Feministmama likes kool aid

#1

100 things about me:

I live in Portland Oregon, crunchyville USA

I rent a house with my son’s dad. No we’re not “together” (yeah, it’s a long story)

My son is 9, He plays piano, loves to draw pictures and tell stories and reads a few grade levels ahead. He is reading a 400 page book right now.

I’m in an EdD program right now at Portland State University

My focus is adult learners.

I want to write my dissertation on knitting, feminism, spirituality, creativity as healing, and social justice. Not necessarily in that order.

I want to teach knitting to women in prison (and homeless youth) as a transformative learning project

I have two cats, Vivian (mama kitty) and Madelyn (her baby)

Vivian has an annoying meow. But we still love her.

I have waaaaaay too much yarn but I can’t help getting more

I love going to Goodwill and getting old sweaters to make something new

I would like to learn to spin some day

I would love to have my own farm with my own sheep and spin my own yarn someday

I want this farm to be within walking distance of the ocean

This is actually possible in Oregon

I am originally from Boston. When I’m tried you can really hear my accent

Knitting was my first feminist act

I’ve been knitting since 1990

I was always the only black kid in school

I was tortured a lot

I got lucky and got to go to a private boarding school for girls.

It is a performing arts school.

I was really happy for the first time at that school

I don’t really talk that much to anyone I went to high school with

When I got out of high school I did a lot of drugs

It was fun for a while

But not anymore. I get sauced on 2 glasses of wine.

I used to have purple hair and wore combat boots and hung out on the steps of the Boston Public library

I recycle

I buy organic when I can afford it

I love Annie’s pasta in a box

My favorite color is blue but I like to knit with purples and yellows

I eat chicken and fish

I sometimes use tarot cards as a guide

But I’m not into New Age stuff. Sort of.

I’m really interested in Buddhism offered by Thick Nahn Hahn and Pema Chodron

Knitting is meditation for me

I HATE sex in the city.

My favorite movies are Shawshank Redemption, Amelie, Liquid Sky, Color Purple, Brother from Another Planet, Brazil, Ordinary People, Deloris Claiborne……

My favorite music right now is Cocteau Twins, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Frou Frou, Penguin Café Orchestra, Stevie Wonder, The Cure, John Coltrane, Billy Holiday, Weezer…….

My favorite books are Running with Scissors by Augustan Burroughs (and I read an interview with him that said he likes Elizabeth Berg so I read her too) Mona Simpson, Wally Lamb, bell hooks, Margaret Atwood, Alice Walker……….

I’m on the borderline for high blood pressure so I try to exercise and eat lots of green stuff. Since I don’t have a car (don’t want one neither) I walk everywhere so that’s not too bad but I really don’t like many green foods so I try to cut down on junk and eat more salads.

I should ride my bike more (but I get all sweaty and I have a lot of places to go, people to see, things to do and I don’t want to do that all sweaty)

I used to have a Mohawk

I am a pessimist. Kinda like the Robot from Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy

I have a BFA. Know what that is?

I never used to go hiking till I moved to Oregon. I love it.

I don’t have a good relationship with my mother.

My grandmother is a product of black Indians. There’s no records of their marriage or birth certificates or anything (People of color were not people back then so there was no need for paperwork) so I make up my own mythology of my heritage. But my birth certificate says “negro” on it. Can you tell what decade I was born?

I want braids like Terrance Trent D’Arby. Remember him?

People say I have a big, infectious laugh

More later………

#2

oooh I’m all ears, when are you gonna finish? No pressure.Glad you made a blog. :cheering: ~Brooke

#3

I love Wally Lamb too!! I’ve read Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. I think about that book a lot. (I think about all of the books I read a lot though). Nice start on your list. You’re much farther ahead than I am.

#4

Oo, oo! Me, me! I know what a BFA is! In my women’s studies class 7 out of 10 of us are working on a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts. We are also reading bell hooks’ “Feminism is for Everybody”.

Can’t wait to see the rest of your list!

#5

Maybe I’m dense, but ummmm…why do you call it crunchyville? My sister lives in Portland, and I’ve been out there twice. I loved it. The weather was especially nice in the summer, compared to Virginia. :smiley:

#6

Ahh, I should have added The Handmaid’s Tale to my list of books!!! Have you seen the movie? It’s not as good as the book, but still good. I think knitting and feminism etc is a great topic for an EdD dissertation! How are you going to link that in to education???

#7

Maybe I’m dense, but ummmm…why do you call it crunchyville? My sister lives in Portland, and I’ve been out there twice. I loved it. The weather was especially nice in the summer, compared to Virginia. :D[/quote]

Because I guess I see folks who live here as cruchy. Ya know, granola? But I mean that as a compliment. There are many earthy types of people. They’re warm and friendly. They’re alos into saving the environment and they like to go hiking and alla that. In Boston, they would be freaks. Bostonians are a tough crowd. They are sensible and rely on routine and absolutely do not hike. Bostonians go to the local bar and watch the Red Sox loose and get up in the morning and drink coffe and smoke ciggarettes for breakfast. Bostonians are crusty. Oregonians are crunchy.

