Back in the Heart of Dixie

Well, things are slowly returning back to “normal” … I was greeted this morning with 600+ emails in my work Inbox, 100+ in my personal, and ~3000 feed entries waiting to be read.

LOL! Miss me much did they? ;)

I see that WordPress has released 2.6 finally. The blogosphere is all a-buzz with the news. Suggested reading: Doug Campbell, Keith Dsouza, and Ryan Boren. So now I’ll have to update all my blogs, themes, and plugins.

Yay … I’ll get around to it (hopefully!) this week …

We had a great time in NOLA. The drive down and back was pretty pleasant. We took the “scenic route” passing through Montgomery, stopping by Jim’s mom’s both ways (she kept Jessie for us). I was reminded why I love living in Alabama. I remember thinking to myself, “My God, we live in a beautiful state!”

We stopped briefly in Waveland, Mississippi, and in upper Louisiana. It’s been nearly 10 years since I’ve been down there … everything I remember is gone. Katrina and Rita really kicked the collective asses of coastal cities in lower AL, MS, and LA.

Otherwise the drive down to New Orleans was nice. We had great weather (outside of the heat and OPPRESSIVE humidity!) I took the time while in New Orleans to see some sights, have some great food, partake in local (and interesting) spirits, and just enjoy myself in general. The reunion was a lot of fun, and it was interesting to see the people Jim grew up with.

I was lucky enough to meet up and have lunch with two of my Cotillion sisters: Greta Perry and Conservative Belle. I would have liked to have spent more time with them, but the heat royally kicked my butt and Jim and I had so much planned, LOL!

Hopefully I’ll be making another trip down that way pretty soon!

We stopped by so many shops in the French Quarters that I loved! Many had beautiful clothing and jewelry that I could have easily gone “ga-ga” over. We stopped in one vampire shoppe that had many cute novelties and some interesting books covering local and Southern folklore. The shop owner had a BEAUTIFUL German Sheppard (the “head of security” LOL!) that was just as sweet as he could be!

I want another dog!

We also stopped by a local mall to pick up a few amenities that were forgotten in the hurried packing process. It was pretty much like what we have here back at home. I checked out one store that sold a lot of cell gear, drooled over some bluetooth cell phone headsets and considered getting another micro sd card for my Helio Ocean. (nah, will wait and get them cheaper online! LOL)

One thing that really sticks out in my memory is how “available” alcohol is down there. I kid you not, we walked into a Wal-mart and there was a HUGE section with every type of liquor and beer I could ever want! And you can’t walk 50 feet without coming across a daiquiri shop! :)

There’s so much more to tell, but we’ll leave it at this for now …

It’s good to be home!

Posted by Nicki on July 15th, 2008 at 10:54 am

Happy 4th

I hope everyone is having a happy Independence Day so far. Already I’ve seen a flurry of patriotic posts across so many of my favorite blogs this morning, but the best I’ve seen thus far would be my Cotillion sister Cassandra at Villainous Company who shares with us “Why I Am Patriotic: A Love Letter to America” — it’s a wonderful and beautifully written piece that, in my opinion, conveys so elegantly what so many of us truly believe.

Benjamin Franklin said, “Where Liberty dwells, there is my country.” Indeed this is my country, my home, my sweet land of Liberty. Enjoy today, sing the praises of those who have fought and remember those who are still fighting for the freedoms we enjoy.

May God bless us. May God bless those who defend us. And may God bless the United States of America, the land that I love.

Have a happy 4th!

Recommended Reading:

Local Events

Posted by Nicki on July 4th, 2008 at 10:16 am

Jane Novak to be on FNC tomorrow am!

If you’re an early bird like me, you may be interested to know that my Cotillion sister, Jane Novak, will be on Fox and Friends on the Fox News Channel at approximately 6:20 EST.

You remember Jane, right? An article about her and her efforts for Yemen was published on the New York Times site recently. She’s been on several national/cable networks and now it’s FNC’s turn.

Way to go, Jane! We are SO proud of you!

UPDATE: For anyone who missed it, the video segment is online here and here.

Posted by Nicki on June 5th, 2008 at 2:06 pm

Humpday Hilarities

This funny bit comes courtesy of my Cotillion sister, Cassandra:

Southern girls …

A very gentle Southern lady was driving across the Savannah River Bridge in Georgia one day. As she neared the top of the bridge, she noticed a young man fixin’ to jump. She stopped her car, rolled down the window and said, “Please sir, don’t jump, think of your dear mother and father.”

He replied, “Mom and Dad are both dead; I’m going to jump.”

She said, “Well, think of your wife and children.”

He replied, “I’m not married and I don’t have any kids.”

Grasping for any opportunity, she cried, “Think of your job, the work still to be done.”

“I was fired today and have no prospect of another job.”

Running out of ideas, she appealed to his patriotism and said, “Well, think of Robert E. Lee.”

He replied, ”Who’s Robert E. Lee?”

She replied, ”Well bless your heart sugar, just go ahead and jump.”

Posted by Nicki on June 4th, 2008 at 8:24 am

A Tiara makes the NYT

About two weeks ago I posted about Cotillion sister Jane Novak, who has become an outspoken advocate for a Yemeni journalist, Abdul Karim al-Khaiwani, who is facing execution for sedition. Since then, so many have signed the petition and blogged this story.

Well, today an article about Jane is featured on the New York Times blogs, and this morning made its way onto the front page of their website. Way to go, Jane!!

I encourage you to go read the article, and if you’re so inclined, please bookmark and/or save to your favorite bookmarking/sharing services:

I understand that ABC News, CNN, et. al. are also getting in on the action … Jane says:

ABC gave me a link http://abcnews.go.com/. CNN is sending a car at 12:30 for a 2:30 show. BBC Radio at 6:30.

YAY! Way to go, Jane!

I’m seeing a ton of coverage on Technorati:

Jane’s article is also listed on Technorati’s Politics channel. :D

Also reporting:

Feeling left out?

If you have blogged or posted about this story, leave your link in the comments below and I’ll add your link to the list! (Hooray, link love!!!!)

Update

Al-Khaiwani’s verdict and sentencing case has been postponed! It looks like all the media attention got them nervous, and are probably waiting for all the “hubbub” to die down…

Reporting: Armies of Liberation (Jane Novak), Conservative Belle, Not Ready for my Burqua, My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Posted by Nicki on May 20th, 2008 at 9:44 am