Thursday, March 1, 2012
Instagram!
February is over. As you may or may not recall, I was participating in an Instagram challenge to take a photo a day of a predetermined subject. I did not always gets my photos posted on the day I was supposed to, but I did complete each category (more or less) sucessfully. It wasn't as exciting as I had hoped, so this month I am going to do a DRAWING a day. Much more work but also more stimulating. Anyway, here is February! If you are an Instagram user please follow me: madisonconlin.
Blog about not blogging (and sausages and hamburgers and buns and quinoa and vaginas)
Oops. When I started writing more frequently recently my intention was to write at least one entry a week. Well it's been more than that since my last. All I can do is try harder, and update you on my last couple weeks of course.
Nothing too exciting going on. Lots of cooking and baking of course. Some good old fashioned family time. Some photos. A couple NEW recipes to share! I guess THAT is exciting. Okay, let's get started.
One thing I got into recently was making my own sausages, hamburgers, and buns. Very fun. So economical. So easy. So fast. So yummy. So healthy, at least compared to store bought, and especially compared to non-vegan fare. I used Vegan dad's general recipe for both sausages AND breakfast sausages. I made a few minor adjustments perhaps (for example kidney beans instead of pinto), but the recipes are very flexible and customozable. The sausage recipe was actually really FUN to do... and satisfying. They come together exactly how they are supposed to, I definitely recommend trying them. They taste just like a Tofurkey brand sausage. Find them here: http://vegandad.blogspot.com/.
Here is my pic:
Bare bones ingredients (all flexible really. You could use rice instead of quinoa but you'd loose the health benefits of the protein. Even the wheat gluten could be replaced with regular flour but for best results use gluten!):
1 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup quick oats (uncooked)
1/2 cup wheat gluten
1/2 cup mashed beans (optional)
1/2 cup water or broth
2 tbs oil
2 tbs soy sauce or Braggs
2 cloves minced garlic
liquid smoke
Optional/Various ingredients for flavorings (probably not all at the same time, but use your imagination):
2 tbs nut butter
2 tbs nuts/seeds (I used sesame seeds)
1 tsp steak spice
onion powder
red pepper flakes
italian seasonings
smoked paprika
... endless possibilities
And for the buns I used my breadmaker (of course) and this recipe: http://lucyskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/03/breadmaker-hamburger-buns.html. I used half warm water, half soy milk instead of skim milk powder and water. Did it twice, awesome both times. I did not cut the buns into circles but rather rolled the dough into a rectangle on a cookie sheet and cut into squares. I was clever and made half hamburger size and half sausage size. They looked like store bought. Oh yes, I sprayed olive oil cooking spray on top before cooking to make them brown a little more but that probably isn't mandatory.
My next 2 recipes also include quinoa. The first is just a note on an old recipe of mine, pancakes. http://madisonconlin.blogspot.com/2011/12/perfected-pancakes.html It turns out you can straight up add cooked quinoa to these pancakes and they turn out great! A cup or two depending on your preference. It really adds some fluff, not to mention makes them a LOT more nutritous!
The next recipe is adapted from Isa Chandra Moscowitz's lemon poppy seed muffin recipe.
2 cups flour (all purpose works best, but do as you will! The quinoa will make up for it)
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbs baking powder
2 tbs poppy seeds
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup soy milk
juice and zest of 2 lemons (at least 1/4 cup juice)
1/3 cup coconut oil (or any oil but coconut adds a nice flavour)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup (or a little more) quinoa
1/2 cup cranberries (for those who love a complicated muffin once in a while)
Mix the dry ingredients, and add the wet in a well in the center. Be careful when adding the coconut oil that it doesn't harden when added to the cold milk/juice. You can either warm the milk to prevent this or mix it slightly before adding the oil. Fold in the quinoa. Bake in oiled muffin tins for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.
Nothing too exciting going on. Lots of cooking and baking of course. Some good old fashioned family time. Some photos. A couple NEW recipes to share! I guess THAT is exciting. Okay, let's get started.
