Every month we profile a neighborhood resident who’s also a fan of our Facebook page. If you’re not a fan, become one now … we give away loads of free stuff, nearly every day. And, if you’re interested in answering a bunch of goofy questions and being featured in an upcoming profile, let me know at crobinson@advocatemag.com. Include in the subject line “I want to be a Facebook fan profile” and tell me what neighborhood you live in.
In the September issue is Stephanie “tefi” Hindall, 35. She’s a writer by day, but by night she’s a jewelry designer (tefidesigns.com), event planner (handmadebash.com) and Etsy Dallas organizer. She owns a rescue dog-son named Oliver and has an 18-month-old human-son, Ian, with “baby-daddy and fake husband of over nine years, Jason Wright.”
What’s your most embarrassing moment?
I don’t really get embarrassed. I’ve learned life is much sweeter if you just own up to your “stuff” and allow yourself to be human.
What would your career be if you could do it all over again without consequences?
I’d be a private investigator, righting wrongs without having to follow “procedure”. Like “Magnum, P.I.”, only sans moustache.
What’s your most treasured possession?
I keep a little piece of the Berlin Wall on my jewelry studio table. It has a large splatter of blue spray paint. I don’t know why, but it keeps me inspired.
What’s your strangest or most random Facebook friend connection?
Once Gary Coleman tried to friend me. My reply: “Wha-choo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?”
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be all these things at once: interior designer, writer, “Solid Gold” dancer, naturalist, saver-of-the-world.
If you could only eat at one neighborhood restaurant for the rest of your life, which would it be?
Gloria’s, hands down. Between the black beans, guacamole and pupusas, Gloria’s is a little piece of heaven on earth — and an Oak Cliff original!
Whole Foods, Central Market, Kroger, Tom Thumb or somewhere else — where do you grocery shop and why?
I love my neighborhood Tom Thumb. Everyone who works there smiles and says hello to me. But I go to Whole Foods for beauty and cleaning products — no animal testing, if I can help it.
What brings a smile to your face every time?
My charismatic son, Ian. He says the most ridiculous things and makes the silliest faces.
What item in your closet is most humiliating?
A pink pair of jelly shoes and a Def Leppard tee from back in the day. Add a pair of acid-washed jeans, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster (or awesomeness, depending on how you look at it).
What are some jobs you’ve held in the past?
I worked at Taco Bueno for three weeks in high school, worked at a bookstore through college in Austin, and I’ve helped women measure their boobs at Victoria’s Secret. That last one? Not. Fun.
What celebrity would you most like to meet for coffee and why?
Colin Firth, because he’s a dreamy god-creature.
What’s your favorite guilty-pleasure website?
Regretsy.com, only I feel no guilt when I snark on insanely ill-conceived crafts.
Do you have a favorite quote?
“Speak softly and carry a big stick. You will go far.” I freakin’ love Teddy Roosevelt.
What are you afraid of, rationally or irrationally?
Riding a bicycle. I grew up in the inner city and never learned. Once, I drove a Vespa in Rome on Christmas Eve for about 10 yards before crashing into a median.
Would you skydive in the most beautiful place in the world? Why or why not?
No, but I would lie on the beach and drink a Mai Tai in the most beautiful place in the world.
When did you realize you were no longer a child?
In many ways, I’m still a child. I get petulant, I throw fits. I burp in public and forget to brush my hair. Life is good.
What’s the one thing you wish you could do but are reasonably sure you never will?
I’d love to be a trapeze artist. Probably not going to happen, but now that I’ve said that? I feel challenged to make it happen.
How would you explain your neighborhood to someone living in, say, Newfoundland?
Oak Cliff is a sweet little hamlet in the middle of a large metropolitan city. In many ways, we are a small, independent, artistic town unto ourselves. My neighbors and I are invested in Oak Cliff and work hard to make it the best place in which to live.
What makes you laugh out loud?
Daily emails with gal pals, Pam and Cheyne. We get crazy ridiculous and keep each other sane.
What do you miss about the you from 10 or 20 years ago?
The fearlessness and stupidity of youth. God, I miss that.
What do you love about the age you’re at now?
The wisdom that followed a youth well-lived; being 35 and not giving a damn what others think.
If you could import the brain of any person, living or dead, into your own noggin, whose would it be?
Dorothy Parker. No question.
Who is your hero and why?
People who survive the unthinkable, police officers, firemen.
Do you have a benign confession to make?
I am a compulsive editor. When I see a mistake, I’m always compelled to correct it.
What’s a little known fact about you?
I have a yellow belt in kung-fu. Keee-yah!