#8

So some more about me:

I’m a slob

I want to be neat and tidy but I don’t know how

I think this makes me nervous

I did try straightening out my stash tonight though. Wanna see?

#9

I went through and made little categories I geuss. Let me post some pics here. And if anyone wants to do one of those trades we were talking about before, let me know if you’re interested in anything and I can give you more info about it.

#10

EEWW that purple and yellow came out bad. It doesn’t really look like that. Sorry.

#11

Oops I meant to correct my mistake and posted. Anyway, I got this pink stuff at a YARD sale. This old woman died and her children were selling off her stuff. She had an entire room in her basement full of yarn and bolts of fabric. she had made halloween costumes for her children and they were all down there, lined up and arranged by size. Dusty. It was sad really. This woman poured her life into these kids and they never visted her or gave a dam till she died. And now they’re selling off her stuff. So I bought this shoe box ful of this pink mohair. She had a project still on the needles. The sales recipt was still in there too. $3 for like 10 skeins of this stuff. Part of me doesn’t want to knit with it cuz I want to honor the legacy of this woman. There are so many people who let people slip out of thier lives and hang around like vultures waiting for them to die to sell off the goods. Yes I’m a little bitter. This hAppened to a nice old couple two doors down. He was 95 and she was 90 I think. They were so sweet and kind, invited us into thier home. Then He died and the wife went to a home. Then the children came over and sold off all thier stuff. The great grandchildren were there. They between 10 and 14ish. They had never met thier great grandparents. I had to tell them what sweet people the were. They didn’t seem to care though.

OK so maybe I am being a bit harsh here. I don’t really know any of these people. Maybe they beat their kids or were verbally abusive and that’s why thier children stayed away. I don’t know. My mother’s a real jerk but I can’t deny my child from having a relationship with her. They get along great. She visits us, we visit her. My father too. I wish my kid could know more of his family. As crazy and nutty as they are, they are his family. I don’t know.

#12

Here’s more stash

#13

I work for a retirement community. I know what you mean. I have also found that what you said is true…you dont have any idea of what REALLY happened before you met these people. We have so many residents who are sweet as all get-out, and you really wonder why their families dont visit.

I think you should knit something BEAUTIFUL with that Mohair, and feel really GOOD that this couple had at least one great relationship with YOU during the end of their days. That’s a REALLY important thing! And, from my point of view, that would be honoring her legacy better than allowing that yarn to continue sitting in a box somewhere…she wanted her things to be appreciated. How wonderful that you are being so thoughtful of her!

PS…the kids could have been selling her stuff to pay for the excellent care she needed in whatever facility she chose to live. Maybe she has “blossomed” at this new facility, as often happens, because there are now activities to keep her busy and intellectually stimulated (homes are no longer places to go & rot…there are laws now that strictly govern care and activity programs…it’s not just Bingo anymore!), and a community of her peers who understand losing their husbands and having strained relationships with their children.

#14

OH - and I forgot to mention…
I have a SERIOUS case of STASH ENVY! :drool: That yellow silk is GORGEOUS!!! As is so much of your other stuff that I can’t remember while Im typing…

#15

Yes I should. Maybe just a scarf even. I will start looking for good patterns for it.

YES! See I was so blinded with anger I couldn’t see all sides of it. Thanks for showing me another way.

#16

Hey FMama, I like your blog and the pictures.

(I haven’t been reading these, just started)

But most of all … I LOVE FINDING SOMEONE WHO

               HATES

   SEX & THE CITY!!

God! I thought I was the only one! :cheering:

#17

Im glad you didnt take all that the wrong way. The industry in which I work is endeavoring to show people another side to the sterotypical view of retirement facilities. I, for one, hope to never work anywhere else. I really believe folks go into that field for a REASON. I can’t PROMISE that ALL facilities share the same excellence that mine does, but I feel fortunate to be surrounded by “Grandparents” every day…it’s like an extended family and we all, residents and staff alike, care deeply for one another and encourage each other to do our best. For our residents, that means retaining as much independence as they possibly can. I hope your friend is experiencing the same thing.

#18

Oh, OK. I get it. I can see how people would be more into nature and hiking out there. I know it rains more often, but the weather is much milder; seems like you could be outside a lot. I thought the coast was gorgeous. And, of course, I visited the main library in Portland. Very beautiful.

By the way, I wanted to get my BFA a looooong time ago, but I was too lazy to finish working on my portfolio to get into the program. :rollseyes: Majored in English instead.

Enjoyed reading your blog. Now I really want to visit Portland again.

#19

Here’s another thing about me:

I hate purling

But I went here: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=8542.0 and found a way to make stockinette without purling!! woohoo!

#20

Here’s some Jack Handy’s Deep thoughts (didn’t want to hijack Sara blog)

I’d rather be rich than stupid.

The face of a child can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face.

When you go in for a job interview, I think a good thing to ask is if they ever press charges

To me, clowns aren’t funny. In fact, they’re kind of scary. I’ve wondered where this started and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus, and a clown killed my dad.

If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.

Contrary to what most people say, the most dangerous animal in the world is not the lion or the tiger or even the elephant. It’s a shark riding on an elephant’s back, just trampling and eating everything they see