Steel Magnolias
I love the movie Steel Magnolias. I can still remember the first time I saw… I was probably 9 or so and it had come out on video (back in the day when we had VHS folks). Honestly, I probably shouldn’t have been watching it as a nine year old, it has a lot of things in it that I definitely didn’t understand until I was older. As a rule I generally hate movies where the main characters die in the end… I don’t like movies that make me sad. But for some reason I love Beaches and Steel Magnolias. So a couple of weeks ago, the day my Aunt died, I was feeling a little blue and decided at midnight that I needed to watch Steel Magnolias. Because you know, I hadn’t cried enough that day. So there I am curled up on the couch late one night crying my eyes out to Steel Magnolias and I made the following observations… some that I had realized before and some that I hadn’t.
via Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Steel_magnolias_poster.jpg)
- How can you not love the over-the-top, all-in, in-your-face 80’s hair and clothes? Oh, those bridesmaid dressed and those hats. Don’t even get me started on the hair!
- If I didn’t know it was set in the South, all of the extras at the wedding dressed as Confederate soldiers would be a sure give away. I must have seen this movie a hundred times by now, but I just now noticed this! All of Jackson’s male friends in the background of the reception scene and then when they bring the car around are in grey Confederate soldier uniforms.
- The grooms cake… I had always thought it was funny that it was an armadillo and red velvet, so it looked like it was bleeding. I just now picked up the line the Drum makes about liking a good piece of ass .
- At one point Ouiser comes into the beauty salon and starts giving out tomatoes and points out there are things she is supposed to do because she is an old Southern woman… like grow plants in the dirt. True!
- At another point Ouiser says the following when someone says she is not been religious in her life: “Now that is not true. When I was in school, a bunch of my friends and I would dress up as nuns and go bar-hoppin’.” I so didn’t even hear that line until this time. Hilarious!
- I finally put together all the comments about whoever the Ms. Christmas was. I just realized she is the same one who makes a snippy comment at the wedding reception, then she is the Ms. Christmas, and then later on the women are dishing up the gossip and are talking about how she got in trouble with a married man or something. Never picked up on that connection before. But the best part is how polite they are about… even as they are giving a dig, they do it with charm. So Southern.
- Early on when they are talking about the wedding and Shelby is talking about how pink is her signature color, M’Lynn mentions that the church looks like it has been hosed down in Pepto-Bismol. Everyone laughed and found it funny. As a side story, when the Bestie got married back in 201o I made the comment about how my bright pink maid of honor dress made me look like I was a bottle of Pepto-Bismol she was not amused. Clearly I can’t pull off a line like Sally Field can. So my advice to all future bridesmaids out there- don’t compare anything in the wedding to Pepto-Bismol. (Bestie- are you still mad about that?)
- I also didn’t get the line about skinny dipping and things that would scare fishes until I was older. Funny as an adult… over my head as a nine year old.
- The whole scene where Anelle has everyone stop because she had a contact pop out…. doesn’t happen in the 21st century. If you loose one you just grab another disposable one!
- When making pithy commentary about the other women at the wedding, Truvy mentions how a good southerner woman is raised to never go outside without a girdle on from being a teenager on. So spot on! Folks- we call them spanx now and any woman who says she hasn’t used one is lying.
- I have for years wanted to try that “Cuppa” recipe they Truvy and Clairee are talking about in the first group scene in the beauty shop… has anyone ever done that?
- Finally. To this day I feel that the entire scene that takes place in the cemetery is one of the most powerful scenes I have ever seen about grief in a film. All of those actresses are just wonderful and that is still the scene that gets me every time. From the anger and sadness that M’Lynn shows in the loss of her daughter, to the comic relief of Clairee and Ouiser, to the compassion of Anelle and Truvy. Wonderfully written and wonderfully acted. I cry and laugh every time.
Overall, even though it is over twenty year old, it is just a great movie with amazing characters that was well written and well acted. Most of you probably know this already, but it was based on a true story and it started as a play written by Robert Harling, who was the younger brother of the real Shelby, whose name was actually Susan. In my opinion it truly does an amazing job showcasing Southern life, real friendship and how strong the friendship between women can be. Anyone have opinions on Steel Magnolias?
