Initiative 26

On November 8, Mississippians will vote by referendum on Initiative 26, or the “Personhood Amendment,” aimed at redefining the moment that a “person” has full rights as a “person”–eloquent way to put it I know–essentially establishing the moment at fertilization (though this is murky in itself). While I’m not currently living in Mississippi, I feel like it is a second home since I lived there longer than any place besides Tennessee (where my family is from and currently lives). Who knows, I might even live there again someday.  Sadly, I can’t vote on this one.

From close friends and Facebook “friends” still in Mississippi, I’ve heard plenty about the Initiative, mostly very negative. From my perspective, it’s extremely confusing and all that seems clear to me is that I would vote against it.  In my view, any initiative that threatens implications for in vitro fertilization or certain types of birth control is not even worth considering. Since I’ve already proved here that I’m neither qualified nor articulate enough to fully inform anyone or argue constructively, I’ll just share the following link to several articles written by professors at the Mississippi College Law School. I recommend them to anyone who is registered to vote in Mississippi, and also to those of you like me who care a great deal about the future of the state.

Mississippi Personhood and Initiative 26 Symposium

Friday Favorites: Big Bad Breakfast

Breakfast is absolutely, positively the best meal of the day. I’m always hungry at breakfast time, I don’t feel weighed down from previous meals, and the standard fare is always just what I’m craving. When anyone proposes celebrating breakfast time with a special experience, I am all in. Case in point, I had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate (and yes I think that word is appropriate) breakfast with one of my closest friends and my roommate today at Big Bad Breakfast in Oxford. It was everything that name suggests.

I had some coffee, fresh fruit, buttered wheat toast and an egg, made to order. Perfect. Definitely worthy of being featured as a Friday Favorite.

The above pic is one of their t-shirts (which are also really popular and cute) with its logo. Here is the website:  http://citygroceryonline.com/restaurant.php?bbb

Calm during the storm

This week has been filled with constant steps towards leaving Mississippi behind. I’m not sure how I feel about leaving, but I am looking forward to embracing life in New Orleans. I hesitate to say “as a New Orleanian” because I’m not sure I can be considered a native without living there for a very very long time. It’s just that kind of place.  However, New Orleans isn’t on my mind in this moment as I’m truly absorbed in my thoughts about Mississippi.

For four years, I have considered Mississippi my home base. Though I’ve lived temporarily in Ecuador (9months) and in Washington, D.C. (3 summers in a row) during those four years, I have always returned to Mississippi, ready to begin again and ready to embrace life among some of my favorite Mississippians.

In some ways, Mississippi is just as much of a  home to me as Tennessee. My family lives in Tennessee still, and I spent the first eighteen years of my life there, but I have evolved so much in Mississippi–as (dare I say) an adult.  And it’s been an interesting place to learn about the world. Mississippi gets a bad name for many reasons, and it’s most definitely one of the most extreme places in the Unites States for a variety of reasons. The societal issues have taken on a constructive role in my education both in and out of the classroom. I feel like I can understand other people’s points of view and concerns better simply by living in Mississippi. I also have to point out that anyone who says Mississippi is damned for all its problems is woefully ignorant about its rich cultural aspects and its warm people. That’s something I’m not sure I knew before I came. All this being said, I don’t know if I’ll ever live in Mississippi again. There is a possibility I’m sure that I will have a desire to come back.

Before I get sentimental, I want to talk about a few ways that I’ve been dealing (sometimes not so well) with not having much of a place to stay during the last week. I have to be moved out of my friend’s house (where I’ve lived throughout college) completely by the 28th of this month since she has sold the house. Since last week, I’ve been moving things out each day–leaving me with just a bed for the next few days. So, without further adieu, here are some of my ways to deal with moving and living in an empty house for a week.

1. Buy groceries sparingly. This is perhaps the most frustrating problem. I can’t buy too much food because I only have a few days to consume it unless I want to transport it. Not to mention I am seriously opposed to food that has an expiration date that is years away. Overly processed food with lots of preservatives is bad news folks. However, I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of free time lately so I can go to the grocery store to pick up just enough food for 1-2 days at a time. I can’t try new foods or buy according to sales much though so I just stick to basics.

2. Stay at other people’s houses. This is more of an escape mechanism than a coping one. I just go stay somewhere else for the night or travel to New Orleans or somewhere else for the weekend. In fact, I’ve been gone every weekend since mid-May. yikes.

3. Focus on upcoming months and ignore the here and now. Again, this is escapism perhaps, but if I focused on here and now, the focus would be on an empty house and an Oxford with not too many people I know around. I think I keep a more positive attitude when I just think about how excited I am about New Orleans and put leaving out of my mind for the most part.

Brief, perhaps useless tips for anyone in the same boat, but these are some things on my mind this week.

Hope you’re having a good one!