One thing I got into recently was making my own sausages, hamburgers, and buns. Very fun. So economical. So easy. So fast. So yummy. So healthy, at least compared to store bought, and especially compared to non-vegan fare. I used Vegan dad's general recipe for both sausages AND breakfast sausages. I made a few minor adjustments perhaps (for example kidney beans instead of pinto), but the recipes are very flexible and customozable. The sausage recipe was actually really FUN to do... and satisfying. They come together exactly how they are supposed to, I definitely recommend trying them. They taste just like a Tofurkey brand sausage. Find them here: http://vegandad.blogspot.com/.
Here is my pic:
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| Yes, I know they look like shit. But what sausage doesn't? |
Next is the burgers. As I mentioned, I used my imagination. I made them twice with sliightly different ingredients, but the basic recipe is as follows:
Bare bones ingredients (all flexible really. You could use rice instead of quinoa but you'd loose the health benefits of the protein. Even the wheat gluten could be replaced with regular flour but for best results use gluten!):
1 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup quick oats (uncooked)
1/2 cup wheat gluten
1/2 cup mashed beans (optional)
1/2 cup water or broth
2 tbs oil
2 tbs soy sauce or Braggs
2 cloves minced garlic
liquid smoke
Optional/Various ingredients for flavorings (probably not all at the same time, but use your imagination):
2 tbs nut butter
2 tbs nuts/seeds (I used sesame seeds)
1 tsp steak spice
onion powder
red pepper flakes
italian seasonings
smoked paprika
... endless possibilities
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| Money shot. |
And for the buns I used my breadmaker (of course) and this recipe: http://lucyskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/03/breadmaker-hamburger-buns.html. I used half warm water, half soy milk instead of skim milk powder and water. Did it twice, awesome both times. I did not cut the buns into circles but rather rolled the dough into a rectangle on a cookie sheet and cut into squares. I was clever and made half hamburger size and half sausage size. They looked like store bought. Oh yes, I sprayed olive oil cooking spray on top before cooking to make them brown a little more but that probably isn't mandatory.
My next 2 recipes also include quinoa. The first is just a note on an old recipe of mine, pancakes. http://madisonconlin.blogspot.com/2011/12/perfected-pancakes.html It turns out you can straight up add cooked quinoa to these pancakes and they turn out great! A cup or two depending on your preference. It really adds some fluff, not to mention makes them a LOT more nutritous!
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| Fat Tuesday. Any excuse for pancakes. Not that I need an excuse. |
2 cups flour (all purpose works best, but do as you will! The quinoa will make up for it)
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbs baking powder
2 tbs poppy seeds
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup soy milk
juice and zest of 2 lemons (at least 1/4 cup juice)
1/3 cup coconut oil (or any oil but coconut adds a nice flavour)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup (or a little more) quinoa
1/2 cup cranberries (for those who love a complicated muffin once in a while)
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| Lemon Poppy Seed Quinoa Muffins |
Well I have a few more things to share but I will leave them for another time. Enjoy these Vagina treats! I made them for a fundraiser for the Vagina Monologues that my sister is participating in at Carleton University (March 10 and 11 I believe).
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| Funny names for vegan cupcakes and cookies decorated with vaginas welcome. |
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| Vegina cupcakes is mine. |
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Blog about: Lazy Sunday baking too much AGAIN!
Here is some eye candy. I guess I am getting into the Valentines Day spirit, although we never reeeeally celebrate it. Other than to eat some good food. Our anniversary (of the first time we met) is February 17, so anything we do, we do to celebrate that, more or less. One year we got tattoos. Anyway, Wyatt and I made some sugar cookies, and then when he was napping I made some cupcakes. The internet is full of recipes for vegan cupcakes (including my blog, theres a couple way back. Not the one I used today but vegan cupcakes are really easy), so I wont include the recipe. Eat your hearts out!
