Kyra
Kyra: Blonde Ambition, Memoirs and more
This has been quite an eventful week! There were several amazing lectures and exhibits on campus that I was able to attend. I’m really happy that I have the time, or just have managed to balance my time well enough, that I’m able to go to the many events on our campus. I think they really flesh out the experience for me. It’s one thing to go to every class, finish all of the readings, turn in homework etc. But I think supplementing this experience with taking adavantage of the many learning opportunities is what has truly made my time at Linfield wonderful.
I absolutely love the Art and Visual Culture department at Linfield. One could say I’m obligated to do this, since I’m a Visual Culture minor, but I really truly enjoy all of the classes and opportunities they offer. Throughout the year, we bring out various artists to exhibit in our gallery. This gives the chance to see a wide variety of international artists working in various mediums. When we bring these gallery exhibitions to campus, we get to host the artists themselves for about a week! I love going to art museums, so having one directly on campus is a joy. In addition, having the ability to go to events with the artist is wonderful. Currently, we’re hosting a gallery exhibition called “Blonde Ambition” by ceramic artist, Roxanne Jackson. I’ve never thought much about cermaic sculpture, but I absolutely love the level of detail and mythology within her work. The mysterious and mystical feel to her work is alluring–it’s hard to just walk by the gallery on my way to class without stopping in and examining some new detail.
I was able to sit in on one of her artist talks. As I said, we’re able to host the visiting artist during the first week of their exhibition. They present various lectures, gallery receptions, visit classes and work with students. I attended her Artist Talk, where about 15 or 20 other students and I were able to sit in the gallery with her and discuss her body of work, along with the various pieces featured in the show. Hearing her talk about her work was quite interesting and provided a new dimension to appreciating the work . I took pictures of my favorite works within the exhibition to reference the general feel and look to her aesthetic. After this, I think she’ll definitely be an artist I’ll keep track of in the future.
One of my favorite pieces from the exhibition, I love the color and texture!
This piece just seemed so layered in texture, meaning, and material–I loved it.
This peice was one of the largest in the gallery, and one of the most eye catching!
The next day, I was also able to attend a reading in the library of Kim Stafford’s newest book, “100 Tricks Every Boy Can Do: A Memoir”. Stafford teaches at Lewis & Clark College in Portland and is the son of Oregon’s poet Laureate, William Stafford. As I’m a fan of William Stafford’s poetry, I was quite curious about this event, just to see how writes. Many of my professors were in attendance, so it was nice to see and chat with them outside of the classroom or office hours. The reading itself was very engaging. Written about his late brother, in episodic tales and memories, it was nice to hold the book in context with Kim Stafford’s personal anecdotes about his process and actual events.
Kim Stafford reading an excerpt from his book.
This week, we’re kicking of the Greenfield Club’s Earth Week and Fusion’s Sexuality Week! As a result, this week is even more packed with fun events about both sustainability and diversity. There’s something different to do almost every night, with large culminating events for both on Friday. I plan to attend as many as possible. On Friday, there’s an event called the Earth Games, where Linfield students will compete in sustainability themed events, a local foods barbeque, our annual Linfield Burn event through the Art department, and our first annual drag show! I have many friends participating in the Earth Games and performing in the Drag show, so I’m really excited to see how this all pans out. Everyone in both clubs have worked so hard and long to pull off these events, so to see these efforts rewarded will be wonderful. They’ve also tried to work in conjunction with eachother, since many of their members intersect, to allow students the ability to attend all of the events. That’s definitely one of the benefits of going to a small school such as Linfield. Collaborating on a friendly basis with clubs from across campus is extremely accessible.
I got this wristband today in support of Fusion’s Sexuality Week!
A list of all of the fun events for Earth Week 2013!
If you’re interested in checking out more of Roxanne Jackon’s exhibit, or her work in general, here’s a link to our gallery website: http://www.linfield.edu/art/gallery-now.html
For more information on Kim Stafford’s book, or the author himself: http://www.linfield.edu/linfield-news/memoirs-of-brotherhood-featured-at-stafford-reading/
Kyra: Mooncakes, Cupcakes and a Rapidly Expanding Universe
Now that the first week back from Spring Break is over, things are finally starting to settle into a normal rhythm. Classes are going smoothly, the reading and writing I have for my courses is picking up, and the campus is buzzing with different lectures to attend. There’s so much going on (and it’s definitely a good thing). Even though the famous Oregon rain has begun again, it’s been a lovely spring so far.
