Dispatches

It’s Thursday of one of the LONGEST weeks EVER.

Don’t try to tell me this week hasn’t been long. You obviously haven’t lived the same week as me.

But, a bright spot could be Dispatches. I mean, I know you’ve looked forward to them. And I’m here to cater to your needs, right?

Ready?

• My friend Rachel got a job this week! After 2-plus years of searching and facing some pretty significant worries, she got a job! What an answer to prayer!

• Julia Sugarbaker, or Dixie Carter for you youngins, passed away this week. Back in the day, my family liked “Designing Women.” The writer/creator was from Poplar Bluff, Mo., and one of the characters (Charlene) was from there. There are still scenes I remember from that series. Particularly when Bernice wore the Christmas tree skirt as a skirt and when Julia stood up for her sister at a pageant and said this: “Yes, and I gather from your comments there are a couple of other things you don’t know, Marjorie. For example, you probably didn’t know that Suzanne was the only contestant in Georgia pageant history to sweep every category except congeniality, and that is not something the women in my family aspire to anyway. Or that when she walked down the runway in her swimsuit, five contestants quit on the spot. Or that when she emerged from the isolation booth to answer the question, “What would you do to prevent war?” she spoke so eloquently of patriotism, battlefields and diamond tiaras, grown men wept. And you probably didn’t know, Marjorie, that Suzanne was not just any Miss Georgia, she was the Miss Georgia. She didn’t twirl just a baton, that baton was on fire. And when she threw that baton into the air, it flew higher, further, faster than any baton has ever flown before, hitting a transformer and showering the darkened arena with sparks! And when it finally did come down, Marjorie, my sister caught that baton, and 12,000 people jumped to their feet for sixteen and one-half minutes of uninterrupted thunderous ovation, as flames illuminated her tear-stained face! And that, Marjorie – just so you will know – and your children will someday know – is the night the lights went out in Georgia!”

• Last night, for some weird reason, I watched a little of George Lopez’s late night show. I feel a little sorry for George. His guests were Luke Wilson (what’s he doing now, cell phone commercials?) and the singer Monica—who I have no memory of.

• I got a haircut on Tuesday and I love it. No, I didn’t cut my hair off, but there are lots of layers and I feel sassy.

• I love the NPR “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” podcast. Especially when Mo Rocca is on, for some reason.

• This week, I am working on an ironing project. Which basically means I’m trying to catch up on all the ironing I’ve let go for months. MONTHS!

Well, that’s enough for today. I’m getting hungry for my second breakfast. What shall I have?