Sallyacious

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December 31, 2008

So Long 2008

It's been quite a ride. Rich, full, educational, exciting and hard.

A year and twenty-four hours ago, we got home from London. Since then, I feel in some ways like I've been running non-stop. Dave too. We're several trips richer/poorer, we're down to three cats, we've gained new skills* and we have a new bathtub surround. Along with all of the things happening on the national scene.

Things I would like to accomplish in 2009? To continue to improve as an actor, to continue to improve as a teacher, to continue to improve as a wife and as a person. To end the year with the same cats who began it with us, and perhaps one more. To have at least one publishable article about what I do. To be in a new home, in a new city (and hopefully a new job, though I'd initially settle for new home, new city).

And for all of you, I hope 2009 is a year of large achievements and only small sorrows. Great love, but not great pain. May 2009 be a year of health, wealth and happiness for you and those you love.

So thank you, 2008 for at least never being boring. May 2009 be as rich, but maybe not as bumpy.

*This is the year Dave started acting. Four shows. Which is twice as many as I did.

Posted by sally at 03:59 PM | Comments (2)

December 30, 2008

Final Word on the Chocolate Bread Pudding?

Meh.

It was okay. Not fabulous. It needed... something... neither Dave nor I could decide what. More egg, possibly. Dave thinks it's the butterfat from the milk that's missing. I think its main crime, honestly, was not tasting as rich as it smelled. So I'll try again with another recipe later. Possibly on New Year's Day after Dave makes french toast for breakfast.

Dave?

Posted by sally at 10:10 PM

Boy Does It Smelly Yummy in Here

I just made a chocolate bread pudding. It's baking. I used up the leftover french bread from the french toast we had on Sunday morning.

This year (2008) marks a move to more cooking for me. It's partly due to being tired of eating the same old stuff all the time, thanks to being in a small town with a HIGHLY limited restaurant selection, partly due to the various economic woes that are wracking the country (Dave and I are fine, economically speaking, but I've been wanting to cut back on our dining out bills for sometime anyway, and now seems like an especially good time). It's also due in large part to having time and an increased sense of confidence in the kitchen. Quite frankly, I don't know where that last came from.

At the top of the list of reasons I've been cooking more, though, comes the desire to go back to my dairy-free lifestyle. You see, I'm allergic to dairy products (that doesn't include eggs, by the way, cows don't lay eggs). Ever since I figured out that dairy products are at the root of my asthma attacks, I've tried to avoid them when I get colds and also when I'm in shows. There's no sense in making things harder for myself than they have to be, after all. But it's really hard to be dairy-free here when our schedules force us to eat out a lot, and since we moved here, our schedules have been like that. Given that it's a college town, and a small town, there just aren't a lot of non-dairy options. So I've had a lot of cheese over the past five years.

But it's just silly to be forcing my body to cope with an allergen all the time, and I think that maybe my low energy levels might partly be due to that. I know I can cut out dairy just not eating it, but that really limits me when it comes to cooking. Because of all the things (like bread pudding and chicken pot pie) that I cannot have. And then yesterday, I did a little research. And I discovered that Silk soy milk can replace milk in any recipe.

So last night we had amazing chicken pot pie from this recipe, only using broccoli instead of onions (because Dave doesn't like onions), without the fresh thyme because the store was out, and with Silk soy creamer instead of half and half. Also, crescent roll dough instead of pie crust because we didn't have enough butter to make pie crust and I forgot to thaw the fillo dough. And with the addtion of frozen corn. Anyway, it was A. Maz. Ing. (It was also very good for lunch today. That recipe makes A LOT of chicken pot pie.)

And then today, I exchanged the milk in this recipe for one cup of chocolate Silk and one cup of plain Silk and made bread pudding. I also used a lot more bread than she calls for in the recipe, closer to a pound, because 4 oz isn't very much bread, at least not the way they make it at our co-op. I cannot tell you how very very good this house smells right now, with the chocolate bread pudding baking away in the oven. Oh. My. God. So. Good. (Though I wish now I'd added a little bit of cinnamon to the mixture. That would have been a nice touch.)

Anyway, it turns out Silk really does work nicely as a substitute for milk, and now that I know that, I will be doing a lot more cooking of a lot more things. There are only a couple of things to remember about it. It curdles when it boils, so don't boil it. And it won't whip up like a heavy cream because it doesn't have the right kind of fat. But I can figure something else out if I ever need whipped cream, and in the meantime, I can have good food and a dairy-free life again, without giving up anything except cheese*.

It's almost done, another five minutes or so. It smells like brownies. I'll let you know how it turns out.

*(Sigh.) That's actually quite a sacrifice, because I love cheese, and there is nothing that works like it does on a pizza or in deep fried mozzarella sticks or in an omlette. I just have to not have it. Period. Sad, but true.

Posted by sally at 03:14 PM | Comments (1)

December 29, 2008

Would It Be So Wrong?

What if I gave myself permission to just do nothing today? Would the world stop turning, do you think? I mean, I've mostly been doing nothing as it is, and feeling guilty about that because I have so much I want to do. But maybe I need a break.

Last spring, the choice to drive to the coast and just hang out there for three or four days was the smartest decision I could have made. I walked on the beach, I ate good food, I read, I played Final Fantasy, I took pictures, I just relaxed. I came back from it refreshed and rejuvinated and ready to go again. I haven't really done that for myself this semester. I guess I feel like cutting my teaching load by more than half shouldn't require a break at the end like that, but I'm not sure I'm completely over the fallout from my overscheduling last year. I really worked myself to the very end of my candle. Both ends of it, actually, and although my summer was full and fun and interesting, I didn't really do much "resting" except at the very beginning and the very end, when I went away on specific trips to do just that.

The problem is, I feel guilty when I'm not doing something. I feel useless and worthless and unproductive. And wasteful. As though I'm a blot and a burden on society and a drain on the finances. So I need to be doing something, and I can't just do something without putting my all into it. I've discovered that. I am apparently an all or nothing kind of girl, however much I strive for balance. Which means that much of my life is "all," without a lot of room for the nothing part. Because that seems lazy and ill-bred of me. Also, it's extremely hard to do nothing at home, where I can see around me all of the things that need doing.

But my point is this: In Taiko drumming, the silence between the beats is of equal (if not more) importance to the beats themselves. You cannot have the sound without the silences. That's the case in life, too, I think. Silence is necessary.

Actually, I live a fairly quiet life. I don't go out much, I don't like to listen to the radio or even to music that often, unless I'm grading, then it's a nice distraction. I don't even watch television that much. I don't like additional stimulation when I'm working on a project, and I usually am happier with the sound of my own thoughts than with the tv or radio. I already--if you discount the snoring and/or yelling of the cats--surround myself with silence. But those are absences of sound and movement. That's not an absence of activity.

I think the reason I run from periods of rest is because I'm afraid if I stop working, I'll never get work again. If I stop teaching, I won't get hired to teach what I love again. (Which is why making the choice to leave here is so hard and so scary. Except that there's a good chance that next year there won't be anything for me to teach here anyway. So the idea of leaving is getting easier by the minute.)