Last week, my Bad Girls Literature class actually got the chance to Skype with one of the authors we’re reading! My professor, Dr. Reshi Dutt-Ballerstadt, worked with her on her Ph.D., so we were able to get some private time with Marilyn Chin. She works as a professor and as an author, mostly working in poetry. However, for our class, we’re reading her novel, “Revenge of the Mooncake Vixen”. It’s wonderfully scandalous and one of the most entertaining books I’ve read thus far, for my English degree. We were able to ask her any questions we had about the novel–her choice of style, the basis on traditional Chinese folklore/fairy tales, the correlations within her personal life etc. I’d been looking forward to this Skype meeting for several weeks. It was a really unique opportunity to be able to speak with her, not in a lecture setting or at a book reading, but a very open and honest dialogue about her book and feminist or immigrant literature. I’m seriously considering pursuing graduate studies in English Literature with an emphasis in gender or cultural studies, so this really helped me get a feel for what that could potentially look like.
I also started my training for this upcoming fall 2013 as a Peer Advisor! For those of you who will be freshman in the fall, you’ll be enrolled in a kind of “Linfield/College 101″ course. This is geared toward introducing students to Linfield and helping them get a feel for how life and studies on campus works. As a Peer Advisor, I get to work with a class of students as an assistant to the Faculty Member who teaches the course and as a resource for students. So, I help with everything from registering for that very first fall semester to guiding you around campus policies and getting involved in student activities. I found it really beneficial as a freshman–I still take classes from my Faculty Advisor, Dr. Brian Winkenweder. So, I’m really excited to start work! It’ll be a really great experience and I’m looking forward to getting to know the incoming freshmen, especially for my senior year!
In other news, despite my workload, I’ve been able to keep up a lively social life–which is always nice to balance out the stress. For my friend, Annika’s, birthday, we threw her a Great Gatsby themed party! ‘The Great Gatsby” is one of my favorite books, not to mention I really love Modernism as a genre, so I was really excited. I love decorating and setting up for events like this, so it was a lot of fun to be able to do this. So, of course, I made themed cupcakes–little tuxedos in honor of the section in the book where Gatsby and Daisy run around his mansion throwing all his silk shirts in the air. (They were a hit) Everyone looked amazing and wore costumes–you’d think that after elementary school themed birthday parties go down the drain, the truth is that they get even better and more interesting!
Tonight, I’ll be attending a lecture by Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt, called “The Accelerating Universe”. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to see him speak–did I mention that it’s free and open to the public? The lecture is a part of a series symposium. Linfield is one of five locations that hosts this. So, I’d say we’re pretty lucky to see it. I’m not well versed in the sciences, but I wouldn’t pass up the chance to see him speak. The lecture itself is about the expansion of the universe which I’m sure, even if I’m not familiar with all of the technical verbiage, will prove to be very interesting. I absolutely love how Linfield provides such great opportunities for learning across all disciplines. I’m really looking forward to tonight and the many other amazing lectures they’ve scheduled for the year.
For more info on the lecture, follow the link: http://www.linfield.edu/linfield-news/expanding-universe/
Annika and I were going for the Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker look.
My lovely tuxedo cupcakes, don’t they look delicious?
Kyra: April Sunshine, with Hopefully Few Showers
It’s the first day back from Spring Break and so far, the weather is holding! My fingers are crossed that this gorgeous streak of sunshine will continue (However, since this is this Pacific Northwest, I predict rain by the end of the week). It made for a lovely spring break. It’s nice to return to campus in the same vein of wonderful weather. I know I’ve probably said this before, but Oregon in the Spring is absolutely beautiful. Everything is green and growing–not to mention that we finally get to see the sun! It is hard to focus on studying, reading and writing when it’s warm out though. I’m glad I got most of my cabin fever out over the break.
Spring break is always a welcome release from school. It’s easy to get completely caught up in working and studying, but a week off provides the very necessary breather to keep things sane. I didn’t do much over the break, I returned home to Sandy to see my family and relax. My little sister, who is a freshman in college now, was also on Spring Break, so we got to spend time together like we haven’t been able to in months. Whenever I’m home over break, I like seeing my friends and family, exploring Portland and trying new restaurants. That’s all my mind needs to recharge for school.
As always, I have a list of must-see’s and do’s for Portland. My first Saturday back in Portland, my mother, sister and I spent the day together and went to Pastini Pasteria in downtown Portland’s. Coincidentally, it’s right near the Portland Campus on 23rd street, so if you’re planning on visiting or going to our Nursing school, I reccomend a visit. They serve the most amazing pasta and guilt inducing dessert (although I really didn’t feel guilt at all). Definitely try their Tiramisu. I think it’d be a great place to go if you’re just in the area for lunch, or if you’re celebrating your acceptance to Linfield or our Nursing program! 23rd street is a great strip to explore. It’s the epitome of eclectic Portland–a great mix of shops, restaurants and the occasional food or coffee cart (and of course local and sustainable, would we expect anything else from the city?).
