Latest Frustration

I’ve been slowly spring cleaning my apartment. I’ve gone through closets, drawers, and hidden crevices pulling things out to organize and to get rid of. I’ve got two garbage bags of clothes to donate as well as other random things. What I want is to ship these clothes to Tanzania where a people truly in need and who stole a chunk of my heart can benefit from them. However, it seems as if that is much more difficult than one would think. In fact, unless I meet someone who is actually going to Africa soon, it’s impossible. All international organizations want money (which I don’t have to give) and only money. I’ve been told if I ship them to the missionaries in Tanzania they will have to pay a lot of money to even get the clothes! I’m not worried about my costs (I can ship them for not too much) but the fact that the missionaries would have to pay for the donation is bizarre to me. I’ve just spent hours on the internet looking for organizations in the states where I could ship these boxes to for them to deliver or take with them when they go. I’ve come up completely empty. It seems as if the only option is Goodwill where the likelihood of my clothes ending up in a thrift store in America, where middle and upper class teenagers are looking for cheap clothes (no stone throwing here…I’ve done it too), seems to be much more likely than them ending up in Africa. I’m frustrated by the fact that even the poor in America make more money than the average person in Africa. We live in a world where panhandlers make more money a year than I’ll ever make (some making much more than 100,000 a year). How is it with all the push for relief for Africa and all the celebrity speeches and red Gap t-shirts, there isn’t a place to send those red Gap t-shirts after we’ve worn them?! It’s not like Gap takes donations for clothes to send, and I haven’t seen Angelina’s (or any other actor who’s made a promise to help Africa) address for us to send clothes to for them to take. I’m enraged! I’m frustrated beyond explanation! And, I’m sad for the lack of help I’m able to give.

Another Charlie Video

Here is one of our favorite Charlie videos. It's about a year old, but it's still great! Of course, we're sitting around the table eating cake!

Great Albums

I was having a conversation with some friends on Sunday about VH1’s top songs of the nineties. It brought up a lot of songs that should have been on there, and it reminded me of great albums. I decided to make a list of my favorite albums. Note, these are full albums; they are the albums that you put in and listen to completely through from beginning to end. They are the albums with no bad songs. Obviously I’ve excluded live albums and greatest hits because those are supposed to be full of great songs. Also not included are several classic albums that I’m not as familiar with and am just now going back and getting to know them (several Zeppelin albums, Sticky Fingers by the Stones, and more). I put the albums in some sort of chronology; it’s not necessarily when the album was released but when in my life I listened to the album or began loving the album. What I found as I went through was that many of my favorite artists don’t have an album that I can listen to completely that isn’t a greatest hits. I also found that many of my favorite songs were on albums that weren’t that good. Some of the albums included here have proven themselves to be albums classically included in lists like these; others have not. Some are included because they personally matter to me; many mark a time period in my life. But here you go. I have to say I recommend all of the albums on this list (with the exception of Dare to be Stupid. If you missed it in the 80s, it’s not worth going back to…but it definitely was priceless for it’s time.)

Endless Summer – Beach Boys
Love Songs – Otis Redding*
Dare to be Stupid – Weird Al Yankovic
Slippery When Wet – Bon Jovi
Appetite for Destruction – Guns ‘n Roses
Blind Melon – Blind Melon
Jars of Clay – Jars of Clay
Throwing Copper – Live
Circus – Lenny Kravitz
Voodoo Lounge – Rolling Stones
Four – Blues Traveler
Deluxe – Better than Ezra
August and Everything After – Counting Crows
Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette
Soup – Blind Melon
Miss Saigon – Original London Cast
Wide Open Spaces – The Dixie Chicks
Evolution – Martina McBride
Almost Famous – Soundtrack from the movie
Are You With Me? – Cowboy Mouth
Fly – The Dixie Chicks
Closer – Better than Ezra
Glorify, Edify, Testify – The Martins
Moonlight Towers – Moonlight Towers
Hot Fuss – The Killers
Sounds of Home – Paid in Full
Gold – Ryan Adams
Like You Were Never There – Moonlight Towers
Raising Sand – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

*While this may come close to a greatest hits type, it was released in Redding’s lifetime, and it’s selection was quite limited. So, it is included.