But what if I stop just for a day? If I give myself permission to do nothing but be, and just do that? One day--especially the day before New Year's Eve--is not going to make a huge difference to the rest of the world, but it could make a huge difference to how I approach the rest of my world.

I already gave myself permission this morning to sleep until I was absolutely done dreaming. It was lovely. I feel more awake than I have in a long time. And for once I don't feel any guilt about getting up so late. Normally I'm in agonies over how much of the day I've wasted by not getting up by 8am, 8:30 at the latest, and this morning I didn't roll out of bed until 10:30.

Anyway, what if I just gave myself the day? Instead of feeling guilty when I sit down to blogroll surf, what if I just let myself do it because I enjoy reading other people's stories and I don't have to be go-go-going all the time? There's so much to be done here. Should I give myself the day off anyway? Can I?

Posted by sally at 11:36 AM | Comments (3)

December 28, 2008

Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad

Today, my parents celebrate their 44th wedding anniversary. 44 years. That's FOUR times the length of our marriage. And they were together for four years before that. Amazing.

Love to you both. I hope it was a wonderful day.

Posted by sally at 06:38 PM

December 27, 2008

And One More Set

And then I'll shut up about Artists Trading Cards for a bit because I'll be doing other things. I just wanted to get these last three shots in. I couldn't get them last night because one wouldn't photograph, one was drying under a coffee mug and one wasn't finished. I got up and completed the third one first thing this morning. My breakfast wasn't even ready and I was finishing that sucker. I am ready to Move. On.

Cherry Blossom Fantasies

This is the one that wouldn't photograph last night. All I needed was daylight and the kitchen light. It's the result of doing random things on a piece of paper. Every time I had some leftover paint or pigment-infused glue or embossing powder, it went on this card. I had actually stuck it in a pile to try to come up with something that might work later, but I pulled it out last night and realized that all it needed was some rhinestones.

Champagne Landscape

I'm rather pleased with this one. The background is a piece of matboard that was originally covered in brown silk. I'd cut it up for a book cover and then decided it needed something more. So I painted it blue. It still needed something more. I just kept adding stuff when I had extra. Finally, I decided to cut it up for ATC backgrounds, and that's when the magic happened. It was really depressing as a large piece, but in 2½ x 3½ inch chunks, it's magical. I've used three of the four pieces for backgrounds already, and I'd sat on that as a cover for over a year.

Anyway, the title comes from the large metal bit at the top. It's the metal cap that held the cork on the bottle of champagne we had on Christmas Eve. The winemaker's name was on the top, of course, these flowers were on the underside. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to use it in an art piece. And the purple strip is the selvage from a bolt of book cloth. I'm really quite, quite pleased with how this one turned out.

You're Invited!

This last one is probably one of my proudest moments. Because not only did I figure out how to make those star cabochons stick on wires, but I had been despairing about this piece ever since I added the swath of sparkles. It was fine with just the background. And adding "party" worked too. But then I added the glitter and glue mixture and despaired. Until I had the brilliant idea to make the card look like it was coming out of an envelope (I hope that's obvious, notice the sealing wax) and decided to add the stars, to try to capture the sense of anticipation and magic a party invitation brings. Suddenly, it's become one of my recent favorites.

So that's it for the ATCs I've been working on lately. Here's hoping I can find someone to trade with.

Posted by sally at 02:55 PM | Comments (2)

Shall We Talk About the Weather?

It's snowing. Rather--oh, what's the word? Ah!--vigorously. Which would, quite frankly, be an understatement. But here. See for yourself.

That would be the view from where my ass is sitting on the couch. Can you see all of the flakes? Look to the extreme right of the image where they stand out against the power pole. It's been doing that for at least the hour and a half or so that I've been up*. And given the evidence, I'd say it's been going on at this pace for far longer. When Dave left the house around 8:15 this morning, he shoveled five inches off the walk, and it hadn't really been snowing when I went to bed. When I looked out the window about 90 minutes later, this is what the sidewalk looked like.

You can't even tell it's been shoveled today. There's at least three inches more there. That's a lot of snow to dump in an hour and a half, and it hasn't really slowed down. If we'd gone to Denver, we would be trying to get home through this tomorrow. Ugh. No thank you. Especially knowing that every storm we've seen so far has gone on to wreak havoc in the Midwest. I mean, this is an inconvenience for us. They're getting completely buried.

* I looked up just now, and it's snowing even harder with bigger clumps. Dave will be walking home in this soon. Poor Dave.

Posted by sally at 10:48 AM

December 26, 2008

A Few ATCs More

Three more, because I want to be able to put them in my trading binder and move on to other things. I actually finished four today, but one is drying, and a fifth is in process because it has several components which needed gluing and which are also still drying. I kept fiddling with its parts, hoping they were dry, and they kept not being. Which meant that I needed to just get out of the kitchen, because fussing with them wasn't helping any.

I am only posting two images tonight, though, because it was just too dark to capture the third card. The kitchen was too dark without the flash, but I got terrible glare from the card when I used the flash, so I'm going to wait for daylight to get that one shot. Once again, you can see larger versions if you click on the images. Also, if you just move your cursor over the photo, the title pops up, so you can see what I called them. (That's true for yesterday's ATCs as well.)

Today was a lazy day. I got up full of ideas & worked on some, then I started doing some research online and discovered Dave had sent me a link to Target's scrapbooking section. After that, it was all over. I had to do some more research about various items they had for sale, and then I went to Michael's and then I came home and worked a bit longer before we went for dinner. We played a couple of games and now I'm going to upload some pictures and then go to bed.

I'm liking this vacation thing. I plan on not checking my school email until Monday. Just because I can.

Oh. And by the way, it's snowing again.

Posted by sally at 11:31 PM

December 25, 2008

New Artists Trading Cards

I think I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I decided I wanted to try some embossing, so I got some embossing powder, destroyed my hairdryer and then bought a heat gun. I am fascinated by this entire process. If I could, I would emboss on everything I own. My clothes, the car, the walls, the cats. I just love it. And what better way to experiment and play with a new process than to make ATCs?

I've also always had a thing for fibers, and I realized a couple of years ago that I am much more interested in my own ATCs when they're mixed media. So I've been adding those too. Anyway, these are the cards I've done this month since I got some stamps and embossing powder. And now that Dave's given me a whole bunch of new stamps, I am having a BALL.

Here's what has emerged so far.

I have several more that are in process, but these are the finished few. you can click on the images to get larger versions.

Posted by sally at 09:24 PM

New Traditions

Inland Empire Girl is in the same boat we are this Christmas. Huge amounts of snow are keeping her family at home today as well. And just as it is for us, it's her first Christmas at home since they moved to their current place. She's using the opportunity to invent new traditions, which is what Dave and I did this year too.

