Without further ado, seven random things you never knew you wanted to know about me (and if anything is offensive, I apologize in advance...I'm not very diplomatic sometimes):
1. Lapsed Agnostic. I was raised in a conservative Christian household--you know, the kind where the earth was created in six days six thousand years ago, the kind where you memorize the ten commandments and go to church at least twice a week, the kind where you go to Christian camps and Christian school, and read stories about martyrs to your kids at the dinner table. I remember being terrified that the rapture would happen and my cats would die because no one would be around to feed them; they would starve to death because Jesus came back. And I remember wondering what kind of God would do that. I think I had a weird imagination when I was little... Anyways. I never really made it all the way to being an atheist, and frankly, I don't see that happening because you have to care enough to consider yourself one, but I'm a total lapsed agnostic. Every few months or so I feel the need to slink back into a congregation, sing some songs, feel guilty about what my life is like, and extend some good ol' fake cheer around. After a week or two, I wonder what got into me and I resume life as usual. It's a funny habit. Maybe not so funny to some readers...but bear with me, I went to protestant Christian school in the South for nine years!!
2. Ecology and Literature. I'm currently in school earning a B.S. in Ecology and a B.A. in English. Next year I'll be researching austral migrants (birds that migrate from North to South America and back) in a patch of forest in Georgia. I'm also interested in philosophy and literary theory and am immersed in trauma theory and becoming-animal. Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, and Martin Heidegger are my heroes.
3. Bicycles. I ride a purple fixed gear bicycle everywhere! Yup, one of those hipster bikes without gears. I do have a brake, however...there's hills in Georgia and mad traffic--I'd like to keep my body intact, thanks. I used to have a purple road bike until I was hit by an SUV in an alley cat (yes, one of those illegal races that made the news thanks to the guy who was killed by an SUV in Chicago a few weeks ago). Luckily I survived ok, but my bike didn't, so I replaced here with the fixed gear. Originally silver, I repainted her to a matte purple, added a "Veganism is for Lovers" sticker to the top tube, and stuck my spoke cards in the wheel. She's pretty great and way better than any car I've owned.
4. Veganism. Ok, so that doesn't seem like a random thing. Yes, Jes is a vegan. Of course. BUT what you don't know is the story about the first day I was a vegan. Ironically, I ate meat that day. Figure that one out. On July 7, 2007 I decided that it was time to bite the bullet and declare myself a vegan. I'd been eating as a vegan for months--minus the baked good thing...I mean, heck, I worked at a bakery at 4 in the morning, it was hard to not eat a muffin here and there--and decided that it was time because my forray into eating what I made at the bakery was making me gain a lot of weight and if I were truly vegan, I wouldn't eat it. Extra guilt incentive or something. Now 07-07-07 was also the Lucky Sevens alley cat. I bounced up to my best friend Kyle and yelled, "I'm a vegan!" right before the race started and we shared a happy vegan moment. He'd been waiting for me to say that for awhile. Hooray! So we race off to the first checkpoint and he gets there slightly before me. Food checkpoint. Oh no. Kyle rolls the die to see what numbered can he has to eat from and gets Spam. He turns away, forsaking any points, and says "no way." He pedals off. My turn comes. I roll the die. Number Three. Dog food. DOG FOOD. ughhhhhh noooooo. I look at the guy running the checkpoint, say "I decided to be a vegan today," grab the spoon, take a chunk of mushy dog food, stick in my mouth, swallow, grab my bike, and pedal off as fast as I can. Three shots of vodka, twelve miles, and one tattoo later, I win the first place female. I suppose that was worth it. But man oh man is dog good + vodka + bike a bad combo. shudder.
5. Rats & Cats. I'm owned by two rats, Rad & Merckx, who have been featured on the blog AND two cats, Sheba & Mistoffelees. We all live in a tiny studio apartment. The great thing is that the cats are scared of the rats and whenever I have the rats out, the cats run under the bed and hiss. It's a great symbiotic relationship or something.
6. Southern. So I'm technically Southern. Technically. But I hate sweet tea. And collard greens. And unsweetened cornbread. And Coca-Cola. Basically, I'm the biggest blasphemer in Atlanta, Georgia EVER.
7. Magic. I believe in magic. No, not the pulling a rabbit out of a hat or cutting some poor woman in two magic, but everyday magic. The every day magic of kneading positive energy into dough, letting it rise, and watching people experience truly loved bread. The magic of holding a yellow-rumped warbler in your hand and feeling its tiny heartbeat against your palm. The magic of reading a good book in front of a fire or hiking in the woods or riding a bike into the sunrise. Life is magic, and it's everywhere.
1 comment:
First of all, I don't think you should ever apologize for what you put in your own blog! (However I find myself doing this all of the time, but over in LJ land, not in my baking one).
I hear you with #1 - I had the same upbringing except somehow I escaped going to private Christian school until college (my sisters both did though). I even ended up in ministry for a while before walking out and never looking back. I have a picture of me and the two ministers at the church where we worked shaking the dust off our feet (Biblical reference which I'm sure you know with your upbringing!). I sometimes end up in church to play the piano but the last time that happened I almost had a panic attack.... long story.
7. I agree here, and would take it further possibly... I like to create little rituals for myself sometimes, and wow that sounds weird I know, but almost just to make a moment even more special. Not like rats tails and bat wings or anything.
Hey you live like three hours from me, maybe someday we should have a vegan baking marathon. I'm not vegan but have dabbled in it from time to time and really want to learn more about vegan baking. Sometimes I do it successfully and other times the items I make are dry and flat and I bemoan my butter and eggs.
I also want to know where you go in Atlanta for good vegan food.
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