15 Weeks

I leave in 15 weeks. September 22 (or thereabouts). If I could phrase this more elegantly, I would but shit's gettin' real now. I bought new luggage this weekend, a duffel bag so large that I could fit into it comfortably in the fetal position. I dread to think how heavy the thing is going to be when it's crammed full of clothes and shoes and other things I think I can't live without.

My dvd collection keeps growing at an alarming rate and I fear I may have to leave some behind. I'm trying to determine which movies I can't live without (my mom would say all of them). However, Amazon.com one-click shopping is not making this any easier. I keep buying seasons of Alias, 30 Rock, Gilmore Girls, Entourage and The Golden Girls because I will miss them like friends. I dread to think of leaving the States without Liz, Jack, and Kenneth the Page. Or Vince, Ari and Drama. Not having Lorelai or Rory to keep me company. Especially when the only British television I'm comfortable with is the exports we're got here.

I tend to think of myself as a bibliophile, bookworm, book nerd, whatever. I have three bookcases overflowing with all types of books - fiction, drama, poetry, non-fiction, you name it. I own more books on the Kennedy clan than any reasonable person should. All the Harry Potter books - both British and American editions. All will be left behind and with great sadness. But I cannot, cannot, cannot, bring myself to purchase a Kindle. I won't do it. It's not a book. It never will be. I'm on the computer enough to know that my eyes couldn't take gazing at the tiny screen very long or enjoy a book that way. So I'll have to leave behind all but a few selected tomes that will fit into my backpack. There are too many favorites to choose so I think my course of action, my plan of attack, for this the most difficult of packing decisions will be...to simply buy some new books. Just so I won't have to choose.

Thoughts on soccer and the South

I've always been a soccer, hmm...excuse me football, fan. Not only am I a fan, but I'm a former player. Played the sport since I was four and had to be told which way to go (picture three somewhat confused four year olds being asked "Which way are we going" and dutifully pointing in the right direction). So needless to say I've been looking forward to the World Cup since, well, the last one. Interesting thing, though, this World Cup. My home country will be taking on my future residence tomorrow. Is it wrong to hope it's a draw like the two highly unsatisfactory matches (I'm looking at you France) were today?

On to other things: The South is getting hammered with everything from floods and tornadoes to the oilpocalypse in the Gulf, the sacred waters that hold one of the staples of Southern cuisine - seafood. I'm upset as the next person about this, especially since it's happening in my backyard to the people of a region that has been left behind in nearly everything (granted, part of that really is our fault). But I've noticed that the South gets dumped on constantly. We're hicks, rednecks, ignorant, backwards, reactionary, racists...We get it. We know what we did. We live with it and are reminded of it every damn day. Not all of us are like this though. So while we appreciate the outpouring of support and help and concern, how about acting like we're a part of the nation all the time instead of just when something terrible happens?