The Bake It So Story

This post was originally shared on our sister site, GirlCrafted.com
by Jordan Danger

Five years ago, my best friend MJ left cooking.

She was good at it. In fact, she was great. She made her way up to Executive Chef status by her twenties, and all that without a formal education. But she was tired of working in male-dominated kitchens where sexual harassment and homophobia was the norm. She was tired of getting passed up for promotions, paid a sub-standard wage, and never getting a long enough leash to do her best creative work.

So she left, and took a somewhat less prestigious job--though ironically, better-paid--as a barrista. We supported her in this decision, because she was burnt out and didn't love cooking anymore. But we kept her in the kitchen at home...in a positive way. We encouraged her endless baking of key lime pies, coconut macaroons, meringue eggs, and truffles.

Slowly, the love returned, and a desire to fulfill her passion was rekindled. So MJ enrolled in the bakery program at college. There, she has been kicking ass for the last three months.

Recently, MJ had a project to do: make an outgoing voicemail message for your future self, in five years' time. It was a Business Communications assignment, but it was also an assignment in self-affirmation. Because after years of being beaten down and made to feel less than awesome, MJ recorded this as her 'dream' outgoing message:

You have reached Mission: Bake It So, aboard the International Space Station. We are currently somewhere over Europe, travelling in excess of 17,000mph, and can't take your call right now, but we'd love for you to send us an email at _____, or you can learn more about us online at NASA.gov/bakeitso. Bake It So: literally as close to heaven as you can get.

Me (left) and MJ (right).

I should probably have mentioned, MJ is an uber-nerd. For both the written and recorded 'future self' assingments, all of her science was verifiably accurate. This message is not a joke: if MJ had a genie, she would wish to be baking on the International Space Station doing science and food wizardry.

MJ is my hero. She makes me believe that you can be true to yourself and succeed in your goals. Make your own music, sing your own song, and soon the whole world will be singing along.

Tuition is tight and there's a long road ahead of MJ before she reaches her goal of universal baking domination. But we, her family and chosen family, stand behind her. In a way, a win for MJ is a win for all of us.

(And of course, I can't help but put it out there that if you, too, want to support MJ, you can like her Bake It So facebook page in preparation for when it really gets going, and if I knew how to set up a scholarship fund for her, I'd do that too. I don't, but on the off-chance there's a rich and powerful benefactor out there looking for a place for their money to go, they can email me.)

MJ is my hero in many ways, not just baking and goal-setting. She is the only person who knows exactly who I am, exactly how I think, and exactly what I want when I'm having a meltdown. She is an unwavering friend to all her loved ones, and a daily good Samaritan. These things all make her great. But her ability to say, "I'm a grrl, and a world-class baker, and these things can co-exist!" makes her my hero today. Her straight-A grades don't hurt, either.

Comment below to say congrats! 

An Intro to Our Headquarters: The Comic Book Shoppe!

This post was originally shared on our sister site, GirlCrafted.com
by Jordan Danger

WELCOME TO THE COMIC BOOK SHOPPE 

Ladies and gents, villians and heroes, I’m pleased to welcome the Comic Book Shoppe on Bank Street as one of our new Girl, Crafted patrons!

The Comic Book Shoppe on Bank Street has been in business for 14 years now. It is known as the best place to find all sorts of geekery, well beyond comic books. I defy you to go in and not find something you’d want to take home with you.

The Shoppe carries all manner of favourites, with everything from vintage collectors’ items to the latest Tokidoki figurines. Shoppe owner, Rob Spittall, has an unrivaled knack for finding the coolest merchandise before anyone else in town has found it. Whether you’re looking for a Dr Who tardis lamp, or a lightsaber umbrella, you’re in the right place.

The Shoppe is also known for having a great mix of both kid-friendly and mature stock; Heroclix and Pokemon figurines are close at hand, while moving and powerful indie comics are available with staff recommendations to guide you.

Of course, the Shoppe on Bank is also headquarters of our very own Capital Geek Girls, which is our illustrious fanclub for geeky girls. The Shoppe has a strong reputation for being women-positive as well as GLBTTQ-positive, so it’s a great place to come looking for a new geek favourite—you can honestly ask your questions without fear of discrimination. The Shoppe hosts Geek Girl events throughout the year, and there’s even a couple coming up soon (so stay tuned). They've even got a Capital Geek Girls section now, where all sorts of girl-approved merchandise can be found.

Thanks, The Comic Book Shoppe, for coming on board as an official patron of the blog. We’re proud to work with you in so many ways!

Hit the Comic Book Shoppe site

Join the Facebook Group

Follow on Twitter
and head in, at 228 Bank Street, Ottawa Ontario!

And follow the Capital Geek Girls on Facebook, too!

Sexism and Cosplay: CGG on Geek Inked

by Jordan Danger

I wrote a post that just went live on Geek Inked Magazine, talking about my experience at this year's Montreal Comiccon where a fanboy tried to call me out on my Green Lantern knowledge. You can check out the post here.

While I found the situation incredibly frustrating, I have to appreciate the fact that the Universe sent ME this particular experience to contend with...the same ME with the blog, the Geek Girls group, and my status as a contributor to Geek Inked Mag. It's a running joke that when sh*t happens to a blogger, they just roll with it because it's all good blog fodder. I gotta admit, two seconds after it happened, my only thought was, "I am SO blogging this."