rockin' the trapeze

Spring break ended on a great note last weekend. Carol, Lorien, and I took a trip down to Escondido to take a trapeze class. Here is the "before" picture:

(Kris, Lorien, Carol)

We went to Trapeze High, tucked away in Escondido. We got there a bit early, so we were able to see people doing super neat trapeze tricks. Trapeze High's website warns that one of the first things that we will notice is that the trapeze seems much higher in real life. I had no idea what to expect, but it didn't look that scary. Because I used to dive, I put this into perspective, in terms of diving boards. Looking at the ground from the trapeze platform was like looking down at the water from the 5 meter tower. The distance from the trapeze platform to the net was like looking down to the water from the 3 meter springboard. More or less.

Our first lesson was to learn how to do a basic swing on the trapeze bar. On the ground, we learned how to prepare to swing by learning the proper stance, the commands, and how to hold the bar. The trapeze bar is surprisingly heavier than it appears.

We wasted no time getting up in the air for our first swings on the trapeze. As I climbed up the ladder, I started to get a bit nervous. (I should mention that I'm kind of scared of heights- seems like I'm subconsciously trying to conquer this fear) I tried my best to not look down and to just stay calm and focused. I'm not sure if I have an adventurous side, but I like to try anything once (or twice). Turning around and climbing back down the ladder just wasn't an option: I knew that I wanted to do this and experience everything. I didn't want to leave at the end of the day knowing that I hadn't given it my all and wondering what I might have been capable of accomplishing.

For the first swing, I just didn't think too much about what it was that I was doing, and I just trusted myself to listen to the instructor yelling out the commands. On my first swing, I got a little nervous (midair) that I wouldn't be able to hold onto the bar, but things turned out just fine. I concentrated on looking at my hands (I think this helps us maintain the correct position), which helped me stay calm and focused, instead of freaking out about flying around in the air. Flying through the air was such an adrenaline rush! When I landed in the net, my heart was simply pounding. Words cannot describe how much fun it was to fly through the air! I felt pretty badass.

After a couple swings, we went back to the ground to learn how to do a knee hang. Our next move on the trapeze was going to be a knee hang and then a back flip. I was pretty excited to try this out- it took me back to my elementary school days of hanging off the monkey bars. At this point, I kind of felt like a fearless little kid, ready to try anything. I climbed up the ladder, and I didn't feel too nervous, though standing on the platform and waiting my turn was kind of nervewracking. As the instructor yelled out the commands as I was flying through the air, I didn't really have to think about knowing when to complete all the steps to the trick. On my first try, I was able to wrap my legs around the bar and hang upside down, but I did not release my hands. However, I did get this right the next two attempts.

After hanging upside down and doing back flips from the trapeze bar, we learned how to do a catch. This was quite possibly the coolest part of the day. For this trick, I completed a knee hang and then stretched my body and reached for the catcher, who caught my arms. It totally rocked. I tried this three times, and the catcher caught me all three times. The first time I tried this, the catcher caught me, and I was so shocked that I actually got this trick that I looked straight up at him so I could stay focused. I joked that it was a good thing that the catcher was cute, and he said that it's easy to catch the cute girls. Then everyone laughed and offerred me breath mints for the next attempt.

It was a great day, and I was on such a high and so excited that I didn't really feel tired or sore at the end. However, two days later, my muscles are kind of achy, and I have bruises behind my knees. The war wounds are well worth it, though. I had such a good time, and I'm proud of us for trying something that many people would be too freaked out to do. The trapeze people talked to us about joining the trapeze club, which I would have been really tempted to do if only they were located in Orange County. The trapeze class was a good spring break adventure, and I'm so glad that I gave it a try. Next up? It might be pole dancing. Stay tuned.

spring break

We're almost through with spring break, and it has gone by so, so fast. I spent the first half grading and I will spend the last half playing. Anyway, we start up a new quarter this Monday, and it will, of course, kick my ass and I might regret taking it easy this past week. Oh well, live and learn.

