you can always do your homework on the morning bus

on tuesday i got up at 7:00 so that i could shower and collect a bunch of craft supplies and meet emery in fab at 8:00. we did this portrait-y thing in the photo lab, but the girl who was supposed to unlock the room got there late, so we only had 45 minutes to do it in. i felt pretty awkward the whole time, and i still feel bad because i am terribly unphotogenic and i'm pretty sure every shot he took of me will not be very flattering (my fault, not his), but it was still really enjoyable. i am kind of living vicariously through all my friends who are taking art or design in school. also, emery said he wanted the portrait to have to do with my creativity or something, and it felt really, really nice to be recognized in that way. a lot of times i am really insecure about my creativity and technical ability to do creative things, i think probably because i've been led to understand that there's a division between art and craft, and that craft is seen as being far less prestigious. anyway, tuesday was filled with excitement, so i will continue with the play by play.

in my intro native studies course, we were given a 5-day extension on our term papers. hooray!

in my anthro 474 class, i did a really really ridiculously awesome class presentation that i am still feeling good about. basically, we were all supposed to come up with a class presentation to share information from the term papers we had each written. i really hate powerpoint presentations and slide shows, and i kind of have a penchant for creative presentations (past projects of mine have included a diorama of the garden in hamlet made entirely of pipecleaners; an 18-page essay on literary theory done in iambic pentametre and rhyming couplets; and a comparison of two arthurian legend characters, demonstrated with a pair of gingerbread cookies - one decorated in black icing, and one in white - for every person in my class), so i decided to do what i love doing best. since my essay was on northwest coast ceremonial button robes ("button blankets"), i decided to sew blank miniature button blankets for all my classmates out of navy and red craft felt. then i made little packages for each person, which included some pieces of red felt, some white plastic beads, and a needle and thread. during the presentation, i had my classmates work on their "robes" while i told them about the construction, validation, and use of the button robes. i should make note that this, like all of my "creative" presentations, was not just an easy-out. i had specifically chosen this form of presentation for a few reasons: firstly, the main function of the button robe is to serve as a reminder to its wearer and the community of names, rights, priviledges, lineages, and laws. the northwest coast traditionally did not use a written language to record laws; instead, they recognize button blankets as a symbol and reminder of those laws. therefore, in keeping with that spirit, i didn't want my classmates to be writing down the information i was telling them. instead, i wanted them to be reminded of what they'd learned by the physical object they were working with. secondly, i've been taught that it is easier to speak and easier to listen when you have something in your hands. it gives both the speaker and listener something to focus on. i wanted that both for myself and for my classmates. instead of serving as a distraction, the craft actually served to focus the listening and the learning. thirdly, i wanted my classmates to have a miniature so that they could make something that represented themselves, and then hopefully keep it as a conversation piece or pass it on to a neice or nephew, thereby continuing that process of teaching, informing, and reminding. fourthly, because of my own love for craft, i know that working with your hands in any media is relaxing and rewarding, and i wanted to give my classmates and myself a chance to chill out during a really stressful time in the school year. i think i met all my objectives. everyone seemed to really enjoy the presentation and the chance to just make stuff. this is the stuff i am really passionate about: accessible experiential education, especially regarding canadian culture and history. i hope i can make a career out of it somehow.

my last big exciting thing on tuesday was going to watch "hairspray" and "high school musical" in sub with claire. she is so, so fun. we cuddled (i.e. sat about 12" from each other but shared a blanket on a couch) and talked about our crushes and ate popcorn and subway cookies and didn't feel guilty at all about not doing schoolwork like we should have. by the way, "high school musical" was terrible, but i still maintain that "hairspray" is a really ridiculously fun movie.