Things I have learned in the South

Here is a short list of things I have learned since I moved to the South:

1) Don't use an exfoliating salt scrub on a sunburn
2) Macaroni and cheese is appropriate for EVERY occasion and holiday
3) Females over 20 = ma'am, males over 20 = sir
4) Sweet tea really is a diet staple
5) People really do eat pigs feet, frog legs, grits, okra and possum
6) Saying 'bless their heart' after anything negative about someone cancels the negativity out
7) Don't walk in the plough mud
8) Oyster shells really will cut you
9) Don't feed the seagulls
10) Firefly Vodka. How did I live so long without it?
11) If you don't have a sunglass tan line by mid-May...something is wrong with you
12) People really are named Bubba
13) Fried chicken and waffles are an acceptable meal-time combination
14) Speaking of fried...EVERYTHING can be fried
15) Golfing on a course with water holes is dangerous
16) Don't put sweet potato skins in the garbage disposal
17) Boiled peanuts, fried peanuts, salted peanuts...they are all good
18) Rain lasts for more than a few minutes and it WILL soak you to the bone
19) Magnolia trees are magnificent
20) Skinny dipping is better when the water is warm

Good peoples

Last night at work I was more impressed than ever with my co-workers.  An elderly man came in, he had just, since New Year's day, received custody of his two small grandchildren under horrific circumstances.  These little ones had basically nothing except for the clothes on their backs.  My co-workers colored, laughed, held, sang to, and played with these little ones so someone could talk to their grandfather about his circumstances and what kind of resources he had, how he was doing and what we could do to help.  The baby's diapers were changed, they were fed and washed and given medicine, love and attention.  When one of the employees walked this kind man and his grandchildren to his car, she noticed that the car seats were the wrong sizes and in bad working condition.  One of the other employees thought to ask the man if he would be willing to accept any help from us in the way of baby supplies. He said he would.  Some of the doctors got together and gave money, the employees that had had little ones themselves agreed to bring in clothes and toys they had in storage, and one of the employees took it upon herself to take the money and buy clothes, car seats, baby food and other things two small growing babies would need.  I don't know if I have ever seen everyone come together for someone in need like everyone did last night.  No questions, just love.  The grandfather's story was too sad and terrible, and him not being in good health himself, no one hesitated for a second to give these children some much needed love and gather resources to help.  I have been impressed with co-workers before, for their knowledge in a crisis situation, their professionalism, their perseverance and work-ethic, but never have I been so impressed with their compassion and love that was given so freely to this little make-shift family in need as I was last night.  I am honored to call you my co-workers and friends.  Thank you for showing me that even under the worst circumstances, people can pull together for complete strangers and for re-affirming my belief in the goodness of people.

The Good

Focusing on the good...falling asleep to the sound of rain outside my window, holding a baby, trying a new recipe.  Sixty-five more days until Harry Potter world with my favorite sister...

Confession: I like Avatar

I enjoyed the movie Avatar the first time I saw it in 3D and I still enjoy it.  I know it doesn't have the best writing, story, etc, and is just a computer animated Dancing with Wolves+Fern Gulley.  But I like it.  Got up this am and turned it on and cut out recipes...then went to the store and bought the ingredients to the Barefoot Contessa's Crunchy Noodle Salad...it is marinating and flavoring through in the fridge right now.  Hot dang, I even toasted my own sesame seeds.  Here is the recipe....I think it will be amazing.

Ina Garten Crunchy Noodle Salad

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1/2 pound thin spaghetti
• 1 pound sugar snap peas
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds, divided
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded, and thinly sliced
• 4 scallions (with and green parts), sliced diagonally
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.  Meanwhile, bring another large pot of salted water to a boil, add the sugar snap peas, return to a boil, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until crisp tender. Lift the sugar snap peas from the water with a slotted spoon and immerse them in a bowl of ice water. Drain. For the dressing, whisk together the vegetable oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds and peanut butter in a medium bowl. Combine the spaghetti, sugar snap peas, peppers and scallions in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the spaghetti mixture. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds and the parsley and toss together.

