Well, I haven't missed a day of blogging yet, and today is no exception-- even if it is 11:30 pm. However, that means that this will be a pretty short post. I had a great day today with a group from Pacific University and the women's spirituality group at Oregon State. The Pacific group was actually primarily through the Center for Women and Gender Equity-- they brought a fairly large group of women and men of all ages and religious backgrounds to talk. While the students at Oregon State were smaller in number, we had a fun discussion there as well about our experiences with feminism.

One thing we talked about at Oregon State (I'll elaborate more in the morning about other topics)-- why is it that people always think of angry women when you say the word "feminist?" Granted, there are lots of things in the world to be angry about in general, particularly when it comes to the treatment of women. However, most of the women I know who claim the term "feminist" are not angry by nature. I'm not an angry person myself. Yes, I do get mad at times, but so did Jesus when he saw injustice... but where are these images of perpetually pissed off women coming from? The mainstream media? Jerry Faldwell? You tell me.

Anyway, I'm off to bed for the night. I'm leaving Oregon tomorrow, headed back for Seattle. I've enjoyed Oregon-- they have always given me a good reception. And yes, Rebecca, I did indeed visit Powell's, where I bought Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible. It will be up to read after the book I just started, Necessary Dreams: Ambitions in Women's Changing Lives by Anna Fels. You're right, though, that it is almost impossible to take in all those books! Unfortunately, the one book I actually needed to buy (a prep course text for the GRE), wasn't available at the world's largest bookstore. Imagine that.

"I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me." --Psalm 3:5

Kelsey

One reason that people will think of angry women when they hear the word feminist is the same reason that people think of Jerry Faldwell when they hear the word Christian. Both are obnoxious, and they like to draw attention to themselves for their cause even if it's wrong. The media loves that kind of stuff.