a new {mississippi} attitude

Ohhhh, Patti.
She is me (minus the 80s hair, 80s pumps, and serious-as-shit 80s dancing).
No words for how happy this vid makes me.

I've longed to blog about the story of how I arrived here, in this what the heck am I doing? place, Oxford, MS. But when "it" first started happening, I didn't have the stomach to put coherent thoughts to my terror. And then "it" was a done deal, and I didn't have the heart to acknowledge "it" (I must have cried myself to sleep every night for a month). And once I finally hit the road, I found myself computer-less (when the state of Texas owns your MacBook and you have to return it to its rightful owner, blogging on the iPhone and/or iPad just doesn't provide enough appeal to bang out the words you're feelin'). 

I'm thinking today is as good a place to start as any.

Over the past year, I began to process what love is. I have also learned what love is not. Some people are mean. And they let you down. But many, many others are special. Those are the blessings that make life a hoot--the people (and critters) who hug you, bring you cakes, drive you 'cross country to move into a house you've never laid eyes on, pray with (and for) you, press their pink noses & furry paws against your cheek, eat good Mexican food with you "one last time," send you sweet things in the mail (just because), allow you to love on their babies, sit in emergency clinics by your side, put a beer in the freezer for you so it'll be extra icy, take roadies to see you, send you heart-warming texts ... the angels who remind you that you're loved, and that "every little thing is going to be alright" (to borrow a phrase from a text I received today).

I wasn't sure what I was going to say in this blog entry. What I've ended up with certainly wasn't it. I thought about chronicling some of the highlights (e.g., the Jim Beam display at a gas station in Louisiana) of my trip over from Texas (ahh, my beloved). I thought about making a top 10 list of the things in my neighborhood that make me laugh. I even considered a discussion of my shower that turned on this morning (without me in it). 

But those can wait for another day. Today Patti gets the final word ....

Somehow the wires uncrossed, the tables were turned

Never knew I had such a lesson to learn

I'm feelin' good from my head to my shoes

Know where I'm goin' and I know what to do

I tidied up my point of view

I got a new attitude.

first friday

On the first Friday of every month,Historic Downtown Bryan, TX holds First Friday events. It's basically a mini-street festival, with the vendors in the district opening their doors to passers-by in a casual, beverage-ready manner. Live music abounds, artists do their thing, and folks meet up for food and fun. Despite the oppressive and blistering triple-digit temperatures we've been experiencing for months, two girlfriends and I braved the furnace and ventured out this past weekend for August First Friday. A few snapshots from the evening ....

Two of my girls, Kerri and Amanda:

the birthday feast

One of the countless oddities about Qatar is that time is meaningless and schedules are mere suggestions. Nothing is ever as it ought to be. A sign on a business may read Open, when in truth, the establishment is closed.

Today is my birthday. Our plan was to have foot massages in the morning at one of the two hotel spa options, as we were told the three of us (I'm with two dear friends and colleagues) could do so at the same time. Nope. Only one person was working. So we journeyed to hotel option #2--the other locale where we could have a spa treatment. Guess what? Closed ... "for the holiday."

Oh well. We're easy-going. We'll enjoy a beverage at one of only three places where one can purchase a real drink in Qatar--the cove behind our hotel. We sat. And waited. And waited. Finally, after hunting down the waiter who refused to visit our table, we were told, "Nope. Coffee only. You have to wait four hours." Damn.

So we walked to option #2 for a drink. Closed.

Option #3? Take a guess.

Enter the "sure-thing contingency plan:" We convened in my room, chose one of the two bottles of sparkling wine from the room service menu, and placed the call downstairs. I think you can probably guess where this is going. Bottle #1 was unavailable, and bottle #2 would be ready to purchase "in two months."

At this point I asked the woman on the phone, "Vodka?" Room service responded, "Yes, Dr. Alford" [I love that part :) ]. So we ordered 6 shots of vodka and a pitcher of orange juice. Each of the three of us brought snacks in our suitcase, and we decided this was the perfect time to bust 'em out. Pictured below is the result: My birthday feast.

