A friend posted this on Facebook, and I thought it was absolutely adorable. I missed it if it made the Vol blogs earlier.
If I had the opportunity to teach kids in other parts of the world about God’s country, teaching them Rocky Top would be at the top of my list.
Just got an alert that the official Vol Mall is running a 50% off EVERYTHING sale until midnight tonight!
Those of you on my Christmas list–expect something orange under the Christmas tree.
I can hear my credit card moaning right now. I think that Vol Abroad once said that your alumni nostalgia goes up in proportion to your distance from the University. Once I despised hearing Rocky Top outside of football games. Now it’s my ringtone.
Perfect timing for me deck out new Honda Vol style. I’ve already added an alumni bumper sticker and license plate to my cart. Should I invest in stuff now for my future Big Orange Bathroom?*
*Long ago, I decided to create a Big Orange Bathroom when I finally buy a place. Where else can you indulge your alumni love? Orange is a hard color to use in decorating, so a small guest bath or powder room would be perfect. I’ll paint the walls UT orange and use the Vol wallpaper border. I already have a Smokey soap dispenser. I plan on buying cheesy pictures of Ayres Hall, Neyland Stadium, and Smokey and including all those giant football books dedicated to General Neyland for bathroom reading. At Christmas, I’ll put a small white tree in there with orange bows and my collection of UT ornaments. The piece de resistance will be a giant, orange-painted screw in a shadowbox frame. I’ll finally have the Big Orange Screw on my terms.
This just came through Congress Daily:
AND THE WINNER IS. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee was elected Republican Conference chairman today, replacing Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, who moved up to Minority Whip, aides and lawmakers said. Alexander defeated Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina 31-16. Kyl was elected unanimously. The shuffle was prompted by Minority Leader Lott’s announcement that he would resign from the Senate by the end of the year.
Once again my Senator is in a leadership position. Will he remember that there are a lot of angry conservatives back in Tennessee who want conservative issues pushed? Will he have a backbone?
Tonight is the greatest night of the year for football–the SEC Championship. No one plays football like the SEC.
It was a rough road, and there will probably be a lot of Georgia fans crying over their beer tonight, but bwahahaha!
I just pray that it won’t be a repeat of 2002 when LSU kicked our butts over the SEC title. That was a painful night. I was at a party watching it with friends while my voicemail filled up with messages from the LSU fans in my family. Lots of love that night.
In honor of my LSU heritage and parentals from the South:
One of the highlights of being home this weekend was watching the UT game with McGuyver Dad just like we did when I lived in-state. What a game! After sitting through four overtime periods, I’m fairly certain that God is a Vol fan. ATL here we come!
Now the difficult family rivalry emerges. GFTS is the black sheep of the family who opted to attend UT over LSU. This is the ONLY time that Maven Mom takes a passing interest in football, and McGuyver Dad is faced with the difficult decision of which team to support. But as Maven Mom put it today, “The only thing UT got from your father and I was tuition money.”
I wish we could go to the game in Atlanta. I’d even sit in the LSU section. The atmosphere would be more entertaining there. Drunk Cajuns are always funny, and the food would be good. They would probably even have jambalaya.
GEAUX VOLS!!!
Had Beka not put up a Facebook message about my trip home next week, I would have forgotten that I’m flying out of here on Tuesday.
Despite the hopes of some liberals, I haven’t fallen off the face of the planet. Work has just be supremely busy. I mean busy in an incredibly serious manner, and not my usual melodramatic exaggerations. I’m sure all my co-workers who read this blog now (thanks to Facebook or the WaPo Express), would back me up. A few days went by when I actually forgot that I had a blog.
It’s all good though. When I enjoy it, I don’t mind being a workaholic.
I’m pretty psyched to get home. It’s been about 4 months since I saw the family and Chattabuddies. Coco, the dog from the South has forgotten my existence, and I’m looking forward to a brief respite from the Beltway. The thought of shopping at Wal-mart makes me happy!
This weekend, I must have felt college nostalgia. Saturday, I wore an a Volunteer orange polo shirt with a Tennessee zip-up hoodie. Since I never get to pull out the Vol wear, I paired it with my Power T scarf, gloves and purse. (The Crocs stayed home.) Of course I ended up running into my friend Sarah from college. She’s now in an SIS grad program at American, and laughed at my Vol fever. It did look like I was leaving Neyland Stadium sans alcoholic beverage.
Sunday, John stopped by from a visit on his way home from New York. It was great to catch up with him and hang out. We ended up taking the Monument March of Death late Sunday night. My two favorite times to see DC are at night and when it snows. The WWII monument is breathtaking at night. The lighting and fountains are amazing. It’s my favorite monument.
All the college friends are so spread out now that I don’t get to see everyone very often. John, come back and visit, and Nathan–I’m expecting a visit sometime soon. Philadelphia isn’t that far from here.
Tonight, I received a fall care package from Maven Mom with special pumpkin spice soap. I wish that we could send smells over the web. This smells better than a pumpkin spice frappachino. When is she going to start selling this stuff? If I walked into Lush, this bar of soap would have cost at least $10. Maven Mom soap is the best in the world. Who else has a mother who makes organic, homemade soap?