Translation Tuesday: Pollen Season
I have a love-hate relationship with this season. I love that it is spring… it is getting warmer, official flip flop season is closer, it is Easter time and Carolina Cup. However, with every spring season comes a hate time period… pollen season. For my part of the South it starts in early March and lasts until early to mid-April. All of the trees start to bloom and and they fill the air with pollen.
Pollen coating a tire and in a rain puddle.
Pollen. I get that we need it for all of the plants to bloom, but I just hate tree pollen. I can literally feel it in the air… after I am outside for a few moments, I can feel my hands getting dirty from all the pollen in the air. The pine trees are the worst… they produce all of this yellow pollen that just coats everything. My car is black normally, but it looks like a bumble bee during pollen season because it is coated in pollen. It really doesn’t matter if you wash your car or not… it will be coated again within twenty-four hours. I love rainy days because it does help push some of it out of the air, I can actually go outside and breathe… but it comes back a few hours after the rain moves through. It is humorous after it rains though, you can see the pollen all pooled in the rain puddles. Which is also kind of disgusting, because you then realize you are breathing all of that stuff in.
Pollen coming off a pine tree
Personally, I have horrible allergies. So sneezing, itchy eyes, congestion and so on are what I live with for a month or so each year. The pollen seems to be really heavy this year, I don’t know what is going on that is making it that way, but I can’t WAIT for these trees to get their leaves already so we can move on from the yellow coated mess! Anyone else have pollen season issues?
I Don’t Do Winter
I live in an area where it snows so rarely…. that is why I moved here. Someone buy me this damn shirt!
Thank you Pinterest for bringing these finds into my life.
Easy Beef Stew
I have spent my entire Saturday cleaning. Yes, it was nice out today… but I can’t take all the pollen in the air. Plus, I have been out of town more than I have been in town for the past month or so and this place in desperate need of a cleaning. So from 10am- 6:30pm I cleaned. These kitchen counters are so clean you could eat directly off of them. Of course, since the place is so clean, that means there will be no cooking in it for a couple days so I can enjoy the nice clean look. Anyone else do that? Spend forever cleaning and then refuse to do anything in that room for a bit in fear of messing up all the work you put into it? So me. So, while I sit here eating the Firehouse sub I got for dinner, I thought I’d share a meal I made a couple weeks ago during a three day stretch were I was actually in town! It is my Mom’s recipe for beef stew and is pretty easy to make and usually makes enough for leftovers for the next few days. Enjoy!
Ready to eat!
Ingredients
- 2lbs stewing beef
- 3-5 potatoes- peeled and cut into quarters
- 3-4 carrot sticks, sliced*
- 3 celery sticks, sliced*
- 1 onion (yellow or white), medium sized, sliced
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup water
- garlic powder (a healthy amount)
- salt and pepper
- 1 can beef broth
- Vegetable oil
- egg noodles
* I love carrots, so I always add more. I also don’t love celery, especially when it is cooked, so I do that bare minimum, you can add more if you like.
Steps
- Mix flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in large plastic bag/ Ziploc bag. Add the beef and mix. Get all pieces of beef firmly covered. Set aside.
-
Coating the Beef
- Using a larger skill saute the sliced onion in vegetable oil.
- Once the onions are cooked, added pieces of beef in small batches and brown all sides over medium heat.
- In a large pot, mix broth and water together. Add contents from skillet. Cook on low for 45 minutes
- Add in vegetables.
- Sprinkle with more garlic powder, salt and pepper
- Stir often. Cooking for 45 minutes over low-medium heat.
- Cook egg noodles in separate pot according to directions.
- Serve stew over noodles.
Browning the Beef
Notes
Yes, I realize potatoes and pasta in once dish can be odd for some… but I love it. I usually serve this with yummy bread and salad. Sometimes I’ll do applesauce instead of salad… it just depends on my mood. Also, I usually keep some extra beef broth on hand in case the broth is looking a little too thick after adding the vegetables… it is up to the cook.
