In Search of the Muse

So, I've been sick for a few days, and while perusing through one of my old journals today, I found a list of random musings I wrote about a year or so ago. Many of my random jottings about life still hold true today, so I though I would share some of those with you tonight...
Dr. Pepper is always best from a can over ice.
I cry at Oprah at least once a week.
Movie quotes can be incorporated into any conversation.
I wish my last name was not so low in the alphabet.
I wear my heart on my sleeve.
Peter Pan has the right idea.
Movie popcorn is always better.
I could live off of cornbread muffins.
I still want a LiteBrite.
Sometimes you just need to sleep 'til noon.
Love should be seen and heard.
Photographs can speak volumes.
I like to pretend that my life has a soundtrack.
Rainy afternoons are made for good books.
Concerts are fun no matter who is playing.
Beer in a bottle really does taste better.
The book is always better than the movie.
Nicknames are always better.
There are few things better than a handwritten note.
Sometimes songs just say it better.
I still believe in Santa.

The Homecoming

What a weekend.

Old friends, new friends, air mattresses, tons of photo ops, movie quotes, mimosas, school spirit, toasts, costume changes...

Just to hit a few highlights.

I have the best friends. You've heard me say it before and, rest assured, you'll hear me say it again. But the fact remains the same. They're amazing. I cannot imagine my life without these people.

This weekend I got to see so many of the people who matter most in my life. Those of you who I wasn't fortunate enough to see this weekend (and you know who you are), know that you were missed. You see, while I treasure every minute spent with each of my favorite friends, it often makes me reflect on how much I miss those who are absent.

It's like a few pieces of the puzzle are missing, so that keeps it from being complete.

As I reflect back over the past 48 hours, I am a little overwhelmed at everyone I saw, everything I talked about, everywhere I went, and how it all seemed to mesh together so effortlessly. To be honest, I'm on a little bit of a sensory overload...

But in a good way.

Between State's Homecoming and Hope's engagement party, I had the best of both my worlds--home and school. Rarely does the world line up so perfectly and come together so neatly.

For the first time in my life, I really understand what the word "homecoming" really means. It's not so much about the place (even though there was a certain electricity flowing through the streets of Starkville this weekend) but much more about the people. The people who made my Mississippi State experience (and I really do believe it's unique for every one of us) what it was. The memories, the laughter, the old pictures, the familiar places and the stories that will never get old.

That's what I believe that homecoming really means.

(Not that I will actually be anywhere but here for at least the next several years. I guess I'll just count on all of you to keep coming home to me?? I'm willing to push the limits of my 750-foot-apartment if y'all are...)

This weekend was just what I needed to give me that final push to last through this next five weeks of school. They're going to be rough, don't get me wrong, but now that I've been refreshed by so many people who care so much about me, I know I can do it.

Love all of you and miss you already.

Coming Home

Whew.

I'm exhausted.

I just finished cleaning my apartment in preparation for my weekend visitors, and you can practically eat off my kitchen floor. I don't know that I would try it, but I'm just saying...

This weekend is State's Homecoming, and some of my favorite people in the world are arriving in Starkville to celebrate the occasion. I am so, so excited to see all of them, and I am looking forward to the special time I hope to spend with each of them.

I love Homecoming. It's usually right in the middle of football season, so sometimes is actually cool weather (or at least not so hot and humid that your hair puffs up the instant you step out of your front door...). Also, lots of alums come back for this game, so you see lots of people you haven't seen in awhile (a characteristic that seems to increase in value with each post-graduation year...).

In addition to the merriment here in Starkville, Hope's engagement party is Saturday night in Columbus, so I will get to see some of my favorite people there, as well. Our Columbus crew always has such a great time when we get together, not to mention the fact that this will be the first time I've seen Bailey since she started her job in DC. I can't wait to hear of all of her adventures, spreading the love of wine throughout the world...

All in all, it's safe to say that I'm more than excited about the coming days. I've got a little bit of a cold, but I'm pushing through; there's far too much fun to be had to waste time on a cold.

I've included a couple of my favorite pics from Homecomings past...

What's Up, Doc?

Tonight I want to start by saying CONGRATS to Day, one of my best friends in the world, on getting into medical school! Day and I have been friends since practically before we could form complete sentences, and I could not be more proud of her. She has been working toward this for her whole life, and she is going to be a phenomenal doctor.
Day and I have the funniest relationship. Well, to be clear, I think sometimes it's only funny to us. We do and say these ridiculous things, and no one thinks they're half as funny as we do. I can't wait to hear all of her med school stories; I know they will entertain me to no end.
All of my friends mean something special to me, and Day is no exception to that. She constantly blows me away with her compassion for other people and her ever-expanding faith. She is the first person I go to when I have a faith-based question, and she helps me to remember the importance of prayer and patience when I get too wrapped in life's daily trials.

