Kristen’s Blog

Tonight, on my way home, I stopped at the corner grocery.  There is a chain grocery store a block from the house, but I have to pass the house to get to it.  There is a locally owned store on my way home from work that I use when I only need a few things.  I stopped there because Robin is out tonight and I needed some “home alone” food.

We are out of Diet Rite, so I got a buggy in case they were on sale.  They weren’t.  So as I was heading to the checkout, I noticed a neighbor and colleague coming in.  Right now, this colleague is in a kind of advocarial position to mine.  I didn’t really want him to see me in line with a 12-pack of caffeine free Diet Dr. Pepper, Baked Lays, and dip in a buggy, so I turned around quickly and headed to the bread aisle, as if I were still shopping.  (Why I care that he saw my munchies purchase, I still can’t figure out.)  He saw me, and we chatted for a while.  After he left, I turned the buggy around and got in the checkout line.  Unfortunately, he was just picking up a few things, and ended up in the line right next to me.

The morale of the story: Next time I need “home alone” food, I’ll just go to the big chain store and save myself the embarassment of running into someone I know with a buggy full of nothing but chips and soda.

I heard the title directed at me today. I probably deserved it.  I didn’t have on shoes and I had the window open in a house with central AC.  I thought it was funny, and was going to blog about it.  But then, I got sleepy and decided to just blog tomorrow.

I got ready for bed and turned on the ten o’clock news.  Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), chairman-elect of the Ways and Means committee, had made a disparaging comment about Mississippi.  So I got my tired butt out of bed to rant - I mean blog.

Here’s the quote in today’s New York Times, “Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?”

Um…me.  And 2.9 million other people.

Don’t get me wrong.  I <3 NY as much as the next girl.  But I love being barefooted outside in November.  I love that I don't ever have to ask for iced tea.  I love driving in the country, smelling the cows (but not the chicken farms so much).  I love dirt roads.  I love dinner on the grounds and fifth Sunday singings.  I love that my 6 year-old niece has a favorite Brave.  I love blooming magnolias.  I love SEC football.  I love how no matter where you go, someone will ask “do you know…” and you probably do.  I love being able to see the stars, even in the city.

I’m not the only one proud to be a Mississippian.  Check out Mississippi Believe It!  The website chronicles our successes, our favorite sons and daughters, our contributions to the betterment of society.

Yes our towns are sleepy, you could never truly call Jackson a metropolis, and too often you get stuck behind a pulp wood truck, but Mississippi is heart and home to many people.  We offer a community that can’t be duplicated.  Our past isn’t pretty, but every day we get farther away from it.  We are making strides every day to change that.  But most of the time, we are the only ones who notice.

One of my favorite poems concerns this very issue.  I will reproduce it in its entirety below:

Holding out their
hand to help us up
yet still
keeping their feet
planted firmly on
the man-hole cover
we’ve been wearing as a hat.
They forced us into the
underworld
and will not let us up
Because we are the
cousin everyone likes to
make fun of.
No matter how
many good things
we do
They only notice the goof-ups.
Just wait and
one day they’ll see
all the great things
we do and have done.
And they’ll feel sorry
for the hell they’ve
put us through.

Let’s hope it doesn’t take another
hundred and fifty years.

-April 2000

I remember as a kid getting the Sears Roebuck gift catalog.  Brandy and I would fight over who got it first.  Usually, we would share.  We each had our sheets of paper for our lists and would reverently turn the pages.  We would stare in awe at all the new toys we could ask Santa for.  We’d write the toy plus the page number (to make things easier for Santa.)  Our lists would be so long - we wanted everything.

Now my mothers are asking for my Christmas list.  Both like to get started around Thanksgiving.  Each year, I have a harder and harder time coming up with something.  Socks are always on my list.  Actually, I take my list from the previous year and delete what I got.  Occasionally I add things.  But not always.  I guess I’ve gotten to the point in my life when I cherish my family and our time together and don’t really care our getting “stuff.” 