Cooking Away
The Charleston Bucket List
I adore Charleston, SC. The history, the food, the culture, the nice people, the overall feel of the place. I just love it. It is an easy day trip to make from where I am, just a few hours away and I generally make it down there several times each year either for a day trip or a weekend. Without fail, I ALWAYS take my exchange students there. I mean if you want someone to truly get a taste of Southern culture, there is no better place to take them. I took a group down this past weekend and I wasn’t super excited about going. Mainly because I have been traveling like crazy for the past month, but a small part of me was thinking… AGAIN. I need to give a tour of Charleston again? How many times can I go to Fort Sumter? So, I decided to make a list of things I haven’t done yet in Charleston and I am going to try and cross a new one off each time I go. I will still be sure to make sure my students see the Market and get a carriage ride, but why not add in some new things to the mix? So, we toured a house this past weekend and when I go down next month for my cousin’s wedding I am going to cross something else on the list. So… below are two lists. One- things I have already done in Charleston. Two- things I want to do still. For those who are from there or have been before… what am I missing off of list two?
The Old City Market
Done
- Boone Hall Plantation
- Drayton Hall*
- The Market*
- Carriage Rides*
- Fort Sumter Tours*
- Harbor Tours
- Patriots Point and the Navy ships
- Angel Oak*
- Sullivan’s Island*
- Folly Beach
- Morris Island Lighthouse
- Kiawah Island
- Seabrook Island
- James Island Christmas Lights at the Park
- Battery Park and White Point Gardens*
- Shem Creek*
- Fort Moultrie
- Edmondston- Alston House
- Shop on King Street*
- The College of Charleston
* denotes I will do this or want to do this again
Things To Cross Off the List
- See the Hunley Exhibit
- Visit the Charleston Aquarium
- Charles Pinckney National Historic Site
- Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka Distillery
- Take a Ghost Tour
- Visit the area during the Christmas holiday season
- Tour Middleton Place House
- Tour the Nathaniel Russell House
- The Charleston Museum
- Visit the Aiken-Rhett House
- Tour the Heyward- Washington House
- Tour the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon
- The Charleston Tea Plantation
- Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
- Gibbes Museum of Art
Now, I should mention I have intentionally left off restaurants/bars. Coming from a foodie family and loving good food, I could probably do several blogs on the places I love to eat in Charleston or are on my need to eat at still list! So, when it comes to things to DO in the Holy City, what am I forgetting?
Translation Tuesday: How to Curse Like A Southern Belle
Confession- I have a bit of a bad mouth. In fact, the Bestie generally gives me the evil eye at least once or twice when I am visiting the North and I say a curse word. I don’t know why I curse, the words just slip out. Maybe it is because I am around college students all the time and they curse. Maybe I was a pirate in another life. Who knows. But I have to get better about this little issue, especially as I have all these cute nieces and nephews now and I would prefer that they not accidentally repeat the F-word when they are five or so after being around their awesome Auntie. So, I need to adapt. I came across this gem on Pinterest from Southern Living. Cute southern adaptations when one needs to yell (I don’t know about you, but I feel better after being able to yell at someone after they cut me off on the freeway, even if they can’t hear me). So do you have any sayings you use in place of curse words? Personally, I have been loving “Son of a Biscuit!”
via Southern Living Magazine
I Heard It On The Radio
Most of my friends know this, but I LOVE the Beatles. They are hands down one of my favorite bands, but it hasn’t always been that way. When I was kid I absolutely HATED them. I mean, I hated them with a passion. My Dad loved them, so I of course thought they were the worst thing ever in the history of music. Who wanted to listen to someone sing about something called Rocky Raccoon? Or Piggies? I mean, seriously. So I always dreaded the long trips we would make once or twice a year from Ohio down to the South to visit our family. I knew that unless I was sneaky and got a jump on the music selection I was doomed for hour after hour of listening to my Dad’s favorite band.