Please feel free to resond and let me know what you think. Are there albums you think should be on here that I've left off? Are there ones on here you don't think should be? Let me know...

Une chanson pour mon amie, Yvette (a song for my friend, DiAnne)

Mon Amie (My Buddy en francais)
Mon amie, mon amie
ou que vous alliez, Je vais
mon amie, mon amie
mon amie et moi

Yea, these are the things I come up with in French class.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

I woke up from my afternoon nap and went out to my car. I was shocked to see my car covered in about an inch of snow! The snow was still falling down and heavily! I ran to get some supper and my phone from a friend's house, and the roads were slowly getting more slippery. The last time I hung out in snow I was visiting DiAnne in DC. The last time I played in snow in the south? My freshman year of college! There was enough snow to make a snowball to virtually throw at my nephews. Just when I put up my Christmas music, I walk outside and see a winter wonderland!

Blind Melon

Some of you may know (and some may not) that the band Blind Melon has gotten back together. After Shannon died, the band looked for a new lead singer for awhile before giving up. All of the band members had moved on to new projects, but about a year and a half ago, Travis Warren joined the remaining members of Blind Melon as their new lead singer. They toured this fall for the first time in twelve years. The band will tour again starting in February, and they will have an album out around March.

I'll not get into the role Blind Melon has played in my life, and I'll not wax poetically about the good times at their concerts or hanging out backstage and on the tour bus when I was in high school. Instead, I'll just say that the three shows I saw in a matter of a week were phenomenal. Each were different...different songs, different crowds, and different venues. Yet, all of them were amazing. The last two shows were even more special because Blind Melon was opened by Moonlight Towers. The lead singer of Moonlight Towers, James, and the guitarist from Blind Melon, Rogers, are brothers. A Moonlight Towers show is amazing in its own right, but adding it to a Blind Melon show made for two nights of old friends and great music. Here is a slideshow of the pictures I took throughout the three concerts:

Happy New Year's, Friends

I spent New Year's Eve night with my friend, Wes. We went to a party at my friend Travis' house before going to Colonial Heights to hang out with the youth. I realized how long I've been gone when the only students I knew were 11th grade or older, and my old Sunday School girls were there as adult volunteers. However, being gone hasn't changed the love that I have for so many people at my Jackson church, and hanging out with the youth, the adult leaders, and Wes reminded me of how much the love and support of the people of Colonial Heights had carried mem through so many different struggles, surprises, and joys of my life over the past ten years. As I stood by a bonfire watching Craig Brown's front door burn and cracking jokes with David, Drew and Spencer, I stopped for a moment and thought that there was nowhere else I would rather be on New Year's than there in that moment.
I love the New Year. It brings a little more excitement to the post-Christmas blues plagued life. It's also a clean slate. It's a perfect precipice of past and future. It gives a chance to glance back and to look forward and make adjustments. I quit making New Year's resolutions years ago. I never stuck to them, and they were never things my heart was in. This year, I decided to make a few resolutions. They are only things that I care about, that I really want to change, and things I can put my heart into (apparently no longer ending sentences in prepositions isn't one of them). There are actually lots of them, and they are organized by priority in my life. I won't tell them all to you, but here are a few. I would love for you, my blog friends, to help hold me accountable. Feel free to drop me a line asking or ask about some of them when you see me. Here's a portion of the list:
Do a morning Bible study
Get back to reading the Bible every night before going to bed
Finish my dissertation as soon as possible
Work on all daily school work before watching tv at night (no procrastinating)
Write a letter to a friend at least once a month
Make out a new budget and stick to it
Exercise 30 min. at least three times a week.
Take lunch to school to save money
Go to at least one GSU athletic event once a month
Do something adventurous or new at least once a month
Declutter my apartment and life...streamline
Better prepare for my classes in order to be a better teacher
Blog more often instead of continuing to say I'll do it later (btw...I have a Blind Melon post with pictures coming)

I hope you all have a great 2008!

