FishbowlDC - Where Politics & DC Media Mesh

Tom Sietsema: The FishbowlDC Interview

mysteryman.jpgSay hello to the Washington Post's Tom Sietsema.

How many suits do you own? 13 (including two "dedicated" suits that I wear only as part of restaurant disguises)

What word do you routinely misspell? Believe it or not, I always have to look up the word hors d'oeuvre

Did you see Brokeback Mountain? Yes

Did you see The Da Vinci Code? No

What's the name of your cell phone ring? It's a generic ring. I don't think it has a name.

What time did you get up this morning? My usual starting time: 6:15 a.m -- which is why I'm always trying to convince my dining companions that 6:30 p.m. is really not too early to have dinner.

When did you last cry and why? I shed a few tears at Johnny Apple's memorial service

Which of the seven deadly sins are you? I'm not going to go there (but it's not gluttony...)

Beach, city or country? City!

Would you say you're cute? Pretty? Hot? Beautiful? I'd give myself two stars, no more

Read the rest when you click below...(and see previous FishbowlDC interviews: Julie Mason, David Shuster, Joe Curl, Alex Pareene, Peter Beinart, Jonah Goldberg, Megyn Kendall, Ana Marie Cox, Jim Brady, Howard Mortman, Amy Argetsinger, Jose Antonio Vargas, Chuck Todd, Tom Gottlieb, Kelly Ann Collins, David von Drehle, David Lat, Mark Leibovich, Zain Verjee, David Plotz, Paul Kane, Karen Travers, Mark Halperin, Hugo Gurdon, Greg Kelly,Ken Rudin, John Dickerson, Anne Schroeder, Spencer Ackerman, Bret Baier, Bob Sellers, Greta van Susteren, Danielle Jones, Jonathan Salant, John McCalla, Pam Hess, Ryan Grim, Marc Ambinder, Marty Kady, Jack Shafer, Annie Lou Bayly, Jerry Zremski, Charlie Cook, Dave Hughes, Howard Fineman, Katie Tarbox, Mark Segraves, Chris Cillizza)


What color is your bathroom? I seem to recall buying "coastal fog"-colored paint

How many emails do you receive a day, roughly? Anywhere from 75-150

What's your opinion of New York City? You have to make a lot of money to live (well) there.

What's your favorite letter? I like T. It's simple and strong and happens to be one of my initials.

What single person played the biggest role / had the biggest influence on your journalism career? I have Phyllis Richman to thank for hiring me as her assistant in the fall of 1983 -- and Bob Woodward for sending me the nicest "thanks, but no thanks" letter when he chose someone else to be his helper around the same time.

Have you ever downloaded a podcast? If so, which one? I have an IPod, but I haven't figured out how to use it - and I got it two Christmases ago! I'm hopelessly low-tech.

Who's your all-time favorite American Idol candidate? I prefer The Biggest Loser to American Idol

When's the last time you volunteered? Where? Last year, I read to a third-grader once a week at Ross Elementary, as a number of bylines at the Post do.

Who is your favorite active journalist? No fair!

What did you have for breakfast? Oat flakes with skim milk and half a banana washed back with coffee I buy from a venerable neighborhood roaster in San Francisco.

What's your favorite item of clothing? I dig ties. They're one of the few ways men can express themselves, fashion-wise.

What one toiletry item could you not live without? Any toothpaste with a whitener in it. I drink too much coffee and red wine!

If you could have one superpower, which one would it be? I'd like the ability to hear what Table 31 -- waaaaay over in the corner -- is talking about, and to see through kitchen walls

Better role model: GIJoe? Barbie? GI Joe. He's tough but fair (and that Mona Lisa grin of his suggests he's pretty content and has a sense of humor).

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