Sun-Maid Message

Raisins are just a boring staple in my snack world, easy to stash away in my purse and carry around until I'm either desperate for something to eat or feel it's time for a healthy bite. In fact, the only thing that keeps me coming back for more is the desire to discover the message printed on the top flap of the little red box. I must say, flipping open that little cardboard flap creates a thrill of anticipation that I'm sure the marketing genious at Sun-Maid knew it would for millions of people, if not just for me. Messages so profound in their brevity, I've been known to rip the flap off and tuck it away somewhere so I'll see it again - jammed in my mirror frame, mixed in my change purse, crunched up in my coat pocket.

The taste of my box today can be described as inspiring, with a hint of motivation:

"Stay curious and you will travel to the ends of the earth."

So refreshing was that raisin box, that I was spurred to compose a message I hope Sun-Maid will consider for its next box printing:

"Words add flavor."

Pass the Baton

A few weeks ago a current Crimsonette emailed me to say the girls planned to wear a costume from the Crimsonette closet - a fabulous red, white and blue outfit we debuted in 2001 at the Alabama-Auburn patriotric show (the nation in crisis, so we got new outfits...). Oh, how we adored those cute little hot pants! Ranking as the most expensive costume ever made for one halftime show, we did find reason to wear them again the next season, but the costumes have been stored away in the depths of Moody Music Building since 2002.

Amanda's email said she had been assigned the costume I wore, and that she was honored to wear the outfit of such a great former Crimsonette. As my smugness at the compliment (and jealousy that SHE, not me, got to wear it) subsided, feelings of excitement to see her twirl and pride in the Crimsonette tradition swelled. On gameday, as I joined with the thousands of other Alabama fans in the victory over Auburn, I enjoyed a personal victory of seeing "myself" out on the field again.


Amanda giving me a chance to shine again in 2008!


Red, white and blue debut in 2001.

You belong here

Last year I explored the Thanksgiving traditions of New York City (read: the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade) and Connecticut (read: a train ride, and sweaters and wine by the fire), and I came to a few conclusions:

1. There is something to be said for watching the parade in your PJs on the couch, where the only person blocking your view is dear ol' Dad when he stops in front of the TV to say, "Ughhh...turn it!"  2. The Connecticut suburbs of historic white-washed houses with backdrops of huge trees of orange and gold may look like the idyllic fall setting, but 3. a northern Thanksgiving dinner that features salad, cold, hard green beans, and dressing stuffed with I-don't-know-what, makes a wandering southern girl long for her Mama's casseroles of broccoli and sweet pa-tay-tas!

Now I can't claim any specific family traditions I wished I was home for last year, unless you count our shouts from the couch for Mama to "Come see!" from the kitchen whatever float, balloon or Rockette during the parade, only for her to rush in to the den in time for the screen to change and miss seeing it.  Maybe we could count as a tradition all the Thanksgiving decorations Mama so loves - her pilgrim man and woman, the beautiful ceramic turkey she painted one year, the Thanksgiving-themed spreaders, to name just a few.  Another almost-tradition is the Indian girl head Elizabeth made in elementary school using a reshaped wire hanger, pantyhose stretched for the face and construction paper for a feathered headdress.  For some reason that thing stayed in the pantry (of all places) for years, awaiting its flourish through the kitchen each Thanksgiving Day.  

Making my way home this year, as I lugged my suitcase from one flight, to the next, to the next, I realized there was one thing I couldn't wait to see, and I wondered if maybe this was our greatest Mummert Thanksgiving tradition.  Years ago, using folded index cards and colored pencils, Elizabeth made the most creative yet simple place cards.  We laughed to see what she had chosen to draw for each of us, and joked at the novelty of having place cards for just the five of us, who sat in the same seats every year anyway.  Those cards were saved, and pulled out of the drawer again the following year and again the next.  Suffering a few gravy stains, Elizabeth redrew them a few years later, using a bit more care and matured colored-pencil skills, now knowing these would be seen year after year.  

I don't know how much thought Elizabeth put into choosing our Thanksgiving caricatures, but I've always thought the drawings represented us fairly well:  

Daddy the patriarchal and Mama the matriarchal pilgrim and Indian figureheads; Julie a cornucopia surely because several decorate her house,  all of them painstakingly hand made by her, at that; Elizabeth as the turkey has always perplexed me, I would have chosen an Indian baby in (what is probably her favorite Native American-related word) a papoose.

Our outdoorsman Chris gets the trees and squirrel, and our sportsfan Gabe appropriately gets the football turkey.

And me, Rebecca, the little Indian girl, who I've always liked to think of as Pocahontas, poking through her surroundings and discovering something new to marvel.  