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| Apparently you CAN make cookie cutters out of aluminum cans. |
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| Made a special one for Wyatt with the last bit of dough. |
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| The pink icing is a little brighter than the camera could capture. It is super pink. |
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| Big pile o'cookies. |
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| Fancy heart shaped vanilla icing! The big one in the middle is a cupcake for two;) |
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| Stack 'em up! |
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| Wyatt making funny faces. He's not that funny yet. At least not with the faces. |
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| I stayed up late painting this cartoon based on a photo of my littlest sister... |
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| The mess remained this morning. Oh well! |
Monday, February 6, 2012
Quick blog about tiramisu
Quick! I must share this quickly, it is so good it can't wait. I'm not a raw vegan but I like to make raw desserts. I don't always have the official raw version of ingredients but it's raw enough for me. If you have a good blender or food processor try this!
No bake, kinda raw tiramisu
Chocolate layer
1/2 cup dates, soaked in 1/2 cup water until soft. Include water when processing.
1 cup cashews, soaked 1-2 hours
3 tablespoon rum (optional, if left out double coffee and vanilla)
2 1/2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
1/2 tablespoon raw honey or maple syrup or agave nectar
1 1/2 teaspoons coffee extract or espresso or instant coffee powder (for one serving)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch sea salt
Cream layer
1/2cup cashews, soaked 1-2 hours
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons raw honey or maple syrup or agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch sea salt
1 1/2 cup coconut (shedded or flaked)
1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
In a food processor, mix all ingredients for the chocolate layer until well incorporated and smooth. Place half of the mix in one layer in a small baking dish and keep the rest aside.
In a food processor, mix all ingredients for the cream layer until well incorporated and smooth. Pour half on top of chocolate layer and refrigerate until firm enough to spread the rest of the chocolate. Top with the rest of the cream and refrigerate again. When all is set dust with cocoa powder.
You can use the freezer to speed up setting times but this tastes better thawed, not frozen.
Original recipe is here: http://paretoraw.wordpress.com/2010/04/23/raw-tiramisu-coconutcashewsdates-in-disguise/
No bake, kinda raw tiramisu
Chocolate layer
1/2 cup dates, soaked in 1/2 cup water until soft. Include water when processing.
1 cup cashews, soaked 1-2 hours
3 tablespoon rum (optional, if left out double coffee and vanilla)
2 1/2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
1/2 tablespoon raw honey or maple syrup or agave nectar
1 1/2 teaspoons coffee extract or espresso or instant coffee powder (for one serving)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch sea salt
Cream layer
1/2cup cashews, soaked 1-2 hours
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons raw honey or maple syrup or agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch sea salt
1 1/2 cup coconut (shedded or flaked)
1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
In a food processor, mix all ingredients for the chocolate layer until well incorporated and smooth. Place half of the mix in one layer in a small baking dish and keep the rest aside.
In a food processor, mix all ingredients for the cream layer until well incorporated and smooth. Pour half on top of chocolate layer and refrigerate until firm enough to spread the rest of the chocolate. Top with the rest of the cream and refrigerate again. When all is set dust with cocoa powder.
You can use the freezer to speed up setting times but this tastes better thawed, not frozen.
Original recipe is here: http://paretoraw.wordpress.com/2010/04/23/raw-tiramisu-coconutcashewsdates-in-disguise/
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Blog about: Baking too much.
Since I tend to brag about all the delicious vegan food I make and eat on Facebook, many people have asked how I do it, having a newborn attached to me and a toddler running around (and before that, being pregnant with a toddler, and before that, working with a baby...). The answer: choices! Prioritizing. Necessity.
I love food! I like being healthy(ish). I live on a budget (ish). Therefore I cook homemade for myself and my family. I am also creative and enjoy making things, and food is a practical outlet for this energy. I also like external validation, and delightful food provides a nice quick fix. I work for my junk food, so at least its not as impulsive as it used to be, although I impulsively bake things from time to time.