Oh, and did I mention that Day is brilliant? No joke, the girls is wicked smart. In fact, she was so smart in high school chemistry that we used to joke that her family had a chemistry lab underneath their house and she would go home and practice the lab assignments in her free time. Joke was on us, however. She didn't need to do extra practice to get the experiments right; she was just smart enough to know how to do them perfectly after she'd barely glanced at the lab manual. (I, on the other hand, was too busy making jokes about the lab equipment and thinking about who I was going to talk to on Instant Messenger when I got home....)

In essence, whether we're being Daria and Lucy, "cutting it out," fantasizing about Disney World or Harry Potter or wishing we could "suck our words back in through a straw," we're almost always laughing, and she continues to inspire me to work towards bettering myself. I know God has amazing things in store for her life.

In other news, I have discovered that I will do almost anything to avoid having to study. To further that idea, (and this sort of relates back to Day, oddly enough...) I have started writing a movie blog. Be sure to check that out if you have a minute, and don't judge me for my sometimes seemingly odd taste in movies...
My excitement is mounting more and more everyday because Ben is coming one week from today. I haven't seen him since June, and I cannot wait to hear all of his recent stories and details of his adventures. I'm sure we will laugh continuously from the time we first see each other until the second he leaves!
Oh, yeah... one more thing. Hey, Bristol!

Art History

I have some very talented friends.
Take my friend Frances (who I've known since practically the beginning of time), for example. She has always been really, really artistic (and insanely talented), but she's recently gotten into photography. If you ask me, she has found her forte; her pictures are so, so cool. I know that's really not the most articulate way of describing them, but that's usually what I say to myself when I look at her newest photos.

"Wow. How cool is that?"

Sometimes I even say it out loud, which is kind of awkward when I'm at work...

She can take the most random inanimate objects, things we walk by every day like grocery carts or old discarded office chairs or signs on the side of buildings or racks of clothes, and make them look like something really unique and unusual. She can do the coolest things with perspective and focus, and she makes really cool usage of natural light.

(I like to fancy myself as somewhat of a novice photographer, even though I lack the proper equipment and, quite frankly, any extensive knowledge whatsoever about the art form.)

I may not know all of the proper terminology, but I know a cool picture when I see one. Frances can always find some cool new way to bring to light something I've probably passed blindly by eight-hundred times in my life.

I know there's beauty in a da Vinci and fascination in a Mirot, but I think I prefer Frances' brand of art.

The art of the everyday.

Fall In

Fall has come to Hartness Street, and I, for one, am loving it!

In fact, I am sitting on my back patio enjoying a perfect fall afternoon this very minute.

It seems that all too often in Mississippi we bypass fall to get straight from summer to winter, so everyone is really trying to soak up every minute of this gorgeous season while it lasts. All over campus people are sprawled out on the grass, napping, studying or talking with friends; walkers and bikers pass each other on the sidewalks at all hours of the day; people linger at outdoor restaurants and bars, enjoying the breeze; some classes are even being held outside.

In addition, fall mums and sunflowers are appearing by front doors; pumpkins of all shapes and sizes can be seen everywhere you look; scarecrows keep watch over gardens and ghouls; Halloween decor fills the shelves of stores; everyone's talking about costume ideas.

It seems impossible to be in a bad mood when everything around me looks so cheerful and welcoming.

I spend many of my free afternoons sitting outside at the bookstore or the bakery on campus as well as the bagel cafe just up the road from my apartment. Although I am under the guise of studying or reading for pleasure, I often find myself just looking around at the changing scenery around me, and I watch other people enjoying the beauty of the afternoon, as well. (Don't take that to mean anything creepy; you know people-watching is one of my favorite pasttimes...)

I've even brought the season into my own apartment with a few flowers and pumpkins of my own. It seems that somewhere deep inside of me there's a homemaker just dying to come out; she manages to stake her claim a little at a time. I think of her when I return home to my apartment at the end of the day and can still smell the lingering remnants of the harvest scented candle she loves to burn...

