Tell Me Something: Elissa Bass would touch all the dinosaurs. Believe it.
The bulk of Elissa Bass' career was spent as a journalist, but since being laid off last year by the online media company Patch at the age of 50, she has morphed into a marketing, social media and communications professional, with an emphasis on all things digital. (Visit elissabass.com for more information.)
Say you have a modern-day high school locker. Whose picture would be hanging in it?
Zac Efron, and I'm not at all ashamed to say that.
What's your favorite sandwich?
I could live forever on the Yellow House Coffee and Tea Room's BLT. (149 Water St., Stonington)
You're locked in a museum for a night, which one would it be?
The American Museum of Natural History in New York City, and I would touch all the dinosaurs.
What's your favorite poem?
"Birches" by Robert Frost. Very close second: "Departmental," also by Frost.
What's your favorite Beatles song?
"I Saw Her Standing There"
What's a movie you like, but can't convince others to like?
"Weekend at Bernie's"
Sorry to have to tell you this, but an asteroid is going to wipe all humanity next week. So, what's your last meal and who is coming to dinner?
My mother would cook it: chicken Milanese and fettuccine Alfredo. My parents would come, obviously, and my husband and my two kids and my dog. Also, Madonna (but not the now Madonna, the 1985 Madonna), Jimmy Fallon, Joan Rivers, Ed Asner and Michelle Obama.
What's your favorite Instagram filter?
Well, according to Statigram my most-used filter is Rise, which surprises me. I do love Hefe and LoFi.
Name an item you can't live without:
My iPhone.
Item you should live without and keep meaning to get rid of:
Everything in my attic.
What's the last television show you binge watched?
"Justified" on FX. Awesome, awesome, awesome. I am currently stockpiling HBO's "True Detective", although friends say it is not a good idea to binge that one. Too upsetting. We'll see.
Who is the funniest person you follow on social media?
I don't really follow celebrities on Twitter but on Facebook, I have some damn funny friends. Every single day, someone on Facebook makes me laugh out loud. Which is why I adore Facebook.
If you present day you could give advice to younger you, what would say?
Don't date Timmy Colbert.
Last book you couldn't put down:
"The Fault In Our Stars" by John Green. Closely followed by "Life After Life" by Kate Atkinson, which I alternately couldn't put down and then actually would have to walk away from for a day or two because it is so crushingly sad.
You're a DJ at a club. What's the night's last song?
"Last Dance" by Donna Summer, of course.
What word would you add to this question that would improve its SEO?
Twerking.
What's a word you can never spell correctly on the first try:
I am forever befuddled by affect and effect and invariably I choose the wrong one first.
Which is better: Coffee or tea?
COFFEE.
140 characters on Twitter or "Six Characters In Search of an Author" by Luigi Pirandello?
140 characters.
Anagrams or palindromes?
Palindrome. My favorite is "Able was I, ere I saw Elba."
What is your pet peeve?
People who cannot park their car. Whether it is curbside parking or in a lot the size of a football field, there is always someone who has massively screwed up their parking and in turn ruined it for several other people. It's not rocket science. They even draw lines for you.
What historical event would you like to have been witness to?
The signing of the Declaration of Independence.
What is your favorite place in Connecticut to recharge and/or find serenity?
I find serenity every morning where I live, in Stonington Village. My dog and I walk a few miles right around sunrise, and we always find something that makes us pause for a moment and appreciate what's around us. I am so fortunate to live where I do.
Who alive today do you most admire?
It's a tie: Malala Yousufzai, the Pakistani teenaged girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban, is just an amazing example of strength in your beliefs. And she is so young! I saw her on Jon Stewart last year and her courage brought me to tears.
The other one is Brandon Stanton, the guy who created Humans of New York. First, because I think this is the greatest pop-culture/sociological project that will ever be; and second, because I hope that my son grows up to be the kind of person that this young man is.
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Tell Me Something is an online feature highlighting interesting people doing interesting things. It appears weekly on theday.com and graceforwomen.com.