The Somnambulists of Christmases Past that Make the Christmas Present Merry

As I drove home to Mississippi from Atlanta this afternoon the sun was setting in a partially cloudy sky. I had Christmas music playing on my radio, and the sunroof was up. I began to think about why it is that I love Christmas so much. As I began to think I realized that Christmas is packed full of some of the greatest memories. Every year they come back through various traditions and moments to make the season merry. So, I decided to write some of my favorite Christmas memories, things, or snapshots (if you will) in no particular order (40 to be exact). I’m sure I will forget some, and I would love you to add some with your comments! Feel free to add moments that we shared or even a few of your own favorite memories of Christmas!

1. My third Christmas is one of my earliest memories. I received my E. T. stocking and doll as well as my loveseat and a couple of books. Walking down the stairs and finding an E. T. stocking stuffed with all kinds of fruit, candy and nuts was the highlight of the season for me that year.
2. My dad telling us to put socks on our feet so we didn’t catch a cold
3. Molly, our cousin Stephanie, and I would all get matching nightgowns at my Mawmaw Smith’s house. After shooting fireworks, we would all three put them on, take a picture and wear them home where our fathers carried our sleeping bodies into our respective houses.
4. Kirsten and Amy’s plate of goodies that they made for us every year of college. They spent all day cooking goodies for us so that we could have something good to eat in the dorm.
5. A tin of Mrs. Carolyn’s Scrabble
6. Christmas day growing up we would go to Mimi and Grandaddy’s house where Santa always left us a stocking (or brown paper bag in later years) full of more goodies! Santa always put small toys in those stockings!
7. Running up my phone bill helping Jonathan pick out Christmas presents for his family so that year they wouldn’t get a t-shirt from whichever random town he was living in at the time.
8. My mother always makes bachelor’s brunch on Christmas morning. It’s the only time of the year she makes it…and I love it!
9. Christmas in the Cotton Patch!
10. Similarly, the golf club Christmas parties at rotating houses followed by going to Christmas in the Cotton Patch (and of course the year that somebody bumped their car door into Daddy’s brand new van).
11. Sleeping with Molly on Christmas Eve so that we could be closer to downstairs and could run down to see our presents as soon as we were allowed. We would giggle all night long before waking Jeff up at about 4 to begin rotating who would ask if it was time yet!
12. Calling Mr. Vance about a week or a week and a half before Christmas to see if he could scrounge around to find us a decent Christmas tree!
13. My mother’s strength on the Christmas after Daddy died. Our happiness was more important to her than all of our loss, and she did everything she could to make that Christmas as good as it could be. We all over-spent on gifts that year thinking that more stuff would lessen the hurt. Unlike ever before, that Christmas I learned how little presents had to do with the meaning and joy of Christmas.
14. Swapping ornaments with the golf club
15. My Mawmaw Smith’s yellow cake with Chocolate icing and my Pawpaw’s buck dance that seemed to be staples of Christmas Eve.
16. This year when I asked Charlie what he wanted from Santa, he replied, “An orange Spongebob and cupcakes.” We walked through the fact that an orange Spongebob doesn’t exist. He said Santa was magic, and he could make it happen. Then I asked him if he told Santa to let Mrs. Clause know he wanted cupcakes. He looked at me with the sweetest grin and said, “Yibby, I don’t need Mrs. Clause. You can make them for me!”
17. Buying the perfect paper and ribbons so that whoever opened a gift from me knew that it came not from my wallet but from my heart and time. I want my gifts to be pretty!
18. One of my recent favorites has been baking with my mother
19. Running into DiAnne around midnight at Walmart at some point before Christmas day
20. My parents sitting in the den with only the Christmas tree lights on listening to records, and my dad using my leg as a guitar as I sat in his lap.
21. My great-grand parents, Mawmaw and Pawpaw Dewey, coming to Mimi and Grandaddy’s house for Christmas day
22. Spending Christmas Eve lunch at Mimi and Grandaddy’s watching As the World Turns and waiting on mom and dad to finish up last minute Christmas shopping, wrapping or assembling.