So one year when we came down for Thanksgiving when I was 11 or 12 I was all prepared to be bored to death listening to my Dad’s favorite band. I had my Baby Sitters Club book ready (what girl from that time didn’t love BSC?) and I was determined to ignore the music if he put in the Beatles (this was clearly life before the Ipod). He had bought some new CDs for the drive down and he asked me to hand him the CD called Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. My tween self was ecstatic! A new band! Sgt. Peppers! A bit of an odd name for a band I thought, but heck- it wasn’t the Beatles. Yes, they were in the art on the cover, but so were all these other famous people. Then the music started… what great songs! Sgt. Peppers, With A Little Help from My Friends, A Day in the Life. The whole CD was great! I was loving this new band and I demanded that we listen to it a few more times. It wasn’t until a few days into the trip that my Dad commented on me liking the Beatles all of the sudden. Needless to say I was shocked by this statement… like the Beatles? Never. No! I liked Sgt. Peppers. It was then that my dear old Dad clued me into the fact that the name of the CD was Sgt. Peppers and the band singing was The Beatles. As one can imagine I was not happy. I was convinced for years that my Dad had tricked me into liking the Beatles. Then I grew up and realized that I was being silly. But still, the story stuck around as legend in the family for years… my Dad had tricked me into liking the Beatles. So, what the heck does this have to do with present day? Yep. I’m getting to that.
As mentioned in previous posts, my Dad and I both ended up moving to the South years ago. My Dad is an Operating Partner in a restaurant and they were rolling out a new menu a few weeks ago, so the marketing department had arranged for a popular local radio DJ to come in and try some of the new menu items to talk about them on her show. Oh, did I mention it is a classic rock station? And she has prime hours in the late afternoon while people are listening at work and driving home? Can you see where this is heading yet? So the DJ and my Dad are talking about their families, the restaurant, music today and music back in the day and how things have changed. At some point they get on the Beatles and my Dad tells her the infamous “You Tricked Me into Liking the Beatles” story.
So the next day, my Dad is working back in the kitchen at the restaurant and they have the radio tuned to her classic rock show and Sgt. Peppers comes on the air. Then the song ended and the DJ starts talking about how she got to meet Bruce out at the F.C. on Broad River the other night and how much he loved the Beatles and how much his daughter disliked them until she heard that song. She then goes onto tell the ENTIRE STORY. To every single one of her thousands of listeners in the midlands area. Now the whole city and surrounding area knows about what an idiot I was when I was 12. Seriously, I can’t make these things up.
I figure anyone listening to her show knows this story, so why not share it with my readers? It does provide a good chuckle. Besides, I have already had people ask me if that was my Dad and I they heard about on the radio. Yes, yes it was.
So, that is how I fell in love with the Beatles. The May after that fateful Thanksgiving trip Paul McCartney was playing a stadium arena tour and came to our hometown. My Dad bought us floor seat tickets… we were six rows from the stage. It is still one of my best memories, singing along with my parents and childhood best friend Sara Rae to “Drive My Car.” I have been to a ton of concerts over the years, but that one is still the best. Even if I did fall and break my arm on the walk back home and spent the summer in an arm cast. Nothing can top Paul McCartney (with Linda McCartney, she was still alive then) in concert. That evening is still in my top 15 list of best days ever. I can’t tell you how many times I have danced to Beatles songs at wedding receptions or dance recitals or even in my car. There is a song for nearly every mood I may be in and my all-time favorite song of any song in the history of music is still “In My Life.”
And it all started because my Dad “tricked me” into liking the Beatles on a drive to The South. Thanks, Dad.
I Will Remember You
I flew home this week… back to the North. The last time I went to my hometown was in October for a wedding. This time I headed home for a funeral. Talk about extremes. My Aunt Georgie passed away last Friday and she was such a large part of my childhood I wanted to be sure to pay my respects.
My family on my mother’s side is a bit confusing. Well, I guess confusing might be the understatement of the century. My Grandmother married 4 times, so my Mom has three half-siblings, seven step-siblings, and a number of siblings my Grandmother informally adopted and called her own. Then they all had kids, many of who have had their own kids. On top of that my Grandmother had two brothers who had their own families that we are all connected with. So when you sit down and try to look at my family tree it takes a lot of paper and a lot of little lines running all over the place. But I was always taught that it doesn’t matter how you are connected to them: family is family. You love them, you look out for them, help them, protect them, laugh with them, care for them. And while I know I didn’t have the most normal of childhoods, I never for one moment doubted that I was loved.
