Presidents and Assholes

Opinions are like assholes; everybody has one. I am reminded of this in life generally, and around Presidential elections particularly. Typically, I enjoy casual political discussions, but I loathe the name-calling and mudslinging that these conversations can turn into at times. The advent of social media has made it much easier to sling aforementioned mud, and it's been interesting to see how this growing medium has factored into the three Presidential elections in which I've been eligible to vote.

Politically, I'm moderate.  I can usually see both sides of an argument, and as such I identify with values represented by both the Democratic and the Republican party. There are numerous articles, analyses, thoughts and rants about this election on the Internet for you to peruse at your leisure. That's not what I'm writing about. What I'm writing is the drunken and immature student protest that occurred at the University of Mississippi after the announcement that President Barack Obama had won the Presidential race. You may have read about it, as the Washington Post posted an article about the "riot" that occurred.

Folks, this was not a riot. Unfortunately, Mississippi knows its riots all too well as it has a very sad, very horrifying, very bloody past. This event was a group of 30-40 drunk students (mostly freshman, so teenagers) who weren't happy with the way the election turned out; instead of acting like rational human beings, one person burned an Obama/Biden sign and several others yelled racial slurs. Once the initial group gathered, word spread of the protest via social media, so the crowd of onlookers, not protesters, grew to between 300-400 people.

I'm not pardoning nor condoning this behavior at all--I'm embarrassed that this occurred in my home state, I'm appalled that our president (regardless of his politics or skin color) was disrespected in such a significant way, and most of all I'm saddened that racism still exists on any level. While I personally would like to see these kids held accountable for their actions, I'm not sure how feasible that is considering our First Amendment protects the freedom of speech.

However, one obnoxious asshole burning a sign and a handful of immature and irrational college kids do not speak for our entire state or for its children. Mississippi certainly has a long way to go, and its violent past will never be forgotten, but I wish that it could also be remembered for something other than our troubles. I wish that the national media had also spent the same amount of energy publicizing the 600-participant We Are One Mississippi candlelight walk to condemn the protest. A candlelight vigil in and of itself won't solve bigotry or any other problem, but it's a great step to show that the vocal minority does not speak for the majority. (More here, here, and here.) 

UPDATE: Read the first-hand account of the protest.

Photo: Bruce Newman, Associated Press

In closing, one of my favorite quotes from a fellow Mississippian:

"Mississippi is like my mother, I am allowed to complain about her all I want, but God help the person who raises an ill word about her around me, unless she is their mother, too." Kathryn Stockett

On Weather

Well. A lot has happened in the past few days. Frankenstorm, also known as Hurricane Sandy, the collective of storms that recently battered the East Coast, has come and gone. We were mainly spared in the D.C.-metro area. There were downed trees and branches, some flooding of businesses and basements, and extensive power outages, but the damage we faced was nothing (nothing) compared to the devastation in New York and New Jersey. As with many natural disasters, there aren't words to describe what's left in the wake of the storm. The Atlantic has some vivid photos of the aftermath here and here and here. (Side note: Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, has earned his Super Mayor title.)

Breezy Point, Queens

Manhattan without power

Queens, NY

Seaside Heights, NJ
(photos via The Atlantic)

As a Mississippi gal who grew up visiting the Gulf Coast, from Houston to New Orleans to the Florida Panhandle, I'm not a stranger to hurricanes. I was at school in Tuscaloosa when that bitch Katrina came barreling through, and we had substantial damage even then, several hundred miles from landfall in New Orleans. My family was vacationing near Destin, FL when Tropical Storm Alberto came through back in 1994. There are countless other storms that caused my hometown plenty of residual flooding and damage; Andrew, Ivan, Rita, Camille back in the day, and of course the innumerable tornados that hit the Southeastern U.S. each spring.

I don't mean to say that I survived these storms, because that's not at all fair to those who actually lived on the Coast and lost homes and loves ones. My point is, this storm was such a rare occurrence that it would have been terribly devastating to those who expect weather events like this; I can't imagine what it must feel like for the NYers and NJers who were blindsided by this storm. (Kind of like in 2009 and 2010 when D.C. experienced record snowfall amounts and the city shut down. President Obama, a Chicagoan, couldn't understand why three-plus-feet of snow sent D.C.-ers into a panic and received some flak for it.)

The District has experienced some pretty odd weather events over the past several years. There was SnOMG in December 2009, which dropped 16 inches of snow in D.C.; Snowmageddon/Snowpocalypse in February 2010, responsible for three-plus feet of snow and an epic snowball fight in Dupont Circle; an earthquake in August 2011; Snowtober on Halloween 2011; a derecho in June 2012; and now the Frankenstorm in October 2012. The Washington Post even wrote about it, and here's another breakdown.

Anyway, my neighborhood tends to lose power at a brisk gust of wind, so I packed up and camped out with my sister and her boyfriend in Arlington. We were lucky enough to maintain power the entire time, and had our own three-person hurricane party, complete with beer, PlayStation, scary movies, and homemade pumpkin waffles the next day. All in all, not a bad way to spend a couple of days.