23. The year it snowed on Christmas Eve and plans had to be changed. We ended up doing Christmas at Mawmaw’s and Pawpaw’s a week later. Jeff Cunningham came and brought his guitar. Our whole family sat around singing Christmas Carols, oldies, and a little Merle.
24. Last year Charlie walked into a den strewn with toys only to look around and say, “Where’s my Spongebob cake?!”
25. As a child I looked forward to getting Effinbee dolls from Mimi and State tshirts or other memorabilia from Aunt Kathy
26. Jeff’s pure excitement on Charlie’s first Christmas. For the first time in about a decade, Jeff was no longer the only man in the family. It didn’t matter to him that Charlie was only 16 days old!
27. When Jonathan was living in California, I always looked forward to the day after Christmas because JD would be in Jackson and I would be out of school. For a whole week we could hang out, watch movies, wish Happy Kwanza to people, and catch up.
28. My mother made our stockings out of a quilt MawMaw Dewey made from Pawpaw Dewey’s old suits. I love the heritage of them, but I also love how Momma made each one unique and contemporary with our names and different trim.
29. As we got older, gift opening no longer became a free for all. Instead we open one present at a time in a circle, and we all clap and praise the gift and its giver! It gives us a chance to take it all in, and it takes HOURS for us to open presents. It ends up being a good excuse to all sit in a circle, laugh, cry, cheer, and tell funny stories.
30. Every year Molly and I go nuts buying for each other. The benefit of being best friends with your sister is that you know them all too well. So, you always see something that they would want or love. Molly and I never have to tell each other what we want. What we want is what the other finds and thinks, “She’s GOT to have that!”
31. Going to look at Christmas lights with my friends. On different years, Amy, Kirsten, Travis, Heather, Wes and Jonathan and I would round up and make fun of the various displays of lights, blowups, and wooden figurines. There was always that one house past the Devore’s and the one house that took us forever to find every year that was so respectable it made the Griswolds look like the Grinch!
32. Singing "Merry Christmas from the Family" with Molly! We usually get in the car for a Walmart run and sing as loud as we can through every single word of the song emphasizing our favorite parts with fist pumps and extra loud yells! Every year…without fail, Molly tells me the story about Scott Branning loving Robert Earl Keene.
33. Going to Jeff’s house for breakfast in our pajamas Christmas morning. What started out as a compromise for all grandparents has turned into a wonderful gathering of our family and Lauren’s.
34. Last year I had a 24-hour stomach bug on Christmas Eve, and Molly made me wear a dental mask so that I didn’t infect the rest of the family. She and Momma wouldn’t let me come down and be with them until I wore the mask, and then after four hours of me wearing a mask in order to be with them, Molly tells me she was just kidding about the mask all along!
35. Aunt Kathy reminding me every Christmas, while I’m handing out the plethora of presents, that as the youngest she spent her whole life doing it until I came along.
36. I always wait for the annual Christmas call from Kirsten. For the last ten years, Kirsten has always called on Christmas day. No matter where she’s lived, she’s called. The years it was from Tanzania or Israel, the whole family would stop what they were doing while my mom yelled, “IT’S KIRSTEN FROM [Insert country]!!!” They all sat around and talked about the latest news they had heard from Kirsten while we caught up on the phone. My whole family awaits Kirsten’s Christmas call.
37. Likewise, but not always as from afar is John Hugh’s Christmas morning call. Every year of our lives John Hugh has called to wish the Crews family a Merry Christmas and to talk to Jeff. It doesn’t matter that Jeff no longer lives at Momma’s. John Hugh still calls Momma’s house every Christmas Morning. We wait on it much like we awaited Santa Clause!
38. Christmas afternoon naps after the food has been eaten and the presents have been opened.
39. Jeff and I used to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas every Thanksgiving, and I always wrap presents to the latest version of Miracle on 34th Street
40. 24 Hours of A Christmas Story!!