Georgette Hagen Hall was my mom’s step-sister, but I just grew up knowing her as my Aunt Georgie and I never for one moment doubted that she loved me… even if I was a spoiled brat at times. She was a fixture in my childhood and some of my favorite memories revolve around her. She and her family would come over every year on Christmas afternoon from as far back as I can remember. I can still see her sitting on the couch with my Grandmother… They each had a cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Granted, that image could have been any Saturday morning, not just Christmas. There were so many Saturdays in the summer where she would come pick me up and take me to Sunlight pool for the day. I adored going to Sunlight with her and those are probably some of my favorite memories of at place even though I have been there with plenty of others over the years, I associate it with her. Especially the big water slide… She would sit me in her lap when I was really little to go down it and I was too scared to go alone.
My Aunt Georgie was also the secretary at the elementary school that I went to, so I literally saw her everyday at school. One of my childhood friends, Amber, and I used to run around school helping teachers, playing at recess or organizing plays and whatnot. We were always into one thing or another and she used to refer to us as Lulu and Cookie… what are Lulu and Cookie getting into today? As a result a ton of my creative stories when I was a kid were about the “Adventures of Lulu and Cookie.”
The best school story was when I was in fourth or fifth grade. I was a bit of brat as a kid, but I usually had good behavior, but one time I got in serious trouble. I was walking home with Anthony Honkomp, who was my neighbor and a year or two younger than me, and I swatted my soft-sided lunchbox at him when he made me mad. The zipper cut his face and he started bleeding a lot, he even had to have stitches. I had to take him into the principal’s office to get help… to the principal and my Aunt. I probably should have gotten suspended for that stunt, I mean he had to go to the hospital and get stitches! But I got detention after school for several days. And not even detention with the other kids that had detention… but by myself in the principal’s office. You think that would be a huge bonus, right? Easy detention. NOT. It was detention with my Aunt who was not pleased with my behavior. I spent days cleaning and organizing every.single.thing. in that office. Nuts! I never got in trouble in school again after that. Lesson learned.
In reality, I learned more than that lesson from her… she taught me so much more and gave me so much. I loved her very much and I’ll never forget her.
I like to think that she and my Grandma are up there in heaven now. Having a cup of coffee, smoking a cigarette that is smoke free and smiling down on us. Knowing that we will all see each other again some day.
Humor me with the photo dump.
The above photo is my Aunt Georgie, Uncle Ed and their three boys- Eddie, Eric and Chris during Christmas in 1983.
The above is from the early 1990s.
My Aunt Georgie, my Grandma and me (rocking the the blue dress covered in puffy paint and I believe that is a scrunchie headband, not to mention the dorky facial expression) in the early 1990s
At my Uncle Jeff’s wedding in 1986 with my Uncle Tommy in the background.
The Undesirable
One thing that many people know about me is that I LOVE to read. I always have a book on the bedside table or something new downloaded. After the disaster of the break-in and the lost Kindle I had a lovely conversation with the people at Amazon where they told me they could actually de-activate my Kindle so that no one else would be able to download anything to it, hence making it useless to whoever tried to buy it from the criminal. Nice feature, right? Anyway, in that process I was on my Amazon account and realized that I downloaded and read over 130 books last year. That is not even counting however many real paper books I bought… so I like to read. Therefore, I was THRILLED when I was able to replace the Kindle and the very first book I downloaded was THE UNDESIRABLE by my good friend, Sara Celi.