See, we had been following the one year with my family, one year with his family, one year out of the country tradition, which was working really well for us until this year, when dire weather predictions and seven semesters of graduate school and a full-time job finally took their toll. We were supposed to be in Denver today. Instead, we're in our living room. I'm waiting for a project to dry so I can take the next step on it, and Dave is playing Tiger Woods PGA 2009 on the Wii and Charlotte Martin is on the stereo*.

Oh. And it's snowing again. With the amount that dropped last evening and again after we went to bed, we've probably got 20 inches on the ground (and the porch roof) right now. I'm not complaining. One, because I'm inside, and two because I actually requested daily snow through Feb 28. Then it must go away. All of it. Before the end of March. Not to return until next November. We need the precipitation. We just also need a summer.

Anyway, Dave and I have been indulging in some new traditions of our own, things we hope to carry on in future Christmases at home.

Hors d'oeuvres for Christmas Eve dinner. Pizza rolls, pigs in blankets using Little Smokies and crescent roll dough, taquitos and veggies and dip. It was fabulous. I want a repeat of that particular meal. We may have to do a party in January where other people get to have it too.

Then, a bit later in the evening, this**:

With the tree and the blizzard outside and just the two of us and the cats inside, it was a wonderfully romantic and intimate moment. Magical. I am so lucky.

Today is all about just hanging out and relaxing. This morning was Christmas breakfast. French toast, followed by presents. And art making (because the presents were new stamps), followed by more presents because the lovely people from FedEx delivered a package today. It was scheduled to arrive yesterday, and the weather prevented it, so they delivered it today, bless them.

One other thing about this morning. After breakfast, Dave decided to take out the trash. It snowed a lot last night, so he had to shovel the sidewalk first. He went to get the snow shovel off the front porch, he was just going to carry it through the house, instead of trudging around in the drifts outside), and discovered that it was just a bit... too... far... to reach from the doorway. And there were a couple of inches of snow on the front stoop. And did I mention he was barefoot? Which is how I came to get these photos.

Can you see all the toe prints?

This is the upper footprint from the photo above.

It's still snowing, but the sun just came out. This is gorgeous. Did I mention how lucky I am?

For those of you who celebrate the holiday, I wish you a Merry Christmas. For all of my readers, I will take a page from a different blogger's book and make the following wish for you in the waning hours of this year and the new days of the next.

May you have light in the darkness.
And may you be light in the darkness.

*Wow. I don't think I'll get any arguments when I say that Tori Amos appears to be a big influence on her music. It's kind of like listening to Second Generation Tori. I'm not saying she's not good, just that the only way I knew it wasn't Tori Amos is because her voice isn't quite as high.

**Yes, I am aware that those aren't champagne flutes or bowls. Our flutes are in storage. At least, that's what we're assuming, since we couldn't find them in the kitchen. It was gorgeously delicious champagne anyway.

Posted by sally at 12:58 PM | Comments (1)

December 24, 2008

A Companionable Evening

The other night, I was sitting on the couch playing a tremendously annoying video game--Fairy Town, look it up, but only if you want to go mad with frustration--when Dave called up from his office in the basement, "Sally, come down here. You need to see my cat." Knowing it was Katala, who used to be the most shy and most skittish of our beasties (several years ago, things have obviously changed), I talked softly as I walked down the stairs, hoping to keep her from getting startled and moving. This is what I found:

She was purring so loudly, it was loud even from the doorway. And she was quite clearly pleased with herself. In case I seem to be overreacting, this is something of a minor miracle. She just doesn't curl up on your lap on the couch. And yet, there she was. So I got my camera.

What a beautiful old lady she is.

Posted by sally at 02:24 PM

Like the Heroine of a Victorian Novel

I swooned just now. Honest to God. Swooned.

You see, I opted to spend my morning cleanng up the breakfast nook/my workspace, clearing up all of the bibs and bobs I've been using for ornament making, since I'm most likely not going to do any more for the next couple of days (though I have a couple of ideas now that I may just have to act on). I've taken my time during the process. I'm not just bundling stuff up and shoving it into drawers or onto shelves, I'm sorting through it and putting it away in an orderly fashion, so that I can find it again when I need it, rather than having to rifle through stuff again. Besides, my newly shelved art closet is once again filled to bursting, so I'm trying to keep it organized and neat, in order to fit more stuff in.

I also finished up a couple of ATCs and made some additions to some of the Christmas ornaments I've been working on because they were relatively quick and simple and it seemed more efficient to finish them and put them away than to put them away only to get them out again later to finish. I actually have several more projects that are really close to done, and I'm thinking I could do worse than spend the rest of this week just getting finished and out of my hair. Plus, once they're done, I have that lovely sense of accomplishment as opposed to the guilt I feel now with them sitting in the kitchen not quiiiite complete.

Anyway, I was sorting my paints and brushes, putting the tubes into a lidded box, putting the brushes into a cup for easy access, but not the same cup as the stirrers and pens or the pottery tools*, and I was fantasizing about ways I could store them if I had a dedicated studio space as opposed to a closet and the tiny kitchen table. Suddenly, I remembered Dave's promise to build me a table like his workbench. This workbench, which he built himself:

I visualized putting my tubes of paint away into a drawer, while another drawer held all of my rulers and other measuring tools and a third drawer held scissors and boxknives and exacto knives and punches, and I got all weak in the knees. Exactly like a Victorian heroine** when she meets the dashing young hero. Catherine Morland and Marianne Dashwood would be proud.

* I don't actually do pottery, I create papier mache masks on a plaster cast of my own face which I build up with clay. That's what the tools are for.

**As opposed to the "heroine" various people inject into their veins, according to my students. Note: Spell check is not necessarily your friend. If you don't know how to spell the name of the substance that killed Basquiat, you probably haven't done the reading.

Posted by sally at 12:22 PM

December 23, 2008

It's Snowing. Again.

Even though it's not supposed to be. Even though it's not supposed to snow again until tomorrow. But it is. Big, soft flakes, drifting down a bit more sprightly than lazily. Still, it's pretty. And because it's snowing, today is a day of greys and browns and whites, still bright, but much more muted colors than the bright bright cold blue of the sky we've had the past few days. It's lovely.

And I am indoors and in my pajamas at noon. I should really put something else on, because I'm a little chilly, but I haven't had an all-day pajama day in a while, and I'm kind of enjoying it. Plus, I've only really been up for two hours, and, you know, it's vacation.

Because it's vacation, and because it's snowing outside (on top of the 14 or so inches we already have), I am taking this moment to post pictures of our new Christmas tree.

It's not as elegant as my friend Heather's tree. The theme is "handmade ornaments and ornaments of particular sentimental significance, also things that look pretty." But we think it's cozy and charming, and it fits perfectly in that part of the room. Both Dave and I have remarked on how much we like having a tree again. We hadn't realized how much we missed the decorating part of the holidays.

Speaking of handmade, I made both the ball and the garland draped over it. The ball is from a series of glass ornaments I filled and/or wrapped with scraps of fabric. It was the last one I made, because it has the leftovers in it. And yet, I think it's really kind of pretty, with the bits of beads hidden here and there in the gauze.

I didn't make this one. I just like the five glass drops of varying sizes than are hanging on the tree.