Deadline: August 1

Since I’ll be moving to New Orleans within the next month, I obviously have a to-do list that is overwhelming at times. However, since I get bored easily (doesn’t everyone of  our generation?), I am giving myself a few more to-do’s before my birthday–August 1st. I’ll be turning 23 in about a month and a half and though it’s no milestone age, I like birthdays and I want to recognize it.  Here’s the plan:

1. Girl’s day with my little sister. My sister turned 16 (today!) and I have yet to get her a gift because I decided that instead of getting her something I would like or I’m guessing she would like, I would just go do something with her. Spending time together is very underrated these days and I think it should be rectified. Shopping + pedicures + good food in Nashville? I think this is a great birthday celebration for her and I only hope she will tolerate being with her (woefully less cool) older sister for a day.

2. Apartment decorating. I will admit that I am the world’s worst interior designer, and the worst part is that I don’t even notice. I really want to do something about this in the new apartment and I will enlist whatever artsy friends I have in helping me. Oh yeah–I don’t have much money either, so this will be a thrifty interior design effort. All the more need for creative juices.

3. Learn to be smarter about grocery shopping. This is a hard one. I love grocery shopping and specialty foods (think Whole Foods). Also, I’m kind of a health nut and this sometimes means more expenses as well. But, I am positive that there are some things I can do to cut the spending without compromising my preference for healthy food. I will not eat ramen throughout grad school. That’s all.

4. Read a new Faulkner book. These are not exactly ‘beach reads’, but I love Faulkner. It’s hard to read, but it is worth the mental somersaults to understand (even on a basic level) the themes and ideas in his books. I would also love to reread some of my favorites which include Absalom! Absalom! and The Wild Palms (also published as If I Forget Thee Jerusalem).

5. Run a 5 or 10k?? This is totally dependent upon where I’ll be in July. As of now, I have plans to visit family in Tennessee at some point, stay in Mississippi with friends part of the time, and move to New Orleans near the end of the month. Dates are not set yet so I can’t plan this very well. But I would LOVE to have a reason to stay motivated to run this summer.  I know there are a lot of July 4th runs so maybe I could do one of them!

 

Okay, five goals + moving to a new state sounds like enough ambitiousness before August 1st. Oh yeah, and I have other plans too like finishing my June classes, going rafting, celebrating finishing my undergrad degree, and soaking in Oxford life while I can. I love summer.

Summer reading list

So, I’ve been seeing summer reading lists on various blogs I follow lately. I know I haven’t been keeping up with this blog, but in an effort to revive it, I want to start with a summer reading list. Soon, I believe I’ll be receiving a few reading assignments to complete before the first semester of my Master’s program, but until then, I’m going to be reading various novels and non-fiction books for entertainment only. Below are some I’ve read recently and some I’m currently reading or looking forward to.

A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole

This book can be described many ways, but hilarious is a good start. It describes a grotesque, over-educated, under-socialized man who lives with his mother in 1960s New Orleans and his adventures with other unique characters of the city. It’s been funny to me especially since I will be moving to New Orleans in July. I’m thoroughly enjoying this book. (Bonus: I recently took the GRE, and I will tell you that this book is FULL of GRE vocab. haha. Read if you are currently studying for this).

The Island Beneath the Sea (In Spanish, La Isla bajo el mar), Isabelle Allende

I’m also reading this Isabel Allende book simultaneously. I like to read two books at a time so that I can switch according to my mood. This book is another Allende masterpiece. In the past, I’ve read Daughter of Fortune (Hija de la Fortuna) and City of the Beasts (La Ciudad de las Bestias). I love historical literature, and although these do not qualify as that exactly, they always satisfy my desire to read about different regions of Latin America through the eyes of her diverse characters. The Island Beneath the Sea is set in 18th century Haiti and encompasses several different social classes and cultural traditions. I always read her books in English because they are most easily found in English in Mississippi, but since I read Spanish quite well, I think my next task should be to read one in its original language. It would probably be all the more intriguing.

The next two books are ones I read during the past semester in what little free time I had. They were lifesavers when I was deep within thesis writing.

The Help, Kathryn Stockett

I think everyone I know has read this book recently or is about to read it. It’s a beautiful story about a young white girl from Mississippi in the 1960s who wants to be a writer and the unlikely relationship she forms with black housemaids in Jackson, Mississippi while trying to compile their stories for a book. A must-read–especially for Mississippians.

Death in the Andes (Lituma en los Andes), Mario Vargas LLosa

Another great example of Latin American literature, this novel tells the story of two Peruvian officials who investigate various eccentric characters in the Peruvian Andes to determine the cause of mysterious disappearances and deaths in the area. I enjoyed reading about Andean myths and beliefs about spirits in the mountains, and also the threads of a love story told by one of the main characters. This is a complex story and its full meaning is not perceived easily, but it is one of those books that keeps you thinking for a few days.

The next couple books are on my list to hopefully read this month or in July, along with a few Faulkner novels I would like to reread.

In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan

I loved The Omnivore’s Dilemna when I read it about three years ago. I enjoy reading about other people’s eating philosophies, as I have been actively searching my own the last few years. It’s a work in progress, but Pollan’s approach to analyzing the food industry and the health problems caused by overly processed food products resonates with some of my own beliefs.

The Hunger Games, Susan Collins

I’ve been wanting to read this for awhile. I keep hearing great things about it. Although it’s categorized as young lit and follows teenagers, friends have told me it was not your average teenage reading. I’m intrigued.