If you are looking for a good book to read when you have some downtime, I highly recommend this book. I breezed through it in two days and was left wanting to know how long I was going to have to wait for the sequel. That was a plus to knowing the author, I immediately texted her and she is promising me it won’t be too long of a wait! THE UNDESIRABLE is the story of Charlotte, a young woman living in Ohio… but not Ohio as I grew up in, but a dystopian society where the United States is at war with Canada and the country is controlled by manipulative dictator… whom Charlotte learns she has an unexpected connection with. I will admit, it really threw me to try and adapt my mind to the picture Charlotte was painting of the Ohio in HER world. It took me a few chapters to adjust to setting of a dystopian society where there is no freedom and everything in life was controlled- down to what you ate for lunch. But the setting is what frames the action of the story. There were a couple of things I adored about the book. From the very start you can tell that Charlotte is a strong female lead with a smart head on her shoulders. She does what she needs to do to survive and to help those she loves survive. Charlotte is never a damsel in distress, unlike so many other books that I have read (in an ironic twist, Twilight happens to be on TV as I am writing this). I love that SHE goes on crusade to save the man she realizes she loves, Fostino Sanchez. Yes, that is a mouthful of name, but it has a meaning. It seems like a role reversal from a lot of the books I have read in the last few years and I liked that. Being that I work in education and have read way too many books and sat through too many lectures on student development theory, I liked seeing the cognitive development of the characters. There is one scene in particular where Charlotte is out jogging and she realizes how limited her view on life had been and how many more possibilities there for life. I love when students I work with have those moments, so I was thrilled to see it here as well. Especially when you consider Charlotte is college-aged (if they had colleges in this society) so it fits that she was having this revelation.
I really don’t want to give too much of the plot away, so I won’t say much more. The book wraps up this first part of Charlotte’s adventure nicely, but I was left wanting to know more. More about what happens with her love, Fostino, and his family. More about the other characters she interacts with… what has their past been and will they all survive in the future? Will she ever meet this evil dictator and what will become of him?
Now, you may be reading this and start to think that I am only trying to write a nice entry for a friend. That is a fair assumption, but it is not the case. Sara and I have known each other for a long time, and with those years of friendship comes a trust and a responsibility. A responsibility to tell each other the truth and call each other out on our shit. If I didn’t like the book I would have told her so. I will tell you all that it is really good and I am ridiculously proud of my friend. She and I have known each other since middle school. MIDDLE SCHOOL. That was nearly twenty years ago. We were co-editors of the high school newspaper together and survived that with only a few screaming matches that she won’t let me forget. We survived a summer tour to Europe in college where she left me at the Eiffel Tower in a hail storm that I won’t let her forget. There have been countless moments between then and now, and that history requires that I give honest feedback.
That being said, my only real hang ups with the book were minor things and it is more my brain than her style. I wanted it to be longer, but the genre is Young Adult, so it is closer to the 250 page range. There was also one scene where they are debating to shower or not and I just wanted to yell at the two characters to focus on the important thing: staying alive. I also had to work hard to not think too much about North Korea as I was reading this book. Mainly because in the book the dictator is referred to as “our dear Supreme Leader” and he has essentially cut off communication for anyone in the US to know what life is like outside of the country. So, as I was first getting into the story I kept picturing Kim Jong-un and what life must be like in North Korea. This is what happens when you keep to up-to-date on current events. So, as you are reading it DON’T picture this short little North Korean leader. That is NOT what Maxwell Copper, the dear Supreme Leader (evil dictator) looks like.
So, that is my book recommendation for you all this week. Not only is it by my dear friend, but it is also a good and fast-paced read by an up and coming author. Below are all of the links and information to check out if you want to purchase a copy. I really enjoyed it and I hope you do to!
• Title: The Undesirable (Undesirable #1)
• Author: S. Celi
• Release Date: January 28, 2013
• Genre: New Adult
Synopsis:
*This book is Mature YA/ New Adult. It is recommended for readers 14 and over.
What if everything you knew turned out to be a lie?
Charlotte Walker knows how to live under the rule of The Party. She has managed for 18 years. She helps out her drunken mother and keeps life going at a familiar, steady pace. She doesn’t ask questions, even though she has many of them in her heart.
Fostino Sanchez knows how to live under the rule of The Party, too. For 19 years, he’s worked to be the perfect Party member. He knows what must be done to keep Maxwell Cooper in power, and how find the The Undesirables that threaten to take away everything that matters.
As the months go by, what matters most to Fostino is Charlotte Walker.