Of course, there were times for friends as well. That’s another nice aspect of spring break–it gives you the chance to reconnect with your friends that you might not normally see when you’re at school. In high school, it’s fairly easy to stay in touch with everyone. It’s a little bit harder to keep contact once everyone disperses after gradutation, however. One of my closest friends from high school attends Whitworth in Spokane, and spent this past summer in Manhattan, so we always try to spend at least one evening together when we’re home. This time, and I feel only a slight twinge of guilt, we went to see “The Host”. Yes, it’s rather like a futuristic post-apocalyptic Twilight with aliens, but it really is kind of fun to watch a movie and come away with a description like that. Bad movies are usually the best to see with friends.
Winding down the week, my family went out to breakfast with my older brother at a restaurant called, “Slappy Cakes”. This is another purely Portland experience. It’s kind of a long wait to get in, but if you’re visiting Portland for a couple days, or are driving through back from or to Spring Break, this is a great place to go. As the name references, go here for the pancakes, which you actually can customize and make yourself at the table. You order whatever batter and toppings you want–anywhere from savory with bacon and green onion to sweet like chocolate chips and fruit, to different like honey and lavender. They give you all of the ingredients and you can make the pancakes to your preference–or you can give them your order and have them make it for you. My sister ordered chocolate chips and almonds, but I decided to order off the menu because really–I cook for myself all the time and I felt lazy. It’s a fun experience that I definitely reccommend you try at least once.
Packing up and coming home is always a little bittersweet, but I’m excited to see where the rest of the semester leads! I have some pretty great opportunities lined up for the rest of the year and summer that I’m looking forward to starting, which I’ll tell you all about next time! For now, I’m just happy to be back and see all of the familiar faces I love at Linfield. This is the last semester of my junior year!
Delicious dessert at Pastini!
My siblings and I at Slappy Cakes!
My little sister, Sierra, and I.
Kyra: Bag and Baggage, Spring Break!
This week is about to take off! The few days before Spring Break are always packed with events, midterms, studying and more. By the time break actually rolls around, it’s much needed. I have three fairly intense midterm exams in the next several days, so I’m very much looking forward to taking a breather from studying.
However much I complain about exams and the copious amounts of reading, writing, and stressing these require, I really do love all my classes this year. I’ve always been able to get into all the classes that I wanted, throughout my time at Linfield, but I feel like I’m finally narrowing down my interest pool to what I want to pursue after graduation. Being a Junior is wonderful, my circle of friends are an amazing support system, especially when school and life get overwhelming. This weekend, we were able to get together and take a break from diving into our reading. It was nice to leave the books at home for an evening and have a lovely evening with everyone. Of course, it being St. Patrick’s Day, we all had to wear green.
Earlier this week, I was inducted into the Linfield’s brand new chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, a international English Literature honorary. Several Lit majors, along with our professors, had petitioned to open up a division at Linfield this fall, so it was nice to see that come into fruition. About fifteen other English and Creative Writing students were inducted into the honor society, so we had a small get together where we brainstormed for the upcoming years. Since we’re the inaugral group, we have a lot of freedom in deciding what we’d like to do with the club in the future. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how it goes! I’m sure it will be a lot of fun–the department is very close, so we tend to work well together. After only the first meeting, we already have a ton of great ideas. Lastly, we all recieved some very cool pins for the honorary society, which look very spiffy.
I also had the wonderful opportunity to see a play with my Shakespeare class, last Thursday. Currently, we’re reading “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and the Bag & Baggage Theatre in Hillsboro is showing a production of John Dennis’ 1702 rewrite of the play. So, we were able to get tickets to hold the two in comparison. What made this even more interesting was the setting! The entire show was presented as a 1950′s black and white sitcom. Everything was in black and white–the set, the costuming, the makeup etc. I’d never seen “Merry Wives” portrayed as such, or even any live production with this type of set. Overall, the cast pulled the show off wonderfully. Seeing the show with other students from my class was a lot of fun as well–since we’d been having all the same group discussions, we were able to talk with some familiarity about the show, and get into some interesting topics.
Today in class, we had the pleasure of speaking with the director of the production, Scott Palmer. He answered questions we had about all aspects of the show–casting, inspiration, scripts etc. It was interesting to get the multiple perspectives after the lapse between seeing the show and discussing it, especially with the artistic director present.