I do make sacrifices in my life to do the things I like to do, including cooking and baking. I don't exercise as much as I should, although I do try to be active in day to day life to make up for this. It's more sustainable anyway. Also my house is a mess! Well ok I have seen worse. And I try to tidy before I have company AND I do TRY to keep it clean. Inevitably though, it is a mess. Being organized and clean just doesn't come naturally to me, so I don't waste my time forcing it. This gives me more time for food.
These past couple weeks have been busy for a few reasons. One is that now that Otis is here, I can spend more time on my feet in the kitchen. Having a baby also attracts visiters, so I baked some things to freeze and have in case of short notice drop ins. The second is that last week my mother in law and sister in law visited so I made some meals in advance, as well as some desserts to have on hand. Third is the Vegan Pie in the Sky cook book I got for Christmas. I had to try a bunch of recipes, I couldn't resist! I made the apple pie, the pumpkin, the blueberry, the coconut cream and the blueberry cheesecake (which I converted to strawberry cheesecake).
These new recipes were really good. Only one complaint, many recipes call for crusts made from pre-packaged cookies crushed up. That’s fine and good sometimes, but I would love to make all my crusts from scratch. Oh well.
I'd like to share a recipe that I love:
http://kirstenskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/04/coconut-bacon.html
My vegan-loathing mother said she liked this coconut BETTER THAN BACON. What else can be said?
Instead of water I usually use the coconut milk. I also don't peel the brown skin off the coconut, and I use my food processer to shred it. This week I used the larger blade to shred it (the one that you would use for say, scalloped potatoes?) to make bigger, meatier pieces, and it turned out really well. We use it on BLT's, stuffed jalapeno peppers (Super Bowl food!), vegan pizza, toast with peanut butter (Elvis style) and anything else we can think of.
I tried a few new recipes this week too, including one for croissants:
http://www.sabjimatablog.com/2011/05/17/recipe-vegan-croissants/
This recipe was a little vague, but I learned from it and next time I think these will be great. I rolled them wrong sorta, but they were still good. If the recipe had been more detailed it would have seemed overwhelming and I might not have felt up to trying it.
I also tried this one (using regular whole wheat flour):
http://veganyumyum.com/2009/04/graham-crackers-and-dandies/
We had just bought some new vegan mini marshmallows and used these with s’mores, mmmm. I did take her advice and sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar, I recommend it.
Now here is one I HAVEN'T tried yet, but desperately want to:
http://greytveganlife.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/%e2%99%a5-the-vegan-baileys-project/
I am coming for you, vegan Irish cream!
Last night I made cinnamon buns, and they turned out really well. I used my bread maker to knead the dough and let it rise in there. Then I rolled them out, added the sugar etc, let them rise in front of my wood stove and refrigerated them until this morning, so we had fresh hot cinnamon buns for breakfast with no work to be done on a lazy Saturday morning! Except that I made the coconut cream cheese icing this morning, but that is really easy. With cinnamon buns for me the issue is more the time than the work. Letting the dough rise is torture when all you want is the hot sweet goodness. Doing the leg work the night before eliminates most of the wait. Oh yes, the recipe I use is basically from Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowicz. For the icing I used about 1/8 cup coconut spread (margarine or shortening would also work), 1/8 cup vegan cream cheese (creamed together), 1-2 cups icing sugar with 1-2 Tbs soy milk mixed by hand. Makes a nice rich cream cheese frosting and a happy belly.
I love food! I like being healthy(ish). I live on a budget (ish). Therefore I cook homemade for myself and my family. I am also creative and enjoy making things, and food is a practical outlet for this energy. I also like external validation, and delightful food provides a nice quick fix. I work for my junk food, so at least its not as impulsive as it used to be, although I impulsively bake things from time to time.
