This is where I grew up. That's me, towards the back, and my little sister, closer to us. We're standing in one of the five gardens my mother kept. With all that produce, it follows sort of naturally that my parents are avid home cooks, who raised two little apples not far from the tree. My sister can whip up a mad pastry, and I'm most at home in the kitchen, even if just sitting on the counters with a glass of wine or gin.

Now, I live in the city, a townhouse no less. It's equidistant from downtown Ann Arbor and theuglystepsister Ypsilanti, which I love dearly. I'm finishing my degree in Language Literature and Writing with secondary education certification (read: high school English teacher) at Eastern and with any luck, I should graduate in April. I've worked at Trader Joe's since the Ann Arbor store opened five years ago. I play indoor soccer on Thursday nights. On Sundays, I autocross my car with The Detroit Reigon SCCA. My parents own an auto repair in Ypsi, my boyfriend's a firefighter with Ann Arbor Township. I've never been abroad. I have a CSA farmshare for the first time this year. I love hip-hop. I own two bicycles, a hand-me-down mountain bike I ride to work and a 1970's Schwinn slick chick. I hate running but do it anyway. I like sewing and card games. I keep three tomato plants in pots on my back porch. Mowing the lawn is one of my fondest childhood memories.

But that's not the whole story of why I'm here. What landed me here was my blog, Food Snob on a Tuesday Night. I never really intended to be a blogger (likely because I dislike the way it rhymes)-- I just wanted 24 hour Coney island-like spot to keep my recipes in order and accessible. Then I started to pretend I had an audience (Hi mom and Amy!), and now look at me. This is far more official than I had ever intended. Seesh. Thanks for joining me. Top Photograph taken by Cheryl Bondie circa 1997. Bottom photograph taken by Cheryl Bondie at Leelenau State Park, July 2009.