When I Moved Out Of

I Have Been 130 Lbs. As Well As 215 Lbs. I Have Had Blond, Strawberry Blond, Green, Pink And Purple Hair, And None Of That Has Ever Exempted Me From Having Lewd Comments Flung At Me In The Street.

In Moments When I Question If I Should Be Having Kids, I Think Of All Those Phone Calls From My Sister-in-law, In Which, 3,000 Miles Away, I Hear My Nephews Screaming For Her Attention. I Tell Her I Have To Go Because I Am Packing To Leave For Europe, And Her Tone Flatlines: "that Must Be Nice."

I Have No Control Over What People Think Of Me But I Have 100% Control Of What I Think Of Myself, And That Is So Important. And Not Just About Your Body, But So Many Ways Of Confidence. You're Constantly Learning How To Be Confident, Aren't You?

Olympia Was A Town Crawling With Music. I Was New To The Whole Punk Scene. The Culture Shock Continued; Olympia Had Bagels! We Didn't Have Bagels In Arkansas. You Could Order Vegetarian Food All Over Town! It Was So Crazy To Me - A Place With So Many Vegetarians, The Restaurants Made Special Dishes For Them?

When I Moved Out Of My Mom's House At 18 I Was Almost As Sad To Leave Her Sewing Machine Behind As Anything Else.