Leif Not Leaf

Gwenna Johnson
Mini-Project #1b

Leif not Leaf

My first cousin Leif has been teased about his name from the moment other children realized it was a peculiar title. Not to mention, my aunt insisted on growing her four boy’s hair into long mullets while parading them around upstate Pennsylvania in bare feet and tie-dye t-shirts. I took personal pride in the fact that my cousins’ names were Cole, Leif, Sage, and Skye and that the older two had their ears pierced by the age of ten. Peering out from the shelter of my “average” suburban life, I was enthralled by my cousin’s seemingly extravagant lifestyles in the backcountry of Wayne County, Pa.

My mother’s sister was often a source of conflict in my earlier memories. It took years of growth and change for me to value different outlooks on life. While still controversial and sometimes radical, my aunt’s perspective is now a source of deliberation. She managed to impose her thoughts and ideals onto her four boys. Leif is the second oldest child, perhaps the quietest and most artistic. After graduating from high school in 2005 Leif planned to attend Kutztown University. Halfway through his first semester in college, Leif was dissatisfied with the direction his life was leading. He quit college, gathered his savings, and moved to Oakland, California. I have not spoken with him since Thanksgiving Day, 2005.

When I decided to contact Leif, my first thought was to call my mom and get my aunt’s telephone number. From there I hoped my aunt would be able to give me Leif’s cell phone number or email address. I’m not sure if it was the realization that that route would be too easy, or if I imagined the prying and meddling conversation that would ensue when I called my aunt, but I decided to take a different course. I decided to start searching on the Internet for Leif, banking on the fact that there are few “Leif’s” in the country. I was wrong. After a few fruitless searches, I decided to investigate the lesser-known artist Internet sites. I was surprised to find a biography on the deviantART website for a 19 year-old male living in Oakland, California.

In order to send Leif a message, I had to become a member of deviantART myself, which meant creating a username and profile. At this point I got a little nervous. I haven’t spoken with my cousin in a year and a half, and suddenly I am stalking him on the Internet. I was going to use humor to avoid the creepy way in which I was contacting him. I thought of making my username, “I’mNormallyNotThisCreepy,” or “ThisIsRandom,” but eventually I decided on “gj09.” I left a message on Leif’s homepage a few days ago. I explained that I was doing a project and wanted to find out how his life was going since moving to California. He has not yet replied to my message, but his “status” claims that he has been offline for five days. I am still waiting, and hoping that I can get in contact with him soon.