Down the Rabbit Hole

Pretty often it happens that I find myself absolutely lost in cyberspace, wholly unsure of how I've come to be where I am.  (This is why I cannot allow myself to join Twitter, for I just simply have enough world wide web vices as it is.  That is a whole other topic for another day, though.)  Through one social network, website, blog or another, I've wound up somewhere I have no business being God only knows where, filing away the intricate details of the lives of people I barely (if that) know.  I feel like Alice, having fallen down some unexpected hole and landed in unfamiliar territory.  I strongly desire to leave this foreign place and return to that from which I came, but, still, I'm inexplicably fascinated by my new surroundings. 
Does this happen to y'all?
Should I be admitting that I do such things?
Don't answer that.
Anyway, last night I fell down one of those rabbit holes and started reading an acquaintance's blog and, from there, read several blogs of people whom, twenty-four hours ago, I couldn't have picked out of a line-up.  I know, I know... I still don't technically know them, but we're all friends here in the blogosphere, right?  Right?  Er... is this thing on?
Ahem, anyway.
I have a point, I promise.
Most of these blogs I read were written by people who were doing internships this summer in Washington, DC.  I, too, did an internship in the capital city four (horrors!) years ago, and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  So many of the events these bloggers were describing attending or participating in were events I so fondly remember attending during my time there.  It really took me back and made me wish I could do the whole thing over again.
Living in DC for the summer when you're twenty-one years old feels like you have the entire world at your finger tips, and there just aren't enough hours in the day to fit in everything you want to do and see.  Going out, working, exploring, and living in the city is such an amazing experience, you almost feel like you've received an unbelievable gift by mistake and someone will surely realize the error and send you home at any moment.  In other words, you're packing as many people, places, things, sights, sounds, and ideas as you possibly can into a summer that flies by at warp speed and is over before you really feel you've even begun.
I certainly feel like I left my mark on the city while I was there, and, let's be honest, the city left a very distinct mark on me.  I met and worked with some of the coolest people I've ever met with whom I am fortunate enough to still share friendships; I walked around without having a destination in mind, just seeing what I could see; I experienced the diverse cultures of the distinctly different neighborhoods of the city; I was able to share the beauty and history of the nation's capitol with visitors every single day; I made a number of, shall we say, bad decisions, and would make them all over again if I had the chance, for they definitely make the best stories; I saw and experienced so much of what makes America America; I took time to watch the sun set over the Tidal Basin; I marveled over and over at the fact that I was blessed enough to have such an experience; with my face pressed against the glass, I cried when my plane banked away from the Washington Monument, for I knew I would never again have such a summer.
I feel like I could cry now, actually.
Sheesh.
You see, last night I fell down a rabbit hole, wandered around disoriented for awhile, and, before long, I started to see some familiar sights.  It turns out I knew where I was all along, just taking a stroll down one of my favorite streets--Memory Lane. 
I hope those kids (when did I start referring to people a mere four years younger than me as if they are from a wholly different generation?) are having the best summer of their lives.
I bet they are, but they may not know it yet.

I didn't when I was their age, but we rarely do, do we? 

Down to the Dirt

So, last night... just five literal minutes after I posted a blog, I got a phone call from my mom.  Already this was unusual, as it was 9:56 PM, and my fourth-grade-teacher-mother is usually snug as a bug in a rug by that time.  I knew we were in for an adventure when her first words were, "I need your advice."
When my mother says words like "I need your advice" or "I'm not sure what to do," they are almost always followed by some outlandish predicament my mother has found herself in and is, in turn, calling me to get her out of.  It could be anything from not being able to make the television remote work to water pouring out of the hot water heater and flooding the kitchen floor.  (The remote I can usually handle; what does she think I can do about the cascade of water?  Seriously, call a plumber.)
Last night was no exception.
The next words after "I need your advice" were legendary.  They went something like this:  "I think I have a tick in my eye."  Not like a nervous twitch or a muscle spasm, mind you, an actual insect.
The first thing I did was ask if she was sure it was a tick.  (Remember this; it will be important later.)  She said she was certain it was, and that she had tried to pull it off with her finger and a pair of tweezer, and it wouldn't budge.
Wonderful.  It's 10:00 at night, and my mother has a disease-carrying bug in her eye.
So, we debated what she should do.  Go to sleep?  Call her eye doctor?  Go the emergency room?  She was determined she needed to go to the emergency room, and that I needed to drive home and meet her there.  I don't live but about 30 minutes from my hometown, so I really didn't mind going to meet her, but I really wanted her to call her eye doctor and see what he said instead of rushing down to the local circus known as the ER.  
We decided she would call her eye doctor and call me back.
I went ahead and changed out of my pajamas, for I felt it inevitable that I would be making a hometown journey.  Within minutes she called me back and said that she was going to her eye doctor's office to meet him (oh, the charms of small-town living) and that she wanted me to meet her there.  In actuality she had me, her eye doctor, and her best friend all headed into town to meet her to remove the alleged tic.  What a diva.
So, I'm on my way to Columbus to meet my mom and see the tic in person.  Or so I thought.  I don't even make it to the airport exit before she calls me and tells me to turn around, for the whole fiasco is over.  Done.  Finished.  
The tic has been removed, and the doctor has sent her on her way.  
Oh, wait.  It wasn't even a tic.  It was a piece of dirt.
That's right... a piece. of. dirt.
Therefore all the questions I didn't ask in the first place (like, Did you not feel something crawl into your eye? or, How come it just showed up there out of nowhere?) because they appeared invalid all became glaringly... valid.
In the meantime, her friend is waiting at our house, confused as she can be because she thought she was supposed to come to the house and pick up my mom to take her to the doctor's office.
In essence, my mother had everyone driving around creation in the middle of the night, moving heaven and earth to salvage her eye from lyme disease... when all that was really there was a harmless piece of topsoil.
How undeniably typical. 

