Floral Blues

After many interviews and much worrying, I've finally found a full-time job for the summer. I'll be working for a local HIV/AIDS non-profit organization and I'm really excited about it. I don't start until next Monday, and with the stress of job hunting gone I've been able to relax and enjoy a bit of a holiday. This has, admittedly, meant spending a lot of time in sweatpants reading on my balcony and watching Criminal Minds, but it's nice to get dressed up and join the real world on occasion. Last night a friend and I went to a literary open mic and had a really great time. This week is the Cathedral Village Arts Festival and there are a tonne of of events and activities all week. I hope to enjoy as much of it as possible before I start my 9-5 job!



thrifted Reitmans dress, thrifted necklace, AA cardigan, WLC tights, F21 boots

Fruit Basket

I've finally jumped into polymer clay crafts and I really love it. I always thought polymer clay was too expensive, but you use such small amounts of it with each project so it's not that bad. Plus: Handmade jewelry! Polymer clay foods! My favourite things!



While I was making the fruity necklace, I also made this rainbow pin to wear for CUQSC/general queer positivity. I'm hoping to have a polymer clay craft night at our queer youth group soon, I think they would really like it!

 

Life Lately

This 6-week hiatus was totally unexpected, but life's been busy (and incredibly wonderful) lately. Since my last post I was elected chair of UR Pride (our campus and city pride centre), finished the semester with decent grades, visited the town where Corner Gas was filmed, moved out of residence (to a great place downtown), had a ceramic and audio art installation in my first every gallery show, saw Said the Whale, visited my family in Edmonton, changed my hair (I feel like a mermaid and/or femme goddess), and hosted/attended/volunteered at the Canadian University Queer Services Conference (CUQSC) which has been such an incredibly, affirming experience. I even performed a spoken word poem last (for the first time ever) at our open mic last night and it went really well. I was ridiculously nervous but it didn't come across in my speech and I got a lot of compliments, hugs, and high-fives. My sometimes bratty, way-cooler-than-expected*, queer fat femme identity has been affirmed and loved and finally, for once, not needing to be constantly validated and it's just so incredible.



*For real. After I did my spoken word a friend of mine said "Why didn't you tell me you can do that? I think you surprised everyone" and a new conference friend said "I'll be honest, I didn't know you were that cool. I didn't give you enough credit." Subverting people's expectations of me (skirt-wearing, painfully polite, a bit shy at times) seems to be my thing, and it's actually kind of fun.

**I also can't make any promises to post more frequently, even though I'd love to. I don't have internet at my new place yet and I'm still desperately looking for a second job. Maybe when my finances are a bit more sorted out?