Please consider donating to the Red Cross's Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. 

Kate Spade Saturday

I adore almost all things Kate Spade, from purses to jewelry to my hot pink day planner, so I was excited to learn about Kate Spade Saturday, a new brand set to launch in Spring 2013. 

"In a perfect world, every day would be Saturday." That's the motto behind the casual lifestyle line that is supposed to mirror Madewell (which I like) and C. Wonder (which I love) in price and aesthetic. This is not a diffusion line but a vertical brand that should capture current Kate Spade lovers and as well as attract new fans.

I received an email this morning about signing up for updates, so I did a little Internet research to see what else I could find out. And I found this from Style Bistro...

And I thought to myself, "Editorial mistake. Must have accidentally linked to American Apparel. Kate would never try to sell Minnie Mouse shoes." However, similar Google searches returned similar results. I'm holding out hope that more sneak-peeks of the collection come out soon. 

For now, Racked.com has six things you should know about Saturday.

A Day in Wine Country

Living in Washington, DC, means that I'm just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Virginia wine country, ranked in the top 10 wine destinations by Wine Enthusiast. I've lived here for more than six years but have never been to the Virginia vineyards, so I was excited that a group of us gals planned a day in wine country. October is Virginia Wine Month, so our timing was perfect.

Our first stop was at the Winery at La Grange in Haymarket, VA, where we tasted nine wines ranging from a Pinot Gris to a Cuvee Blanc to a Tannat. The Viognier, the state grape of Virginia, was my favorite by far; we learned that it's the "red wine drinker's white," which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. My other two favorites were both reds--the Cabernet Franc and the Norton, the native American grape. We each grabbed a glass of wine and walked the grounds, which were beautiful. 

Our second stop was Chrysalis Vineyards just outside of Middleburg, VA. Our visit coincided with the 12th Annual Norton Wine and Bluegrass Festival, and by this time the clouds had mostly departed so it was a bit livelier and much more crowded than our first stop. We tried a variety of reds and whites, and again I enjoyed the Viognier the most, followed by Sarah's Patio Red (made with the Norton) and surprisingly, the sweeter Patio White. 

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is one of my favorite authors, right up there with Hemingway and Irving and Fitzgerald and though I hate to admit it, Anita Shreve. I remember the first Agatha Christie book I ever bought, Hallowe'en Party, at a garage sale. I don't remember exactly the story line, although I know that someone dies from cyanide, which I learned is extracted from apple seeds. 

(I was in fifth grade when I read this book, and I can tell you that each and every time I have eaten an apple since, I think about how the seeds [though it would take literally hundreds eaten in one sitting] can be used to create cyanide). 

Anyway, Christie was a prolific writer and I've decided to read her novels in order. From the beginning, which happens to be the very mysterious, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. I'm about eight books in, and I'm rediscovering some books I've read and some that I haven't. In between I'm reading others, like The American Heiress, which is pretty good. If you're a Downton Abbey fan, you'll enjoy The American Heiress. 

Bree & Brian's Engagement Party

Two of my very good friends are getting married in April of 2013, so we decided to host an engagement party to celebrate. Bree and I both went to Alabama together, but it wasn't until she moved to DC for a job that we met and became friends (and roommates for a year). Brian is also a good friend of mine, and I forgive him for choosing to be a Florida Gator instead of having the good sense to be a Georgia Bulldog; he is from Atlanta, after all.

I do have to tell one of my favorite stories about this couple... back in the summer of 2009, Bree and Brian had been dating for quite a few months. We went to a party and were having all sorts of a good time. Bree looked at Brian and said, out of the blue, "I think this may be our last hurrah." Bree thought she was being humorous, Brian did not see the humor. I told Brian that I'd give him a ride home; unbeknownst to him, I also told Bree that I'd give her a ride home (to our house), so I somehow got them both in the car at the same time, forcing them to speak to each other. Halfway home, at Dupont Circle, I also told them I wasn't moving the car until they performed a Chinese fire drill. I like to think that the combination of ridiculousness and my stubbornness kept them together that night. Wink wink.

via Meredith

New York Wedding

Over the weekend, some friends and I embarked on a road trip to upstate New York to attend Jordan and Mike's wedding. Two random facts: Utica, New York, is the farthest north within the United States that I've traveled, and Jordan and Mike decided on Utica because it's the halfway point between their two families. The small towns and fall foliage along the way were beautiful and made for a scenic drive. 

We drove about half of the seven hours on Friday night so we wouldn't be rushed on Saturday and could do fun things like visit North Star Orchards. 

  

  

Amanda, Brooks, me, Caitlin at the Corn Maze

It was a great weekend spent with dear friends, and most of all, I'm happy that I was able to be there for my friends as they committed to spend the rest of their lives together. 

Amanda, Caitlin, me, and Brooks before the wedding

Mike and Jordan

Jordan and Mike