Belated Valentine’s post! I know it isn’t everyone’s favorite holiday, but I’m glad for any moment taken to appreciate one’s relation to the world around them. Love is in the air. People are taking great pride in their nation, their community, their families, their significant others and themselves.
I’ve been very excited about two projects near and dear to my heart:
#1. Vegan Tiramisu wedding cake for one of the nicest couples on the planet
#2. I finally did it! I got the tattoo of my dreams.
About the cake:
I know it’s not the center-piece or anything, but I want it to be perfect, and most importantly, I want it to be them: charming, playful, warm and intelligent. I don’t know how a cake can be intelligent, but I think I can do the other stuff! Karen sent out a call t her friends to bring together a collection of about 8 homemade cakes instead of a giant one. So smart. The wedding is in the far far away land of Nashville and my kitchen skills travel better than a cake…. Thanks to the wonderful networking abilities afforded by the intertubes, I will be baking with one of the other cakers the day of the wedding! I’m so excited to meet her friends and work on cake together! I don’t want to make too much of a horrendous mess in their kitchen/nail the design so I have been practicing different steps about once a week. I have chronicled the learning process on flickr. Lars and I are stoked for a week long of Nashville adventures and friend celebrating starting next Monday! There is a lot to do yet, but I think I’ll be ready when the time comes!!!
About the tattoo:
Many of you may be wondering why your favoritre kt b got a tattoo. If I have to explain it all to a grandparent or child, I guess we’ll just have to meet on the values of self-expression and do the best we can. Beyond that, some of you may have known I was stewing on it for years, but for those who do not, here is a little meandering description of the whole deal. As I tell it, there is no fantastic narrative to tie everything together. And to be honest, I’m not obssessed with the inked body,and I don’t envision panels of images stretching the span of my back. And it’s definitely not an act of rebellion. It’s on a pretty personal space, not like I’m trying to be cool (though I am very proud of Rob’s work). So why did I get a tattoo?
I know people get tattoos for all sorts of reasons. But here was my basic criteria:
1. Whatever idea I get has to stick after at least a year of ruminating in my head.
2. The phrase or image should be in a place I can see it so it’s for me and not just other people to look at.
3. Most importantly, the phrase or image should represent me.
4. And lastly, it’d be nice to have original artwork.
I had the idea about 3 years ago and found an artist last year for the drawing. This year, I found an artist for the actual sitting Rob L. Smith, II at Caspian Tattoos in Lynchburg, VA.
I think tattoos can be beautiful, even if certain motifs may have less meaning to the general viewer because of their repeated use. But that’s the thing, regardless of the image, tattoos are personal symbols the individual chooses that aren’t just about what others see on skin, but what the image represents to the body’s owner. I needed that. I needed to do something for just me. I generally channel a good deal of my effort into things intended for others. Testing students, training volunteers, waiting tables, baking at midnight, paying bills… Don’t get me wrong, I still love all those things, especially making you cupcakes and helping people learn English; I just needed to remind myself of me.
Hippos are such a funny dichotomy between the doughy, friendly things humans like to idealize, and the actually massive, territorial, dangerous animals that they are. It doesn’t hurt that they are vegetarians! I came upon the hippo as a gift at the end of high school, just as I was just starting to figure myself out. After all this time it stuck with me, first as a joke then because I really identified with them. Maybe it seems like a dramatic move, maybe part of a big exhale after a lot has changed. I do know that when I look down and see it etched onto my waist, it feels absolutely right. It feels like me.
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Thank you all for all the constant support in things I love to do!
I hope you’ll celebrate the compassion and understanding you share with others every day! Happy Valentine’s!!!