None of these things have anything directly to do with the birth of Jesus – no more so than blowing out candles on February 2nd has to do with my birth. However, each of them reminds me of immense amounts of joy and love – the love of family and friends, and the love that caused God to send His Son, Jesus, to earth. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season! Enjoy this Christmas week knowing that it’s not necessarily the day but the moments that make Christmas special.

Never Fail Sausage and Cheese Muffins

I got this recipe from our mother-in-law, Sharon. She deserves the credit. When she told me how easy they were, I didn't believe her. After making them I realized she was right. What she didn't prepare me for were the rave reviews I would get anywhere I took them! My coworkers love them and my Sunday School girls love them! Here's the recipe!
Sausage and Cheese Muffins
2 Cups of Bisquick
1 pound sausage
1 can Cheddar Cheese Soup
Shredded Cheddar

Cook and drain the sausage (in manner of ground beef). Mix together two cups of Bisquick, the can of Cheddar Cheese Soup, a half a can of water (fill the cheese soup can half way). Once that is mixed, add cooked and drained sausage. Add as much shredded cheese as you want! You can also top the muffins with cheddar.
Bake in greased muffin tins (or use muffin cups) in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes (or until golden)
Be prepared that these muffins do not really rise. You are going to want to fill the muffin tin as full as you want the muffin to be.

Enjoy!

This is Halloween!

All day long I've been singing "This is Halloween" from The Nightmare Before Christmas. I went to work at the Athletic Learning Lab today, and one of my co-workers dressed up as white trash. What made it even funnier is that he's half black and looks more black than white. As Halloween has progressed I have found myself craving Butterfingers. That's pretty typical seeing as how I bought the SweetTart variety pack instead of Butterfingers this year. My best friend, Carrie, has two kids: Reese (10) and Liam (4) who I love like a neice and nephew. Here are a few pictures Carrie sent me of the kids this Halloween. Reese was Hannah Montana, and Liam was Axl Rose. I'll add pictures of Charlie and Anderson when Lauren sends them.

Can You Believe It?!

"The Red Sox become the first team in the Twenty-first century to win two world championships. Can you believe it?!" This was the call made by Red Sox radio announcer, Joe Castiglione. This year there was no 86 year curse, no last minute collapses, no Buckner moments or Bucky Dents or Aaron Boones. There also were not any of the last minute heroics that Red Sox fans have come to expect since 2004. Instead, this year the Red Sox used every member of its team to remain on top throughout the season and cap it off with a sweep to win the World Series. So, 'The Boston Red Sox are the World Champions. For the first time in [er well, 3] years The Red Sox have won Baseball's World Championship...Can you believe it?!" In fact I can! This is a team that started full steam ahead right out of spring training. It may be a team that has the second highest payroll in baseball, but it is a team that has cultivated players from the minors. As the world series ends, names like: Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkillis, Jacoby Ellsbury, John Lester, and Mississippi State's own Jonathan Papelbon all come to mind as key players from the series. They are all becoming household names, and they all were players that came through the Red Sox farm system. On top of these young players, there was Tek, Timlin, Lowell, Papi, Manny, Coco, and even JD Drew (words I never thought I'd write) who showed their leadership through they plays on the field and off. Red Sox fans are brutal on managers, but Tito has been amazing this year and especially throughout the World Series. In many ways, the Rockies were out managed. As a die hard Sox fan, I thank the team, manager, and coaches; I thank Theo (In thee I trust!), and of course John, Tom and Larry. Thanks for a year of rollercoasters, a year of smiles, nailbiters, cheers, tv moments, and three pennants! My nephew Charlie was born in 2004; my nephew Anderson was born in 2007. I think I'm going to make my brother keep procreating if the Sox are going to win the World Series in years they have kids! Now, it's 1:40 in the morning, and I'm too tired to keep celebrating. I haven't waited as long for this win as I did for the last; I haven't cried as many tears this time; yet, victory is still as sweet as ever. I'm sure this win will only add more members to the bandwagon, more people wearing Red Sox caps who can't name the starting nine let alone the Red Sox greats of the past, more people talking Yankee trash, but those of even those of us who hate bandwagon jumpers, the greater volume of fans yelling: "Yankees Suck!" never bothers us. Time will weed out the bandwagon jumpers. They'll find another team to support in a few years, but for real Red Sox fans...we'll look with pride at the banners hanging inside and outside of Fenway that say 2004 and 2007(Hopefully before this decade is over we can add a few more.), we'll sing "Sweet Caroline" after the top of the 8th as well as "Dirty Water" and "Tessie"after wins, we'll still remember the pain of years past, and we'll always believe. Why? Because we are Red Sox Nation! Way to go Red Sox!!!!!!!!!
"Down by the River....Down by the banks of the River Charles..."

