Priorities

I have problems with a society where such large numbers of our minority teenagers struggle to graduate from high school, and then get denied their diploma ceremony because people in the audience cheer at the students' success.

As a former high school teacher, I know the value of supportive families - that principal should seriously think twice about his/her stand on this issue.

* * *

My husband and I are getting involved in the SCA again, as you may have noticed, and I find that I am spending a lot of time working on projects around it. We have a disaster of a house and a serious need to either move or renovate (pop up our second floor into a full second storey). I would also like to actually contribute to society in some meaningful way.

We ARE working on the mess, and we ARE packing up, throwing out or recylcing miscellaneous stuff that we won't be needing again for a while. I AM teaching folks to understand where the products they use came from, and hopefully that is making them have a greater appreciation of how folks in less materialistic cultures live and get by. And, if culture really goes to heck, maybe I'm giving folks some skills and understanding that will tide them over; my own little contribution to making the new Dark Ages a little shorter (or at least brighter) for some.

Which is all nice and all, but people are still starving, being bombed, raped, burned out, and generally suffering. It makes me feel pretty silly to be getting all dressed up in garb based on archaeological finds and going off (guzzling gas along the way - carseats do a number on one's ability to carpool) to play at a santized version of the life so many still lead every day.

I know there are numerous ways artists raise money and awareness about these issues, but how do others, well, *justify* - to themselves - making art when others are making war? I know that my way of psychologically dealing with 9/11 was to go out the next day and buy a guitar; I needed joy and self-expression in so much sadness and insanity.

Is it ok to create/play to get by and stay healthy enough to THEN go do something important? I ask this rhetorically, since I know that we each need our own ways to recharge, express ourselves (and our frustration) and generally stay mentally healthy enough for the other parts of our lives.

I guess I am missing my teaching high school, and not being in a place yet where I can get started on my MSW. Raising my girls is obviously worthwhile, and very rewarding. Giving them the best life, and clearest understanding possible, is a responsibility I take on gladly.

I still feel funny caring about the varied reconstructions of Viking Age apron-dresses...

Busy, busy, busy

We took the girls camping for the first time this last weekend, and they loved it! We were all at an SCA event, and I spent the whole weekend before making them baby-size medieval garb and reworking my handout for my tapestry class.

This week, I've been flat out preparing the handout for new class I'm teaching this weekend (but I'm leaving Kevin and the girls home for this one) on pre-1300 weave structures. Oi. Author permissions, weaving drafts galore, and many structures worked up on cheapo looms to show folks.

I can't wait for Sunday, and the chance to VEG!

BTW - my bathroom got spotless on my quest to get out of CHAOS, but my current sewing/teaching/camping frenzy has everything pulled out of everywhere. Maybe not so much vegging next week after all...