Monday, January 30, 2023

A Short Book Review: "Spare" by Prince Harry


I read the big book of the moment pretty quickly -- Prince Harry's memoir, Spare.  I quite liked this book so it was a fast read (and there is a ghost writer behind it so I am not sure of how much he "actually" wrote and how much of it is the other writer).

I have heard some criticism that Megan isn't book touring with him.  Be aware, though, that this is Harry's story so Meg only comes along toward the last third of the book. I appreciate his honesty and I have a lot of respect for someone who owns their mistakes. He has some interesting comments about colonialism which I am 100% behind.  He undeniably has a wonderful connection to Africa and to military veterans of any country.

However, I think the big reason I connected with this guy (who admittingly is making money off this story) is because of his toxic relationship with his family which I 10000% get.  It is so hard to emotionally disconnect from people who should love you for being you but ... don't.  I don't talk much about my own family relationships because it is so darn painful.  It is comforting to read about someone else's experiences and to know that this happens to other people.

Spoilers:  

So I discovered that your penis can get frostbite (of course, I guess!) and that Prince (now King) Charles seems to believe in mermaids.



Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Book review: Stephen Bloom's BLUE EYES, BROWN EYES: A CAUTIONARY TALE OF RACE AND BRUTALITY

Maybe you took a course in college that introduced you to the "Blue Eye/ Brown Eye" experiment made famous by activist Jane Elliott?  (note the image below!)  Now known as a diversity and anti-racist educator, she first conducted this experiment with her third grade class just after the assassination of MLK in 1968.  I have been fascinated by this activity for decades (I first stumbled on it myself as a young graduate student in the early 1990s); I even mentioned it with my dissertation and the ensuing analysis on race and language.


So ,,, when I saw that a journalist (Stephen G. Bloom) had written a biography about Elliott, I knew I had to read the book.  When I read the introduction, though, and realized that Bloom finished the book without the blessing of Elliott herself, I wasn't sure where this all was going to go -- did Bloom support Elliott's experiment?  Was this book even anti-racist?

Well, Bloom's feelings about Elliott are complicated (in a way).  He originally started the book with many interviews of Elliott and her family but, by the end of their time together, Elliott asked Bloom to cease the writing of his book because she was uncomfortable with what she saw as Bloom "vilifying" the folks of Riceville, Iowa (her hometown).  Essentially, Bloom pissed her off and she is not the kind of person to give second chances.

Let me just state this:  I LOVED this book.  I think Bloom shows a more genuine portrait of a human who is doing awesome work for humanity but -- at the end of the day -- she is still a "human."  She isn't perfect and she isn't a God.  She is just someone who has chosen to do some important work and hasn't always been praised for it.  My copy of the book has so many highlights in it (and scribbled notes) but here are six points that stuck out to me:

1,  Elliott uses the word "experience," not "experiment."  This seems like a pretty important distinction.  Page xi of the introductory pages has a whole discussion about the semantics of the language choices here.

2.  There was a huge divide in her hometown about what she did with the original third graders and what she did later with adults.  Many of the folks in Riceville felt like Elliott was implying that they were racist.  I think I am with her, though, in saying that all people have racist tendencies because we have been raised in a racist culture.  It doesn't mean that we are bad people or should be defensive -- it means that we need to be aware of what is happening and be open to change.  Her exercise was picked up almost immediately after it happened in 1968 by media like The Tonight Show and I imagine that this made local folks super uncomfortable (and later many of the locals were upset by how much money she was making with her workshops.  Sexism anyone?).

3.  As a teacher who did some unconventional activities in the classroom (even before this famous experiment), her fellow educators got a wee bit jealous:  "The experiment crystalized resentment that had been building ever since Elliott joined the faculty" (91).  There is also a lot of good discussion here about what happens when we are trying to reach course objectives via original activities: "How much leeway should the teacher be allowed?" (131).

4.  It is possible that she was not the originator of this experiment (no matter how much she claims that she is).  Pedagogy is all about "theft" in my books but we should be willing to build off of each other and give credit where credit is due.  Bloom talks about Wilda Wood and her own version of this in the mid 1960s, before Elliott's first version of the experiment.  It is likely that she read about this activity (since it was in all the teaching magazines of the time) and it got her wheels turning.  This happens to me all the time.  I am not sure why Elliott is so adamant in not acknowledging the several examples that Bloom investigated (I tracked down many of these sources myself so he didn't make them up).

