Saturday, November 22, 2008

Sarah-sicle

I am very very cold, and it has hardly gotten cold yet! Logan stays at about 20 degrees in February, but this November has been an amazingly warm month and has been about 50 degrees every day. I'm not quite sure why I am so cold, but I am. Actually, I was pretty warm until I went fishing today. I had fun fishing and it wasn't very cold, but after I took my boots off I started to freeze. And now I am just getting colder and colder, and I shouldn't be. I've still got my spandex on under the jeans, and a hoodie over my t-shirt. But yet, I am still cold. Maybe I'll have to make some hot chocolate or put on some slippers. Or stuff myself in the dryer and run myself for a few minutes. That'll warm me up in no time!
And just so you know, I promptly attempted to get into the dryer, but since it isn't my dryer, I got a little worried that I would break the door off, so I only got halfway into it. But here are some problems with warming yourself up in the dryer that I thought of while I was attempting to squeeze in. The dryer is very cold before you turn in on. And how would you even turn it on if you are inside the dryer? And those little things stick out and would hit your tush, head, and appendages. After the dryer cycle, you would have to get out, and the world would be incredibly cold. Another thought, would you need a dryer sheet so you don't stuck to things because of the static cling? I have concluded that while it would be incredibly warm to sleep in the dryer, it wouldn't be worth it. I'll have to warm up in some other way.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Now I Like Ballet

I like to do so many things, most recently ballet! I am taking a ballet class this semester, and at first I didn't like it very much cuz I am not a very good dancer. I stuck with it cuz it is a learning experience, right? I felt ridiculous, and we have leotards, which makes me feel way self conscious. A few weeks ago, the Winnepeg Ballet came to Logan, and our teacher told us to pretend we were in a famous ballet company. I love to pretend! So I pretended that I was a real ballerina and dancing was actually pretty darn fun. Now, every day at ballet I pretend that I am a ballet superstar and I think that I am dancing better because I am performing. Now, I just wish that I had a tutu to wear. Here is a painting by Degas, and I want a pink tutu like these ballerinas have, only with little more covering on top.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

A Thought Provoking Poet


Today, I went to a lecture by Gabeba Baderoon entitled "Slavery, Islam, and the Construction of 'Race' and Sexuality in South Africa." It was one an excellent lecture. She talked about the idyllic image of Dutch colonial Cape Town, and that it suppressed the slave presence. Images of the tourist Cape Town portrays slavery as a submissive and happy thing, which is similar to how slavery in America was portrayed before the Civil War. One of the most interesting things that Gabeba talked about was that unlike in the U.S., South African folk memory has tried to forget slavery because of the shame applied to slavery because of the sexual abuse that slavery in South Africa meant. If one can distance themselves from slavery, they don't have that shameful stigma attached to you.

I had lots of things to think about after her lecture. For example, the art that a society produces shows a lot about that society, and it also shows a lot about what that society doesn't want you to see. I learned that the food of a culture often has symbolism. I learned that slavery for a woman basically guaranteed that you would be subjected to sexual predation, which I knew occurred in an American context, but had never thought about it being in a worldwide context.

I thought that Gabeba was a beautiful woman. Her skin was a tan color and her dark hair was partially curly. She is from South Africa, and speaks in a very cool accent, half British and half something else. She was petite and had a friendly smile. She is a poet and a scholar.

I checked out her website, and I think that her poetry is awesome. I will probably buy some of her poetry collections. Check it out: www.gabeba.com. She has some readings of some of her poetry. I really liked "The Art of Leaving" and "Learning to Love Failure".

So that is my intellectual fun fest of the day! Whenever I go to things like this I get so excited about school and learning and all the different things there are to study.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

I can vote!

Today is the presidential election, and I am glad that tomorrow all the campaigning will be over. I feel obligated to fulfill my civic duty to vote, even though I feel pretty neutral about both candidates. I voted last Thursday and the best thing about that was that I got a sticker! So whoever wins the presidency, good luck. I sure wouldn't want your job.

But, elections are more important than just choosing the next president. Elections are historical! Duh. And I love history, but women such as myself have only been voting since the 19th Amendment in 1920. I am glad that I can vote, even though I don't care who wins the presidency.

In 1872, Susan B. Anthony voted in the presidential election. She cast a vote for Ulysses S. Grant. She did this arguing that she already had the right to vote as an American citizen. She was arrested and went to trial. The judge told the jury to declare her guilty, and then said she either had to go to jail or pay a fine. She refused to do either, and she was not forced to serve jail time or pay the fine. The judge didn't force her so that she couldn't appeal to a higher court, and hopefully, for Anthony, getting up to the Supreme Court. Even though she didn't make any national changes, Anthony's vote reflects that America has denied the vote to various minorities.

So, I'm glad that I voted. Thanks to the 20th Amendment allowing women to vote and the 26th Amendment lowering the voter age to 18, I can vote in this year's presidential election.