I didn't make this one either, but it is handmade. It's the ornament I ended up with at the party last week. I say ended up with, because I was sure someone was going to steal it from me. I just love it. It's HUGE, too, somewhere between four and five inches in diameter. I may not put it in with the rest of the ornaments when we take the tree down. I may keep it out to hang it somewhere else, because it's not necessarily "just" a Christmas ornament.

I did, however, make this one. It's about the same size as the sparkly red & green & copper & purple ball. The rosepetals inside it are from my wedding bouquet. So it's sentimental AND handmade.

I have several other ornaments "in process" that may or may not make it onto the tree. The sealer is drying all cloudy, and I can't figure out how to make it not do that, so we'll see. It may just be a case of "it's too cold in here" for it to not cloud, given that it's 15-ish outside and was in the negatives last night. When I went to change for bed, the thermometer on my bedside clock said 62, and it was sitting under the lamp. I have no idea how cold it got in the kitchen.

Posted by sally at 12:03 PM | Comments (2)

December 22, 2008

Winter and Queen Anne's Lace

Last Friday evening, I spent several minutes sitting in my parked car as the engine warmed up. I'd been grading in my office all afternoon, and the dashboard thermometer said seven degrees; it needed the warmup. To get the engine to heat up faster, I turned off the heater and just sat there in the car. My seatwarmer was on, and I'd spent a vigorous few moments scraping the windows, so I wasn't frozen to the bone or anything. I was just sitting there in the dark, watching perfect individual snowflakes land on the windshield. It was a moment of pure bliss.

During the drive home, I saw snowflakes sparkling under the headlights and streetlights wherever I looked. And when I got home, I had the chance to admire it on the yarrow. It was so beautiful that when I got into the house, I dropped my backpack, grabbed my camera and headed back outside to try photograph it.

I even managed to catch some snowflakes mid-twinkle.

Somehow, this makes the cold worth it.

Posted by sally at 03:42 PM | Comments (2)

I Cleaned the Kitchen Today

And by "cleaned the kitchen" I don't just mean scrubbed the sink and wiped off the counters. Oh no. I mean I went through a portion of the pantry and dumped some old bottles of stuff down the sink. I mean I sorted the piles of stuff that were cluttering up the counter space and then took out the recycling. I mean I removed all the items from one countertop and scrubbed it down and wiped them off before putting them back and then I did the same for the other two. I mean I cleaned the inside of the microwave. I mean I scoured the top of the stove and put the burners in the dishwasher. I mean I wiped down all of the cupboards and the refrigerator and the windowsills. When I say "I cleaned the kitchen," I mean I CLEANED the kitchen.

And then I started on the bathroom.

Now I am sitting on the couch with my poor abused hands absolutely slathered in lotion, trying to make up for all of the soap and water and cleanser they were exposed to during my three and a half hour cleaning spree. I'm going to have some lunch, and when I feel up to it, I will tackle the living room and my office and then do all the floors. I think, however, I shall save the laundry for tomorrow.

I cannot tell you how much I love having a clean house. My mind feels less cluttered when the house is clean, and thanks to my deciding to do it myself rather than hire a cleaner, it doesn't get done that often. But when it does, boy, I feel better and the place just shines.

I am not, however, going to wish for more time to clean the house, because one thing I don't want is the kind of "more time" I'm likely to get. The rumors are that the university is about to start a round of layoffs, and it might actually break my heart past repairing to be stuck here in this town and not be teaching. It's the only thing that keeps me from feeling like a useless lump right now, because I'm doing something worthwhile with my time and contribuitng (albeit barely) to the household income. There's no way I could find another job here, so most likely I'd go mad instead. So don't expect to hear me grousing about not having enough time to do stuff right now. I'd like to keep my job, thank you.

Posted by sally at 01:26 PM

December 20, 2008

If You Turn Your Attention to the Column on the Right...

You will see a link to email me. So now you can if the comments aren't working. Or if you just want to say hi.

Hi.

Posted by sally at 05:00 PM

Vay-Kay-Tie-On

I just finished with the grades. I actually finished grading (and tidied up my office) last night, but I hadn't entered the final few numbers and calculated letter grades. So I just did that, and now I am DONE with school things until January 13 (I think that's the date classes start again, I should check). So I am on vacation.

Even if that hadn't been clear to me before, the fact that I got up this morning and played Mario Kart on the Wii for an hour while still wearing my pajamas really signals that it's Break. And now Dave and I are going to go get a Christmas tree. We were going to get a real one, but then he mentioned that he hated them. Which surprised me, because we've had them before. Only, he's apparently allergic. Which I think he told me once, but I forgot. We haven't had a tree of our own since we moved here, because we haven't spent a Christmas at home since we moved here, so that may be one of the reasons I didn't recall his allergy. After all, we moved here half a marriage ago.

I suppose the arrival of a tree means that I should clean the living room. And the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, dining room and my home office. I managed to get the laundry done more or less weekly this month, but not much else cleaning-wise. There was just too much else going on. I really miss having a cleaning lady. Anyway, once I get that done, perhaps we can have some people over again.

Also, today, I did a spot-test on my legs with a new sugaring kit. I think things will be fine with it, but it is the very first time in my life that I have ever ripped large amounts of hair out of my leg. I wasn't exactly screaming with agony, but I know I yelped each time because it stung. The bikini area is NOT going to be fun. And frankly, I'm not sure I'll make it all the way there. I have a 35" inseam. That's a lot of surface area to yank hair from in bunches, and I don't know if I can stand the irritation or the amount of time it will take. Especially since it doesn't get all of the hair in each go.

And I think that's everything that's new with me right now. Aside from the fact that I seem to have offended every reader I have. At least, I assume that's why you're not commenting. You've all gone away. I'm sorry if I upset you, I didn't mean to. I miss you.

Posted by sally at 04:55 PM | Comments (1)

December 19, 2008

One. Last. Thing.

I have one more set of projects to grade and I am DONE for the semester. Done. So, I'll be hiking to campus shortly, because there is still no way I am going to drive anywhere if I don't have to. Both because I want to avoid the idiots in the snow and because I want a smaller butt.

In other news, we will be staying here this holiday. We had planned to visit Dave's family in Denver--it's their year--but the weather and seven straight semesters (plus two summers) of full time graduate school and a full time job are taking their toll, and my sweetie wants to spend the next three weeks not doing anything, which includes not packing, not driving 90 minutes to the airport, not spending a bunch of time in the airport and on planes and in rental cars and not worrying about the cats while we're gone. So. We will be having a quiet little Christmas for Two in our living room. Which I suppose means I have to clean it now, since we're getting a tree (one of my conditions to the change in plans).

But first, the rest of the grading.

Posted by sally at 11:01 AM

December 17, 2008

It's About Time Somebody Won

Honestly, I was beginning to think nobody really wanted the book. I was getting ready to post an entry saying, "Tell you what, if you're commenter 1000, you won't HAVE to take the book. I just thought it might be fun to have a giveaway. I mean, if you don't like my books, just tell me." And then my friend Heather put me out of my "I've scared all my commenters away" agony and made the final two comments. So the book goes to Heather, who needs to email me her address.