5.  Bloom talks about alternative means of the "Blue Eye, Brown Eye" activity which might be considered kinder and more compassionate (page 196) -- I guess the big question becomes, of course, if these alternative routes are as effective at "shocking" white people into understanding?  As Bloom asks, is there any better "crash course" at helping folks to "modify racial prejudice"? (189)

6.  Elliott has a somewhat abrasive personality that could either make you love her or hate her.  Though I absolutely admire her work in so many ways, I can get that she might "rub" people the wrong way.  She might even have misappropriated some quotations so that they were credited to her (page 208) but I think this just makes her more human. I am not saying that it is okay to steal or plagiarize but .... it happens and sometimes we might forget our original source.  I wish she were more open to correct herself if she was, indeed, on the wrong side.


If you are still reading this blog post?  Read this book!  (especially if you know a lot about this experiment!).  I still love Elliott's work and I will always support what she is doing.  If you are interested in purchasing this book, visit an independent bookstore like Powells.

PS:  I am so glad that I finally managed to do some thinking outside of my own teaching!


Wednesday, January 4, 2023

First Makes of 2023!

Well, it is the first week of January and I should be working on class stuff but .... I have spent the last two days going to Cyclebar and finishing up some crafty items.  First, the "Sewing Room" wall hanging is 100% done and is now hanging on the stairway leading up to my sewing studio on the third floor of our house:


After going to a spin class this morning, I decided to try and "fix" the bag project that I started on New Year's Eve.  You see, every New Year's Eve for the past 3 years, Sulky and Sallie Tomato have teamed up to do a Sew Along.  I discovered in years 1 and 2 that it was so hard to keep up AND sew a straight line.  I would end up getting frustrated and not completing a bag that I would use.  So this year, I watched the entire thing and then started the bag on New Year's Day.  I had purchased the kit for the Sew Along and it included this amazing faux leather material that is something like $28 a yard on their web site.  I tried so hard to not mess it up.  But, of course, I did!

This was the pattern of the "bag" -- a sort of portfolio that you can use for your printed calendar and small tech items:

Cool pattern I think and, like I mentioned, the kit was pretty awesome.  Here was my end result:

I did a perfect job on the zipper pocket which used a new technique that I hadn't tried before.  The section on the right is a little crooked with the card pockets but I think it is decent.  Since this is a leather-ish material, it won't fray so the seams are not finished.

Here is a close up of the inside pocket section where I added some embroidery!

But I didn't notice until I finished that the leather strap (which holds it closed) was pretty crooked.


Yep.  Not great.  I also didn't think I had a Teflon foot for my machine (spoiler: I actually did and found it once I was finished).  Without a Teflon foot, this material kept getting slowed down by the machine when it was under a regular foot -- I think this made the whole thing look a little "rough around the edges."

So what is a person to do?  I thought about it for a day or so and then went into my stash to use some other materials to fix the whole thing.  And I am definitely happier:

I carefully ironed with a pressing cloth to try and make it look less "puckery."
I then added a much wider strap that you will also see on the front when it is closed.
I also took out the piece of elastic that the pattern called for in order to hold the calendar in place and created a wider tab, along with sewing in another piece of foam to make the planner feel sturdier in the folder.
Tada!  I think it looks much better!

I also made a few bookmarks as well because I was feeling like I needed to put off creating syllabi for a little longer today!



Sunday, January 1, 2023

2023 Intentions

It is pretty normal for folks to think about making "goals" when a new year starts, but a few years ago a friend mentioned "intentions" and I think I like this term better.  Life just gets in the way sometimes and we can't always accomplish what we set out to accomplish.  I suppose I could just say that I am not setting any goals, but the new year seems a reasonable time to take a step back and evaluate how one's like is progressing.  Where do I see a need for changes?  Where can I make some positive steps forward?

So here it goes -- my intentions for 2023:

(1) Write in this blog more often.  I think I am happier when I am writing.  When I finished my dissertation and PhD a few years ago, I felt like I crawled across the finish line battered and bruised.  I was so good at writing and researching before then but .... I just stopped.  I need to change that.  So this blog is being revived so I can "write" again (even if no one reads it!).

(2)  Back to triathlons.  I just started doing short indoor triathlons as part of an indoor series I used to do when I first starting getting into triathlons.  A combination of finishing that darn PhD, a torn meniscus in my right knee, and COVID kept me from doing any events for the last 3+ years.  But instead of doing events because I wanted to be with my friends who did them and I didn't want to let them down (not that they ever said that), I will focus on events that I want to do.  So for now that means finishing this indoor series (9 more events) and then completing the Rookies and Rockstars event on Sunday May 7th. 

(3)  Sewing what I want to sew.  Since I learned how to sew a few years ago (and figured out I had a knack for it!) I have done a lot of projects for folks and I have had a hard time saying no.  And I have spent lots of money for a project someone wants and then say, "No, no, you don't have to give me any money" because I am afraid that my work is not worth anything.  I need to get over that.

