The Contagion (survey-style!) in Those Public Entries

What size is your bed?
Queen size, but when I moved to Burlington, my parents insisted on me getting a really thick mattress (they were paying for it). So it’s a queen size that’s, like, twelve inches tall. “Deep pocket” sheets barely fit on it. In their defense, I haven’t had back pain from sleeping for the last three years.

What was the last thing you cooked?
I made baked chicken thighs, baked broccoli, and rice in the rice cooker for dinner last night, topped with balsamic mushrooms. Then I made some brownies with walnuts a bit later (first time trying that recipe; two extremely satisfied thumbs up). By the way, if you like mushrooms, balsamic ones are super-easy: The way my mom taught me, you sautée sliced ‘shrooms in butter or olive oil, with a little salt, and then, once they’ve given up most of their liquid, you put a splash (I’d say maybe two or three tablespoons, you don’t need much) of balsamic vinegar in the pan, and let it reduce for about five minutes. Last night, since I’d baked the chicken and broccoli in my cast iron skillet, I just put the mushrooms in the pan with the rendered chicken fat and let them cook like that. Rendered chicken fat is the unsung hero of the kitchen.

Do you practice any religious faith?
The Sacred Heart of Do No Harm But Take No Shit, Treat Others As You Want To Be Treated, And for Fuck’s Sake, Return Your Shopping Cart To The Cart Corral.

How old were you when you had your first date?
14, I think? My best friend and I had started dating, and we went to see the second Harry Potter movie in the theater.

What is something practical/useful that you bought recently?
Distilled white vinegar. It’s such a workhorse, I feel icky when I don’t have it. I like to add it to my floor wash when I mop (speaking of, I need to mop today), and I think it boosts the cleaner. Which is awesome, and since it’s from a small, Black woman-owned business, I’m gonna pimp it. Good Vibes All-Purpose Cleaner: Vegan, not tested on animals, all-natural, and amazing scents. Sagilmint, Ocean Views, and So Phresh are my favorites that are always available; my favorite seasonal scents are Amber and Cedar and Cranberry and Orange.

Describe your gender and orientation.
Bisexual/sexually fluid cis woman.

Where did you go on your last vacation?
Canfield, Ohio, for my grandmother’s memorial service. She died on October 1st, but since she wanted to be cremated, we decided to hold off on the service until after the holidays.

How many countries have you visited in your lifetime?
Ireland and Canada. Definitely want to expand that, at least to Japan and France and Mexico.

What is something most people don’t know about you?
As much as literally everything about my aesthetic would say I don’t like rap music, I actually do. Not as much as alt-rock, but I’ma get crunk when I hear “In Da Club”. Also, I like Kpop. Or at least, the songs I’ve heard in the Just Dance games, of which my favorites are “Boombayah” (Blackpink), “Bubble Pop” (HyunA), and “Feel Special” (Twice).

What type of home do you live in?
Two-story, three bed one bath, 124-year-old former farm house in rural Vermont. It needs some work (new water heater, and I want to get a heat pump and solar panels), but it was move-in ready when I bought it, so I can’t complain too much.

What was the last thing you ate?
Some of the walnut brownies I made last night.

What one thing brings you the most joy in life?
My Smudgy-fur.

I was watching TV and eating Flamin’ Hot Cheetos a couple weeks ago, and he wanted some. He did not get any of the forbidden noms. I will die for this dishonor, I’m sure.

What (if anything) are you reading right now?
Iron Chef: The Official Book. It was written with Takeshi Kaga (the Chairman), and features interviews with all of the original Iron Chefs, including Ishinabe, Michiba, and Nakamura (the former being Iron Chef French before Sakai, the latter being Iron Chef Japanese before Morimoto).

How many people are in the room with you right now?
Cero.

What are you wearing?
Sweatpants, a Garbage “Lobos” tee shirt, and a sugar skull sweatshirt. All black.

If you had $100 to blow on non-essentials, what would you spend it on?
That depends on your definition of a “non-essential”, doesn’t it? For myself, I want to try Cafe de Margot in Burlington, and given the prices on their menu, I think that counts as a “non-essential” expense. (You know, I’m surprised that the US doesn’t have some kind of French answer to Olive Garden. I’m equally surprised that Vermont, a state that was founded by the French as a fur trading colony and where at least half the people I know are either of French descent or speak fluent French, doesn’t have more French restaurants.)

How’s your health at present?
Good.

What are you looking forward to?
At the moment, not having any travel/hosting plans for at least another four months. I spent most of the last three months either traveling or hosting family (flew to Indianapolis for Thanksgiving, then my mom came out to Vermont for a long weekend, then I drove back to Indy for Christmas, then drove to Ohio last weekend), and this weekend was spent sleeping and recuperating. I suspect it will not be the last “do nothing, just rest” weekend for me.

How did you sleep last night?
Meh? I slept from about 1:30 am to 6:30, then fell asleep again at about 7:30 and slept until 11:30.

What is something good that happened (or will happen) today?
My brownies turned out really well! Also, I treated myself to some new makeup, courtesy of ColourPop. I needed black eyeshadow and eyeliner. (Yes, needed. I feel naked without my black eye makeup.)

What is something interesting you’ve been watching?
The original Iron Chef episodes are on YouTube, on the FilmRise channel. I have some issues with it (I hate, hate, haaaaaate the new music, and how they don’t have the sound of Chairman Kaga biting into his bell pepper at the beginning), but until Food Network stops being a tyrant and releases the original dubs, they’re good enough. Also, my favorite chefs are Sakai and Chen.

What’s on your grocery list right now?
Soy sauce, cocoa powder (I used the last of it for the brownies), and I think olive oil? But that’s it.

What’s a chore at home you really need to get done?
Oy vey. I’m single and I live alone; my list of chores that need doing never ends. At the moment, the most pressing ones are Smudge’s litter box (the litter needs changed, and the box needs washed), cleaning the kitchen, and mopping the floors.

Is your hair its natural colour?
Narp. At the moment, it has black roots and dark pink ends (I found my pink shampoo and conditioner from when it was all-over pink while I was purging my bathroom earlier this year, and decided to use them up).

List 10 adjectives that describe you.
Weird, creative, hyperactive, moody, kind, (sort of) intelligent, humorous, busy, tenacious, stubborn.

Last updated February 25, 2024