I do make sacrifices in my life to do the things I like to do, including cooking and baking. I don't exercise as much as I should, although I do try to be active in day to day life to make up for this. It's more sustainable anyway. Also my house is a mess! Well ok I have seen worse. And I try to tidy before I have company AND I do TRY to keep it clean. Inevitably though, it is a mess. Being organized and clean just doesn't come naturally to me, so I don't waste my time forcing it. This gives me more time for food.
These past couple weeks have been busy for a few reasons. One is that now that Otis is here, I can spend more time on my feet in the kitchen. Having a baby also attracts visiters, so I baked some things to freeze and have in case of short notice drop ins. The second is that last week my mother in law and sister in law visited so I made some meals in advance, as well as some desserts to have on hand. Third is the Vegan Pie in the Sky cook book I got for Christmas. I had to try a bunch of recipes, I couldn't resist! I made the apple pie, the pumpkin, the blueberry, the coconut cream and the blueberry cheesecake (which I converted to strawberry cheesecake).
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| Hello apples. |
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| Strawberry cheesecake. Contains no actual cheese. Main ingredients: Cashews, tofu, banana, strawberries. |
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| Fattening up my sister. Smores, coconut cream pie and strawberry cheesecake. It makes you wonder, do I love her, or hate her? |
I'd like to share a recipe that I love:
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| Seriously amazing. These are my new big strips. The shredded version is finer and still so good. |
My vegan-loathing mother said she liked this coconut BETTER THAN BACON. What else can be said?
Instead of water I usually use the coconut milk. I also don't peel the brown skin off the coconut, and I use my food processer to shred it. This week I used the larger blade to shred it (the one that you would use for say, scalloped potatoes?) to make bigger, meatier pieces, and it turned out really well. We use it on BLT's, stuffed jalapeno peppers (Super Bowl food!), vegan pizza, toast with peanut butter (Elvis style) and anything else we can think of.
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| The test batch for vegan stuffed jalepenos, made with Tofutti cream cheese and sour cream creamed together topped with coconut bacon and Daiya "cheddar style shreds." (Excuse the iPhone photo!) |
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| Actually the pizza is my husband Randy's specialty. He makes it pretty much every Saturday. We use the breadmaker for the dough as it makes it perfect. Toppings include olives, mushrooms, green peppers, coconut bacon and Daiya "mozzarella style shreds." |
http://www.sabjimatablog.com/2011/05/17/recipe-vegan-croissants/
This recipe was a little vague, but I learned from it and next time I think these will be great. I rolled them wrong sorta, but they were still good. If the recipe had been more detailed it would have seemed overwhelming and I might not have felt up to trying it.
I also tried this one (using regular whole wheat flour):
http://veganyumyum.com/2009/04/graham-crackers-and-dandies/
We had just bought some new vegan mini marshmallows and used these with s’mores, mmmm. I did take her advice and sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar, I recommend it.
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| Cinnamon sugary goodness. I am not great with making equal cuts. Next time I try harder. |
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| Smores are a treat because vegan marshmallows are both hard to find and expensive! |
Now here is one I HAVEN'T tried yet, but desperately want to:
http://greytveganlife.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/%e2%99%a5-the-vegan-baileys-project/
I am coming for you, vegan Irish cream!
Last night I made cinnamon buns, and they turned out really well. I used my bread maker to knead the dough and let it rise in there. Then I rolled them out, added the sugar etc, let them rise in front of my wood stove and refrigerated them until this morning, so we had fresh hot cinnamon buns for breakfast with no work to be done on a lazy Saturday morning! Except that I made the coconut cream cheese icing this morning, but that is really easy. With cinnamon buns for me the issue is more the time than the work. Letting the dough rise is torture when all you want is the hot sweet goodness. Doing the leg work the night before eliminates most of the wait. Oh yes, the recipe I use is basically from Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowicz. For the icing I used about 1/8 cup coconut spread (margarine or shortening would also work), 1/8 cup vegan cream cheese (creamed together), 1-2 cups icing sugar with 1-2 Tbs soy milk mixed by hand. Makes a nice rich cream cheese frosting and a happy belly.