I should probably bring this to a close, for Katie is, at this very moment, en route to visit for the weekend. It's time again to take part in another of my favorite fall institutions: football. (Okay, so I may not love the actual football so much, but I do thoroughly enjoy the tailgating...) If tomorrow's weather is anything like today's, it will be an absolutely perfect day.

p.s. special thanks to my friend Laura for the use of a few of her gorgeous fall pics. i'm insanely jealous of her recent trip to the mountains and rather impressed with her photography skills, too.

Flash of Genius

Tina Fey is a comedic genius.
I know this is not a novel idea, but the truth remains the same. The woman is hilarious.I just watched (for about the fortieth time, mind you) her first appearance on Saturday Night Live as vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and, no matter how many times I watch it, it continues to make me laugh out loud. I am a supporter of McCain/Palin, but I can still admit that Tina Fey's impersonation is dead-on. There are numerous other videos, including the vice-presidential debate and Palin's interview with Katie Couric, but the Hilary Clinton/Sarah Palin season opener remains my favorite.
I'm sure most of you have seen this video already, for everybody and his brother is talking about it.
Literally.
It's been all over the news; it's been replayed on YouTube about a million times; it's been emailed around several times. However, if you've somehow missed it, please go check it out now.

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/palin-hillary-open/656281/I cannot imagine how anyone could watch this video and not laugh out loud, but I'm totally open to being proven wrong.
I've decided that I will watch 30 Rock this year when the season starts on October 30. It look like something right up my alley, don't you think??

Autumn Days

It's fall break at Mississippi State, and, if you've ever been here after most everyone leaves for a holiday of some sort, you know how unbelievably, almost eerily quiet Starkville can get. Personally, I don't mind it too much; it gives me a rare opportunity to hole myself up with my books, my movies and my own introspective thoughts.
I just minutes ago finished the fourth movie I've watched since Friday; I've read an entire book since Friday afternoon; I've taken care of some school work; and I've cleaned my apartment from top to bottom. I've also taken full advantage of the fact that I could sleep a little later than usual, and I've enjoyed practicing my violin for longer than twenty minutes (because that's usually about as long as I can practice without thinking my neighbors are going to blast their own stereo's speakers trying to drown me out...).
Even though my classes don't meet Monday or Tuesday, I still have assignments due via the internet, and I also have to work both days. Therefore, even if I had wanted to, fall break really wasn't much of an option for me this year. (I won't pretend I wasn't initially disappointed; I had visions of myself frolicking through autumn in New York City--very You've Got Mail, you know?-- with Ben before graduate school brought those thoughts to a squealing halt.) I really have made the most of it, though, and I've made myself put my books down and take a little break to do some things for myself that usually I push aside because "'school comes first."
Now, for those of you extroverts who can't imagine how I could possibly be satisfied entertaining myself all weeked, I promise I haven't spent every waking moment alone. I did, in fact, venture out of my apartment and interact with the world around me a little bit, so rest easy.
Friday night I hung out with Alex and helped him pack for his own (much envied) trip to New York City. He and number of his good friends are going for the break, and I cannot wait to hear all of their stories when they return. I was able to hang out with a few of them while they were packing, and they were telling me all about their strategies for "clubbing," showing me their "impressive" dance moves and cracking me up nonstop with their hilarious plans to take the city by storm. Oh, to be a fly on the wall...
After that, I hung out with Nick for awhile, laughing and reminiscing about junior year, of all things. Lucky for Nick and I that I have photo evidence of just about every event that took place in our college careers, because (and I'm unbelievably ashamed to say this) our memories are starting to get a little mixed up; without pictures to back things up, there's no telling how we would remember things.
Saturday I spent most of the day in Columbus with my mom, and it was nice to have a little change of scene, even if only for the afternoon. Last night I read and watched movies, two of my favorite pasttimes.
I'm looking forward to this week because, even though I do have a number of assignments to take care of for school, it's always a plus when class is cancelled. I think that fact will remain true no matter how old I get and no matter how many classes I take. As hard as it is for me to believe, this weeks marks the midterm point, and the semester is now on a downhill slope! In a way, that's just the refreshment I need; on the other hand, it makes me wonder if I shouldn't be studying instead of having a movie festival...

The Conformist

Since Day decided she would resurrect her movie review blog, I, in turn, decided I would start a book review blog to step up my game as well.
Consider me a total conformist.
Check out http://thebook-keeper.blogspot.com/ for all of my observations, opinions and speculations on everything from historical fiction to classic literature to romances to nonfiction. (I don't read a multitude of those, mind you, but they manage to sneak in every now and then...)
And don't worry... I'm going to update this blog just as frequently as ever. I know there were several of you wringing your hands with worry, fearing the very worst. I could never leave; I've got too much left to say.