Strong points

Here is how I know for sure that dance is the major for me:

1. At the end of Sci Fi today, Chris had us give each other back rubs, roll into our primary curves while sitting (so basically sitting with the torso lying on our legs with our arms flopped over), then snap our fingers in unison to end the class.
2. Candice (my Comp professor) told me I could incorporate drama and vocals into my pieces.
3. We're learning the "Steam Heat" number from The Pajama Game in Jazz.
4. Every time I enter a class for my major feeling grumpy, I leave in such a good/serene/collected state of mind that I can hardly remember why I was so upset in the first place.

My lunch today

Sardines, black tea, and Waker's shortbread.

Pretentious? Moi?

Gratitude

I've been thanking people a lot lately, and I still feel like I can't thank anyone enough. So at the risk of sounding like the winner of the Miss America pageant, I'd like to express my thanks some more.

First and foremost, thank you, Alice Wolff, for tag-teaming Pearls and Cashmere with me. I couldn't have done this without you.

Thank you, Elizabeth Markee-Behrends, for making me take the high road. Without your help from the very start, this project would not have been nearly as successful or powerful as it has become.

Thank you, Lisa Daniels of the Smith College BSA, for organizing such an incredible event in support of Pearls and Cashmere.

Thank you, Smith Sophian, for asking Alice and I to write an opinion piece. When we saw that message, we were both speechless for about thirty seconds, and then there may or may not have been excited squealing.

Thank you, Smith students, both past and present, for making Pearls and Cashmere so successful. We wouldn't be anywhere without your support, your stories, and your outstanding networking abilities.

Of course, I'd like to thank my parents for a) raising three wonderful Smithies b) supporting my endeavors now, and c) just generally being amazing

Of course, no post here on Smif^3 would be complete without a mention for my two wonderful sisters, who are both shining examples of strong, intelligent, smartass Smithies. No one could ask for better sisters.

Thank you, Anne Spurzem, for writing that letter. You've made the diverse Smith community even closer and prouder than we were before, and made literally thousands of people realize just how wonderful Smith is.

Finally, thank you, Emily Randolph, for coming up with the name "Pearls and Cashmere," because our previous title was just hella weak.

2, 262 people attending our Facebook event; 4, 243 invited; 81 declines. 296 followers on Tumblr.

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much.

And it's not even schadenfreude!

Big news, big news!

I'm the most flexible girl in my dance class!!

I feel like maybe I don't get to rejoice about this, because I'm the only dance major in the class, most of whom have taken like three dance classes in their lives, but it's a big deal. After taking class with Katie (the girl who played the Arabian princess in Nutcracker) for so long, the fact that I'm hella flexible in any context makes me feel good.

General question: does this relative flexibility make me a that girl, albeit a fairly quiet one?

Current music: "Summer Breeze" by Seals & Croft, because Alice is a jerk.

FEELINGS

Next time I post something sad, I'll try to follow it up quickly. Just a note to myself.

It's nice and warm today. I took a walk behind the crew house and watched the ducks snack on delicious pond mud. My route back home took me through the garden near the greenhouse and I shared a moment with the dormant bulbs.

Spring isn't coming for a while still, but it's definitely on the way, because I caught myself singing Kimya Dawson today. I only do that when spring is coming around, for some reason. I'm listening to "Losse Lips" right now, and it reminds me of afternoons in the UU church getting ready for Youth Service, pulling out musty-smelling skirts, the smell of dirt and thyme in Forest Lawn, and daffodils.

Ash Wednesday is this week. I'll figure out a way to go get ashes, even though it's my busiest day, and soon I'll pull my bike out again. I'm excited for my bike. I'm excited for the flowers and the dirt and worms and lying out in the sun and taking root.

EDIT: Spring or not, Kimya Dawson is kind of awful. I'm coming out of this mood now.

Bothered and bewildered

After five auditions, four callbacks, and five rejections, like a daisy, I'm awake.

I'm done now. No more.

I want a love that's on the square. Can't seem to find somebody to care, so I'll find a different kind of love.

I think the most important lesson I've learned during my first year at Smith (thus far) is to trust my gut. My first impulse is usually the correct one, but it's hard to trust that first impulse. I'm learning to do that the hard way.

The first thing I wanted to do was Forties Radio Hour. That's not working out on my own, but I'm following that impulse and letting it lead me.

A capella, while nice, isn't what I'm meant to do.

Hello, Jazz Ensemble. Hello, lifelong dream.

It's nice to see you again.

Today's music: "Come Rain or Come Shine," by Billie Holiday. Let's be real; I'm disappointed, but this song sums up my feelings perfectly. And if it's trite...well, just humor me.

Compare and contrast

I've been thinking about site design a lot lately. It started when Adriane was looking at some website that was pictures of baby bunnies, but had such a bad design that it was hard to focus on the cuteness.

Then, a few days later, I found the blog of a certain extremely pretentious Smithie whom I've never met, but I have seen her aggressive self-promotion on Facebook. She has a blog that's much like A Beautiful Mess and The Lovely Undergrad in design and layout, but it's profoundly irritating instead of attractive and charming. In fact, the thing I found the most annoying about her blog (aside from the fact that she photographs her outfit every day) is her little signature at the end of every post. I forget what it is exactly; something along the lines of "Love, Freedom, Rainbow Cookie-Farts" with each word a different color. But my point is, that's exactly the little detail I appreciate about Zoe and the Beatles (she signs using "namaste") and The Lovely Undergrad (who signs with "Stay lovely!).

Where's the line?

I read an interview with Krista from Effing Dykes in which she said that she uses a lot of pictures in her posts because nobody wants to read a wall of text, and that's true. It is exhausting, even when I'm reading something I wrote myself. But there are so many blogs that I read that have almost no information about the person writing them, which is just going to an extreme. Pictures of Seattle and adorable kittens are nice, but I read blogs because I'm interested in the authors, and that kind of layout doesn't help me build a rapport with the author at all. Then, too, I don't understand the point in having a website where you just show and tell things that you like, as opposed to things about you.

Can anyone explain this to me? What's the appeal of a site where you just post pictures? Don't you want to write about your life, what you think and feel? Is there something that I'm just not seeing here?

And should I post more pictures?