HAH at U of M

I have been putting off an update from Oxford, MS because, well, nothing really noteworthy has happened since I've been here. I mean, moving in, setting up, orientation, and getting acquainted with Oxford has pretty much been the extent of my almost 2 week long residence. And it has all happened in a blur. I did manage, however, to bake my first loaf of bread. (Thanks Meagan!) But other than that: banality.

BUT! Something very exciting happened today. Let me begin this story by setting up a few starting points:

1. As of Friday morning (maybe Thursday afternoon, but either way), the Ole Miss Ticket office sold out of student tickets. However, they graciously announced that they would be selling 1500 more tickets Monday morning (this morning) at 8:00am.
2. I go to get my tickets Friday afternoon, wonder why there is no line, and find a sign on the door with the above info. No problem, right? I'm free Monday morning.
3. 9:00 Sunday night, my new friend Mary Elizabeth drives past the coliseum to see...people? No. TENTS. People have set up tents to camp in the day before classes start so they can get tickets to this year's Ole Miss football games.

Because I have to get tickets too, I say to Mary Elizabeth, who has already resigned staking out her spot in this line, "I will bring you coffee tomorrow morning, 6:00am sharp." I have class basically all day and all night Monday, so I opted to catch a wink before my first day of classes.

I promptly arrived, 2 large mugs of coffee in hand, to join 2 friends already in line, which has started to stretch all the way around the coliseum. The spectacle was incredible! Here are a few items I saw in tow with the students in line:
-futons
-air mattresses
-a tv, on which some guys were playing video games
-coolers of drinks and food
-an elaborate game kind of like cornhole, but with golf balls on strings and pvc pipe instead of bean bags and particle board.
-laptops and various media devices to occupy oneself. Speaking of which, I also heard a girl say, "I love my Blackberry and my iPhone. I wish I could just put them together!"
-pizza boxes
-dogs. Including Lily, my roommate's miniature dachshund.
-lots of Ugg boots. LOTS of them.

It was truly a religious experience. We were in line to be baptized at the font of the ticket booth, people playing music, chanting (Are...you.....READY!), murmuring about how excited they are and about how long they've waited for this, and celebrating, bursting into fits of excitement because they FINALLY got their tickets, after they've been faithfully devoted to standing in line for 12 hours.

I may have to devote these little reflective moments to the church of the SEC. So, until then, or in the unlikely event that something cooler happens,

Go Team!

YUM

Mom and I just saw the movie, Julie and Julia, and the story was so wonderful. I absolutely loved it. Without giving anything away, it tells the stories, side-by-side, of Julia Child, and a woman, Julie, who goes through her cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, for one year, making every recipe.

It combined two of my most favorite things: food and humor. Ah, such an immaculate combination! I think part of Julia Child's charm was her ability to make others smile, but what I never, ever, EVER paired Julia Child and sexuality.

I know! What? But I am glad the film showed that side of Julia. Not only did it make her a real, round character (as she undoubtedly was) but it cast such a positive and joyous light on her marriage to Paul Child. Their relationship was so sweet and loving.

And some people may not have like the "Julie section" because she was neurotic and had "melt-downs" at the drop of a wooden spoon, but I thought it was perfect for her situation: a nervous, semi-insecure woman who loved to write, with a ho-hum day job, living the big city life on top of a pizza delivery store in Queens, with successful frenemies who have bested the corporate world and a husband who takes all her insecurities in stride. And I loved all of it.

The big meal of the film, boeuf bourguignon a la Julia Child, (boning a duck got it's highlights, too) looked absolutely delicious. YUM. I'll tackle that one some day, with apron, tongs, and fearlessness in hand.

I don't think that it was typical of my generation to grow up with Julia teaching us how to tackle omelets with confidence and courage, but perhaps the closest icon I have to compare to Mrs. Child is Nigella Lawson. Her enthusiasm, but more importantly her beautiful way of expressing it, is on the Julia Child level of delightful. Someone should try all of her recipes and write about it! Someone...

Bon Apetit!

Sayonara, six-one-five

The wonderful days of my residence in Tennessee's capital city are over! Packing my last belongings and locking the door on my way out were some sad events, and leaving definitely had its share of bitter and sweet moments, but future visits are in the works, so Nashville and I will reunite, and it will feel so good.

On my last day, I went to a Titan's practice, (where some very outgoing children and I made friends, and I found out from Tyler, a 3 year old, that "Bears don't eat wood.") ate at the Horn of Africa, and watched some baseball on TV. If you have never been to an Ethiopian restaurant, it is not an experience to miss!

Things about Nashville I will miss:

• Do I have to say it? Family, friends, and Thomas. duh! and Mr. Bodhi. He's basically a person.
• That bangin' Farmer's Market.
• The attraction that "Music City" has to performers. (Coldplay, Flight of the Conchords, lton John and Billy Joel, Broadway musicals, etc. etc. etc.)
• It's proximity to other hubs of action and entertainment
  

Things about Oxford I'm anticipating:

• School! Go ahead; call me a nerd--but watch out for my sweet kickboxing moves.
• Getting to know my roommate (and her puppy, Lily).
• Square Books. And no, I don't mean books that are square. See hyperlink.
• Even though I hate to admit it (and still hold up my promise from this post), football games.

For now, I'm in Limbo/Jackson, TN. Oxford, I'll see YOU Friday!

Cloud a hundred

The sort of last-minute, on-a-whim decision to go the Marcy Playground concert in Huntsville, Alabama, was, in short, a good one. It was a small venue, so we could get up close and personal. The lead singer of Marcy Playground, John Wozniak, has a wonderful voice, and the band has a great sound, so the musicality of the performance was great. AND, for the crowning jewel of the night, we got to meet, take pics with, and speak to "Woz." You'll have to go to Thomas' blog for that story and picture.

But since you're here, let's view some of the talent that was brandished on the stage:




This is the first (and one of my favorite) song they played. Thomas and I had a bet going--about which song they would play first--and he won. Lucky.



This is my favorite song! It's called "Good Times," and it is from the new album. (You can listen to some of those songs here.)

Here's the one you are probably most familiar with:



Because the light in the bar was not so good (surprise! haha!), I had to put the "night scenes" mode on my camera, which basically leaves the shutter open for a long time. It makes for some pretty neat pictures:

It was so much fun. The after-midnight drive back to Nashville was made easy because we were so giddy. I'll sign off with a quote from Thomas: "Dude, I am on cloud a hundred right now."