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| Good morning glorious buns! |
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| Oh the aroma. |
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| Prepare to die, cinnamon bun. |
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Blog about: Photog.
| < border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqYGO3dAel4m5UfIKYpS3SCGDycPJnNpTIfkj3tUfOEvpsRRt1m2dXt0UZKIW3uO24OqpaRL-PR6Rl6xfNuVoupLOxt1BoFrZJlPzkerLQlzFgsVkjK8RkNjEun5h7GGvq4KW45KRT34/s320/febphotoaday.jpg" width="317" /> |
| I'm going to give this February photo a day thing on Instagram a shot. |
I do however; carry an iPhone with me 99% of the time so I have access to photographing every moment of my life. This comes in handy with children. I thought with having the second I would take less photos, be too busy. Turns out newborns sit around doing nothing but look cute a lot of the time while their older siblings run around doing hilarious things only to take breaks to pose lovingly with their new siblings.
So I have a lot of photos of that. I also have a decent digital SLR (Nikon D90) that I take with me when I can, but mostly use around the house, trying to increase the quality of those moments when Wyatt bends down to kiss Otis' sweet head. I also take pictures of the food I make. I was sooo busy baking tonight, I will be doing a post tomorrow about that.
Here are some of those captive moments from the last couple weeks:
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| Craining to see Dad. |
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| Juggling trains. Hilarious. |
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| Punched! |
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| Ninja baby. |
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| Starting bad habits but making the best memories of my life. |
Monday, January 30, 2012
Blog about: Awkward encounters
So today Randy was home from work with a bad cold. I am recovering from the same illness, feeling somewhat better today so I could take care of my man with the man-cold (man-cold reference here:Man Stroke Woman). After a morning of hanging out with the family, (which now also includes two house guests, Tom and Ben, kitties we are watching for friends) pancakes, tea, organizing the boys clothes and my clothes (two garbage bags worth of donations, yippee!), vegan grilled cheese and chilli for lunch, some It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and more tea served alongside homemade blueberry pie I felt up to an outing.
I have only been out of the house once without Otis, which was Saturday, when I went to get a few groceries and was gone about an hour total, maybe. Granted, he is only 3 weeks old so that is pretty good. Today the plan was to go to Michael’s to get the supplies to convert my BumGenius 3.0 diapers to snaps. Unfortunately Michael’s supplies were unsatisfactory to my needs, so I will have to order them online or something. I was feeling good so I decided to get the rest of the groceries that I was unable to procure at Foodland on my aforementioned baby-less adventure. Got lots of fun stuff, olive oil cooking spray, jalapeños, Italian seasoning, etc... Exciting, grown up stuff. Decided to stop at the Wine Rack on my way out. Yes, I am sick with a cough so maybe not for tonight. But later this week it might come in handy.
Here is where the awkward encounter took place.
The single employee working at the small store was busy so I carefully chose my random bottle of Jackson Trigg’s and waited at the register. After a short wait the other customer left (without buying anything?) and the guy came to the counter. Looked at my in the eyes for a little too long before greeting me like a normal customer service representative. I am sensitive to weird eye contact, I hate it. Who likes it though, really? Perhaps pausing to judge whether I was of age, which I get. No makeup and hair pulled back, I look a little young. Then asked me what happened to my ears. I was taken aback. I have had questions asked about my earrings etc before, but not in such a confrontational and rude weird way. My eyes widened and I said, after several moments of silence, "Nothing?" And some mumblings that escape my memory, from both of us. Then he asked for my ID. Half thought he was going to ask me for a second (that used to happen all the time when I was in University, my hair changed a lot) but nope, got my mom-wine in my mom-cart that was loaded with 10kg of flour and several packages of the discount toilet paper and I was good to go load up my mom-wagon. Couldn't he have asked me about wine instead of my jewelry?