Seriously, people, let me know if you'd prefer I keep my art projects to myself. I'm happy to do that, rather than foisting them on you. Unless my stupid commenting thing is acting up again, which is ENTIRELY possible. Give me a bit and I'll get an email address in the sidebar for you to reach me via in case you're getting shut down again, comment-wise. Or if you just want a more one-on-one kind of interaction.

Speaking of my art, I attended the Women's Art Caucus of the Palouse Christmas party last night and had a lovely time. The activities included eating, drinking, a bit of business and a handmade ornament exchange, and may I say there were some amazing pieces. I took the Victorian piece with the sparkly red rose--see below--and there were many oohs and aahs about it, which was extremely flattering. Also, it got "stolen" once, so that's nice. Someone really wanted it.

Today I have nothing going on except a Christmas party in the evening, so I'm spending all day playing. I'm working on some more handmade ornaments, just because, and playing with my new embossing tools. I'll also brave the snowstorm and head downtown for some supplies. The WAP has a traveling show, "Homage to Women Artists." It's been going on for a bit, but they're still allowing new pieces, and I had a brainstorm last night. I'm going to do one for Virginia Woolf, and I don't have ANY of the things I need (of course I don't). At this point I can't decide whether it would be worse to walk or drive. Walking will take longer and be colder, but I could use the exercise, and driving will just be a mess.

Posted by sally at 12:10 PM | Comments (1)

December 15, 2008

How Quickly We Adjust

I am waiting for the car to warm up. The thermometer on the porch reads 17F. I went out to start the car wearing wool socks, boots, jeans, a long-sleeved T, a henley, and my sunglasses. It didn't even phase me. Though I'll wear a coat when I actually leave to run errands.

Posted by sally at 03:09 PM | Comments (2)

So. Close.

I'm sure I'll have stuff to say later, but I am actually getting lots of stuff done, and I don't want to break up my rhythm by writing a long entry. So. This is just to tell you that comment 997 just posted. Which means the third person to post here as of this very moment will get one of my handmade books.

(If I'd been including spam in this, the insurance company bot that's been peppering me with offers for refinancings and lower homeowners insurance would have won sometime last week.)

Posted by sally at 11:49 AM

December 14, 2008

This Just In:

Tartuffe has been selected to perform at the regional KCACTF festival in Feburary.

Time to get back to the book and ratchet up the boobage.

Posted by sally at 06:24 PM | Comments (1)

Procrastination Is Another Word for Fear

I put off doing art. Consistently. Almost every project sits in my head for daysweeksmonths before I get off my butt to do it. Partly, I think, it's because I have to get everything out and put everything away for each project because I'm doing them at the kitchen table. At least right now while it's snowy and windy outside. How I miss summer, when I can move my stuff out to the back porch. When the wind's not blowing, that is.

Mostly, however, I put off doing my art because I don't want it to suck. Before I start working on a piece, when it's just an idea in my head that I haven't even shared with anybody else, after thinking, "This might be kind of cool to do," the very next thought in my head is, "But what if it sucks? * Yeah. And I teach other people's children that they can be artists.

Why it is so hard to convince myself that I can do the same things? Except when it comes to acting, that I know I can do. Any other art form, though, and I'm immediately worried that I'll fuck it up and embarrass myself. How that will happen if I toss said sucky piece without showing anybody, I'm not sure. But I never claimed this was a rational response.

Anyway, those worries are why I am sitting here on the couch right now, blogging instead of working on holiday ornaments. Because what if they suck? Mind you, today's projects involve gluing paper and fabric and glitter onto glass balls. If they suck, I can just glue more stuff to them. It's not like I won't be able to cover up the sucky bits.

And those same thoughts are why I did the same thing yesterday. I sat on my butt and wrote a blog post and read and cleaned the living room (sort of) and cleaned up my workspace (i.e. the kitchen table) and did some supply sorting and went shopping and... yeah. See what I mean?

I did, in the end, actually sit down at the table and just do it (thanks, Nike). The results are nothing like I was planning, but in the end, I don't think they actually suck.

Each ornament took two to three hours to construct, what with fiddling with materials and solving various issues as they came up. In the end, though, I'm fairly pleased with them. And except for the fact that going to the craftartfabric store to get a vital item like red embroidery floss means purchasing an entire bag (or two or three) of other stuff that I must have, they were fairly inexpensive to make.

Those sparkly roses? Impulse buy. I saw them in one of the "We want so badly to be rid of these we're putting them on the sidewalk in hopes you'll steal them" bins. The beads & baubles were all on mega-sale. The only stuff I may have paid full price for was the fibers. And I may have got those on sale too. It's hard to remember, given that I raided my stash for them.

And speaking of raiding my stash, can I just say that these two ornaments involved clearing half of the stuff out of my art closet? It gave me a chance to re-organize a bit when I was putting things away between and after making the ornaments, but I emptied at least a shelf and a half, and also pulled things out of drawers. It was insane. The kitchen is not that big, and there wasn't room for anything but me and a path to walk through when I was in the throes of creative passion.

Today is about the big bottle of Elmers and a bunch of clear glass ornaments and stacks of paper and gauze. Once I get the initial layers down the way I want them, and the ornaments dry, I'll pull the paint and glitter and ink and fibers and beads and findings out again for the finishing touches. But for now, it's just the paper. Which STILL takes up a great deal of room, I'll have you know. It has its own closet in my office, and a shelf and a half plus a corner of floor in the other closet.** I long for the day when I can have a paper cupboard with dowels so that I can protect it from the light, but still get at it easily. Right now, I have to unroll various tubes to find the thing I want.

But this isn't getting the ornaments done today. Despite all of the procrastination, I really do want to make them. I just haven't given myself the necessary kick in the pants. I'm on the way there, though. As soon as I post this and do the dishes and maybe clean up a bit more in my office and...

* This kind of thinking is the reason I have a stack of china and terracotta plates on the back porch. I'm planning on breaking them for mosaic pieces. Why haven't I yet? Because what if I do it wrong? I'm worried about not breaking plates correctly. I'm not even kidding.

** And that doesn't include the paper making supplies, which would take up another 2/3 of a shelf or so, if they weren't currently in the middle of my office floor.

Posted by sally at 12:41 PM | Comments (1)

December 13, 2008

I Am Either a Hideous Failure or I Am Transcendent

One of my fellow faculty members said that in a meeting yesterday. He was talking about the results of a final in-class project. The results were not what he expected, and he said that it either indicates that he failed to teach them the basics of one of the main concepts of the course or that he is so amazing that they not only understood the basics, they managed to overcome all the major philosophical issues that have plagued the author they were exploring. He said he was going to spend the rest of this weekend trying to decide which it was

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, as it usually is. But I identified so closely with his comment that I told him I would be taking it for my own. Because that's how I feel about teaching. Some days I am trascendent. My students are grasping concepts and taking them to new and brilliant heights and we could conquer the world together. (And given that many of my former students have taken on amazing leadership roles in so many parts of the university, we probably could.) Other days, I am an abject and utter failure, a blight on the educational landscape, because I am clearly not cut out to be an instructor. They aren't listening to me and I don't know how to reach them. Fortunately for my fragile self-image, there are slightly more transcendent days than there are hideous failure days. However, most of the time, I'm somewhere in the middle of the continuum.

