I'm a bad blogger...I decided to make the move to Wordpress with the Adventures of a Part Time Wheeler blog. There are things I like about both blogging platforms, and dislike about both platforms, but it is allowing me to organize my posts in a way that works better for my work/school/pain-addled brain right now. I'm hoping that I will be able to afford my own URL as well in the fall (likely www.parttimewheeler.com, or a similar derivation). It's still under construction, so don't mind the dusty bits.
Feel free to head over there and take a look. If you like what I'm writing, doing, accomplishing, I would love donations to my adaptive aid fund through GoFundMe or directly through Paypal. If you like how I write and want to hire me for editing work, check out the details here to get started (rates negotiable! Help a gimpy grad student pay her medical bills!).
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Moving to a new blog home?
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| Wheelie selfie |
What do you all think? Stay with Blogger or go with Wordpress?
Sunday, March 9, 2014
OOTD: Bee-autiful in blue polka dots
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| OOTD in my laundry room mirror |
This dress was actually my second garment from Gwynnie Bee, a clothing subscription service geared for sizes 10-28. Because I had a free garment for getting a referral credit, I accidentally had this in two colors at the same time (whoops!). This was my first attempt at wearing an empire waist in a non-stretch fabric and I'm in love with this cut on my body. Even though I was in quite a bit of pain that day, I felt dolled up and adorable!
Friday, March 7, 2014
OOTD: More Gwynnie Bee, office edition
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| OOTD from a couple weeks ago |
This blazer and dress combo was another outfit from Gwynnie Bee. I was having a really rough pain day (hence the pulled back & somewhat greasy hair), but I was trying to compensate by looking pretty. This dress got a lot of compliments at work! It was also decently comfortable, although the arms on the blazer were a little snug. It also came with a decorative belt, but my spine said "no" to anything sitting firmly near my cyborg bits.
So far, I'm pretty happy with Gwynnie Bee...I just wish I could have more control of what garments come at what time, but it's been satisfying my desire to shop but keeps me to a better budget with the membership cost (free to try with this link, then starts at $35 per month depending on how many garments at a time you have).
One of these days I'll have an OOTD (outfit of the day) with my wheelchair. Because my office and campus as a whole aren't particularly wheelchair accessible, I've been toughing it out with my crutch and pain meds.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Cyborg Birthday: A year and a few days post-op
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| X-rays from during surgery 1/16/13 |
For example, I really wish that doctors wouldn't have told me that I was too young for surgery and that I should wait as long as I possibly could until going under the knife. Recently, I've found information that is specific to the spine abnormality and injuries I had (spinous process fracture, bilateral pars defects, grade 2 spondylolysthesis, resulting in degenerative disc disease...for those of you medically curious) that points to surgery being more successful in people with low-to-mid grade vertebral slips (spondylolysthesis). Well hell's bells. Add to that some anecdata from other "spondy" patients that show that the longer we wait, the more nerve (and in some cases like mine, spinal cord) damage we have....that can become irreversible if surgery is postponed.
I have to admit that this is one of those things that I wish I could go back in time and change. The time, money, and energy I have invested because of chronic pain is immense. The things I've given up, the time burned away because my thoughts were stuck in painbrain, the events I've canceled or skipped because I couldn't function....the list goes on, and yeah, I'm a bit bitter and upset, and that's valid.
Long story short, I have a lot of nerve damage that probably would have healed had I not waited (especially with my birth defect....less damage would have been easier for my physiology to attempt to heal from). Chronic pain is exhausting, and it's really wearing down on me. It's also exhausting to live as a fat gimpy person where doctors refuse to believe my activity levels or desires, especially in a society that privileges walking over wheeling and assumes that all wheelers are paralyzed.
I regret postponing the surgery, not the surgery itself. There's no telling that I would have a better outcome, so I'm trying to not beat myself up about how everything happened.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Call For Proposals: National Women's Studies Association 2014 Fat Studies Interest Group
Here is the NWSA Fat Studies CFP for 2013. Please feel free to pass on!
NWSA 2014 Fat Studies Interest Group Call for Papers--
November 13-16, 2014 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Papers on any topic at the intersection of women's studies/ feminism/ womanism/ gender/ sexuality and fat studies will be considered.
At minimum, your submission should fall under one of the following themes for NWSA 2014:
For more information on the themes, visit: http://www.nwsa.org/
While this is an open call, topic suggestions from last year's meeting include:
If you are interested in being a part of the 2014 Fat Studies panels at NWSA, please send the following info by February 13, 2014 to NWSA Fat Studies Interest Group Co-Chairs Michaela A. Nowell and Candice Casas: (michaela.nowell@uwc.edu and cdbuss@uncg.edu). Please make sure one of us confirms receipt of your submission.
Your submission should include your:
*Name, Institutional Affiliation, Snail Mail, Email, Phone.
*NWSA Theme your paper fits under (and fat studies topic area/s if yours fits any of the above).
*Title for your talk, a one-page, double-spaced abstract in which you lay out your topic and its relevance to this session.
