TWIMO Observes: The South

Upon my recent adventures in the South I've made some pretty interesting observations about this here country below the Mason Dixon line I call home and the main summary of those observations is this land called Dixie is a weird place.

1) It's Not the Civil War, It's the War of Northern Aggression

With the new year R and I have decided to do more "active" dates that included walking about 400 miles, so we headed to Stone Mountain, GA one weekend. Stone Mountain is an area touted for it's lovely natural setting and giant rock with confederate heroes carved into it. Yes, that's right good ole' General Lee and Co. Now, Stone Mountain is not only just a rock, but also includes a "frontier" themed amusement park and little pavilions dedicated to each state that seceded from the union. As R and I walked around the park I was quizzed on my knowledge of the War of Northern Aggression and thank goodness I got close to naming everyone on the rock or else R and my relationship might have been over, as knowing my confederate heroes is obviously a deal breaker. I got bonus points for knowing Gen. Lee's middle name. It's Edward, in case you ever play trivia in the South. So, point #1 the South is not over the civil war.

2) Southern Children experiencing snow is pitiful.

While at Stone Mountain I also observed a Southern tradition, Snow Mountain. During the winter Stone Mountain is transformed into a winter wonderland with the modern miracle of man made snow pumped in through a maze of tubes. So all of these poor Southern children were brought in wearing their snow suits (mind you it was 60 degrees out) and made to think snow is something you pay for to experience. Just pitiful.

3) Ruffles Are Big News

Last weekend I travelled to Chattanooga, TN to shadow the event planner at my cousin's, who is a chef, place of employment. (I'm exploring new career opportunities as drywall and autoCAD might just not being doing it for me) I went to help out with a wedding. So between hauling ice, polishing glasses, and pouring wine I made a very important fashion observation. Ruffled collared dresses are a big deal in Scarlet O'Hara land. Nearly every woman at this wedding was wearing one. Note to self: get a really big ruffle collar for my next wedding attendance aka Queen Elizabeth big.

4) Atlanta = the Urban Safari

Last weekend while hitting the town with the lovely E and S we encountered the African Hunting Show 2012 at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead. Yes, that's right, a conference dedicated to the killing and stuffing of African animals in the middle of the South (I'm pretty sure Atlanta, or perhaps a Texan city, would be the only places in the US that might find this type of conference slightly acceptable). Let me tell you, not only did it make a great photo shoot, but also some amazing people watching at the hotel bar. I continue to be amazed at the worlds out there that I just am not a part of (fortunately, this one I am now a part of thanks to my new friend Pumba)

Hoop Skirts and a bubbly beverage

The Glee episode I missed this week because I was sitting in the last row of a plane where I swear every passenger had to go to the bathroom (GROSS) flying back to the ATL from Houston, is not working, so I thought why not blog. I have a lot to blog about so hopefully over the next few days I will get you caught up on my ohhh sooo important and exciting life.

First up, Angie, my college roommate for 3 years, came to visit. She's in med school in Chicago and was in town for a residency interview at Emory (GOOD LUCK!!). Since I'm Angela's FAV person on earth she decided to come for a few extra days, so I could show her the ropes of Atlanta and how we Southern Belles mind our P's and Q's.

Ang and I at the World of Coke

Being the delightful, wonderful friend that I am, I drug my ass out of bed at 5:45 am to pick up my dear friend... and then I made her buy me breakfast at the Majestic Diner (an Atlanta Establishment). The food was typical diner food, although I got 2 eggs, yogurt, granola, and a waffle. I think I was really up set about waking up so I ordered everything on the menu. Later in the day we donned our hoop skirts and went to Margaret Mitchell's (the author of Gone with the Wind) house. I've never actually read the book, but I've seen the move several times, so it was a pretty interesting site. I have to say my favorite thing was the video they showed on the making of the movie. When watching it you forget that it was filmed in 1939... Anyway they showed how most of the backdrops and scene were actually painted onto glass and then combined with the live action film. It's like pre-historic Photoshop. I was wowed.

Another ATL site I insisted we go see was the World of Coke. I had been there when I was little, and remembered it being AWESOME, so naturally I drug my dear friend to the carbonated wonderland. Despite the overwhelming bombardment of marketing and branding (and let's face it, Coca-Cola is pretty much genius at this) it was really interesting to see how the brand evolved and made itself one of the most recognized brands in the world. Oh, and we both got some good burps in at the world showcase of sodas. It's like the Epcot of soda machines. AMAZING. After our stomachs settled from chugging the worldly sodas we took a spin around Centennial Olympic Park. Verdict: Not that exciting.

Sculpture to some guy at Olympic Park. I'm using it as a stage.

Giant red tree at obviously... the world of coke.

Lastly I enlisted Ang in helping me give my dear dog, Clair a hair trim. She hasn't had a haircut since August (most likely because I spent her beauty budget on shoes), so she was having some trouble seeing. Well needless to say Ang and I are crossing Dog Groomer off our potential career lists. Clair looks awful, but at least we got a good laugh.

So, everyone cross your fingers for Angie getting a job at Emory, because I'm a mean tour guide and showed Ang how the world is her oyster ATL style. I'm taking reservations for tours for next year FYI.

Would you like some butter with that triffle?

While killing some time at Target last week with E, we discovered this amazing magazine cover. A lovely blue tinted hair Paula Deen holding an entire triffle while lounging by the pool, because why not eat an entire triffle while soaking up some rays? You're Paula Deen and you fry butter, so you can do what you want.

How the TWIMO magic happens. My photog skills. Check out Paula's shelf partner. A match made in heaven.

*Photography by Erin

Etsy Wednesday Postponed...

Hello! Just got back from a mini holiday in Chattanooga to visit my family and their new puppy, who is super cute. Her name is Fern. Isn't that a great throwback to Charlotte's Web? Anyway I didn't have a chance to find my Etsy pick for Wednesday, so I will leave you with a picture from Savannah this spring at the Doggie Carnival (because yes, Savannah had one of these). Makes me miss all the crazies.

Southern Oddities

I was at Target today and this little girl said to her mother, "Mom, I bet no one has a buggy this small." Being from the Midwest I quickly look around for an Amish buggy thinking the Amish had somehow made it to the South and that they would soon be installing hitching posts at Target like they have at the local Wal-mart in my town.

But, I then realize that this child has most likely never seen an Amish Buggy yet alone the smallest one (I've seen the world's largest) and instead is refering to what the South calls a buggy:

Made me think of home and that the South is odd (although in this case, I think there is room to argue).