A Slip and a Fall

It iced in Oxford Friday night. When I was at work, a bunch of firemen came in around six to get some food and told us all the bridges iced over already. I told everyone I saw to be careful. After work I drove apprehensively to Nelson's, over a bridge, for his birthday cake and ice cream festivities. I never had any problems driving. (I did leave after only a short time before the temperature dropped even more in case there was more ice on the bridge.) I made it out to meet McCann even though I was tired from work and it was already late when I left Nelson's. Everything was fine until I walked outside of McCann's house. Splat! I fell forward on her concrete steps and caught myself not on my hands mind you, but on my shins. It hurt. It still hurts. My big toe is swollen because somehow I jammed it, and I have huge bruises on both shins and one of my knees.

I talked to (Dr.) Kate last night and she said icing my shins would help, but wrapping an ace bandage around ice packs on my legs would be even better.

I don't have an ice maker. So, as I write this, I have a bag of frozen edamame wrapped around each leg. I am so cool.

Have You Been There?

"Who are you," I ask him. He gives me a puzzled look.

"I'm Lee," he replies, telling me his name again.

"Yeah, thanks. I got that part, but that doesn't tell me anything."

"Well," he starts, "I'm a huge Democrat."

"That's not a bad thing," I interrupt.

"And I'm finishing my last year in law school after spending the last two years in Iraq with the Army."

There are thousands of young men and women fighting a war in Iraq right now. It's rare, at least for me, to put a face with the label "soldier." Looking at Lee I never would have guessed that he spent 18 months in Iraq. Later in the night he asks, "Have you ever seen Batman or James Bond? That's what I did." I'm not entirely sure if he was serious or not, but I did hear about some of his experiences. As the result of close exposure to a few bombs, Lee suffers from migraines. He's also scared to shower with the shower curtain closed all the way because he was trained to always be on alert even though living in the middle of nowhere Mississippi doesn't exactly scream crime and terror. (At least not this year in this town in the middle of nowhere.)

Lee does not think that Americans should be fighting in Iraq. I agree with him, but his reasoning resonates more. "I hate all the conservatives who say we should be over there," he says. "My response to them is 'Have you been there? No, then shut up.'"

In Other News

In Other News . . .

I deactivated my facebook account because I realized I care too much about the lives of people I don't care about and do it all via facebook. No one tells you this, but when you deactivate your account they ask you why you're deactivating. After picking a reason out of a list, facebook suggests alternatives to deactivating the account such as limiting your "friends" or unsubscribing from e-mails. You even have to opt out of receiving e-mails about events people may still invite you to or photos they tag of you. It's a vicious ploy to keep you, but I persevered.

Let's see other news of the day, hmm. Powerpoint crashed every time I tried to look up some clip art. Grrrr.

What else, what else. I hate that I make time for people who don't make time for me. It drives me up the wall.

I'm supposed to read 100 pages in Playing the Race Card, but that's gonna have to happen tomorrow.

I found a new blog that I find entertaining. It's one guys adventures, or lack thereof, waiting tables in Manhattan. You should check it out, especially if you 're in the hospitality industry. (Waiter Rant)

The Plan Ends Here

During the last week, I started to worry. Worry about school (only a little). Worry about jobs (more so than school). Worry about where I will be in six months (a lot). In case you don't know already, I worry about the future, the unknown. Next week starts my last semester of school. At this point in my life, it's the last, last semester that I planned. As of right now, there's now PhD in my future. I'm not ruling it out, but it's not part of my plan at the moment. In fact, my plan since high school effectively ends in May of this year.

Graduate High School - Check
Graduate College - Check
Go to Grad School within two years of graduating college - Check
Graduate from Grad School - Check

There's never been a plan for after grad school. Sure part of it is get a job. Duh. But where will I go, what will I do? Ok, so part of this is somewhat thought out. I want to be a Museum Educator and work in a U.S. history museum, preferably one with an emphasis on the South. Does that exist, you ask. Good question. The only place I know of is the New South Museum in Charlotte. I could move to Charlotte, but I'm not really sure I want to. In fact, I'm not sure where I want to go. A wise man once told me that you can either pick the place you want to live or you can pick your job, but you can't usually pick both. (Ok, that wise man is my dad, but he's still wise and it's still good advice.) I used to think Charleston was the place for me. It's old and historic, southern, on the water, beautiful, etc. However, after talking to an old friend over Christmas, he pointed out that I've lived in South Carolina. Maybe I should try something else. Now, I'm thinking I just might want to try someplace else.

But where, what? Older people keep telling me this should be the most exciting time of my life, and you know what, I can see that. I understand that outlook. But at the same time, it's terrifying. Starting new in a brand new place is scary. I definitely need a brand new place too. Living in Oxford is an experience, but I'm glad it's almost over. The pros just don't outweigh the cons. They might for some people but not for me. (I swear I don't hate Oxford. I just don't like it very much.)

The next 5 months will be treacherous, full of stomach turning stress, but I will make it out the other side. I always do. Maybe not without restless nights and frantic phone calls to friends and family, but I'll make it.

So anyone that wants to give me a job, feel free to contact me. If it's in a fun city, even better. I have no shame in asking. You'll never know if you don't ask.