Barbara West
What’s your name and where do you live?
Barbara West. San Jose, CA.
When did you start listening to TBTL? How did you find the show?
I started listening about 14 or 15 years ago. I found the show through Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me (I swear I was at a live taping in L.A. and Peter Sagal called out Luke who was there in the audience when George Takei was the guest, but it's entirely possible that I have Mandela Effected this entire memory). I mostly just remember listening to Jen, Sean and Luke try 4 Loko on the air while I was hiking, and I was transfixed. True fact: I've been to Seattle 4 times, and I've only ever seen TBTL things. I've been to the Mandarin Gate, the Neptune Theater (3 times), and Chateau Ste. Michelle, but I've never been to the Space Needle or Pike Place Market.
How would your friends describe you?
It's really presumptuous of you to assume I have friends.
What was your favorite cereal when you were a kid? Is it still your fav?
I'm over 50 now, so you can't expect me to remember that far back, but I have always loved Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, and the like. Now I don't really eat cereal unless you count oatmeal, but I could definitely go for a giant bowl of Rice Krispies with so much sugar in it that it creates a sort of sugar sludge at the bottom of the bowl.
What food do you love to eat the most of?
I love beans of every kind...whether you consider them the "musical fruit" or "good for your heart", they are very magical (and if you get what I'm talking about, congratulations.)
What’s the best or worst nickname you ever had?
“Boobera.” Developing before all of my classmates was hard.
If you could play one song on TBTL, what would it be?
Ride or Die by Dead Lee. I saw this band live when I was spending the summer in Bend, and I loved that song SO much that I immediately got all of their EP
What’s a special skill you have that you’re most proud of?
I'm a former opera singer-turned-teacher of singing so you may think it is that, but no...I'm most proud of the fact that I can and do jump my mountain bike.
What’s a special skill that you *wish* you had?
I wish I could LAND my mountain bike when I jumped it. Just kidding. I wish I had started playing classical guitar earlier in life. I do it okay, but I wish I had started as a kid and gotten really good.
If you were driving down the street and you saw Luke and Andrew on the sidewalk, what would you yell at them as you drove past?
“Jalapeña!”
Can other Tens find you on social media?
I'm @sanjosebarbie on Instagram and the app formerly known as Twitter.