"The Atlantic was born today, and I'll tell you how."

Figured a blog post is due now that I've been successfully residing in Mississippi for a little under a month.

The move itself went very well. Packed up the Focus, the Escalade, and the Budget moving truck and shipped out of Acworth on the morning of August 5th, with Drake, my brother, my best friend since middle school, my mom, and my grandma all in one giant caravan moving across two states. Arrived in Oxford around 3:00 and had successfully unloaded everything in a matter of hours. The clan stayed until Friday morning, helping me unpack and hang things (huge help). The apartment looks great and feels like home because of them. After they took off, I had about two weeks to get acquainted with my new town before school started.

My laptop died about a week after being here (I just got it back this past Friday). As a result and in order to keep from being bored nonstop, Drake and I wound up exploring a lot. We walked in Lamar Park almost every night (still do); the minimal human interaction there saved me from going crazy my first two weeks here, I'm almost positive. Last weekend, I decided to take us on a hiking adventure in Holly Springs National Forest. Somewhere along the trail, like a dumbass, I got us lost, and we were picked up by a couple out hunting for deer approximately twelve miles away from my car. Sorry Mom. Needless to say, don't think we will be trying that one again anytime soon.

I have caught up on my movie watching. I joined Blockbuster Online, and the Oxford library has a surprisingly great selection of movies and documentaries. I also finally grew balls and discovered the joy of going to see a movie alone. The comprehensive list is as follows:

• Sicko
• Bowling for Columbine
• Streetcar Named Desire
• The Long, Hot Summer
• Confederate States of America
• This Film Is Not Yet Rated R
  
• Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus
• O Brother, Where Art Thou?
• Into the Wild
  
• Bonnie & Clyde
  
• I Love You, Man
• Public Enemies
• Inglourious Basterds (twice - it is that good)

School is going very well. I really enjoy my classes, and the people in my program could not be more awesome. It is so refreshing to be around like-minded and motivated individuals after being out of an academic setting for over a year. Maybe I'm speaking too soon, but I feel like I am falling back into the swing of things fairly quickly, much easier than I had expected. So far, it is everything I have been dreaming about for two years, and I couldn't be happier.

At our welcome party last Friday night, one professor busted out a harmonica and a kick drum. Last week in class another discussed the South's potrayal in True Blood as being a sign of the postmodern condition. The classroom that 2 out of 3 of my classes are in is filled with original black and white prints of Faulkner, while the other classroom has a huge screenprint of Elvis hanging on the back wall. Yea, I could get used to this.

Wednesday immediately after class I am leaving to go back to Atlanta for Labor Day weekend. I can't wait. The Focus is finally getting painted (I scratched the right side of it up pretty badly two years ago and never had the resources to get it fixed), my best friend from high school will be in town, I'm going to my final Braves game of the season...so basically, all the makings of an amazing weekend at home.

A couple of pictures of the move:






On a final note, I have been to the farmer's market in the cool little neighboring town of Taylor a couple of times, and each time this contraption caught my eye.

It's a daybed that someone has wired to hang from your porch as a swinging bed, for lack of a better term, and HOLY CRAP, it is so comfortable. Seriously, one day I will measure the success of my life in terms of how many of these I own and use on a daily basis. My first paycheck from a real job is going to one of these, even if it breaks the bank. Sallie Mae, be damned, this is more important!