When I was growing up, my favorite hobby was reading. Now that I've "grown up," my favorite hobby is still reading. I suppose in that regard, I haven't changed much. Or at all. I've always believed that while a picture is worth a thousand words, a thousand words is worth a thousand worlds, because that's where those words can take you. To one thousand different places. 

Literature has already done what ever other field of study is trying to do. It has brought us to the past and to the future. It has created new creatures, peoples, vaccines, technology, languages, methods of transportation. Indeed, it has discovered the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. How could anything else hope to compare?

Because I believe so much in the power of words, I chose my avatar only after I had created my username (or pen name, if you will). For those of you who don't know, Frindle is a children's book about a fifth-grade boy who decides to start calling pens "frindles" instead. The other children in his school begin to use the term as well, and soon the nation joins in, to the point that twenty or thirty years later it is an officially recognized word in the dictionary. This showcases how important words are to a community, and how a word means only what the general population believes it means.

Also I enjoy puns, and a pen name in which the name meant "pen" was just too good an opportunity to pass up.

Well hello everyone,

I am one of the many Mawrtyrs named Abby in the class of 2017, and one of at least three in my dorm. That's where my username comes from. It's kind of self-depricating, in a way; like, I'm just another Abby, with nothing special about her, which isn't the case at all. But I personally think it's funny in a dry sort of way, and distinguishes me from other Abbys moreso than calling me "Abby 3" or something along those lines.

The picture of me was taken around Junior year of high school, by my best friend, while we bought supplies for our first big physics project of the year. I typically make faces in photos, since I'm not one of those people with the perfect photogenic smile, and I think it makes me seem more approachable, anyway. Besides, in every horror film it's the woman down the street who never stops smiling who turns out to be the murderer, not the girl who sticks her tongue out as you as you walk by in the beginning of the movie. She's got nothing to hide.

I also don't mind putting my face out on the internet, attached to my work. I feel like even if I wake up twenty years from now and think everything I've written here is juvenile and stupid, I won't regret it and want to deny that I'm the one who wrote those things. Everything I write is going to be a reflection of how I think right now, and that will make my work something of a time capsule for future-me to laugh at, maybe feel a little embarrassed about, and then think of fondly.

Hi Everyone!  My name is Kelly, I wasn't in class with you all on Thursday.  

I guess because I haven't met you all it took me a while to figure out which picture I wanted to use.  Although I relatively enjoy taking pictures, I wasn't sure what picture would adequately represent me.  Then I thought to myself why I want to take this class in the first place... I selected my avatar not because this is was a great book necessarily, but because I struggle with being fully comfortable with feminism.  As a Black-American woman, find myself in a love-hate relationship with feminism.  Of course I believe in not only equality, but also empowerment, for women (AND ALL MARGINALIZED PEOPLES), but I find myself always asking, "What type of woman are we talking about here?  Who is this movement really for?"  Historically in many social movements, Black women have been involved but never able to share their narratives and full unencumbered selves, due to a lack of understanding of their intersectionality as Black women.  Understanding that these two identities constantly impact one another, I struggle to fully align myself as a feminist because I feel that I would have to alienate my blackness in a sense, therefore my specific needs and wants as a black women.  I hope that in this course I am able to evolve in my thoughts from our discussion and course work.  See you all tomorrow! 

One of the most difficult things about coming to Bryn Mawr was leaving behind my five year old Golden Retriever, Phoebe, with whom I share a very strong bond.  I adopted her when she was nearing eight weeks old from North Shore Animal League after what felt like a lifetime of begging my mother to adopt a dog.  Growing up in the city (where our apartment did not allow dogs) my mother actually banned me from visiting pet shops in fear that I would break into a temper tantrum while demanding a dog.  So, five years ago when my mother announced we were moving to our house in Long Island, the first thing that came to mind was that we would finally be able to get a dog.  Before we had even finished unpacking or settling in we had adopted Phoebe.  My high expectations of finally becoming a dog owner did not dissapoint.  Phoebe and I have been nearly inseparable since. 

