives, not to be a Good Samaritan, but simply to make a difference in the world by being present for one person at a time. All the individuals with whom she crossed paths were not likely to forget her, nor she them.
N'awww she sounds like she was a lovely lady, I can see where you get it from now, well with that our interview is almost at a close, and we'll be thrust back out into the night. so perhaps then as a closing question I wanted to ask you what you enjoy about the solitude of the night?The relative anonymity provided by the dark combined with feeling like you're part of something bigger than yourself, namely the entire universe.
and with that the interview is at a close, they pay the cheque and then Boff and Trish link arms and head off out into the night to see what mischief can be found.
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