Hey Jealousy

My friends get to do the coolest things.
I mean, seriously, they go on some really cool adventures in this thing called life.
For example, Day headed out yesterday for a five month adventure in... where was it again? Oh, yeah... Germany. Before she arrives in Germany, however, she'll have to stop over and do a little orientation in old Paree. Some people just can't catch a break, huh?
But seriously, this trip Day is going on is going to be so amazing. She's going to get to become thoroughly absorbed in the German culture; she knows enough of the language to somewhat blend in; she's going to be there for long enough that she can travel to some other countries and learn so much about Europe. (I fully intend to live vicariously through her; I've told her to document every step she takes.) Best of all, the reason she's going is to spread the word of God, which is the most awesome reason of all. I cannot wait to hear all that the Lord shows her during her time there.
Becca is in the process of striking out on her own little adventure, as well. Although she won't need a passport for this one, it's still pretty great. She's moving to Jackson and setting up residence in a great house with some really fun girls. Although she doesn't know how she's going to pay the bills yet (I'm really hoping that job at the Gap comes through so I can mooch off that employee discount a time or two...), she's still making a change and doing something different, which is always really awesome in itself.
I can admit that I am jealous of each of these ladies on each of these journeys. I cannot even begin to imagine the amazing things that are going to be told to them, shown to them, seen and heard by them and, most of all, experienced by them as they begin these new phases of their lives, whether short or semi-permanent. I know I will do a lot of vicarious living through pictures, phone calls and emails as I sit in class or at the library, trying desperately to make headway through mounds of new information.
I could not be more excited for them and proud of all that they are doing, taking on something new and embracing change with open arms, whether it be two hours away or halfway around the world.
Furthering the cool factor among my friends is the cross-country road trip that Frances and Patsy are about to embark on. Of this I am truly green with envy, as it is something I have wanted to do my entire life, and I fall asleep at night sometimes wishing I had the freedom from attachments and obligations to be able to do it. They're just getting in the car and driving and seeing where the road (or the lenses of their Nikons) lead them. I cannot wait to hear the amazing stories they are going to have upon their return, not to even mention the fabulous pictures I know they'll have to show off.
See, I told you my friends do some pretty cool things.
And the greatest thing about it is that I know I have some pretty great adventures coming my way, too. Thankfully, I've got people to keep me endlessly entertained in the meantime.

The World This Week

So... It's been a little while since my last post, and lots has been going on. (I know you've all been waiting on the edge of your seats, right?)
I finally made the much-anticipated, highly overhyped move to Starkville, and I adore my apartment. I would be hard-pressed to say what I love most about it. The back patio has taken an early lead, but I love my bedroom an awful lot, too... As I have told several of you in the past week, if you can't find me at any point over the next two years, I am probably sitting at my apartment reveling in how much I love the place.
Along with the new apartment, I have had several firsts. The activations of both the cable and the power/water were interesting experiences to say the least. I have also had my first grocery trip (which cost far more than I ever imagined, and undoubtedly I will not finish the jar of mayonnaise I bought until sometime in May). I've already had a number of friends come and hang out, and I look forward to the visits of others as football season gets started up.
I have loved being back in Starkville these past few days and falling in love with the place all over again, although I am seemingly seventy-five years old and know practically no one here anymore. (Another reason I am probably extra excited about football season.) I've had several low-key nights out, as well as a few crazy nights (shocking, I know.)
Yesterday, however, I started school, and everything changed. For all those people who say graduate school is not that hard and that's it not that different from undergrad, consider yourselves lucky. Today was my second day of classes, and I studied for 2 hours today. 2 hours!! After the second day of classes!! Even though I was caught a little offgaurd by the humongous workload I will be carrying this semester, I really could not be happier. I really think this is what I'm meant to do; I was absolutely enthralled through two of my classes, and I'm so excited about getting further into them.
I know, I know... I'm a geek to the core.
Let me pause while I push my glasses up on my nose.
Aside from the piling on of work, there was one other thing I experienced in my first two days of class for which I was totally unprepared. Seeing as I lived on campus all four years of my undergraduate career, yesterday was my first day ever to commute onto campus. Quite frankly, it sucked. Like, it REALLY sucked. While I endlessly circled around the parking lot with my eyes pealed for a parking place, I have never missed Walter and the Gray Route more. Not only was that a place where some of the most important social networking of my college career took place, but apparently it was also a four-wheeled gift from God.
All in all, the past week has been great. I could not be more excited to be back in Starkville, to be back with my precious friends who are here (though they may be few in number, they are some of my favorites), to be back at Mississippi State, to be in my fabulous apartment and to feel so great about what I'm beginning. I can't promise you won't occasionally hear me whining about how much reading I have to do... but I am going to try to keep it to a minimum, though.
I'm really going to try...
Really...

