48 Questions

I’ve decided to join in (belatedly) on the getting to know each other meme that Cherise Shockley initiated (@DiabetesSocMed #DSMA). So here it goes…

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

My grandfather, Jacob

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

When my dog died about two weeks ago. I wept.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?

Only when I can read it.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?

None. I don’t eat it.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

Three sons

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

If I liked cats and bad puns, then yes.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?

“No,” she said sarcastically.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?

Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?

Nope.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?

Cereal was tied with pizza for my favorite food. Then I got diabetes. I love granola.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?

Not usually and it really pisses my husband off.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?

Yes. I can do real pull-ups. (And my youngest son wears pull-ups!)

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?

Cookie dough. If you hear of a carb-free version, please let me know.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

Feet. I look down a lot.

15. RED OR PINK?

Pink

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?

The list is so long. My anxiety takes first place. Next, I hate my pancreas, or maybe I should say the bad cells that attacked my beta cells. My hands are too sweaty, my feet are too small, my legs aren’t thin enough, my skin isn’t clear enough, my hair can’t be tamed. I’ll stop before I get into guilt…

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?

My mother in an abstract way. My paternal grandmother in an active way.

18. WHAT IS THE TECHNIQUE THAT YOU NEED TO WORK ON THE MOST?

I need to stop obsessing.

19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?

I’m wearing gray, black, and white Thorlo socks. Post work-out.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?

A piece of dark chocolate

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

Kids talking.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?

Green

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?

My husband. Anything baking with butter and vanilla. Pizza and grilled cheese.

24. HOW IMPORTANT ARE YOUR POLITICAL VIEWS TO YOU?

Very, very, very, very, very, very

25. MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY OR BEACH HOUSE?

Beach house.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

Olympics

27. HAIR COLOR?

Brown

28. EYE COLOR?

Green

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?

Sometimes

30. FAVORITE FOOD?

Since diabetes, roasted cauliflower

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

Happy endings

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?

Something with Adam Sandler and Andy Samburg. I have no idea what the title is.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?

Light blue under a black fleece

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?

Summer, totally!

35. FAVORITE DESSERT?

Since diabetes, dark chocolate. Before, chocolate chip cookies

36. STRENGTH TRAINING OR CARDIO?

Strength training

37. COMPUTER OR TELEVISION?

Computer

38. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?

Andrew Solomon, Far From the Tree. It’s incredible.

39. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?

I don’t have one.

40. FAVORITE SOUND?

My sons playing.

41. FAVORITE GENRE OF MUSIC?

Anything but country

42. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?

It depends what I consider home.

43. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?

Writing, I guess. I whine well. I tend to attract cats wherever I go. I wish I could sing, dance, and paint.

44. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

Texas

45. WHERE ARE YOU LIVING NOW?

Tel Aviv

46. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR HOUSE?

The outside of the building looks straight out of a slum. Yellow, white, splotches of all sorts of creams and beiges

47. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR CAR?

I don’t have one.

48. DO YOU LIKE ANSWERING 48 QUESTIONS?

Sort of.

Jessica Apple

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Jessica Apple

Jessica Apple grew up in Houston. She studied Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of Michigan, and completed an MA in the same field at the Hebrew University. She began to write and publish short stories while a student, and continues to write essays and fiction while raising her three sons (and many pets). Jessica’s work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Financial Times Magazine, The Southern Review, The Bellevue Literary Review, Tablet Magazine, and elsewhere. She is the diabetes correspondent for The Faster Times. In 2009 she and her husband, both type 1 diabetics, founded A Sweet Life, where she serves as editor-in-chief. Jessica loves spending time with her sons, cooking with her husband, playing with her cats, reading, biking, drinking coffee, and whenever possible, taking a nap. Follow Jessica on Twitter (@jessapple)