Now I have some homemade (duh) chocolate chip cookies baking, and then I am off the sleep before work tonight.  I watched An Education per my mom's recommendation...didn't really like anything about it except the clothing and the hair.  I think it is a good movie for a mother to recommend to a daughter because of the lessons learned in it (go to college! get a degree! don't settle for a man!) but it was a little dark.  The clothes really were beautiful though.  What happened to dressing up, anyways?  Watching Breakfast at Tiffany's and An Education and other older movies or movies that take place in the past, everyone looked so nice.  All the kids were clean and dressed up and the women looked nice at Sing Sing when they went to visit, playing poker the guys look like a million bucks, when people travel they are dressed to the nines...even at sporting events people look nice!  What happened?  Or as we like to say here in the South, "wha' ha happened?"  I don't know.  Maybe if we had Edith Head to dress us for every-day life, we would look a little better.

Dag Nammit

I already missed a day.  That is what happens when you are never quite sure what day it is or what time it is.  It doesn't help that the date changes half-way through my work day (night) either. 

I have been on an old movie kick lately...The Big Sleep, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday, I Know Where I'm Going, How to Marry a Millionaire.  I didn't understand The Big Sleep, still have no idea what was going on, I mainly just love Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart.  For the FIRST time I understood what was going on in Breakfast at Tiffany's...ha ha ha.  I remember seeing it earlier and all I remembered was the scene at the end in the rain where Audrey Hepburn is yelling for Cat among the dumpsters.  Now, one of my favorite things was watching her clothing throughout the movie.  My favorite outfit by far is the pink sleeveless dress that she is wearing when she discovers her brother has been killed...I just googled it and it sold in an auction at Christie's in 1997 for $192,000.  In case your memory fails you, here it is:

Rainy Sunday

 Right now I am reading four different books.  I feel like books are like clothes, you don't stay in one outfit for months at a time so why would you only read one book at a time?  The choice of book I pick up depends on the setting, mood, time, weather, etc. etc.  I am reading Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis, (excellent for reading in the early morning), Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark (excellent with a cup of tea and a down comforter on a rainy afternoon), Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling (I keep this one in my car for spare moments), and Reding Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi.  This one is good for all other times.

 It was an excellent day for the movies today, I went and saw The King's Speech.  It was amazing, 10 out of 10 stars.  If Colin Firth doesn't gt an academy nod for this, there is no justice left in the world.

I am stupendously horrible at chess.  I lose regularly against the computer on the level entitled 'silly'.  I feel like that should fall somewhere between 'infant' and 'pre-teen', to be followed by 'novice', 'high school graduate','average', 'I do my own taxes', 'IQs above 150 only', 'competent', 'Bobby Fischer would be mildly impressed', 'above average', 'knowledgeable' and finally, 'don't even bother'.  Picking a level to play would me so much easier if it were labeled accordingly and not just 'beginner' and 'advanced'.

Peace out cub scout.

A New Year...

So, last night I spent my New Year's eve surrounded by death, destruction, and some excellent apple-peach sparkling beverage.  What is it about the passing of time that make people act so crazy?  Automobile accident after automobile accident (alcohol induced), drug over-doses, suicide attempts, rape, aggravated assault....My co-worker said that his daddy told him that whatever state you are in at the change of the new year dictates how the rest of the year is going to go.  He said his dad always carried money in his pocket at the turn of midnight, so that in his following year, he would always have money in his pocket.  Um, right around midnight we had a patient in the trauma room and after the physician cracked the chest open I was performing open cardiac massage...so maybe this year, by that theory, I will have a lot of love in my life since I was holding a heart bringing in the new year??  That's probably it. 

This morning, when I got home from work, I turned on my computer and my GoogleNews homepage popped up.  After the night I had had, it was the straw that broke the camel's back.  The words "bomb", "murder", "obesity", "mass killings", "biblical flood" and "nuclear holocaust" had shown up one too many times.  After a short search, my new homepage is the National Geographic website's Photo of the Day.  Today is a photograph of a Southern Masked Weaver.  Much better.