About Us

I've never been very good at these things. Even as a kid when we were assigned essays like "A family member" or "A day in my life" I would take the assignment as loose instruction and write something fantastical because fiction was just so much more fun, especially for a kid who grew up in a nuclear family in the middle of nowhere where literally nothing ever happened. At least nothing interesting enough to write about, which brings me to my first passion.

I love to read, write and even listen. There is something incredible about being able to read about the experiences of someone which are so far outside your own reality. For example, I recently read Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie which tells the story of a young Nigerian woman, Ifemelu, who immigrates to the United States to attend university. It traces her life in Nigeria as well as her experience in the United States where she really encountered racism for the first time. Ifemelu states in her blog "I was not black until I came to America;" the blog itself called out people on their behaviors be they racist or blindly liberal reminding us that racism is not something from the 50's and 60's, that it is not just something that old people do. It's ingrained into our culture into the subtle and not so subtle ways. In summary I got to hear first hand what it is like for a non American black immigrant in America, something I would never have known about if it wasn't for reading.

I read books like that because I care about social issues, I care about human rights. I believe above anything in equality, be it racial, sexuality or gender. I try to read books that shed a light on these issues such as Asking For It and Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and of course as previously stated, absolutely anything by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

I do occasionally like to escape from the grim reality of it all and watch an old movie. Funny Girl, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Casablanca, All About Eve, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. There is just something about this era in Hollywood that is so glamorous and it has always held me fascinated. The costumes,the music, the transatlantic accents and the wonderful love stories that aren't quiet as saturated in cheese as modern romcoms all come together in a wonderfully charming manner that keeps me coming back to these classics time and time again. 

I love cartoons, more specifically I love Steven Universe. Steven Universe follows a group called "The Crystal Gems".  The Crystal Gems are a team of magical beings who are the self-appointed guardians of the universe. Half-human, half-Gem hero Steven is the "little brother" of the group. The goofball is learning to save the world using the magical powers that come from his bellybutton and he goes on magical adventures with the rest of the Crystal Gems, even though he's not as powerful -- or smart -- as fellow group members Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. Despite his shortcomings, Steven usually finds a surprising way to save the day. Aside from the magical aspect the show deals with many issues making it as inclusive as possible. It presents same sex relationships to be as normal as heterosexual relationships, they do not take time to explain the relationships they just present them as they are, defying the hetronormativity of most other kids shows. It deals with feminism, placing the female characters as powerful leaders and equal to male counterparts, the gems' home world is a matriarchal society as they are all inherently female. It deals with the loss of  a parent as Steven's mother had to give up her physical form to bring him into the world. It addresses mental health issues such as anxiety and panic attacks which can be seen in the song Here Comes a Thought that you can listen to in the Music From the Show page. It has families of all shapes and sizes: single mom families, single dad families, nuclear families. It features people of all races so all kids have characters that look like them unlike many cartoons which predominantly feature white people. As a whole I feel Steven Universe is a very important show for kids, as well as having great story-lines, it is all inclusive and ground breaking in it's approach to normalise homosexuality and mental health without detracting from the fun mood of the show.

Another passion of mine is music, there isn't a mood that can't be improved by the right song. I love everything from Etta James to Alt J, Joni Mitchell to Tame Impala but my favorite artist is probably Amy Winehouse. I love going to gigs or even just chilling out at home with a book and a good album on. I love people, working customer service suits me because I really like meeting new people. Essentially I never shut up and I love hearing other people's stories, I enjoy going out, having a few drinks with friends, meeting new people in the smoking area (usually of the Rosín Dubh) and having fun in general.

I love dogs (please refer to the adorable pictures of me and Symba below).



FOOD! I love food. Cooking, eating out, ordering out, I just love to eat and try new things. I like to experiment in the kitchen and generally don't follow recipes, I like to wing it. When I get stuck at any point I can quickly use Google or Youtube, resources we really do take for granted, you can learn almost anything from Youtube (like the time I had an origami kick in my early teens, or figured out how to get those videos to show up in the Music From the Show page).

So that's me! Thank you for taking the time to look at my application and if you have any more questions I'll be happy to answer. I really look forward to hearing from you guys!