Hey Yall'z.
Well, I'm back in Minnesota.
I must say that my flying experience today was perfect except for the fact that I received a "random security check" for the third time this break : (
In fairness to the people at the St. Louis airport everyone was very nice about it all.
Besides that, I got to the airport an hour before, there were no lines and I didn't have to sit next to annoying midwesterns talking about their children. I flew with only five other people and when I got off the plane my luggage was waiting on the carousel for me.
BEA-U-TIFUL.
In addition, I got back to campus in time to eat at the dinning hall and recently found the best radio station on my alarm radio.
There are many things that I could do right now but complaining isn't one of them.
Shoutout to Truman for driving me to the airport.

-B

DIY

Learn to make some boy shorts out of a t-shirt here,:

http://www.threadbanger.com/episode/THR_20081107

Also, Ruffeo and Lil Snotty are super cute.
My dream of waking up to the sound of Andrew Bird whistling "Measuring Cups" while making pancakes may be superseded by a dream to open a fashion line called "birdy hearts bimby" with Andrew Bird after he decides he only wants to sing to me ever again.

-B

Felted Laptop Case

Here are the results of my first felting project, completed last week.
I used the laptop case pattern from Lion Brand Yarn's website but used more colors an did buttons instead of a strap. I have two layers of buttons so it can convert into an over sized clutch which is super nice. Overall I'm super happy with the end result although it took days of drying, some cutting and re-sewing and many hours of picking out the right buttons (thanks Sean).

Columbia in the Summer

I love it here.

-B

Ideally

An event tonight made me think of how nice it would be to have a house about the size of Manhattan to keep all of my loved ones in so I wouldn't have to worry about them. The house would include everything a small city would have except it would always be clean and the food would always be healthy. Oh! and everyone would be kind and thoughtful. Ideally all of us would live to be the same age so I would never have to experience losing anyone.

-B

American Studies Leaves the Classroom

Tonight I introduced the concept of racial politics to a group of white, upper middle class men and women in their mid- forties.
It wasn't that fun.
It was over seasoned sweet potatoes, apple and cabbage coleslaw and pork loin.
It was a conversation that didn't have to take the direction it did but did anyway because I am who I am, majoring in what I am, caring about what I do.

"There should be more teachers of color because it's important for students of color to have teachers who look like them." *from one end of table*

"Once a parent told me that I couldn't understand their child because I'm white. It made me think..." *from other end of table*

"And I cant teach women because I'm a man." *scoff*

"So what should be done to recruit more teachers of color?" *defensively(?)*

*please please please don't turn into affirmative action debate*

And I felt it. I was the angry [political] black women who brings race [her blackness] into everything. And that made me feel tired. Here I had singlehandedly made these people acknowledge their whiteness and it didn't feel good.
I felt like I had burst a bubble.
Been the barer of bad news.
Brought up a heavy issue with no solution.
And as unresolved as the entire conversation was, there was some hustle and bustle. Plates were taken to the sink. The retractable table was retracted and they continued their game of bridge.
Me the Debbie Downer, left to awkwardly hang around before returning upstairs.
Having American Studies conversations with people who aren't American Studies majors is...hard. Really fucking hard. Introducing moderndayracismwhitepriviledgeindustrialcomplexesetc.etc. to adults [white] over hummus is HARD and yet there's still something inside me that wants to do it.
Because they should know.

Bimbola