When contemplating the image I wanted for my avatar the first thing I knew beyond a doubt was that it was not going to be a picture of myself. I hate pictures, in fact I resist them at all costs. If by some misfortune I find myself the subject of one I never know what to do, do I smile? teeth or no teeth? Is my hair alright? where do my hands go? should I stand closer to this person next to me? Do I look sufficiently happy? Do I pass as male? I have discovered, especially in college, that in an age obsessed with capturing "moments" my aversion to pictures is not always practical. I mean it didn't happen if you can't see it on facebook, right? But I digress. The image I chose instead I did so because it reminds me of a quote I have forever captured on my body: luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. For me, this avatar and the tatoo it accompanies are a constant reminder that our bodies--the physical matter-- are just vessels for the light that is inherent in us all. It is through this idea that I have come to terms with a lot of internal and external revulsion-- and the violence that can accompany such revulsion--that has been associated with my body and bodies like mine.

I used to have a tee-shirt with the slogan “Night Owl Mystery Book Shop” on it. When the tee shirt got to small for me, I decorated my binder with it. I am now using that binder for this class, so the words “night owl” have been in the back of my mind lately. I chose my name to be “nightowl” because it reminds me of the school mascot and idealizes the time I will spend here in the libraries late at night. It is also nostalgic for my love of Harry Potter, which then reminds me of how much Bryn Mawr looks like Hogwarts. 

My profile picture is of Cat Stevens with cats. The picture satisfies some sort of primal desire in me that wishes to see things organized by categories. I am going to listen to his music whenever I am feeling a bit down this semester. 

I miss the snuggles and the cold nose waking me up from afternoon naps. I miss his whining when bored, and his excitement when stimulated. I miss the constant sound of his snoring (yes, even when he was awake). I miss my dog.

My avatar is a picture of Oscar (also called "beast", "dog", and "93-pounder"), whom I've had for about three years now. About four years ago, my home was broken into. It led to horrible feelings of insecurity, so we ended up adopting a twenty-pound dog from our neighborhood shelter. Although I was scared of dogs at the time, he and I soon bonded so closely that I'm not even scared of his now 93-pound self. 

I love this animal, so I chose to make my avatar a picture of him. This particular picture was taken when I returned from a study-break, only to find that he had taken my seat. As he stared up at me intently, probably wondering "when do I get to eat again", I was struck with the sudden urge to snuggle-study, which I soon found greatly decreased productivity, but helped stress levels. 

I don't even remember how I lived without a dog for my whole life, and I keep expecting him to push my hand with his nose, silently pleading for a scratch. I look forward to skyping with him, and to fall break, when I will get a snuggle-fix for the next few months. 

I guess you could say I'm feeling slightly homesick? 

I'm one of those people who is pretty much silent until you get to know them, and then I won't shut up.  Because of this I figured I'd start out with a really simple username and, if I want to later, I'll change it. I've lived in Pennsylvania my whole life. For the last 15 years I have lived in a small agricultural town called Unionville.  There are many farms all over and a few years ago one of the fields near my house was full of sunflowers.  I am really interested in nature photography and I went to take some pictures when I found this birdhouse on which  someone had drawn a heart. I love Unionville and felt that the birdhouse summed up my feelings for my quirky home town perfectly.  Of all the pictures I took that day this is, by far, my favorite.

As my friends love to point out, I talk about my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, well, a lot. It was especially intense when I first arrived at Bryn Mawr as a frosh last year, but I was honestly taken aback when this was first pointed out. You see, I spent most of my time in high school working with the express purpose of getting out of "this place", so the idea that I might actually miss it catapulted me into a sort of mini-identity crisis (no matter how melodramatic that sounds). I had never felt at home in Arizona, differing greatly from the majority of my friends on ideological issues, and I thought of going to a liberal-minded college as my ticket out of what sometimes seems like the breeding ground for unstable racist bigots. Once I realized this foreign longing, however, I began to see my state in a new light. I had held so much resentment toward what are merely ideas, and now I am starting to realize that I can love Arizona for its parts, not necessarily as a whole. This picture highlights that idea: I care deeply for and about components of Arizona, and am trying to focus on them. I don’t mean to suggest that I am ignoring the pieces that infuriate me (which is still a good chunk), but this newfound acceptance actually motivates me to fight back for my state, instead of running away.