No Distance Too Far

All of a sudden, it feels like everything is changing. I've been hoping, praying, wishing and waiting for it all to happen for so long, and now it finally is. Parts of it are fantastic,... but parts are bittersweet.

I found out yesterday that Bailey got a job and is moving to Washington, DC in three weeks. While we were in college, I got used to not seeing her as much as I would like, and looked forward to road trips between Starkville and Auburn. Since January, however, she's been back in Columbus, and our weekly lunch dates are always one of the highlights of my week. It's been so great to make up for just a little bit of that lost time. From the time that she and Sage got engaged, I have loved getting to hear about all of the wedding updates and the things that are changing in their lives. Our weekly meetings will quickly come to a close, and, although I could not be happier for this new opportunity in her life, I will miss our time together.

On Monday, Nick and I drove a U-Haul filled with furniture from my grandmother's house in south Mississippi to Starkville. (It was quite an adventure, let me assure you. If Nick and I weren't already going to be friends forever, I think that day sealed the deal.) During that time, we talked a lot about friends we have lost touch with and the way our lives have changed, especially over the past year or so. It's just so much harder to keep in touch with friends when you add in the factors of jobs, serious boyfriends/girlfriends/spouses, running a household and, the one that seems to plague me most, DISTANCE. I wish I could stumble onto a bag filled with nothing but plane tickets that have no expiration date. What a dream that would be...

As I look toward the few remaining days before my final move to Starkville, I think of a few things I am going to make a conscious effort to include in my life. I almost look at this transition as worthy of New Year's resolutions, as ridiculous as that may sound. (Yes, I am one of those people who, year after year, makes resolutions to do things differently. If you know me well, that should come as no surprise.) One of New School Year resolutions for 2008 is to keep in better touch with my friends, who mean the absolute world to me. Be it through e-mail, telephone calls, facebook, g-chat or, my very favorite form of communication, however archaic and Pony Express-like it may be, handwritten notes. Quite often, the things for which I have to work the hardest are the things that come to mean the most to me in the end. For my friends, for the people I love, I'm willing to work as hard as I have to.

Just FYI: the picture featured in this post is of Bailey and I during our senior year of high school. We were at the cast party for "Footloose: The Musical" (no, I didn't generally wear blue eyeshadow, gigantic hoop earrings or side-ponytails), and I believe we frequently snuck outside during this party to drink red wine coolers. As you can see, we were the epitome of cool.

Never a Dull Moment

As many of you know, I have a special knack for getting myself into situations that can only be described as "wrong place at the wrong time." Just to update everyone: it is a fact that some things in life NEVER CHANGE.

I took my car to the shop today to get an oil change, etc. and left it there while my mom and I went to Tuscaloosa to play for the afternoon. We got back into town about 8:30, and I wanted to run into Old Navy (which is right across the street from the place we left my car) before we went to pick up my car. So far, so good.

I was not in Old Navy more than about 25 minutes, but when I came out I could hear a really loud alarm going off in one of the surrounding buildings. Neither my mom nor I could figure out exactly which building the alarm was coming from, so we headed across the street to get my car. As we pulled into the parking lot of the car place (exquisite terminology, huh?), it became glaringly obvious that the blaring alarm was coming from this very business.

Of course, my mom freaks out, believing that a team of squad cars will come barreling into the parking lot at any second, and pulls back out of the parking lot and into the Taco Bell across the street. We proceed to pull into a parking place angled toward the car place, I guess so that we could have a prime vantage point for our Miami Vice-like stakeout of the impending action sure to go down... or something like that.

Suddenly, the alarm stops just as unexpectedly as it began.

We pull out of the Taco Bell and back into the parking lot of the car place. Everything looks normal. I get in my car, adjust my seat and start the car. I'm just looking into my rear view mirror to back up when a pair of unfamiliar headlights sweep over my shoulder, and a blue light flashes behind me. Just great.

One of Columbus' finest pulls up right beside me and rolls down his window; I'm expecting him to ask me just what in the hell I think I'm doing, and where exactly do I think I'm going. By some stroke of providence, he manages to understand that I'm simply there to pick up my car, and I have no connection to the insanity that is the alarm. As I drove out of the parking lot, I could see him "checking the perimeter" of the building and brandishing his flashlight at all suspicious shadows.

All in all, this was one of my luckier scrapes, and it was actually pretty funny. Only I could make something as mundane as getting the oil changed in my car into an adventure involving the police. If asked to make a list of adjectives to describe my life, dull wouldn't even be one to consider.