Born This Way

This blog was brought to my attention last night and I have to share it.

The premise is that people of course don't choose to be gay or straight any more than they choose their skin color or height. There are stories written by gay men and women accompanied by photos of them as children that "capture them, innocently, showing the beginnings of their innate LGBT selves."

www.borngaybornthisway.blogspot.com

A Month of Photos: Days 7 & 8

Yesterday I spent the whole day being supremely unproductive and it was wonderful so I didn't end up posting my photo for the day. Which means you get two (and really it's three) today!

Day seven was supposed to be a photo that shows the real you. I guess to me that means something vulnerable. I have four tattoos but the ones that have the most significance to me are the ones on my wrists. One says 'live' and the other says 'heal.' I got the one that says live during a time in my life where I felt really stagnant. I think to some tattooing the word live on your wrist would be a reminder to do big things and take risks but for me it's more about doing things that challenge me but also being sure to work towards bettering my life and creating the way I want to live. It's a reminder to not be reckless.

When I got the word heal tattooed on me I was feeling a lot of hurt from a few things going on in my life and I needed a reminder to move on and get better and to grow from those things rather than dwell in them. I wanted to remember to learn from life rather than be brought down by it.

Both are in white ink so while they're out there for everyone to see few people actually notice them and it makes me feel as if I'm carrying around a secret. In a good way.




Day eight is "a picture that makes you laugh." So here it is.



UPDATE: These are what the tattoos look like today. Literally.

A Month of Photos: Day 5, A Favorite Memory

There was a weekend a few years ago when someone very special to me and myself spent the weekend together. It was probably one of the most lazy weekends I've had to date. We even ate in bed. It was also over the 4th of July weekend and on that day we went outside and lit sparklers, the majority of them duds, and then ended up falling asleep in the grass. He woke me up sometime in the middle of the night to go back inside and when it was really morning we both realized we were covered with bug bites. I think we also realized we should probably become functioning members of society as well. After pulling myself together and getting dressed I came upstairs and he told me there was a present for me but I had to find it. I couldn't and he refused to tell me what it was and we both had lives to get back to so he left. It wasn't until later that I found my surprise.

A Month of Photos: Day 4, A Photo of My Day

This pretty much sums up my day. There will be more on this tomorrow.

A Month of Photos: Day 2

So day two of this little adventure calls for a photo of "you and the person you have been closest to the longest."

This is a difficult one for me. I'm not close to my family and while I have friends I'm close to I'm in my mid twenties which means it hasn't been until fairly recently that my friends stay in the same place for long given college, jobs, etc. Then I realized the person I've been closest to the longest isn't someone I can call when I have a break up or who takes me out to drinks on my birthday, it's this little munchkin of a girl who I've taken care of since birth. I've re-discovered the awe of the ocean, building forts, mixing colored water to make new colors like magic...and so much more with this girl. And for as many times as I've kissed her owies and made her feel better she's done the same for me tenfold. I know, don't barf okay?

A Month of Photos

So, there's this thing going around on the internet among people who blog (remember when that word was still new and you were like what the hell is a 'blog'?). It's a month of photos. Here's how it works:

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with 10 facts
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
Day 04 - A picture of your day.
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory.
Day 06 - A picture of somewhere you've been.
Day 07 - A picture that shows your true self.
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.
Day 10 - A picture of someone you see yourself marrying in the future.
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.
Day 12 - A picture of something you love.
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.
Day 14 - A picture of your favorite pastime.
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.
Day 16 - A picture of someone you've been friends with the longest and still feel connected to.
Day 17 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Day 18 - A picture of your favorite place.
Day 19 - A picture of a habit you wish you didn't have.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change
Day 25 - A picture of you last year and how you've changed since then
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.

Shall we begin?


This picture is an older one but one of my favorites of myself. One of the girls I nannied and I were playing with a camera and taking pictures of each other. She took this. She must have been three at the time so I'm not really sure how she managed to not take something blurry and off center but she did and we were having fun and it reminds me of a time I felt really happy.

