The First Day of School

I had my first Gender and Crime class this morning (funny they changed the title from Women and Crime to Gender and Crime last week and enrollment shot up, filling the class, just two days before the start of it). The professor is awesome; I am really looking forward to listening to her lecture for a semester. She is primarily a criminology professor, but her interest within the field is female offenders.

The highlight of the first session went something like this: Dr. Cecil was giving a very brief history of feminism and feminist criminology and asked the class who believed in women's rights...I'd say 70% of the class raised their hands (disturbing to me that it was not everyone, or at least all of the women - which is most of the class, save for 5 or 6 guys), and then she followed up by asking us to keep our hands up if we considered ourselves a feminist. Only myself and one black woman in the front row kept their hand up. Our professor smiled at each of us (all two of us) and said, "Well, good to know I'm not totally alone." Which served to bond us three a little bit. And then she went on to read the dictionary definition of a feminist (which is, for those who do not know, "an individual who believes in social, financial, and political equality for all.") She noted that most studies show that when people are asked if they believe in, "insert definition here," more than 75% of peopled polled (men and women) agree, that number drops to less than 1/3 of that percentage if the question contains the word feminist.

Needless to say this is going to be a great class for me, and I already made friends with the middle aged black criminology major who I talked to after class.

AND! Crazy small world...a friend I went to high school with is in my class. We haven't seen each other in 11 years, yet both chose the same semester to back to school and the same class to take first. Funny, that.

Oh and one post script – I found this cool little ‘what is women’s studies’ thing on the Emory University site (they have one of the best PhD programs in the country) and I thought it might serve as explanation about my studies to my friends and family:

What is women's and gender studies?
Women's and gender studies draws on the humanities, arts, social and biological sciences to explore the broad range of intellectual questions concerning both the social positions of women and the gendered constructions of knowledge, identity, and culture. Students in the program have the opportunity to study theories of feminism, gender, and sexuality; the diversity of women's experiences and representations past and present; and women's movements in the United States and around the globe.

What can I do with a degree in women's and gender studies?
The women's and gender studies curriculum prepares students for a wide range of careers. Graduates of our program are applying their skills and knowledge to academic and professional pursuits in medicine, law, education, government, social service, public policy, religion, counseling, international relations, journalism, publishing, business, and the arts. Click here for a list of what some of our graduates are currently doing.

Glamour's Woman of the Year

Weeee! She made it!

So, per my previous post I nominated an author and feminist activist whom I admire very much for the Glamour Woman of the Year Award and she made the finals!
Jessica's nomination

You can vote for her there (or any of the finalists - they all sound amazing - all the finalists) and if we make the semi-finals (I think) we both go to the gala in New York. It's stiff competition, so either way I will be happy. It's funny how you do little things like that assuming nothing will come of it. And in the end she won a spot in the finals, some major national recognition, and I got the inspiration I needed to get off my a*s and go back to school.

How funny, I start class tomorrow morning at 8am! Wish me luck.

A student once again...

Well, here's my big news of the week: I am going back to school. After nearly a decade of talking about it, I finally jumped off the cliff. I am going to seek admission to the graduate program for Women and Gender Studies at USF in the spring. I have a lot of work to do (essays to write and a GRE to take - and score well on - in the next few months). I am starting this term by taking a class I can transfer into the program: Women and Crime. What could be cooler than profiling female serial killers all term!?

Needless to say I am scared to death, but very excited. I can't say that I've felt so good about a decision in a very long time. I think I spent most of my young adulthood resisting a life of academia, assuming that it could only lead to teaching (which I thought was something I would not enjoy doing). It is only as I've gotten older, I've realized two important things: a) teaching is in my blood and I probably would enjoy it and b) there are other ways to apply a graduate degree.

So, off I go to read about female killers and study for the GRE. Boy I loved the smell of freshly sharpened pencils!

What a Wonderful World

I have been experiencing one of the cooler things to happen to me in this life today. The story goes something like this:

About a month ago I nominated the author of a blog that I read daily (www.feministing.com) and a book that I enjoyed very much (Full Front Feminism) for the Glamour Woman of the Year Award. Then, about a week ago, I got an email from a staff member at Glamour asking if she could get more information from me regarding my nomination and some photographs of the woman (Jessica Valenti) I nominated. My back and forth with this staff member made me think perhaps Jessica was seriously being considered. The staff member was clear in that she could not say if Jessica was going to make the 'finals' (all finalists are asked to attend a black tie gala in New York City in the fall with the person who nominated them - that would be me), but that I should watch Glamour's website in the coming weeks to see if that was the case.

