File Under Inaccurate

In an effort to do more things for me, I headed to the Florida Museum of History today. According to local legend, their Brown Bag Break series are not to be missed. It was a gorgeous day as I scurried from my busy office, excited to meet a friend and hear an interesting topic: Life and Times of Women in Tallahassee During the Civil War.

You know me, I love Southern history. And talking about women during the Civil War? I was stoked. I had never visited the Museum, never heard the historian and I was meeting a friend. How perfect? Right? RIGHT?

Ahem.
Y'all, I realize I can't trace my heritage to Lee's family tree. And I didn't actually use the word "y'all" until a stay in Hartsville, SC in early high school. But I know a little about the Civil War. I know a smidge about the feminism perspective in history. And I know when someone should stick to playing with their barbies.

Instead of a historian, we had a lady reenactor. One who questioned whether Citadel Cadets were involved with the whole Fort Sumter firecracker. One who flatly claimed women in the south never wore makeup. And one who couldn't answer any sort of question about women "below a certain means."

You may be wondering why I have my hoop skirt all twisted up. And there are a few things I feel snippy about and paying five dollars for parking is one of them. However, I'm upset about how - once again - women are marginalized. Instead of learning how to back up of the phrase steel magnolia, we heard about how women always (ALWAYS, y'all) wore gloves. We heard about how women "didn't work." We heard about ribbon bonnets. Thankfully, she didn't have a lot of information to share, since everything (EVERYTHING, y'all) was inaccurate. Well, maybe not about the ribbon bonnets.

Maybe my expectations were a little too high. Not the first time, won't be the last. However, I'm totally turned off by the museum (fail, people, fail).

I'll close with my all-time favorite quote about Southern Women from the estimable Florence King, from her collection of essays Southern Ladies & Gentlemen:

Novelists prefer complex women for their protagonists, which is why the Southern woman has been the heroine of so many more novels than her Northern sister. The cult of Southern womanhood endowed her with at least five totally different images and asked her to be good enough to adopt all of them. She is required to be frigid, passionate, sweet, bitchy and scatterbrained - all at the same time. Her problems spring from the fact that she succeeds.

Vegas, baby!

That's right - I'm headed to Vegas in a few weeks. To say that I'm excited would be an understatement. Yes, it's a work trip - and yes, I'll be working twelve hour days - and yes, it will be exhausting!

But I'll be in VEGAS! And since I'll be in Vegas, and I doubt my normal attire of jeans + t-shirt and cardigan (with flip flops, obv.) will just not work, I've been the ultimate online shopper.
Check that out? Like it? It's under $19.99 at Macy's - that's what I call supremo online shopping. And what do you call bargain basement prices when it's online? (Suggestions, please).

What do you think? Something about being a red head wearing red in Vegas - SIGN ME UP, BABY!

Confession #122

I have a confession to make (no, not that one). After canceling cable, I started watching Hulu with wild abandon. I discovered great new shows and one of them... One of them I am addicted to.

As in, have spent the last two weeks watching three seasons worth of one-hour programming. Y'all, the show is Greek on ABC Family. I'm not proud, but I'm not denying the love affair I have with Casey Cartwright and her nerdy brother Rusty.

I was in a sorority, and while it took me a while to warm up to the whole thing - this show brings back many silly, ridiculous and precious memories. I don't actually "recommend" this show - unless you need something to watch that is the equivalent of a twinkie or two-day old pizza. And since sometimes you need a twinkie-binge, now you'll know what to do. Enjoy responsibly!

Stacking Change

I had the best weekend. Y'all it was amazing. On so many levels - from a perfect drive through Atlanta to a perfect Zuni Chicken to absolutely perfect weather (yes, even with the rain).

There's been a lot of upheaval up in herre. Yes, that's correct - two r's. And what with husbands moving across town and paternal figures leaving nasty messages in the comment section (thank you, IP tracking), I deserved a weekend of nothing but fun. My Third Annual Aunties Weekend consisted of minimal email checking, lots of cooking and laughter that started the moment I woke up and followed me into my dreams.

Nonetheless, as I drove down the state of Georgia and back into Tallahassee, under the gorgeous hundred year old trees, I thought, "I'm home." And it was the best feeling of the whole weekend.

I miss South Carolina a lot. I've lived in Florida for three and a half years - it feels like a lifetime. A lifetime I'm proud of; a lifetime I'm glad I'm still living. I am from Greenville, South Carolina... and my home is Tallahassee. Guess it took starting my thirtieth year to gain that bit of perspective.

Four Years Later...

It's been four years since my first blog post here at me & my diet coke. FOUR YEARS. It's been sporadic, whiny, sometimes insightful - often not. I've written about boys, husbands and parents, weddings and relationship issues and my love affair with just about anything.

And I've really enjoyed it. Sometimes it feels like pressure - MUST WRITE BLOG POST - and other times I like the fact that folks keep in touch with me via this url. I appreciate it. Even though I might not talk with you each week - or in a quarter, it's nice to know you care enough to still check out how I'm doing.

Four years ago I was working on a Sunday, preparing for my 25th birthday and a trip to see my brother in DC. A lot changes in four years. I'm still at work - albeit in a different place, in a different career, in a different state. And tomorrow is still my birthday, the last one in my twenties. Twenty-nine. Can't wait.

I haven't seen my brother in a few years, but there's always hope that that awful fact may change. I have great friends - many the same, many more new. And just like January 8, 2006, I am overwhelmed at the possibilities of a new year. And hopefully, many more interesting posts.