It’s been a busy couple of weeks. Emory started school last week and there’s been some adjusting on my part to the new routine. He’s going to the same school, but it’s at another location. And that location is a wee bit further away. So, it’s been a bit of a change. Plus, my big boy is away every single day! This is a first for me. He’s gone to school before, but only for a few days each week. Now, it’s every day and I miss him. I really miss him.
The lollipop business is still going strong. A year ago today, I had about five sales. At the time of writing this, I have 932 transactions. Many of those included more than one sale. I owe every last bit of that success to Etsy who featured me last October. Things have been going strong ever since. I am so grateful for their help and everyone who has supported me since then. Thank you!
Speaking of lollipops! I just rolled out my first Halloween lollipop. It’s called Trick Or Treat. It’s apple on the outside (just a hint!) and a candy corn on the inside. It’s quite good! I test everything I make before selling it. I usually make small individual candies first. I often end up with a stash. This stash is already depleted. I was pleasantly surprised by how good it is. So, if you’re a fan of candy corn, this one’s for you!
What else? I graduate this weekend! I can’t believe I’m finally done with pastry school. I started in July of 2010. I have given birth since then, which seems crazy to me. I was adopted by an entirely new class since then, too. It’s been a long time. Anyway, we’ve been working on our final cakes for the past several classes. Think of a wedding cake, but it doesn’t have to be for an actual wedding, if that makes any sense. Basically, we can do whatever we want within the timeframe we’re given. We do need a certain number of gum paste flowers for chef to grade, but they don’t have to be on our actual cake. We have to include some piping, as well as rolled out fondant. Other than that—color, style, concept—it’s up to us. Oh, and we can’t really do anything on our own. It has to be completed during class hours.
Anyway, I’ll have a picture of my cake next week. I will say this much: no one is likely to ever, EVER hire me to make their wedding cake. Also: I might end up friendless. At least that’s what I’m starting to think based on the response I received from my classmates. My “concept” didn’t go over too well with them. They looked at me with disgust in some cases. I got a snarl from one gal. And another said, “You’re not really doing that, are you? Because that’s really gross.”
Here I thought it was a little funny and not all that weird.
Something occurred to me on Sunday night while having dinner with Toby Joe. I’m 37-years-old and and I’m still very much considered “that fucking weird kid”.
“When will that finally change?” I asked him seriously.
“Never, Michele. You’ll die that way.”
“But I don’t, and never have, felt all that weird. I feel I’m very normal, even boringly so.”
“Well, that just means you’re really fucked up.”
So, yeah. My cake might be considered strange to some, which could be interesting since we’re “showing them off” on Sunday night during our graduation party. But I’m doing it anyway. It’s no stranger than fondant, y’all. And besides, I’m used to social anxiety and awkwardness.
I’m used to social anxiety and awkwardness too. Those of us like this don’t know any differently so it seems completely normal to us. Only when we start comparing ourselves to others do we see how kind of weird we are. All hail the weird. It’s great to be weird!
Michele, I so wish you could have seen the reaction I got from everyone. It seriously came as a surprise to me.
The problem is, sometimes when I’m not feeling my strongest, I let it get to me. This time it very nearly got to me. I found myself trying to stick up for myself because I cared. Usually I just let it go, shrug my shoulders. But out of all the people around me, no one said it wasn’t weird. It was just an onslaught of, “You’re just weird.”
So I felt REALLY weird, uncomfortably so.
But screw it.
I get that. But screw it is right. So many people try so hard to do what they think is going to please others instead of what they really want to do. Those people matter only for a split second and their reactions have more to do with them than you. Be strong — you’re the most awesome weird girl I know!
I love that fucking weird kid. Hell, I AM that fucking weird kid, so I feel right at home with you.
I’m the weird kid, too. Thankful I have Asperger’s because it usually means I don’t give a fuck about people thinking I’m weird.
Looking forward to seeing your cake and imagining all kinds of things. Like a headstone cake sitting beside some funeral flowers and a fondant “human skin” rug spread over a grave mound. Like someone peeled a human like a bear or a deer.
I was trying to think of ways to make the fondant reflect how many skin cells are embedded in it…
I just really want to see this cake, now. And hey, I say let your freak flag fly! I wholly endorse weirdness. That’s what makes people interesting! It sounds like your pastry class is just full of melbas.
That’s the thing, you guys. This cake is NOT weird. At all. You will be very, very disappointed. I’m not joking. It isn’t at all weird.
What’s that saying about marching to a different drummer? That’s my girl! Don’t you ever not be true to yourself.
Aw. momhow.
Can’t wait to see the cake! Congratulations on graduating – a great, great accomplishment!
I know I’m late to the party; but I’m here to tell you that once a weird kid always a weird kid. I used to think that if I dove into the latest fashions and read up on the interests that everyone else has; I’d be normal. But whenever I’m at the lunch table (I’m 41) at work and I open my mouth; I’m still the weird kid. It’s just who I am and my real friends think I’m pretty awesome for it… if still kinda weird.