In other news, another faculty member has offered to help me figure out how to write up some of my work for publication, since I don't have quantitative data and really have no way to measure results in numbers. I feel like the things my teaching partner and I have discovered and explored in our classes really need to be shared, but as I said, there's not really a good way to measure them "scientifically." But there are other tools and other approaches out there now that don't involve lab tests and number crunching. Other ways of looking at the world are becoming accepted as scholarly, and that's her bent, so she's going to help me figure out how to present our material and then, how to find a publication to submit to. So that's nice, because I feel like the pub credits aspect of my CV is sorely lacking. Given that I have none.

Apparently the world has come a long way since I had to kick a member off my committee my senior year of undergrad. He didn't think my senior honors thesis topic was adequate, since it wasn't measurable, and wanted me to focus on something else. But the topic was what set me on fire, and I thought there was a lot of good stuff in there, if I just dug under the surface. He wasn't going to sign off on it, so, since I had more than the required number of committee members anyway, I booted him. I felt bad about it, because I really liked and respected the guy. He was one of my favorite professors at the university. But I wanted to cover my topic my way, and he didn't think it was an acceptable academic approach. In the last twenty years, however, attitudes about that have been changing, and other people with more clout and cred than I had at the time (or have now, for that matter) have been working toward the acceptance of less-mainstream and non-science-based approaches to education and the exploration of the human condition. So there's an audience now, and they have their own scholarly journals.

Okay. I have to figure out how to glue flat pieces of paper to round glass balls in ways that look attractive. And then maybe do some cleaning up, since the house has basically gone to hell since we got home two weeks ago. I do want to remind y'all that comment 1000 wins a handmade book, and we're very, very close to that goal. As in less than ten comments away.

Oh. And it's snowing. Looks like we've got a little more than an inch so far this morning. Yesterday's all melted off, so this is new. And it shows no signs of stopping.

Posted by sally at 10:42 AM

December 12, 2008

Post the 1000th Comment, Win a Prize

In October, I hit 1000 blog posts here on Sallyacious.com. Sometime very, very soon, I will hit comment 1000. VERY soon.

The author of Comment Number 1000 gets one of my little books. The ones that aren't finished yet, but will be soon. VERY soon.

In the meantime, I have done the last class-related thing I have to do until Tuesday morning at 7:30 am, when I have to proctor a final. I have four whole days to play. Four. Whole. Days. And since I was just invited to a Christmas party where there will be a handmade ornament exchange, I've got some work to do. (Thank you, Laura, by the way, for those excellent suggestions. I figured some things out before I got your email, but at least one of them will be working its way into the ornaments I'm attempting.)

And I have one more announcement: IT'S SNOWING. Which is perfectly okay because it's December now and we need it. What we don't ever need is snow in June.

Posted by sally at 02:06 PM | Comments (2)

December 10, 2008

Slammed

Lots of stuff with short turnaround times this week, since next week is finals. I should have some time later today to post something more interesting than a post about not really being able to post.

Posted by sally at 09:25 AM

December 07, 2008

I Want This Job

This one. Right here. They're hiring, you see. I know this because I applied for a full-time lecturer position teaching their First Year Seminar.

I would love this job, and I would do it well. How do I know? Because I do it right now. I've been teaching these very same kinds of classes for two years now. This is what I do. Only with classes that are twice the size, covering slightly different topics. But the classes have very similar goals and approaches.

After I attended my friend Rebecca's wedding in Chicago last July, and spent some time seeing the city, I realized that I could probably live in Chicago. It is a city I think I would enjoy. And as I believe I've mentioned before, I wouldn't have to start completely from scratch. I have the beginnings of a community there. And more friends planning to move to Chicago all the time.

Seeing Rebecca and Heather really clarified for me how much I miss them both. I want to be around people I care about like that. So I put it out to the universe. I decided that if my dream job came up in Chicago, I would apply for it. And two weeks later, I stumbled across the job posting. For my dream job. The day after they'd put it up. How could I not apply?

Since then, I've dithered back and forth about whether or not I want to live in the Midwest. It's not exactly oceanic. And it's a good distance from our families. I've always been a West Coast sort of person. But I was working on another mandala today, one about community, to help me figure out what I really want. After I finished, I realized that every single image that wandered through my head as I worked had to do with Chicago and the people I know there and the parts of the city I experienced. Even the airport limo drivers I met crossed my mind, how friendly they were.

And I realized, I really do want this job. I want to move to Chicago. I want to continue helping freshmen figure out how to use their brains. I want to keep watching them find their places in the world. It's a tremendous experience, that first year of college, and I love being a part of that for my students. I do that here, I know, but thanks to the university's struggles and now the financial crisis, my classes are on the chopping block again, as they seem to be every year, so even if I wanted to stay in this tiny, isolated town, there might not be anything for me to teach.

There are no guarantees ever in life that you will find happiness, that any given decision will lead to your bliss. I made a rather questionable choice several years ago, running away from things rather than toward them, and I've been suffering the aftereffects ever since. But this choice feels better. This feels like a moving toward rather than a moving away.

So. Any of you who know anybody who works at Columbia College Chicago, please please please make a point of telling them how fabulous I am. And if I get the job and you live in Chicago, or even near Chicago, well, I'll clean your kitchen or buy you dinner or something.

Posted by sally at 05:02 PM | Comments (1)

December 06, 2008

Not an Artist

I am not a fine artist. Really. I'm not trying to be coy or fishing for compliments or anything else. I just don't have the fine motor control or the training to really put myself in that category. Unless you include photography, and there are all kinds of debates about that.

Craftist is generally a better way to describe my bent, I think. I like to create objects that are both useful and beautiful, and those tend to allow for more leeway in the whole motor skills arena anyway.

So imagine my surprise last night when I managed to paint this.

It's a mandala. I've never created a mandala before, but I was reading one of our class textbooks last night, Art Is a Way of Knowing by Pat Allen, and she talks about them in the last chapter. As she was describing the process, that image popped into my head, clear as day.

Anyway, I felt compelled to create it, so I grabbed a bowl and a pencil and my coolest art journal (I have several, this one is for the deepest explorations, and I love it desperately). I sat down at the kitchen table (after removing several boxes, a notebook and my sewing machine) traced the circle and started to draw. I still cannot believe I did the whole thing freehand. Usually my freehand stuff ends up looking fairly dorky, but this I like. Alot.

Then I grabbed my paints and a brush and started working. I am amazed by how close the colors are to what was in my head.

