Michelle Geffrard, 29, of Concord recently spent three days perched in a giant two-story brain atop the Hard Rock Café in Times Square.
She was sent to New York as part of a promotion for Yahoo! Answers, a website where ordinary people help other people answer questions. Geffrard was chosen by Yahoo! as one of 22 "brainiacs."
How did you get into Yahoo! Answers? I was put on semi-bed rest because I'm pregnant with twins. I'm normally a Concord city school bus driver. . . . I'm basically stuck in the house all day. I was bored and started looking on the internet and found Yahoo! Answers and got really addicted.
Do you have an area of expertise? I have training in EMS. I'm a former 911 operator, and I work transporting developmentally disabled children.
When you were in the brain, what was the hardest question you were asked? This is off my subject, honestly, but it had to do with a woman who had just adopted a Rottweiler. And the Rottweiler that she had adopted from the pound had worms, heartworms I guess, and I was giving her information with what to do in a situation like that because it's illegal for agencies to adopt out ill animals without informing you of illness.
Do you consider yourself a brainiac? It's a fun title. I'm not going to lie about that. But I don't consider myself super-smart. I was amazed that I was up at the brainac with physicists and nurses.
Did anyone throw anything at you? Not while I was there. . . . But there was a guy running around stabbing people the second day we were there in Times Square. We could see the block where they were triaging people and arresting him. . . . That was rather interesting.
MARGOT SANGER-KATZ