If you’re interested in seeing the production, follow the link: http://www.bagnbaggage.org/
After this week, spring break can’t come sooner! I’m very much looking forward to seeing my family, friends, and spending a little time at home.
Kyra: Sunny Spring Days
This week has been absolutely beautiful! It’s so nice to finally get a preview of the sun, after so much rain. I moved to Oregon, from the Big Island of Hawaii about ten years ago, so I’m used to all the rain we get here, but I still miss the sun. It’s fun to see how all the different students at Linfield take advantage of the sunshine. We have about a nine month rainy season here in the Willamette Valley, so we take advantage of as much sun as we can get. There were students tanning, playing volleyball, ultimate frisbee, studying outside–I even heard of a giant slip and slide out on one of our game fields. The wireless internet here extends out to some of the fields, so you see students everywhere, spread out with food, blankets, and homework.
Personally, if I’m not reading outside, when it’s sunny out, I like to take a walk downtown with my friends and grab coffee. So, this Friday, Annika and I walked downtown and did some window shopping and took a break from studying. Third Street, the downtown area of McMinnville, is an awesome place to walk around, all times of the year. There’s a really lovely restaurant ,Community Plate. I hadn’t been there much–only one or two times for lunch. I usually prefer to go to Cornerstone–it’s a pretty central place for most Linfield students and we do a lot of studying there. Plus, they’re locally owned and operated, so it’s nice to support local business. However, we decided to go to Community Plate! As it turns out, they sell my very favorite coffee (like all Oregonians, I live off of good coffee), Stumptown! It’s kind of an addiction. Community Plate is also locally owned and operated–with a great rustic Americana interior–there are great open community tables for people to sit at together. It’s got a wonderful, welcoming vibe and delicious food. They also source all of their food seasonally and locally, which is a pretty big trend in Oregon. We love to support local farms and businesses. If you’ve ever seen Portlandia, it’s a pretty accurate spoof about how we treat “going local”. I’ll certainly be making a habit of going there more often.
We got some coffee and got to sit in the sun, just outside. It’s nice to relax and people watch for a bit, instead of bringing a textbook outside and squinting at the text. Although I do love reading outside, it was really nice to just take a step back and observe. I hope this is a sign of Spring coming to Oregon. I love all the seasons here, but I’m definitely ready for some change in the weather. Oregon in the spring is absolutely gorgeous. Of course, we get an exhorbiant amount of rain, but it helps keep us green all year round–even into the late summer when it gets up into the 100′s. Flowers are starting to bloom around campus, along with our cherry blossom trees. It makes wallking to class very beautiful.
With luck, this weather will keep up! It’s been overcast today, so I guess we have to make up for all of the beautiful and premature sun we got over the weekend. However, it gets us ready for some pretty exciting events we’re having on campus. This week is Election week for ASLC, so we’ll choose our President for senior year! This year, two of my friends are running, so it makes voting difficult–but I know whoever ends up getting the position will have great intentions for Linfield in mind. I’m looking forward to voting and seeing who wins.
This upcoming week, we also have a great series of lectures! Tomorrow, I’m going to a lecture on,“Childe Harold and Fitzwilliam Darcy: A Tale of Two 200-Year-Old Heroes,” by Dr. Peter Graham, sponsored by the English Department, which will focus on Lord Byron, Mr. Darcy, Romanticism and the “dark hero”. So, I’m sure it’ll be really interesting. The Poltical Science and various other Humanities departments are also sponsoring several great events. Sometimes it’s hard to narrow down what to attend–both during the week and over the weekend.
This past Saturday, Linfield brought the film, “Les Miserables” to campus. The ICE auditioruim was filled! Anne Hathaway definitely deserved an Oscar for that role. It’s so cool to see her in a film like this; she’s held a special place in my heart since seeing her as Mia Thermopolis in “The Princess Diaries”. I’m fairly certain everyone in the audience cried at least once–if you haven’t seen it yet, I reccommend it highly. This was my second time seeing it and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first time. The music, acting, cinematography and costuming are amazing! Also, you’ll like this if you’re a fan of Hugh Jackman. ( I know I am!) After the film, we were able to go to a friend’s house for a bonfire, so it circled around to a really nice end to the evening.
If you’re interested in checking out Community Plate the next time you’re in the area: http://www.communityplate.com/
If you haven’t seen Les Miserables yet, here’s the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkHHHUk8RCw
I’ve included a few pictures from this weekend!
Catching up on some studying–transitioning from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to “The Merry Wives of Windsor”
Literally the best mocha you will ever have–I am addicted to Stumptown (if you can’t tell already)
Sitting outside Community Plate with Annika! Such a lovely day!