These are just a few of my choices as of recently. If I had more time, I would have about 100 more suggestions. As it is, this should keep us busy for a few weeks.

Hopefully you’ll hear from me more often now that it’s summer. Happy pool/beach reading!

Love.

Since Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, this may seem like it’s going to be a post about mushy stuff. However, as much lurve I have for various people in my life, I’m going to be selfish and talk about the things, activities, and places I’m loving instead!

Stuff I love lately:

-My scarves (the only clothing accessory I enjoy wearing in the winter)

-My Ole Miss ID (Because it magically buys me Starbucks lattes and gets me into the gym to get rid of school-induced stress)

-My new laptop I got for Christmas

-The aforementioned Starbucks lattes

Activities:

-Wrapping up thesis work. (this may seem strange on a love list, but there is nothing better than realizing you will actually finish this on time)

-Working and reading at coffee shops (Best switch I’ve ever made is from studying and writing papers at home to working at coffee shops. I’m more productive AND I have coffee. Win-win.)

-Swimming (I had an unwanted hiatus of sorts due to weird pool schedules during Xmas break.)

-Reading non-academic books (recent loves: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series and The Help)

Places:

-Clarksdale, MS (specifically, Ground Zero Blues Club. Go here now.)

-Bottletree Bakery and Big Bad Breakfast  (breakfast restaurants/bakeries in Oxford, MS. I think I just love going out for breakfast).

– New Orleans, LA (I haven’t been since before Christmas break, but I can’t wait till the next trip.)

-Athens, GA (I visited UGA to discuss Graduate School opportunities and fell in loooovvvveee).

-Maben, MS (This is mostly a joke because my boyfriend lives as far away from civilization as possible, but it’s not so bad for a peaceful weekend.)

Pictures I love from recently:

The second one was stolen borrowed from Emilie’s album, but it is a great photo of all of us at her birthday dinner party.

Ode to High Point Coffee

Oh High Point Coffee shop in Oxford,

You give me coffee and a study space when I am so much less than motivated.

I think we are made for each other.

(Source: http://www.oxfordmississippi.com/i-love-high-point-coffee-on-the-square/)

 

 

A Family Affair and the 2-week plan till Thanksgiving break!

A Family Affair

Well, it turns out Vardaman, Mississippi does have fabulous food. I feasted on fried green tomatoes among other wonderful Southern delicacies. I didn’t get to attend the Sweet Potato Festival since my family was in Oxford, but it seems that it as a big to-do.

Speaking of my family, they enjoyed being in the Grove this weekend and attending a game (that we won!!).

Rundown of the game: http://www.redcuprebellion.com/2010/11/8/1800832/ole-miss-rebels-43-ull-cajuns-21-postgame

My mom, dad, brother (a senior in high school), and three of his friends were down for all of Saturday until Sunday morning. I wish I had pictures, but it suffices to say everyone ate lots of food in the Grove and the boys were pleasantly surprised with college girls. I enjoyed the game from City Grocery with the boyfriend.

(Source: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g43934-d512750-Reviews-City_Grocery-Oxford_Mississippi.html)

2-week pre-Thanksgiving plans

In two weeks, we will be off for a week for Thanksgiving break. Till then, it’s go time.

Plans: Write on first thesis chapter, write a paper for my History class, stay sane. (I’m sure there are things I left out but will take up copious amounts of time as well).

Annnndddd GO!

Vardaman, Mississippi

Today, like several other recent days, I’m venturing to a previously unknown part of Mississippi: Vardaman.

I’m going because my boyfriend has family there. Believe me, there isn’t much else to see. I have been twice before, and this will be the first time I go to a restaurant. (I’ll report back on the food).

So let me just explain a little bit about Vardaman.

It’s the capital of sweet potatoes!!!!

Source: #mce_temp_url#

Now, Mississippians like sweet potatoes in many fashions. I, for example, never knew they came in the fry variety till I moved here. I always ate sweet potatoes a lot and have always loved them, but who knew they could be fries?!

 

Source: #mce_temp_url#

Furthermore, it’s obvious that being the biggest producer of sweet potatoes creates the need for physical labor. Enter the Latinos. Many of the harvesters and manual laborers are Latino, mostly Mexican. This has created an interesting new cultural mix to the town. On one street, there are Mexican restaurants, stores (tiendas), and general hangouts, while on the other side, the street looks more like any small town in this part of the state.  The town offers some good economic opportunities for immigrants (in my opinion—I’d rather not argue about immigration on this blog…).

So, you may ask, what is there besides sweet potatoes? Well, nothing. BUT, there’s some dad-gum good sweet potatoes, and some good Mississippian folk (said with my Southern accent that comes out in these situations).

So today, when I’m driving down Hwy 9 West towards the Sweet Potato Capital of the WORLD, I know you all will be envious of the bounty of sweet potatoes that will be available to me and the good company I’ll be keeping at dinner. Oxford bar-hoppers, perhaps even you should be envious.

I’ll leave you on that note…

Source: http://vardamansweetpotatofestival.org/area_farmers

Oh yeah, the Sweet Potato Festival is this weekend!! Check out the website above.