MC Homecoming

This year, my brother, Jeff, was honored as MC's Young Alum. The whole famiy went down, and many of Jeff's friends came to the festivities. The day began with a brunch where Jeff was honored and gave a speech. Following the bruch was MC's homecoming parade down college street. After that, our friend, Lance Clay hosted a cookout tent in the Quad in honor of Jeff. It was a great day of good friends and family. Here is a video of some of the pictures. Enjoy.

Different Kind of Blow Out

There are a couple of things I've been working on this semester. The number one thing is that I've been trying really hard to maintain and follow a budget. I have severely limited my eating out funds, so I do a lot of cooking. I went to the grocery store on Saturday and bought a few things. Today as I was writing, I began to think that if I made tacos for supper tonight, I could take that to school tomorrow for lunch. I could heat up the mean and refrigerate the cheese. It would be a hearty meal (which I don't often get at school), and it would be paid for. So, I decided to take a break from writing and begin cooking. I got out a beautifully red pound of ground beef and put it in the freshly clean skillet. I turned on the front eye, and a huge spark lept out and flew across the room. I promptly turned that eye off! Then I tried the back eye on the same side. Apparently it had blown as well. I soon realized that all four eyes were blown as well as the oven. So, now here I am with nothing in the house that can be eaten raw, and no means to cook anything! Looks like my next stop is pizzahut.com.

The Loss of a Good Friend

We at the Crews house are saddened this week by the loss of one of our family members. Molly's dog-son, James, was killed by a speeding car on Tuesday. For those who know me well, you know I'm not an animal person. But I always said that James crept up into that hard place in my heart and settled in. I can honestly say that James is the first animal I ever fell in love with. Miss Molly, as James called her, is beyond sad. A funeral was held yesterday in Miss Molly's back yard where James liked to dig. He was buried with his favorite toy, Red Man, and a tennis ball. He will be (and is already) greatly missed.