THEN! Then, then, then...this morning I get a phone call from another staff member at Glamour asking if she can interview me about my nomination. But of course! I happily (and hopefully intelligently) answered all of her questions and explained that, thanks to Jessica's writing and activism, I was considering going back to school myself in order to pursue a passion and take my writing more seriously. At the end of the conversation the Glamour staff member had to get all of my contact information including a physical mailing address which makes me think Jessica might actually be a finalist! Which would be absolutely amazing.

Past winner include amazing women (activists, politicians, environmentalists), and plenty of good intentioned celebrities too (Queen Latifah, Sandra Bullock, Katie Couric). If I get to go to the ball I bet I will take some amazing photos! (And I will get my camera in if I have to hide it up my dress, taped to my body).

Oh me Oh my

I am already bad about posting! Gah!

Here are some fun things though. First, a cute quiz-deal:

My name is: Erin
But you can call me: the greatest person you have ever met.
Never in my life have I: walked on hot coals.
The one person who can drive me nuts is: Peter Loui.
My high school is: St. Petersburg High School
When I'm nervous: Attempt to not puke in an inappropriate place.
The last song I listened to was: Something from the Chocolat Soundtrack
If I were to get married right now it would be to: I wouldn't get married, I don't believe in it.
My hair is: in need of a dye job.
When I was 4: I lived in Marietta, Georgia.
Last Christmas: I was with my family and happy to not be rushing back to Brooklyn.
I should be: Doing some work! Terrible.
When I look down I see: a black leather office chair.
The happiest recent event was: This is sad, I can't remember the last time I was really happy. Oh wait, I won darts the other night...it mad me obnoxiously happy.
If I were a character on 'Friends': I would be terribly happy that I lived in a HUGE apartment in New York City for, apparently, very cheap. I would buy said apartment in fiction-land and then sell it in the real world for a very, very large profit.
By this time next year: I better not be living in my mother's house...but it's hard to say.
My current gripe is: the state of politics in our nation.
I have a hard time understanding: Calculus.
If I won an award, the first person I would tell would be: My mom.
I want to buy: a new car! And a house. Oh just a few little things;)
I would like to visit: the West Coast and go on a wonderful, aimless road trip out there.
If you spent the night at my house: I would put clean sheets on the guest bed and fresh towels in the shower.
The world could do without: Oh the list is so long!
Most recent thing I've bought myself: I am on the verge of buying the camera of my dreams (seriously, the shopping cart of B&H Photo is open in another window on my computer)
Most recent thing someone else bought me: Probably a drink?
My middle name is: Lee
Last night I was: watching a terrible movie, but in good company.
Tomorrow I am: working on my future.

Well now I have run out of time, but I will post more tomorrow!

It's Friday.

Thank the heavens! I don't know why i could use a break, my life is not that hard. I am busy at work these days and doing multiple freelance projects right now. My dear friend Chris needs an online portfolio so that is underway. And my dad's branded spice blends business and really moving full steam ahead so I'm building the site for that. Toby and company have lots of things for me to do day to day right now, so...for the first time in a long time...a weekend is once the week's end to me. There was a while there when Saturday and Tuesday were not so different for me. That was both blissful and boring for a while.

I wish you a wonderful weekend, and if you have a minute (and a desire to be driven TOTALLY INSANE) you can play this game:
pop the bubbles
(TIP: don't click the bubbles, it pauses the game, just 'touch' them with your mouse as they move across the screen in order to pop them before they get to the opposite side).

What's shakin?

You might be wondering what I've been up to. And even if you haven't...here it goes...

I've been spending time with LuLu:


Spending time with Laurie:





Spending time with Amber (Happy Birthday to Amb by the way, she turned 29 yesterday, a mere three weeks after me - that bitch!):

And spending time with my family. My grandmother had quite the health scare this summer...but she is home after a long stay in the hospital and doing well!

Oh, it's a new blog!

Hello journal fans! You may have wondered (and some of you have even asked), why on earth hasn't Erin posted in such a long, long time!

Well, partially I'm just lazy and forgetful. But, I have also been having problems with Live Journal. I made a few posts that never appeared and I've never been able to easily post pictures (and you know that is my favorit thing!) But I do miss staying connected in this small way to my friends and family. So, here it is, eringee's new blog!

I'll put up a few long-overdue posts in short succession and then try to post more regularly now that I have this fun new toy to do it with!