I am taking an independent study with my adviser, LD. I plan to use the time to read about gender and public law stuff, and to write my 3rd qualifying paper. Then, I am taking a law and courts class with DK. I wasn't planning to take any more classes, but I met with the prof last week, and she talked about the class. It sounded so interesting and worthwhile, so I just had to take it. Finally, I am TAing in the sociology department this quarter, Sociology of Gender for KB. I am looking forward to finally TAing a gender class.

Tomorrow I am taking a trapeze class with Carol and Lorien. Yes, you heard that right- we are taking a trapeze class. I've read about trapeze classes in magazines- in fitness magazines, not like Circus Weekly or something- and they sound like a lot of fun. And I saw this Sex and the City episode where Sarah Jessica Parker's character took a trapeze class. So, it's something that I've considered doing for quite some time now. A couple months ago I mentioned it to Carol and Lorien, and they were on board. So, tomorrow we are headed to Escondido to swing with the greatest of ease on the flying trapeze. Or something like that. Hey, at least it's not a "getting shot out of the cannon" class. Stay tuned for pictures.

On Sunday, my friend and I are going on some sort of excursion through Orange County. Not exactly sure what we're doing, but it will include a field trip to this sculpture garden in Costa Mesa. As usual, stay tuned for pictures.

Okay, I'm headed out to enjoy the last few days of spring break. Have a good weekend!

stand by your man?

Now, I don't have children, but I'm pretty sure that parents teach their kids that hitting, biting, choking, etc is unacceptable in all circumstances. Maybe parents teach their kids to fight back, but they don't teach their kids to start a fistfight or that violence is ever an appropriate remedy. So tell me, why is it that society treats domestic violence in an altogether different manner? Why is it that, in cases of domestic violence, we justify it and think that somehow a woman deserves to be hit, beat, shoved, choked, slapped, etc? Why do we justify these behaviors with the idea that a woman got what she deserved or that she must have provoked it? Why do we place a degree of responsibility, shame, and guilt upon the woman?

Last week, I read an article in which teenage girls were in disbelief over allegations of Chris Brown's physical abuse towards his girlfriend, Rihanna. They believe that Rihanna should also be held responsible for domestic violence and that it was her fault. I am disgusted by this attitude.

We have to believe that women do something to incite this violence because otherwise it means that any woman is a potential victim and any man is a potential perpetrator. Even pop singers and teen idols. If we can place a degree of responsibility and blame upon the victim, then women can relax, believing that they would never do something to provoke violence. We can tell ourselves that it won't happen to us and that we are immune by convincing ourselves that domestic violence is a result of some individual fault rather than a systematic, patriarchal practices and beliefs that women are subordinate to men.

Operation Chocolate Chip Cookie: Trial 17

After testing out the cookie dough, I was pretty confident that I had finally baked the best chocolate chip cookie. But after baking the first batch, I realized that my mission was not yet over (I have no doubt that some of you taste testers are breathing a sigh of relief). This cookie is inspired by my adviser, LD, who suggested baking a cookie with toffee bits. I used the recipe from Trial 8 (the Maple Walnut Chippers- with maple syrup as the secret ingredient), and I added toffee bits and substituted the walnuts for pecans. The cookie dough was full of flavor, and it took some willpower to stop eating it. Anyway, here is a photo of the final product:

I recall that the cookies in Trial 8 baked up quite nicely, but this wasn't the case this time around. The cookies spread out and got kind of thin. They were also pretty dark, and the edges were mildly crunchy and sort of carmelized. The cookies are soft and chewy, but the taste of the pecans is pretty much overpowered by the maple syrup and toffee. Despite the unappealing look, these cookies are quite tasty. The toffee bits seemed to melt in with the maple syrup, giving the cookie a super sweet flavor. It is almost like eating a chewy toffee-maple candy with bursts of chocolate.