The site of the party: This table/floor in my room

The party spread, prior to kick-off:

Drinks are being mixed! We call this one the Doha Stinger (a screwdriver with Sour Patch Kids):

Seven cubes of ice works perfectly:

After party:

A birthday I'm certain I'll never forget.

:)

vacay, in absentia

I need a vacation.

Somewhere. Anywhere.

(Statistics/research conferences and field observations do not count.)

Unfortunately work and school are not cooperating. Until graduation in May 2011 (please, God) rolls around, it does not look like I will be sitting on a beach, sipping from a frozen drink with an umbrella and wedge of fruit in it.

So when one of my oldest and dearest friends embraced some down-time in Florida last week, he sympathized with my plight--and via the wonders of digital technology--graciously "brought" me along with him.

Without further ado, I bring you: What "I" Did on My Springtime Vacay.
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First stop was the liquor store. He wanted rum (it helps a person "temporarily make sense of it all" and "eases frustrations"). I wanted sparkling wine. Looks like we ended up with the former.


Fishing and frozen drinks were next on the agenda. I am told we also saw four giant manta rays and five dolphins playing; but since no photographic evidence was provided of said sighting, I am not entirely convinced it happened.


Dinner. We apparently "caught the BIG ONE." Not sure I want to know what that entails; but Marley and Buffett were playing at the bar, so it must have been chez trop-i-cal.

He had a deck runner ("Sharky's version of a rum-runner") with light rum, blackberry brandy, and banana liqueur (rum appears to be a recurring theme in this tale); I had a LandShark Lager (with two limes, of course).


I was informed we had grilled mahi on our island salads. Good call.


Headed home ... stopped for oysters and cold draft beer.


Back at the ranch, a hot tub soak was compulsory. Call me crazy, but something tells me there is rum in that cup ....


That is pretty much how it went all week. Sunny and 83 degrees for five days. And just as quickly as it arrived, my vacation ended.


(Oh yeah ... driving home, we stopped at Stuckey's for some pork skins, a pecan log, and a Texas-sized back-scratcher. It wasn't Aggie-owned Buc-ee's, but the restrooms were clean and the Gatorade was cold.)

the perfect panties

I won undies! Thank you, Cool Gal!


Aren't they the sweetest? Mi amiga, Cool Gal over on her blog, It's The World I Know, hosted a "commando giveaway," and my tushy was the proud beneficiary!

The latest version of paper-thin lingerie promises a seam-free existence similar to wearing nothing at all -- with unfinished edges.

Read more about these barely-there panties at commandointimates.com.

Thank you, Cool "and incredibly generous" Gal! I promise to make you proud and work my new undies like a VPL-free rock star.

photos from It's The World I Know

the cheese chronicles

Knowing of my freakish and never-ending rapture for all things queso, one of my besties, Kayla, surprised me by sending this book yesterday! Woo hoo! It's always big fun to open the door to the strapping, brown-clad UPS guy -- particularly when you're not expecting him!

Here's what the book's publisher has to say:

"The Cheese Chronicles is an insider's look at the burgeoning world of American cheese from one lucky person who has seen more wedges and wheels, visited more cheesemakers, and tasted more delicious (and occasionally stinky) American cheese than anyone else."

I haven't started reading it yet, but I CAN'T WAIT to do so. Organized into nine chapters, author Liz Thorpe also provides a bunch of fantastic "sidebar" comments, such as:

• I'll See Your Piquancy and Raise You Peppery
• Tasting with Your Nose
• Why I Hate "Swiss" Cheese
• Why is Goat Cheese White?
  

Cheese, how I love you. Huge thanks, K ... mwah!

I leave you with some eye candy from Murray's Cheese in NYC, where Thorpe is second in command:

happy friendship day

August 2 is Friendship Day--the perfect excuse to visit someecards. Reading their funnies re: yet another obscure holiday is one of my guilty pleasures. They never disappoint:

"i'd stop drinking, but i'm no quitter"

One of my girls bought me a package of these (left) cocktail napkins this weekend. Obviously she's onto me and mia vita perfetta (I'm practicing for that Italy trip). Totally humorous, right?

I'm in physical need of a few more good laughs. I found several additional quips that made me chuckle:

I think it's time to have a cocktail party. Seriously.
Happy Wednesday!