Today someone did tell me that I didn’t look old enough to be an attorney.  I get that sometimes because people have an impression of attorneys being older and wiser.  But she thought I was under 20!  So maybe I’m not as advanced in years as I think and should ask for coloring books and Play-Dough for Christmas.  Doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all…

Today is one of the most sacred and cherished days for Americans.  I voted today.  It always makes me feel proud.  I wish I could have gotten a sticker so that I could show everyone.  I feel like a better person after I vote.  So many people do not have the rights we do.  Voter apathy is one of the top problems facing the United States.

Many people don’t like to discuss who they voted for.  I have no qualms.  I spent all five votes on Emmett.  I think he should go to the finals.  I love to watch that man shake his hips - he is just so cute!

Oh, did you think I was talking about the other election?!?  Yeah, I voted in it too. 

I love cold weather.  The only problem with the new house is there is no gas fireplace.  We have a fireplace with a gas heater.  Unfortunately, the gas heater doesn’t work.  One of my goals was to get a gas log fireplace installed before it got cold, but I don’t think that is going to happen.  It’s already the first week of November and the holidays are coming up.  Almost time to buy decorations and presents.  I’m afraid I’ll have to wait until next year to get my gas log.

But I can see it now.  I’ll hang my pictures, recover my chair, get a new ottoman, drape an afghan over the whole thing.  Then I’ll light the fire, sit in my chair, put up my feet, and read my book.  It will be great.  I can’t wait!  But as I always say…

A girl can always dream.

Today, I got to spend the day with my sister.  I had a work errand I needed to run in Hattiesburg, and she had taken the day off.  I picked her up this morning, and we were off.  We had so much fun!  She looks just like Mama when she laughs and loses her breath.

One of the best things about her is that she says the dumbest things - and catches herself most of the time.  Ask her about Jesse James next time you see her.  It’s probably one of those you-had-to-be-there stories, but I’m laughing out loud thinking about it now.

We got to talk about our family, most especially the crazy things the Boblet says.  She’s just as funny as her mom.  Actually, they are the exact same person.  One is just shorter and more curly haired than the other.  It continually amazes me how alike they are and the strange things you can inherit - liking big bows in your hair, wanting your shirt buttoned up to your neck, chewing on your shirt.  I understand the genetics behind hair/eye color and similiar hands (La and I have the exact same hands - just like Mama’s), but fashion choices!  How do you inherit that!?!

The two of us should get together more often.  I miss my sister.  We both get so busy, we don’t spend enough time together.  Even though we live only 70 miles apart (or maybe because), we usually only get to see each other in groups.  I’m going to make an effort to get her alone more often in the future.

I love Halloween.  While it’s not my favorite holiday, it’s definitely in the Top 5.  I like to dress up, but my favorite part is giving out candy to the little kids.  Last night we had the two cutest kids ever.  Two little boys, probably between 18 and 20 months old.  They had on red velvet devil costumes with black tails.  They were so adorable!  Robin gave the candy to them.  Since I got to hand candy out to the first ten or so kids, I let him take the rest.  I think he loves it as much as I do.

We had a lot of kids come by.  Probably because we live on a semi-busy street and I’ve had the house decorated for about 6 weeks.  Two of my seven pumpkins have rotted, but the rest of them are doing okay.  Pieces of the Indian corn have been eaten, but everything still looks decent.  They just need to make it four more weeks - then it will be time to decorate for Christmas!

The trees in the front yard are losing leaves and pine straw.  I like the way it makes the yard look, but I’ll probably rake it all up this weekend.  We’re eventually going to have to landscape the front yard, but Robin’s priority is a magnolia for the back.  If I feel nice, I’ll let him get it on Sunday.  If I feel mean, I’ll make him wait longer for it.

I love DC.  I got to spend four fabulous days in our nation’s capitol last week.  I love the history, the architecture, the streets, the food, the culture.  I would love to live there.  I love that you can go out of your house and walk to dinner, the pharmacy, almost anywhere you want to go.  I love how there is seasons, the leaves change, the air is crisp.  I love that it is a true city.

I visited the Lincoln Memorial for the first time.  I had goose-bumps.  If you have never been, you must.  The sense of history and where our country has been is awe-inspiring.  Truly awesome.