I love strawberries and blackberries and pretty much all the kinds of berries there are. Except I cannot handle raw blueberries. I love them frozen though. Especially in milk.

I used to wear the necklace in that photo a lot. I had bought it in the BP section of Nordstrom but without fail every time I wore it someone would ask if I had just gotten back from Hawaii. I'm pretty sure I still own it although I can't for the life of me imagine wearing it now.

I also used to be super blonde (duh). After awhile I hated how people treated me for being blonde and I hated how much I felt I had to wear dark serious clothes to be taken seriously. After I dyed my hair dark again I resolved to never be blonde again although I'm coming dangerously close again these days.

I'm not allergic to anything with the exception of one kind of Neutrogena makeup. I once tried it and it made my face red and bumpy. I started a new job the same week and was mortified but after time and tragedy mixed and things became funny I confessed to my employer how embarrassed I had been. She claimed she had never noticed but I still doubt the veracity of that.

I sleep with the windows open year round. When I woke up this morning it was 27 degrees Farenheit but I still love the feeling of waking up and things being fresh and how cozy my bed feels with all the covers and pillows and Javier when there's just a bit of a chill in the air.

I have scars on my knees from playing basketball outside when I was in high school. One time I was team captain against this big six foot tall guy and his team. My team was winning at one point so he shoved me. I got gravel in my knees and they were pretty gross for awhile but I also feel proud of them.

I eat quiche with soy sauce on it. It's weird and I don't know why but quiche is never as good without soy sauce. I don't even know what prompted me to try it but I've eaten it that way since I was a child.

In general I always keep my Monday nights to myself. I love alone time and find myself frantic if I don't schedule some for myself. I also love sort of easing into the hectic week by leaving my Monday evenings free of plans.

One of the things I'm most proud of is the fact that I have sold some of my paintings as well as had some commissioned. One of the things I regret most is not thinking highly enough of my work and myself to have photographed them before selling them.

My most favorite thing this week.

I was watching something on TV that required little focus while sewing last night (more on that later) when I needed to take a break. Because sewing is actually sort of hard. So I decided to check my email. Which is where I found this.




I'm not really sure what CatPaint is but this is why I love this girl.

Meta

I swear, I am not posing him. Also this is a totally new thing. The sitting on my laptop all up in my business thing.

Photographic Memory

So, I made a fantastic dinner the other night. Red pepper, zucchini, black beans, cheddar, and green chile stuffed enchiladas topped with goat cheese served with lime soaked watermelon, pineapple, and honeydew sprinkled with chile powder and a garbonzo bean, fresh corn, heirloom tomato, cilantro, cucumber salad with a pepper honey vinaigrette. It was beautiful and delicious. One of my friends, Aspen, arrived and I explained to her I was going to take photos while we cooked. I had my camera out on a little table by the kitchen. I started explaining to her what we were doing and got her set up and then I started squeezing the rest of the limes. We cooked. Aspen cut herself. We walked to the store for band-aids. We cooked some more. Then my friend Craig arrived. There were drinks and last minute touches and I put the enchiladas in the oven to bake. We were in the middle of some Dj Hero on Wii before I realized I didn't take a single photo. I figured I could at least take a few of the final product. Then I forgot again! So Friday I decided I would take a consolation prize photo of the leftovers. Then I ate them.

I have no photos of my delicious meal for you. I don't mind though. I mean, I guess I did see it and eat it and maybe some of you mind but I have to admit that when I get really into something and am spending more time enjoying the experience rather than trying to make sure I document it...I get real joy from that. Maybe when I'm old I won't remember the night we listened to Common and The Bird and the Bee and cooked together and played Wii and then went through the Blender list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. But for now I do and I'm glad I was a part of it rather than standing on the outside photographing it.

I do promise to do some cooking by myself and take lots of pictures soon.