Raise the Flag

I became a Red Sox fan on October 16, 1999. Long before this team’s bandwagon got so big it’s embarrassing, I fell in love with Pedro, Nomah, and the Boston Red Sox. At the time, for me, it was an emotional return to the sport of my childhood – a sport I had once loved with every ounce of my being, and a sport I abandoned when the man who taught me the love of the game, my father, died. On my first trip to New England, the magic of the game swept me off my feet and brought me back to a love that my father instilled in me when I was too young to remember. As a child my brother sat me down on my bed and taught me the caps and logos of every major league team. (Montreal was one I had the most trouble with, the weird “M” baseball glove never said “Expos” to me. Thank God they don’t exist anymore.) I was hard core for as long as I can remember. At the point of my New England trip in 99, it had been five years since I had anything to do with the game of baseball. My life was changed in a major way during that trip to Massachusetts. My sister and I spent the day in Boston where everything was abuzz. Clemens and the hated Yankees were coming back to town, and Pedro and the loveable and “always the underdog” Red Sox were hoping to win the Pennant. Since it was the play-offs, we obviously did not have tickets to the game. We got nowhere near Fenway Park; that wasn’t necessary. We arrived back to her home in New Bedford, Mass in time to catch the game on NESN. My sister and I spent that evening watching Pedro stick it to Clemens to a tune of 13-1. I was beyond cloud nine, and I was hooked. I watched the rest of the series, and I cried when the Sox lost sending the Yanks on to beat the Braves in the World Series. I won’t go through the many times I have bawled my eyes out because of the roller coaster ride of being a Red Sox fan. ESPN has chronicled it enough, and Fever Pitch took all of it out of the sports world and brought it into American pop culture. October 27, 2004 (ironically enough the night before my father’s death date) is by far the greatest moment for every Red Sox fan, and it’s no different for me. However, tonight was not far behind. For the first time in my tenure as a Red Sox fan, my team has beaten the Yankees to win the American League East Division Title! When the Red Sox game finished with a win, the Yankees were leading the Orioles by three with two innings to go. When Mariano came in to pitch the ninth, the Os were still down by three. I figured that my Sox would have to wait another day to clinch the division. Then out of nowhere, Rivera blows the save and the Os tie it in the ninth. The Os have a runner on first with one out. The reliever loads the bases with intentional walks, and a sacrifice bunt brings in the winning run for the Os securing the Red Sox as the winner of the division. And all over the world, Red Sox nation went freaking nuts! Fenway Park, watching the Yanks/Os game on the jumbotron, errupts in a mixture of disbelief and pure elation! I think I may be evicted from my apartment for being too noisy. My neighbors were just privy to screaming, yelling, clapping, and wahooing. The season isn’t over, and the playoffs haven’t even started. I’m a far way from fully celebrating. However, I relish this night – this moment. It feels good to break another curse – the curse of losing the division every year since 1995. Tomorrow is another game; there are still eleven playoff games to win before the season is over. For tonight, I’ll rest in peace. A Division flag will be raised next year at Fenway. Well done, Red Sox, well done!

Cards

As you may well know (or have figured out from a previous post), Christmas is my favorite time of the year. As a teacher, I get a full month off to spend time with my family and those friends that I don't see as often as I wish. Fireplaces are all alit with roaring fires (or candles at my mama's house -- we're all too allergic to have a real fire!). I realize it's not even October, but Christmas requires a good bit of preparation. One thing I love to do is send out Christmas cards. As a graduate student, I can't always afford to send them out, but when I can -- I love it. I am a huge fan of snail mail in all forms. There's something about Christmas cards. As I write the names of those friends that I love dearly but haven't seen in a few years, I remember mini-stories about out friendship. As I place the card in the envelope and seal it, I send a little prayer up for them and heartfelt good wishes. I was reminded of Christmas cards this afternoon when I received an email about ordering them. I used to work at A Printed Affair in Jackson, and for some time that's where I bought my Christmas cards. However, over the last few years my venue has changed. As a die-hard Red Sox fan, I've become quite familiar with the Jimmy Fund and the work of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. After a Red Sox trip to Boston, I decided to order my Christmas cards from Dana-Farber. All proceeds go to the Jimmy Fund, and many of the cards are drawn or designed by the cancer patients. A part of my heart lives in this children's hospital in which I've never stepped foot. I have, however, stepped foot into St. Jude's in Memphis. St. Jude also sells Christmas cards designed by their patients. Many local children's hospitals do things such as this as well. I'm not asking you to break your budget buying things you will never use, but I do want to ask you to consider these venues when you are considering your Christmas card purchases. Instead of benefitting the retail sector of you town, consider benefiting a greater cause. Not only do your friends receive a beautiful card filled with your love, but you can provide hope to millions of children.

Cakes by Crews

As many of you know, I bake cakes on the side. I've started a blog of some of the cakes I've done in the past year. Check them out, and feel free to leave feedback. The address is: www.cakesbycrews.blogspot.com

