Social Cache and the Mountain Girl

Remember the days when I used to blog bi-weekly? When I had deep insights about coal mining, water quality, and the education system? I guess I honestly haven't been having that many inherently "Appalachian Adventures" lately. Most of the things I want to write about are fairly universal, like computational modeling (I put that first to impress you), activism, and the difference between being a nice person and being a pushover. I spent most of the last 4 months in Ohio, in a place not even the ARC could call Appalachia. And even though it's not January any more, I don't want to change the name of my blog, because everything I am and everything I do is impacted by where I'm from. So I find myself writing an English paper at 3 am and incorporating elements of the STAY Project, and explaining to a classmate that my interest in India is actually tied in to my interest in Appalachia.

My friends and I were talking the other evening about what defines social cachet at Oberlin. Social status at Oberlin could probably be made into an equation of sorts.

Social status(x) = economic background * [where you grew up - being from the country, the South, the Midwest (not Chicago), the middle of nowhere] + college major(4humanities, 3composition/timara, 2 social sciences, 1 natural sciences, 0 conservatory) - dressing like you don't go to Oberlin + comfort around alcohol/drugs * 2how attractive you are + knowledge of art, music, literature * knowledge of certain cultural references

As you can see, I don't exactly have a ton of social cachet at Oberlin, although I do pretty well considering that I had no clue what I was getting myself into socially at Oberlin. Where I'm from is who I am, and even if I wore the right clothes, listened to all the right music, and was studying studio art and not psychology, I'd still say "mel" instead of "mail," watch The Fifth String at least once a semester, fear deer on the road, and miss the mountains. While I don't have the same social cache at Oberlin as someone, say from New York, I do have a social comfort zone that allows me to go up to the bar at Old Timbers (a bar near Oberlin that is more like a bar in Pocahontas county than a bar that close to Cleveland), make friends with the bartender, and order a pitcher of Bud Light (no, they don't have PBR silly hipsters). I knew when I bought my Hunter Boots that I would use them to muck out stalls, garden, and clamber through fields of mud, and not just go to class in the rain in them.

Maybe I got into Oberlin as the token West Virginian/middle-of-nowhere dweller, but I'd like to think that they got much more than they bargained for. And I know at home I'm the weird smart one who went to some college that no one had heard of, but I'd like to also thing that I'm going to give PC much more than they'd bargained for as well.

I guess this was just a long, unstructured way of explaining that I am a WV-ian through and through and if I'd have gone to WVU, I probably wouldn't feel this way, probably wouldn't like PBR as much, and probably wouldn't wear high waisted shorts with polka-dot tank tops and gladiator sandals, or maybe I would, but not for another year or so. And that's why I'm not going to change the name of my blog.

A Quick Rant

It's pathetic that it took me 21 years to figure out how pointless shaving your legs is. I mean, some people like it, and that's great, but I am SO. OVER. IT. This isn't about being "natural" or going to a hippie school. This is about getting sick of having my shower look like that scene from The Shining (I have been doing this for over 7 years. All of a sudden, I've started accidentally cutting myself). This is about being tired of diligently shaving daily because stubble is much much worse than hairy legs. This is about being sick of conforming to a beauty standard created by men for women. In the past few months, I've shaved very infrequently, and I can still be sexy with hairy legs. After all, French women are notorious for not shaving, and they are the sexiest women of all! Of course, I may change my tune when I'm living in a more conservative environment, but for now I am done son. Okay, rant off.

Enumeration Sensation

The last couple weeks have been eventful, to say the least. Here are some things that have happened in the last month:

My grandmother turned 80

I learned how to shape my world through computational modeling (serious, I am hooked. You can solve so many problems with Microsoft Excel)

I discovered the joys of Photoshop

I sent out a survey for real-life psychology research

I finished all 15 seasons of South Park (okay, not in one month, definitely took more like 4)

I revived my beautiful bicycle

I wrote a very passionate paragraph to WOBC about why I rule... we'll see what they think...

Became better friends with so many cool people! So many!

Saw Iron & Wine

Came up with the idea for a jug band, Iron & Wino

Made a poster-sized eye chart (for a group project, btws, I'm majoring in optometry now - ok, kidding)

Had a breakdown

It was the first major one of the whole semester (this is really really really good)

Went to my first ever roller derby

Stopped sleeping as much

Started going to the library again

Attended a labor rally

Several things that I can't blog about

Continued going to class and doing my homework!

Gold star for me. This week is rough, 2 group projects, one group presentation, a nasty battle with Survey Monkey, Excel, and SPSS, this weird pre-finals cold going around, and Folkfest. But even though I left my room at 9 am today and didn't get back until 9:30 pm, things are really, really good for the most part.

A note on the roller derby: It ruled! Picture 20 women, roller skating in an oval. Picture 2 women trying to get through a pack of their teammates and the other team on roller skates while staying in bounds, going fast, and not falling down. Now imagine that these people are your sisters, your girlfriends, and even your moms. My favorite part of the derby was seeing all of the families and friends who were there. Some of the women were my age, but the vast majority appeared to be in their early to late 30s (ok, not that old, but it's pretty impressive considering how rough the sport is). It was really inspiring. I figure I have 10 years to get really tough and learn to roller skate, then I'll be rolling around the rink in pink spandex, crazy eye make-up, with a name like Morbid, CupQuake, Sparkles, Mommy's Little Monster, or West Nel Virus.