I Googled "Pocahontas" today to find facts about her that might relate to my personality, further linking my place card to me.  According to Wikipedia, she "became a celebrity during the last year of her life." I'll take celebrity, but I don't want it to be in my last year.  "She was a daughter of Wahunsunacock who ruled...the Tidewater region."  I'm a daughter of a Crimson TIDE fan. Hmmm, still not a convincing enough link.  

But a few lines down, my answer came: "After her baptism, she went by the name Rebecca."

"But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger,

You'll learn things you never knew you never knew."

~ Colors in the Wind from Disney's Pocahontas

Lovely Smile

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile."~William Cullen Bryant

The bright blue sky and the bursting autumn colors dazzled my eyes and enchanted my thoughts. The thick piles of leaves covering the ground beckoned me off the pathways to a world of shuffling, crunching and gathering. I bent to pick up an unusually large leaf, half vibrant green and half drained to yellow. Instead of dropping it back to the pile, I kept it and began gathering others that caught my eye - a radiant red, an orange the color of the setting sun, a pure yellow, a brownish red with edges almost purple!

As the collection of leaves in my hand grew, so did the people by my side. A girl about my age joined me in selecting some leaves for herself; we smiled, and I continued back to the path, on to find the next glorious autumn tree. I stooped to pick another leaf, and a man asked if it was good luck to pick up leaves. "I don't know, but they sure are pretty." Walking on, leaves in hand, another guy fell in step beside me and asked what I planned to do with the leaves. "Oh, I don't know, I just like them." He agreed and said it had been years since he stopped to really look at the leaves, much less pick them up and enjoy them. Several more people struck up conversations as I meandered through the idyllic scenery...each person and chat as varied as the leaves around me.

As I turned to leave Central Park, a fellow leaf looker said, "You have a lovely smile." I thanked him and went on my way with the beautiful autumn day smiling on me.

Soundtrack

I’m not one who has ever been good with music. I don’t really have a favorite kind of music, although most know me to be a lover of oldies. and I never tire of listening to 80s music. When I do have a favorite current hit, I usually can’t remember the name of it: “You know, the one that goes like this,” and then I hum a tone-deaf, rhythm-less rendition. My little sister even used to quiz me on songs playing on the radio as I drove us to high school, “What’s the name of this song? Who sings it?” she pestered. If I was lucky enough to guess correctly, the triumphant smile that spread across my face was fleeting, because the next quiz time surely would not go my way.

This being the history of me and song, I’ve always had a slight envy of people who can spit out a list on que of their favorite songs of all time. But I never cared enough to create and memorize my own list, and then program it in my iPod to listen to on repeat. Besides the fact I don’t own an iPod, I was just always happier to take what I got on the radio, and enjoy the thrill of cranking up the volume and singing along when I song I love came on.

At my going away party last year, as I greeted Katherine Marsh hello, she put a CD into my hand. With all the people swirling around me, I didn’t have time to look at the song list immediately, I just saw that Katherine had burned the music to CD herself and written in her swirly handwriting “Rebecca’s Alabama to NYC CD”. The CD stayed in my hand for a while as I inadvertently used it as a fan to flutter the sweat and emotions away as I greeted more friends to the party. But mid-flutter a song title caught my attention, so I quickly glanced down to read the list. I found myself exclaiming with each new title, “Oh, I love that song! Oh perfect!” I saw Katherine across the room and held up the CD and mouthed “I love it!”, she nodded and gave me an “I knew you would” smile.

I can’t remember now if I popped in it my car’s CD player during the day or two I had left in Birmingham or if I waited until I was in New York to listen to it. Hmmm, judging from a memory I have of a mixed tape Elizabeth made for me when I left home for college that I popped in the tape deck of our little Geo Prizm as I drove away to Tuscaloosa (already crying), and then listening to the songs brought me to a full boohoo for most of the hour-long trip to my new home, it’s safe to say I probably waited until I was fully in New York to listen to this compilation!

Whatever the case, I listened to it every chance I got when I first moved. Dancing around, singing along, I would look out my “bedroom” window at the city view and be even happier that I was in New York.

These songs do not necessarily make up my list of all-time favorites, but together they are definitely the soundtrack to my life the past year or so:

These Are the Days – 10,000 Maniacs

“These are the days you’ll remember. Never before and never since, I promise. Will the whole world be warm as this, And as you feel it, you’ll know it’s true, that you - are blessed and lucky. It’s true - that you are touched by something. That will grow and bloom in you.

These are the days that you’ll remember. When May is rushing over you, with desire to be part of the miracles you see in every hour. You'll know it's true, that you - are blessed and lucky. It's true - that you are touched by something that will grow and bloom in you.

These are the days you might fill, with laughter until you break. These are the days you might feel a shaft of light make its way across your face. And when you do, you'll know how it was meant to be, See the signs and know their meaning. You'll know how it was meant to be, Hear the signs and know they're speaking, to you, to you."