While their love blooms, danger comes to Charlotte and Fostino’s small hometown of Harrison Corners, OH. Threats they never knew existed could take away all that they care about. And just when these two teens think they know what will come next, Charlotte learns the truth about a secret she has long suspected.
What Charlotte finds out changes everything.
EVERYTHING.
THE UNDESIRABLE is Charlotte Walker’s story, from her point of view. It is a thrilling, suspenseful tale of love, curiosity, adversity, and maturity against the backdrop of a futuristic war.
Should Charlotte trust Fostino with what she knows? Can she trust anyone? Will she find it in herself to rise up against terrible odds? What if the ultimate Undesirable is her?
Author Contact Info:
twitter: saragceli
Website: http://celibrationoflife.wordpress.com/
The South.
Translation Tuesday: In A Coon’s Age
A new Southernism for you this week… one that I had not heard in a while. “In a Coon’s Age.” This lovely statement came out a few weeks ago when I ran into someone I went to school with years ago. She called at me from across the hall. “Well, I do declare, (insert name)! I haven’t seen you in a coon’s age!” It was a typical Southern moment- the calling out, the waving, the declaring loudly across a distance so everyone around can hear. Love it. And while I was thrilled to see her, I was also thrilled to add another little Southern saying to my list.
So, what does it mean? Pretty much what you think it means- I haven’t seen you/ heard from you/ had any interaction with you in a really long time. In my case last month it had been two years… which seems like forever!
So, anyone have requests on other mysterious southern sayings out there you are dying to know about? I am taking requests.
The Break-In
And I’m back! Insurance check arrived and I am much happier now that I have a new fabulous laptop and an Ipad Mini. So, I guess I should recap the experience so I don’t forget.
I have loved my apartment since I found it when I moved back to Ctown in 2010. I have the entire top floor of a house that was built back in the 1940s. Two bedrooms, 1 bath, living room, dining room and kitchen. Lots of storage, 10 minute drive from campus with a lovely fireplace and hardwood floors. I loved it and it was perfect for me. The only downside was the driveway sucked, it wasn’t the best insulated and there was an overgrown lot/swamp thing next door. But I felt safe and it was just adorable for me. But then the first week of January came.
So, it is the first full week in January and I went to get my haircut after work. I chopped off about six inches, it was way overdue and I was so happy because it just looked so cute. So I get back to my apartment and I am all happy as I go in the back. Through three doors, with three deadbolts, up to my apartment. I walk into my living room, turn on the lights and bend over the coffee table to turn on the laptop (the laptop that was like a year old). But the laptop is not there. I stand up straight and look around, thinking to myself, “Did I put it up last night? Or, did I take it to work with me today?” I stand in place and look around… my completely normal and clean apartment. Then the fact that it is missing dawns on me and I freak. I check the front door that I don’t use and the glass had been broken in.
So like any sane person I call 911 and head out to the front door to wait. Complete with phone in one hand and pink can of mace in the other. While I am waiting I call the Bestie, who freaks out with me until one of the young women who lives downstairs came out to wait with me. We waited for an hour and a half before they showed up. One hour and thirty minutes. Ridiculous. After a search it turns out they got my laptop that was loaded down with software, my Kindle, my BlackBerry and a lot of really good jewelry (all gold with gems). They got a few things of sentimental value, like a cuff bracelet that had belonged to Sal my great-grandmother and a gold charm bracelet full of charms that my Grandma had given me. I had renters insurance though, so that covered a good portion of things and I was able to replace the laptop and Kindle.
I think the thing that frustrated me the very most is that I think it could have been prevented. Mine was broken into on a Wednesday night, the Monday before that the girls in the unit downstairs had been broken into and lost a laptop and TV. It pisses me off because the property company didn’t notify me and didn’t take any steps to secure any of the property after it. The little one bedroom unit out back was broken into over Thanksgiving. Had they done any security upgrades I feel it could have been prevented, or at least I could have barricaded the front door! Finding out all of this back story was the only good thing about having to wait so long for the cops t show up!
