From where did the name "Freckled Italian" originate?
I am approximately half Irish and half Italian. I wanted a blog name that sort of described me without being too specific, and Freckled Italian is exactly where I landed. It was one of those things that you think about for a while--when I first started my blog, it was awkwardly titled some things about megan and no one but my roommates, boyfriend, and parents read it.
Can I use a photo or recipe of yours on my own blog?
Sure! Knock yourself out--I just ask that you please give me credit and link to the actual blog post in which you found the photo, recipe, passage, whatever it is that you're using. The portrait of me, however, was created for me by Kelli Murray, and is not to be used for your own personal use. If you have any questions about anything regarding sourcing my work properly, please feel free to send me an email!
What kind of camera do you use?
I have a Canon EOS Rebel and it's rather old. It belonged to my boyfriend's mother, who is an amazing photographer, before it belonged to me. I don't know much about photography, but I'm incredibly attached to it and it's pretty perfect for me.
Do you make money blogging?
DISCLOSURE: I make a little something. I have ad spots available for purchase and will occasionally use affiliate links (for example to Amazon) in my posts. This means that if you click a link I post and then buy something, I might make a small commission. This doesn't affect you or your purchase in any way, and I promise that I'll only link to something I would use or do use myself. So far, any money I make through Freckled Italian goes right back into advertising on larger sites.
WORK AND EDUCATION
What did you study in undergrad?
I majored in English and minored in Creative Writing at Longwood University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in May of 2010. Then I went to Hollins University for a graduate program in Children's Literature, and I finished a Master of Arts in October of 2012.
On what exactly did you write your master's thesis?
My thesis focused on the lack of female friendship in Disney's Princess films and connected that to Mean Girls. I posted a few excerpts from the bibliographic essay I wrote for my thesis right here if you'd like to learn more.
What do you do for a living? Do you get to use your MA in your job?
I work in the Social Media & Mobile Apps division of a software company in Roanoke. I don't directly use my master's degree every day, but I do quite a bit of writing and a regular amount of proof-reading on a day-to-day basis. I also spend a good amount of time with a sketchbook, working on designs for new features, which is totally new to me but incredibly fun. I'm excited to be working in the field of social media, because I'm just as passionate about those kinds of connections as I am about cultural studies, which is the interest that led me to grad school in the first place. Life tends to find ways to work itself out and make sense eventually, and I feel thankful every morning that I sit down at my desk.
PERSONAL LIFE AND PALEO
Wait, where do you live? You seem to have moved a lot.
Okay, so now I live in Roanoke. And yes, I have moved a bit in the past two years or so. After I finished school at Longwood (which is in Farmville, Virginia), I moved back to Roanoke (where I grew up) and got an apartment downtown. I worked for my parents and started grad school. A year later, Rob graduated from Hampden-Sydney and got into a year-long graduate program at UVA, so we decided to move to Charlottesville together. I worked in a coffee shop and wrote my thesis there. When that was done, we both moved back to my parents' house at Smith Mountain Lake for the summer. Rob moved to Northern Virginia to start work and I stayed at my parents', which is where I currently live.
How long have you and Rob been together?
We started dating in March of 2009, so we'll be celebrating four years together in the next few months.
Speaking of Rob, how tall is that guy? And how tall are you?
He is 6'7", and I'm 5'4". That's a fifteen inch height difference! After a year or two, I got used to his height and forgot that he was tall. Sometimes I look at pictures of us standing next to each other and think, "Is he really that tall?"
How long have you been Paleo? Why? Is your family Paleo?
I changed my diet to Paleo in December of 2011. Turns out I'm allergic to both gluten and lactose, and refined sugar makes me feel like crap, so Paleo works amazingly well for me. My mom is the one who introduced me to the diet, and she and I stick to it pretty strictly. My dad and my brother aren't really into it; and Rob gets it, but probably only eats that way about 50% of the time.
If you have a question that wasn't listed, please send me an email or ask right here!
