a note about this blog

i thought it might be a good idea to mention why i chose the names i did, and maybe talk a bit about the kinds of things i might be posting about. just in case anyone's wondering, you know.

i am currently doing a free 30-day trial with this blogging thing, just because i was curious and i signed up on a whim. i was asked to pick a domain name and also a title for the blog, and i was suddenly overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. what the hell do you name something that you didn't know you were going to have 10 minutes ago, but will perhaps be around forever and ever and ever and ever, due to ridiculously loyal readership and their insistence for more random jibberish?

you have likely noticed that my domain name and my blog name do not match. i have since noticed that this is somewhat odd. oops. oh well, i'm a total rookie. it's kind of like driving around in texas with wisconsin plates and hoping it gets you a pass on really stupid driving moves. (guilty as charged.)

i chose quarterlifecrisis as the domain name because i have been intrigued with the phenomenon for quite some time. as someone who moved to another country at 18, graduated from college at 19, and started grad school (and teaching) at 20, there have been several points in my life where i was a little panicked about where i was going and whether it was the right thing. now that i'm 30 i realize that i'm probably a little old to really be having a quarterlife crisis (but if not, woo hoo for living to 120!), but i still think it's an interesting idea. my 20s were characterized by doing lots of grownup things, all the while not totally feeling like a grownup. i think that's okay and everything, but it's one of those things i like to reflect on sometimes. now that i'm standing on the precipice of maybe (or maybe not) getting tenure, i feel a little wary, like who knows what i'll really be doing a couple years from now. scary.

i decided to name the blog vegan chai because it is something that makes me very happy. in a way, it is a little poultice for the quarterlife crisis. i am someone who has never liked coffee or tea or iced tea or any of those things i call "grownup drinks." i discovered chai a couple of years ago and i couldn't believe how much i loved it. i preached the wonder of chai to anyone who would listen, and i have shown a lot of people the light along the way. yay me! yay chai! anyway, when i went vegan last fall, i tried to make my old standard (oregon chai concentrate in "organic original") with soymilk, and was tha-rilled to find out that it was completely delicious. it was the first of many pleasant surprises in my transition to veganism. so, for whatever reason, it seemed like a cute name.

since i am a new vegan (i went vegetarian 12 years ago, but only became vegan last october), i have a feeling that some of my entries will be veganically (it's a word. yes it is.) oriented. i think about it a lot and i read a couple of vegan message boards and i have a lot of thoughts rattling around in there that will probably want to come out in blog form someday. i also really like food, so i will likely wax poetic about new vegan things that i try.

other than yapping about how damn cool it is to be vegan, my guess is that i'll also vent about random things a fair bit. i like to watch guilty pleasure teevy (the OC, anyone?), so expect at least some references to that end. i am hopelessly preoccupied with work stress, so... well, yeah. i often go to the gym or yoga class, and sometimes feel the need to discuss some weirdness that i observe there. like last week, for instance, when i went to yoga and someone in the room smelled like a cross between those really pungent overhead pens, and a dog's ear infection. i know that was disgusting, but misery loves company, so thank you for sharing it with me.

anyhow, i'm not entirely sure what this blog will end up being about, but i'm glad you found me and i hope you like it here!

Comments

[pleather]

Sounds like we have a lot in common! My SO and I have been vegetarian for about 10-11 years, and just went vegan last summer. It's impressive, however, that you are so close to tenure and you're as young as you are. I look forward to hearing more in your blog!

[VeganMomma]

I am a new vegan. I made the switch in August 2004, although I had been avoiding animal products for quite a few years. I have been vegetarian for 12 years.
It is impressive how much you have accomplished.

[Hanuman]

Namaste!

Good luck on your blog! I'm in the process of moving to Veganism from Vegetarianism as well. Not too sure at this point if it will be a "complete conversion" or not, but, it's the way to go!

[girl least likely to]

thanks for the welcome, guys. this is turning into a fun little adventure. :) it's cool to see other people who have a lot in common with me, too. i don't actually know a lot of other vegetarians (i think just my sister and one friend, actually), and i'm the only vegan i know in person.

pleather, do you and vegenaise work in the same department? you don't have to dish on your school life if you don't want to, but i've been curious now that i know we share something else in common.

thanks for your kind words about my being so close to tenure. i'm really quite terrified by the entire thing, but it's nice to hear you say such sweet things. i don't actually go up until fall, so we'll see if i live that long. ;)

[Pleather]

No, we are not in the same department and only vegenaise has a tenure-track job. (But we're working on that situation.) This is our third year as professors. Perhaps I'll send an email to dish more!