This is where I remind you about my belief that you can only work up to the level of the tools you're using. You can't work beyond them, it's just not possible. I discover that over and over again. My new papercutter? Makes bookbinding sooooooo much easier. The rotary fabric cutter? Cutting fabric is much more simple now. Except for the part where I still don't have a good cutting surface. Put a fresh blade in any cutting tool and you know you're going to get sharper edges and cleaner cuts. To an extent, it's all about the tools.

And I have acquired a magic paintbrush.

I say acquired because I didn't buy it. I found it. On the floor, in the seating area of the theatre during rehearsals. It didn't belong to anybody in the cast, and none of them had heard of anyone losing a paintbrush, so I took it home. Last night was the first time I used it, and it was magical. It was so easy to get the colors to do what I wanted them to do. I was able to--mostly--stay within my own lines. I was also working with a much higher quality of paint than I did when I started, that may also have added to how well the whole process went. In the end, though, I really don't care about how the magic came about, only that I was able to, for perhaps the first time in my life, get the thing in my head straight onto the page exactly the way it looked when I imagined it.

Posted by sally at 03:12 PM | Comments (1)

Consider the Source: What Are They Selling?

(This is the third entry in a series on critical thinking. Entries one and two are here.)

Everybody is trying to sell you something, whether it’s an item, a system or an idea. You don’t have to buy it, but if you don’t realize that it’s at the heart of their arguments, you’re liable to whip out your wallet before you’re aware of it. So here are some ways to determine whether you’re being manipulated.

Listen to the language.
Is it persuasive, or is the speaker actually presenting information? Do they use words that evoke strong feelings: “motherhood,” “tradition,” “us,” “them,” “freedom,” "patriotism," or do they strive for balance? What are they trying to get from you with the words they use?

You can use information to persuade as well, so keep that in mind. Because the facts that are left out can be just as telling as the facts that are presented. Which is why you should always always always do your own research and not just trust what someone is telling you. Go to the primary sources whenever you can, be they books, studies or the Bible.

Defining the terms.
Many words have more than one meaning and even shades of meanings within a given dictionary definition. The seller may be plucking at your heartstrings with the standard, common, assumed meaning, while actually saying something entirely different. Don’t assume their definition of a term is the same as yours. Look at the rest of what they’re saying. Context is important.

Example. The Mormon Church put huge amounts of financial support and personal action behind Proposition 8 in California, calling it religious freedom. But really what it did was limit freedoms for a group of individuals who weren’t infringing on anyone's right to worship as they please. Religious freedom wasn't at issue, but it's a big emotional touchstone, and people responded emotionally to the arguments without thinking about whether or not they were rational.

Also, much of W’s campaign rhetoric. "Compassionate Conservative," for instance, or "being a uniter, not a divider," or "I'm not interested in nation-building."

How do they sell themselves?
If you're seeng a message online, what’s the url for the website? That will tell you a LOT right away. (Or the title of the book or article or journal, for that matter, if you're reading a print object.)

I was recently looking for actual information on candida, not the “Here, buy this product stuff,” but information, test results and scientific studies and the like. I could tell just from looking at the urls of the sites presented in a google search whether they were going to be useful or trash. Yeastandyou.com, beatcandida.com, leakygutsurvivors.com, cleancolon.com. Those urls are my own invention, as far as I know, but the actual site names are along similar lines. Sites with titles like that may be run by someone who has a passion about the topic, but he’s not trying to take an objective look at the situation. He’s made his bias clear right away. And also suggested that he’s got something to sell.

Do As I Say, Not As I do
Compare the speaker's rhetoric to their actions. Yes, I’m thinking about politics here. Look at what the candidates are saying versus their actual behavior.

Example. Fellow UI alumna and former Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin. $150K in wardrobe costs is not an indicator that you’re just plain old folks. Hell, I’m not in the just plain old folks tax bracket, and my closet doesn’t have even 10% of that value. And yet, people in a vastly lower income bracket believed she identified with their needs and dreams and lives. She didn’t.

Neither, for that matter, does our current president. He may sound folksy, with his malapropisms and his Texas dialect, but he went to Harvard. He came from a wealthy family. He’s probably never known want in his entire life. He can’t identify with people on the edge of poverty, and he’s never had any interest in doing so, the majority of his actions go entirely against those proclaimed beliefs. So why did people flock to him in 2004, believing he was a guy who was “just like me?”

Or, if you’d rather look at religion, politics not being your thing, consider the various individuals who preach about doing things for the glory of God, and yet seem to be more about social control and/or the acquisition of wealth than, say, the Beatitudes.

Examples. Jim Bakker, Jerry Fallwell and Pat Robertson, Fred Phelps.

This is not remotely to say that all religious people are greedy fearmongers who try to force everyone to live by their codes of conduct. There are many people out there of all faiths who believe in tolerance and justice and charity. I’m simply pointing out that not everyone lives by the rules they declaim from the pulpit.

So when evaluating a message, also consider the speaker/writer/seller. Look at what they’re doing, what they have done and what they do when they’re not in the public eye, and don’t just assume the words mean what you want them to mean.

Posted by sally at 11:52 AM | Comments (1)

December 05, 2008

"Increase your income by becoming a sociologist!"

That's the subject heading for a piece of spam I received this morning. When I read that, I laughed and laughed and laughed.

Posted by sally at 09:27 AM | Comments (1)

Oh, God, The House

Is a mess. There is a HUGE pile of laundry from our being gone a week and then plunging right into rehearsals (Dave) and the final walkup to a gallery opening (me) almost the minute we got back. The living room has Wii parts and boxes scattered all over. Plus, the rug is rolled up because we need to get it cleaned.*

The sheets need changing, the bathroom needs cleaning, my office needs sorting and organizing--again. Everything needs dusting. At least the dishes are done.

And that initial moan of horror and despair is followed by a groan of "Oh, God, the yard," as I look at all the raking and winter cleanup I need to do. I suspect the yard will get ignored once again, as I just haven't the strength--or the time--right now. Because why?

Because of "Oh, God, the grading." I have to grade the projects my students turned in on Tuesday. I have to grade the projects that are in the gallery. I have to grade the gallery itself, whether they turned their stuff in on time, whether they placed it neatly, whether they attended the opening reception, and next week, whether they removed it on time. I also have to brace myself for the 36 hour grading period I have between next Tuesday & next Thursday to grade their portfolios and their final written assignment, and then, I have finals. Which come in two parts, an exam and a project. And all of that must be graded and submitted two weeks from today.

I'm feeling weak. I need these women to come help me out here. Does anyone know how I can find them? The cleaning sisterhood?

* I stepped in shit in our FENCED back yard as I was getting ready to leave for McCall, and tracked it ALL OVER THE HOUSE before I realized it. How could I do that? It was cold out, nothing smelled until it warmed up inside, though the stuff was fairly fresh and gooey. Which meant that along with the packing and the standard cleaning, I got to roll up the rug and mop the floors in the kitchen, dining room, living room, hallway, bathroom, bedroom and my office THREE TIMES. To the owner of the free-roaming animal that was the source of the problem: I hate you.