Oh, but wait. This tale gets even freakier. I have been super careful about going into my apartment since this drama and very careful of making sure everything is secure. So after a month of always calling someone when I walk into my apartment, I had convinced myself that I didn’t need to do it when I got home from work at 7pm a week ago. I was wrong. As I turned around at my apartment door after putting the key in, I looked behind me and in the lot/swamp area on the side of the house is a man standing watching me go into my apartment. Once I got inside he turned and walked into the woods. So another call to 911 and a twenty minute wait I met cop and he did a search while I packed a bag.
I haven’t slept in that apartment since and don’t plan to. I am unsure whether they will let me out of my lease or not, but I am moving out regardless. I just need to sleep and feel safe. So I am moving on and taking every security precaution imaginable. Not really fun, but it works.
So, that is the reason for the big hiatus. Stay tuned for more blog entries soon! Including one about fire ants. I hate those damn things. But I will take those oven encounters with criminals!
Temporary hiatus
Well, at first Well, at first it was the holidays and I was swamped. Then about two weeks ago some jerks broke into my apartment while I was out one evening and stole about $5, 000 worth of stuff from me, including my barelyayearold laptop.
Assholes.
While my work laptop has been helpful for staying up on email and news, it would be wrong to use it to blog and it is difficult to
try and use my phone. Silly touchscreen.
So until my insurance claim comes through and I go through the long process of selecting the best new laptop for my needs, there is a blogging break for this converted southerner.
Translation Tuesday: Commandeer
Today’s word for translation: commandeer. According to the modern source of all knowledge, Google, this means:
- Officially take possession or control of (something).
- Take possession of (something) without authority.
What does this have to do with life in the South? Nothing really. Why am I using it as the word for today? Because commandeer is totally what I did to the family Thanksgiving holiday last week. Call me General Gobble Gobble.
It all started innocently enough, my Dad told me to make a couple side dishes for dinner and then it spun a little bit out of control. Next I was pushed into all side dishes, and then my Aunts were calling me and asking what they could bring, and then I was telling my Dad all the things he would be responsible for. Pretty soon I was sending off emails and text messages with detailed timelines of the day, coordinating who would arrive when, who was bringing what, who and how we were going to bring my Nana to the house from the nursing home. The moment I realized I had completely taken over? I was writing out my grocery list to go buy all of Thanksgiving food and the note pad I was writing on… the header says “I’m in Charge Here.” 🙂
Personally, I think most of this has to do with the fact that on the Meyers-Briggs scale of personality types, I am a total J and everyone else in my family is a total P. Google it. In short this breaks down to the fact that I am ridiculously over-organized and like to be in control, whereas the rest of my family is not the most organized and tend to go with the flow. So, I like a plan (preferably one that is color-coded and in chronological order) sue me.
Thus, I commandeered Thanksgiving 2012. And minus the drama of trying to get an 87-yearold in a wheelchair into a non-accessible house, it went pretty well. Recipes for the corn casserole, chocolate chip pie and mashed potatoes I made coming later. Anyone else have their own Thanksgiving general?
Translation Tuesday: Odd Biscuit
Oh my, do I have a new phrase that has thrown me for a loop. The other day I was chatting with Gail and she just dropped this one on me: “The odd biscuit in the gravy.” Seriously? Gail, my fellow damn yankee who has transplanted to this southern land at the same time I did. She refuses to this day to use the word y’all, but she’ll drop a phrase like “the odd biscuit in the gravy?”
After I got over my shock (and I was shocked, but not quite as shocked as when she started using buggy all the time instead of grocery cart) I started to think about the phrase, and it got put on my list of unique southern colloquialisms. In short, the odd biscuit in the gravy is just a southern way of saying that person/situation (more often than not a person) is a little unique and not all together with it. Kind of like describing someone as an odd duck, but southern style. Heaven forbid we do anything like they do up North! And we have our own type of cuisine down here, and biscuits are hot on most menus, so why shouldn’t the word pop up other places other than on the dinner table?
So, what phrases are out there that I am missing? Are there other things you have heard of that made you just pause and think “what the heck does that mean?”
convertedsoutherner 
