Bike to Work Plan B

It may be obvious from the above photo, which makes the bike bag look like a Japanese designer skirt, that it really doesn't fit ViaRail's (or probably anyone else's right now) carry-on size limitations.  The bike only weighs 11.5 kg (25.4 lb), but it's still bulky, and ViaRail charges $20 EACH WAY to transport a bike (please tell me how "green" you are again). So plan B is to drive to work Wednesday, bringing the bike and leaving it there for the term.  I'm hoping it'll be a smooth ride from there on out.  When I have a bit more time, I'll work on tightening the bag's profile.

What I Wore to Teach Yesterday: Pleasantly Pleated

The hardest thing about these photos is figuring out what to do with my face

Dress:  Issey Miyake
Shoes:  Trippen

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Angel of the Morning

Dress:  Comme des Garcons
Shoes:  Paolo Iantorno
(full disclosure:  I'll be wearing little black & white Pumas between destinations)
Jacket:  Wrangler

Craftastic Folding Bike Bag

Bag not quite closed all the way

Okay, it's quite rudimentary, but I made a bag for my Dahon folding bike.  My goal is to bring my bike with me on the train and then use it for local transportation at my destination (a.k.a. work).  Despite the fact that I left my fabric scissors at home and couldn't find a decent sewing tape measure at the studio, I managed to pull this together.

The Dahon on a single layer of fabric

It's quite simple.  There's no bottom seam; I simply fold the bag over the bike and then close the sides with velcro.  I already know I'm going to need to get some snaps to supplement the velcro, but it should be enough for the train.  I used two different fabrics, which, like all the other supplies I used, I already had.  In fact, I made a yoga mat bag out of the same fabric.  At this rate, I'll have my own matching luggage set!  The fabrics are upholdstery-grade so the bag should be pretty strong.  I sewed two handles along the top, but I plan to carry it very far.  When I have some more time, I'll finesse the fit and design.  But for a three-hour project, I'm pretty pleased.

The Depths of Distraction

How bad is it when you're distracted from your current project (just started the centre back panel of my Alabama Chanin dress) by a photo from your own blog repinned on Pinterest? The irony that the post was titled, "W.I.Ps? What About Them?" is not lost on me.  But maybe knitting up a swatch (I already have the yarn, thank you very much) is not the worst thing in the world...

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: First Communion

First day of classes; perhaps I'm contemplating the day while gazing at my glasses.  Or maybe I just needed a prop this morning.
Dress:  Rue du Mail
Shoes:  Chie Mihara

A Degree of Respect, Please

So this morning I was listening to the radio in my car when I heard the DJs on Indi101 mention an article on Fox Business (whose subtitle is "The Power to Prosper"?!) about graduate degrees that don't pay off.  Was I surprised that the first one they mentioned was the M.F.A.?  Can you imagine how tired I am of people talking when it's clear they have no idea what they're talking about?  Just try to imagine.  I'm sure you can get the picture.

Yes, I have an M.F.A., which will now also stand for  series of curse words.  Give me an M.F.A. break!  So the Fox article (are we serious here?) states simply that the investment doesn't necessarily yield higher salaries.  I guess this is where one of our main issues resides - that higher education is about making more money.  (This falls in line with the logic that a university education is essentially glorified job-training.)  If we take that out of the equation, the article loses most of its punch (for me, at least).  I'm not against making money, and there are M.F.A.s out there who make plenty of money, but I'm a writer first and foremost.  I'm always happy to get paid for it.

But these DJs were just plain stupid.  I believe the banter essentially (not verbatim) went something like this:
Beavis:  "Masters of Fine Art - what do you do with that?"
Butthead:  "Fine art stuff."
Beavis:  "Oh yeah, what kind of job can you have with that?"

I'm not sure why they didn't apply this logic to the B.A.  Does that mean that everyone who has one is in art?  Or a bachelor?  I really hope that this does not reflect the kind of education Mohawk College (where Indie101 broadcasts from, often using students as talent) provides.  I'm sure that there has been more than one professor at Mohawk who had an M.F.A.

Unfortunately, I'm not surprised by this lack of information as the Dean of Humanities at McMaster University put out a job ad a little while ago that offered different levels of pay for M.F.A. and Ph.D. candidates.  Are you serious?  Is that even legal?  Newsflash!  The M.F.A. is a terminal degree. (I know - they're trying to suck us into Ph.D. programs but that has more to do with money than what you study and do).  This is the other major issue - the idea that the M.F.A. is a lesser degree.

We are makers, not just academics (yes, I said - not just academics - oooh, I'm on a roll now).  Teaching writing, like I do?  Do you want someone who actually does it in addition to being educated on the subject or someone who has spent some extra years researching writers?  I'm not saying that those with a Ph.D. don't make good writing professors, but frankly, I'd rather have someone engaged with the subject full-on.

I feel a little better now.