I haven't decided if I'm going to give the toffee another go. I was disappointed that the toffee melted into the cookie, rather than retaining its distinct crunchy properties and flavor. Stay tuned.

stick a fork in me: i'm done

Today, I turned in all of my class papers. This means that I am done with the winter quarter, but more triumphantly, I am done with my coursework. Sometimes grad school seems slow moving, but seriously, it goes by so quickly. I have vivid memories of my first year, and it seemed as though it would take an eternity to finish my coursework. Since my first year, I've learned to be an efficient and strategic reader. I've learned to manage my time, and I've slowly learned how to balance and juggle classes, papers, TA responsibilities, yoga, friends, and fun.

random updates

I promise you that I have not abandoned this blog. We are wrapping up the winter quarter, and finals week starts tomorrow. I have 3 short papers due tomorrow, and I've been busy writing a little bit each day. I was also sick last week- I came super close to evading the awful flu bug that's been going around this quarter. I guess the end of the quarter caught up to me.

Anyway, I went to the beach last weekend, took a nice long walk and had dinner with a friend. It was a bit chilly outside, but we're tough cookies. We watched the sunset, and it was really nice, calming, peaceful, and relaxing. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera. Hmmm, what else is going on? Speaking of cookies, I have been satisfying my Girl Scout Cookie fix lately- I've bought cookies along Ring Road, at the Asia Noodle Cafe, and outside Trader Joe's. And finally, my friend and I made vegetarian meatballs and homemade red sauce last night. Actually, he made everything; I made brownies and had clean up duty. Dinner was phenomenal. Homemade red sauce looked really easy to make- he sauteed mushrooms, onions, garlic, and a red pepper and added all of this to a can of chopped tomatoes, a can of tomato paste, salt, pepper, oregano, and basil. Mmmmm...

Okay, that's all for now!

in the news

It has been a long time since my last post, but trust me, I have good reasons. We are nearing the end of quarter (week 10 is next week), and I've been busy with classes and reading. I am working on another draft of my qualifying paper, and I have been reading a lot about rape and high profile rape cases.

This week in my discussion section, we applied the concepts and court cases about the commerce clause, interstate commerce, and the 10th amendment to a hypothetical case involving the legalization and regulation of marijuana. The inspiration for this discussion came from Reefer tax madness, which discussed the introduction of legislation in the California State Assembly to regulate and tax marijuana.

The California State Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Prop 8 this past Thursday. There were rallies in Sacramento, and there is a looming debate over what happens to existing gay marriages. Do they get to remain married, or must they dissolve their marriages?

Inspired to act because of the octomom controversy, Georgia and Missouri have introduced legislation to regulate the fertility industry. I don't condone multiple births or reproductive technology, but this legislation is yet another way to regulate women's fertility. The medical community (as well as the government) has historically practiced the regulation of women's fertility and reproductive health. Until the 19th century, abortion was a common practice (women either self aborted or sought the help of midwives) and it was llegalized when medical doctors pushed for its illegalization. The reason they did this was because they wanted to put the midwives out of business. If a woman wanted an abortion, she had to consult a team of medical doctors who would assess her and decide if she should be granted one. Other examples in which the medical community weighs in on women's health: breastfeeding, childbirth, and now reproductive technology and multiple births. While there is a lot of controversy surrounding the octomom (she's single, unemployed outside the home, receives public assistance), something that hasn't been mentioned is her race. Are we upset that a woman of color is taking advantage of reproductive technology to pass along her DNA? After all, it seems that infertility is a tragedy only when it happens to white women.

R & B singer Chris Brown was in court over assault and criminal charges against his girlfriend, singer Rihanna. And, rumor has it that she's taking him back. Seriously? Seriously. WTF? Yes, people make mistakes, but hitting, biting, choking, etc (and any other sort of abuse) is never right. What message does this send to young girls that look up to Rihanna? Seriously, where is her self respect?

Sometimes, I miss living in the dorms at the University of Minnesota and eating in the cafeteria. Actually, I really don't, but I miss the cereal selection at Centennial Hall. I could eat Golden Grahams one day and Cap'n Crunch the next. It was great. Anyway, I was thinking about all of this when I was struck by a craving for Fruity Pebbles. I bought a box yesterday, and I hope I can eat them in a timely manner so they don't go stale.