Safety Dance

I just came out of a room full of 6 women ages 20-50 ish for the first day of training for a reproductive justice media project. Most of these women grew up in Kentucky, and all of them have creative, exciting ideas, and interesting things to say about reproductive justice. How inspiring. I think I tend to get a little obsessed with the not getting pregnant and sex ed aspects of women's reproductive health, and don't think about things like what to do if you get pregnant, how to take care of your body so you can have a healthy baby, birthing options, and cultural and social barriers. I tend to get carried away trying to be a one-woman condom dispensing machine and prophet of the Nuva Ring, that I neglect the holistic approach.

Of course talking about all of this is difficult in places like WV, KY, and even parts of OH, where people are pretty religious, Planned Parenthood and abortion providers are difficult to find, and women don't feel like they have a lot of options as far as childbirth goes. But these folks are working on discussing these issues, and it's pretty inspiring.

Oh, but I've been having fun too. On Friday I made bourbon balls, went to the bar very briefly, and then had my roommate drive me home so I could read and go to sleep at 10:00 pm. My kind of night.

The next night was the Appalshop Christmas Ball at Summit City. I am always looking for ways to re-live my high school glory moments (these three moments were: prom #1, prom #2, and graduation), so of course I am into anything that involves dressing up and dancing. Only this time it was much better than prom because I didn't feel the need to look for (and get rejected multiple times by) potential dates. Long story short, I managed to pull off a semi-beehive, wore high heels for what was perhaps the longest amount of time in my life, danced like a champ, and stayed up until around 3:30 am, which I haven't done since the care-free, pre-mono days of summer. So so much better than my high school prom, because there was no rejection-related drama, and my parents weren't there to get upset when they found out that there were boys at the after party (would you all still be upset about this?).

I guess the moral of this story is that I think I'm finally over that mono junk, reading is fun AND fundamental, as dancing is fundamental to your mental health which is fundamental to your reproductive health. So drink some orange juice, take some vitamin D, ward off the SDD Winter Blues, make your hair real big and dance.

Holiday Cheer

Well, it's only December 13th, and we're already in the 2nd snow of winter. Good lord. Luckily, snow is still a novelty, so it's kind of fun to drive through the snow to work, strand my car in the parking lot, and spend the evening walking to all of my destinations. Plus, it's a perfect excuse to cuddle, nap, drink hot cocoa, wear snow boots, and walk to work, all things I enjoy doing, but don't usually have the opportunity to do. Ask me again in February how I feel about the snow, and I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune. Especially when I'm walking in the snow to get to class, and not just to eat good food and watch Neverending Story.

I got a new roommate at the beginning of December. He is a pretty good roommate so far. This is my first time living in close proximity to a man I'm not related to. Don't worry Mom, Dad, relatives, and folks back home - and in Whitesburg for that matter, I'm not living in sin. We got married first. JK LOL AREN'T I FUNNY!

But seriously, we're just friends and it's great to have someone to sweep snow off of your car and help you clean the house. And he has a great record collection and an awesome record player. Score!

In work-related news, I dropped everything I was doing at the end of last week to help with the Appalachian Media Institute's exhibit in the Whitesburg ArtWalk. It was awesome. I'm finally at the stage in my life where I am confident and look old enough to be sassy-nice to teenagers so they listen to me. Sometimes. But it was great to see all of the artistic talent from youth in the area. There were amazing photographs taken with disposable cameras that just blew my mind and some pretty funny comics. Not to mention the part where we stood on ladders and threw chains over beams and attempted to hang art using sticky tack. Setting up for events is so much fun.

ArtWalk was also the same day as the Whitesburg Christmas parade (about 10 minutes longer than the Marlinton Christmas parade). It was sort of like the Marlinton Christmas parade except that it was warmer, there was more than one little girl dance team, cute kids dressed as presents, and a "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" float made by the Senior Center. Plus there were camel rides (yes, camel rides), and Civil War re-enactors with a cannon that made obnoxious loud noises. And of course, when I got cold, I could pop into the bar and drink a Woodchuck and warm up a little bit and attempt to escape my old man suitors for a minute.

Well I honestly lost track of where I was going with this post. So I will conclude in the best way possible.

-The holiday season isn't so bad. Especially when it involves kids dressed like Rudolph and camel rides.

-I am making mistakes and learning from them. Thank God!

-I have been blessed with some pretty great roommates in my time on this planet.

-A final cute anecdote: I got Sadie spayed last week. When I went to the vet's to pick her up, and the vet brought her out, she started purring when she saw me.

- And finally, a gift from her Highness Lady Gaga: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cP8RzHHhVI