*AND a 100 word truncated abstract (NWSA requirement).
Each person will speak for around 15 minutes, and we will leave time for Q&A. In order to present with your name in the program, you must become a member of NWSA in addition to registering for the conference.
_______________________________________________________________
If you submit a fat studies related paper or panel, you can tag it with the keyword 'fat feminisms,' and likewise search the program for 'fat feminisms' to find relevant panels. If you submit a paper or panel on your own, we encourage you to use this keyword if your paper or panel fits the bill. We thank NWSA for adding a keyword that helps conference attendees locate fat studies panels.
NWSA 2014 Fat Studies Interest Group Call for Papers--
November 13-16, 2014 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Papers on any topic at the intersection of women's studies/ feminism/ womanism/ gender/ sexuality and fat studies will be considered.
At minimum, your submission should fall under one of the following themes for NWSA 2014:
- Rethinking the Nation
- Trans-feminisms
- Technologizing Futures
- Love and Labor
- Creating Justice
For more information on the themes, visit: http://www.nwsa.org/
While this is an open call, topic suggestions from last year's meeting include:
- Social media and Social Networking
- Fat sexualities (asexuality, hypersexuality, deviant sexualities)
- Defining and Refining Fat Studies
- Fatness and Beauty Ideals/Beauty Privilege
- Women of Color and Body Size/Fatness
- Fat Intersections (including race, nationality, disability, sexuality, appearance/beauty)
- Fat Feminist Research Methods (including role of the researcher body)
- Fat Feminists Theorizing the Body
- Fatopias/Fat Utopias
- Transnational Fat Bodies (immigration, globalization)
- Knowledge-sharing/de-colonizing
- Fat Performance/Performing Fatness/Fat Icons
- Fat Activism & Feminism/Fatosphere
If you are interested in being a part of the 2014 Fat Studies panels at NWSA, please send the following info by February 13, 2014 to NWSA Fat Studies Interest Group Co-Chairs Michaela A. Nowell and Candice Casas: (michaela.nowell@uwc.edu and cdbuss@uncg.edu). Please make sure one of us confirms receipt of your submission.
Your submission should include your:
*Name, Institutional Affiliation, Snail Mail, Email, Phone.
*NWSA Theme your paper fits under (and fat studies topic area/s if yours fits any of the above).
*Title for your talk, a one-page, double-spaced abstract in which you lay out your topic and its relevance to this session.
*AND a 100 word truncated abstract (NWSA requirement).
Each person will speak for around 15 minutes, and we will leave time for Q&A. In order to present with your name in the program, you must become a member of NWSA in addition to registering for the conference.
_______________________________________________________________
If you submit a fat studies related paper or panel, you can tag it with the keyword 'fat feminisms,' and likewise search the program for 'fat feminisms' to find relevant panels. If you submit a paper or panel on your own, we encourage you to use this keyword if your paper or panel fits the bill. We thank NWSA for adding a keyword that helps conference attendees locate fat studies panels.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Cyborg Dance Projekt: Workin' the Workshops!
I've been looking forward to this weekend since I heard about it. It was World In Motion's New Year's Gala with workshops and show. It's really the first time I've performed for a bellydance-specific audience since about 2009 at CONvergence back home in Minnesota. The weekend included four different workshop options (3 on Saturday, 1 on Sunday), each workshop lasting for 2 hours a peace. I knew that my spine was only going to tolerate one per day if I was lucky...since I was performing with my troupe Saturday night, I had to be really really careful with my spine if I wanted to be up on stage.
The Saturday workshop options were an ATS® combinations class with Nandana, a tribaret class with Emily Beaman, an ATS® with a Veil class with Sadiya from MN. I was torn between the two ATS® classes, but ended up taking the first one as it gave me enough time between the workshop and the performance so I could rest up before the show in case my spine misbehaved.
Sunday had one option, a tribal fusion master class with Sara Beaman. That was a no-brainer as I've taken a few classes with Sara, and she has been one of the people cheering this Projekt on (even offering to help me figure out bellydance biomechanics post-surgery, even though I didn't take her up on the offer).
The workshop with Nandana went well, no thanks to some charming North Carolina winter weather including a huge thunder storm. She taught us a slow move with a three variations (the strongarm), a fast duet move that uses a base move that doesn't bother my spine when I don't overdo it (Arabic do-si-do), then a combination series that demonstrated how to string movements that help make the dance style look almost choreographed (Egyptian to double bump to single bump turn, to single bump half turn). During the Arabic do-si-do, I paired up with a troupe mate, but we ended up picking up the movement so quickly that we split up to help other dancers....which helped me realize that pursuing ATS® teacher training if I can financially swing it this summer is a good idea.
After the workshop I spent the afternoon hanging out at my partner's parents' house relaxing and trying to stay reclined until I needed to get my makeup on, hair done, and strapped into my costuming. I was a little nervous as my partner had never seen me perform and it was his first bellydance show. On top of that, I was a little wound up because I was relying on a troupe mate to bring hair flowers as I made a last minute costuming decision but didn't have hair decor that went with my black, red, orange, & white color scheme (see photo above for the hair as it all worked out!).