Food for Thought

As I was driving to work today, I was listening to XM's Baseball This Morning show. The guest on the show was a Double A pitcher from San Diego's farm system named Dirk Hayhurst. Dirk writes a column for Baseball America about life in the minors. He was on the show to talk about all of his columns but especially his most recent one. Here's the link:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/features/264668.html
In the interview with Buck and Mark, Dirk talked about his lack of understanding for why people consider him to be great just because he plays a game. To begin with, he plays AA ball...he's not even a star baseball player. He compared himself to doctors and teachers and explained that he and his job are not the types that should be idolized. As you can read in the column, in many ways his mind has changed about that. The interview, and the article after I read it, made me think a lot. I'm a 28 year old grad student who teaches freshman composition. It's a job that has taken a lot of hard work to get to, but it's no glorious job. I don't feel I'm changing the world by helping my students avoid comma splices and work on organization. But the column made me realize that world changing things aren't the point; life changing moments are way more important. I found myself asking whether or not I drown out the voices of those wanting my attention? Do I look at the faces that are not wanting more from me than a smile or a hello when something that simple would change their day? How about you? Do you intentionally avoid people? Maybe this article will help you stop (as it did me) and ask yourself why you do it. I have a feeling that once you stop and think about it, you will find your reasons are hollow. It doesn't have to be a terminally ill kid, although it may be; it could be the woman checking you out at the grocery store, the person in the cubicle next to you, or that student with serious comma splicing problems.

Also, at the bottom of the column, you will find Dirk's email address. I encourage you to write him if you feel so led.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

No, I'm not talking about the first week of school (those that's great too). I came home today from spending the afternoon at the office finishing my syllabi, looking up appropriate readings for my students, and making tons of copies. I was in the copy room so long that people kept coming by saying, "You're still here?!" On top of my syllabi, I probably made 500 copies of other things. By the time I finally finished, it was rush hour. When I finally got home I was pretty much exhausted. I stopped to check my mail before coming to into my apartment to crash. I opened my mailbox and my mood changed immediately. I heard a voice in my head begin singing "Oh Holy Night." There sitting, in all it's glory, was a box containing my 2007 Southern Living Christmas book! I immediately tore the box open and spent an hour looking through every page. This book is a culmination of two things I love most: Christmas and Southern Living! So, I know there are exactly four months and five days until Christmas, but the spirit just descended on my apartment! And for those of you who have come to expect tasty treats around the holidays...get ready. There are lots of great recipes I'm dying to try out!

High School Reunion Planning

Unlike most of my college friends, I did not hate high school. In fact, I loved it. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't go back to it if I had to...but I enjoyed it while it lasted. I graduated with about 150 people -- most of whom I had attended school with since we were five. A select few of those began school with me when I was three. I can't say I've done as well as I hoped I would in keeping up with high school friends, but they are still very dear to me. All of this is to say that I wanted our reunion to be amazing! A select few of us got together and gave the power of reunion to a guy who still lives in my hometown, New Albany. This same select few also added our bats to the lineup by offerring to assist in any way possible. So basically what that boils down to is one main chief who doesn't necessarily want to be chief and several mini-chiefs who want it to be done right.

Today I began to work on my part of the reunion planning. I had a few hours and decided I would get started on the write up for the newspapers. This task which I thought would take about 30 minutes took up the vast majority of my day. It required calling one person who told me one fifth of the answer then calling another who gave me another part. I talked to more friends from high school today than I have in the past three months combined. I love the fact that I am getting to talk to these friends with whom I've lost touch. I love the fact that our reunion is going to be awesome. And I especially love the fact that there are so many of us passionate about it being an awesome reunion. I just think it would be easier if next time we choose a head chief with a type A wife. As it stands now we have a single chief, two single girls (one who lives out of state...me of course), a married guy (who lives in Virginia) and various other fringe helpers who live all over the place. It's a bit chaotic. However, nothing had been done to plan the reunion in May, and we all thought it would be in the summer. So the fact that we are having a reunion at all is a good thing. :) We never were the most responsible of classes. I'm talking about a class that passed this as the class motto: Beer is great, sex is heaven, we're the class of 97. In fact, that very well may be on a banner somewhere during the reunion.

My official task is as one of three in charge of the Saturday afternoon picnic. We are serving lunch and hanging out. People are bringing the kids. If you have any ideas about a fun mixer type game or something, feel free to let me know. We've thought about s guess the occupation type of game, but we really want something more fun and involving. Seriously, any advice or input would be greatly appreciated! We're expecting around 60 at the picnic, and we want it to be lots of fun!