Things fueling my dissertation

• dark chocolate
• Aretha Franklin tunes
• ginger tea
• stretching on yoga mat & yoga ball
• walks around the block to 'get out of my head' for a minute
• cold weather attire to combat the office A/C--I keep a sarong, long sleeve shirt and socks on hand
• Pandora radio. Especially when it says 'We're sorry. We'll never play that song again.'
• Conversations like this with my office mate Josh:
  

  "You know what you should do, Leigh Ann? Whenever you get off task, you should do 50 sit ups. You would be so ripped."
  "Josh, I would be an exercise bulimic with a concave stomach and an unfinished dissertation."
  

"I went to Sunglasses Hut to buy sunglasses like Barack Obama wears. They cost $164 so
I'm going to wait and see if he wins first before I buy them."

text messages saved in my phone (vol. 2)

A semi plowed through the fence into the pasture this a.m. Big pain!

12 hours driving six animals. In Shreveport. A dump. Spilled vodka. woooohoooo.

Remember to pace yourself and hydrate.

Enjoying life as a matriarch?

No he is OK. Just cramping up.

I'm backing away from doomsday scenario for now.

I'm watching my daughter clomp around and it dawns on me she has worn heels more than you have.

I don't think so. Definitely more people know Britney and such.

Car is fine. I got it out of the lot already.

Call me if you want to come shower here. Glad you're safe.

I now call the guys my vanilla and chocolate cabana boys.

Well, bless your hearts.

Good choice. Much better than crossing the AL-MS line just now.

Watching 'Out of Africa' tonight. Thinking of you and your man Robert.

taxes, Jesus, food and firearms

I left town for Hurricane Gustav, but now I'm back in New Orleans.
This time I returned to a much better outcome than after Katrina.
Only thing amiss in my neighborhood is debris from trees.
I have electricity in the condo and all is well.

For the evacuation, I took a traveling circus to North Mississippi: an Ethiopian, a pit bull and a Californian.
A couple of days later we were joined by another Californian and a New Yorker.
I was the only southerner, so I served as cultural interpreter.
That's a full time job when you're spending five days in MS.

I could elaborate, but the headlines from The Rankin County, MS newspaper say it more succinctly than I could:

• City Council announces tax cut plan
• Prayer breakfast kicks off Muscadine Jubilee
• 4th Grader displays pistol

That sums up North Mississippi better than any tour brochure I've ever come across.

Thanks to all who cheered for New Orleans in the storm and checked in to see how I was doing.
I'm 'mighty fine', as my Father likes to say.
Fortunately, this go round, so is my city.