Dixieland Delight - Alabama

I’m a “homegrown country girl” and this country rhythm is just in my heart.

Southern Girl - Amos Lee

“Farewell my sweet, well the time that was coming, the road has begun to move beneath my feet. Good things come to an end, well, I hope through the pain and the heartache and strain we can still remain friends.

Something about a southern girl, makes me feel right, in a Mississippi morning she’s an angel in flight, in a blink of an eye, she’ll be out of your sight, something about a southern girl.”

Stars Fell on Alabama - Billie Holiday

"We lived our little drama, we kissed in a field of white, and stars fell on Alabama last night. I can’t forget the glamour, your eyes held a tender light, and stars fell on Alabama last night. My heart beat like a hammer, my arms wound round you tight, and stars fell on Alabama last night."

New York State of Mind – Billy Joel

“I know what I'm needing, And I don’t want to waste more time, I’m in the New York state of mind. I don’t have any reasons, I’ve left them all behind, I’m in a New York state of mind.”

Put Your Records On – Corinne Bailey Rae

“Maybe sometimes, we’ve got it wrong, but it’s alright. The more things seem to change, the more they stay the same. Oh, don’t you hesitate… Girl, put your records on, tell me your favorite song, you go ahead, let your hair down. I hope you get your dreams, just go ahead let your hair down.

You’re gonna find yourself someway, somehow.

Maybe sometimes, we feel afraid but it’s alright. The more you stay the same, the more they seem to change. Don’t you think it’s strange?

When you gonna realize, that you don’t even have to try any longer? Do what you want to. Girl, put your records on.”

Move by Yourself - Donavan Frankenreiter

“I couldn’t just do what they wanted, fake it. They said they’d be shocked if I found another place. Don’t stop doing what you believe in, don’t let them put you on a shelf, you’ve got to move by yourself, move by yourself tonight. Don’t ever be somebody that you’re not. There’s a choice you’ve got to make, do what you feel, don’t hesitate."

Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd

“Big wheels keep on turnin’, carry me home to see my kin, singin’ songs about the southland, I miss old Bamy once again, I think it’s a sin.”

Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

“I am unwritten, can’t read my mind, I’m undefined. I’m just beginning, the pen’s in my hand, ending unplanned.

Staring at the blank page before you, open up the dirty window, let the sun illuminate the words that you cannot find. Reaching for something in the distance, so close you can almost taste it, release your inhibitions –

Feel the rain on your skin! No one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in, no one else, no one else, can speak the words on your lips. Drench yourself in words unspoken, live your life with arms wide open, today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten."

Amsterdam by Reed Waddle

“Headed for the open road, bought my ticket yesterday, got a seat by the window, like a bird I’ll fly away."

Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall

“Her face is a map of the world, is a map of the world. You can see she’s a beautiful girl, she’s a beautiful girl. And everything around her is a silver pool of light, the people who surround her feel the benefit of it, it makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm.

Suddenly I see, this is what I want to be. Suddenly I see, why the hell it means so much to me."

Soul Thing by Taylor Hicks

“Where the city streets meet the county road, where the sun is nice and warm, no matter how long I may roam, this song still takes us home, takes us home.”

New York, New York by Frank Sinatra

“Start spreadin’ the news, I’m leaving today. I want to be a part of it, New York, New York! These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray, right through the very heart of it, New York, New York! I want to wake up in a city that doesn’t sleep, and find I’m king of the hill, top of the heap. These little town blues are melting away. I’ll make a brand new start of it in old New York. If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere! It’s up to you, New York, New York!”

I love plums

One thing I love love love about New York is the fruit stand vendors conveniently located every few corners or so. At first glance you might think all the stands are the same - bananas on the end, bigger veggies toward the back, prices hand-scribbled on cardboard signs - but they are oh so different!

I'm partial to the stand closest to my apartment on 57th and 1st, and my second favorite stand is on the corner of 72nd and 2nd - it has the best variety and the stock is displayed so nicely. The guy at the stand by my apartment is nice, the stand is open until late at night, the selection is great - strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, grapes, bananas, carrots, eggplant, apples, potatoes, and lots of stuff I never buy - and the price deals are great. For example, my most frequent and favorite purchase is bananas. The stand by my apartment has bananas 25-cents each or 5 for $1.00. The stand by my office has bananas 25-cents each or 4 for $1.00. Where's the bargain??

No, you can't beat the price deals on street vendor fruit and flowers - a pound of grapes is $1.50, a box of strawberries is $2.00, a big bouquet of white daisies is $4.00. But even better than the deals is the freedom of being able to grab a snack on your way wherever - without the hassles of going into a store or waiting in a line - and discover you love the way a juicy plum tastes. Have never even looked at them in the grocery store...

Fruit and vegetable vendors make the city a nice place to live! :)