The show went really well. I danced with four troupe mates to a slow but short piece that garnered a lot of compliments. Thankfully my balance kept me upright despite my usual stubborn habit of leading a move that involves briefly being on the balls of my feet (camel walk....I'll usually "cheat" the move and not go on releve if I'm not leading, but since I'm so short I worry that dancers following me will have trouble catching the cue otherwise). As usual, I overdid it....but I really don't regret it because of all the fun I had dancing....plus I got to see a lot of really fantastic dance of a variety of styles. My partner enjoyed himself as well...so bonus! I hope he realizes that this means he has to come to more of my shows!
This morning was a bit rough going. I slept very poorly because of pain, so I was a bit worried about how the workshop was going to go....but since Sara is somewhat familiar with my spine-related impairment (we're Facebook friends), I figured I could get away with doing whatever I needed to do to have a productive experience. That really made my experience better. I brought my crutch into the studio and ended up using it quite a bit to lean on for locking drills & liquid backwalks. I sat on the floor for the breakdown of sidewinders. I leaned against the wall to drill some arm movements. Long story short, I did the best I could with what my spine was offering and I had a fun and productive time. Even better...I have some movement ideas for what I want to do when I settle on music for the Cyborg Dance Projekt solo performance and I am learning how I need to dance with my crutch to make it work.
All in all a productive weekend, even if I am still grumbling about missing the veil workshop. I'm going to sweet talk my troupe & dance collective sisters to pass along their knowledge once I get the right kind of veil for it!
Photo descriptions:
Top photo: the background is a white walled room with a dark brown door behind my head. I'm wearing heavy stage makeup with red, white, and black faux flowers on my head and my hair pulled up. On my upper body I'm wearing a black choli with a red decorated bra along with a pewter coin necklace.
Bottom photo: taken in a dance studio with only sunlight lighting the room with the photo showing us from the hips up. I stand arm in arm with Sara Beaman, who is a bit taller than me with short brown hair & a warm smile. We are both wearing dance practice clothes and my crutch is barely visible in the photo.
 |
| Pre-performance selfie- false lashes! |
Sunday had one option, a tribal fusion master class with Sara Beaman. That was a no-brainer as I've taken a few classes with Sara, and she has been one of the people cheering this Projekt on (even offering to help me figure out bellydance biomechanics post-surgery, even though I didn't take her up on the offer).
The workshop with Nandana went well, no thanks to some charming North Carolina winter weather including a huge thunder storm. She taught us a slow move with a three variations (the strongarm), a fast duet move that uses a base move that doesn't bother my spine when I don't overdo it (Arabic do-si-do), then a combination series that demonstrated how to string movements that help make the dance style look almost choreographed (Egyptian to double bump to single bump turn, to single bump half turn). During the Arabic do-si-do, I paired up with a troupe mate, but we ended up picking up the movement so quickly that we split up to help other dancers....which helped me realize that pursuing ATS® teacher training if I can financially swing it this summer is a good idea.
After the workshop I spent the afternoon hanging out at my partner's parents' house relaxing and trying to stay reclined until I needed to get my makeup on, hair done, and strapped into my costuming. I was a little nervous as my partner had never seen me perform and it was his first bellydance show. On top of that, I was a little wound up because I was relying on a troupe mate to bring hair flowers as I made a last minute costuming decision but didn't have hair decor that went with my black, red, orange, & white color scheme (see photo above for the hair as it all worked out!).
The show went really well. I danced with four troupe mates to a slow but short piece that garnered a lot of compliments. Thankfully my balance kept me upright despite my usual stubborn habit of leading a move that involves briefly being on the balls of my feet (camel walk....I'll usually "cheat" the move and not go on releve if I'm not leading, but since I'm so short I worry that dancers following me will have trouble catching the cue otherwise). As usual, I overdid it....but I really don't regret it because of all the fun I had dancing....plus I got to see a lot of really fantastic dance of a variety of styles. My partner enjoyed himself as well...so bonus! I hope he realizes that this means he has to come to more of my shows!
 |
| Post-workshop with Sara Beaman |
All in all a productive weekend, even if I am still grumbling about missing the veil workshop. I'm going to sweet talk my troupe & dance collective sisters to pass along their knowledge once I get the right kind of veil for it!
Photo descriptions:
Top photo: the background is a white walled room with a dark brown door behind my head. I'm wearing heavy stage makeup with red, white, and black faux flowers on my head and my hair pulled up. On my upper body I'm wearing a black choli with a red decorated bra along with a pewter coin necklace.
Bottom photo: taken in a dance studio with only sunlight lighting the room with the photo showing us from the hips up. I stand arm in arm with Sara Beaman, who is a bit taller than me with short brown hair & a warm smile. We are both wearing dance practice clothes and my crutch is barely visible in the photo.
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