Name:

Rachel Ann Angel

Hometown:

I’m still searching for it.  I’ll meet a nice Irish guy someday who’ll play me rollicking tunes and whisk me away to the green, green hills.

What is your occupation?

My real job is pushing papers in a job so spectacularly unsuited for me it isn’t even funny.  But honestly, I’m a musician and a writer.  I write songs (lyrics and music) and am working on a fiction novel.

What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

I’ve managed to hold my head up and get raises in a very math-oriented job for 8 years despite barely being able to add or subtract.

 What academic accomplishment are you most proud of?

I just got accepted to the Masters in Counseling program!

What personal accomplishment are you most proud of?

Choosing to leave and not looking back, and living on my own as a single mom without the support of family.

What is your favorite word?

Possibilities

What is your least favorite word?

Stop

What would you choose as your “last meal”?

Oh, this is almost impossible since I’m a real foodie.  Okay, I think I’d plan up a few courses:

1) hearts of palm and radicchio salad with shaved gruyere cheese

2) filet of beef tenderloin with stroganoff potatoes

3) cream of broccoli soup

4) creme brulee, chocolate sauce on the side, and homemade vanilla bean ice cream

What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?

My long, hot baths (at least 2 hours) every single night.  I spend money I don’t have on bath products because it reminds me that I’m still a girl.

Describe your favorite pair of shoes.

I have a pair of red strappy 4″ heels with a rhinestone clasp that just make me happy.

When do you feel happiest?

When I’ve decided to make a major change in my life.  The possibilities!

Name one book that changed your perception of the world.

Eat, Pray, Love came at a time when I was searching for meaning and trying to leave my husband at the same time.  It was probably just the timing, but wow! what a coincidence.

If they made a movie of your life, which actor/actress would play you?

Susan Sarandon

What are five things you’d like to do before you die?

Travel to Ireland, play Carnegie Hall, have a best selling book, hear one of my songs on the radio, and hold my first grandchild

The world would be a better place if…

People realizes that differences can be empowering; we don’t need to be right, just respected.

 What is your opinion of Oprah?

I was on the Oprah bandwagon for a few years, but I’m concerned by her stance on parenting and a few other key issues.  I think for the most part she’s lost touch with reality and how normal people without millions of dollars live.  I’d love to see her putting sizeable amounts of money into the homeless population in Chicago, or getting women back to work, or supporting a halfway house for abused women and children.

Do you dance?

Very, very badly.  I have great rhythm when I play music, but I can’t make my butt obey!

What is one product that you think lives up to its claims?

Rimmel mascara.  Hands down, that stuff is the shit.  And it’s $4!

 What is the most beautiful place you’ve ever been?

Estes Park, CO, in 1997.  I chose a day that was going to snow, walked through the town with my sister, saw the resident moose lumber into the town, and got to see the hotel where they filmed The Shining.  It is truly a glorious, magical place.

What is the most interesting thing about you?

I have no hidden agendas; I’m always suprised by people who do.

Do you ski?

Not since my oldest sister pushed me down a mogul hill when I was 12.  Luckily I didn’t break anything.

Describe yourself in five words.

Passionate, committed, idealistic, fiery, and opinionated.