(4)  Be in the moment on vacation.  Jim and I have been working hard on planning a holiday to Ireland from June 7-28.  For a lot of that time, we will be travelling with good friends and the last week Jim and I will be in northwestern Ireland on our own.  Here is a map that shows all the places we are going:


I want to enjoy every moment of this trip and immerse myself in our friends, the culture, and lots of yummy food and beverages!

(5)  Learn more about good teaching I think my number one goal all of the time is to be the best I can be at teaching composition.  Luckily, I (and some colleagues!) are off to 4C's and TYCA (two professional conferences) in Chicago in February and I am even doing a short presentation on "ungrading," a technique I have used with my writing courses for the last 8 years or so.  I want to embrace the opportunities at these conferences and figure out how to connect with my students more.

(6)  Be the best friend that I can be to the people around me.  I value my friendships and I have been so lucky to know so many awesome people.  Sometimes when I am stressed or overwhelmed, though, I want to hide from these folks and just wallow in my own self-pity by myself.  But that never helps in the end.  

(7)  Read more.  I am relieved that I completed the reading challenge on GoodReads but … I want to read more.  So I upped my goal to "30" this year and will try to read more genres and titles by authors I haven't read before.



(8)  Give myself some grace.  And on that note in respect to items 1-7, I need to think more about giving myself a break when things don't always work out the way that I would like them to.  Period.


Good-bye 2022!

Well, here we are at the end of 2022.  I like the fact that I am ending on a high note these last few days -- I have been on the treadmill twice recently (3 miles each time) and at Cyclebar quite a bit (as well as some yoga and stretching to boot!).  I have even updated this blog a few times, kept up my lessons on Duolingo (go Team German and Team Japanese!).   Lastly -- I have been working on some sewing projects.

I got smart this year and decided to watch the yearly Sulky New Year's Eve Party Sew-along -- I have a beautiful kit that I didn't want to mess up and will work on that project tomorrow!  While watching the sew along, I finished quilting the sewing project below and even attached the binding.  Other than hand-sewing, I am almost done with that as well!


Tomorrow:  I focus on "Intentions" of 2023!

Friday, December 30, 2022

Almost the Last Day of the Year

So .... I had a spin class yesterday and I am about to go and run later this afternoon downstairs on my awesome treadmill.  At the moment, someone from a stair lift company is here so we can get a lift installed in preparation for my mother-in-law moving in towards the end of January.  Yipee.

Today I am trying to work on a project I started yesterday -- a wall hanging for my sewing room area (I think I am going to put it up in the hallway going up the stairs!).  Here is what it looked like on the web site:

I watched the video a few months ago and ordered the laser-cut letters but ... never got around to working on it.  Well, yesterday changed that!  I decided to do a border as well.  I just finished basting the top, the batting, and the back so here is where I am now at the moment with the project:


I have been reading a fascinating book called Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes: A Cautionary Tale of Race and Brutality by Stephen Bloom.  Basically I think it is the only biography on Jane Eliot, the woman behind this "experiment" that got its start in 1968.  I promise to talk about this even more later but I am learning much about the kind of teacher that she was for young people, even more she did the experiment.  


Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Recapturing My Head Space!

 I am not sure what has been going on for me the last few years but it has felt like I lost my "mojo" of sorts.  I stopped writing (outside of work) and even working out didn't strike me as too much fun.

But I have been slowing "awakening."  I actually have written in this blog for a second time this month (yay!) and I am trying to focus more on doing things that I want to do!  I decided to NOT work on getting classes together until next week so that gives me the rest of this week to just "relax," something that I am not always good at doing.

Yesterday I decided to try making a project with the amazing Brother Scan and Cut that Jim purchased for me as a Birthday/ Christmas present.  I have used it for fabric cutting (the quilt I recently made for my mother-in-law) but I hadn't really tackled any paper projects.  Though the cutting of the first Shadow Box went smoothly, I made a huge mistake in the sizing and not double-checking the layers actually for the frame I had purchased. After getting frustrated last night, I played with the first one again this morning (the peacock) and managed to make it work.  I then did the octopus one in about half the time and no cuss words!


After taking down the Christmas decorations around the house, I jumped on the treadmill for 45 minutes (3.05 miles) and then completed 20 minutes of yoga.  My hope is that I start to feel better with the running portion of the indoor triathlon series that I am completing (information here).

A Short Book Review: "Spare" by Prince Harry

I read the big book of the moment pretty quickly -- Prince Harry's memoir, Spare .  I quite liked this book so it was a fast read (and t...