French Toast Sunday is made up of a collection of fantastic podcasters and writers from all across the globe. We are proud of the FTS community and would love for our readers to take a moment to get to know us a little better. Every month, we will highlight a new contributor with a brief questionnaire that will hopefully shine some light into the life of an FTSer. This month, we take a look into the world of Lindsay Street.
MEET JESS
Name: Jess Manzo
Age: 25
FTS Member Since: March 2010
Twitter: @jess_fts
Q&A
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
NIGHT OWL. I’m no good in the morning and can even be a bit cranky. I love staying up late, which my 9-5 job has stunted since I’m usually about to pass out by 11:30. I do hate sleeping the day away though. While I’d prefer to not have to do much until noon if I can help it, I hate sleeping too late on the weekends (which means past 10:30am for me).
Are you a planner? Or are you spontaneous?
I’m probably more of a planner, but I love the opportunity for spontaneity in the moment. Sometimes I love planning and getting really organized but other times I absolutely hate it. One of my most dreaded events to plan is my birthday festivities. I always get so stressed out and just want to stay in and eat pizza, although I do end up always having a good time.
What motivates you?
The feeling of accomplishment and fulfillment keeps me motivated. I want to get the most out of life and how I spend my time. I want to live happily and contently.
What’s your favorite:
food? I’d have to go with tacos at the moment. Rob and I have been on a pretty steady kick of trying out a new taco recipe every week.
color? Pantone 312, or ya know any teal-ish blue.
holiday? New Years Eve is always a good time.
It’s 8:00pm on a Friday night, what are you doing?
I’m either debating where to go to dinner or perhaps already made it to dinner with Rob, Lindsay, and Jason. There’s a 25% chance we’re eating sushi which is always fine by me. I’m always so tired on Friday nights, so I love snuggling up after dinner to watch a movie or television, or perhaps even going to the theater if there’s something good out. I can stay awake if we’re at the theater, but if I’m on the couch it’s almost certain that I’m falling asleep or ya know, heavy blinking.
Do you have any cool skills? Any skills you wish you had?
I’m pretty great at cooking breakfast foods – pancakes, bacon, eggs. Rob and I make some dope breakfast nachos and sandwiches too, might I add. We’re really into cooking and everything always turns out great (besides for those couple random failures that we won’t talk about). The one breakfast food I haven’t mastered funny enough is French toast. I somehow always end up with a fried egg on the outside.
I’ve worked in graphic design for the past 5 years, first at my university and since graduation at my adult job. I learned the basics in high school but have mostly self-taught, learning as I go. I’d love to become more skilled though.
I wish that I could speak a few other languages pretty well or be fluently bilingual at least. I have a limited Spanish vocabulary at least (so much for 5 years of Spanish class).
Do you have a pet? If so, what type of animal is it, and what’s its name?
My family dog is a cockapoo named Millie. I love her so much and she’s so cute even though she’s nosy as hell. She’s still got hyper puppy energy at almost 6 years old but loves cuddling. I grew up with a golden lab named Shasta who was the best dog ever though and I still think about her all the time.
What is something odd that fascinates you?
Serial killers and true crime in general are so fascinating. I took a forensic science class in high school and we had a whole unit on serial killers. I have always loved true crime stories but it reached an apex with this class. I was obsessed and also thought I was going to be murdered all the time. I’m still really paranoid about this. One of our assignments was to make a scrapbook about a serial killer (which is very bizarre if you think about it for 2 seconds). Mine was about John Wayne Gacy (who did not kill in his clown costume, for the record). Sometimes I’ll read a whole wiki about a serial killer or just a bizarre killing, and then I’ll read every recommended wiki entry underneath. It really fills me with such a deep sadness at the capacity for evil in a human, but I also can’t look away.
When and Why did you start blogging?
I pretty much remember Lindsay saying something along the lines of “hey, I want to start a movie podcast. You in?” and I was from that moment on. The podcast naturally coincided with blogging and I’ve loved it ever since.
What is your favorite genre of film? Least favorite?
I love a good action comedy, but romance is probably what really delights me. Most of my favorite movies have to do with romance. I also love mysteries and true crime though (see above). So either movies about love or murder. Least favorite is probably the traditional western, which just tends to bore me.
Is there a particular actor who you would see in a movie regardless of what the film is?
Jake Gyllenhaal would probably be my best answer for this, although I haven’t quite put it to the test. Even movies like Southpaw which looked boring to me, I’ll still see because I just am such a fan. You know, I’ve been on the Jake train for a long time, and now all of a sudden the world is catching up. I might have initially been in it for his face (I was a preteen, okay?!) but I’ve appreciated his talent for a long time too. It’s nice that his career is blowing up right now.
Do you refuse to watch any movie from a certain actor or director because of their behavior in their personal life?
Not really. I’d preferably avoid any movie starring Blake Lively or Josh Gad just because I wish they’d go away, but I’m sure they’re nice people. Even if there is someone who I find completely disturbing like Polanski, I have still watched his films and enjoyed them very much. I’m not sure if it’s the ethical thing to do, but I seem to be able to rationalize it.
Who is your favorite director?
Quentin Tarantino or Wes Anderson would have to be my answer. Both have a distinct vision that I appreciate so much. They’re some of the only modern auteurs. You know their movies belong to them and are filled with their artistry. I’d love to say Fincher for this, but I’m not a fan of all his movies, while there’s not a single one of the other two’s that I dislike. To clarify though, the movies of Fincher’s I don’t really like are due entirely to the screenplay (The Game and Benjamin Button).
Best decade for film?
If this was the decade of films I’ve watched the most it would be 90’s. If it was the most fun decade for movies it would be the 80’s. But the question was which is the best, and that is undeniably the 1970’s.
Any future blogging goals?
Keeping up with my current goals would be one. I want to keep up with my yearly resolutions and challenges so I’m always watching new and old films. Writing more would be my biggest goal. I want to work harder at my ongoing features and contributing content on the site at a higher rate. Writing better goes hand in hand with that. Also, after this recent UK meeting I want to continue to meet and talk to more bloggers because it’s so much fun. Hopefully French Toast Sunday just continues to grow and prosper, and we have a ton of fun while doing it.