OK so maybe I am overreacting a little, but this guy made me really uncomfortable. Was I asking for it? You know, having body modifications and facial piercings and tattoos. It's a personal choice, and I choose it because I like it. Not because I want to talk about it with strangers. Especially strangers who have no actual interest in actually learning about it, but rather use it as an invitation to mock me. I hereby revoke that invitation. I am generally a reserved and shy-ish person so confrontation isn't something I am used to. I am also apparently not quick and clever with come backs, as I think this would help me to let go when things like this happen. "The jerk store called, they're running out of you!" Obviously it is any persons right to say whatever they want to me or anyone else. Doesn't make it any less rude.
Anywho, I got home and vented to my wondrous husband and beautiful bouncing babies and really couldn't care less about what anyone thinks about me other than these guys, there are so many more important things to worry about! It does make me think about the things that other people get "picked on" about, that, and all the times I have accidentally been rude to someone, friends or acquaintances or strangers (and these memories make me feel sooo awkward). There’s lots of things that people choose, and lots of things that people cannot choose, any combination of which they might be completely happy with or self conscious about (and for that they probably thank you not to call attention to it thankyouverymuch), that's their business. These differences can be a part of what makes the world interesting in so many ways, there are so many experiences to learn from. Next time I hope I can keep my cool and say "Is that a serious question?"
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| This is Tom. Ben is camera shy so far but he is beautiful, so I hope to get some photos of him soon. |
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Mmm.
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Here is where the awkward encounter took place.
The single employee working at the small store was busy so I carefully chose my random bottle of Jackson Trigg’s and waited at the register. After a short wait the other customer left (without buying anything?) and the guy came to the counter. Looked at my in the eyes for a little too long before greeting me like a normal customer service representative. I am sensitive to weird eye contact, I hate it. Who likes it though, really? Perhaps pausing to judge whether I was of age, which I get. No makeup and hair pulled back, I look a little young. Then asked me what happened to my ears. I was taken aback. I have had questions asked about my earrings etc before, but not in such a confrontational and rude weird way. My eyes widened and I said, after several moments of silence, "Nothing?" And some mumblings that escape my memory, from both of us. Then he asked for my ID. Half thought he was going to ask me for a second (that used to happen all the time when I was in University, my hair changed a lot) but nope, got my mom-wine in my mom-cart that was loaded with 10kg of flour and several packages of the discount toilet paper and I was good to go load up my mom-wagon. Couldn't he have asked me about wine instead of my jewelry?
OK so maybe I am overreacting a little, but this guy made me really uncomfortable. Was I asking for it? You know, having body modifications and facial piercings and tattoos. It's a personal choice, and I choose it because I like it. Not because I want to talk about it with strangers. Especially strangers who have no actual interest in actually learning about it, but rather use it as an invitation to mock me. I hereby revoke that invitation. I am generally a reserved and shy-ish person so confrontation isn't something I am used to. I am also apparently not quick and clever with come backs, as I think this would help me to let go when things like this happen. "The jerk store called, they're running out of you!" Obviously it is any persons right to say whatever they want to me or anyone else. Doesn't make it any less rude.
Anywho, I got home and vented to my wondrous husband and beautiful bouncing babies and really couldn't care less about what anyone thinks about me other than these guys, there are so many more important things to worry about! It does make me think about the things that other people get "picked on" about, that, and all the times I have accidentally been rude to someone, friends or acquaintances or strangers (and these memories make me feel sooo awkward). There’s lots of things that people choose, and lots of things that people cannot choose, any combination of which they might be completely happy with or self conscious about (and for that they probably thank you not to call attention to it thankyouverymuch), that's their business. These differences can be a part of what makes the world interesting in so many ways, there are so many experiences to learn from. Next time I hope I can keep my cool and say "Is that a serious question?"
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The important things:
Randy and Otis and of course,
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Wyatt, hipsterbaby.
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