Can you tell that I haven’t read the news or checked my email lately? All I have tonight are updates from GFTS world. At least I’m alive and checking in with the blogosphere. My next post may not be until Chattanooga…
My loathing of Crocs is noted at GFTS. I don’t care how comfortable they are, Crocs are ugly, ugly, boat-like shoes.
A while back, Maven Mom pledged to buy me a pair for my birthday. This past weekend, my annual b-day care package arrived, and sure enough, there was a shoebox inside.
As soon as I put them on, Daisy, my roomie’s dog, started playing with them. I can’t blame her. Crocs look and feel a lot like dog toys.
So I’m torn. On one hand, they are damn ugly shoes. On the other, they’re orange with Power Ts. Where do you draw the line on tasteful Volunteer wear? Sure, they are comfortable and feel like you’re walking on clouds. That does not mean that I’ll ever wear them out. At this point, I’ll wear them when I’m watching UT games from the privacy of my own home or need to slip something on to walk Daisy late at night. Unless I suddenly take up gardening or join the Vol Navy, there’s no other reason to wear them.
I should include a disclaimer on all following anti-Croc posts that I am an unintentional member of Croc owners.
There’s a challenge in Nashville to only spend $21 on food for a week that Volunteer Voters covers.
While I served as a VISTA, this was pretty much how I lived. I took home $700 a month. I ate out once a week at Amigos and suffered financially if I spent more than $8 on a meal. I only had Starbucks when my awesome boss treated me to it. The first time I spent more than $10 on a shirt, it felt like a shopping spree.
Oddly enough, I came out of my VISTA experience more conservative than ever. I actually qualified for food stamps, but refused to take government assistance. Some of my VISTA friends took food stamps and would trade vegetables for paper products with friends.
I also volunteered extensively at a food bank in college. One of the main causes of poverty and malnutrition in Tennessee is meth use. Not only do people spend all their money on meth, but they’re too out of it to feed their kids.
Don’t label me as a mean conservative. I lived at 105% of the poverty level for two years and spent that time working on poverty issues. However, increasing government subsidies is never the answer.
Nutrition at the poverty level presents several problems. Junk food is simply cheaper than healthy food. While food stamps do limit types of food, it is far easier to feed your family on high-calorie, sugary food than wholesome staples.
This also goes back to my argument that poverty is more of an educational problem than anything else. People no longer have financial literacy. They buy name brands and go to check-cashing places that trap them forever in debt. Instead of increasing food stamp allowances, teach people how to use them better.
You know the “teach a man to fish” concept. I guess that it’s easier to hand out federal funds than trust local communities to develop programs that teach these things.
While I disagree that the Farm Bill should be increased, I recommend taking the $21 challenge. It’s amazing how much money we waste on convenience or munchies.
Gavin Newsom Case Study: Facebook for PR, branding and Press Releases A case study with examples of everything Facebook alluded to yesterday.
Rohit Bargava: The Future of PR Means Dumping the Inferiority Complex
Sigh. If we want to get this massive chip off the shoulders of the profession, why don’t we start in the classroom. It doesn’t help when the next generation enters the workforce cynical and paranoid.
Google acquires Jaiku. Is November 5 the Facebook/Google showdown? All the tech giants weigh in, including Brian Solis on how lifestreams are relevant to communication.
Junior Takes a Bride
This is a few days old, but I can’t help it. I’m not a fan of Harold Ford, Jr. but marrying anyone who works for Carolina Herrera adds a much-needed layer of class to the rather trashy Ford family. Will they live in Memphis? Can someone like her survive in Tennessee? Will she supply couture for Ford family appearances in court? Just imagine a gubernatorial campaign with a real fashionista in the Volunteer State! Can’t you see her wearing a classic Carolina evening gown to the Grand Ole Opry? Oh, the blogging would be so much fun!
Sometimes, it’s hard to be a Vol in GFTS world. Much of my family went to LSU, including the parentals from the South, my boss is a Gator fan, another co-worker is a Georgia fan, my godson is being raised as a Bama fan, and there are entirely too many Florida alums in the DC metro area.
Usually, I just keep quiet, sing Rocky Top to myself, wave an imaginary shaker and pray to Peyton Manning, the patron saint of Tennessee, that we’ll remember that defense is important in football.
Vol Abroad, on the other hand, was gutsy and made a bet with a Dawg fan. As a rule, Dawg fans are rather cocky and rarely turn down bets. While I’m shocked that the Vol Abroad would have risked permanent damage to her adorable son by forcing him to wear red and black, the loser was gracious.
This makes my plans to buy a white bulldog and name him Smokey seem rather kind. I also want a fur-friendly Power T sticker to put on the Coco, the dog from the South. I’m afraid that I’ll go home over Thanksgiving and see him dressed in purple and gold.
GO VOLS!
Have I mentioned how thankful I am that the Vols aren’t playing LSU this year?