Posted by sally at 08:26 AM | Comments (2)

December 04, 2008

Consider the Source: Core Assumptions

(This is the second entry in a series of entries on critical thinking. The first entry is here.)

We all do this. All of us. We can’t help it. We see the world from our point of view. And that view is shaped by all of the things that have come before it. Our parents’ values. The media we experienced growing up. Observations of and interactions with all other human beings and phenomena that have crossed our paths. It’s called bias, and it’s endemic to the human condition.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t spot it.

In my Sex & Culture class in the fall, we read a book called As Nature Made Him, The Boy Who Was Raised As a Girl. I can’t recommend the book highly enough. It’s heartbreaking and awful, but boy is it a great example of bad science, and at the same time, it’s a lovely tribute to the fact that we are who we are and nothing can change that essential truth, and that goes down as deep as gender and sexual preference.

Anyway, my students were horrified at the experiences the title character underwent as a child, at the hands of a highly respected doctor. They couldn’t understand why his parents allowed it. So I had them think about what core assumptions the parents and the doctor might have held in common that would affect their view of the world and make them see this form of treatment as mandatory. Finally, one woman raised her hand and ventured, “If you don’t have a penis you can’t be a man?”

I was so excited that I shouted “Yes!” at her. I’m sure it scared a year or so off her life. But that’s it. That was the assumption that was at the heart of the child’s entire life experience. All of the adults in his life believed that he couldn’t be a man simply because he was no longer built like one. And so they set about turning him into a girl.

Boy, did that start off a lively discussion.* Was it true? Why or why not? What examples could they think of to support their claims? And yet, how many of us would see that was at the heart of what we were doing if it was in our own lives?

So how do you figure out what core assumptions a person is carrying around with them?

Listen to their arguments.
What’s the one thing they just accept as fact?

Another example. A student arguing that Title 9 was actually damaging college sports because the only options most schools could afford was football and basketball. Providing equal opportunities to women meant that there couldn’t be a collegiate level men’s soccer team.

His core assumption? That football was a necessary sport, more necessary than letting women be athletes too. He never considered that football might be something the school could dispense with to provide other opportunities for male athletes.**

Get to know them
It's that simple. The more you know about a person’s background, history, experiences, dreams, goals and passions, the better you’ll be able to sense what they assume to be true. And then you can look at how that meshes or doesn’t with your own core assumptions. Which is the topic for tomorrow’s lecture post.

* I really miss that class, those students. We had such great conversations.

** Yes, I realize that there are many valid reasons for having a football team. Economic ones, even. I realize that alums get all uppity about threats to cut their football, even when academics are suffering. Your alma mater is a great school as long as you have a winning season. I get this. My point was that in his worldview, football was a given. He couldn't conceive of a world where it didn't exist.

Posted by sally at 10:46 PM

On Critical Thinking

As threatened, here it is. I’m really going to do this, and scare off every reader I had managed to acquire up to now. I thought maybe my urge would die down, but every time I think it’s not that big a deal, I run into the issue again, and it makes me crazy again, and it’s either make my stand here on the side of using your fucking head, or sink under the piles of stupid.

One of my fellow faculty members doesn’t like the term critical thinking. I can see her point. Critical is often defined in a negative way, looking hard at others’ arguments so we can tear them down/apart, it’s a set of tools used to win fights at the expense of someone else. And so it is.

But it has another definition. Vital, necessary for the continuance of something, required. That’s the definition I tend to go with when I consider critical thinking. Using your brain because you can’t survive if you don’t. Certainly not in this world.

I promise, I’ll try to post about other things too, to leaven the lectures with other… things. Cat pictures or something. But I’m all fired up about this topic now—I’ve even made notes—so I’m afraid you’ll just have to bear with me. If we’re all lucky, I’ll get distracted halfway through, like I do with diets, and forget about it in between posts.

Posted by sally at 09:17 PM

December 03, 2008

Spinning

Tha'ts what my head is doing. I got plenty of sleep last night, but I've been going for pretty much six hours straight now, and trying to juggle a whole bunch of stuff in my brain, and I think I may be done for a bit because I'm starting to lose track of what I'm in the middle of.

The gallery opening is in two and a half hours. It's finally all ready. Since the "gallery" itself is in a very public space on campus, people are already stopping by to look at the work. They're taking the time to read the descriptions and really look at the pieces. That alone indicates how amazing the work is this year. I'm really proud of these students.

In fact, two of our students from last year have commented on how much deeper the work seems to go in this show. Granted, some of last year's students created tremendously meaningful pieces, but overall, this entire class seems to have taken it a step further.

Okay. I'm going to try eating something to see if that helps with the focus issue.

Posted by sally at 01:14 PM | Comments (1)

December 02, 2008

Wiped

Good lordy I'm tired.

I spent 11 hours at school today, where I taught, fought a parking ticket (I lost) and helped students install their work in the end of semester gallery.

That last part? was eight hours long.

Then I came home and bowled and golfed on our new Wii. It took me FAR too long to figure out how to make it all work, but eventually I did. Which is something of a minor miracle for me, since I still can't play a movie in the DVD player in the most recent electronics configuration. I always give up and watch it on my laptop instead. Technology can indeed be grand, but not when you have five separate remotes.

And I'm yawning so hard the top of my head may fall off, so I'm going to feed the Girls and then head to bed, I think. Thank goodness tomorrow's just hanging the signs explaining the gallery and getting all gussied up for the reception. Which isn't my responsibility, thank God. I just have to go and be really really proud of them, I don't have to set up or supervise or anything.

Posted by sally at 10:13 PM

December 01, 2008

World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day.

Just a reminder: Love won't kill you, but sex can.

The UI Women's Center has arranged for free, confidential mouth swab AIDS testing on campus today. I wish I'd known about it sooner. I'd have made sure to tell my students. I wish it didn't have to be an issue for them, personally, I think growing up under the threat of nuclear annihlation was an easier thing to deal with than this horrible disease.

Posted by sally at 12:33 PM

Back(ish)

Okay. I'm back. I had a lovely week-end-ish thingy with my family, and for once, did not take a single picture of my nephew. I was too busy hanging out with him and everybody else. So I'll not be inflicting any pictures on you this time around. You'll just have to take my word for it that he's beautiful.

And I would stay here and play for a while with y'all, except that I have to make sure that all of the stuff is ready so that my students and I can set up for the gallery tonight. So I have some errands to run. If I have time after that, I'll post more, because I have a little idea kicking around in my brain that I think I need to get out in pixels. I've noticed (surprise!) a rather large dearth of critical thinking on this here internet, and I'm finally annoyed enough by it that I want to post a series touching on the basics. Because people making stupid assumptions and/or agreeing with somebody without thinking about what's really going on is making me crazy. Even though the people who need this information the most will never find their way here, I'll feel better for having said it.

However. Right now is about bricks and boards and plastic tablecloths and special parking permits and finding out about space, so I'm going to focus on that for a bit. (I had nightmares this weekend that the space we've reserved for this gallery isn't going to be big enough. Please, please Universe, let me be wrong about that.)

Posted by sally at 11:23 AM

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